Not In 3-D

ALICE IN WONDERLAND-2010-Another imaginative film by director Tim Burton, this time based on Lewis Carroll's famous stories.

19 year old Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is about to be to pushed into an engagement with a snooty upper class twit when she spies The March Hare and falls down a rabbit hole where she returns to Wonderland (now called "Underland") the world she had previously visited in her childhood dreams.

She grows several sizes, tames the "furious" Bandersnatch and tries to rescue The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp in another weird, unique performance) out of the clutches of The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and The Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover, in an unusually subdued performance; well for him anyway) and their army of spear carrying playing cards. Although Alice at first believes the whole thing is a dream she comes to realize that it is her destiny to destroy the dread Jabberwock (voice of Christopher Lee) and restore The White Queen (a doofy Anne Hathaway) to her rightful reign. Tweedledum and Tweedldee are a funny highlight. Alan Rickman is the hookah smoking caterpillar and Michael Gough is the voice of the Dodo bird.

Screenwriter Linda Woolverton wrote THE LION KING. At the time of this writing Burton and Depp are planning a version of DARK SHADOWS.

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Sleepy Hollow

THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW-1999-Another imaginative, off center effort by Tim Burton. Unlike his two previous films (ED WOOD and MARS ATTACKS, which are both great) this one was a hit. It’s a bizarre reworking of the famous Washington Irving tale set in upstate NY.

In this update, Johnny Depp stars as Icabod Crane, a police medical examiner send to Sleepy Hollow by Judge Christopher Lee (in a great cameo) to investigate a series of gory beheadings. Christina Ricci provides the romantic interest. Suspicious townsfolk include Michael Gambon, Miranda Richardson, Jeffery Jones and Michael Gough. Christopher Walken (who kind of looks like an evil jack ‘o lantern anyway) plays the evil Hessian horseman responsible for some of the best beheadings ever seen on film. Also with Casper Van Dien (from STARSHIP TROOPERS) and Martin Landau (in a pre-credit cameo) as the first victim. 

The SFX and story are good but I had a little problem with Depp’s character who couldn’t seem to decide whether to be a hero (with nerves of steel who boldly performs autopsies) or a coward (who faints at the sight of blood!).

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Burton & Romero

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY-2005-Director Tim Burton used much more of the darker aspects of Roald Dahl's novel which of course was first filmed as WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. The sets and music are awesome and Johnny Depp's very strange performance as Willy is a highlight. Christopher Lee (in his 3rd Burton film) is Willy's father. 4 foot 4 Deep Roy (also in his 3rd Burton film) plays all the Oopa Loopas! I was never a fan of the original so I guess I liked this more than some folks. Both Lee and Roy did voices for Burton's next project THE CORPSE BRIDE.



LAND OF THE DEAD-2005-This was the first movie I saw in a theater in 2005! I think it might be the last movie I saw in a theater! Guess I’m not much of a “moviegoer”. Happy to say it's great! Maybe I’m prejudice being a big fan of Romero’s (especially his “Dead” series). I only had one problem with the whole thing. That was with the zombie (Big Daddy) who was sort of leading the rest of the un-dead to revolt. What was up with this dude? I mean he wasn’t really a zombie. He screamed several times and displayed a lot of emotion. Added to that he never ate anybody! Was he a vegetarian? Some kind of mutant? Anyway the story, direction and SFX were all on the money and Dennis Hooper as Kaufman, the major bad guy was a plus. Tom Savini appears briefly as the now un-dead Blade from DAWN OF THE DEAD. Lead actor Simon Baker was in LA CONFIDENTIAL and the TV series THE GUARDIAN. Also with Asia (daughter of Dario, one the executive producers of the original DAWN OF THE DEAD) Argento and Robert Joy (later in the remake of THE HILLS HAVE EYES).

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