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John Allman

If you’ve ever wandered the aisles at the video store or surfed the DVR pay-per-view options and seen a bunch of movies that you’ve never heard of, chances are John has watched them. Why? He loves movies. All kinds of movies. Good, bad, so-bad-they’re good, even the truly unwatchable ones. He mostly loves horror and science-fiction and drive-in exploitation movies that most upstanding model citizens wouldn’t dare watch. Then he writes up his thoughts so you can decide - watch, don’t watch or avoid at all costs. Sometimes he even gets to talk to the cool folks who make some of your favorite films.

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Alice in Wonderland

Posted Jun 7, 2010 by John Allman

Updated Jun 7, 2010 at 06:30 AM

Alice in Wonderland
Genre: Fantasy
Directed by: Tim Burton
Run time: 108 minutes
Rating: PG
Format: Blu-Ray

The Lowdown: Visionary director Tim Burton has made classic movies (Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns), great movies (Ed Wood, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure) and a couple of dogs (Mars Attacks! and Planet of the Apes, really?)

But the films that fans seem to cherish, often aren’t his best – “Sleepy Hollow” or, more confounding, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

Burton has always been known for his childlike wonder, for having a dark streak of menace, for just being weird, and his films – the best ones, at least – proudly display these qualities in big, broad strokes.

One thing Burton has not been known for, however, is crafting films that resonate with a message, films that seek to tap the collective conscious, films that make important statements.

Sure, a movie like “Scissorhands” can be taken as an introspective, personal look at the crushing isolation that quirky, “weird” kids feel from mainstream society, just as “Ed Wood” can be held up as an intimate inflection on creative desire and unabashed moxy that often can propel a flawed individual into the public eye, only to have his spirit trampled by unforgiving critics.

But, for the most part, Burton makes movies to entertain, to delight, to tickle the toes of our inner-child and allow us to escape the buttoned-up confines of society, even if for 90 minutes.

It’s in that realm that a fantasy feature like “Alice in Wonderland” exists, and excels, allowing Burton to create a skewed parallel world of improbable impossibilities – potions that alter the human form, armies of playing card soldiers, fantastic creatures that otherwise never might be found.

To judge “Alice” on its adherence to Lewis Carroll’s classic story is a flawed approach that undermines and cheapens the enjoyment of the vision that Burton puts on display.

This is not meant to be a message movie. This is not a treatise on human behavior or early 19th century politics.

It’s a thrill ride, a freefall flight of fancy, a tour de force of imagination, a gooey confection of sweet and sour candy-coated treats that look and taste delicious but aren’t meant to leave you feeling full.

Yes, star Johnny Depp’s performance as the Mad Hatter is uneven and broad, but he’s playing the Mad Hatter, a fictional character of questionable mental stability who talks to rabbits and hooka-smoking caterpillars. I, for one, much prefer Depp’s free-wheeling interpretation here to his creepy, Carol Channing ##### Joan Crawford meets Paul Lynde impersonation in “Chocolate Factory.”

All the supporting players are strong – from Anne Hathaway and the riotous Helena Bonham Carter to semi-newcomer Mia Wasikowska as a grown-up Alice.

The Blu-Ray presentation does not come with a 3-D option, and despite looking good in 3-D in theaters, even though it was converted at the 11th hour, the two-dimensional presentation actually allows you to take in all the different moving parts of Wonderland as they unfold upon the screen.

The Stuff You Care About:
Hot chicks – Helena Bonham Carter, hot hot hot, big head and all.
Nudity – No.
Gore – No.
Drug use – Depends what’s in the ‘Drink Me’ bottle.
Bad Guys/Killers – The evil Red Queen, or arranged marriages, take your pick.
Buy/Rent – Buy it.
Blu-Ray Bonus Features – “Finding Alice” featurette with discussion by director Tim Burton; “The Mad Hatter” featurette with an in-depth look at Johnny Depp’s preparation for the role; “Effecting Wonderland” featurette; “The Futterwacken Dance” featurette; “The Red Queen” featurette; “Time-Lapse – Sculpting the Red Queen” featurette; “The White Queen” interview with Anne Hathaway; “Scoring Wonderland”; “Stunts of Wonderland”; “Making the Proper Size”; “Cakes of Wonderland”; “Tea Party Props.”
On the Web – http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/aliceinwonderland/
Release Date – June 1, 2010