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Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Many, many people know about how different this 1971 family film is from its source material, by the classic children's author Roald Dahl. Though Dahl is officially credited with writing the screenplay for the film, starring Gene Wilder in the title role, he was never happy with the final product, so much so that he didn't let the sequel to the book, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, become a film. Of course, only a few years ago, this book, which is actually called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was remade as film of the same name as that book. It was directed by Tim Burton, it starred Johnny Depp, and I'm a big fan of it, especially considering that it's far more faithful to the book (though Willy Wonka's father never makes an appearance). So why does the original film show up here? In a way, Burton's film is better than this one, directed by Mel Stuart. The special effects are better, the kids are better, the songs are, if not catchy, accurate to the book's lyrics. And yet, there's something truly nostalgic for me with the 1971 version. Whether it's the brilliant performance from Wilder (his manic nature works best in the second-to-last scene, as he shouts down Charlie and his Grandpa Joe), the unforgettable songs sung by those pesky Oompa Loompas, or the random British humor thrown into the first 30 minutes of the film, I can't help loving this movie. If you want faithfulness, look elsewhere, but for an enduring classic that anyone can love, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is the film for you.

No Country For Old Men

The overall critical consensus when the 2007 crime thriller No Country For Old Men, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, was released was that the film was, top to bottom, the best film the Coens had ever made. What shocks me still is how perfectly they brought the bleak source material, a novel by Cormac McCarthy, to the screen without compromising anything. I'm going to delve very quickly into full spoiler territory here, so beware. If you're one of the people who got frustrated or angry when the lead character, Llewellyn Moss (Josh Brolin), got killed off-screen almost 30 minutes before the film ended, you can be mad at the Coens, but they only went off McCarthy's work. Almost everything from the book is exactly the same in the film. Not sure why the film has to end with Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) recounting the dreams he had one night? Again, this is not only in the novel, but it's the same way the movie ends. One major exception is a female character who ends up befriending Llewellyn in the latter section of the book before he gets killed; she doesn't show up in the film, but you don't miss her. If you haven't read McCarthy's novel, you're missing out on a great piece of work. Don't be surprised if you spend a bit of time marveling at how accurately the Coens used the material, to the point that a majority of the dialogue seems directly copied from the book. This is a case where faithfulness is important; I shudder at the thought of this film having been a cookie-cutter thriller where the good guy lives, the bad guy dies, and everyone ends up happy. Thankfully, the Coen brothers chose not to go down that route, delivering one of the finest films of the last decade.

Out of Sight

The 1998 crime thriller Out of Sight is an important touchstone in American cinema for a few reasons. First, this is the film that brought indie director Steven Soderbergh out into the spotlight and the mainstream of Hollywood. He'd been mostly associated with incredibly small movies that did very little business at the box office when he took the reins behind this adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel. Second, this is the movie that helped solidify George Clooney's status as a real movie star. To this point, Clooney was best known for his work on ER and his failed attempts to be a matinee idol (One Fine Day, anyone?). Out of Sight, from its opening scenes to the closing credits, changed that. The movie is the story of how Jack Foley (Clooney), a career criminal, ends up falling in love with a brusque U.S. Marshal named Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez, in her only great performance) while doing some jobs on the side. Out of Sight is filled with a great ensemble cast, from Steve Zahn to Albert Brooks to Michael Keaton, sharp dialogue from writer Scott Frank, and some slick moves from Soderbergh. One of the most memorable scenes in the film, deservedly so, is when Jack and Karen meet up in Detroit and end up making love; Soderbergh cuts between the couple having a drink in a hotel bar to them taking their clothes off and not once does the chemistry cool down. Clooney and Lopez are great together; the novel is one of Leonard's best. Though Frank did some heavy lifting to squeeze the story into a two-hour movie, the adaptation is perfect. Not only does every character get at least one good moment, but the main story never feels slow, confusing, or even choppy. Like the rest of the films on this list, Out of Sight is not only great to watch, but the source material is worth reading, too.

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