Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland is the movie this year that I've been most anticipating. It came out on March 5, and for the first time for me, I actually saw it in theatres the day it came opened. I had been excitedly watching each trailer, and each clip as soon as they came out, and as Tim Burton is one of my favourite filmmakers, I was getting pretty excited! It has a crazy awesome cast too- Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Michael Sheen, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, and Johnny Depp to name a few. The film also stars Mia Wasikowska as Alice.

Overall, I loved it. Tim Burton's style of directing is so interesting. It's very artistic, stylized, quirky, and dark. Alice in Wonderland didn't disappoint. The acting especially is brilliant. Helena Bonham Carter was probably my favourite character, as the Red Queen. Johnny Depp's performance of the Mad Hatter is amazing, quirky, layered and subtle. Every cast member is strong, and all the supporting roles are interesting and memorable.

The biggest flaw, in my opinion is the script. Instead of following the story of the Louis Carroll's original Alice in Wonderland, Burton decided to make a sequel, set thirteen years after Alice's original trip to Wonderland. Its a great idea that could have been interesting and innovative, but unfortunately, I didn't find the plot or the script to be anything special. Without Tim Burton's directing, it could have easily been another predictable Disney movie. Personally, I don't think it's a masterpiece, but it's sure pretty good, and definitely worth seeing!

Film Fridays! - The Aviator

Hey everyone, I'm starting a new "section". Every week, on Friday, I'll post a movie review! I'm also starting a new section on Mondays too. See if you can guess what it is.

So this week, I'm going to post a review of Martin Scorsese's 2004 film "The Aviator", starring Leonardo DiCaprio. You can read the IMDB page here. You can also read the Screenit parental review here.

Firstly, DiCaprio's performance as Howard Hughes is nothing short of brilliant. He shows many levels of emotions, and his performance is subtle and nuanced. We see his character start strong, but eventually fold under incredible pressure, but eventually return to (almost) his former glory, but...changed.

The plot moves along quickly, and all the performances are great. It's a fantastic film and it has the emotional content that I look for in a film. Highly recommended, and I'd give it a 9/10.

But don't take my word for it! Watch it yourself! But read a parental review first to make sure that it's something you want to see! I take no responsibility for any scarring, maiming, nightmares, murder, thievery, fire, abduction, spontaneous combustion, mental illness, cancer, explosion, or any other harm that may come to you as a result of watching this film. Be warned.

What I look for in a movie

Lately, I've been thinking a bit about what makes a movie really good for me. Here are some things that are important to me in a movie.

1. Character arcs. The characters need to change throughout the movie, and go through some kind of journey.
2. I especially like movies where the movie is held up purely by the acting. Movies such as Doubt or Frost/Nixon are good examples of this, where the plots are fairly slow moving, but are made interesting by the acting.
3. Special effects are not important to me.
4. A clever plot is a plus, but is wasted for me if there isn't an emotional core to it.

Those are some things that I look for in a movie. What do you look for in a movie?

MOVIE REVIEW: Slumdog Millionaire

I watched Slumdog Millionaire a few days ago. Check out the list of awards it was nominated for/won. (Source: Wikipedia)

2009 Academy Awards

• Won: Best Picture
• Won: Best Director – Danny Boyle
• Won: Best Original Score – A. R. Rahman
• Won: Best Original Song – "Jai Ho", by A. R. Rahman (music) & Gulzar (lyrics)
• Won: Best Adapted Screenplay – Simon Beaufoy
• Won: Best Cinematography – Anthony Dod Mantle
• Won: Best Film Editing – Chris Dickens
• Won: Best Sound Mixing – Resul Pookutty, Richard Pryke, Ian Tapp
• Nominated: Best Sound Editing – Tom Sayers (lost to The Dark Knight)
• Nominated: Best Original Song – "O... Saya", by A. R. Rahman & M.I.A. (lyrics)

To be honest, there was so much hype about the movie, that I was actually expecting something more. Don't get me wrong. I really, really liked the movie, but I was expecting (and hoping) to be blown away by it, and I wasn't. I don't think it's a masterpiece. But it's a beautiful story about a young man, who risks practically everything, and rises above his circumstances for the young woman he loves. It's worth seeing, and I'd recommend it!