Alice in Wonderland Review

The Rough Cut

Written by Kevin Terpstra

Review of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland

Tim Burton's view of what lies through the looking glass is a fantastical rollercoaster of surrealism. This version of Alice in Wonderland, which is not a remake, but rather takes place thirteen years after the original Walt Disney animated film, is undoubtedly Tim Burton’s most poetic film. When Alice falls down the rabbit hole, the viewer goes with her and joins the denizens of Wonderland (Underland, technically) on their journey as they set out to defeat the infamous Jabberwocky, the Red Queen’s favorite pet.

Also present in the film are Lewis Carroll’s nasty creations, the Jubjub Bird and the frumious Bandersnatch, which one must beware just as much as the Jabberwock. This version of Alice in Wonderland stays truer to the path the Lewis Carroll originally wrote, by the fact that both the Red and White Queen’s are present. The gothic image angle that Burton brings to the movie has a fresh look that is sure to keep the viewer from becoming bored. This new perspective is probably what will keep quiet the company that is tired of Tim Burton creating overly odd epics that invariably star Johnny Depp as the same screwball character.

Of course, the film is not without its flaws. The flow of the story has a choppy feel, which stops the viewers from fully immersing themselves in the movie. Perhaps it is because Tim Burton made the film into one big poem that it has this start/stop feel, emulating the break between stanzas. If this is the case, then bravo Mr. Burton for, you have indeed thought of everything.

The most important thing to remember when going to see this film is to keep your mind’s eye open from beginning to end. If you lose comprehension at any moment, then your perspective will change and the film’s subtleties will be lost. But, then again, what does perspective mean when you’re mad as a hatter?

Based on a five star scale I am awarding Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland four out of five stars.

Official Rough Cut Review

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland – 4/5 stars

2010 Oscar Rundown: Rough Cut Style

2010 Oscar Rundown: Rough Cut Style

The Oscars are merely four days away and, as of a week and some change ago, it is unclear which film is going to stand tall as winner of the coveted Best Picture Award. In December, Avatar was the front-runner in this race; in January, The Hurt Locker became the fan (and Academy) favorite. Now . . . well, it’s just about anyone’s game. Let me rephrase that: Any of the big five films nominated (Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, and Up in the Air) have a shot.

By now, it is common knowledge that Hurt Locker producer Nicholas Chartier has been uninvited from the ceremony because of an e-mail he sent out to Academy voters roughly two weeks ago. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the growing scandal aptly named ‘Lockergate’ let me fill you in. Nicholas Chartier sent out a mass e-mail to Academy voters talking up his film (The Hurt Locker) and degrading another (Avatar). According to Academy rules and regulations, degrading another nominated film is not allowed. While The Hurt Locker’s Best Picture nomination was not rescinded, Chartier will no longer be attending the event. Should The Hurt Locker win the big prize, Chartier will receive his statuette at a later date.

Amidst all of this controversy, the film favored to win the award is . . . well, debatable. Many critics seem to think that this is the perfect opportunity for Up in the Air to sneak in and reclaim the top spot, which it held for the latter part of 2009 until Avatar hit the silver screen. My contemporary, Roger Ebert, has even gone so far as to say that if Avatar, The Hurt Locker, or Up In The Air doesn’t win he will be surprised. While he may have years of experience on me, I respectfully disagree. I fully understand that those three films have the best shot (or did), but let’s remember back to 2007 when the Coen Brother’s thriller No Country For Old Men took home the top prize. This came as a surprise to a great many people.

In addition to the top three I would like to add a fourth: Inglourious Basterds. In Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino has done something that no filmmaker, or none that received praise, has been able to do successfully: he has made a movie that rewrites history. This is an unprecedented occasion, and given Tarantino’s track record, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. In addition to a story that can’t disappoint, Basterds contains dialogue that is unmatched, a fantastic balance of (real) action, and is the only nominated film that has a truly classic style (or a damn good imitation) of cinematography.

Based on Academy voting history, and the recent turn of events surrounding the other films, I believe that Inglourious Basterds has a real shot and being this year’s dark horse winner. But, the Oscars aren’t all about the Best Picture winner; there are 23 other categories ripe for the taking.

Best Picture

There are ten films nominated this year. Only five have an actual shot, but it’s nice to see what films probably wouldn’t have gotten a nom.

Nominees:

Avatar

The Blind Side

District 9

An Education

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

A Serious Man

Up

Up in the Air

Predicted Winner:

The Hurt Locker

Leading Actor

All five men nominated gave superb performances, but this year it’s all about Jeff Bridges. A close second is George Clooney and the dark horse is Jeremy Renner.

Nominees:

Jeff Brides in Crazy Heart

George Clooney in Up in the Air

Colin Firth in A Single Man

Morgan Freeman in Invictus

Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker

Predicted Winner:

Jeff Bridges

Leading Actress

A great group of leading ladies, but it’s going to be a head-to-head bout between Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep. Both are more than deserving of the award.

Nominees:

Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side

Helen Mirren in The Last Station

Carey Mulligan in An Education

Gabourey Sidibe in Precious

Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia

Predicted Winner:

Sandra Bullock

Supporting Actor

It’s going to Christoph Waltz. Period.

Nominees:

Matt Damon in Invictus

Woody Harrelson in The Messenger

Christopher Plummer in The Last Station

Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones

Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds

Predicted Winner:

Christoph Waltz

Supporting Actress

I had some trouble coming to a decision on this category. Each performance is deserving of a win for its own reasons. In the end, I had to choose between Mo’Nique and Vera Farmiga.

Nominees:

Penélope Cruz in Nine

Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air

Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart

Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air

Mo’Nique in Precious

Predicted Winner:

Mo’Nique

Directing

This was another tough decision for me. Years of concurrent DGA-Oscar wins give the award to Kathryn Bigelow but I wouldn’t count Quentin Tarantino out of this race.

Nominees:

James Cameron for Avatar

Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker

Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds

Lee Daniels for Precious

Jason Reitman for Up in the Air

Predicted Winner:

Kathryn Bigelow

Cinematography

The Hurt Locker had some impressive sequences, but like I said earlier, Inglourious Basterds has a classic look that can’t be touched.

Nominees:

Mauro Fiore for Avatar

Bruno Delbonnel for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Barry Ackroyd for The Hurt Locker

Robert Richardson for Inglourious Basterds

Christian Berger for The White Ribbon

Predicted Winner:

Robert Richardson

Film Editing

Avatar, The Hurt Locker, and Inglourious Basterds all have an equal shot at taking the win.

Nominees:

Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua, & James Cameron for Avatar

Julian Clark for District 9

Bob Murawski & Chris Innis for The Hurt Locker

Sally Menke for Inglourious Basterds

Joe Klotz for Precious

Original Screenplay

Let me just restate that Tarantino successfully rewrote World War II.

Nominees:

Mark Boal for The Hurt Locker

Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds

Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman for The Messenger

Joel & Ethan Coen for A Serious Man

Pete Doctor, Bob Peterson, & Thomas McCarthy for Up

Adapted Screenplay

I don’t have much to say on this category. Each nominee is much deserving. District 9 has a good shot, as does Precious.

Nominees:

Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell for District 9

Nick Hornby for An Education

Jessee Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, & Toni Roche for In the Loop

Geoffrey Fletcher for Precious

Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner for Up in the Air

Animated Feature

Coraline was an early favorite and Fantastic Mr. Fox has a decent shot as well. My bet is on Up.

Nominees:

Coraline

Fantastic Mr. Fox

The Princess and the Frog

The Secret of Kells

Up

Predicted Winner:

Up