FILMS ... with Tim Milfull
Alice in Wonderland (PG)
Director: Tim Burton Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway
Rating: 4.5/5
109-minutes, screening from March 4
The only surprising thing about Tim Burton directing a version of Alice in Wonderland is that it has taken so long to come to fruition – but given the wondrous result, many will agree that it was well worth the wait.
Collaborating with Linda Woolverton – whose most famous credit to this point was a little film called The Lion King – Burton brings an interesting new twist to the Lewis Carroll tales Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, introducing us to a nineteen-year-old Alice (the latest Aussie to assault Hollywood, Mia Wasikowska), who is dreading the prospect of fulfilling her mother’s wishes to marry well.
After narrowly avoiding a marriage proposal, Alice tumbles down a rabbit-hole and promptly decides that since subsequent bizarre events must be a dream, she will maintain the firmest grip on what unfolds. And as all fans of the novels will appreciate, these are most bizarre and curious events indeed: diminutive but very wide twins (played by Little Britain’s Matt Lucas); a randomly appearing Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry) mellifluous in voice, attitude, and manoeuvre; a curmudgeonly caterpillar (Alan Rickman); an insanely jealous and self-interested Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and her absent-minded sister, the White Queen (Anne Hathaway); and finally, the delightfully unpredictable Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp).
The preview I saw was in Real-3D, and made Avatar look almost primitive, which says much considering how much I enjoyed James Cameron’s film. If I had any complaint, it would be to slam Danny Elfman’s choice of Avril Lavigne to sing over the closing credits; then again, Alice in Wonderland wasn’t really made for me but for tweens and teens – I won’t hold it against him.
Director’s debut proves firth-class
A Single Man (M)
Director: Tom Ford Stars: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore
Rating: 4/5
99-minutes, now screening
Tom Ford might be more recognisable to some people as a fashion photographer and designer of clothing and fragrances, but this very successful creative recently branched out into cinema, adapting, directing, and producing a film version of Christopher Isherwood’s seminal sixties novel, A Single Man.
Ignoring some not so quiet whispers mentioning the words “vanity project”, Ford chose to finance the entire project himself, and the aesthetics of his quite beautiful film hint at the influence of two very influential art-house directors: Hong Kong’s Wong Kar Wai and Pedro Almodovar from Spain.
In his film, Ford slots Colin Firth firmly into the role of George, a forty-something college professor quietly mourning the death of his long-term lover, Jim (Matthew Goode). As the movie opens, George is going methodically through the motions of preparing for his last day on Earth, and all the while, friends, acquaintances, and new temptations skip in and out of his life.
This simple premise – the novel was less than two-hundred pages – unfolds into a fascinating examination of one man’s grief and the single-minded remedy that he thinks will offer relief, or at least oblivion. Ford’s visual aesthetic echoes those of Wong Kar Wai – with delicate slo-mo and grainy flashbacks – and Almodovar’s vivid palette, but Ford stamps his own mark on the film, with impeccable fashion and architecture complementing excellent performances from Firth, Moore and others.
This lush, achingly tragic story presses all the right buttons, and has me hoping that Ford found the experience of making A Single Man rewarding enough to step behind the camera again.
France flavour of the month at Palace
Alliance Française French Film Festival 2010 – March 17 to 31
More details at www.palacecinemas.com.au
Some festival news this week, with the Alliance Française French Film Festival touring through Brisbane in the latter half of March. Before the traditional after-party at Palace Centro on James St, the AFFFF will screen Micmacs, the latest film from magic realist director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and from all reports this new effort is a melange of his earlier works, Delicatessen and Amelie, which really says a great deal.
I managed to catch several previews, including Army of Crime – a dramatic true story about Jewish members of the Resistance wreaking havoc on the Nazi occupation of France. There’s also a raft of romantic films, from Sophie Marceau as a mother struggling with her hormonal teenager daughter in LOL, and some very satisfying personal growth in Queen to Play, featuring chess manoeuvres by Sandrine Bonnaire as Helene, a cleaning lady working for misanthropic expat, Dr Kroger (Kevin Kline).
Lovers of family drama will lap up the dynamics of The First Day of the Rest of Your Life, while those who like thrillers will appreciate the tense Skirt Day, an impressively cast hostage drama set in a classroom. Finally, I could barely contain myself when I heard that the impossibly handsome Jean Dujardin would be stepping back into the shoes of French superspy, OSS 117 – aka Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath – as he heads off on the hunt for Nazis on the run around Brazil in the very silly OSS 117, Lost in Brazil.(pictured)
There are many more films on offer – check out the festival’s program on www.palacecinemas.com.au
