Alice in Wonderland

Hello!  Welcome!

Before we begin, I would like to tell any parents reading this, not to take your sick kids to the movies.  There was a little boy sitting behind me coughing the entire time.  Also, please do not have a 5-minute phone conversation during and movie.  Please, be considerate of other people.  Thank you.

Today is the opening day of a film that I highly anticipated.  The name of the movie is Alice in Wonderland.  I was so excited to see it!  I love the work of Tim Burton and there were some very well known actors in it too.  Johnny Depp, Helena Bohnam Carter, and Anne Hathaway, to name a few.  I was also very excited to see how the new Alice (Mia Wasikowska) would turn out.  Anyways, time to review.

Title: Alice in Wonderland
Genre: Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG

Summary: Alice Kingsley, now 19, attends a party at a Victorian estate shortly after the death of her beloved father.  Alice spots a white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and pocket watch.  In shock and confusion, she runs off into a maze and follows the White Rabbit through it.  She eventually tumbles down a rabbit hole into Underland, more commonly referred to as "Wonderland" by its inhabitants.  She had visited this place 10 years earlier, but had entirely forgotten about it.  She is also told that she is the only one who can slay the Jabberwocky, the dragon who terrorizes the inhabitants of Wonderland under the rule of the Red Queen.

Review: -sigh- Where do I begin?  I was pretty disappointed with the marvelous Tim Burton's rendition of Alice in Wonderland, a story that truly do enjoy.  I think the main reason I wasn't too happy with it is that it didn't have a very genuine Tim Burton feel.  Sure it had kooky characters and dark elements. but it just wasn't the same.  I think the reason being is that Burton nearly ALWAYS uses physical set and very few CGI effects.  "Alice" did not have that.  The backgrounds and such were most definitly green or blue screen and almost all the characters had to have a touch of CGI to them.  Example, Johnny Depp's eyes were increased in size 15% and Helena Bohnam Carters head was increased neary double its size!  Also, alot of the animal-like creatures (Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit, Jabberwocky, etc.) had to be done using CGI.  Also, you kind of forget you're watching it in 3-D, which was not worth the $16 admission at my local theatre.

       One of the elements I did enjoy was the costume design.  Mostly, the changing of Alice's dresses due to her changes in size.  I also liked the set of the White Queen's palace which was one set that did have a genuine feel to it.  Everything on the Red Queen's side of Underland seemed like nuclear wasteland.  I also liked most of the bits of humor throughout mostly coming from the Red Queen.  The Mad Hatter's humour was more intended for little kids.

       Overall, I feel like this was not Tim Burton's best piece of work.  I missed the genuine sets and disliked the usage of CGI which is fairly new to Buton's films.  Had the film been PG-13 he could've gotten away with something darker and wierder (which is what I was expecting).  Also, this movie is better for kids and tweens.  Don't really take it too seriously.  And any die-hard "Alice" fans out there, do not get your hopes up.

Grade:  C (unfortunatly)

The Lovely Bones (film)

Wow, It has been WAY too long since I have reviewed anything.  If you read my last post you'll understand why.  Anyways, I plan on writing a book review in about 3 weeks (just if you're wondering).  I am constantly seeing new movies and I feel I haven't lived up to my url's name. After all it is robBOOKblog.blogspot.com.  Anyways, I got a bootleg copy of a movie that has sparked alot of controversy.  Teenage girl's love it, critics hate it.  I am talking of course about The Lovely Bones. Here's my review.

Title: The Lovely Bones
Genre: Fantasy/Suspense/SUPAH CREEPY
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Summary: Director Peter Jackson attempts to adapt Alice Sebold's best-selling novel concerning a murdered 14-year old who watches from the inbetween as her family attempts to cope with their devastating loss and tracks her killer as he stealthily covers his tracks.
Review: Like almost every film there is good and bad.  I'll flip a coin for what goes first. Heads bad tails good.  Heads it is! No joke, I seriously flipped a coin. Haha!  Okay where do I begin? Let's start with the creepy factor. This was officialy the creepiest movie I have ever seen.  Stanley Tucci's performance as the killer was impeccable.  Just looking at the character, you can tell he's a major creeper.  This was not pleasant considering he was in the majority of the movie.  Another thing I did not like was how dragged out some scenes were, especially the murder scene.  Nothing graphic was shown.  However, the scene was about 15 minutes long and every second was grueling.  Another creepy part was the scene immediately following the murder in which Susie (the girl who was murdered) watches as her killer cleans the blood of his body, shoes, and home.  I could not stand it.  One thing I thought was way too intense was when Susie sees all the bodies of her killer's past victims. Overall, I found the movie way too creepy.  I also didn't like how the movie didn't go into depth of a sub-plot involving Susie's love intrest and a mysterious girl whom we assume will play a larger role as advertised in trailers and the beggining of the feature. Quick note: the ending will leave you biting your nails wondering "OH NO!" but don't worry I was semi-satisfied.
       Don't worry though, there were about two things I happened to enjoy about the movie.  The first thing I enjoyed was the acting.  I really was super creeped out by Stanley Tucci as the killer (as mentioned previously) which means he did his job.  I also think that Susan Sarandon's role as the awesome grandma was phenominal.  The supporting roles played by two teenagers whos names I do not know as Ray and Ruth were pretty good even though they only got like 5 minutes of screen time.  I am typically not a huge fan of Mark Wahlberg although he did a great job as Susie's obsessed yet loving dad.  Also, the girl who played Susie's sister was pretty good.  The second thing I liked were the special effects.  Peter Jackson's movies always have great ones. The third thing I liked was the portrayal of life in the 1970's.  Everything from the clothes to the houses to Susie's opening lines.
       As you can see, I didn't particularly enjoy the movie because it was too creepy.  However, the acting, visuals, and pertraying of suburban life in the 1970's.
Grade: C+

The Sorceress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #3)

HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SOPHIE AND JOSH NEWMAN!  You'll see who I'm talking about. It seems like its been way too long since I've last posted! About a whole month! Welcome back!

Title: The Sorceress
Author: Michael Scott
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology
Summary (Straight from the Publisher): Nicholas Flamel's heart almost broke as he watched his beloved Paris crumble before him. The city was destroyed by Dee and Machiavelli, but Flamel played his own role in the destruction. Sophie and Josh Newman show every sign of being the twins of prophecy, and Flamel had to protect them and the pages from the Dark Elders. But Nicholas grows weaker with each passing day. Perenelle is still trapped in Alcatraz, and now that Scatty has gone missing, the group is without protection. Except for Clarent—the sister sword to Excalibur. But Clarent’s power is unthinkable, its evil making it nearly impossible to use without its darkness seeping into the soul of whoever wields it. If he hopes to defeat Dee, Nicholas must find an Elder who can teach Josh and Sophie the third elemental magic—Water Magic. The problem? The only Elder who can do that is Gilgamesh, and he is quite, quite insane.
Review: I have semi-mixed feelings about The Sorceress.  There were some things I absolutly loved about it and other things that could've been better.  Let's start with the bad news.  If you've read the first two books in this series (which I highly recommend) you may find this quite similar with the second event wise.  Sophie and Josh find other immortal humans with Nicholas, sub-plots develop throughout, elemental magic learned, more sub-plot, confrontation with enemy / climax battle, very short yet shocking falling actions BOOM end of book leaving you waiting for so much more.  In a nutshell, the downfalls were the repetion of plot, too many rising actions, and lack of falling actions.  Okay now, out with the bad in with the good!  The main thing that drew me to the series which keeps me reading is how the author takes components of mythologies of Celtic, Egyptian, and Roman descent and combines them with the real world much as the Percy Jackson series (great series for tweens) did.  I also like the constant change of setting and fast pace of the series.  In the first book they were in San Fracisco, the second Paris, and now London and Stonehenge.  Another thing I enjoyed was the ending of one subplot which was half a book too long and the beginning of a new and very scary one.  Unfortunately, we only got a taste of this new one.  The very best thing about this book was the last paragraph which will leave you breathless. I know it did to me!
Grade: B+

It's Been A While! Lots to review!

HI PEOPLE!!
I havent posted since school has started and I have three things I need to rewiew.  But first, I need to say my new guidelines.  I will only be reviewing new things.  This includes movies I see withing two weeks of its release, and books that are still available in hardcover only.  However if I read or see something that has to do with current events I will post about that too.  Also, I will be limiting the info I give before I review.  By the way todays reviews will be ultra short and get my point across.

MINI REVIEW #1
Title: Where the Wild Things Are
Genre: Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG
Summary: 9-year old Max gets mad at his mom and sets off into the wilderness and finds a bunch of wild things whom he becomes friends with.
Review: A kids movie with great themes. However, this movie was designed more for adults than kids.  Great artistic and moral value in this film. Very mysterious as well. All in all, it was great! Very thought provoking.
Grade: A

MINI REVIEW #2
Title: Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea
Author: Chelsea Handler
Genre: Memoir
Summary: Comedian Chelsea Handler recolects on some funny events in her life.
Review: Chelsea is funny as ever in her second book and it's great to listen to her own experiences in her own words.  I really hear her presence and it's almost as funny as hearing her on TV.
Grade: B+

MINI REVIEW #3
Title: Leviathan
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Illustrator: Keith Thompson
Series: Leviathan
Genre: Steampunk, Alternate History
Summary: Son of the recently murdered Arch Duke Ferdinand, Aleksander tries to go into hiding.  Scottish 15-year old Deryn Sharp is a girl posing as a boy to serve in the British Navy.  Somehow their lives will cross paths and the world may never be the same in this alternate history of WWI. They are on opposite sides of the war. Alek is a clanker, the side that uses heavy machinery to fight.  Deryn is a Darwinist, the side that uses fabricated animals to fight.
Review:  It's by Scott Westerfeld.  Therefore, it is great.  The 50 illustrations in this book made it much more enjoyable.  It is great to see the beginning of another trilogy by Scott Westerfeld.  The characters were very developed and as always, this alternate world is very advanced.  A great read for young adults and keeps you anticipated for the second and third to come.
Grade: B+