Johnny Depp in “Alice In Wonderland"
courtesy of Disney Home Entertainment
“Go Ask Alice” 

If you ask me the new DVD “Alice In Wonderland” is not so great, but if you ask Alice or any of her friends I am sure you would get a different story. But then many people avidly lap up any offering Tim Burton gives them – okay maybe not “Sweeny Todd.” There is another group that detests everything he does. You just can’t find a more polarizing director than Burton. 

His trump card is the fact Johnny Depp loves to work with him as a collaborator and the stranger the role in which Burton casts Depp the more he likes it. Plus people’s admiration of Depp overcomes their aversion to Burton. Now you know why “Alice In Wonderland,” a silly and off putting film by Burton, was a major hit.

Depp plays the Mad Hatter in Burton’s version of the Lewis Carroll stories. He has brillo red hair and psychedelic eyes. He looks, acts and appears to be deranged but then has moments of lucidity. It is a wild and wooly performance in a bizarre and frenetic film.

This time out Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is a nineteen year old girl who runs away from a marriage proposal and falls down a hole and lands in Wonderland, or Underland as it is correctly named.. It seems she has been here before but can’t remember that adventure. People keep telling her “Welcome back” but she recalls none of the details of her former trip.

In the convoluted story she meets the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and ends up fighting in a war between the Red Queen and her sister the White Queen (Anne Hathaway). She becomes the White Queen’s champion and does battle with Stayne, the Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover). He represents the Red Queen.

The problem with the movie is it isn’t funny. Plus even in 3-D the special effects just aren’t that special. After “Avatar” we have seen it all and a movie that features a rabbit in a waistcoat and an appearing and disappearing Cheshire Cat just isn’t that impressive.

The actors, a side from Depp, aren’t terribly compelling either. Washikowska has no charisma which is sorely needed for the title character. Carter looks bizarre but her actions are more annoying that interesting. Hathaway looks gross and her fluttering actions are silly. Crispin Glover always seems to be playing Crispin Glover so nothing new there.

Small children will probably be bored to tears in this film which is aimed more at their parents than at them so don’t force them to watch the DVD. The strangeness of the scenery and the characters, and the drawn out length of the story make it a movie to be endured rather than enjoyed. And where did that tacked on ending come from anyway? 

If you want to amuse your kids show them the old Disney animated version of “Alice.” That one was aimed at kids and was kids appropriate. If you want to visit Tim Burton’s bizarro-land watch this DVD without them.

“The Wolfman” starring Benicio Del Toro was on the shelf for a year or more before its release. When a film doesn’t meet its release date something is usually wrong. In the case of “The Wolfman” there was. This one is a real howler of the worst kind. It is dark and dense and lacking any real entertainment value.

The story has Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) being summoned home to his father’s estate by his brother Ben’s fiancée Gwen (Emily Blunt). Ben has been killed and his mutilated body found. Lawrence has been away from his family for many years but comes home because of a sense of guilt concerning his brother.

Once home he learns there is a creature terrorizing the neighborhood. During one of its attacks Lawrence is mauled and bitten. This results in his being turned into a werewolf each time the full moon rises. Gwen suspects something weird is occurring and wants to help him which puts her life in danger. His father (Anthony Hopkins) seems strangely unmoved by all this.

If you have ever seen another werewolf movie you have seen something better than this one. All the special effects of the transformation from man to creature were shown to better effect in the 1981 film “An American Werewolf In London.” In that movie David Naughton also played a tormented soul but with more depth.

In the 1957 movie “I Was A Teenage Werewolf” Michael Landon transformed into a hairy, fanged wolfman. In this new movie De Toro looks like Michael Landon did all those years ago. With the improvements in technology that have occurred you would think they could have come up with something better than a Michael Landon lookalike.

It is never explained in the film why Del Toro’s character looks Spanish and not like his British father. His American accent is also not satisfactorily explained. Del Toro’s acting is okay, it is just the role that is a loser. Hopkins has not been seen on the screen lately and this is not a good return for him. His performance and things that are required of him are just embarrassing.

Then there is Emily Blunt. Blunt has been outstanding in every role she has taken in the past few years. She is considered one of the most talented young actresses in Hollywood today. As Gwen in this film she is stiff and sexless. Her performance is a major disappointment.

Throughout the film the werewolf bays at the moon. These howls are supposed to strike terror in the hearts of the village inhabitants. They will only inspire laughter when you watch the DVD. This film is a howler all right but for all the wrong reasons.

Finally we have the first season of “Drop Dead Diva,” a Lifetime TV series some people seem to love. If you are among that group then have at it. This is the story of an aspiring model named Deb who dies in an automobile accident but rather than going to Heaven her soul ends up in the body of a plus sized attorney who has recently died.

Brooke Elliott plays the woman named Jane who is possessed by the spirit of Deb .It makes for an incompatibility as Deb is used to getting everything based on her looks while Jane worked for what she achieved.

The DVD “Drop Dead Diva: Season One” offers a ton of extras including deleted scenes, behind the scenes features, and many, many more. If you are a fan of the series then you will want to get “Drop Dead Diva: Season One.”
 

 

 

 

 

©2010 Jackie K. Cooper

Click above to find out more about Jackie's books!