tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4542254453206136875.post2229973353151021625..comments2024-03-19T07:27:27.530-06:00Comments on A Slice of Movie Zen: Review: Alice in WonderlandJoe Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08290373919018115443noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4542254453206136875.post-78602145740305127482010-03-11T09:36:51.245-07:002010-03-11T09:36:51.245-07:00I have to take issue with a couple things you said...I have to take issue with a couple things you said here. A few times, you say things like 'that's just the way it is.' If it doesn't work, and it doesn't contribute to the fil at all, why does it have to be there? Admittedly, I prefer more lean styles of film-making, but, in my opinion, if something has no reason to be there (like the battle scene, for instance), it shouldn't be there. There's no 'that's just what happens.' No, no, it's not. Or it shouldn't be, anyway. And stepping in line with such tired cliches For no discernible reason is one of the reasons I don't like this movie. Also, you said you had to remind yourself that it was Johnny Depp playing the character. It doesn't matter who the actor is: if, while watching them perform, you have to consciously tell yourself that 'oh, it's just (insert actor here),' then the celebrity persona has eclipsed the actual performance, and that's wrong, no matter how you slice it. Johnny Depp shouldn't sacrifice character believability in the name of whatever paticular neurosis he feels like manifesting.<br />I admit that my pretentious film-dickery knows no bounds, but I feel like that shouldn't hurt a film. I figure if, the more you know about movies, the less you like a film, then there's something just plain wrong.Joe Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08290373919018115443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4542254453206136875.post-76923403423793326112010-03-10T23:52:00.407-07:002010-03-10T23:52:00.407-07:00I respectfully disagree on almost every point. I h...I respectfully disagree on almost every point. I had a fantastic time watching it. I thought it deviated nicely from Burton's usual style in appearance and general tone, and I really enjoyed the visual aspects. I thought it more akin to Dave McKean's images in Mirrormask than any of Burton's recent works.<br />The story was as simple as they come, and crazy amounts of whimsical. It certainly wasn't original, and I don't think it intended, or especially needed, to be. I know I wasn't expecting anything original when I bought the ticket for a movie related to one of the most well-known fantasies in modern literature.<br />As far as the acting goes, I thought it was generally good - they were all playing caricatures, of course, and did so well. Of course Helena Bonham Carter was brilliant, no surprise there, but I also enjoyed Anne Hathaway quite a lot - the way she composed her body and voice worked so well for the near-parody of the 'good queen' that she was doing. And I had quite the opposite experience with Depp, as well - the fluctuation between Scottish accent and lisp threw me off a bit, and he certainly hammed it up in places, but I had to remind myself at several points in the film that it was Johnny Depp playing him.<br />As far as the third act goes, I thought the whole battle scene was fairly unimportant. It was just one of those things that happens in most fantasy movies - big ol' battle, etc. They didn't even especially focus on it, outside of a few shots of the main and secondary characters doing their thing. And the dance... Okay, the dance was weird, and a little uncomfortable. But it was also silly.<br />It was a silly film. Maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much - goodness knows I love silly things. Or maybe it was the girl-power 'fuck you' to the restrictive Victorian era that I liked; That's a theme I've been particularly interested in of late. Or maybe it's because I've never seen the original Disney cartoon all the way through, and I've yet to read much Carroll, so this was my first real look at that world outside of Kingdom Hearts. But it was simply a pleasure to watch, and it left my imagination lots to play with. I don't know much about cinema, but from the perspective of a layman and a writer, it was a thoroughly enjoyable, nonsensical, almost absurdist romp, and I had fun with it.Kateastrophehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06202962518297465924noreply@blogger.com