Just came back from Alice. Two things I'd like to say:

a) I do not remember the source material very well;

b) The movie is just okay. We saw the movie in 3-D and I kind of liked the visuals (I am easily thrilled, I haven't seen a 3-D movie since the 5th Harry Potter movie), but the story is rather pedestrian and I am not quite sure why Johnny Depp was in the movie.

I would agree with reviewers who have given the movie a "C" rating (on A-F scale). It isn't one of Burton' best and while I haven't seen all of Burton's movies, this is my least favorite. There was nothing to the story and not enough psychedelic elements/creativity to wow in lieu of a story.

Helena Bonham Carter is pretty good in the film (though if you've seen the ads, I think you've seen half of her performance), and Alan Rickham gave a wonderful voice performance. Anne Hathaway's character is terrible. I think she is a good actress, but I think her direction wasn't good.

I've had a movie filled week. On Thursday I went to see The Last Station , which I really liked. After it was over and I was getting ready to leave and noticed that The Wolfman was just starting and the door was open and there was noone looking...so I snuck in and saw it! I was fun, but Benicio bel Torro was miscast. I think he had producer credit so that must be how he got the part, I'm guessing. It was like an old '30s horror movie only in lovely moody color and very good actors, with the above mentioned exception.

I just got back from seeing My Name is Kahn. It was a very enjoyable, if long movie.

I was amused by the Alice In Wonderland movie, but then, I went in with low low low expectations.

It was very pretty. Yes, it was Tim Burton being very self-indulgent and self-referential, but as eye candy, it was fun. The story itself? Ugh. And why, oh God why, did they have that horrible horrible "dance" from the Hatter at the end of the battle? Whyyyy? I recoiled in my seat at that.

(Pete hated it. He was bored the entire time, and was astonished that I liked it at all.)

That said, I'm going to buy the big art book. I may not buy the DVD or Blu-Ray, but I'm absolutely going to buy the big art book.

We just got back from Alice. Jilli enjoyed it - with reservations - and I didn't care for it at all.

To put it another way, I've never been so bored by such a visually rich movie. The design work is wonderful, the CG runs from excellent (the Cheshire Cat) to awful (every time Crispin Glover moves). The story is joyless and the characters were... dry and lacking.

And I came away somewhat offended because it really wasn't an Alice in Wonderland movie, it was a Tim Burton movie that had a patina of Wonderland. It was interchangeable with so much else produced currently (especially Tim's own works) and the movie was weighed down by Tim apparently buying into his own press.

The self-referential moments were possibly the most irksome to me because they really interfered with any immersion. Tim started with a unique design sense but these cameos of designs from previous films is cannibalistic and self-congratulatory. I'm having a hard time explaining it further.

Meh and Feh. Wonderland deserved better.

Pete and Jilli,

Can you say more about the self-referential part? I clearly didn't pick up on the references or it has been so long since I've seen the movies that I just can't remember. The CGI work for Crispin Glover was really terrible. Especially every time he was on a horse.

Cablevision drops ABC.

I'm so sorry, Jess. Can you get an antenna working or something?

The advertisers for the Oscars are going to be miffed.

no shit. that's a big market.

also? apparently there is a Lakers/Magic game that people can't watch either.

I think this is the live streaming link for the Oscars:

[link]