“Alice and Wonderland:” Another arrousing Tim, Johnny and Helena three way for the big screen

Tim Burton’s mind must be such a magical place to be. The visuals in his version of the 1951 Disney classic, “Alice in Wonderland,” the story of a young girl who falls down the rabbit hole into a world of eccentricity, are proof of

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that.

InBurton’s version Alice is a teenager who unknowingly revisits the land of Umberland (mistakenly called Wonderland) re-encountering all the strange events and characters from her first trip down the rabbit hole.

Burton’s vision from his blue and grey take on The Cheshire cat vanishing into thin air to the fancifully gloomy playground that is Wonderland Burton managed to bring his visions to life in 3-D. Even just the small detail of digitally enlarging the eyes of the Mad Hatter made a heap of difference.

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To add to the stunning visuals, the bizarre Mad Hatter, played by Johnny Depp easily became the heart of the film; seamlessly blending insanity, heartbreak, and impenetrable optimism into one altruistic character. The Burton-Depp creation reiterates how well the two work together and makes me anxious to see what they will do next.

Working with a star studded cast including, Helena Bonham Carter (The Red Queen), Anne Hathaway (The White Queen) and Alan Rickman (voice of the Blue Caterpillar); new comer Mia Wasikowska showed no intimidation in her portrayal of Alice. She took to the screen like a true “A list-er” and didn’t let anyone show her up.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film “enchanting in its mordant way.” I should have to say I most strongly agree.

Best version of “Alice in Wonderland” to date, but that’s just my opinion.

Let them eat cake…or just look at it

Princess wedding cake done by Carol David

Cake! It’s delicious! Chocolate cake, white cake, cake with strawberries in the middle; there is an endless combination of possible flavors. For some the taste quality of a slice of cake is all that matters, but for people like Lockport Resident Carol David cake is much more than that.

An artist of sorts, David views cake as just another artistic outlet that happens to taste great. In fact, the art of cake decorating begins with the baking itself. There is much focus on the quality of the cake that requires a few thrifty tools to make the job easier. Moisture is the first thing people notice when eating cake and is therefore the most important aspect of baking one. A tip of the trade, David explains, are “even better” strips that get wrapped around the baking pan to ensure the cake bakes evenly and moist throughout.

The rise in popularity of cake as an art form, however, has turned the focus of the craft toward the decorating aspect. We see television shows such as “Ace of Cakes,” “Cake Boss,” and “Amazing Wedding Cakes” constantly competing to see who can take cake decorating to the next level. As these show become more and more popular their cakes get larger, more life like and more spectacular. According to WE T.V. they are “breaking the mold with more bold, beautiful and creative cakes.”

These show challenge home decorators such as David to do the same. David has graduated from basic cake decorating with icing a border and some writing to the fabulous art of fondant (a mold-able type of icing) cake design. David’s cakes too have become larger, more life like and more spectacular. There is no challenge she cannot overcome so it is fun to test her limits.

There is a lot of work that goes into the art of cake design. Perhaps it is because cake has been a staple of our lives since we were born. However, it is no longer just a delicious desert; it is a symbol of those precious memories families and friends share around the table for weddings, birthdays and other momentous occasions in their life. It is wonderful to have people like Carol David who take the time to make it everything you could possibly dream of for those special days of life.

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A ‘Brothers’ love

Talk about timeliness. With the recent announcement of President Obama’s decision to send our troops to Afghanistan, the English version of the 2004 film “Bodre,” (written and directed by Susanne Bier) “Brothers,” (Directed by Jim Sheridan) is sure to hit home for many families who will be separated by war once again (I actually recommended a friend of mine not go see it for that reason).

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This heartbreaking tale of loss, love, strength and weakness, pride and despair asks two valuable questions that families of lost and returned war veterans are forced to answer. When is it alright and is it possible for a family to to move on? How do those who survive return to their home lives and cope with what they have seen and done?

When Capt. Sam Cahill (Toby McGuire) finds out that he is being deployed to Afghanistan he suits up and leaves his family one more time saying goodbye to his two little girls that don’t fully understand what their daddy is doing and are only concerned with the fact that he is leaving again.

Right from the beginning “Brothers” tugs on your heart strings with an adorable, but heart breaking performance by Bailee Madison as Sam’s eldest daughter, Isabelle. I’m pretty sure I cried through the entire movie.

One morning when two soldiers arrive at Sam’s home (a devastating universal image families hope they will never have to know) his wife, Grace Cahill (Natalie Portman), already knows what news they have brought with them. As time goes by Sam’s deadbeat brother, who was released from prison at the same time Sam was leaving, Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal), steps up and becomes the man he knew he could be for Grace and her girls. All the while Sam is enduring the burdens of war holding on to life for his family.

Gyllenhaal’s character development is heartwarming and so pure. An element of sadness was added for me when I realized that Tommy would possibly never found the strength to rise above himself if not for the loss of his brother. It is amazing to see how his tragedy also became his one shot at a do over.

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“The principle actors, with Shepard’s well-timed and not overacted appearances, make this a specific story about particular people, and it avoids temptations toward melodrama. It’s about guilt and happiness, and how Tommy treats his guilt by righteous action, and Sam sinks into self-destruction. As a mother who seeks to preserve her daughters in the middle, Portman is the emotional heart of the story, as mothers are for so many families,” said Roger Ebert. He breaks it down so perfectly.

Outstanding performances all around I am sure that “Brothers” will find itself on the list of Academy Award Nominees (go see it), but that’s just my opinion.

Shiver me timbers, it’s rock and roll!

Who doesn’t love pirates; swashbuckling, eye-patched, wooden-legged pirates? You won’t, however, find that sort of pirate in the new Focus Film, “Pirate Radio” written and directed by Richard Curtis.

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Eight DJs on one boat broadcasting live from the North Sea. These 1960′s pirates don’t steal or hunt for buried treasure, they smuggle illegal rock and roll into the homes of musically deprived hipsters all over Britain from their floating radio station, Radio Rock.

Unhappy with the “poisoning” of societies minds with the ever so sexy rock and roll music, the British government makes it their duty to put an end to the racket caused by pirate radio stations. They hire Mr. Twatt (Jack Davenport) to get the job done, but the DJs of Radio Rock won’t go down without a fight.

“Pirate Radio” is a vibrantly funny, slightly trashy, typically British film that dives into the world of illegal radio. Broadcasting through the wee hours of the night, Radio Rock is compiled of 8 quirky DJs who each have their own radio show to match their personalities. The DJ of all DJs being The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman); the only American addition to this cast of music loving maniacs.

Other members of the ship’s crew include new comer Carl (played sweetly by Tom Sturridge) who is sent aboard by his mother for misbehaving at home, hilariously thick headed Kevin (Tom Brooke), hopelessly romantic (and my favorite) Simon (Chris O’Dowd), ladies man Dave (Nick Frost), silently sexy Mark (Tom Wisdom), News Man John (Will Adamsdale), the man in charge Quentin (Bill Nighy), radio legend Gavin (Rhys Ifans), invisible Bob (Ralph Brown), and Angus (Rhys Darby).

It was the characters and clever dialogue that made this film so utterly hilarious (I find this to be true for many a British comedy). Each member of the cast brought their own flavor to the film and deserves to be recognized for their performance, but it would take forever to do so. The above list of cast members are the characters that truly brought color to the film.

“Richard Curtis is good at handling large casts, establishing all the characters and keeping them alive,” says Roger Ebert, and he did just that. I instantly fell in love with this film and all of its colorful “oddball” characters as Ebert calls them.

In the 1960′s music and radio took a turn towards something great and never looked back.

Not only is “Pirate Radio” laugh-out-loud funny, it reminds us of the effects that music can have on a person and takes a nostalgic look back to musics rock and roll revolution, but that’s just my opinion.

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Werewolves, vampires and teenage girls, oh my!

The second part of the “Twilight” saga, “New Moon” brings a fang-toothed twist to the classic love-triangle.

In this sexy sequel, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is left behind by her vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), and turns to her new love interest, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), to help her try and move on.

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When she realizes that all it takes is an adrenaline rush to feel Edwards presence, it becomes almost impossible for her to let go. Her desire for Edward and her new love for Jacob becomes a passionate struggle in deciding who she should choose.

“New Moon” really gets into the character development of Jacob and it makes it very hard to choose who I want Bella to be with. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for the hundreds of screaming teen girls in the audience. With half the audience rooting (at the top of their lungs) for Edward and the other half doing the same for Jacob it was difficult to fully enjoy the film.

Despite the shrill of high pitched confessions of love and adoration from the audience, I was able to really develop a sense of passion and heartache from the three main characters. The story becomes quit depressing in all of it’s passion actually.

Each character is developed in such a way that the only way for the audience to leave the theatre truly happy would be for them to come to some sort of agreement and share Bella. This way no one has to lose.

The passion between Bella and Jacob, and Bella and Edward was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

I love when a movie can make your heart beat faster and the actors in “New Moon” did that with seamless direction by Chris Weitz, and stunning cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe. Even if the acting was awful the somber lighting and musical score would have been enough to break your heart.

However, this film is truly for the romantics. I can understand why Roger Ebert didn’t enjoy it quit as much as myself. “Sitting through this experience is like driving a tractor in low gear through Brylcreem,” Ebert says. A bit harsh? Sure, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. I guess he doesn’t think Lautner’s new buff (and often topless) body is reason enough to get so excited about a film. Try telling that to the all the women in the audience, Mr. Ebert.

This sandwich (the middle film often times used to set up the end of a series) film left me anxious to see what’s to come. If you’re a “Twilight” fan or a fan of the romance genre I am positive you will enjoy “New Moon” in all of it’s angst driven glory, but that’s just my opinion.

‘The Fourth Kind:’ Are you a believer?

Alien abductions, though very difficult to believe in, can be a terrifying thought if one allows themselves to. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Olatunde Osunsanmi’s, “The Fourth Kind.”

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This admittedly well crafted mixture of movie scenes and supposed “real footage” did anything but make me a believer.The film is based around the unexplained events of psychologist Dr. Abigail Tyler and 3 of her patients who all claim to see the same white owl starring at them while they are sleeping.

Intertwining the movie clips and the “real footage” through split-screen, we see the documentation of her sessions as they get more and more serious.Tyler, during one of the “real” interview clips, explains that there are 4 kinds of alien encounters:

• The 1st kind: Sightings of unidentified flying objects
• The 2nd kind: Physical evidence such as crop circles
• The 3rd kind: Alien sightings
• The 4th kind: Abductions

Tyler soon (Mila Jovovich) begins to have the same experiences and comes to believe that her 3 patients and herself are experiencing alien abductions of the 4th kind (the film never once uses the word alien, so far as I can remember, nor any term to describe what it is for that matter).

The main problem with this film is that the snip-its of “real footage” are less believable than the reenacted scenes (granted I have no evidence to prove them fake). They could have at least tried to fake the “real footage” a little better.

Jovovich had me more convinced than the “real” Abigail Tyler. She was the highlight of the movie; not many can do otherworldly despair quit like she can.

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The film also stars Elias Koteas (Tyler’s friend and fellow psychologist), Will Patton (Nome’s sheriff) and director Olatunde Osunsanmi (the interviewer) who all brought a decent performance to the screen, but fell way short of fantastic.

Roger Ebert poses the question, “Why would any real psychologist release confidential videotapes to a horror film?” They wouldn’t; case and point.

This film just goes to show you how American’s are so quick to let the media dictate what they believe to be true. The person I went with to the show was so convinced that what she was seeing was real that she couldn’t sleep that night ( I won’t display her name to save her from embarrassment).

“The Fourth Kind” was fun to watch at best, but without convincing facts of it’s authenticity, the much needed fear factor is completely lost. I say don’t waste your time or money, but that’s just my opinion.

A peaceful approach to war

Soldiers prancing around like hippies, men being tortured with “Barney the Dinosaur” songs and a man who can stop the heart of a goat by starring at it. Sounds fun, no?

Film poster from collider.com

“The Men Who Stare at Goats” begins with saying that “more of this is true than you would believe.”

The film takes a look at the U.S. Army’s “First Earth Battalion;” a special unit of the army where soldiers are trained to use psychic abilities to put an end to war once and for all. These soldiers are referred to as “Psychic Monks” or “Jedi Warriors” and they display a wide variety of psychic abilities.

When retired physic spy, Lyn Cassady played by George Clooney, finds that he has been “reactivated” he comes across journalist Bob Wilton, played by Ewan McGregor, and together they go off on Cassady’s secret mission.

I find myself uninspired by this film yet strangely without a negative word to describe it. It’s quit the opposite in fact. I actually found the film to be quite clever and witty. I remember laughing often, however, the film was altogether unmemorable.

The reason for my contradictory view of the film, I have discovered after analyzing my movie going experience, is the hilarity in watching four big name actors make fools of themselves versus the film itself.

The story was fun at best, but Jeff Bridges ( Bill Django), Kevin Spacey (Larry Hooper), Clooney, and McGregor were so ridiculously great together they made it enjoyable to watch. They made it funny.

Roger Ebert says, “Clooney doesn’t overplay and is persuasive.” I agree, but McGregor was perfect as the eager young “Jedi” and got the most laughs out of me.

“We have to dream a new America that no longer has an exploitative view of everyone” Django says to his soldiers while handing them daisies. Moments such as that one and Clooney letting loose through dance in his uniform are just two examples of this casts ability to take silly situations and turn them into laugh-out-loud moments of the film.

McGregor pleads with the audience during an interview on the “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” “ Will you please go and see it,” he asked. “Please go and see it, it’s a great film.”

Clooney as Lyn Cassady provided by washingtontimes.com

I probably wouldn’t have recommended this film if the roles were played by a different cast, but they weren’t. For that I am thankful and can call “The Men Who Stare at Goats” a “must see” while maintaining a straight face, but that’s just my opinion.

Injustice is served in ‘Law Abiding Citizen’

‘Law Abiding Citizen,’ written by Kurt Wimmer and directed by F. Gary

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Gray, blurs the dividing line between justice and vengeance as well as “good vs. evil.”

“This film spends a lot of time paying lip service to the inequities of a broken judicial system, where some ‘justice is better than no justice’” says Glen Whipp of the Los Angeles Times. 

Unsatisfied with the plea bargain given to the vicious murderer of his wife and daughter, Clyde Shelton, played by the captivating Gerard Butler, decides to take justice into his own hands.

With a series of well thought out tactics developed over 10 years, Clyde sets out to murder everyone involved in the trial as a way of teaching his lawyer Nick Rice, played by Jamie Foxx, a valuable lesson; you don’t make deals with the bad guys.

Not your typical “good guy versus bad guy” story, this film causes the audience to struggle with who the true villain is. The audience spends the first 30 minutes of the film sympathizing with Clyde as he grieves over the loss of his loved ones making it almost impossible to side against this loving father despite his malicious doings.

Butler plays into every single emotion of his character so well it’s almost scary. We see both the grieving husband and father and the psychotically vengeful killer all wrapped up into one body. I loved him in this film!

Foxx’s performance is smooth and a great contrast to the craziness of his co-star.

Viola Davis also deserves recognition for her, as Roger Ebert called it, “powerful” role as Philadelphia’s mayor.

‘Law Abiding Citizen’ is full of suspense leaving the audience constantly wondering who’s next and how will they go? Though often times far fetched if you willingly suspend your disbelief you will find this film to be an intense wild ride that will leave you at the edge of your seat, but that’s just my opinion.

‘Amelia’ fails to take flight

‘Amelia,’ the tale of “American hero,” Amelia Earhart who brought woman to knew

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heights (literally), fails to bring conflict to the big screen.

For a woman who found her fame during the Great Depression, cheated on her husband, and faced numerous obstacles to get where she did in aviation, you would think her story would be full of ups and downs. Not the way Ron Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan wrote it. This version of Earhart’s life flies so flat on a positive note that I secretly wished for her failure just to bring something new to the story.

The more colorful aspects of her life only dangle in front of the viewer, never allowing the audience an emotional connection.

“Amelia is grounded by a prosaic ‘by the numbers script’ determined to boil a wild ride down to a routine checklist of accomplishments. I wish this film had taken more of a cue from the way Earhart apparently, really did live her life, fully and unpredictably,” Says Michael Phillips of ABC 7′s ‘At The Movies.’

Keeping this film in flight was left to rest on the shoulders of 3 extremely talented actors, Hilary Swank (Amelia), Richard Gere (Amelia’s Husband George Putnam), and Ewan McGregor (Amelia’s lover Gene Vidal). I can’t say with confidence that they were able to do so.

We all know what the 3 are capable of, but I don’t feel like any one of them brought their A-game to this film. I can’t figure out if I should blame that on the actors or the flat direction (by Mira Nair) of a flat screenplay. The only time we see any emotion come to life is when the movie nears its end.

On the last leg of her journey around the world the script starts to come to life as we see Amelia and her loved ones begin to fear for her life and hope for her success. It’s a shame that anyone who payed attention in history class already knows the ending because those were the most exciting moments of the film.

Phillips says to “skip it.”  I disagree. Though I wouldn’t suggest running out to the theatre tomorrow I do think the film has some elements worth seeing.

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Movie go-er Carol David thinks that underneath it all there was a “great love story” between Amelia and George. “His unconditional love and acceptance for who she was was so beautiful.” I agree with that, but still feel like it was ill portrayed on the big screen.

The story of Amelia Earhart is an interesting one and if nothing else ‘Amelia’ is a very positive lesson in both history and in life. With a focus on the positive accomplishments of her career this film has a great “you can do it” attitude. For this reason I suggest renting it, but that’s just my opinion.

 

Come to the ‘Wild’ side

Directed by Spike Jonze, ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ is a beautiful adventure. Based on the popular 1960′s children’s

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picture book by Maurice Sendak, this film takes us through the inner-workings of a child’s mind with breathtaking cinematography that stays true to the book.

Max, played by Max Records, is an imaginative boy who like most children his age has very little understanding or control over his emotions.

Records’ performance was nothing short of fantastic. He encompassed the spirit of childhood while maintaining amazing control over his performance. At only 12 years old I am confident that he will make a place for himself among the Hollywood hotshots by the time he is 18.

It is obvious right away that Max has very complicated things going on in his life and that the only way he knows how to deal with them is to act out and fight for attention. It is revealed later on that the issues he is dealing with stem from the underlying theme of an absentee father (at least this is what I got out of it. It is open for interpretation). The reason for the absence of Max’s father is never revealed in the story. It is only through subtle imagery that we even learn Max is struggling with the loss.

Coming from a broken home myself I could relate to this character very well. Trying to understand at such a young age how a parent can leave their family is one of the most painful experiences a child can go through. The empty feeling in your stomach while all sorts of questions you can’t answer run through your head over and over until all you can do is curl up into a ball and cry can make even the most angelic children behave like little devils.

When things begin to pile up for Max at home he puts on his wolf costume, goes out of control biting his mother like an animal, and runs away howling at the neighborhood dogs. He runs through the woods and comes across a small abandoned sail boat. His journey begins here when he sets off to sea and comes across an unknown island.

On this island he meets The Wild Things; a group of bizarre creatures with very distinguishable personalities. The Wild Things “nurture childlike ambition and grudges, ” says Kirk Honeycutt of hollywoodreporter.com. Each one represents a different part of Max’s emotions and behaviors in a way that is meant to be eye opening to the character. This helps him come to the understanding that his behavior can be hurtful to the ones he loves.

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The creation of these characters was so on point it was almost as if they popped right off the pages of the book. Seeing these images from my childhood come to life on the big screen was magical.

It is all of these elements that made me enjoy the film; the hidden complexity of the story and the beautifully constructed scenes and characters. It faults only with it’s length. Honeycutt points out that taking a 20 page book mostly made up of pictures “does not immediately suggest a feature film adaptation.” Though captivating visuals kept me interested the movie begins to feel a bit long about 40 minutes in.

If you bring your kids they may get antsy since the captivating message of the story is written in away that will most likely fly over their heads leaving only Max’s adventure to entertain them for 102 minutes. Despite this flaw the film warmed my heart leaving me with tears in my eyes.

I recommend this film to anyone who has fond memories of the story from childhood as well as anyone who can relate to the struggles of loneliness that some children unfortunately must endure at too young an age, but that’s just my opinion.