Skip to main content

Who can make ‘Willy Wonka’ more weird? Michael Bolton in new Honest Trailer

Screen Junkies’ “Honest Trailers” video series is always good for a few laughs — particularly when they’re deconstructing the trailer for a polarizing or altogether bad film — but every now and then the episodes try something new with the formula, and the results can be, well …

Have you ever imagined Michael Bolton singing about 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? That’s exactly what happens in the latest Honest Trailers, and it is truly something to behold (with your eyes and ears).

Recommended Videos

Currently in the midst of promoting his new album Songs of Cinema, Bolton made a guest appearance on Honest Trailers to offer up his own musical reminder of the weird, wonderful magic of Mel Stuart’s live-action adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s story.

Along with crooning his way through a warning about the film’s “creepy” candy man who gives kids candy in exchange for hugs, Bolton sheds some light on the plight of Willy Wonka’s indentured servants and the cornucopia of safety violations to be found in the eccentric chocolatier’s factory. And as always, the Grammy-winning singer does it with his signature, silky-smooth vocals and in his own, inimitable style.

As the Honest Trailers team points out, having Bolton sing about the film — which cast actor Gene Wilder in one of his most memorable roles — only adds another layer of weirdness to a movie that often walked the line between being an innocent fairy tale and a disturbing glimpse at a man with unlimited resources gone quite mad. The movie’s musical score was nominated for an Academy Award, while Wilder was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his performance in the film.

A remake of the film released in 2005 was directed by Tim Burton and starred Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka.

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
How to watch Twisted Metal season 2: When does it premiere on Peacock?
Anthony Mackie stands by his car and stares.

Start your engines because the dangerous demolition derby tournament is coming to Twisted Metal season 2.

Anthony Mackie, best known for suiting up as the new Captain America, returns to headline Twisted Metal as John Doe. John plans to enter the Twisted Metal tournament hosted by the eccentric Calypso (Anthony Carrigan). The tournament's winner will be granted a single wish. Winning won't be easy, as sixteen other drivers will do anything to secure the wish. The competition will play out this summer on Twisted Metal season 2.

Read more
Was 28 Years Later filmed with an iPhone?
A man and a young boy run next to each other.

In 2002, director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland collaborated on 28 Days Later, a post-apocalyptic horror centered around a virus that turns humans into rabid, zombie-like creatures. Nearly three decades later, the rage virus has returned with a vengeance in 28 Years Later.

Sony's two trailers for 28 Days Later, including the one released today, have been spectacular. Set to a voiceover of Rudyard Kipling's poem Boots, the frenetic, in-your-face action moves at a breakneck pace. The stunning visuals look like they came from high-tech IMAX cameras. However, that's not the case.

Read more
3 underrated Amazon Prime Video movies you should watch this weekend (April 18-20)
Still from Spotlight

Finding great movies on Amazon Prime Video isn't actually all that difficult. The streaming service is filled with interesting titles, but the challenge is finding the movies that you're going to be most interested in. That's why we've pulled together a list of three underrated titles that are all available on Prime Video.

These movies range across decades and genres, but each of them is one that you might overlook if you don't consider them carefully.

Read more