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Alice takes a trip through Wonderland
Tim Burton produces a quirky take on traditional story.
VISIONARY director Tim Burton tackling the nonsense prose of Lewis Carroll would appear to be a match made in heaven.
It's something that Burton could probably do in his sleep, which is what ALICE IN WONDERLAND (PG: Walt Disney), the strange and ponderous hybrid of the two Alice adventures, tends to induce.
In the second journey to "Underland" for the now teenage Alice (Mia Wasikowska), she again encounters familiar characters like the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp, pictured), Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Matt Lucas) and the Cheshire Cat (voiced by Stephen Fry).
Burton's trademark quirkiness is much in evidence from the static TV drama-style opening to the battle climax with CGI monster Jabberwocky (voiced by Christopher Lee) via an over-long visit to the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter).
Some of you may enjoy this trippy, dippy, acid-coloured excursion through Carroll's literary landscapes, but the tone is as uncertain as Alice's decision-making. And the added-on 3D is a distraction and as unconvincing as the entire venture.
> Jim Sheridan has a deserved reputation for getting the best out of his actors and he cajoles top-notch work from one of the cast, Jake Gyllenhaal), in BROTHERS (15: Lionsgate).
If the other key performances were as convincing, this might have been something really special rather than simply a respectable effort.
US Marine Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) is presumed killed in action in Afghanistan and the grieving process brings wife Grace (Natalie Portman) and wastrel brother Tommy (Gyllenhaal) closer together.
The home-front melodrama is a fairly faithful remake of an excellent 2004 Danish film and is even more relevant in the setting of an American military town, with the siblings' ex-soldier father (Sam Shepard) as proud of Sam's service record as he is withering towards Tommy's shiftless ways.
Sheridan creates a totally persuasive sense of a family tested almost beyond resilience, despite the below-par performances of a bland Portman and an overwrought Maguire.
> EXAM (15: Sony), a psychological thriller with a touch of sci-fi, plays like a take on TV's The Apprentice, with eight job applicants facing the selection test from hell.
The candidates get 80 minutes in a guarded, windowless room to tackle a conundrum that unleashes the best – and worst – in their archetypal personalities.
With the exam papers revealed to be completely blank and the invigilator's (former Luton schoolboy Colin Salmon) three strict rules amplifying the group's against-the-clock anxieties, the real-time events become an increasingly vicious battle of wits and wills.
Slick editing and twists maintain the intense atmosphere, while impressive performances compensate for the narrative's limited scope and the single location. The overall result is an impressive debut from British writer/director Stuart Hazeldine, even if the finale lacks the impact promised by its clever set-up.
> Michael Moore's documentaries have always been stronger on huff and puff than concrete solutions and have generally failed to match the impact of Roger & Me, his 1989 examination of GM's decision to downsize its vehicle plant in Flint, Michigan.
Having tackled George W. Bush's foreign policy (Fahrenheit 9/11) and America's healthcare system (Sicko), Moore turns his attention to corporate greed and the credit crunch in CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY (12: Paramount).
His argument is that capitalism in his auto-worker father's time was benevolent enough to give everyone a share of the spoils, but since the 1980s Wall Street's ruthless machinations have made victims of many ordinary Americans.
These include underpaid airline pilots having to take a second job and a widow discovering a so-called 'Dead Peasants' insurance policy has generated a handsome profit for her late husband's employers.
Moore brings his usual outrage to the proceedings, coming up with enough startling moments to keep us watching.
TOP TEN:1.2012; 2. Daybreakers; 3.The Road; 4. Did You Hear About The Morgans? 5.Avatar; 6.Up In The Air; 7.Law Abiding Citizen; 8.The Box; 9.It's Complicated; 10.Men Who Stare At Goats.
Chart supplied by Blockbuster
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Weather for Leighton Buzzard
Wednesday 08 February 2012
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