Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland certainly *looks* like it's going to be his trademark combination of surral goth gorgeousness--but one thing troubles me.
I've always read (or watched) Alice as a child's point of view of the world: it doesn't make any sense. Adults run around like crazy people worrying about being on time, they have funny dress-up parties just to sit around and have inane conversation that no one relates to, and kids have to live in this crazy place, sometimes feeling enormously important and big, sometimes feeling unbelievably small, and sometimes worrying about having their heads cut off for breaking an arbitrary rule they don't understand.
So what's my problem? The Alice trailer is all about the Mad Hatter--or, rather, about Johnny Depp.
Yes, everyone loves Johnny Depp. He's got the reputation of being a real-life Mad Hatter, especially when he is paired up with Burton and Helena Bonham Carter, who also is in this movie.
But the trailer is narrated by Johnny Depp. If we consider the trailer a little movie of its own, then the climax is when Depp's voiceover says, "...some say to survive it, you have to be as mad as a hatter. Which, luckily, I am."
It's not about YOU, Hatter! It's about Alice! It's about the little girl in the crazy nonsensical adult world! SHE should be narrating because it's HER story.
Sigh.
I don't want to take all the fun out of this movie, but it'll be sad to me if it's the Hatter's story instead of Alice's. That would just strip away the brilliance of the story, making this version pretty much just a fun acid trip with fancy costumes. Oh, and Johnny Depp, of course.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Trouble With 'Wonderland'
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Laughing With...Regina Spektor
Regina's new album, Far, is soo going to rock!
Here's her first single, "Laughing With..."
Laughing With
Gorgeousness!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Melissa Etheridge On Prop 8
“How do I explain this to my children? Well, you know Ellen? She is married but Mommy and I are not. That is liberty and justice for all? I am hopeful as I see more and more states turn to the inevitable future of equality, California will get there. Change takes time.”
George Clooney On Prop 8
“This just should invigorate people to get it back on the ballot in 2010 and 2012 and every two years until all people are allowed a basic civil right."
Tori Amos On Prop 8
"(I was) extremely disappointed. Well, we go back to this concept of emancipation. The idea of 'We will overcome' from the great Dr. Martin Luther King, was made flesh as Obama was put into the office and yet at the same time another group of people were subjugated by some of those voters.
"A lot of people were saying, 'Well you have to understand that a lot of the voters are Democratic and Christians, the ones that had an issue with rights for the gay community'. And I would say how, in any way, is that the Christian path?"
Margaret Cho On Prop 8
"I am outraged and disgusted, but this is only a momentary setback. We will soon win back this right and the victory will be even more thrilling because we had to fight so hard to get it."
-Margaret Cho reacts to the California supreme court's decision to uphold Prop. 8
George Takei On Prop 8
"I am confident that if we go through this again, we will ultimately prevail and our [State] Supreme Court will go into the dust of history."
Rob Thomas On Gay Marriage
"I've heard it said before, many times, that if two men or two women are allowed to join into a civil union together, why can't they be happy with that and why is it so important that they call it marriage? In essence, what's in a name?
"A civil union has to do with death. It's essentially a document that gives you lower taxes and the right to let your faux spouse collect your insurance when you pass away. A marriage is about life. It's about a commitment. And this argument is about allowing people to have the right to make that commitment, even if it doesn't make sense to you. Anything else falls under the category of "separate but equal" and we know how that works out.
"The support of legalizing gay marriage is in no way meant to change the ideals of the section of Christians who believe that homosexuality is a sin. But we should refuse to let other people's ideals shape the way we live our lives. Each of us has a short ride on this earth and as long as we stay in our lane, and don't affect someone else's ride, we should be allowed to drive as we see fit."
-Rob Thomas Editorial from Huffingtonpost.com
Marie Osmond On Prop 8
“You know, on those types of things I'm very supportive. When it comes to marriage, I think that civil rights need to be for all."
Charlize Theron On Prop 8
"We need to take a stand for equality. All of us. On the Saturday after the California supreme court rules to either uphold or overturn Proposition 8. In Fresno, the heartland of California. This isn't just about California. It's about America. This isn't just about marriage. It's about human rights."
-Charlize Theron in a May 7 e-mail
Wanda Sykes On Prop 8
"I'm deeply disappointed, but also very optimistic that we will return to the polls and restore marriage equality for same sex couples."
- Wanda Sykes reacts to the California Supreme Court's Decision to uphold Prop 8
Cynthia Nixon On Prop 8
“Upholding the discriminatory Proposition 8 marks May 26, 2009, as a dark day for the people of California. The idea that gay families like mine should not be included in our country's promise of equal rights for all citizens is deeply un-American. While California has taken a giant step backwards, states like Maine and Iowa (and soon, I hope, New York) are leading with way towards a fairer and better tomorrow.”
-- Cynthia Nixon on the California supreme court's decision to uphold Prop. 8
Mandy Moore On Prop 8
I had the opportunity to interview Mandy Moore for Advocate.com and when I asked her about her thoughts on Prop 8, she revealed that her older brother is gay and got married before Prop 8 took effect. We spoke last week, and since then California has ruled that those married before Prop 8 was enacted would be able to reinstate their legal statuses. Congratulations to Mandy's brother! Too bad for everyone else. :-(
Here's Mandy's full comment on the issue:
The song “Merrimack River” is named after a river in Massachusetts, which recognizes same-sex marriage, and New Hampshire, your home state -- one of the few states that offers full civil rights to same-sex couples. Are you surprised that California voted to deny these rights?
"Yes. Unbelievably surprised. And saddened. Unfortunately, I was still a Florida resident during the election because I grew up in Florida and I still spend a lot of time there. So I didn’t get to vote as a California resident, which is a bummer. Although they had a similar vote on the Florida bill as well. I have to say I’m ... I’m still shocked that California voted against it. And in fact, my older brother and his boyfriend got married right before the election just in case things ended up going the way that they did, and I think my family was all the more disappointed that things went the way that they did with the decision."
Click here to read the full interview on Advocate.com.
Schwarzenegger On Prop 8
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared on The Tonight Show Tuesday night and talked about Prop. 8 with Jay Leno. Schwarzenegger said the state will support the court’s decision and uphold Prop. 8, but he also indicated it was only a matter of time before it would be overturned.
Click for video at Advocate.com.
Tim Gunn On Prop 8
"I'm sickened and STUNNED. I honestly do not have the adequate words to express my incredulity. Has the world gone mad? How can the supreme court of the State of California rule that it’s perfectly fine to take away people’s rights? I’m STUNNED."
--Project Runway host and fashion guru Tim Gunn on the California supreme court's decision to uphold Proposition 8
Heather Matarazzo on Prop 8
"The highest court in the state of California just legalized discrimination, saying 'it's what the majority wants.' ... How do you think we feel? We're heartbroken but not hopeless. There are no words to describe what it feels like to have my right to marry my fiancée voted on."
-- Actress Heather Matarazzo to Advocate.com on the California supreme court's decision to uphold Prop. 8
