Filmfeline

by Chinny Bini

I’m not going to wait until Breaking Dawn to review the Twilight Saga. I waited long enough! 

Any Twi fans out there? Ha! I am, of course, joking! $30mil opening night for Eclipse pretty much says you folks are die hard fans. Count me in. I am one of you!

Directed by the talented Catherine Hardwicke, inventive Chris Weitz and the latest, Eclipse, by David Slade, brilliant  in action and dark mood on screen. Melissa Rosenberg’s three scripts, based on Stephenie Meyer’s work, steal our hearts with a timeless love story of Edward and his Bella. Yes, Stephanie Meyer can write and she not only conjured up a truly beautiful story, she also found an untapped market, but I don’t think the books are a literary masterpiece (from a technical point of view). The work is popular. It made a lot of money, because the ‘right’ kind of demographic took to it, therefore, anything Twilight is admired.  It’s not great literary work, but it’s a fabulous story. Even I, an absolute Shakespeare freak, am a fan. Fantasy has never been hotter. It’s ‘in‘ to be undead. Sugary, glistening in the sun, ice cold skin is hip. Werewolves are cool. Undying love that transcends all rules the world. Then again, it always has.

Twilight is for all ages. Twilight is R & J of the new millennium. New star crossed lovers have arrived. As beautiful as Romeo and Juliet may be, Twilight is easier to understand. Many can learn to recite Shakespeare’s work, but few truly understand the meaning of the beautiful prose that lies beyond the words. Perhaps words aren’t everything. Twilight is emotion, passion, love that transcends, a bond that is unbreakable. Words are not necessary. These films are very well cast, the cgi is amazing, I applaud the art department and the action, especially in Eclipse, is very nice. Even tough there may be a love triangle, the love story carries Twilight Saga to victory. Twilight is beautiful. My reviews are straightforward and honest; I must say I honestly love this story.

Bella Swan is uncoordinated and clumsy. She is not the most beautiful girl in school and she’s not even the smartest, but Kristen Stewart is idolized by young girls all over the world. It is her love for her character that shines through on screen. Stewart is an great performer, even with that - come on and beat it out of me – way of speaking. Working with fabulous actors like Meg Ryan and Jodie Foster in her childhood years, Stewart learned from the best in the biz.

Bella is in love with two magical creatures, a vampire and a werewolf. Robert Pattinson is what Dracula should look like; captivating and alluring. The first ten seconds of his screentime prove it. The great thing about him is that this kid can truly act. First, he proved himself as Salvatore Dali, then in How to Be, playing an awkward teenager begging for attention. Most of all, in his latest film, Remember Me, Pattinson truly captures the inner struggle of his character exposing his emotions for everyone to see. Bella loves Edward, the bloodsucking seventeen year old vampire who’s been seventeen ‘for a while’. Their love is unconditional. Not even Jacob, her dear friend, can brake that bond. Team Edward or team Jacob? I myself have a very hard time thinking of Taylor Lautner as a sex object, since I’ve seen him at martial arts tournaments, when he was just a little boy kicking butt for team Paul Mitchell. I study traditional, non competitive martial arts, but I attend some tournaments to cheer on my faves. The wolf pack’s little BooBoo Stewart is another martial artist. Their skills must have come to good use on Twilight Eclipse. I wish screen time allowed for more than the forty scenes of a 120page film script. I would have loved to have seen more of Rosalie’s story, Alice, Esme…Edward’s life before he was turned.

The Volturi are truly captivating and Dakota Fanning plays Jane well. I strongly urge you to see the Runaways, where both Dakota and Kristen deliver top caliber performances. In New Moon, Edward leaves his love, to give her a chance at a normal life. They both realize that it’s an impossible task. Jacob never stops fighting for Bella, but in Eclipse, it is clear to him that Bella can’t be more than a friend, a friend who cares for him very deeply, but not deeply enough to leave Edward.

The Jacob and Bella scenes were very emotional. Everyone on team Edward must admit, it’s difficult not to care for Jake (for me, especially when he is in wolf form). The Twilight Saga art department is brilliant! Amazing cgi people! The wolves are sensational. Wolves are beautiful magical creatures that should be respected, protected and loved. I despise Palin for what she’s doing to wolves!! Twilight Eclipse wolves are cgi, but they are graceful and stunning. I was completely captivated by them. (The wolves pictured here are real. Wolves are suffering. Please do a little research online to find out how you can help them.)  

Well, Edward and Bella are engaged. We await Breaking Dawn.

by Chinny Bini

Alice in Wonderland in 3D? Imagine being RIGHT THERE, wow! If anyone can make you cringe with a fairy tale it’s Tim Burton. Based on a Lewis Carroll novel, this fantasmigoric Disney masterpiece written by Linda Woolverton brings us an old story with a Burtenesque touch. Follow the white  rabbit and rock your world! Starring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, Anne Hathaway in the role of the White Queen and a new gal, Mia Wasikowska in the role of Alice. I myself am a fan of the Rabbit, played by Michael Sheen and of course, the Cheshire Cat played by Stephen Fry.  I love that Crispin Glover is in this, it’s been too long since I’ve seen him in a seriously fabulous role, here as the Knave of Hearts. The cast has other awesome actors like  Alan Rickman, Matt Lucasand more. Don’t hate me for writing such a long review, but Tim Burton knows how to hit the nail on the head. Thaaas all I’m sayin’. I love his work! Something about this film just makes me want to have cake and tea on my antique porcelains. I loved it!
Tim Burton is a wizard! I loved the cherry blossom ode to Kurosawa’s Dreams (I think). Kudos to the casting department and the costume department and the fantabulous art department! Watching Alice in Wonderland was like opening a story book and falling in.

I’m sure there are a lot of metaphors and one need to truly study Carroll to fully understand the hidden messages, if there are any. Perhaps, the literary world is already in unison over some, but one can always wonder and discover new ways of understanding this story, n’est ce pas? I’d like to think the rabbit hole is the Einstein-Rosen bridge to another dimension, for the simple fact that the vortex changes several times as she falls deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole and the background changes. Alice slid into a world where her mind answers all the questions. Clearly, no one in her life seems to ‘get’ what she is talking about. No one knows what she needs or wants to hear what she thinks. Alice is working out the problems in her head. All aspects of her personality come to PLAY inside this ‘dream’.

In the words of David Auburn, in the stage play Proof, crazy people don’t often wonder if they’re crazy. Alice not out of her wits, since she wonders first, with her father as a little girl, then again, with her mother as a teen – Are my dreams normal? Am I a bit mad? (I don’t know how smart it is to drink a potion just because it says ‘drink me’ or to eat of a cake just because it says ‘eat me’, but then again, Alice is convinced she’s dreaming. I was surprised how much I liked Mia in the role of Alice, but not at all surprised to see such fantastic imagery. This fairy tale is a vision! 

When it comes to grim no one can deliver a tale better than Burton!                                                                                                                              - filmfeline
I loved the costumes, the colors, the casting, everything, except the proposal to what clearly looks like a fifteen year old girl. However, bless her Buddhist should for not killing any animals! “DRINK ME’ and she shrinks, ‘EAT ME’ and she becomes larger, Alice hates corsets and the dress is not Alice, hence, she is finally free of all she hates. Her hair is loose and flowing, no longer pinned up like a babydoll. Speaking of baby dolls, Mia is stunning! I hope to see her in more films, although if you’re already a Mia fan, see Defiance! I love the mouse, the dog, the rabbit, the cat, the flowers.  The mad hatter is so cool, but when is Johnny Depp not in top form?

The contrast of the two extremist queens, one head chopping diva, the other looks like little birdies dress her in the morning, is great! Alice lies somewhere between the two. What is the significance of the jabbawockee? Alice’s worst fears realized? Is this tale about overcoming fear? When she faces the a jabbawockee, Alice thinks of the 6 impossible things. This happens after she is convinced she is no longer dreaming. She’s also counting. Is she counting dimensions, time or levels of her own psyche as she slowly comes to? I have no answers. All I can say is that I like this Alice. Burton’s Alice is a feminist, an adventurer and like me, she loves all living creatures! Absalom turns into a beautiful blue butterfly, however, the irony in this is that blue butterflies are now extinct. The only place you can see one now is in your dreams.