E. G. Runyan's Blog, page 3

Wonka: A Review

I’ve wanted to watch Wonka since I saw the movie trailer in October (or was it even September?) of 2023. I’m a huge Roald Dahl fan, and my favorite Roald Dahl book is, not surprisingly, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one of my most beloved books in grade school. I’d always read it around my birthday, or Christmas, or Halloween, or Easter, or any time I was given a lot of chocolate. Some of my happiest memories are that of being curled up on my tiny twin bed in my little bedroom eating snickers bars and reading Charlie and the Chocolate factory. I’ve read the book at least a dozen times. And so, my curiosity was piqued when I heard about Wonka. 

I walked into the movie theater with high hopes but low expectations. Modern cinema has disappointed me more times than I like to recall. What was I expecting? A poorly told story with unbelievable characters, humor that isn’t humorous, and a bad theme if not a selfish and immoral message. The reason I retained hope was that the director was the director of Paddington 2 (which I think was better than Paddington 1) and the producer was the producer of Harry Potter (which is about as high a compliment as you can get). 

I love our theater. It’s a family owned business, and though relatively new, is built like a 1920s theater. Walking in I feel like a posh Frenchwoman about to see the first moving picture. The seats are reclinable, and the old man who checks you in happens to be the same guy who checked my teenage Dad into The Lord of the Rings and Batman. As I walked into Wonka. I sat down, reclined my seat, and began to watch as the huge screen lit up. And…

The movie was fantastic. 

I give it a 9/10, and that is high, high praise from me. Among my friends and family I’m known as the picky one who judges movies and books by things that wouldn’t bother pretty much anyone else. 

~General Overview~

NO Spoilers

What the movie should probably be rated as: 7/10

My personal rating: 9/10

Age recommendation: 1 and up (really, there’s nothing objectionable in the movie)

~Actors~

May I just say that the casting was perfection? It included Timothee Chamalet as Willy Wonka (Laurie from the 2019 Little Women), Hugh Grant, Rowan Atkinson (Johnny English), and what I believe was a debut from a young girl named Calah Lane. 

I really liked how Chamalet portrayed Willy Wonka. He had just the right amount of quirkiness, sweetness, and gullibleness that a young Willy would have had. He also wasn’t creepy (I’ve heard the Johnny Depp version kind of is).

~Content~

There was nothing inappropriate in this movie! No “follow your heart” or “believe in yourself” messaging, no LGBTQ references, and no politicizing. Willy Wonka even says “Oh my gosh” instead of the alternative, which I really appreciated. There are one or two d-words, but since it’s set in early 1900s England, those would not have even been considered as swear words.

~Story~

When the movie first started, I thought, “oh boy, this seems cheesy”. But by the end I was blinking back tears and grinning like an idiot. Not everything in the movie technically “makes sense” in terms of the chocolate, etc. But here’s the deal: that’s because the movie is so Roald Dahl. If you had told me that Roald Dahl had written the story himself, I’d have believed you. Everything about it is in his style, and I think that’s the absolute best thing a movie can do for a writer. 

Remember how I said I didn’t expect it to be funny? Well, it really was. And the characters? Fantastic! 

~Theme~

For me three particular themes stood out in Wonka. They were:

The power of dreams

Before you roll your eyes and walk away, I feel the same way as you do. Do we really need another movie about following your dreams? But in Wonka it really was different. Dreams weren’t about selfish desires or going to any length to do what you want. Dreams were seen as a way of keeping a mindset of faith and hope, of seeing the light in the darkness.

Remembering to be a child

My very favorite part of the movie was how Willie Wonka repeatedly talks about remembering to be a child. In the song A World of Your Own (my favorite song from the movie, by the way) he sings:

Here is the child you left behind

Here is the kid with the curious mind

Here is the wonder we used to feel

Back when the magic was real.

A world of your own

A place to go when you’re

Feeling unsure.

Embrace the unknown

Enjoy the adventure.

This is your home

A world of your own.

This is something I can relate to so much. We all miss the child we were, and we all need to remember the childlike wonder and magic we used to feel. In the song Sorry, Noodle he also sings,

I just wanted it

To feel the way that it did

When I was a kid.

Longing for eternity

I won’t say why this theme struck my family and I for fear of giving the movie away. All I’ll say is, what Willy finds at the end made us think of how we all long for eternity and how all the best things will last forever.

~Music~

This movie is a musical. Confession time! I’m not usually a huge fan of musicals. Yes, feel free to throw things at me. It’s a fault, I know. Because I haven’t seen a ton of them, I can’t compare the music to that of other movies like this. 

I’ve already talked a little bit about the lyrics of some of the other songs, so you can probably guess that I loved the soundtrack! I’d give it a 10/10. I’m listening to it right now, of course. 

Wonka was definitely based off of the Gene Wilder Charlie and the Chocolate Factory version, as Willy sings Pure Imagination at the end of the movie. I love the Gene Wilder version, so I was very happy with that.

~Historical Accuracy + Consistency~

There were a couple inconsistencies I found, but they didn’t affect the story and weren’t too noticeable at all. 

Historical accuracy was kind of a meh. There wasn’t anything blaringly untrue, but there were a couple things that didn’t make too much sense for the time: the dialogue, etc. But again, this is a Roald Dahl movie. Not everything needs to make sense.

~Finally…~

I highly recommend Wonka! It’s a sweet, well-told story that satisfied me at pretty much every level. I’ll probably put it on my list of favorite movies. 

It’s a great family movie option. 

Parts of the Movie I Loved

SPOILERS: Do NOT under ANY circumstances read if you have not seen the movie

Are you still reading these words and haven’t seen the movie??? FOR SHAME. LEAVE RIGHT NOW. I’m doing this for your own sake. You’ll thank me later. Off you trot. Scroll down to the bottom of the post to leave a comment. Do not read any of these words.

Phew, now that they’re gone we can have some real fun, huh?

~My favorite songs from the movie~

I’ve already said that A World of Your Own was my top favorite. The lyrics were just…so fantastic. Pure Imagination is a classic. It was great that they included it. I love a Hatful of Dreams. It was a great start to the movie. It’s catchy, whimsical, and kind of…relatable? 

I really like all the songs, though. What were your favorite songs? Comment below and let me know!

~My favorite character~

WILLY, of course! What kind of a question is that? 

~My favorite moments of the movie~

Chocoholic monks. Are you kidding me? That’s genius. AND THEY’RE SITTING OVER A SECRET VAT OF CHOCOLATE? DOUBLE GENIUS!

I love how at the end when Willy finally finds the message his mother left him, he then proceeds to break the precious chocolate apart, sharing it with everyone around him. My heart melted (pun intended). 

I LOVED the plot twist of Willy not being able to read. That was super clever.

The way Willy encourages and lifts up Noodle and the way she then in return uplifts him later in the movie was really sweet, and I really enjoyed it.

And finally…Okay, I had wayyy too much fun watching Hugh Grant as a tiny orange man dancing and singing as an Oompa Loompa. Wayyy too much fun. 

~How My Family Reacted~

That night as we were getting ready for bed, I asked my 8 year old brother what he thought of the movie. 

“That was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen,” he said. “You know the part where Willy Wonka said he wished his Mom’s chocolate would last forever? Well, that made me think about how God lasts forever.”

I believe that’s the best thing a story can do: make us think about God. And if anything, I love this movie even more because it made my little brother think about the wonderfulness of God.

Meanwhile when my Mom was listening to the song that plays while Willy Wonka and his Mom are on the boat, my three year old brother said, “Mom can I give you a kiss? It would be really sad if I didn’t have a Mom.”

~Finally Again…~

If you’ve seen the movie, I’d love to talk about it with you below! Please comment! And if you haven’t seen it and do end up watching it at some point, I’d love it if you'd come back afterwards and let me know what you think of it.

My Top Ten Films of 2023

2023 was a great year for me film-wise. For the first time I began watching tons of diverse, creative films and I found to my surprise that I absolutely love the movies. Films are a powerful, visual form of storytelling that I think Christians need to learn to harness and master better than we have in the past. So here are my ten favorite movies I watched in 2023, as well as short reviews and descriptions of each of them. (After watching these, I think I wouldn't mind going into screenwriting!)

10. Kate & Leopold

7/10 

14 +

I’m usually not a huge chick-flick person, but this one had a good story! It follows 19th century inventor Leopold (Hugh Jackman) as he accidentally time travels to modern day New York City and meets the ambitious yet intriguing Kate (Meg Ryan). 

9. The Super Mario Bros Movie

7/10

6 +

I got to see this one in theaters, which was really fun. Honestly this one really surprised me. It was funny, very clever with all the classic Nintendo references, had a good plot, and didn’t seem to be pushing any agenda like most animated films of the last decade or so. Very inventive and cool. 

8. The Avengers

8/10

13+

I know. I hadn’t seen The Avengers until THIS. YEAR. What kind of messed-up writer am I? But I finally watched it, and…I loved it. I was expecting something pretty cheesy and predictable, and while Avengers wasn’t a jaw-dropping story by any means, it was just. Plain. Good. I had a lot of fun watching this with my folks and now intend to watch the rest of them. 

7. You’ve Got Mail

8/10

14+

Yet another Meg Ryan movie! I have to say I enjoyed her acting much more in this one, and You’ve Got Mail with the competing bookstores and the lengthy email writing was right up my alley (since I regularly visit one and do the other). Both Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan were fantastic in this movie. One of the things I really appreciated about it was the main characters didn’t look like super-stars (*cough cough: Hallmark movies!*) but normal, attractive people.

6. Jurassic Park

10/10

12-13+

Okay, this movie was amazing! With the iconic John Williams soundtrack and the superb acting (Ian had to be my favorite character…Chaos theory, anyone?) it was a total blast to watch with my family.

5. Amazing Grace

9/10

12+

This is probably one of my new favorite movies. I’m not usually a huge fan of Christian films—they often come off too preachy. This one though; this was perfect. I loved everything about it, and was really pleased and impressed by all the famous actors who came to act in it, including Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange, Sherlock Holmes), Romola Garai (BBC 2009 Emma) , and Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore in HP 3-8).

4. Spider-Man: No Way Home

10/10

13+

WOW! I never thought a Marvel movie would make me cry. But this one did. I can sum up this movie for you easily: I loved everything about it. Now go watch it. Like, now. Right now. Or else.

3. BBC Emma (2009)

10/10

11+

The first time I watched this movie, I actually wasn’t a huge fan. But on a recent re-watch, I realized how truly good it was. Sure, it has a few minor issues (some of the dialogue comes off a little too modern) but other than that, it’s a great adaptation of my favorite Jane Austen book. 

2. The Jesus Revolution

10/10

14+

This movie…wow. Just wow. It set me on fire for Jesus in a way I’ve never been on fire for him before. I think every Christian teen and adult should watch this movie. It’ll make you laugh and cry. 

The Matrix

10/10

15+

This movie has some hard scenes to watch violence-wise, but it’s so worth it and is such a beautiful allegory. This movie really impacted my writing and storytelling this year. Definitely a good one that I would recommend to mid-older teens and above. The story, the characters, in short, everything that matters most in a movie was spot-on.

What were your top movies of 2023? Comment below and let me know! I’d love to discuss them with you. And if you want any full-blown reviews and content break-downs of any of these films, feel free to comment telling me which ones you'd like to see. Or you can even shoot me an email at ,egrunyan@egrunyan.com if you want specific content warnings for one of the movie listed here. I’d love to help!

Unveiling Loch Monster: The Cover Reveal

Photo credit to Richa Sharma on Unsplash.

It's here.

The moment you've all been waiting for.

The book you've searched for all your life is about to appear before your very eyes.

The suspense builds as you read these words.

You wonder if I'm stalling to build the suspense even more.

If you're wondering that, the answer is no.

I'm totally not stalling.

I'm totally not trying to distract you from the point, either.

Anyway...

Here it is...

The moment you've all been waiting for...

I am very proud and delighted to present to you the cover of my novel!

A bitter nobleman. A discontented peasant. And a mysterious creature who isn’t supposed to exist.

When Bree, the daughter of a poor fisherman, and Willum Grant, the son of a clan chief, both discover a mysterious creature in Loch Ness, their paths unwittingly become entwined. As they search to discover answers regarding the strange beast, a friendship slowly begins to develop between them and between the creature they’ve discovered. But as Bree is faced with an arranged marriage and Willum is pressured and threatened by his own Father, they find their lives thrown into disarray. What do you do when something you love may be taken from you? What do you do when the person you love most may be the very one you lose?

A story of love, loss, and redemption, Loch Monster is a heartfelt Middle-grade/Young Adult novel that asks the deep questions of purpose, sacrifice, and the true meaning of dreams.

TADA!

I really hope you guys like the cover, and I'd love to hear your thoughts down below. I'm so excited as we draw nearer to Release Day! Thank you for your continued encouragement and support!

If I Started a Podcast...

Photo credit to James McKinven on Unsplash.

I've recently gotten several requests for a podcast, and I've been considering it. But here's the thing---podcasting takes a lot of time, and I'm not keen on starting a podcast that may not be listened to. If I'm going to start something like this, I want to make sure that it's actually enjoyed by by others, so I thought I'd send out a poll asking if you'd listen to a podcast hosted by me, and if so, what you would want me to talk about.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. You can click here to access the simple Google form I've created.

Feel free to also comment your opinion below, as well!

Go to Your Dark Places: Remembering Christ's Example at Christmas

Photo credit to Prateek Guatam on Unsplash.

Recently, I was faced with a daunting and unpleasant opportunity. I was given a cleaning job working in a place I did not want to go to, a job that was unpleasant in almost every way. Worst of all, if I agreed to it, it was going to be a regular occurrence.

But...I was needed there.

But...I still didn't want to do it.

The one word to describe the job was dark. Everything about felt sad and uncomfortable. Yet the people there needed my help. There wasn't someone else readily available that was going to do it.

As I unhappily confessed my feelings to my Mother, she pushed me to take it.

"You bring the light to that place," she said.

You bring the light.

Going to the areas of our lives that are dark is unpleasant. We don't want to go there. We'd rather be anywhere else. But oftentimes, we're needed.

Christ was and is the Light. What did He do? He came to earth as an infant baby. He came to earth as the most vulnerable and helpless creature he could be. He came to this dark, dark, world to die.

Why did he do it?

Because he was needed.

I took the unpleasant job, and I did my best to take it with joy, determined to be the light in the darkness.

Today I challenge you to go to the dark places in your life. Be the light. We are the light of the world (Mat 5:14). And if we, as children of the Living God, aren't willing to go to the dark places...who will?

May you be the light this Christmas and beyond.

Photo creidt to Zoran Kokanovic on Unsplash.

Timothy Wolfe Interviews an Indie Author

Hey friends! I'm delighted to say that my friend Timothy Wolfe over at the Crystal Files blog had the pleasure of interviewing an indie author a few weeks ago. I love all the work Timothy does on his blog and really enjoy all of his work, so I'd love it if you'd check out this awesome interview he did with an indie author named Erin Hylands. Erin Hylands self-published her first novel this year and has great dreams for the future.

After listening to the interview,make sure to check out Timothy's other work and to scroll down the page to subscribe to his blog!

A Lord of the Rings Christmas Song

The world has long needed it.

So I did it.

Last Christmas I wrote a LotR Christmas song, and since my blog didn't even exist this time last year, I've been saving it all these long months to share with you when the Christmas season rolled along. I hope you enjoy. (And if you go carolling this year, I expect you to sing this song).

‘Three rings for the elvish kings’

-The Fellowship of the Ring

We Three Rings

We three rings of Lord Sauron are,

Bearing a curse we travel afar,

Field and fountain, moor and mountain,

Peril is where we are.

Oh ring of power, ring of might,

Ring all filled with evil light, eastward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to Lord Sauron’s eye.

Born a king on Gondor’s plain,

War we bring to beat them again,

King for never, ceasing ever,

Over no one to reign.

Oh ring of power, ring of might,

Ring all filled with evil light, eastward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to Lord Sauron’s eye.

The One Ring Says

“Doom and Death to offer have I,

Bringing ye to danger nigh,

Plans and plannings, elves, men, rising, fight Sauramon the White.”

Oh ring of power, ring of might,

Ring all filled with evil light, eastward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to Lord Sauron’s eye.

Frodo Says

“The Ring is mine, it’s power pollutes,

Breathes a life of gathering gloom,

Sorrowing sighing, bleeding, crying,

Sam’s in a worried mood.”

Oh ring of power, ring of might,

Ring all filled with evil light, eastward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to Sauron’s eye.

We three rings of Lord Sauron are,

Bearing a curse we travel afar,

Elves they keep us, men they seek us,

Peril is where we are.

Oh ring of power, ring of might,

Ring all filled with evil light, eastward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to Sauron’s eye.

Airman: A Review & Rant

Description from Goodreads

In the 1890s Conor and his family live on the sovereign Saltee Islands, off the Irish coast. Conor spends his days studying the science of flight with his tutor and exploring the castle with the king’s daughter, Princess Isabella. But the boy’s idyllic life changes forever the day he discovers a deadly conspiracy against the king. When Conor tries to intervene, he is branded a traitor and thrown into jail on the prison island of Little Saltee. There, he has to fight for his life, as he and the other prisoners are forced to mine for diamonds in inhumane conditions.

There is only one way to escape Little Saltee, and that is to fly. So Conor passes the solitary months by scratching drawings of flying machines on the prison walls. The months turn into years; but eventually the day comes when Conor must find the courage to trust his revolutionary designs and take to the air.

Every once in a while...sometimes only once in a year, decade, or even a lifetime, you find a book that satisfies at every single level. It's rare that I've found a book like this. I've read hundreds of books, and I've only ever found a couple which I absolutely, completely, indescribably loved.

I've been a huge Eoin Colfer fan for years. He's a superb writer, and his Artemis Fowl middle-grade series is. So. Amazing. Seriously, if you haven't read the Artemis Fowl series, go buy books 1-5 right now. I was cautious about starting one of his standalone novels, Airman, yet I did, and yet...

I loved it.

I enjoyed every aspect. The protagonist, the villain, the twists, the setting, the prose...all middle-grade readers should read this book. I'm serious. I've rarely been so delighted with a story. Colfer more than delivered, he delighted me. I could rant about this book for hours. The writing, even apart from the storyline, was so, so fun to read. To be frank, I really think Colfer is a writing genius.

One of the things I also appreciate about his work is how simple and sweet his romance is. It isn't a huge part of the plot, and he always veers from making it dramatic and over-the-top. His humor is also unbeatable---Colfer's dialogue and friendly banter between characters is some of the best I've read.

The only content warnings for this book would be some mild language and a few instances where they take the name of the Lord in vain.

Go buy this book. Check it out on ebook. Borrow it from your library. You won't be able to put it down. Thanks, Colfer, for giving us an incredible story again.

Trying My Hand at Sci-Fi

Photo credit to Robynne Hu on Unsplash.

To put it plainly, I've never thought Sci-Fi was my genre. I haven't read much of it and what I did read of it I found kind of weird. Recently though, that changed. I've lately been inspired by some of the best Sci-fi works of all-time (I will probably have a post about them soon) and so I decided to try my own hand at writing a little bit of Sci-Fi.

I was inspired to write this snippet after listening to the instrumental song Interstellar Space by Adam Young (aka Owl City). If you want to enhance your reading experience, you can listen to it here.

I wake.

My eyes open to see a sky splattered with stars.

It is dark. Very dark. Everything is dark except for those stars. The sky is rounded above me like the half of a sphere, the sparkles of light ranging from shades of brilliant pink to cold blue. They are like dust in the air, hanging in place. I try to reach up, thinking I can touch them. My arms and fingers are stiff. They do not move.

I breathe in and my chest stings. My breath catches in my throat, puffing back out my cracked lips and leaving a cloud of cold smoke in the air. It is cold. So cold that I cannot feel anything besides the pain in my chest. Everything around me is clear, yet foggy. Like a vivid nightmare.

What is a nightmare?

I do not know.

Where am I?

That I do not know either.

WHO am I?

I am not certain.

The ground beneath me is rocky and bare. The sky above me is brilliant and bright. The air around me is thick and black.

I breathe in again. This time, it does not hurt so badly.

And then I speak.

“I live.”

BREAKING NEWS! Legolas Greenleaf VANISHES

“As of Sunday, November 12th, celebrity Legolas Greenleaf has officially been confirmed ‘missing’,” writes Literary Nerd E. G. Runyan from her dining room table. “Befuddling detectives and fans everywhere, it seems as though the popular forest elf has literally vanished.

As Lord of the Rings fans and writers everywhere search for the handsome elf, clues are gradually being uncovered concerning the possible ‘reasons’ why the well-loved literary figure “up and left”. When your reporter delved into researching and reporting this disturbing incident along with the legions of fans, we discovered shocking and blatant evidence concerning the elf’s whereabouts that are now being hushed up by literary authorities and authors everywhere.

As strange and confusing the incident is, the overwhelming evidence regarding Legolas’ disappearance regards one main thing: this thing being fangirls.

“LEGOLAS WAS MISERABLE!” Roared Gimli the dwarf during his interview, smashing a rock with his ax while trying to hold back tears. “HIS LEGIONS OF FANGIRLS WERE THE PLAGUE OF HIS LIFE! I HATE THEM!!!”

Gimli kindly provided to your reporter an excerpt of a letter Legolas penned, his last written note before his vanishment.

I can’t do it anymore, he writes, his handwriting sloppy and unsure. The fan-fiction, the profile pictures of my face, the conversations regarding which LotR character you’d choose to marry…it sickens me to the core. Why can’t they just like Aragorn already???

After being studied by The Professional Hopeless Poet Society, tear smudges were found dotting the ink of these depressing words. But supporting Legolas’ words far more than even Gimli’s violent response was the reaction of Legolas fangirls across the country.

“He was the only elf for meeee!” Wept Nameless-fangirl 101. “I wrote fan-fiction about him and had a ten-hour playlist of his rap song!”

Indeed, millions of fans across the globe are now crying out over the loss of their beloved blonde-boy. While trying to uncover what exactly lay in Legolas’ apparent charm, your reporter interviewed each member of the Fellowship.

“I think Legolas was a right fine fellow,” Samwise Gamgee said cheerfully as he chopped his taters. “No wonder so many leddys liked him.”

When interviewing Merry and Pippin, your reporter gained nothing more than some raucous laughter and a muffled comment from Pippin, “That ninny? Yeh, the lasses liked him because of his long hair and how he never missed a shot! Have you ever noticed that no matter what situation he’s in, he never runs out of arrows? Seems kind of unbelievable if you ask me.”

Frodo was feeling unwell (it being a time of year where his wounds particularly bother him) and was unable to comment.

“Legolas was a fine man,” Aragorn said, gazing out at the mountains of Gondor from his castle. “But honestly. The girls should like me. At least I’m realistic.”

Boromir was, of course, unable to provide any feedback by being dead and all.

Gandalf the Grey reportedly said,

“Missing? He may just be late. Wizards though…wizards are never late.”

“Except for when you failed to show up at the Prancing Pony!” Frodo called angrily, apparently quite able to comment on this subject.

Gandalf shuffled, a smile teasing the corners of his mouth. “Yes…well…”

Speculations have been made on where exactly Legolas has gone. Many Tolkienites and Tolkien Professors believe he has finally gone across the sea. Perhaps so.

“Poor Legolas,” sighed a young Tolkienite from his home-library, The Lost Tales on his lap and a pipe in his mouth. “Girls should really turn their attention to real men, don’t you think? More sensible that way.”

Whatever fangirls should be doing, this reporter cautions you in your reading lives against feeding feelings for literary heroes, particularly idealistic blonde elves. You may chase them out of existence, or worse, make everyone else so sick of hearing about them that you make the character face unnecessary hate.

Until next time…my candle burns low. As always, I am your faithful Literary Reporter, reporting anything and everything of interest and importance to the world of readers everywhere.

Literary Nerd E. G. Runyan is the winner of the RIDICULOUS REPORTER OF THE YEAR award, and among other achievements, is most widely known for her love of cheese and chocolate. While it is rumored that her favorite LotR character is Frodo, it is even more often whispered that she herself is an unusually tall hobbit in disguise. Whatever Middle-earthian creature she is, reporter E. G. Runyan’s words are trustworthy. Mostly.