Kim's Thoughts

Some adults analyze and look back on many of the classic children’s stories and begin to wonder what the writers were thinking…..did they really think it was appropriate to entice children with stories about child-devouring witches (and various other evil witches), wicked step mothers, hungry wolves, evil trolls, poison or hallucenogenically drugged foods, flying monkeys, and – in the case of the subject of this post – blood queens who order the beheading of everyone she dislikes!  Grace Slick wrote “White Rabbit”, a song that compared “Alice in Wonderland” to the use of psychedelic drugs in the ’60s.  Looking at it from that angle, who would want to encourage children to eat or drink unknown substances at the encouragement of unknown persons with the promise of making them smaller or larger than real life?  Children should be terrified of these stories!  But, instead are enchanted by them.  One would think that repeated reading of such stories would scar a child’s mental state, but they come through them not only unscathed, but with richer imaginations and sense of adventure because of them!  The critique of classic children’s stories are generally shrugged off with the thought that they are just stories – fantasies.  Children are not stupid – they can sort through them to find the moral of the story and learn from them and parents can utilize other means to protect their children from the evils of the world without denying them the exposure to ageless, classic stories.  There are far worse things they can read and watch than childhood fantasies.

With a few exceptions, that childhood enchantment with these stories  continues into adulthood.  I know it has with me – which is why I was so excited to see this movie as soon as it opened!  I loved this story as a child and wonder if it was the reason I had a love for hats in my early adulthood and still adore tea parties!  All the characters in Wonderland are so vivid and colorful – I think much more so than most other stories.  I just loved it and it was a particular thrill to know that Johnny Depp was cast to play the Mad Hatter!  What a treat!

I was concerned, though, that Tim Burton may have gone towards the dark side and make it more macabre than magical.  But, I was happy to discover that he didn’t go there – at least not totally.  He stayed true to the fantasy while adapting it to an older Alice.  I had heard that the film was shot in 2D and the 3D aspects were added later – that true 3D enthusiasts will be disappointed in the way it looks.  Luckily, the only 3D movie I’ve ever been to was a nature film at the Imax where I felt like I was right in the ocean with the fish we were watching.  So, I didn’t have much to compare it to.  I thought it was well done and flinched at things that were thrown at me!  haha  I was a little disappointed, though, that it was only certain scenes that were 3D – I would have liked to see more of it throughout!  But, what they did was effective!

I found the approach of telling the story a little differently very refreshing.  Alice is now 19 and, after years of what she thought was just a recurring dream, finds herself following a white rabbit into a rabbit hole, yet again.  She arrives and goes through similar experiences and meets all the same characters as she did when she was a little girl – but has no memory of ever being there before.  The characters debate whether they lured the “right” Alice back to help them save the day by slaying the Jabberwocky.  She continues to think she’s just having a dream and takes charge of the way it goes.

True to form, Johnny Depp was the perfect Mad Hatter.  In my opinion, Depp is one of the greatest character actors of our time.  He molds himself and becomes whatever role he takes on.  I continue to be amazed at his abilities and what he brings to each film he is a part of.  This is no exception.  His expressions and muttled way he talks brought life to the Mad Hatter like no one else could.

Helena Bonham Carter was incredible as the big-headed Red Queen.  She went from one moment of glancing alluringly to Stayne-Knave of Hearts (portrayed by Crispin Glover) to jolt into her constant demand of “off with their heads”!  All in a blink of an overly expressive eye!  Since all you see of her is her enormous head (her body is an animation), it is her eyes and the way she said her lines that bring life to her character — and she is brilliant at ensuring you know at all times exactly what she is thinking!

Other fun standouts for me were Tweedledee/Tweedledum, the Cheshire Cat, the Blue Caterpillar, and the Dormouse – all had delightful scenes and interacted beautifully with the other characters.  I was enchanted by them.

I also heard negative criticism about the action scene towards the end with the Jabberwocky.  The thoughts I read from some was that it was not necessary and a cheap shot at adding an action/adventure aspect.  Phooey!  I thought it was absolutely appropriate to the story and gave it a climax that pulled everything that lead up to it together.  I don’t understand the criticism.

The only thing that left me thinking it should have been different was the ending…….I won’t go into details and spoil it, but…….the ending was very good and fit the older Alice perfectly.  But, I just wish that Johnny Depp would have made an appearance in the very final scene implying a continued connection…….just the hopeless romantic in me speaking!

I was memorized by it and am so happy I went to see it on the big screen in 3D!  It was well worth the extra price for 3D and a perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  I may go see it again!  I rate this one an A- and encourage anyone who is still intrigued by the children’s classics they grew up with to go see it and become enchanted all over again.

The previews for this movie grabbed me, but I wasn’t sure I should go see it!  First, I heard a lot of mixed reviews, but hadn’t heard from anyone who actually saw it.  Second, I don’t like horror type thrillers and from the previews I really couldn’t tell if it was going to be a suspense thriller or a horror thriller – big difference!  So, since it was getting harder and harder to resist the previews, I decided to see it, but not alone and not at night – just in case it ended up being too scary for my tastes.

Shutter Island is billed as an Action/Adventure Thriller.  Not sure I’d agree with the Action/Adventure part, but I may not know all the criteria that puts a film in that category.  But, the Thriller part is accurate.  And, no it wasn’t the horror type thriller that I don’t particularly like.  It was very suspenseful – kept me on the edge of my seat and held my interest throughout.  It was full of twists and turns and connecting the past with the present.  As anyone can see from the previews, the story starts out with Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo as Federal Marshalls who go to a hospital for the criminally insane to investigate the mysterious disappearance of one of the psychotic patients.  I won’t go into any more of the plot to avoid accidentally including any spoilers.  Suffice it to say, the institution, the patients, the staff, and the administrators are all obviously hiding something and it makes for a tense two hours of watching DiCaprio and Ruffalo sort through it all to find the truth.

I am not a huge Leonardo DiCaprio fan, but his performance in this film is very good!  I do like Mark Ruffalo a lot and was not disappointed in his work.  Also notable was Ben Kingsley as the head of the hospital.  All the acting was exceptional.  Martin Scorsese lived up to his reputation, as well — the direction and filming was brilliant! 

I had some inkling about half way through that left me not totally surprised at the outcome, but I didn’t suspect the details at all.  The down side was that the movie just ended…..it explained how we got there, but still left me hanging.  My friend and I just shook our heads and said, “that’s it?” 

All in all, it was really quite good — the flash backs and dream sequences were not too hard to follow, the acting and direction were excellent,  and it kept me on the edge of my seat!  The blunt ending was a big minus for me.  I rate this one a B++ and recommend it for those who like suspense and intrigue.

Crazy Heart didn’t receive a lot of fanfare and big, splashy promotions.  In fact, I wasn’t sure what it was when I saw it on the list of movies at the Sanford cinemas.  When I opened the link and read the synopsis, I did remember hearing about an upcoming movie reminiscent of an old favorite of mine – Tender Mercies – and that Robert Duvall, who starred in Tender Mercies in 1983, had a supporting role in it.  I didn’t connect that Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal starred in it and that it had been out in limited release since mid December (even though I did notice it was nominated for several awards).  It was definitely not on my radar – one I totally overlooked.  After reading the description and the cast list, which also included Colin Farrell, I was more than curious about it.  In fact, I looked up what movies were available for the weekend Friday evening after work and notice of this film made me decide to do something I rarely ever do – I decided to go see it on a Friday night and pay full price!

Not knowing what to expect because I hadn’t seen any trailers and the only thing I remember hearing about it was a comparison to Tender Mercies, I had several thoughts:  It would either be a sad disappointment because of the big shoes it had to fill if, indeed, it was an attempt to remake one of my favorite movies – OR – it could be a raging success at that attempt, much like the amazing 1976 remake of A Star is Born (which was originally done in 1937 and redone in 1954 and again in 1976….and got better with each remake!!!).   What I didn’t consider was that it might not be an attempt to remake Tender Mercies, at all.  Yes, the story lines were very similar — aging, rough, down and out musician turns his life around because of the love of a younger woman with a child — but the similarities end there.

Jeff Bridges plays Bad Blake – a 57-year-old alcoholic who was once a big country music star and is now relegated to doing gigs in out-of-the-way bowling alleys and bars.   What struck me about Bridges’ performance is how much he looked and sounded like a pot-bellied Kris Kristofferson!  The hair, the unshaven look, the raspy voice, the mannerisms – classic Kristofferson (except Kris has never looked that bad with his shirt off!).  The other thing that struck me was Bridges’ stage performances – he could have had a good career as a country music singer – not that his chosen career wasn’t the right choice.  He really did a top-notch job performing the songs — and, no, he didn’t sound like Kris when he sang – the raspy voice didn’t show up in those performances.

Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Jean – an aspiring journalist who interviews Blake and falls in love with him.  Jean is a young divorced mother of 4-year-old Buddy, played adorably by Jack Nation.  The relationship is complicated – Jean is drawn to men who are totally wrong for her and her son.  She doesn’t want Blake to drink in front of Buddy, knowing he is an alcoholic and can’t make it through the day without a bottle of booze.  After an incident with Blake and Buddy, Jean pulls back from the relationship and Blake realizes he needs to sober up and turn his life around.

Another standout performance for me was Colin Farrell as Blake’s former protege’, Tommy Sweet.  You don’t see much of Tommy, but there is a lot of reference to him.  Blake mentored Tommy in the early days – Tommy was Blake’s opening act and Blake taught him everything he knows.  After years of touring together, Tommy went off on a solo career and made it big – while Blake slide into obscurity.  Farrell sings his own songs, as well, and does a good job!  I liked his character and think the movie could have included more interaction between Blake and Tommy.  I wouldn’t have minded the movie going longer to accomplish that.

Robert Duvall was one of the Producers and had a small supporting role as an old friend of Blake’s.  I would have liked to have seen more of Duvall in the film, too, but realize it wasn’t one of the more prominent relationships.

This is a movie about complicated relationships and what living a hard life inside a bottle will do to a man’s ambitions.  Bridges and Gyllenhaal are both nominated for Oscars for their roles in this film — I’ll venture to guess that Bridges will likely win and definitely deserves it!  He already won several awards for this role, including a Golden Globe.  The acting by all was of high-caliber.  The story, while a little slow at times and left me wanting more, was interesting and intriguing.  I do not at all regret my decision to go on a crowded Friday night and pay full price!   I rate this one a A-!

What better movie to go see on Valentine’s Day weekend than one about Valentine’s Day……….and even titled “Valentine’s Day”!!!???  When asked what Valentine’s Day is, one of Jennifer Garner’s character’s students describes the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre — but that’s not the kind of Valentine’s Day we’re talking about here!  We’re talking the flower giving, candy eating, heart-themed kind!

But it isn’t all gushy, lovey-dovey stuff, either!  It actually has more funny looks at break-ups and people who would rather just forget the day exists – to paraphrase Jamie Foxx’s character – it isn’t even a real holiday, we have to go to work on it!  The audience watches as various characters deal with this day of love – some dateless, some very new relationships, some seasoned relationships, some lose love, and some discover it!  It is a wide range of relationships and situations that all cross each other and interact in some way at some point in the movie!  The most touching of all was Julia Roberts’ story – for most of the movie, we have short glimpses of her on a plane and we wonder what is going to develop with her.  We find out about her relationship at the end.  Even though I did guess it about half way through, I still took a deep breath, put my hand to my heart, let out a little sigh, smiled, and got all teary eyed!!!  It was the only semi tear-jerker scene and it was a good one!!!!

For those who think, “all the funny lines were in the trailers, so why bother” — don’t be too sure!!!!  I was very surprised to find several of the lines in the trailers AREN’T in the movie!!!  In several scenes, I felt I knew what they were going to say and was prepared for the punch line from the trailer and it wasn’t there – a different punch line was in its place!!!!  It was sorta like the trailer was a mix of lines that made it to the final cut and ones that were outtakes!!!  It was cool to pay attention to see what preview lines were “missing” 

And speaking of outtakes!  Be sure to stay through the credits!  I got up and started to leave the theater and realized they were going to show outtakes among the credits, so I stood in the aisle and watched them.  As usual, the outtakes are as entertaining as the movie!  Especially the last one — it is a Julia Roberts outtake — it cracked me up and I thought that was one they really should have left in the movie!!!  Although, unless you saw Pretty Woman and know the script by heart (like I do), you may not “get it”.

Obviously, the “draw” to this movie is the list of A-list stars in the cast!  Come on — Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts, Bryce Robinson, Taylor Swift….and more….all in the same movie!!!!  Can you imagine what the salary budget was on that film???  Add Garry Marshall as the Director and how can you lose with this one?  Although most have little more than cameo roles (the bulk of the movie revolves around a few key characters), they still make the movie worth seeing!  Anne Hathaway’s character is surprising – and so funny!  Taylor Swift’s character is a HOOT!!!  Shirley MacLaine and Hector Elizondo are a joy to see together!  Eric Dane is great eye candy, but watch for a surprise twist!  Bryce Robinson plays Edison – the endearing youngster with a school boy crush – so sweet!  Jessica Biel plays neurotic to the hilt!   And I absolutely roared and loved the scene where Jennifer Garner gets her revenge in a restaurant – PERFECTION!!!

So, did it knock any of my Top Ten Julia Roberts movies of the list (see the next post titled “Julia Roberts” to get this reference)?  No!  But, did I enjoy it? YES!!!  Go see it – it is a great date movie or for a girl’s night out – funny and fun!  Very enjoyable — I rate it a B+++….not quite “A” material, but really, really close!  The only thing that kept it from being a solid “A” was too much Ashton Kutcher – although I did enjoy his character a lot…..it was still Ashton Kutcher!  😉