Alice In Wonderland—3D (in the theatre). I was looking forward to Tim Burton’s version of the Lewis Carroll world gone mad. It is right up Burton’s alley. And he’d also get to play with the world in 3D. I’m not a gigantic Burton fan, but I thought this was going to be wildly inventive.
Well, I’ve seen it, and I have to say “Meh”. I was expecting a visual representation of an LSD trip, but this movie isn’t about Wonderland; it’s about Underland. Underland is dark and dreary, much like late-Fall in the Midwest. Where are the wicked-cool colors I knew Burton would use? Not here. And the 3D just wasn’t utilized as it could have been. I know 3D is going to eventually be the standard way to watch a movie; as a way to add a dimension to what is on screen. But we’re talking Tim freakin’ Burton here. The 3D should have melted my eyes. There is not a single director I can think of that could make 3D the tool it can be like I know Burton can. This isn’t just any movie or just any world, this is Alice in Wonderland. I should have been amazed.
I wasn’t. Even Alice isn’t really Alice. She’s a whiny young woman (wonderfully played by Mia Wasikowska) who’s not all that happy with life. [You’re 19—get over it.] The Mad Hatter (played by Johnny Depp) doesn’t seem all that mad (“crazy”), just sad. The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) had some funny moments, but “Off with his/her/their head!” got tiring after a while. The only character I really enjoyed watching was the Chesire Cat. I loved the effects of him slipping in and out of the scenes.
There really wasn’t anything all that wonderful going on, and that is a shame. I mean, Burton isn’t known for his upbeat films, but he really had an opportunity to go wild here, and he just didn’t. The acting can’t be considered bad (Wasikowska, Depp, and Bonham Carter were very good), there just wasn’t much for them to do. I have to square the blame on Burton and the writers. I just didn’t care about the characters or their world, no matter how much I was supposed to.
“Alice in Bummerland”, more like. C+
Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel— (in the theatre). I was pretty sure this was going to be bad. I was wrong. It was terrible. When I’m sitting in the theatre (I have kids—I had to see it), feeling immense pity for two actors I really like (Jason Lee and Zachary Levi), it’s bad. I’m sure I’m overdoing it (another parent told me she liked it), but there’s no doubt, this movie could have been better (or even good).
But if you or your kids like poop humor and really, really obvious jokes and puns, this movie is for them. F
An American Carol— I knew this was not going to be my type of movie, but I thought I’d give it a shot. I can handle political things I don’t agree with as long as it’s done well. This film was not done well. Humor is humor. Even if I don’t agree with the politics, if it’s funny, I’ll laugh. I did not laugh at all at this movie. Dumb. D
Anvil! The Story of Anvil— This was a very odd movie for me. I was under the impression that this was a true story, but as I watched it, I had a lot of reservations about the authenticity of it. Unfortunately, that took me out of the movie. I did some research later, and came to the conclusion that this was, indeed, real (or the people who made the film did an amazing job keeping any scripted info off of the internet).
But I just found it really hard to believe that the rock stars interviewed in this film never gave a helping hand to this band. You can’t tell me that Lars Ulrich, who claimed to love this band, couldn’t strong-arm his label to book them to open for part of a Metallica tour.
But, if anything, it showed what a bitch the music industry can be. I don’t know the half of it, I’m sure, but I do know it’s one of the most corrupt entertainment industries out there. Musicians are slabs of meat to be chewed up, swallowed, and crapped out—then flushed out of sight.
And it also told a great story of a relentless pursuit of a dream. I wonder how many American Idol wannabes give up after the first few years of disappointment. Anvil has lived through decades of it. B
Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker—TV— A good reminder of how great the Batman animated series of the 1990s was. Sure, this was a spin-off set in the future, but it was still good. The animation for the scenes in the dance club was silly and repetitive, but it can be forgiven because the rest of the film was better than average. Nice use of many of the characters, but it was tough to follow at times—and the reveal of the villain of the film was a bit lackluster. Nice try, though. Worth watching if you’re a Bat-fan. B-
Being Bucky—A documentary following the seven men who dressed and acted as the University of Wisconsin mascot throughout the course of a year (running from spring to spring). I found it fun to watch (and other than a few “a-holes” and the “s-word” a half-dozen times, it was pretty safe for kids), but it didn’t really seem to have a purpose beyond just a cursory look at the men behind the mask. It could have gone into the tryouts to be Bucky a little bit more, it certainly could have had more in-game/performance scenes where we could see why it’s tough to be Bucky—or at least why Bucky is so important and beloved in his home state.
But I can’t say it was a bad or boring film. It was put together pretty well; it just didn’t seem to really tell a story. The beginning and end wrapped up nicely because the film followed the men through one “tour” as Bucky, from tryouts to tryouts; it didn't really have anything to do with directing or editing to make an ending.
If you’re a Badger fan or a Bucky fan-- or even a fan of any mascot-- you’ll probably see enough worthwhile here for a night with a rented copy. B-
Blue Hawaii—TV— I don’t really have much to say about this one other than it was a complete blast to see a movie that very much is a product of its time. The color palette was unbelievable. James Cameron or George Lucas wished their CGI could melt your eyes like that. The storyline was silly—and not original at all—but I can see why Elvis is so beloved. He had a certain magnetism about him. I think many of the musical numbers were forced into the plot, but, again, I think that was just how movies like that were made back then. And if you’re going to have one of the most popular musicians of all time star in your movie; you’re probably gonna have him sing. C+
Dumb and Dumberer—TV— The title pretty much says it all. I watched it simply because it was on TV and I didn’t feel like changing the channel—and because it starred Eric Christian Olsen, who I really enjoy watching. The plot was bad, the writing was bad, the acting was bad… But it was fun watching Olsen channeling Jim Carrey; he did a pretty good job at that. D+
For All Mankind— I should have liked this film much more than I did, but I think I got spoiled by the wonderful In the Shadow of the Moon a few years ago. This one just didn’t seem as exciting—even with all the NASA footage. I think I may have to go back and rewatch this at some point; I have been really getting into the Apollo space program the past few months (books and DVDs). C+
Four Christmases— About what I expected. No offense to Reese Witherspoon, who did what the role demanded, but this was a Vince Vaughn movie from start to finish. Smart-aleck man who has to visit his (and his girlfriend/wife’s(?)) families for Christmas. I don’t even really remember the plot so much as I do the really fun supporting actor casting. You’ve got the wonderful Mary Steenbergen, Dwight Yoakam, Kristin Chenowith, and Jon Voight with the odd family relations. And you’ve got the outrageous Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau, and Tim McGraw who chewed up every scene they were in (hilariously). Not a great movie, but it should give you a few laughs. B-
The Freshman—TV. I have read about this Harold Lloyd silent film a number of times over the years, so I was happy that TCM aired it this winter. Like most movies of the era, it didn’t always translate well to modern times, but it was incredible to see how the story progressed just through actions and words on the screen. There is definitely an art to telling a story this way. Lloyd’s college freshman made for a fun character, and his work in a few scenes (of particular note is the scene where his clothes keep falling apart) is classic slapstick comedy. Worth watching on a quiet afternoon. B
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