Alice Through The Looking Glass (2016) film review

Year: 2016
Running Time: 113 minutes
Director: James Bobin
Writers: Lewis Carroll (books), Linda Woolverton (screenplay)
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Sacha Baron Cohen, Alan Rickman, Rhys Ifans, Timothy Spall, Matt Lucas, Lindsay Duncan, Leo Bill

Alice Through The Looking Glass is now showing in cinemas everywhere and is distributed by Walt Disney Motion Pictures

When one thinks about the thought process that must have taken place when deciding to do a sequel to the live action Alice in Wonderland, you could well imagine it would have been along the lines of
"Everyone else is doing it, why not?"

Alice Through The Looking Glass is a cross between a sequel and an en vogue origins film. Underneath it's somewhat monotonous yet very attractive abstract exterior, the film has some interesting and enjoyable character studies of those larger than life personalities made popular by Lewis Carroll in the 1800's. The Tim Burton directed 2010 film had people divided with many not enjoying the over the top spectacle created and the liberties that Disney took with the story and it's characters, while others were quite happy with the film's flamboyancy they felt it captured the true surreal nature of the original story itself.

In the second Disney live-action Alice film, James Bobin takes over the reins from Tim Burton who 's presence is still greatly felt throughout the film as he steps into the role as producer. Alice Through The Looking Glass does not have much in common with the book in which it is based on, "Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found" by Lewis Carroll. In fact, the original Disney animated Alice in Wonderland in 1951 draws more inspiration from this book than this 2016 film does. Disney took great liberties with the 2010 film, which was not entirely a bad thing as it breathed new life into the story that has been adapted many times for film. These liberties continue into the new film which means that the only aspects of it that resemble the book are it's title and that Alice does, funnily enough, re-enter Wonderland through a looking glass.

Upon returning from her voyage as captain of the ship, the Wonder, Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska) find herself still ridiculed for being a woman and is hardly taken seriously when trying to conduct business transactions. When she is starting to lose faith in herself and in the impossible, she is once again transported back to Wonderland through the looking glass and finds her friend, the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) in a terrible state. She is able to help him, but this requires going back in time and altering the past to stop Hatter falling into darkness in the future.

Once again, the great focus on the Mad Hatter in this film does feel as though the filmmakers are trying to maximise the use of Johnny Depp. This is not saying that Depp does a bad job, but it is not a particularly complicated performance either. The relationship with the Hatter that Alice has and had in the first film is far from what Lewis Carroll had in mind when he wrote the book and this is one of the things that audiences found and will find problematic. Had the Mad Hatter been played by anyone else besides Depp would his part in these two films been as large? Quite possibly not. Yet with Tim Burton at the helm in 2010 he was always the obvious choice for the role. Even without Burton, if one had to name the working actor who would make the best Hatter in a live-action Alice in Wonderland, Depp's name would have immediately sprung to mind. However, the right casting of an actor who is known for his quirky roles as one of literature's quirkiest characters still does not do much to ease the uncomfortable thought that the character was reimagined purely to suit him.

Had Alice Through The Looking Glass been purely an origins story about each of the characters and their backgrounds, it may have been a great deal more entertaining and enjoyable. The same can be said for if it was purely a sequel about what happened the next time Alice went to Wonderland. Yet it is the fact that it tries to do both of these things in one film that makes it weak as a whole. Bobin's film does try to be too many things which is where it's impact as a spectacle and as any type of emotional experience is lost. The flying back and forwards between time is not as much confusing as it is purely dizzying and irritating. However, the idea of Time being part man and part machine as portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen is a clever one and is a great addition to the array of interesting characters that already exist in the film and makes the time travel bearable.

With the characters come many opportunities for emotion and depth, particularly with the Mad Hatter's inner torment and between sisters, the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and the White Queen (Anne Hathaway). However, Depp, Carter and Hathaway do give the right amount of emotion for what is written into the story and none give a bad performance by any means, but any more tears or affection would actually seem out of place considering the lack of intensity in the film.

It is a shame because visually Alice Through The Looking Glass is extraordinary and often quite intense, particularly in the opening ocean scenes and when Alice is using the Chronosphere to transport herself back and forward through time. The production design for inside the world that is Wonderland and especially that of Time's castle is extraordinary and the use of colour is magnificent. Yet it is here in the visuals that Alice Through The Looking Glass's power is and not in the screenplay. Although screenwriter Linda Woolverton has attempted to make a film that is intended to be character driven, Bobin has neglected to take the time to allow the audience to sympathize and relate to the characters.

However, Mia Wasikowska should be complimented on her obvious growth as an actress since her breakthrough role as Alice in the 2010 film. Even from the very first scene, she is a great deal more powerful in her delivery than in Alice in Wonderland and like all leading ladies should be, gives the best performance out of anybody in the film. One thing that both the earlier film and this one have tried to do is install a sense of independence into Alice and make her a good role model for young girls, which is something that Wasikowska has been able to accomplish.

Any type of "Alice in Wonderland" adaptation is met with a certain sense of magic and despite the weak and busy screenplay, Alice Through The Looking Glass still maintains a whimsical air.

5.5/10

Les Miserables (2012)

 

 

Year: 2012

Director: Tom Hooper

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen

Before I begin my review….

With the exception of some films which definitely don’t stand a chance, this section of my reviews should be renamed, “ Let’s Talk About Nominations” for the next few months.

And this is one of those films that should.

The big question on everyone’s lips when it comes to Les Miserables and the Oscars or Golden Globes is whether this is Anne Hathaway’s year. One might argue that it has been already with her recent marriage to Adam Shulman and two career milestones playing Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises and Fantine in Les Miserables, but a golden statue or two might just top this off for her.

In all honesty, just from seeing the trailer to Les Miserables I was already in belief that she was going to win the Oscar. I’d tear up every time I heard her sing “I Dreamed A Dream” and I thought that if she was able to do that to me in the trailer, what could she do in the film?

And yes, I was in tears when she sang the whole song in the film. Hathaway has come a long way since we first saw her in The Princess Diaries eleven years ago. She is brilliant every second she is on screen in Les Miserables, but it is in that 4 minutes and 40 seconds of “I Dreamed A Dream” that she has given one of the best performances of a female actress of the year.

Well, I have actually yet to see better if there is going to be.

Team Hathaway for Best Supporting Actress In A Motion Picture.

And Team Jackman for Best Actor In A Musical/Comedy at the Golden Globes. He’s not to be forgotten in the Hathaway hype. If all goes his way, there may well be an Oscar nomination there for him too.

Review

Les Miserables will have its lovers and haters and people will love it for the reasons people will hate it.

If you are familiar with the stage production, then you will love it for how true the film stays to it. However, if you are not and are not prepared for two and a half hours of song with barely any spoken dialogue, then you are probably going to be wishing you were outside the cinema doing something else for that period of time.

Yet, there is no denying that Les Miserables is a beautiful film with amazing cinematography, music and some of the best acting performances of the year. Not to mention you can tell how much hard work has gone into this epic production by director, Tom Hooper.

Based on one of the world’s most popular musical’s and the novel by Victor Hugo, Les Miserables is set in 19^th century France.  Newly released prisoner, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) violates his parole and Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe) is in constant pursuit of him. Valjean turns his life around after being shown kindness by a priest. He encounters a young woman, Fantine (Anne Hathaway) who has turned to prostitution in order to care for her young daughter, Cosette (Isabelle Allen and Amanda Seyfried) and his life is forever changed. He raises Cosette as his own and together they travel to Paris where their journey eventually takes them to the June Rebellion.

Tom Hooper has certainly put his heart and soul into this film, there is no doubting that. Gone are the days when singing is dubbed into the film, as Les Miserables contains all live performances by each of the actors. The musical numbers are wonderfully choreographed and the editing splendid. When you look at how much power is behind the majority of these voices and the brilliant acting that goes along with that, doing that over and over would be an extremely gruelling and exhausting process.

Although the cinematography is breath-taking the majority of the time, there are some moments where it is completely obvious that this is a green screen moment for the stars. Some of the CGI which is supposed to make you believe that characters are actually in a location such as the shipping yard and the night sky of Paris, seem more like live actors set against an animated backdrops.

The highlights of the film are the musical spectacles and the acting involved in them. As these are the focus point, some of the relationships between the characters get lost and the story slows down. This is what can be frustrating about the film. It is a long film and although Hooper tries to make the most of every scene (which he nearly does), the story slows down and you are sometimes so caught up in the main songs that you almost forget what is going on and why they are actually singing the song. However, this is what the musical is all about on stage so it is Hooper staying true to its basis.

Hooper has once again proved that he can direct movie stars to some of their best work. Hugh Jackman  gives his first musical big screen performance (not counting Happy Feet). While no stranger to working in stage musicals, on screen this is new territory for him and he is brilliant. He is captivating from the opening scene of the film and gives an emotionally charged performance. Not to mention his absolutely exquisite singing voice he makes the most of.

Anne Hathaway gives the performance of her career as Fantine. She completely personifies the character and is heartbreaking from her first moment on film to her last. “I Dreamed A Dream” is one of the most amazing musical moments on film in years, where you almost forget that she is singing this beautiful song as you are so captivated by the way her character’s heart is breaking at the realization that all the happiness and freedom to dream happy dreams has been sucked out of her by life.

Russell Crowe is quite lack lustre compared to Jackman and Hathaway. Although he is not bad by any means, he doesn’t give off as cruel a vibe as one would hope in the “villain” of the film. He is serious and there is no problem believing that he is law abiding, but you don’t see in him any of the feelings he is professing to feel when he sings. Therefore his climax in the film does not really seem justified.

Amanda Seyfried, though sweet, is over-shadowed by her fellow actors. She is a lovely Cosette, but Isabelle Allen, who plays the younger Cosette, is even lovelier.

Eddie Redmayne also gives his career best performance so far. It’s actually a lovely shock as to how good he really is in Les Miserables , as he gives a completely different performance to anything he has ever done on screen. “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” is his moment in the film where he shines and shows how much talent he really has.

Samantha Barks makes her film debut as Epinone, a role she has played previously on London’s West End. What a film debut. ”On My Own” is one of the best known Les Miserables songs and Barks performs it with such ease and natural beauty, although it is again one of the most heart breaking moments on screen. During “A Heart Full Of Love” in which Seyfried, Redmayne and Barks all sing, you just want to hear more of Barks.

And Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter are a fantastic team as the comical inn-keepers. Daniel Huttlestone, who plays young Gavroche also gives a wonderful breakthrough performance.

Les Miserables is a must see for any musical fans and especially fans of the original stage musical. Those who aren’t won’t understand the hype, but still won’t be able to deny some of the best acting of the year.

8/10

References
The Official Les Miserables Site
USA Today
Justjared.com
The Internet Movie Database

Hugo (2011)

Hugo

Year:  2011

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helen McCrory, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, Jude Law

Before I begin my review….

                Hugo to me was like having that “Hallelujah” moment where you finally see the light.

                I smiled, I cried and I was devastated when it was over! This was very much a “me” movie in that it contained so many things which I love such as the city of Paris, history, film, books, originality and a director by the name of Martin Scorsese.

                I have to admit, until Hugo I didn’t know much about George Melies, besides that he was the creator of the early film, A Trip To The Moon. When Hugo first speaks of his father telling him about the film he saw where the rocket hit the moon right in the eye, I immediately saw that infamous image from the film in my mind.

                However, of course I had to wonder how much of Hugo is actually based on fact. Not that it really mattered because it made a great story anyway, but it was still intriguing. So I did my research and came up with the answer that everything we see in Hugo about Melies’ professional life is true, but his personal life not so much. I can’t really say too much on this topic without giving away too much about the film.

                I am really looking forward to reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Oh, there is another thing which makes this film complete for me, a Selznick involved! Brian Selznick’s grandfather was the first cousin of none other than David O. Selznick, the producer of many a film in the golden years of Hollywood and was most well known for producing the epic Gone With The Wind.

Review

                It is not often a film like Hugo is brought to our cinema screens.

                Martin Scorsese has taken a chance with this film which is completely different to any other film he has ever made, and has proved that he really can do anything. Hugo is a beautiful film with a fantasy feel to it, yet the characters are so real and real human emotions are dealt with.

                Hugo tells the story of recently orphaned Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield), who lives a quiet life in a train station in Paris in the 1930’s and looks after the clocks there. He feels like the only link he still has to his father (Jude Law) is the automaton which Hugo is trying to fix. His world starts to shift and he is taken on a great adventure when he starts to work for the train station’s unhappy toy maker, George Melies (Ben Kingsley) and meets his god-daughter, Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz). He and Isabelle set out to solve a mystery that will change all their lives forever.

                Hugo is beautiful from the very beginning. It is visually stunning from the opening scene, where the inside of a clock turns into a shot of 1930’s Paris. The visuals make you feel as though you are watching a pretty, fantasy film, but there is nothing to support the notion of this being a fantasy film. Every scene is beautiful in its own way and the recreation of Paris in the early 1900’s is spellbinding.

                The film is for people of all ages. On the surface, Hugo comes across as a children’s film with the protagonist being a child. Yet, there is so much in the film that will keep people of all ages entertained right up until the end.

                It is incredibly hard to fault this film. Scorsese has taken such a risk with bringing the novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick to the screen considering his past resume of films. Hugo is unlike anything he has ever done before and it is truly a triumph for him. The film is so tight and perfectly directed. Everything is done to perfection and every little piece of the film is a masterpiece.

                Asa Butterfield is absolutely superb as Hugo. He is heart-breaking as the orphan who clearly just wants to know where he is going and just misses his father. There is very little in the film of Jude Law, who plays Hugo’s father, and with such a small role, it is unusual to feel the connection between two characters when they appear on screen for so little time together. However, you actually feel more chemistry between Hugo and his father after his father dies. This is a credit to the young Butterfield. He is wonderful.

                Ben Kingsley is also perfect in the role of George Melies. He is the absolute perfect choice for the role, and not just because the resemblance is startling between the two. You really feel Melies’ pain of the past and he is, like Butterfield, heart-breaking. Helen McCrory is also wonderful as Melies’ wife, as she gives an emotionally charged performance and is so likable, even when she isn’t supposed to be.

                Sacha Baron Cohen is also very good in Hugo as the station’s inspector. He is very funny, but in a different way than we are used to. He is charmingly funny and at times you can really see the dramatic actor behind all the comedy. Chloe Grace Moretz is also very good, but her role isn’t as emotionally charged as her co-stars.

                Hugo is the type of film that does not come around very often and is a complete joy to behold. An absolute masterpiece.

9.5/10

Sources
Imdb.com
Welcome to The Invention of Hugo Cabret