It might have Alice in the title but the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) stole the show, especially when he did his futterwack dance. I thought the Jabberwocky (Christopher Lee) would get up and join him, JabbaWockeeZ-style.

The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) was impressive as well and I love how she says “Off with her head”. The White Queen (Anne Hathaway) felt like she was trying to impersonate Jack Sparrow. There’s a funny scene where she’s making a potion made out of nasty stuff, such as butter fingers and urine.

The CGI characters were believable and props should be given to the voices behind Tweedledee and Tweedledum (Matt Lucas), Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry), White Rabbit (Michael Sheen), Blue Caterpillar (Alan Rickman) and Dormouse (Barbara Windsor).

Alice (Mia Wasikowska): Yes you’re crazy, you’re loony and bonkers but you know they say all the best people are a bit mad.

People are saying that Mia Wasikowska is the wrong Alice but I beg to disagree with them. She’s just right for the job. Alice didn’t want to believe that she’s destined for greatness but once she found her inner strength, she managed to slay the monster to save Wonderland and face her real life problems as well.

The 3D effects might be way below Avatar but Alice in Wonderland is still entertaining. I expected it to be a little trippier and this is my only complaint about the movie. Tim Burton painted a beautiful masterpiece with an uncomplicated plot behind it. Interesting is the right word to describe the movie. There was no boring moment at all. If given the chance, I would go back down the rabbit hole to watch it again.

Judging from the trailer below, this is a must see.  I’ll be watching Alice in Wonderland as soon as it’s out in I-max 3D.  It will be out in the US in March 5, 2010.  I just hope it doesn’t turn out to be another Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Source: Wired.com

But I just don’t get the story. How can two friends fight over a trivial thing such as a wedding date? And would it be nicer for both of them to celebrate that momentous date together? Now after watching He’s Not Just That Into You and Bride Wars, I’m starting to think that women are real stupid and shallow. Why do chick flicks portray girls this way anyway? I know for a fact that true friends would rather support each other instead of fighting with one another.

After learning of the clerical mistake of booking their weddings at the same date, Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson tried to sabotage each other’s wedding. This is where the supposed humor comes from but it came out dry.

Marion St. Claire (Candice Bergen): Sometimes in life there really are bonds formed that can never be broken. Sometimes you really can find that one person who will stand by you no matter what. Maybe you’ll find it in a spouse and celebrate it with your dream wedding, but there’s also the chance that the one person you can count on for a lifetime, the one person who knows you sometimes better than you know yourself is the same person who’s been standing beside you all along.

Murphy Brown summarizes the entire movie with that monologue. Your BFF will be there no matter what. This is precisely what happened in Bride Wars. On the day of their weddings, Anne’s groom backed out because he doesn’t love her anymore and Kate’s there for her. Kate got married with Anne as her maid of honor. Now as for Anne’s character, she discovered she loves Kate’s brother all along. Happy ending? Well not for the audience who had to endure the boring and uninspired writing of Bride Wars. This bridal tragedy should be avoided at all costs.

Anne Hathaway showed once again that she had already outgrown her Princess Diaries days. Ever since Havoc I knew that she had it in her to portray tougher and more mature roles. She was also praised for her role in Brokeback Mountain but I haven’t seen it yet. Credit should also be given to Rosemarie DeWitt for her subtlety and tenderness. The two realistically portrayed how it’s like to have sibling rivalry.

We all know how it is like to prepare for a wedding. Chaos reigns and when there are family gatherings, expect old family issues to surface.

Every family has one, good or bad. When one member of the family has just got back from rehab, expect it to be the worst kind. I stayed glued on my seat as they tried to resolve their differences just in time for Rachel to get married.

The pace of the movie was a bit slow and with the director’s gritty filming style, it took all my patience to finish Rachel Getting Married. It felt like I’m watching an amateur wedding video. Some scenes could be shorter, particularly the wedding reception.

Kym (Anne Hathaway): I am Shiva the destroyer, your harbinger of doom this evening.

I don’t think Anne Hathaway was the destroyer of the movie. I’m naming the director, Jonathan Demme as the Shiva of Rachel Getting Married. It could have been a beautiful family drama if the director didn’t make me dizzy with his camera work. If you don’t like wedding videos, then avoid this one.

*Spoiler*
Rachel got married and Kym went back to rehab to deal with her issues. But she remained sober all throughout the wedding.

Movies can teach us a thing or two. Well Get Smart teaches us that not all spies had to be like James Bond. Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) might not look like the typical Hollywood spy but he sure got the job done. Well, here are the three things Maxwell did that made him a smart and funny Field Agent.

Pass the Field Agent Test
Max failed the test a couple of times but that didn’t stop him from becoming one. He learned to accept his weaknesses and improved on it.

Maxwell Smart: I recently lost 150 pounds.
Max’s Dance Partner: Me too!

Flirt with your beautiful partner
James Bond has his Bond girls. Well Maxwell Smart only needs one, Agent 99. He might not have the looks but he used his wit and humor to get the girl.

Agent 99: Are you staring at my butt?
Maxwell Smart: No, no, I…I was, but I’m not…I’m staring again.

Find the Double Agent
Maxwell made a smart but lucky guess in the end and figured out who the bad guy was. Yup, he must have smelled what the Rock was cooking!

Maxwell Smart: Woah, that’s a bad guy, that’s a really bad guy! Did you see his face? His head looks like one of the Easter Island heads!