No it’s not another remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, it’s Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, written and directed by Zach Helm! Helm wrote last year’s enjoyable Stranger Than Fiction, but I have to admit, this looks kind of wack. Dustin Hoffman plays the zany inventor and shopkeeper Mr. Magorium, but he just seems miscast in a role that was meant for someone like Jim Carrey (Lemony Snicket’s anyone?). Natalie Portman and Jason Bateman also star, but the real focus of the movie will be the special effects… which honestly looked a bit spotty. It also takes an accomplished director to attempt such an ambitious visual style, and this is Helm’s directorial debut. I know it’s just another fantastical tale for kids (and surprisingly it’s not based on an existing children’s book) but I just thought it felt pretty bland and uninteresting. Maybe it’s because the trailer didn’t really show the “dark and ominous change” that supposedly happens to the store once Mr. Magorium passes it on to Natalie Portman’s character. Check out the trailer below; it hits theatres on November 16th.