Alice in Wonderland

[azelismia]

I saw Alice tonight in IMax. it was horrid enough that I felt compelled to warn others off of this movie as the reviews I've seen so far are positive for the most part.

This movie had absolutely nothing to recommend it.

it had a ton of great actors and actresses in it and none of them brought anything to the movie. there was no witty dialogue. there was no pacing of the plot. they told you from the beginning what was going to happen and then did that. There was no suspense. There wasn't even any drama. it would have been a good kids movie almost, but it was too violent for kids really.

If you want to see it wait until it's available in DVD.

if anyone else has seen it do feel free to weigh in..

[tcp]

I haven't personally seen it, but I had a friend tell me that the only good thing about the movie was the amazing visuals, as the story has been butchered beyond all recognition ... not planning to watch it. And I'm disappointed, as the trailer looked so pretty and the cast seemed like an interesting one.

[azelismia]

I thought with that cast it couldn't go wrong. the visuals weren't even that grand. they were ok.. but nothing to write home about.

[Seriously]

The reviews I've read haven't been great. Shame I was looking forward to it.

[larkin]

Yeah, was really looking forward to it. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was one of my favorite books. Actually, it is one of my favorite books.

I had mentally prepared myself for the fact that just because it's based on the book doesn't mean it's going to be anything like it, or as good, or should be constantly compared to. But it sounds like even on its own merits its just not a good movie...that's disappointing.

[Malkavia]

Aw you guys are too hard on it.

It was fun to watch. It was visually beautiful and the soundtrack was good. Its nice sometimes to just sit back and watch something pretty for a couple of hours...of course movies are only $4 here so normally I dont complain.

[runoverazebra]

I enjoyed the movie. I didn't go in expecting it to be the greatest movie ever made, but I didn't think it was bad. Like Malkavia, though, movies here are cheap, so I thought it was worth the $5 I paid to see it.

[gestalt]

After reading Finnegan's Wake I thought it was weak-sauce.

The self-awareness theme was nice. Who are you, etc.

And "How does a raven resemble a writing desk?" was fairly easy to extrapolate the meaning of in higher levels of abstraction. Raven = Poe = Doom. Writing Desk = Study = Destiny. "How is a doom like a destiny."

Basically:
Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny
-- Frank Outlaw

I was not impressed visually, and I thought Johnny Depp sucked.

[Zodd]

Aw you guys are too hard on it.

It was fun to watch. It was visually beautiful and the soundtrack was good. Its nice sometimes to just sit back and watch something pretty for a couple of hours...of course movies are only $4 here so normally I dont complain.

I enjoyed the movie. I didn't go in expecting it to be the greatest movie ever made, but I didn't think it was bad. Like Malkavia, though, movies here are cheap, so I thought it was worth the $5 I paid to see it.

So where is that? Is the movietheatre good?

I really like the Walt Disney version, haven't read the book yet.

Has anyone seen this version of AIW?
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[Silverity]

It's supposed to be a sequel to the book/previous movie, right?

I think it's possible that... when you have an awesome cast, Tim Burton, and awesome visuals all that awesome can cancel itself out and leave you confused.

[azelismia]

I enjoyed the movie. I didn't go in expecting it to be the greatest movie ever made, but I didn't think it was bad. Like Malkavia, though, movies here are cheap, so I thought it was worth the $5 I paid to see it.


We paid a lot. I think it was 25 a ticket for imax. Maybe 20 something like that.

[Malkavia]

I cant think of a movie I would pay $20 to watch.

[runoverazebra]

We paid a lot. I think it was 25 a ticket for imax. Maybe 20 something like that.

I agree that it wasn't worth that much. I'd have higher standards for movies I went to see if tickets cost me that much.

[fairlovely]

Tim Burton sux

---------- Post added 03-07-2010 at 02:15 PM ----------

I can. Avatar.

[azelismia]

I agree that it wasn't worth that much. I'd have higher standards for movies I went to see if tickets cost me that much.

I don't go out to the movies often but I am a sucker for the 3d stuff. I'll go see tron and the hubble movie for sure and maybe how to train your dragon.

[Amphorian]

I really liked it. I like the fact it had a message, (be true to your mad, risky ideas and live life the way you want) and had good actors to compliment the interesting characters. I wouldn't say it's my favorite of all time, but it's sure up there. I also really enjoyed the oddball scenes too. The best is when Cheshire used the Hatter's hat... oh gah, that was the best part for sure! x3

[reb]

you guys have really brought me down. the two tim burton's i have seen so far were dark, goth and whacky. i really liked them...now, this.

*wanders off bummed out*

[azelismia]

After reading Finnegan's Wake I thought it was weak-sauce.

The self-awareness theme was nice. Who are you, etc.

And "How does a raven resemble a writing desk?" was fairly easy to extrapolate the meaning of in higher levels of abstraction. Raven = Poe = Doom. Writing Desk = Study = Destiny. "How is a doom like a destiny."

Basically:
Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny
-- Frank Outlaw

I was not impressed visually, and I thought Johnny Depp sucked.

uh no, the riddle has no answer or meaning. that was the joke.

"Have you guessed the riddle yet?" the Hatter said, turning to Alice again.
"No, I give it up," Alice replied. "What's the answer?"
"I haven't the slightest idea," said the Hatter.
"Nor I," said the March Hare.
Alice sighed wearily. "I think you might do something better with the time," she said, "than wasting it in asking riddles that have no answers."

and from Lewis Carroll:
Enquiries have been so often addressed to me, as to whether any answer to the Hatter's Riddle can be imagined, that I may as well put on record here what seems to me to be a fairly appropriate answer, viz: 'Because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat; and it is never put with the wrong end in front!' This, however, is merely an afterthought; the Riddle, as originally invented, had no answer at all.

[gestalt]

Uhh yes, au contraire, my dear AZ, if as Amphorian says, the message of the movie/work is "be true to your mad, risky ideas and live life the way you want" -- which I agree with, along with destiny through thought to character to death (Hasn't anyone ever asked you What you want to Be when you grow up?) -- I think that my analysis by extrapolation is more meaningful than your "Explanation of No-Explanation by Author's "Tripe" Afterthought" quote.

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But I find it hard to fathom your idea that the riddle has no answer or meaning, when you are simultaneously saying that Alice in Wonderland can't be analyzed rationally.

Consider the term neologism (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) in the context of language use and psychiatry, and then consider that Lewis Carroll was most comfortable in the presence of children, for whom only besides "edgy" authors the use of neologisms is not diagnosable as a thought disorder, and that Alice in Wonderland is chock-full of neologisms and portmanteaux, and then tell me, again, that MY response that you quoted was not meaningful or accurate as an interpretation? Please.

It is precisely because the "riddle" has no apparent meaning that it has multiple meanings to different people, adults and children both. As the author Juan Luis Borges says, "Ambiguity is richness."

Ha ha HA.

[azelismia]

Uhh yes, au contraire, my dear AZ, if as Amphorian says, the message of the movie/work is "be true to your mad, risky ideas and live life the way you want" -- which I agree with, along with destiny through thought to character to death (Hasn't anyone ever asked you What you want to Be when you grow up?) -- I think that my analysis by extrapolation is more meaningful than your "Explanation of No-Explanation by Author's "Tripe" Afterthought" quote.

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But I find it hard to fathom your idea that the riddle has no answer or meaning, when you are simultaneously saying that Alice in Wonderland can't be analyzed rationally.

Consider the term neologism (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) in the context of language use and psychiatry, and then consider that Lewis Carroll was most comfortable in the presence of children, for whom only besides "edgy" authors the use of neologisms is not diagnosable as a thought disorder, and that Alice in Wonderland is chock-full of neologisms and portmanteaux, and then tell me, again, that MY response that you quoted was not meaningful or accurate as an interpretation? Please.

It is precisely because the "riddle" has no apparent meaning that it has multiple meanings to different people, adults and children both. As the author Juan Luis Borges says, "Ambiguity is richness."

Ha ha HA.

The author intended it to have no meaning. You can analyze the author if you want, but it's meant to be a mad joke. It's not meant to have any deep meaning.
You can Add meanings on if you want but they aren't the point of the riddle. it isn't meant to have an answer. it's meant to parody people who take riddles too seriously and find themselves immensely clever for having done so. to make it have a meaning is just to be the butt of his initial joke.. it makes his point.
I've been saying this a lot recently but sometimes a Cigar is just a cigar.

[gestalt]

I like Cigars that illuminate (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Cosmic Serpent) the human condition, intentionally or not. And so did Lewis Carroll. Your literal interpretation of this being Lewis commenting through Alice's words: Isn't there something better to do than think about riddles that have no answer - is well, close-minded. Alice saying that is exactly the type of "Adult thinking" that Lewis was parodying. Perhaps part of the cognitive problem she had, coming back as a 19-year-old to (W)Underland. "You're not the same Alice!" etc.

And after all, historically speaking, it was Lewis himself who revisited the riddle due to popular demand, and that is where his answer you quoted came from. Like it or not we all ask questions and are afraid to say some things from time to time. No one has all the answers. Maybe that's one of the reasons why we have to laugh.

Wish that this movie could have dazzled.

[LostOverThere]

I enjoyed it, then again I went in expecting the worst after less than positive reviews. The art direction was brilliant, but the story, as some have noted, was really quite generic.

The final battle felt quite tired.

[Malkavia]

So where is that? Is the movietheatre good?


Texas. :)

And yes, the movie theatres there are great.

[lambpox]

Hated it. I know it's Alice in Wonderland and I expected some wacky stuff (I read the books) but the movie had no merit whatsoever, or saving grace. The pacing was horrendous and I think this is what ruined the film for me...and don't get me started on the script and dialouge. It was lacking extrememly; and just when I thought the movie was over and I had enough, Johnny breaks down in this cringe-worthy dance that Alice just HAD TO repeat at the end. And wtf was up with the underlying hint of sexual chemistry between the Hatter and Alice?! Some parts I thought they would start kissing...I know they had a close partnership, but the movie failed to portray it accurately.

I think this summed it up perfectly from a review I read:

Tim Burton is now the poster boy of Hot Topic's commercialization - He's basically lost all of past creativity.

[reb]

sidelight for those who are 'Alice' fans and/or fans of historical trivia: why is the hatter 'mad'?

what was Lewis Carroll's alleged drug of choice?

[plotthickens]

sidelight for those who are 'Alice' fans and/or fans of historical trivia: why is the hatter 'mad'?

Oooo, I know this one!

Hatters used VERY BAD MATERIALS. Like "HOLY CRAP that's bad for you" bad. Worse even than the mordants used on woven materials in the middle ages. They were usually totally around the bend by fortyish, poor things.

[Daisy McRae]

Mercury was used in the making of hats, and hatters often suffered from mercury poisoning. I'm guessing the drug was opium.

[realJim]

Saw it and appreciated it! Tim Burton is not everyone's cup o tea, but I'm a fan.

One quote I enjoyed, and wondered if it was new, was when the naive of hearts was promising the search dog that if he found Alice, he and his family would be free. After the dog bounded off, his horse turned and said, "Dogs believe everything". It made me laugh out loud since I'm too trusting and tend to be doggish too.

[seeyouatx]

It was mildly entertaining, but I, too, found the script lacking. The energy of the film was somewhat off. I found that much of the dialogue just didn't make sense. It sounded like gibberish half of the time.

The redeeming portion of the film was the fact that it was 3-D.

[Geminii]

"How does a raven resemble a writing desk?"

Poe wrote on both.

[mozi84]

It was mildly entertaining, but I, too, found the script lacking. The energy of the film was somewhat off. I found that much of the dialogue just didn't make sense. It sounded like gibberish half of the time.

The redeeming portion of the film was the fact that it was 3-D.

I agree that the energy was somewhat off. I expected the movie to be funny, wacky and trippy, but instead, it came across as serious while trying to be funny, which seemed awkward to me.

Ultimately, I didn't really enjoy the movie and I didn't feel the 3D aspect added much to the experience.

[blueback]

I think the reason it sucked was Burton had never shot an entire movie in a green-screen stage before. Just look at the poor acting in Star Wars episode 1. There's not much for actors to play off of when they're surrounded by flat green, and even Burton himself had to have specially tinted glasses because he was getting sick being surrounded by the green all day.

Well, that, and the fact that the script was obviously produced by someone who copy and pasted every fantasy movie cliche they could find into Final Draft and hit print.

However, I think the biggest reason the movie didn't work was that none of the characters liked each other. I've seen plenty of movies, and I've known plenty of people, and the characters in Alice in Wonderland were barely tolerant of each other at best. Even the allies.


By way of example, the scene after Alice (IE the Vorpal Sword) kills the Jabberwocky, everyone is celebrating their long sought after victory and the fact that they're all still alive. Only they're not. They've just banished the evil queen, and put their beloved queen back on the throne, and lived through a war, and they're all just standing around with polite little smiles. And then the Mad Hatter does that dance no one could shut up about. You know what that scene looked like? A scene from The Office. It looked like Michael Scott made a bunch of people who don't really like each other, or him, stand around and watch him do one of his lame skits. Everyone was just looking around wondering how long they had to wait before it wouldn't be rude to leave.

But the same dynamic happened throughout the entire movie. No one liked anyone else. They were polite when they had to be, but that was it.

[Cosmos]

I was so disappointed in this movie. I purposely avoided reviews before I watched it as I thought it might cloud my judgment if it did get some bad reviews. Big mistake. I absolutely hate the fact they made "Wonderland" a real place as opposed to letting the viewer decide if it was real or a dream. As a Burton, Carroll, and the Disney original fan I suppose I was expecting too much, but the intriguing nature of the "Alice" story just was not there.

[brdmadgrl82]

I thought it was o.k. I am a big fan of Burton (have pretty much all his films)...I wasn't a fan of Anne Hathaway's performance as the "White Queen" she was actually pretty bad in this movie (and I do like her in other ones). The dance at the end could have been avoided...maybe more of a twist added and like someone said leave more up to the imagination. I'd say not the worst Burton film but I don't give it more than 3 stars.