My views on Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland'

Film-Alice in Wonderland

Director-Tim Burton

Cast-Mia Wasikowska,Johnny Depp,Helena Bonham Carter,Anne Hathaway,Krispin Glover,Alan Rickman (voice),Stephen Fry (voice),Matt Lucas (voice)


I don't think there's any way that Tim Burton can go wrong with the visual treatment of a film. Alice in Wonderland looks,& feels amazingly brilliant.The old story of the girl falling down a hole following a rabbit unknowingly entering the fantasy world of 'underland' written by Lewis Carroll still holds strong.

Something like 'Alice' is tailor made for Burton. As anything unusually good-looking has earned the title of being called 'Burton-esque'.So not surprisingly the art direction dept.scores brownie points.



PERFORMANCES:-

Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen with a humongous bulbous face absolutely steals the show.She's one actress who has an arresting presence no matter what role she's playing.It's been a while since i've seen a caricaturish,story-bookish,rude,cruel & unjust Queen done this brilliantly.

Johnny Depp lives up to the acting standards that he has set for himself as the at times boisterous,at times subdued but always loyal Mad hatter. This ain't no Willy Wonka or Jack Sparrow caliber role but then again Depp like he has done on numerous occasions before induces mannerisms,movements,& speech which provide a personification to the iconic fictional character.

Anne Hathaway has little to do as the overly sophisticated white queen living in her pristine white castle but still manages to make a strong mark on your minds in the little screen time that she possesses & is brilliant as usual.

Unfortunately though the title character of Alice played by Mia Wasikowska does not invoke the desired response. Throughout the movie she seems a very confused & a somewhat meek character (which is ironical,as the story's based upon her).As the title character I expected a more convincing screen presence from her.


CGI:-

The visual effects look terrific,not for once looking out of place,rough or plastic (shame on you 'clash of the titans').The CGI characters look fantastic.The white rabbit,the dormouse,the blue caterpillar Absolem (brilliantly voiced by the ever dependable Alan Rickman) all look exceptional,but the 2 that absolutely stand out are the mumbling-bumbling fat twins Tweedledee and Tweedledum (Matt Lucas) & the sarcastically smiling furry Cheshire cat (Stephen Fry).


CONS:-

On the downside though I do agree that the narrative structure has been sacrificed (especially for the climax) Also I didn't feel much of an emotional connect with the film,as much as say compared to 'Big Fish' or 'Edward Scissorhands',both Burton masterpieces.Some sequences are really good like the Hatter & Alice talking on the balcony before the war or Hatter describing the atrocities committed by the Red Queen. But at other times it felt the story was going forward just for the sake of progressing.



3-D treatment:-

The 3-D treatment of the film is pretty good,& was aesthetically done (again unlike 'Clash').There's much fun to be had in scenes where Alice is falling down the hole,Absolem blowing smoke in Alice's (& our) face,& Alice's encounter with the little creatures popping up in front of our faces every now & then.

FINAL VERDICT:-

All in all 'Alice' is worth a trip to Wonderland :)

My views on Rob Marshall's musical 'Nine'-an adaptation of Federico Fellini's classic '8 1/2'.

I was fairly skeptical before entering the movie hall to see this particular film because of the fact that many film critics have shot the movie down & haven't had very pretty things to say about it.Which got me thinking because really on the face of it what is NOT to like in a film starring the who's who (to put it mildly) of Hollywood.I mean lets start with the magnificent ladies-Kidman, Cruz, Dench, Loren, Fergie, Cotillard.All except the BEP lead singer can be considered as a class apart & has most definitely acted in movies that will go down in the history books as some of the greatest (and of course the fact that they appear in some racy lingerie).And then of course there's that powerhouse of an actor Daniel Day Lewis who doesn't merely play a character but rather breathes the character.And not to mention the fact that director Rob Marshall has previously directed one of the most memorable musicals in recent years 2004's Chicago.

Nine is based on the classic Federico Fellini film 8 1/2 (eight and a half). Now as legendary film critic Roger Ebert puts it 'every film lover should find time in his/her life to watch 8 1/2'.Well, i did find time to watch it. In fact it's the only Fellini film i have seen so far. I liked it. Even though it came with the baggage of the 'classic' tag on it.The characters were memorable,& so was the film on the whole. I found myself immersed in the movie which is always a good thing. Anyways without stretching this further (i may do a detailed analysis of 8 1/2 in some other entry) 8 1/2 was a film which made me curious about the work of Federico Fellini,and inspite of being a little heavy in parts for me, i made a mental note to myself to see this film once again in order to really love & admire it.



So getting back to Nine,i have to say i liked the film.It's not a perfect film by any measure neither would i say that its a very good film.But the film had me engaged for the 2 hours it played out.And the most valid reason for that is the actors.I think this film in the hands of other actors might have faltered.But these actors are great to look at & give convincing performances.Oh,about the plot,well...lets drift back a little to Fellini territory if you allow me.

Federico Fellini as great a filmaker as he was had a writer's block in 1962 as any filmaker has at some point or the other ( or so i think).So what does Fellini do to cure the writer's block? Well,it's fairly simple-he makes a film about a filmaker having a writer's block.


That was the plot for 8 1/2 & so it is for Nine. Daniel Day Lewis plays Guido Contini a legendary filmaker who can't get around to writing the script for his next film.He has a title,has decided that he's muse Claudia Jensenn (Kidman) will star in the movie,has a producer & even has a poster & the fashionable dresses ready for the film but hasn't been able to write a single word of the script.In a scene Kidman mocks Guido & the working system of the film industry when she quips 'I have the dresses for the character but i don't know what character i am playing'.


Dealing with the writer's block Guido is forced to balance the numerous formative women in his life, including his wife, Luisa (Marion Cotillard); his mistress, Carla Albanese (Penélope Cruz); his film star muse, Claudia Jenssen (Nicole Kidman); his confidante and costume designer, Lilli La Fleur (Judi Dench); an American fashion journalist, Stephanie (Kate Hudson); a prostitute from his youth, Saraghina (Fergie); and the spirit of his deceased mother, Mamma (Sophia Loren).



Being a musical the biggest problem lies with the fact that the musical numbers though nice and well done aren't memorable and lack the chutzpah.The 2 tracks that stood out for me were Marion Cotillard's 'My husband makes movies' and Nicole Kidman's beautiful 'Unusual way'.

Marion Cotilard stood out among the performances for me as the saddened,desperate wife Luisa,who sacrificed her career & liberty for Guido.

Penelope Cruz received an Oscar nomination for her role as Carla for this film.Now she does Carla as the bubbly,mischievous mistress very well but has very little screen time. Which got me thinking if it was enough to get an Oscar nomination.

Nicole Kidman looks stunning & does her part well.Dench is refreshing as the friendly costume designer who Guido is probably the most comfortable with.

Fergie & Hudson get their big musical numbers & do them well (although Hudson's 'cinema Italiano' is a bit cheesy)



Lewis gets into the skin of the character for the most part but in the end after watching Nine,one gets this image of Guido as more of a playboy if you will,who doesn't really care about the feelings of the women he's been with which is in deep contrast with Marcello Mastroianni's portrayal of Guido in 8 1/2 where u got the impression that Guido cared for all the women,


A major difference i thought between Nine & the classic 8 1/2 was that in 8 1/2 it was fairly difficult to differentiate what was Guido's reality & what was his imagination & herein lied the beauty of the film. Whereas in Nine it seems director Rob Marshall makes a deliberate attempt to differentiate the imaginary from the real.



8 1/2 was a classic and it cannot be recreated and i am sure the makers knew this,

Which raises the question,which audience was Nine really made for? Those who have seen Fellini's classic and wanted to revisit it? those who wanted to see it in a modern setting (it's still set in the 60's, so modern actors would be more like it) or to present it to those who haven't had the experience of the Fellini classic at all?


Any which way,its pretty confusing.I wondered how much of the film a person who hasn't seen 81/2 would've been able to grasp? Some scenes were recreated as-they-were in the original with even the dialogues being literal English translations of the Italian text.Also 2 of the most memorable scenes from the original,the 'bathtub' scene which more or less play's out in Guido's imagination,where the women involved assemble in a fantasy harem and greet him & the finale where all the characters come together have been done in a very patchy and uninspiring manner in Nine.


At the end of the day though Nine comes across as a shallow experience with sparks of brilliance.Something that had immense potential but never quiet lived up to it. And never gave an impression that it wanted to.

PROS:-

1.Acting performances
2.Penelope Cruz's striptease number (who wouldn't like that?)
3.Cinematography
4.Art direction

CONS:-

1.Lack of memorable musical numbers
2.Might be hard to follow for people who haven't seen 8 1/2
3.Slightly patchy screenplay
4.Actors not given screen time up to their potential.

-Abbas

Hum of nature

I tried to look my best that day
but it was all to fall apart.
Maybe another time,another place
Maybe a brand new start.
The mind tried to cajole me
But the psyche begged to differ
Surprisingly surprised me
it was still willing to suffer.
The broken fragments of memories rush through in a haze
how could i?
I'd promised myself to not be lost in the maze.
Now every morning i wake up,& it's these memories that lay beside me
try and search for hope in the sun rays
because the evening often derides me.
And then the odd hum of nature penetrates through the eardrums
its rich melody determined to inspire
begging me to realize there's much more to desire.
roads,dreams,tears,smiles,gladness,peace
it persuades me that time heals,and though much of the heart's made of glass,
like everything else,this too shall pass.

Pulp fiction-my favourite film of all time.

The film that i can never tire of watching anytime,anywhere is Quentin Tarantino's 1994 hit Pulp Fiction.What is Pulp Fiction exactly? Is it possible to slot it under any specific genre? I find pulp fiction a perfect gangster flick,an irresistible comedy & a fine drama.The 3 most striking qualities of Pulp fiction for me are 1.it's characters 2.it's way of presentation & 3. it's dialogue.

1.The Characters

In a normal scenario when we witness the characters of a film,it always seems like the action,& adventure in their lives started from the moment we started viewing the film,and pretty much ends with the end credits. This is absolutely not the case with Pulp Fiction. We can very well make out that the characters we are interacting with in this film have had lots of wild,adventerous escapades before they were introduced to us,& most definitely will go on having them after they have left the confines of the film. You can make a movie about each of the main characters involved in Pulp,& each one will be a good film.The strength of these characters is demonstrated by the fact that apart from the title characters (the stylish,suave hitman Vincent vega, his partner,the bible-verse spewing Jules Winnifield,The Mob boss marsellus wallace,his seductive,shrewd cocaine-snorting mistress Mia Wallace,.The Boxer Butch,& small time crooks Pumpkin & Honeybunny) who have gone on to become some of the most iconic in cinematic history, it's even the minor characters like 'the wolf', 'lance', & 'Jimmy' 'who have a profound impact on our minds.



2.Presentation

Usually when a story is told in a non-linear fashion,it makes the viewer restless,by wanting him/her put the events in order thereby keeping the viwer glued to his/her seat.But here lies Quentin's biggest achievement.I can watch each of the narrative sequences of Pulp Fiction seperately & enjoy them equally,as i do with the complete product.Whether it's Vincent's & Mia's date at Jack Rabbit Slim's,Whether it's the Bonnie Situation,or Butch's struggle to get his beloved gold watch,i think one can enjoy pulp fiction regardless of trying to put the scenes in the right order.I also love the slight element of mystery in the film,(what exactly does the briefcase contain?,was the man really thrown off the fourth floor for giving a foot massage?).As a film which deals with hit men,Mob bosses,a boxer,a drug dealer,& thugs among other characters Pulp fiction is not about depicting violence as much as it's about the consequences of the violence.




3.Dialogue

The Dialogue in Pulp Fiction is stupendous.It's racy,humorous,& full of pop culture references,It has one of my favourite quotes of all time ' It's unfortunate what we find pleasing to the touch and pleasing to the eye is seldom the same' It's amazing how i can never ever get bored of 2 hitmen talking about what burgers are called in france,what's a pilot episode?,a date where evrything from poor jokes,to 50's movie stars is discussed,or a spectacular,fiery exchange of words between Jules & Pumpkin in the climax, i even feel the passion in Esmerelda's voice when she asks Butch 'what is it like to kill a man?'.Dialogue drives Pulp Fiction.


As soon as the first sequence of Tarantino's Pulp Fiction freezes & title credits roll on to the tune of 'Misirlou',you know you are in for a ride,& what a ride it is.

Sweet summer morning

She's like a sweet summer morning,
I love to feel it's breeze,
Reminiscent of how she wins you over with ease
The sunshine reminds me of that radiant smile,
And the early hour reminded me of that innocence of a child

I'm certain that the fresh grass borrowed the sweet smell from her hair,
And the chirping birds and the blooming flowers reassure me of that same care,
And then comes the fun,frolic,and mischief of the little ones,
Their collective joyous sounds echo her laughter,
Giving me hope for this world and the hereafter.

-ABBAS.

Daylight

When the daylight arrives,maybe i'll see clearly,
at times,life seems really dreary,
If everything happens for a reason,what shall the reason be?
Always confused,dazed and searching for answers,
that's gotta be me!

I see the birds flying in the sky,
and i wanna be with them.

And i will,
if i have the will,
then i'll fly high above the skies,
if really hard i try.

But then again,
can someone explain,
When one laughs,
why does the other have to cry?



-ABBAS