We saw Alice Through the Looking Glass last weekend. I admit, I'm not a big fan of Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and I don't think I've read Through the Looking Glass, but I really like Burton's Alice and this sequel. From what I can tell, this movie doesn't have much to do with the book anyway.
First, the visuals are amazing. It's just a gorgeous movie. Just sit back and enjoy it.
Alice goes back in time to try to save the Hatter's family. Time warns her that you can't change the past, but you can learn from it. Alice tries, anyway, but soon understands he's right. I'm not a big fan of time travel, but I don't mind it so much when you can't actually change anything, when it self-corrects, so to speak.
Of course, we get a happy ending. Family is important, both for the Hatter and Alice, and we need to let each other know how important they are to us...
Cinderella is a lovely movie. Cinderella is told by her dying mother to have courage and be kind, and that's the motto she lives by, even after her dad dies and her step-mother and step-sisters are just horrible to her. At least her reason for hanging around makes some sense. It's pretty faithful to the 1950s cartoon version, which on the one hand is nice. It's a sweet story with a happy ending, but I would have liked to see a little something different. I guess I've become used to re-tellings that twist the stories a bit.
Lily James is a nice choice for Cinderella. She's not a tough girl, but she's strong, she keeps going no matter what life throws at her and tries to be positive. Yes, she talks to animals. And I loved her first meeting with the prince. They were both sweet and kind and smiling. Cate Blanchett is perfect as the evil step-mother. She's nasty, but at...
We all know the danger of seeing a movie after reading the book - the movie rarely lives up to its promise. While Into the Woods is based on a musical, not a book, we did see the musical a couple of years ago and it's impossible not to compare the two. But the musical is based on fairy tales, which comes back to being based on books - all a little confusing really. But the plot, while involving lots of folks pulls it all together well.
I liked the movie, even if it didn't quite live up to my expectations when I heard people saying run, don't walk, to see it. It's enjoyable, full of great characters and stories, ones we're familiar with but whose stories don't turn out the way they traditionally do. I think, for me, the live performance is a little better, but the movie is definitely worth seeing.
A couple of things:
I found the Little Red Riding Hood...