"ALICE IN WONDERLAND" (2010) Review

 

"ALICE IN WONDERLAND" (2010) Review

I never understood director Tim Burton’s decision to name his 2010 film, ”ALICE IN WONDERLAND”. I mean . . . why did he do it? His new movie was not another adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel, ”Alice's Adventures in Wonderland”. It was a sequel set thirteen years after the original story. So why use the shortened version of the title from Carroll’s original title?

Many of you might be wondering why I had just made a big deal about this movie’s title. For me, it represented an example of what I consider to be the numerous missteps that prevented me from embracing Burton’s 2010 film. Before I continue, I should confess that I have never been a Tim Burton fan. Never. I can only recall two of his movie that really knocked my socks off – 1994’s ”ED WOOD” and the 2007 Golden Globe nominee, ”SWEENY TODD”. I wish I could include ”ALICE IN WONDERLAND” in that category, but I cannot. The movie simply failed to impress me.

As I had stated earlier, ”ALICE IN WONDERLAND” was a sequel to Carroll’s original story. Thirteen years after her original adventures in Wonderland, Alice Kingsleigh has become a nineteen year-old young woman on the verge of accepting a wedding proposal from one Hamish Ascot, the son of her late father’s partner, Lord Ascot. Unfortunately, Hamish is a shallow and self-absorbed young man with very little character. Salvation arrived during Hamish’s very public marriage proposal, when Alice spotted a familiar figure – the same White Rabbit who had previously lured her to Wonderland – scampering across Lord Ascot’s estate.

History repeated itself when Alice fell down into the rabbit hole. However, she soon discovered that Wonderland (or Underland) had changed during her thirteen years absence. The Red Queen had managed to wreck havoc and assume control over most of Underland, thanks to her new ”champion” - a dragon known as the Jabberwocky. Only the realm of the Red Queen’s sister, the White Queen, has remained beyond the red-haired monarch’s reach. However, that situation threatened to change if the White Queen fails to acquire her own champion. A scroll called “the Oraculum” predicted that Alice will not only be the White Queen’s champion, but she will also defeat the Jabberwocky and end the Red Queen’s reign of terror. But due to her stubborn belief that Underland was and still is nothing but a dream, Alice was reluctant to take up the mantle of the White Queen’s champion.

Judging by the plot I had just described, ”ALICE OF WONDERLAND” should have been an enjoyable movie for me. Granted, Linda Woolverton’s script seemed like a typical ”slay the dragon” storyline that has been used in numerous fantasies. But it still had enough adventure, intrigue and personal angst for me to find it appealing. So, why did it fail to light my fire? Production designer Robert Stromberg created an interesting mixture of Gothic and animated styles for the film’s visuals in both the England and Wonderland sequences. Anthony Almaraz and his team of costume designers created lush and colorful costumes for the cast. And Dariusz Wolski’s photography brought out the best in the movie’s visual styles.

”ALICE IN WONDERLAND” could also boast some first-rate performances from the cast. Johnny Depp gave a wonderfully complicated performance as the Mad Hatter. His Mad Hatter was an interesting mixture of an extroverted personality and pathos, punctuated by bouts of borderline insanity. The Red Queen might possibly be one of Helena Bonham-Carter’s best roles. She struck me as the epitome of childishness, selfishness and cruelty. Crispin was slick, menacing and subtly funny as the Red Queen’s personal henchman, the Knave of Hearts. Anne Hathaway’s delicious portrayal of the White Queen reminded me of a Disney princess on crack. I really enjoyed it. Both Tim Piggott-Smith and Geraldine James (who were both in the 1985 miniseries, ”JEWEL IN THE CROWN”) gave solid performances as Alice’s potential in-laws - the kindly Lord Ascot and his shrewish and bullying wife, Lady Ascot. And Alan Rickman gave voice to the Blue Caterpillar in a deliciously sardonic performance. Despite my positive opinion of most of the film’s technical aspects and performances, it still failed to impress me. Why?

First of all, the movie rested upon the shoulders of Australian actress, Mia Wasikowska as the lead character, Alice Kingsleigh. Before the release of this film, Wasikowska had received critical acclaim for her portrayal of a suicidal teen in HBO’s ”IN TREATMENT”. It seemed a pity that she had failed to be just as impressive as Alice in ”ALICE IN WONDERLAND”. Some people had labeled her performance as ”subtle”. I thought it was ”insipid”. Or perhaps just plain boring. I swear I have never come across such a bland and boring performance in my life. No only did Wasikowska managed to make Alice’s battle against the Jabberwocky seem dull, she still came close to putting me to sleep in her character’s moments of triumph in the movie’s finale. It is a miracle that I eventually became a big fan of hers over the years. Or perhaps her own natural talent in this film had been overshadowed by poor direction.

Tim Burton’s direction of ”ALICE IN WONDERLAND” proved to be just as uninspiring as Wasikowska’s performance. Actually, I found myself thinking of the 1992 movie, ”DEATH BECOMES HER”. I was not comparing the visual effects between the two movies. Or the plots. Meryl Streep had uttered a word in the 1992 movie that perfectly described my opinion of Burton’s direction. Flaccid. "FLA-A-A-A-CI-I-ID!" How did a director with Burton’s reputation managed to take a solid fantasy adventure and make it one of the most boring films in recent Hollywood history is beyond me. His direction lacked any pep. Or spark. I had felt as if I was watching a piece of limp lettuce in action. I even began to wonder if Burton’s dull direction had affected Wasikowska’s performance. Then I remembered that actors like Depp and Bonham-Carter managed to rise above his direction. I might as well dump the blame of Wasikowska’s performance on her shoulders after all.  Fortunately for her, she managed to provide superior  performances in the future . . . in superior productions.  As for Tim Burton . . . what is there to say? His direction had simply disappointed me.

I might as well say something about the movie’s 3-D effects. They were not only disappointing to me, but also a waste of time and the extra cash I had to pay for the movie tickets. I did not care for the 3-D effects in ”AVATAR” and a few other films, but it was an example of technical wizardry in compare to the 3-D photography shown in ”ALICE IN WONDERLAND”. Speaking of ”AVATAR”, I have one last thing to say in regard to 3-D . . . "Damn you, James Cameron!". Seriously. I would like to take the man’s head and bash it through a wall for introducing 3-D to the movie going experience. In the two movies I have seen featuring 3-D effects, I have found them unimpressive. Worse, I had to pay extra for the tickets because movie theaters are more willing to show the 3-D versions of movies like ”ALICE IN WONDERLAND”, instead of the 2-D versions. For the cash.

In short, ”ALICE IN WONDERLAND” had all of the hallmarks of a solid and entertaining movie experience for me. It was the continuation of a classic fantasy adventure. Talented actors like Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter, Crispin Glover and Anne Hathaway gave first-rate performances. And I must admit that the movie’s production designs and photography gave it a unique visual style.

But all of that could not save a movie hindered by pedestrian 3-D effects, a dull and insipid performance by Mia Wasikowska and an even more insipid direction by Tim Burton. Frankly, I think it is a miracle that this movie managed to become a box-office hit. What is even more ironic is that Burton produced a sequel to this movie, six years later. Unfortunately, "ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS" proved to be a box office flop. And ironically, I found that movie a lot more entertaining.

"STATE OF PLAY" (2003) Review

"STATE OF PLAY" (2003) Review

Three years ago, a political thriller starring Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck was released in the movie theaters.  The movie turned out to be based upon a six-part BBC miniseries of the same name - "STATE OF PLAY".  

Created by Paul Abbott and directed by David Yates, "STATE OF PLAY told the story of a London newspaper's investigation into the death of a young woman named Sonia Baker, who worked as a researcher for a Member of Parliament named Stephen Collins.  The miniseries also focused on the relationship between Collins and the newspaper's leading journalist, Cal McCaffrey, who used to be his former campaign manager.

"STATE OF PLAY" was so well received that it garnered a Best Actor BAFTA award for Bill Nighy, for his role as McCaffrey's editor, Cameron Foster.  The miniseries also earned BAFTAs for Best Sound and Best Editing (Fiction/Entertainment); and it won awards major awards from the Royal Television Society, Banff Television Festival, Broadcasting Press Guild, Cologne Conference, Directors Guild of Great Britain, Edgar Awards, and the Monte Carlo TV Festival.  When the 2009 movie was released, critics generally gave it positive reviews, but claimed that it failed to surpass or be as equally good as the miniseries.  After seeing the latter . . . well, I will eventually get to that.

The miniseries began with the murder of a young man named Kelvin Stagg in what seemed to be a drug-related killing, along with the coincidental death of Collins' researcher, Sonia Baker.  When Cal McCaffrey and his colleagues at The Herald - Foster, his son Dan, Della Smith and others, they discover that the deaths were connected via Collins' parliamentary investigation of links between an American oil company and corrupt high-ranking British ministers.  Cal and his fellow journalists also have to deal with finding a publicist associate of Sonia's named Dominic Foy, who may have a great deal of information on how she became Collins' researcher in the first place.  And another subplot dealt with Cal renewing his interest in Collins' recently estranged wife, Anne.

I cannot deny that "STATE OF PLAY" is a first-rate miniseries.  Paul Abbott created an excellent thriller filled with murder, romance, infidelity, witty dialogue and political intrigue.  One of the best aspects of Abbott's screenplay was how the varied subplots managed to connect with the main narrative.  Even Cal's romance with Anne Collins proved to have strong connections to his search for the truth regarding Sonia's death - especially in Episode Three.  The romance provided Another aspect of "STATE OF PLAY" that I admired was the pacing established by director David Yates.  Another interesting relationship that materialized from the investigation was the friendship between The Herald reporter Della Smith and Scotland Yard's DCI William Bell.  Regardless of the number of episodes in the production, Yates and Abbott's screenplay made certain that the viewer remained fixated to the screen.  Like the 2009, the miniseries did an excellent job of delving into the British journalism and political scene.  More importantly, it featured first-rate action sequences.  For me, the best one proved to be Scotland Yard's attempt to capture Kelvin Scaggs and Sonia Baker's killer in the third episode.

As much as I enjoyed "STATE OF PLAY", I cannot deny that I found it somewhat flawed.  Which is why I cannot accept the prevailing view that it was superior to its 2009 remake.  Despite Yates' pacing of the story, I feel that "STATE OF PLAY" could have been shown in at least four episodes.  There were some subplots that could have used some trimming.  One of them, at least for me, turned out to be the search for Dominic Foy.  Actually, it took Cal, Della, Dan and the others very little time to find Dominic.  But every time they found him, they lost him.  This happened at least three or four times.  By the time they managed to get Foy inside a hotel room for a little confession, I sighed with relief.  The subplot threatened to become . . . annoying.  Another subplot that threatened to become irrelevant was Cal's dealings with Kelvin Skaggs' older brother and mother, Sonny and Mrs. Skaggs.  Johann Myers gave an intense performance as the volatile Sonny Skaggs.  But the constant temper tantrums over how the press portrayed Kelvin eventually became boring.  There were other sequences and subplots I could have done without - especially a road encounter between one of the reporters' informants and oil company thugs in the last episode.  And why have Stephen Collins investigate an American oil company, when it could have been easier to use a British or British-based oil company?  After all, there are several oil companies operating in the United Kingdom, including the infamous BP.  Although I admire Yates' direction of the sequence featuring the capture of Sonia's killer, Robert Bingham, I wish it had happened in the last episode.  Otherwise, his death occurred too soon in my opinion.

John Simm did an excellent job in leading a first-rate cast for "STATE OF PLAY".  Despite working with the likes of Bill Nighy, David Morrissey, Polly Walker; he not only held his own.  He carried the miniseries.  Period.  However, he was ably supported by superb performances from his co-stars.  Morrissey was also commanding, yet complex as MP Stephen Collins.  Although there were a few moments when his performance seemed a bit too . . . theatrical for my tastes.  Nighy's award-winning performance as Cal's editor also seemed a little theatrical.  However, he got away with it, because I feel he is a lot better with injecting a little theatricality into his acting.

Although Kelly MacDonald had made a name for herself before portraying Della Smith, she gave an excellent, yet emotional performance that resonated just right.  Kelly MacDonald also managed to create a surprisingly balanced chemistry with Philip Glenister, who did an excellent job in portraying the intimidating Scotland Yard inspector.  Unlike MacDonald, James McAvoy was not quite well-known when he portrayed freelance journalist, Dan Foster.  But he certainly displayed the very qualities that would eventually make him a star in his sly and cheeky performance.  Polly Walker did an excellent job in portraying the woman who nearly came between Cal and Stephen, the latter's estranged wife, Anne Collins.  However, Marc Warren gave one of the best performances in the miniseries as Dominic Foy, the sleazy and paranoid publicist with ties to Sonia Baker.  Watching him veer between paranoia, cowardice and opportunism was really a joy to watch.  "STATE OF PLAY" also benefited from fine supporting performances from the likes of Geraldine James, Benedict Wong, Deborah Findlay, Tom Burke, Johann Myers, James Laurenson and Amelia Bullmore.

I cannot deny that "STATE OF PLAY" is a first-rate miniseries filled with intrigue, thanks to Paul Abbott's screenplay and energy, due to David Yates' direction.  It also benefited from superb acting, thanks to a cast led by John Simm and David Morrissey.  But it also possessed flaws that perhaps made its acclaim just a bit overrated.  I read somewhere that Abbott planned to write a sequel of some kind, featuring Simms.  I hope so.  Despite its flaws, "STATE OF PLAY" certainly deserved a follow-up of some kind.

"THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO" (2011) Review

"THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO" (2011) Review

My awareness of Stieg Larsson's posthumous 2005 novel, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" began when it first hit the bookstores, years ago. And it has not abated. And yet . . . I have never developed an interest to read it. Silly me. Even when a movie adaptation of the novel was first released in Sweden back in 2009, I noticed . . . and continued to resist buying the novel. That all changed when I saw this new English-speaking adaptation, directed by David Fincher.

If I must be honest, it was the trailer for Fincher's movie that finally made me interested in Larsson's novel. One, it featured two favorite actors of mine - Daniel Craig and Stellan Skarsgård. Two, I have developed a growing interest in David Fincher's work, ever since I saw his 2007 movie, "ZODIAC". And three, I must admit that the trailer looked damn interesting. So, I went to the theaters to watch "THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO". And I do not regret my decision. I loved it. And now I have plans to read the novel.

"THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO" is about a Swedish investigative journalist named Mikael Blomkvist hired by a wealthy industrialist named Henrik Vanger to investigate the 40-year disappearance of the latter's 16 year-old niece, Harriet. Blomkvist is assisted by young computer hacker and researcher for Milton Security named Lisbeth Salander. Lisbeth had been originally hired by Vanger's attorney to do a background check on Blomkvist. Both Lisbeth and Blomkvist find themselves residing inside a small house on the Vangers' island estate. During their investigation, they meet other members of the Vanger family - including two brothers who were members of the Swedish Nazi Party, Henrik's nieces Cecilia and Anita, and his nephew, Martin, now CEO of the family business.

While Lisbeth and Blomkvist investigate the Vanger family, each deal with a personal dilemma. Lisbeth became a legal ward of the state, after she was diagnosed with mental incompetency years ago, has to deal with new guardian Nils Bjurman, who turned out to be a sexual predator and rapist. Blomkvist found himself working for Henrik Vanger, after he lost a libel case brought against him by a crooked businessman named Hans-Erik Wennerström. Blomkvist and the magazine he co-owns with his lover/editor Erika Berger, owe Wennerstrom a huge court-ordered monetary damages. Despite their problems, Lisbeth and Blomkvist continue their investigation into the Vanger family. Eventually, they discover that a member of the family is serial rapist and killer, who has assaulted a number of Jewish women over a twenty years period since the 1940s. The last victim was killed a year after Harriet's disappearance.

There is so much about this movie that I really enjoyed. One, Fincher and screenwriter Steven Zaillian did a superb job of adapting Larsson's tale with great detail, while maintaining a steady pace. This is not an easy thing for a filmmaker to accomplish - especially for a movie with a running time of 158 minutes. And the ironic thing is that Zaillian's script was not completely faithful to Larsson's novel. Not that I really care. I doubt that the 2009 adaptation, which I have also seen, was completely faithful. I thought that Fincher and Zaillian did a marvelous job of re-creating the details (as much as possible) of Larsson's tale, along with the novel's intriguing characters and atmosphere. There were changes that Larsson and Zaillian made to some of the characters - especially Mikael Blomkvist, Martin Vanger and Anita Vanger. And do I care? Again, no. These changes did not mar my enjoyment of the film, whatsoever.

The moment the movie began with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' dazzling score and Blur Studio's title designs, a feeling overcame me that I was about to watch a very interesting film. Reznor and Ross' score managed to earn Golden Globe nomination. Unfortunately, they did not earn an Academy Award. Too bad. It was one of the most interesting movie scores I have seen in years. Jeff Cronenweth, on the other hand, managed to earn an Academy Award for his cinematography. And it was well deserved, as far as I am concerned. I really enjoyed Cronenweth's sharp and atmospheric photography of Sweden's countryside and Stockholm. I also enjoyed Trish Summerville's costume designs for the movie - especially her Goth-style costumes for Rooney Mara and the stylish wardrobe that both Daniel Craig and Stellan Skarsgård wore.

I might as well focus on the cast. "THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO" made Rooney Mara a star. There is no doubt about it. The actress, who made a memorable appearance in Fincher's last movie, "THE SOCIAL NETWORK", gave a star turning performance as the anti-social hacker, Lisbeth Salander. She was quiet, intense, intelligent, tough . . . hell, she did a superb job of re-creating every nuance of the Lisbeth character with a subtlety and intensity that I found very appealing. It is not surprising that she eventually earned both a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Daniel Craig did not earn any acting award for his portrayal of journalist Mikael Blomkvist. This is not surprising. His character was not as showy as Mara's. And as a blogger named Brent Lang pointed out, Craig's character was more or less the "damsel in distress". He was not exaggerating. But Craig not only gave an engaging and slightly sexy performance as Blomkvist, he also did an excellent job of serving as the movie's emotional center or anchor.

Christopher Plummer's peformance as Henrik Vanger resonated with sly humor and deep emotion. Stellan Skarsgård gave one of the most interesting performances in the movie as the missing Harriet's brother, Martin. I found myself wondering if Skarsgård's Martin was a trickster character used to keep the audience wondering about him. Both Geraldine James and Joely Richardson appeared as Harriet's cousins, Cecilia and Anita, respectively. Richardson's performance was solid and a little understated. But I really enjoyed James' brief stint as the sharp tongue Cecilia. And Robin Wright was solid, if not that memorable as Blomkvist's lover and editor, Erika Berger. Yorick van Wageningen's performance as Lisbeth's guardian Nils Bjurman struck me as both understated and downright scary. At first glance, his performance did not hint the disturbed sexism that led his character to rape Lisbeth. Come to think of it, I do not recall any hint of Bjurman's sick and sordid personality in van Wageningen's portrayal of the character at all . . . even when his character was forcing himself on Lisbeth. It was a very disturbing performance. The movie also featured solid performances from the likes of Steven Berkoff, Goran Visnjic and Donald Sumpter.

I have at least one complaint about "THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO". There was a sequence in the movie's last twenty minutes that featured Lisbeth's theft of businessman Hans-Erik Wennerström's assets via hacking. The sequence seemed to drag an otherwise well-paced movie. Yet, at the same time, I glad that Fincher revealed Lisbeth's theft, instead of vaguely pointing it out, as Niels Arden Oplev did in the 2009 adaptation. I guess I have mixed feelings about this particular sequence.

"THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO" received five Academy Award nominations - one for actress Rooney Mara and four technical nominations. After typing that last sentence, I shook my head in disgust. What in the hell was the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences thinking? That was it? No Best Picture, Best Director or Best Adapted Screenplay nomination? No nomination for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' score? Movies like Woody Allen's dull-ass "MIDNIGHT IN PARIS" and Steven Spielberg's overrated "WAR HORSE" received Best Picture nominations. But not "THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO". And Fincher's movie was one of the best I have ever seen in 2011. This is just damn pitiful.

"THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO" (2011) Photo Gallery

Below are images from "THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO", the new adaptation of Stieg Larsson's posthumous 2005 novel. Directed by David Fincher, the movie stars Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara:


"THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO" (2011) Photo Gallery

"STATE OF PLAY" (2003) Photo and Screencap Gallery

Below are photos and screencaps from the 2003 BBC miniseries, "STATE OF PLAY". Written by Paul Abbott and directed by David Yates, the miniseries stars John Simms, David Morrissey, Polly Walker, Kelly MacDonald, James McAvoy and Bill Nighy:

"STATE OF PLAY" (2003) Photo and Screencap Gallery

You can find more images of "STATE OF PLAY" from here.

"ALICE IN WONDERLAND" (2010) Photo Gallery

Below is a photo gallery featuring images of Tim Burton's new movie for Disney, "ALICE IN WONDERLAND". The movie starred Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway:

"ALICE IN WONDERLAND" (2010) Photo Gallery