Friday, April 16, 2010

Of "Ghosts" and "Wonderlands"

Here are some quick bullet points on a few films I've seen recently





"Alice in Wonderland"



  • excellent, detail-heavy production design

  • plagued by endless chase scenes and boring exposition

  • Helena Bonham Carter delivers a delicious performance as the Red Queen - an evil diva who enjoys barking orders and watching decapitations

  • Johnny Depp fares well as the Mad Hatter, but his relationship with Alice feels underdeveloped

  • Overall, it feels like a compromised vision. Director Tim Burton made some quirky, weird hoices, but it never feels wholly "original." My guess is that the studio made him tone down his unique style.

  • C+


"The Ghost Writer"




  • boring, plot-heavy political thriller

  • has very little to say about political corruption that isn't redudant, naive, or exaggerated

  • way too focused on plot mechanics

  • performances are merely so-so with the one exception being Olivia Williams as the irritable, intelligent wife of a corrupt former Prime Minister

  • a very average film from director Roman Polanski ("The Pianist," "Chinatown")

  • C


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