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2010-03-17 2:59 PM

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Subject: Alice in Wonderland

I just saw Tim Burton's latest with my daughter.  What a hot mess. It totally deserved the 52% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

  I am a big Alice fan (I own all three versions of the Annotated Alice, and probably re-read them once a year). Both my daughter and I were seriously disappointed.  It's bad enough they wanted to "update" the story by making Alice a proto-feminist hero at 19 years old in Victorian England.  It looked as though the scriptwriter just flipped through the two Alice books and jammed elements together. "Hey, the queen of hearts in Wonderland is red - and there is a red queen and a white queen in Looking Glass - let's make her the same person!".  And don't even get me started on what the heck they were trying to do with the Bandersnatch.  And the ending made less sense than the ending of Monty Python and the Holy Grail - at least in that one they recognized they had no ending.

I think all the theater owners who were hanging on to Avatar until the last minute before switching over to Alice in the Imax and 3D screens made the better choice.  I think I have to go back and re-read the source books to clear the bad taste from my head!



2010-03-17 3:08 PM
in reply to: #2731954

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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland
Haven't yet seen it, but I wouldn't expect a self-proclaimed "big Alice fan" to be happy with anything less than a straight literal interpertation.
2010-03-17 3:17 PM
in reply to: #2731974

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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland
I knew they were making some changes, and I wasn't expecting a direct translation.  I actually liked the SyFy "reimagining" of the story as "Alice".  And Burton did a nice job with Charlie and the Chocolate factory, hewing closer to the source material.

I wasn't approaching it like some of my LOTR fan-friends, who treated every deviation from the source as heresay.  But some of the changes made literally no sense.  Why would the red queen's army be cards and the white queen's army be chess pieces?  And then there were the monkeys.  I don't know why there were monkeys. There aren't monkeys in the books.  Pigs, rocking horse-flies, dormice, hares, dodos, and other manner of creature.  But no monkeys.

I thought maybe he would pull an interesting twist on the character of the white queen, since she was actually rather creepy from my point of view.  But he did not. 

Hot mess.
2010-03-17 3:17 PM
in reply to: #2731954

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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland
If I have zero recollection of the books, except for that there was a hookah smoking caterpillar, a disappearing cat, and a part where Alice drinks something and gets tall, am I at least going to be entertained? Or will this be another one where the popcorn is the best part?

2010-03-17 3:23 PM
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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland
ell-in-or - 2010-03-17 4:17 PM If I have zero recollection of the books, except for that there was a hookah smoking caterpillar, a disappearing cat, and a part where Alice drinks something and gets tall, am I at least going to be entertained? Or will this be another one where the popcorn is the best part?



Well, I though the ending was a total cop-out.  My daughter agreed. I won't spoil it, but the action of the supporting characters made no sense, even within the context of the re-imagined world.  It was less immersive than Avatar.

But there is a smoking caterpillar, a disappearing cat, she drinks something and shrinks and eats something and grows, so if you are keeping score, those things are there.
2010-03-17 3:23 PM
in reply to: #2731954

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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland
I was under the impression this Alice was supposed to be POST book (independent story).  As in Alice is older and returns, I have never read the books, nor seen the movie(s). 

I would tend to agree that Burton did a good job with Charlie and the chocolate factory, but I wouldn't be surprised if this got screwed up big time.  This may be reason enough for me to wait for it to come to DVD


2010-03-17 3:24 PM
in reply to: #2731954

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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland
I haven't seen an Alice movie in years. I haven't ever read the book. I recognized several major things FROM what little I know...but overall, I was unimpressed.  Glad I did not pay to see it.  Yay for free movies in Iraq.
2010-03-17 3:34 PM
in reply to: #2731954

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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland
well, I really don't remember the book all that well.  my daughter did read it recently and I took the family to see it over the weekend.  we all enjoyed it.  and the friends that my kids took along enjoyed it as well!  with Tim Burton he always twists things around and there is some weirdness in all his movies.  I think he did a good job with Alice.  I will say, I don't think Johnny Depp added much to the movei as the Hatter.
2010-03-17 3:37 PM
in reply to: #2732028

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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland
menglo - 2010-03-17 3:23 PM

I was under the impression this Alice was supposed to be POST book (independent story). 


This was my understanding as well. In the preview, the Mad Hatter looks at her and says, "Alice...you're back!"
2010-03-17 3:56 PM
in reply to: #2732068

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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland
jmk-brooklyn - 2010-03-17 4:37 PM
menglo - 2010-03-17 3:23 PM I was under the impression this Alice was supposed to be POST book (independent story). 
This was my understanding as well. In the preview, the Mad Hatter looks at her and says, "Alice...you're back!"


This was the case. And I would have worked with it.  But the source stories take place in two very different places.  So imagine a character who goes to Africa in one book, then to Japan in another book.  Now have a movie where the character returns to his travels to Japan, where he encounters the elephant that he rode in the original travel.  Or encounters the samurai in the jungle, battling rhinos and hippos.  Now you sense my sorrow.

sigh.  Hot mess.
2010-03-18 3:44 AM
in reply to: #2732123

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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland
gearboy - 2010-03-17 3:56 PM
jmk-brooklyn - 2010-03-17 4:37 PM
menglo - 2010-03-17 3:23 PM I was under the impression this Alice was supposed to be POST book (independent story). 
This was my understanding as well. In the preview, the Mad Hatter looks at her and says, "Alice...you're back!"


This was the case. And I would have worked with it.  But the source stories take place in two very different places.  So imagine a character who goes to Africa in one book, then to Japan in another book.  Now have a movie where the character returns to his travels to Japan, where he encounters the elephant that he rode in the original travel.  Or encounters the samurai in the jungle, battling rhinos and hippos.  Now you sense my sorrow.

sigh.  Hot mess.


Was it a hot mess?



2010-03-18 4:07 PM
in reply to: #2732123

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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland
gearboy - 2010-03-17 1:56 PM
jmk-brooklyn - 2010-03-17 4:37 PM
menglo - 2010-03-17 3:23 PM I was under the impression this Alice was supposed to be POST book (independent story). 
This was my understanding as well. In the preview, the Mad Hatter looks at her and says, "Alice...you're back!"


This was the case. And I would have worked with it.  But the source stories take place in two very different places.  So imagine a character who goes to Africa in one book, then to Japan in another book.  Now have a movie where the character returns to his travels to Japan, where he encounters the elephant that he rode in the original travel.  Or encounters the samurai in the jungle, battling rhinos and hippos.  Now you sense my sorrow.

sigh.  Hot mess.


Now I want to watch a movie with samurai fighting african wildlife until saved by the girl on the elephant with a Lemur on her back. Who needs a plot right?

As for the alice movie, as much as I love classics, and re-imagining them (I really loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and am excited about a few upcoming releases) this movie has not sounded at all worthwhile since I saw the first preview and talked to some friends after it came out. Just sounds to slap dash and thrown together. Take a bit of this, a pinch of that and some of the flying monkeys from Wizard of oz and call it a movie...probably wait until my wife gets it on netflix.
2010-03-18 5:51 PM
in reply to: #2731954

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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland
Stylistically I love it... the story was a bit soft in places and there was that very fairytale style of ending but overall I really enjoyed watching it!

Then again..... I do LOVE Tim Burton and his quirky take on things.... I was actually expecting it to be more dark and twisty that it was!

I should add... if Ive read the Alice books i dont remember it... and like Ell-in-or I only really remembered eat me, drink me, cat, hatter and caterpillar!

Edited by kaqphin 2010-03-18 5:52 PM
2010-03-19 10:16 AM
in reply to: #2731954

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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland

I haven't seen it and probably won't.  I don't get to go to the movies often so I am pretty picky.

Some friends of ours went and said the make up was horrible and with high def you could see all the creases and issues with the make up.  They felt Depp was basically Wonka and they just got tired of it after a while.  They were ready for it to be over about an hour in.

 

 

2010-03-19 10:37 AM
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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland

gearboy - 2010-03-17 4:56 PM
jmk-brooklyn - 2010-03-17 4:37 PM
menglo - 2010-03-17 3:23 PM I was under the impression this Alice was supposed to be POST book (independent story). 
This was my understanding as well. In the preview, the Mad Hatter looks at her and says, "Alice...you're back!"


This was the case. And I would have worked with it.  But the source stories take place in two very different places.  So imagine a character who goes to Africa in one book, then to Japan in another book.  Now have a movie where the character returns to his travels to Japan, where he encounters the elephant that he rode in the original travel.  Or encounters the samurai in the jungle, battling rhinos and hippos.  Now you sense my sorrow.

sigh.  Hot mess.

Are you sure you weren't watching an episode of LOST?

2010-03-19 10:56 AM
in reply to: #2732065

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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland
rayd - 2010-03-17 4:34 PM I will say, I don't think Johnny Depp added much to the movei as the Hatter.


Ha...IMO Johnny Depp is the movie.


2010-03-19 11:06 AM
in reply to: #2735727

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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland

steveseer - 2010-03-19 10:56 AM
rayd - 2010-03-17 4:34 PM I will say, I don't think Johnny Depp added much to the movei as the Hatter.


Ha...IMO Johnny Depp is the movie.

That was my first clue that is was going to be bad, Johnny Depp was in it

2010-03-19 2:13 PM
in reply to: #2735681

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Subject: RE: Alice in Wonderland
hamiltks10 - 2010-03-19 11:37 AM

gearboy - 2010-03-17 4:56 PM
jmk-brooklyn - 2010-03-17 4:37 PM
menglo - 2010-03-17 3:23 PM I was under the impression this Alice was supposed to be POST book (independent story). 
This was my understanding as well. In the preview, the Mad Hatter looks at her and says, "Alice...you're back!"


This was the case. And I would have worked with it.  But the source stories take place in two very different places.  So imagine a character who goes to Africa in one book, then to Japan in another book.  Now have a movie where the character returns to his travels to Japan, where he encounters the elephant that he rode in the original travel.  Or encounters the samurai in the jungle, battling rhinos and hippos.  Now you sense my sorrow.

sigh.  Hot mess.

Are you sure you weren't watching an episode of LOST?



Don't even get me started on LOST!  They have so many loose threads and "lost" characters (as opposed to the "LOST" characters), that there is no way to pull it all together.  Remember back in the first season, how many different backstories and characters we followed? And now we are down to about a half dozen primary cahracters - like pretty much every other TV show.
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