Alice In Wonderland (2010)

Alice in Wonderland, the much-hyped collaboration between director Tim Burton and the Disney company, is a live-action version of Lewis Carroll’s beloved classic. While not a direct sequel to the 1951 Disney animated feature film of the same name, this version uses the animated film as a springboard of sorts.

In this version of Alice, the titular character is now a young woman in her late teens, who returns to Wonderland to escape from an arranged (and surprise, for her at least) engagement party in Victorian London. Pressured, and totally not ready to answer the marriage proposal of a snobbish aristocrat, Alice runs away to follow the White Rabbit, who leads her down through the rabbit hole (viewers of the 3D version – this part was one of highlights of the 3D visual effects!), and into a whole new adventure in Wonderland.

When word first got out of Burton working on Alice for Disney, and Johnny Depp being involved in the project, expectations ran high. Burton is known for crafting dark and twisting universes, and Wonderland, the story where most of Alice takes place, seemed like a fitting candidate to be transformed by Burton’s vision. And Depp, known for inhabiting the zaniest of roles, would make the perfect Mad Hatter – no one else would seem to be able to fit in!

However, this movie’s Wonderland may not be what some might expect. This film’s setting is a bit darker, yes, but not a Burton-esque dark. Wonderland, or Underland as it is referred to by the characters in the film, is suffering due to the rule of the Red Queen (Bonham-Carter), hence the dilapidated, decaying look of some of the locales. However, it is not all gloomy – if anything, it just seems like a dreamier but less psychedelic version of the old animated film’s Wonderland. Burton still manages to create a fantastic universe, that I think, 3D or not, is quite beautiful.

The rest of the effects were nicely done, not too realistic as to lose the “magic” and dream-like state of Wonderland, but not too cartoony either, creating a fantastic world that feels “just right.”

Mia Wasikowska as Alice in Alice in Wonderland (2010).

Johnny Depp plays another weird role as the Mad Hatter, evoking Madonna with his gap-toothed smile, and channeling Edward Scissorhands and his version of Willy Wonka at the same time. It’s a more subdued, subtler Hatter, and not quite what I expected (but in a good way). He is less manic and more introspective, though still prone to bursts of zaniness, and I think it works for the character.

The actress who stole the show has to be Mia Wasikowska, a 19-year-old revelation from Australia, who was astounding as Alice. She portrays Alice magnificently. Screenwriter Linda Woolverton (known for writing Beauty and the Beast and co-wrote The Lion King) wrote Alice as the young girl growing up pressured to conform to Victorian norms, but who has grown into a bit of a rebel and is a strong-willed young woman looking to find her own path. Wasikowska portrays the character amazingly, as Alice journeys through Wonderland and becomes an empowered heroine.

The supporting cast was solid too. Helena Bonham-Carter steals the show as the big-headed (literally) Red Queen, with deadpan lines that can’t help but make you laugh. George McFly Crispin Glover is thoroughly creepy as the Knave of Hearts, spindly and quite manipulative. (Quite the opposite of the guy who used to get beat up by Biff Tannen.)

Helena Bonham-Carter as the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland (2010).

Anne Hathaway was a bit of a weak link, as her White Queen evokes a dreamy, kind-of-hippie noble – a bit too…airheaded, for lack of a better term. I got that she was the noble, gentle queen, but her channeling Luna Lovegood of the Harry Potter franchise didn’t suit Hathaway too well, I think. The voice acting was superb, with Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar and Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat taking the cake. Others of note were Matt Lucas as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, who served as great comic relief, and Christopher Lee as the dreaded Jabberwocky, who was rightfully menacing.

One of the things I liked best about the film is the recurring theme is how Alice firmly believes that she is in but a dream, proclaiming that “this is my dream, you’re all just figments of my imagination!” A poignant scene with her and The Hatter occur, in which the realism of dreams is called into question, adding to the depth of meaning in the film. The payoff at the end was worth it, and while younger audiences will enjoy the visuals and the basic plot, the film offers adult viewers with something to digest as they leave the theatre.

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Review: Alice In Wonderland (2010) - Pinoy Idle

A lot of people (me included) thought that The Hurt Locker and Avatar would split the awards, with Bigelow taking home the Best Director plum, and Avatar winning Best Picture.

Bigelow is the first woman in the 82-year history of the Oscars to earn the Best Director award.

The Hurt Locker and Avatar came in with 9 nominations each. Avatar won the Oscars for Visual Effects, Art Direction, and Cinematography. In addition to the Best Picture and Best Director awards, The Hurt Locker took home the Film editing, Sound editing, Sound mixing, and Best Original Screenplay.

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El Nino - Pinoy Idle

Step 1: Read the dominant hand, the one the person uses to write with.

Markedly different lines between the two hands indicate a person who has worked hard to change their basic nature as the dominant hand represents the present and the passive hand represents inherited traits.

Step 2: Know how to view the lines

Horizontal lines are viewed from the thumb-side, across. While vertical lines are viewed from the wrist-side, up. (Nothing to interpret here)

Step 3: Start with the top horizontal line, or the “heart line”

A line that’s close to the fingers indicates a passionate, sometimes jealous person. A line that runs straight across the palm indicates a person that keeps a tight rein on their emotions. If it curves up towards the ring finger, the person is more outwardly affectionate.

Additional: Gaps on the heart line suggest the person has known heartbreak.

Additional: Short lines that cross the heart line suggest a flirtatious person, that person has a hard time staying faithful.

Step 4: Look at the next horizontal line, which is the “head line”. Note that for some people this will be the same as their “heart line”.

A line that runs straight across the hand (like the one shown) indicates a logical, no-non-sense thinker. A zigzag line indicates a mind that tends to wander. If the line curves downward toward the wrist, the person is creative and trusting.

Step 5: Examine the third major horizontal line, the “life line”, which runs from the side of the thumb arcing down to the wrist.

A strong deep line suggests a person who is enthusiastic about life with a drive to reach their full potential, while a faint line indicates someone with less ambition. (The life line has nothing to do with how long a person will live.)

Step 6: Check out the “fate line”, the vertical line at the center of the palm.

A strong straight line indicates a person with a focused career. A faint line suggests someone less happy with their job. Forks and branches (i.e., the line is not straight) suggests many starts and stops in the person’s career path – the person will be frequently moving from one job to another.

Step 7: Your fate is not on your hands but in your hands… yadayadayada. (The usual disclaimer the crooks give after giving their readings)

I recommend watching the video for yourself. I had fun reading my own palm and found out I am a passionate person who is not a logical thinker, but creative, trusting, hates his job, and not ambitious. Great for a few laughs and as I said, the video was very well made.

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Basics of Palm Reading - Pinoy Idle

Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief (2010)

Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief tells the story of Percy Jackson (Lerman), a regular kid struggling with dyslexia and ADHD. Soon enough, though, Percy discovers that his “disabilities” are really because he isn’t a regular kid – he is a demigod, borne of Poseidon, Greek god of the sea, and a mortal woman. And never mind that he just found out that he is the son of a god – Percy is also being hunted, accused of stealing Zeus’ lightning, the most powerful weapon in the world. If not returned, this could lead to a war between the Greek gods and the end of the world as we know it.

In the tradition of the old Greek stories, Percy is accompanied by his guardian satyr/best friend Grover (Jackson), and the demigoddess Annabeth (Daddario) in his quest to not only save the world by appeasing the angry Zeus and finding “the lightning thief,” but also to save his human mother from the clutches of Hades, god of the underworld.

Percy Jackson is a fun, modern take on the myths of old. I’m a sucker for Greek mythology, and it was fun to see how the filmmakers transplanted some of the tales into modern day America, including some lesser known myths. Of course, it’s not only the gods that are present – creatures and other characters of the myths make appearances, including a harpy, a minotaur, the wise centaur Chiron, and the gorgon Medusa (played splendidly by Uma Thurman, channeling her inner Poison Ivy), among others.

Director Chris Columbus, the director of various kids’ classics such as Gremlins and Home Alone, brings his experience in directing the first two Harry Potter films into this new book-based fantasy franchise. Unfortunately, Percy Jackson also suffers a bit from his pacing, which, like on his work in Potters 1 and 2, can be a little off. The transitions between scenes could have used some better fine-tuning too.

The movie is saved because aside from excellent visual effects, it sports decent acting from the young leads, despite the direction and sometimes-forced script. Most impressive were Logan Lerman (who also impressed me as Christian Bale’s son in the 2007 remake of 3:10 To Yuma) and Brandon T. Jackson, as Percy and Grover, whose onscreen chemistry is great. Jake Abel and Alexandra Daddario, as the other main demigods, were decent, but not “wow.” The adult actors, on the other hand, seemed to have a ton of fun with their roles and scripts (sometimes a little too much fun – “I dated your daddy!” – Medusa), and while there were some initial shocks regarding the casting (in a good way), they played out nicely enough.

Percy Jackson is far from perfect, but is an enjoyable film for kids, and will probably make enough to merit a sequel (and yes, I’m looking forward to it). It’s not as good as the Potter films (and those aren’t even the best fantasy sagas), but will certainly get some more people to brush up on their Greek mythology in anticipation for the sequel, and most probably in anticipation to read the novels. A lot of other franchises could certainly do worse.

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1. Review: Percy Jackson & The Olympians
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Review: Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief (2010) - Pinoy Idle

Catch the First Philippine International Pyromusical Competition in SM Mall of Asia (MOA) every Sunday, 7pm, until March 14. This has already started last Feb 14 (in time for Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year) with USA showing off in the opening salvo. Last Feb 21, it was UK and China’s turn to get MOA excited. This coming Sunday, Feb 28, France and Japan will light up the Manila Bay sky with fireworks synchronized to awesome music.

The 1st Philippine International Pyromusical Competition

What: The 1st Philippine International Pyromusical Competition

When: February 14 to March 14, 2010

Where: SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City. (Here’s how to get to Mall of Asia)

Who: Participants are: USA, UK, China, France, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and our very own the Philippines.

Schedule:
USA (Pyrofire Displays) - February 14 (7pm)
UK (Jubilee Fireworks) - February 21 (7pm)
China (Liuyang Jinsheng Fireworks) - February 21 (8pm)
France (Brezac Artifices) - February 28 (7pm)
Japan (Tamaya Kitahara Fireworks) - February 28 (8pm)
Singapore (Redhub Entertainment) - March 7 (7pm)
Malaysia (Pyro-Splendour Services) - March 7 (8pm)
Australia (Howards & Sons) - March 14 (7pm)
Philippines (Platinum Fireworks) - March 14 (8pm)

Ticket Prices:
P 1,500 - VIP w/Dinner
P 500 - VIP
P 300 - Gold
P 150 - Silver
P 100 - General Admissions

So what are you waiting for? The pyromusical has arrived! Visit the Pyrolympics site for more details.

[Postscript: It should be duly noted that this is not in any way related to the World Pyro Olympics that was postponed last year. Last update was that the event site is not suitable for the competition because of the incessant rains last December. No updates yet so far if that competition will push through from their site but the organizers welcome refunds.]

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First Pyromusical Olympics in Mall of Asia! - Pinoy Idle

Percy Jackson & The Olympians is a five-book adventure series written by Rick Riordan. It tells the stories of Percy Jackson (duh!), the Son of Poseidon (the Greek God of the Sea), and Percy’s battle against the bad guys (no spoilers here!). The series is a kid’s book, targeted for intermediate readers, but young-at-heart adults will most definitely enjoy the series.

The best thing I find about the series is how it adapted the stories of Greek mythology. For someone who did not study mythology in high school, I found the series very educating. The Greek mythology theme is cute and somewhat original, amidst all the pop culture allusions to vampires and werewolves, wizards and witches. This series also earns plus points for adapting various short myths and tales into the novels.

Some may find it disturbing that Rick Riordan has moved the setting to America. For example, Mount Olympus is now located at the 600th floor of the Empire State Building. Gods, goddesses, monsters and other mythological creatures can dress down and adapt to the modern world. Greek mythology purists might not enjoy it, but the modern setting gives the series a nice twist and makes it easier for younger readers to follow the plot, creating an entertaining retelling of Greek mythology.

Since the series is (basically) about the battle between good versus evil, it is sort of like a shorter and simpler version of the Harry Potter series. J.K. Rowling used fantastic creatures from mythologies all around the world in the Potter books, after all. In Percy Jackson, there are several characters that are remind me so much of characters from the boy wizard’s saga. Some scenes in Percy Jackson, unfortunately, also remind me strongly of scenes from the HP series, so that it sometimes feels like an uncomfortable sense of reading deja vu.

Of course, like most young adult series, the “puppy love” element is not lost in the series. Admittedly, it is one of the most interesting conflicts that I look forward to in reading the books. To quote from one of the books: “Not knowing is half the fun,” Aphrodite said. “Exquisitely painful, isn’t it? Not being sure who you love and who loves you?”

In summary, Percy Jackson & The Olympians is a nice, light read. It takes you away from reality for a short fun ride with the rich mythology of the Greek gods, goddesses and heroes, all set in modern day New York. Those expecting an epic saga shouldn’t get their hopes up too much - this series was made for kids, after all. I doubt that the series will leave you with the exhilirating feeling that one might get from reading Harry Potter, or the heavy emotions and connections that one might forge with other fantasy sagas, but one thing’s for sure: Percy Jackson & The Olympians is one heck of a fun ride.

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Review: Percy Jackson & The Olympians - Pinoy Idle

Dear John (2010)

Dear John is a romantic drama that tells the love story of John, a young soldier played by G.I. Joe and Step Up star Channing Tatum, and Savannah, a college student played by Mamma Mia and Jennifer’s Body star Amanda Seyfried.

Eye candy aside, the story is basically this: “bad” boy meets girl, they fall in love, bad boy becomes good boy, but then, life happens. In my opinion, after A Walk to Remember, this was the next most tolerable movie based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.

I don’t want to give a review on how the movie was played, or how the actors portrayed their characters, because it is a Nicholas Sparks movie, after all. You walk in the movie house and you know what to expect - a love story that usually is also a mush fest. All the Sparks elements are there - the small town setting, the “symbolism” of their love, and the “tragedy” that will test their love for each other. In the middle of the movie, you start to play a guessing game. Which of these characters will die (because it’s almost a Sparks’ trademark already)? How will the lead characters overcome whatever inevitable tragedy befalls them, and move on?

However, this one was still able to surprise me. Despite following the basic formula for a Sparks drama, the film managed a bit of variety that somehow made the film more “ok” than “too mushy.” (You’ll have to watch it to find out!)

That didn’t prevent me from wondering what the heck hit me to watch this movie while walking out of the movie house as the credits rolled though. Others may feel vulnerable, ready to feel the emotions that comes with what they see as falling in love. Some, like me, believe that the 160 pesos for my ticket was best spent appreciating Channing Tatum while he was surfing, or working out, or just wearing that crisp army uniform.

By the way, belated happy hearts day to all!

(The film managed to knock off Avatar off it’s perch atop the US box office for one weekend, with a strong showing on Super Bowl weekend - a clever move on the part of the studio, as they also timed the release near Valentine’s Day. - Ed.)

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Review: Dear John (2010) - Pinoy Idle

This version of the popular TV series originally came under fire for casting Caucasians in roles that were obviously (from the series) Asian. Despite the protests from fans, the film looks good to go. I’m not thrilled with the casting choices, but I reckon I’d still give them a chance. Dev Patel, the star of Slumdog Millionaire, stars as the villain of the film, Prince Zuko.

It’ll be interesting to see how director M. Night Shyamalan, more known for his suspense films such as The Sixth Sense, The Village, and Signs, will handle a straight-up adaptation of the animated series.

The Last Airbender (2010)

The Last Airbender is slated for a July 2010 release.

Trailer originally came to my knowledge via FilmDrunk

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Movie News: The Last Airbender full trailer - Pinoy Idle

UPDATE [Feb 17, 2010]: Pyrolympics has moved to SM Mall of Asia and it will be held every Sunday, 7pm from February 21 to March 14, 2010. We will post another update once we get the formal details. Please visit out new entry on Pyrolympics in Mall of Asia for participants, schedules, and information.

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World Pyrolympics now in Mall of Asia - Pinoy Idle