Tag: Tim Burton

Categories
Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

Alice In Wonderland

3D or not 3D?  I say 3D, and go for the experience.  Pleasantly surprised I was, the overall 3D effect seems to have better clarity than Avatar.  I wonder why.

It must have been a long time since I last read the book “Alice In Wonderland”.  All I remember were the rabbit hole, the potions, the card soldiers, and the little girl called Alice.  I wonder what makes this story lasts through the century.  There have been films made in the name of Alice, believe it or not, since a century ago.

Pleasantly surprised I was, with the film’s adaptation as the story is more like an extension to the original series.  Tim Burton’s Alice is now a teenager revisiting the “Underland”.  While the storyline can be predictably simplistic, the graphical effect is very pretty to look at, magical in some scenes.  Figures are artistically distorted – be it as the overall size, or the enlarged head or eyes.  The line of realism and illusion has blurred so much these days on the big screen.  How technology has progressed.

Cynthia seems to love the film.  My mother too, even though there is no subtitle for her.  I am thrilled by the 3D experience, more than anything else.

Now, why is a raven like a writing desk?  It is a riddle in the original story.  And I still don’t quite get it in this movie.  Looks like I have to watch it again!

Categories
Animation Movie Reviews

9, Is No Corpse Bride For Sure

9

I had high expectation for the animation film “9” that bears the logo of Tim Burton.  Later on, I read that Tim Burton only produces the film while the director and writer is Shane Acker.  “9” is a decent animation.  Just that I love “Corpse Bride” so much better.  The quality of the image animation is top notch, no doubt.  I gasped at the details and the motions of those dolls bouncing and walking.   As far as the story goes, 9 dolls are brought to life, caught in the war between mankind and the machine, and incredible as it may sound, even as the entire human race was brought to extinction by those machines, the dolls seem to have a decent chance against the aggressors.  Unlike “Corpse Bride”, which idea is built upon well known yet abstract concept of the ghosts and the living beings, underworld and the living world, “9” merges science and fantasy that leaves me more questions than answers.  I mean, what is the purpose of these dolls’ existence?  What is the purpose of the entire story?

Tim Burton was impressed by Shane Acker’s student project titled “9” created in 2005.  You could easily find it in YouTube.  I must say, it looks very impressive as a student project.  What a dream comes true for Shane Acker to adapt this short clip into a full movie shown on big screen.  A promising artist for sure and I look forward to watching his next production.

PS. For those who have watched “9”, I swear I have spotted a key hanging on the neck of “6” and thought that key has a connection to the lock box that “9” has found.  Apparently, there isn’t such a connection.  And I wonder what is that key for besides being a piece of decoration.

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews

Sweeney Todd – Yawn?

Sweeney Tood

Why does the musical film adaptation “Sweeney Todd” receive such a positive review from so many sources?  I don’t know.  One thing I know though is that director Tim Burton loves to work with Johnny Depp and especially his wife Helena Bonham Carter time and time again.

Maybe it was the green tea or maybe it was something I ate the night before, I had a terrible stomach cramp.  I thought I wasn’t able to make it to this evening’s movie outing.  Maybe there is such a thing as ‘green tea overdose’.  But since I am replacing alcohol with green tea, I ain’t going to quit that as yet.

“Sweeney Todd” surely made my stomach churned with all those throat cutting scenes and blood spurting scenes.  The blood does look fake but still … that silver blade that cuts throat after throat, gruesome!  I give a thumb up to the computer generated scenes though. The effect goes well with the dark, insane nature of the movie.  If I could bypass the utterly boring monotonous melody and silly lyrics, I would say the acting is pretty good.  Come to think of it, I am a big fan of Tim Burton for his “Corpse Bride” (2005).  Had “Sweeney Todd” be filmed in the same way as “Corpse Bride”, I may be able to enjoy those silly music.  It is hard to watch Johnny Depp sings about being complete with his blade or Helena Carter sings about the worst pie in London.  I just couldn’t get into the mood with real actors.

That is my view.  How about the rest of the Movie Review Squad?  TK fell asleep 20% of the time, couldn’t bear to see the blood scenes, and Cynthia thinks that it is so-so and below expectation.

My stomach cramps again.  I should moderate on green tea consumption.