Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I just went and saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with a few friends, and I have to say, it's better than I thought it would be.

The movie was the same basic story all the way through, but with a few changes (such as peanuts instead of eggs, etc.). The movie was very well casted too. Johnny Depp makes a great Willy Wonka (although he's hotter without all the makeup) and the boy they casted for Charlie was good too (he's such a cute little kid). They made up all sorts of cool technology throughout the story.

The only thing I didn't like was that the Oompa Loompas were all the same actor. That really disappointed me.

The most bizarre thing about the movie is the striking similarities between Willy Wonka and Michael Jackson... very eerie.

Anyway, overall I recommend it. Now I just need to see the new Batman movie, and maybe The War of the Worlds.

The Chinese are Coming

But only if we come first...

"If the Americans draw their missiles and position-guided ammunition on to the target zone on China's territory, I think we will have to respond with nuclear weapons," the official, Maj. Gen. Zhu Chenghu, said at an official briefing.

...
Beijing has said repeatedly that it would use military force to prevent Taiwan from becoming a formally independent country. President Bush has made clear that the United States would defend Taiwan.

...
"If the Americans are determined to interfere, then we will be determined to respond," he said. "We Chinese will prepare ourselves for the destruction of all the cities east of Xian. Of course the Americans will have to be prepared that hundreds of cities will be destroyed by the Chinese."

- NY Times