The Hunger Games: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

So the 1971 film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is based on the beloved children’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Thew story is of a young, poor, low-income, starving, boy who is chosen to compete against four other children to not only win enough chocolate and candy for their lifetime, but also a grand, secret prize.  Very Interesting, I know, but you are probably wondering what does that have to do with The Hunger Games? A young girl from a starving district competing to the death against 23 others to win food for her family and community?

This:

Now it is not exactly like The Hunger Games, Willy Wonka is a nice guy who really wants to help people, Charlie is the only poor, suffering guy, and you hate everyone else as they are whiny brats. But, there are some similarities. So now presenting the Hunger Games: The Chocolate Factory!

And it’s going to be fabulous!

So what’s different for this version is that we will have one tribute, from only five districts, all competing to survive Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. All who survive win chocolate, the ultimate winner gets the factory themselves, food and money for their families. Let the games begin!!!

District 1

District 1’s industry is making luxury items for the Capitol. It is considered to be the wealthiest district, the only other wealthier area being the Capitol itself.

Now presenting our tribute for district one

Veruca Salt

Strengths:

• Loud voice that causes immense pain
• Very good at manipulating people and getting what she wants
• Has people to do hard things for her
• Doesn’t take no for an answer
• Can cry on command
• Isn’t afraid to lie or crush others to get what she wants
• Questions everything

Weaknesses:

• Is a spoiled brat
• Won’t take no for an answer to the point where she knocks herself out
• Whines all the time

Can Be Defeated:

• By a kick in the pants
• Saying NO! and meaning it
• Boat Rides
• Seasickness
• Geese (Especially those who are golden)

District 3

District 3’s primary industry is general electronics of many types, though it is known for also making various mechanical products such as automobiles and firearms. These tributes are always skilled with electronics.

Now presenting our tribute for district three

Mike Teevee

Strengths:

• Knows every TV show that has a gun in it (huge pop culture junkie)
• Can use knowledge gained from TV in real life
• Can sit still for hours
• Questions everything
• Can shoot a fake gun
• Doesn’t scare or get grossed out easily
• Willing to try new things
• Eager volunteer

Weaknesses:

• Is a spoiled brat
• Can’t be away from the TV
• Will try to shoot anything and everything
• Missing front teeth
• Can’t read
• Sometimes overeagerness to try new things leaves him in bad situations
• Doesn’t listen to rules

Can Be Defeated:

• Bubble Foam
• Saying NO! and meaning it
• Books
• By shrinking him

District 6

District 6’s industry is transportation

Now presenting our tribute for district six

Violet Beauragarde

Strengths:

• Chewing gum champ
• Can chew and talk
• Rather chew than eat
• Fast talker
• Likes to save things
• Will do whatever it takes to win, even if it means losing friends
• Bossy
• Head-strong and Obstinate
• Does whatever she wants
• Can wheel and deal like no other
• Delights in pain of others

Weaknesses:

• Is a spoiled brat
• Hard to understand through constant chewing
• A braggart
• Doesn’t listen to “no”
• Does whatever she wants
• Picks her nose

Can Be Defeated:

• Blueberries
• The color blue or purple
• Throwing away her three-month old gum
• By rolling her

District 9

District 9’s industry is grain. Little is known about this district, just that there are lots of farmland for grain.

Now presenting our tribute for district nine

Augustus Gloop

Strengths:

• Can eat ANYTHING
• Never stops eating
• Is one huge mass that won’t easily be pushed around
• Fast runner when it comes to food
• Likes to be first in everything

Weaknesses:

• Is a spoiled brat
• Has no patience
• No self-control
• Is always hungry
• Can’t swim
• Doesn’t like small spaces
• Doesn’t listen

Can Be Defeated:

• By not giving him food and having him starve
• Drowning in water or chocolate
• Sticking him in  tight spot, such as a pipe
• Let him go first so he can face things and die

District 12

District 12’s industry is coal. This district is one of the poorest districts. The district has not had a winner of the Hunger Games emerge from the ranks of its residents for over twenty-four years.

Now presenting our tribute for district twelve

Charlie Bucket

Strengths:

• Has a heart of gold
• Cares for others
• Would never steal from someone
• Always tries to help others out
• Thinks first of others needs
• Hard worker
• Knows how to make things last
• Can get by on little food
• Trustworthy
• Listens to directions

Weaknesses:

• Is an enabler
• Has a passion for fizzy-lifting drinks
• Easily lead astray
• Gulps food too fast

Can Be Defeated:

• Fans

LET THE GAME BEGIN

MAY THE ODDS EVER BE IN YOUR FAVOR!

If you liked this post, check out Sucky Sequels

CANDY TIME!

CANDY!

I love Candy! One of my favorite movies as a kid was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Not only did I love the story and the songs, but I loved that opening scene when all the kids get free candy. I really wanted to be in that film.

I had this WHOLE song memorized by the first time I watched this film.

Anyways, with Halloween just ending, and me with a huge collection of candy, I wanted to share what my favs that I was able to get are.

First that special thing that only comes out once a year,

CANDY CORN & CANDY PUMPKINS

I love these things and wished they were available all year long. Candy corn always makes me think of Hemlich in a Bugs’ Life. This line always pops in my head:

GUMBALL NERDS!

They also only come out at Halloween. Every other time they are impossible to find.

Finally the wait is over!

Now who doesn’t love Nerds?

Nerds are one of my favorite candies, and luckily  I can eat these any time!

M&Ms! These I can also eat anytime, all the time. Peanut, pretzel, mint, coconut, chocolate, etc.

Also Mike&Ikes! My absolute fave! I hope they get back together soon.

What are your fav candies? Comment below!

For more on candy, go to Candy, Candy, Candy!

For more on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, go to The Hunger Games: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

For more on candy corn, go to A River of Candy Corn Runs Through It

For more on A Bug’s Life, go to Part VIII: The Little Movie Line List

For more of my favorite songs, go to On the 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, & 1st Days ‘Til Christmas

When Horror Doesn’t Stay on the Screen: Phantom of the Megaplex (2000)

When horror doesn’t stay on the screen!

I loved this film so much as a kid! There are so many amazing things involved in it!

1. It’s a DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie). Now I’m from the generation that these movies came out every month and were amazing. Today all the DCOMs are completely dumb, and poorly written, but back in my day they were actually something to look forward to on a friday night.
2. It’s a very well done modern version of the Phantom of the Opera. I loved how well they do it! I love almost everything Phantom of the Opera-y. (The 1945 version was atrocious! Don’t watch it!)
3. They reference so many other movies, that it just makes a cinephile like me squeal in delight!
4. It has MICKEY ROONEY! Yes this amazing man plays a misunderstood guy, and classic film buff. When I watched this film I wanted to be just like him. I wanted to have quotes and film plots memorized that I just whipped out whenever something came up that was similar. Phantom of the Opera, may have started me in my love of classic film, but this film completely changed my personality.
5. It takes place in a movie theater, one of my favorite places to be and where I have always wanted to work at. I wish I could get a job there, but so many others want to work there it’s hard to get in. 😦 One day!
6. Taylor Handley was the main guy. I had the hugest crush on him when this film came out, I was like 8 or 9 and in love with him.

So the film starts out with the credits and Fugue in D Minor, classic, horrific stuff! Love the creepiness of the organ! We are also told that when the original theater was destroyed to create the new megaplex, a man was supposedly trapped in there and now haunts the megaplex for all eternity.

Taylor Handley’s character, Pete Riley, introduces us to the megaplex where he works at.

 

They are getting ready for a huge film premiere, Midnight Mayhem, at the theater. He is the assistant manager and not only in charge of a making sure everything goes just right, but a crazy collection of workers.

1. There’s Shawn MacGibbon and Senior Manager. He is getting passed over for the owner’s doofus son. Something he is not happy about. He’s Pete’s boss.
2. Ricky “Rules”. He always follows the rules to a T and makes sure everyone else does.
3. “Scary” Terry. She is always talking about some seemingly innocent thing turns out to be murderous. She loves the macabre.
4. Hillary “Honey”. She’s the mom of the group and always calling everyone dear, sweetie, or honey.
5. “Question” Mark. Whenever he’s told to do something, he always answers with a question mark.
6. “Racy” Lacy. Always moving a mile a minute.
7. Merle. He’s not really under Pete either, he kind of does what he wants. He’s the projectionist and handyman extraordinaire. He feels under-appreciated at his job.
8. “Movie” Mason. Played by the wonderful Mickey Rooney! I love Movie Mason and wanted to be just like him. Movie Moreland!  I love the sound of that. Mason is mistreated by Shawn MacGibbon. Everyday Mason comes with a mock schedule, his family owned the old theater and it was his personal playground. MacGibbon hates him, and is verbally abusive to him every time he sees him. Mason is absolutely awesome though. He has an amazing speech in the film. It was so well written.

“Movie Mason: When we arrive in this world magic is all around us…Yet as the years pass, simple pleasures aren’t quite so simple to find. Myths… Legends… Fall away. Santa’s secrets are revealed. Card tricks lose their fascination. True wonder is hard to come by… But there is always magic at the movies. Pirate ships… bicycles that fly… angels earn their wings, beautiful women marry handsome men and we all learn that there is no place like home. To destroy that magic, to shatter those moments to me is a sin so grave it would almost be incomprehensible!”

Pete’s mom is going out that night so he ends up being stuck with his cinephillic brother and sister. This turns out to be the least of his problems as there is a masked figure roaming about that is causing all kinds of disasters all over the theater.

Electrical systems fail, a candy machine breaks down and shoots the gumballs all over the lobby. Then the popcorn machine goes haywire and Pete has to figure out how to stop it. Every time he solves one problem new ones start popping up.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Phantom then starts pranking films based on their plot or name. In Cyclone Summer, a Twister like film, he places a giant fan that blows destructively at the audience.

In Cut to Black, he makes lights flicker on and off, cutting to black. He continues on this spree. Giant blowups ballons are misplaced and pop up elsewhere, MAYHEM ALL OVER.

Pete valiantly tries to stop him and determine who he is! Will He find out? Watch and see!

Now for movies he references are the following (I watched this a few weeks ago so sorry if I don’t list all of them, comment any I don’t catch):

1. King Kong: The Gorilla balloon that attacks the people in the Mayhem Movie
2. The Wizard of Oz: Mason quotes from it and references it.
3. Twister: Cyclone Summer is a parody of it
4. Godzilla, The Giant Behemoth, The Great Gila Monster, or The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms: Midnight Mayhem has a huge dinosaur that attacks a city.
5. Scream. The girls are in the bathroom and the phantom is lurking around scaring them much like he tries to scare Sydney.
6. Scream 3. A similar scene with the phantom lurking around happens in here too.
7. Sleepless in Seattle. The kids hope that the mom will be proposed to in this way.
8. Miracle on 34th Street. He references it in his speech he gives on magic.
9. Hollywood Hotel. Mickey Rooney sings the song “Hooray for Hollywood“.
10. The Sword in the Stone. They are running a promotional that if you pull the plastic sword out of the plastic stone you will win free movie passes. Pete runs and grabs it to destroy the blow up balloons.
11. Tarzan or George of the Jungle. Pete swings on a vine over to capture the phantom.
12. Phantom of the Opera. Of course, the whole film is based on it!

That’s the fearful post for today! More to come! 3 Days ‘Till Halloween

Here is a cover page/poster I made for my facebook page for my countdown to Halloween.

To start Horrorfest from the beginning, go to I Don’t Belong in the World

For the previous post, go to Feast Your Eyes on My Accursed Ugliness

For more on The Phantom of the Opera, go to It’s BACK: The Sequel

For more of horror happening in a movie theater, go to Midnight Madness

For more on Disney, go to I’m No Warrior, I’m An Assistant Pig-Keeper

For more on Disney Channel Original Movies, go to Bowled Over

For more on The Giant Behemoth, go to From the Sea Burning Like Fire 

For more of my fav quotes, go to I Want Friend Like Me