Every human being on this planet has rights. In America most of them are featured in our first amendment rights. The right to free speech, assembly, freedom of religion, are all examples of the rights that Americans hold. However, all of those right could be taken away from us via military action. This action is called Martial Law. Nobody would want to have to live in an area under Martial Law, like the group of civilians in the 1973 release of George Romero’s “The Crazies.”
Look! It’s a bird, it’s a plane – no, it’s Brandon, rising from the dead to write a review! It’s a miracle, I know, but I just saw quite possible one of my favorite films of all time, and I decided to make my comeback with it.
I went into Alice in Wonderland with huge hopes. Ever since I’d heard bits of rumors that this movie might actually be made, I’d been on the edge of my seat with anticipation. From the first teaser trailer, I knew that I’d have to see this movie. I’m a huge fan of Tim Burton, and when Johnny Depp was announced as the Mad Hatter…well, that sealed the deal for me. This was going to be at the top of my “To See” list.
I suppose I should first start with my favorite aspect of the film, the visuals. As always, Burton has created a world unlike any other; he has taken a classic story and put a dark, semi-gothic twist on it. Just like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Burton completely flips and twists the world in which the story is set, from the one that the viewer is most familiar with – in this case, the 1951 Disney animated feature. No longer is Wonderland a bright and mysterious place – it’s taken an obvious turn for the worst. The landscape is barren, and the entire world seems to be gloomy. This is definitely a welcome change, as it completely fits the storyline of the movie.
Speaking of storyline, this version of Alice is what Burton calls a “re-imagining” of the story – Alice is 19, and the events in Wonderland don’t directly follow Lewis Carroll’s original books, nor the 1951 Disney adaptation. Without giving any spoilers of the movie, I will say that the storyline is very well crafted. Burton has definitely achieved his goal of wanting this movie to “feel more like a story and less like a string of events”. This movie definitely moves from one scene to another much better than the ’51 Alice, as this film actually has a set plot to it. The events are quite suspenseful as well, though I think some scenes were unnecessary, and were only added in for laughs.
Of course, you can’t have a Tim Burton movie without Johnny Depp. The two make for an infallible pair, and once again, the combination results in much entertainment. Depp again shows that he is the man to play the oddest characters, and gives the Mad Hatter the insane portrayal he deserves. Helena Bonham Carter makes an appearance as the Red Queen, and does an amazing job. The actress I was most pleased with, however, was Mia Wasikowska as Alice. She’s a relatively unknown actress outside of the United Kingdom, but I can’t see why. Her rendition of Alice was spot on, and she seemed to definitely enjoy the role. Not to mention the fact that she definitely looks the part. One more note on the acting – as an avid Harry Potter film, I was quite surprised to see a few actors and actresses from the HP films make small appearances. Alan Rickman, Frances de la Tour, and Imelda Staunton all have small roles, and did quite well in them.
This movie isn’t perfect, but its flaws aren’t enough to make it less of a film. A few scenes of cheesy dialogue bothered me a bit, as I felt they really weren’t needed for the progression of the film. Even though Burton meant for the film to feel like a story, it felt like a rush to me – some scenes were very quick, while others dragged on. There was a lack of balance between the two, and to me, it messed the flow of the story up just a bit. However, these flaws were not nearly enough to ruin the film for me, or the rest of the audience. One note – you might want to reconsider if you were thinking of taking children to see this movie. There are some pretty intense scenes that might scare the little ones!
Overall, I found hardly any flaws with Alice in Wonderland. This movie definitely delivers. It is a worthy remake of the classic story, and will please everyone. I highly recommend you see this movie, whether you are a fan of Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, or just Alice – this movie is definitely worth watching.
4/5 Reels
Golden Squid Rating
Check it out!
Trailer:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCM4JiJ6B2I
Intro:
Superheroes are the best tool for fighting crime in any major urban area. Batman protects Gotham City, Superman, Metropolis, and Spiderman, Manhattan. For the most part, the heroes listed are on decent terms with the cities and people they serve. Hancock, on the other hand, is a superhero that Los Angeles would be glad to be rid of. He consistently demolishes various parts of the city whenever crime is afoot, can be found sleeping on the streets, and drinks heavily. In addition, he’s also a huge jerk. It’s no wonder everyone hates him.
Perhaps if he cleaned up his act, the public would start to appreciate him more. It takes a lot of persuasion from an adoring fan and PR man Ray Embrey to help improve his image. Just as things start to turn for the better, an unexpected discovery opens a huge weakness, an Achilles heel, to the mighty Hancock. Will he survive? (more…)
The lord almighty gives many of us gifts in life. Some are called to help the homeless, abandoned children, or the sick and elderly. These people are the real heroes in the world. What if you’re mission from God was to secure the holiest book of all? That’s exactly what Denzel Washington must do in the 2010 release of “The Book of Eli.”
Unobtanium, the most precious and desired mineral in the entire known universe, is mined and sold from Pandora, a fantastic yet dangerous moon in the in the closest system to the planet Earth, the Alpha Centauri galaxy. A private company runs the mining operation on Pandora, and has both military and science personnel. Relations with the native population, the Na’vi, has been strained. A operation that allows humans to control a genetically-engineered Na’vi body, called an Avatar, are used to promote relations between the two races. Newcomer Jake Sully, a paraplegic, is recruited to join the Avatar program to replace his murdered twin brother. Since his DNA is similar to that of his brother’s, he will be able to use the Avatar body.
Once Jake Sully gets his legs back, he becomes torn between helping the company and helping the Na’vi, which complicates everything after the largest unobtainium deposit on Pandora is found to be under the Na’vi settlement. (more…)
Intro:
Bob Munro (Robin Williams) is a husband and father of two. He works for Pure Vibe, a large soft drink manufacturer. When one of his daughter’s friends attacks his boss at a company event, his job is on the line. He has to attend and present at a merger meeting with Alpine Soda Co., an independent company that wants to be part of Pure Vibe’s distribution and reach. The only problem is that this meeting coincides with his family vacation to Hawaii.
Bob decides to take an RV trip to Colorado under the guise of a family vacation, but in reality an attempt to do work. He and his family deal with various problems along the way as RV newbies. From broken parking breaks, backed up sewage lines, and a troublesome family from the RV park, this is one trip they may never want to take again!
Dialogue:
RV has some of the best lines in all of the comedies I have seen. The comedy of RV and most of the comments thereof are related to RVs and their surrounding stigmas. The parks with the strange people, the complication of draining the sewer line, avoiding vermin, living in close quarters, and navigating traffic are all part of the act and part of the bigger joke in RV.
Acting:
This is a perfectly-cast film. The Munros were great, consisting of Robin Williams as Bob, Cheryl Hines as Jamie, Joanna Levesque as Cassie, and Josh Hutcherson as Carl.
Equally amazing was Will Arnett as the creepy and germophobic leader of Pure Vibe, Todd Mallory.
The Gornike clan was led by Jeff Daniels as Travis Gornike, his wife Mary Jo (Kristin Chenoweth), and children Earl (Hunter Parrish), Moon (Chloe Sonnenfeld) and ‘Not Earl’ or Billy (Alex Ferris).
Plot:
RV consists of a plot similar to that of The Lampoon’s Vacation. Bob Munro wants to take his kids, who are seemingly growing up too fast for Bob’s liking. He wants to have a family vacation where he can spend quality time with his kids, which is something that won’t happen in Hawaii. He is also torn between his family and his boss, who threatened Bob’s job if he didn’t come to board meetings in Colorado.
Bob embarks with the family in the RV, which is dubbed the ‘Rolling Turd’. Tensions are high and everyone is at each other’s throats as the trip goes on. Somewhere along the way, everything is resolved, and the family begins to enjoy the outdoors and adventure. The only problem is that the bliss is broken when Bob’s secret business meeting is discovered by his wife and family. It will take a moment of redemption to earn the affection of his family once again.
Music:
There was a lot of humor in the music that was throughout RV. It really added to the experience and hilarity of the plot. Classics like ‘G.T.O.’ by Ronny and The Daytonas peppered the score from composer James Newton Howard.
Overall:
I really enjoyed RV, and I love the fact that the premise was really original! Once again, if you are a regular on SquidFlicks, you know I applaud originality. RV has that originality, and combines it with a lot of humor. I saw this in theaters back in 2006, and I own it on DVD. I have seen it at least 10+ times and it hasn’t gotten old yet. Some RVers may be offended, and Robin Williams’ sense of humor isn’t for everyone, but RV delivers a solid performance that is family-friendly and fun!
4/5 Reels
Gold Squid Rating
Check this one out!
Trailer:
Purchase:
[amazonify]B000G8O0MK[/amazonify]
SquidFlicks received a submission back in November from filmmaker Ronald Jackson, who wanted us to review some of his work that he was entering as examples in his film school application. Without further ado, let the reviews begin!
Intro:
Do you know where your food comes from? Maybe it would be better if you didn’t, because there are some scary things happening out there in the American Food System. What was once a free market full of variety, safety, and choice is now a dangerous and misleading sham controlled by a few large corporations. Remember, You are what you eat, and when you find out what you’ve been eating, you may just want to stop.
This is a digital 3D short that rivals Dreamworks and even Pixar in production quality! I discovered it yesterday and thought I should share it!
Anyway, Pigeon: Impossible features a rookie secret agent with a big problem – his top-secret nuclear briefcase gets hijacked by a hungry pigeon and almost launches a full scale nuclear war with Russia.
Director Lucas Martell says that he wanted to make the project as funny as possible, after he originally began to work on the short 5 years ago as an excuse to learn 3D animation. I’d say he’s come out of the experience extremely qualified! =)
5/5 Reels
Platinum Squid Rating
Fantastic! Wish there were more shorts like it!
What if we had to help aliens in a humanitarian gesture, only to be rewarded with an even more trouble than it’s worth? In the case of Johannesburg, South Africa, this strange story becomes a reality. In the early 1980s, a mysterious and enormous spaceship hovers over the city, seemingly unable to move. A private military organization, Multi-National United, explores the ship and finds a race of unhealthy aliens. MNU offers assistance and a protected living facility known as District 9. Over time, the aliens and humans begin to conflict with one another, prompting MNU to evacuate District 9 inhabitants to District 10, some 200+ km outside of Johannesburg. What happens when newly-appointed program director Wikus van Eckert begins handing out evictions is nothing short of alien. (more…)
