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Title: Alice in Wonderland (爱丽丝梦游仙境)
Director: Tim Burton
Written By: Linda Woolverton
Genre: Fantasy Adventure, Live Action and Animation
Year: 2010
Running Time: 108 minutes

Of course, when Tim Burton declared that he was doing a Alice in Wonderland tale, I wasn't quite surprised. The tale was certainly popular enough that there was bound to be a few remakes or spin-offs at least. Tim Burton's movie features a now grown-up (teenage) Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska). We see her having recurring nightmares about her previous trip to Wonderland (Underland, as it is called in the movie). She takes these to be simply dreams, little realizing that they are real. Soon into the movie, Alice reunites with the White Rabbit (voiced by Michael Sheen) and follows him once more down the rabbit hole. However, Underland was hardly as fun as her last visit. The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) has taken the throne from her sister the White Queen (Anne Hathaway) and cloaks the land with terror. Creatures have been hunted down and beheaded. All those remaining are hoping dearly for Alice's return in order for her to slay the fearsome Jabberwocky (voiced by Christopher Lee) and defeat the Red Queen. Throughout the film, Alice meets other familiar characters such as the Chesire Cat (voiced by Stephen Fry) and the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) on her quest to defeat the Red Queen.


Having missed the chance to watch the movie in theaters, I waited a long time for the DVD to come out. After much hard waiting, I finally managed to get my hands on a DVD and watch the movie. Having heard countless reviews from my friends about how "awesome" this movie was, I was undoubtedly excited. However, this movie was a sore disappointment. First off, I really dislike the casting choice for several of the characters, particularly Alice. The acting was also pretty bad. It was stilted and awkward. For example, Hathaway has her arms up in air for the entire movie as she plays the White Queen. I understand if the move is used once or twice to show a sense of grace but having it played the entire time really ruins the effect. The makeup for Alice was also overdone, having way too much powder. It questions me as to why Hathaway's brows were kept black while her wig is white. It just doesn't make sense. The horses in the movie also looked fake, despite knowing that they were computer animated. The proportions for the Chesire Cat were also off. I don't know if they did that on purpose, but most certainly the cat's head is larger than its body. To me, Alice is also an extremely annoying character. She insists that her trip down in Underland is all a dream and makes a great deal of showing that "This is my dream and I'm the one that gets to control it". Talk about super annoying. Plus, she only runs away from her problems. When someone proposes to her, she runs off. When the Underland creatures ask her to take on the Jabberwocky, she runs off yet again. Overall, the movie portrayed bad makeup and bad acting and also special effects that were rather disappointing for a Tim Burton film. The only good characters in the movie are the ever crazy March Hare and the Chesire Cat though Crispin Glover does make for a handsome Knave of Hearts.

Corpse Bride (僵尸新娘) is yet another musical stop-animation film by Tim Burton. This time the story deals with a boy named Victor who finds himself accidentally married to a corpse while practicing his wedding vows. Then begins a dramatic episode of Victor desperately trying to return to the world of the living to marry the girl he loves (Victoria) while Emily the corpse bride chases after him. The movie is set in a gloomy Victorian era setting. Johnny Depp plays the voice actor for Victor while Helena Bonham Carter plays the voice of Emily.

Burton does an excellent job with The Corpse Bride. The graphics are awesome and beautiful. Emily is hardly as creepy as I thought she would be; instead, she is beautiful. Her movements combined with her wedding gown all make her look extremely graceful. The music is also very nice. I especially enjoy Victor's Piano Solo, not so much the singing though. Overall The Corpse Bride tells of a lovely tale about two people that never could have met, all because of an honest mistake, that combines beautiful music and animations.

Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands (剪刀手爱德华) (1990) tells the tale of Edward Scissorhands, an artificial man that was left with scissors for hands. His name: Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp) He is soon picked up by Avon salesman Peg Boggs and taken into her family. There, he creates a name for himself with his artistic creations by cutting hedges and people's hair. He soon falls in love with Peg's teenage daughter Kim (Winona Ryder). It's a touching tale about someone's attempt to fit in and finding love in the process.

 Johnny Depp portrays an excellent Edward, displaying the innocent and hesitant characteristics that Edward possesses. The creations that Edward creates are most certainly lovely. The suburban town that this movie takes place reminds me very much of the town used in the filming of The Cat in the Hat (2004). While looking at the set, you realize that the movie is fictional, due to the neat roads and lawns and the monochromatic houses. I find the general crowd in the movie to be extremely annoying, and this movie just really reminds people the power of a mob. I also very much enjoy the music, very touching. I admit that I shed a few tears during the movie and I'm usually not one to do that. So if you're looking for a touching movie, go see Edward Scissorhands today.