Mini reviews
Posted by Bina on April 22, 2010
I´m probably the last one to review this film but I still wanted to collect my thoughts. I had been quite excited about Tim Burton´s Alice in Wonderland but after reading a lot of mixed reviews I tried to adjust my expectations. Still, I did not especially enjoy this viewing experience. First of all Alice was my first film in 3D, I don´t especially hate the new format or anything but it didn´t exactly enhance the film either (at least not this one, perhaps it works better for films like Avatar etc).
It was simply the storyline and dialogue of Alice in Wonderland thought I found so disappointing. There was no real wit and the characters (which are so endearingly mad in the books) were simply boring or unlikeable. I usually love Tim Burton´s films, they are fantastically well-made and witty and strange, however, this one felt as if he´d lost his mojo!
The film was pretty to look at, at least. Alice´s dresses were the most beautiful costumes, I also liked Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum and wonderland in general. Still, it felt like Burton had a wonderful opportunity here and made nothing of it.
But I know there are some people who loved the film, I really wish I could be one of them!
Shutter Island was another disappointment (at times it felt like I´d never see a good film again, but I´ve recently seen A Single Man, and loved it). The premise of the island with an insane asylum was interesting enough and the atmosphere great. I also enjoyed the music in itself, although it came across as slightly pompous and misplaced because it was used too often and mostly in scenes that had no suspense of themselves. Before watching the film I took care not to guess at the possible and likely twists (studying literature really makes being surprised by twists unlikely) but turns out that wasn´t necessary because there was just one really obvious one. Perhaps it´s that a modern audience (me 
) is dulled and now a film has to have at least two twists to surprise. or maybe I missed something really essential and the film was too complex for me?
So I´m finally back to posting on this blog and it´s only to complain. Sorry! I hope you liked these films better than I did if you´ve seem them.
scarletsculturegarden said
I liked Alice and Wonderland a lot and was pleasantly surprised. I think Scorsese probably had too many ideas on Shutter Island which is a shame because I’m a big fan of his!
Bina said
Yeah, the movie could have been so great. I usually like Scorsese´s work.
sshaver said
Hmm, I don’t know about the movie, only because of the genre: there’s something so in-your-face about a movie, almost especially a “whimsical” one, whereas one of the charms of the book Alice, I think, is that there’s a certain odd reticence there.
Bina said
Thanks for stopping by Sshaver. Haha, I love the Alice books so of course the movie could never be as good
Never had a problem with whimsical movies though.
PK Reeves said
Hello Bina!
Am discovering your other blog site and thought let’s see what she’s also doing.
I enjoyed Alice in Wonderland mostly for it’s aesthetic beauty, CGs, and surreal cinematogrphy. It very much felt like a mad hatter world and I was surprised to see Glover (evil knight to Queen Helena Bonham Carter). Glover creeps me out… something about him. Did you see him in Rats or as that evil mute man in Charlies’s Angels (the update one with toothpick women).
I was going to watch Shutter island this weekend… maybe not…
off I go to read the other reviews on this site.
Bina said
Haha, now you know everything there´s to know about me
Glover was creepy (will need to look out for him in Charlie´s ANgel
)! The visual bit of the moie was great, I just felt like the story didn´t compare at all.
Oh sorry, I don´t want to put you off, maybe you´ll enjoy Shutter Island. I know some people did.
sshaver said
Just stopping by to give season’s greetings. I always remember that picture of Groucho….
Nishita said
I did like Alice in Wonderland…I saw it on an airplane without too many expectations. I had already heard bad stuff, but I was pleasantly surprised.
I am sorry to hear Shutter Island was disappointing though.