'Alice in Wonderland' has many strengths

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

2 and a half stars

Rated PG

Walt Disney Pictures pairs quirky genius filmmaker Tim Burton (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Beetlejuice”) with the extremely popular actor Johnny Depp (“The Pirates of the Caribbean” series) for the seventh time in the first big movie event of 2010.

Your very important date is a complete reimagining of the classic fairy tales “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass,” written in 1865 by Lewis Carroll.

The script by Linda Woolverton (“Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King”) includes all the familiar characters, story elements and central themes. The most significant changes are that Alice (relatively unknown Australian Mia Wasikowska  previously seen in “That Evening Sun,” “Amelia” and “Defiance”) is on the verge of turning 20 and the place she ends up after tumbling down a rabbit hole is “Underland.”

The movie borrows ideas from “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Chronicles of Narnia,” “Harry Potter” and “The Lord of the Rings” while visually mixing live action and computer graphics animation.

The movie is set in Victorian-era England 13 years after Alice’s first trip underground. Alice is a pale and sullen girl suffering from recurring nightmares. She attends a formal garden party where a red-headed dunce from a wealthy aristocratic family asks her to marry him. At this momentous crossroads in her life, Alice replies, “I need a moment.” She then runs away through the garden greenery in pursuit of a white rabbit. She falls down a hole in a tree trunk as a unique take on March Madness begins.

Alice is shrunk, stretched, scratched and trapped in a teapot. She ultimately transforms into a Joan of Arc knockoff riding a white steed and clothed in body armor. She wields an Excalibur-style sword and shield while battling a dragon that shoots lightning bolts rather than fiery flames.

“Underland” is embroiled in a catfight between rival royal sisters over a queenly crown. The evil Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) has a bulbous head and frequently shouts her trademark line “Off with their heads!” She is feared rather than loved by the citizenry. Her younger sister is The White Queen (Anne Hathaway). She represents the side of goodness.

The movie culminates in a battle played out on a chessboard. The red soldiers are all playing cards and the white army consists of chess pieces.

Alice has no memory of her first visit. All the strange creatures have an ongoing debate regarding whether she is “the” Alice from more than a decade ago. Depp gets the enlarged plum role of The Mad Hatter. He continues to march to a different drummer. His wild eyes, orange hair and Scottish accent turn his character into a crazed lunatic that could have recently escaped from an insane asylum. He delights in chewing up the scenery and always trying to upstage Alice.

The movie makes a strong case for female empowerment, but Wasikowka lacks the endearing quality of a prepubescent heroine. The movie’s strengths are the costumes, the makeup, the production design, the special effects, the vocal work and a terrific musical score by Danny Elfman that has a quality of magic and wonderment missing from the screenplay. This action-heavy adventure lacks the sense of awe and excitement found in the classic bedtime fairy tale adored by generations. Family audiences seeking humor and a high fun quotient would be better served by checking out the animated Disney classic from 1951.

Due to the dark and somber tone, this latest extravaganza is not suitable for boys and girls under the age of 10. This movie has already revolutionized how, when and where we watch new cinematic releases in the digital age. The theatrical run will be one month shorter than the customary 17 weeks with an accelerated DVD release at the end of May.

The movie is being shown in three different formats. Besides the standard 2D on 35 mm film stock, you can choose the more expensive route complete with special glasses in either Disney Digital 3D or IMAX 3D. The IMAX 3D version is available exclusively in Johnson County at AMC Studio 30.

THE GHOST WRITER

2 and a half stars

Rated PG-13

Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski (“The Pianist,” “Chinatown” and “Rosemary’s Baby”) places the emphasis on mood, atmosphere and dialogue in this creepy political conspiracy thriller. He recently received the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival for this movie.

Former BBC TV reporter and political columnist Robert Harris based the screenplay on his 2007 novel “The Ghost.”

A gifted author (Ewan McGregor from “Big Fish” and “Moulin Rouge!”), who is never named, is hired to complete the memoirs of Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan from “Mamma Mia!” and “The Matador”), the controversial former British Prime Minister. The assignment became available when his ghost writing predecessor died under mysterious circumstances. It was ruled an accidental drowning after the body washed ashore.

The replacement ghost flies from London to Lang’s gated oceanfront residence on an island off the Eastern seaboard of the United States.  Filming actually took place on the German island of Sylt made to look like Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

The rough draft of the manuscript is kept under lock and key and the new scribe is required to sign a confidentiality agreement. He meets Ruth Lang (Olivia Williams from “An Education” and “The Sixth Sense”), the hardened wife, and Amelia Bly (Kim Cattrall from “Sex and the City”), the personal assistant.

Peace protestors and a swarm of reporters arrive a day later when Lang is accused of illegally seizing suspected terrorists and turning them over to the CIA for torture and interrogation. The ghost’s own life is placed in jeopardy when he traces Lang’s political career back to his days as a student at Cambridge.

Polanski attempts to imitate Alfred Hitchcock by mixing humor with suspense. Several lines of dialogue expressed by the ghost about the first draft of the autobiography are also appropriate for sizing up the movie. “It is a cure for insomnia. All the words are there. They are just in the wrong order. ” The movie is unevenly paced and takes too long to kick into high gear. The sluggish slow burn approach tries your patience. There is very little in the way of action sequences to provide momentum. You may find yourself looking at your watch after about 90 minutes.

The standout performance is a cameo by 94-year-old Eli Wallach. Brosnan looks dashing in the sartorial splendor of a designer suit and tie. McGregor is bland and shows little emotion. It is hard to work up any sort of rooting interest for his protagonist character. Williams is seductively appealing, possessing all the brains in the family. Cattrall is merely eye candy.

Minor roles are played by James Belushi, Timothy Hutton and Tom Wilkinson. A Google search on the Internet and a GPS navigational system are key components in solving the mystery.

Polanski finished editing the movie while under house arrest in Gstaad, Switzerland. He is currently fighting extradition to California to face sentencing after pleading guilty more than three decades ago to having sex with a minor.

Harris has acknowledged that the similarities between Tony Blair and Adam Lang, Cherie Blair and Ruth Lang, and Halliburton and Hatherton are clearly intentional.

This movie (now playing exclusively at the Glenwood Arts) doesn’t hold a candle to “The Parallax View” (1974) and “Three Days of the Condor” (1975). They both qualify as political thrillers with heart-pounding suspense along with clever twists and turns.

Top 5 Flick Picks

1. The Last Station

2. Avatar

3. Karthik Calling Karthik (exclusively at AMC Studio 30)

4. Alice in Wonderland

5. The Ghost Writer

Trackback(0)

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Write comment