Holiday Movie Viewing
It seems like I always watch more movies when I go home for Christmas than I do at any point during the year. This year was no exception. Not counting Miracle on 34th Street and Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, I saw five movies this holiday season, which might be a new record for me. So, here they are, in the order I saw them:
SciFi's Alice
(They can try to rebrand themselves all they want, but they can't make me use their ridiculous spelling.) I've been wanting to see this modern take of Alice in Wonderland for a while. It's from the same people behind Tin Man, which I enjoyed... at least until it totally unravel during the second half. Maybe that's why Alice has been in my Netflix queue forever but I never got around to watching it. But I happened to catch it television when I was home and totally got sucked in. (And so did my mom, which is saying something because she doesn't much care for sci-fi or fantasy. The fact that all three of her kids eat this stuff with a spoon is an endless source of amusement to us all.) The plot was much tighter and the ending far more satisfying than Tin Man, but what really made it for me was the Alice/Hatter ship. OMG! Seriously, I loved that pairing so much that I immediately started looking for fic. (And I sort of added a Hatter/Alice fic to my Great List of Doom. I couldn't help myself!) I think I might have to check out Primeval now, just because of Andrew-Lee Potts. Even my mom commented that the actor who played Hatter was excellent.
Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland
Apparently, this was my holiday for Lewis Carroll adaptations, because not two days after we saw Alice, my mom and I watched Alice In Wonderland. I've heard some mixed reviews about the film, but I loved it to bits. The movie was stunning to look at and cast was amazing. Strangely (because I do like her), Anne Hathaway was the only one I found disappointing. I think it's because, even though she's been in a fair amount of comedies, she's now such a Serious Dramatic Actress, she hasn't quite learned how to make lunacy seem natural. Or maybe because Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter raised the bar so high there's just no way to reach their level. One of the things I loved was in the beginning of the film, everyone she met was meant to remind you of someone from Wonderland, like the Queen of Hearts, the Caterpillar or the Tweedles. But in the classic familiar sense (even physically), rather than the character interpretation that we will meet in this film. It was a nice twist on a familiar trope.
Invictus
Another film I've been wanting to see for a while. I have less to say about this one, mostly because if I try it will just come out trite and corny. But I'm so glad I watched it and would highly recommend it to anyone.
Harry Potter & The Deathly Hollows Part 1
In contrast, I have so much to say about this one that I'm going to save it for a separate post. But be prepared for another shipper's rant. It's totally unavoidable this time.
My Favorite Year
My mom insisted that we watch this when it came on TCM and I'm so glad she did. I laughed so hard. I have to say, working on Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows had to be an incredible experience considering how Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, and Carl Reiner all later turned to their time as writers on the show for inspiration.But it's Peter O'Toole's Errol Flynn-like character that makes the movie. I loved him in How To Steal A Million, but it's nothing compared to this! I haven't enjoyed a "modern classic" film (aka any post-black & white film that's at least 20 years old) this much since Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid!
So there you have it. Quaggy's holiday movie guide in a nutshell and I loved each and every one. Now do yourself a favor and go watch one of them!
SciFi's Alice
(They can try to rebrand themselves all they want, but they can't make me use their ridiculous spelling.) I've been wanting to see this modern take of Alice in Wonderland for a while. It's from the same people behind Tin Man, which I enjoyed... at least until it totally unravel during the second half. Maybe that's why Alice has been in my Netflix queue forever but I never got around to watching it. But I happened to catch it television when I was home and totally got sucked in. (And so did my mom, which is saying something because she doesn't much care for sci-fi or fantasy. The fact that all three of her kids eat this stuff with a spoon is an endless source of amusement to us all.) The plot was much tighter and the ending far more satisfying than Tin Man, but what really made it for me was the Alice/Hatter ship. OMG! Seriously, I loved that pairing so much that I immediately started looking for fic. (And I sort of added a Hatter/Alice fic to my Great List of Doom. I couldn't help myself!) I think I might have to check out Primeval now, just because of Andrew-Lee Potts. Even my mom commented that the actor who played Hatter was excellent.
Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland
Apparently, this was my holiday for Lewis Carroll adaptations, because not two days after we saw Alice, my mom and I watched Alice In Wonderland. I've heard some mixed reviews about the film, but I loved it to bits. The movie was stunning to look at and cast was amazing. Strangely (because I do like her), Anne Hathaway was the only one I found disappointing. I think it's because, even though she's been in a fair amount of comedies, she's now such a Serious Dramatic Actress, she hasn't quite learned how to make lunacy seem natural. Or maybe because Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter raised the bar so high there's just no way to reach their level. One of the things I loved was in the beginning of the film, everyone she met was meant to remind you of someone from Wonderland, like the Queen of Hearts, the Caterpillar or the Tweedles. But in the classic familiar sense (even physically), rather than the character interpretation that we will meet in this film. It was a nice twist on a familiar trope.
Invictus
Another film I've been wanting to see for a while. I have less to say about this one, mostly because if I try it will just come out trite and corny. But I'm so glad I watched it and would highly recommend it to anyone.
Harry Potter & The Deathly Hollows Part 1
In contrast, I have so much to say about this one that I'm going to save it for a separate post. But be prepared for another shipper's rant. It's totally unavoidable this time.
My Favorite Year
My mom insisted that we watch this when it came on TCM and I'm so glad she did. I laughed so hard. I have to say, working on Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows had to be an incredible experience considering how Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, and Carl Reiner all later turned to their time as writers on the show for inspiration.But it's Peter O'Toole's Errol Flynn-like character that makes the movie. I loved him in How To Steal A Million, but it's nothing compared to this! I haven't enjoyed a "modern classic" film (aka any post-black & white film that's at least 20 years old) this much since Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid!
So there you have it. Quaggy's holiday movie guide in a nutshell and I loved each and every one. Now do yourself a favor and go watch one of them!