Movie review: Alice in Wonderland

I finally got the chance to sit down and watch the Blu-Ray of Tim Burton's version of Alice in Wonderland. While I was very interested in it, I have to admit that I haven't been following all the news on it very closely. I saw the "sneak peek" pictures of the Mad Hatter, the Red Queen, and the White Queen, but I wasn't quite sure how they would work when moving. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised.

Despite the movie being titled Alice in Wonderland, the movie is based more on the sequel, Through the Looking Glass. Alice had spent time in Underland, which she misheard as Wonderland, as a child. However, she wrote it off as sheer craziness and forgot all about it as she grew up. Years later, she happens upon the white rabbit and once more falls down the rabbit hole. There she finds the Red Queen has stolen the throne from the White Queen. Prophecy says that Alice will slay the Jabberwocky, bringing the White Queen and peace back to the kingdom.

The graphics for the movie are gorgeous. I really wish we had seen it in the 3D. I'm sure that tons of people have complained about the look of everything. However, I think it fits right in with the original story. Much like the black-and-white-to-color change in The Wizard of Oz, the look of Underland makes it clear that this is a completely different world where the usual rules don't necessarily apply.

I also found the acting to be superb. Matt Lucas plays both of the Tweedles. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to recreate each emotion, each movement for each of the characters yet still have the concentration to perform the lines properly. Both Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter revel in odd roles so they were a perfect fit for the Mad Hatter and the Red Queen. The real surprises come with the virtually unkown Mia Wasikowska as Alice and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. Wasikowska manages to bring an innocence to the adult Alice while still giving her the backbone to stand up to authority. Meanwhile, Hathaway has this ethereal presence as the White Queen. I recommend everyone watch the bonus material. There is some great insight to how the actors brought these characters to life.

If you're not a fan of Tim Burton's style, then you aren't going to like this movie. But if you are, like I am, I think you will find it amazing and beautiful and one of his best works. (Just to note, I feel the same way about his Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.)

Three years coming up

Wow. It's almost been three years since I started TGW. Thanks for putting up with the posts about hemorrhoidal treatments and stuff. I hope that I've been able to entertain a little bit at least. Unfortunately, I didn't get to finish the jdorama over the weekend. I ended up with too much on my plate. With any luck, I'll be able to get through it this weekend. My daughter and I have our recital next weekend so nothing geeky will get accomplished then. However, after that, my schedule frees up quite a bit. Maybe I'll be able to get through quite a few series this summer! Wish me luck!

Game review: Virtual Villagers 4: The Tree of Life

Virtual Villagers is one of my favorite games. The fourth game in the series is titled The Tree of Life. Your tribe (from the previous games) is sending out 5 villagers to check out some strange happenings on the island. Instead of randomly assigning you villagers, you get to choose your party. Once you arrive at your destination, you find out that the Tree of Life is dying. It is your job to figure out how to heal the tree. As usual, the gameplay has not changed. All of the commands are exactly the same as the previous incarnations of the game. However, this is not a bad thing. Experienced players can skip the tutorial and jump right into the game with no problems. At the same time, the controls are easy enough the beginners can pick them up quickly.

Besides, the best part of the game is the puzzles. Each version of the game gives you a variety of puzzles for your islanders to solve. It's usually something that will advance your tribe's abilities. For example, "build nets to catch fish" will help your villagers bulk up their food supply. It is so much fun to figure out exactly what you need to do in order to finish all of the puzzles. Meanwhile, there are still collectibles for the children to gather. I haven't finished most of the collections yet, but there is usually a reward once each collection is complete.

I would say this game is aimed at fans of The Sims or other simulation games. Though, if you really enjoy puzzles, you might like this too.

Memorial Day

A few weeks ago, I won a contest where the prize was a cream that was stated to be a good eczema treatment. Both my daughter and my husband have a slight problem with eczema so I had them try it out. It doesn't seem to be too bad. Granted, I'd prefer that they never had the problem to begin with, but I suppose putting cream on the spots is a decent solution. And before I forget:

Happy Memorial Day. Let's keep all of our fallen soldiers in our hearts today.

Tired already?

Everyone seems to be against the 'sitting around and watching jdoramas' ideas. It's almost 5PM and I'm exhausted. I did too much for one day. I guess it's a good thing it's a three day weekend! In my little bit of downtime, I saw an article about the FDA warning users of alli and xenical diet pills that they may cause liver failure. See, this is why diet pills freak me out. Yes, I want to lose some weight...but I'd like to keep all of my organs functioning the way they should. There is just no easy way to get skinny.

Health insurance sucks

Health insurance annoys me. We used to pay a ton of money each month and then have to pay more money when something happens. Isn't that the point of insurance? To pay for things when they happen? When my windshield cracked, my auto insurance paid to have it replaced. I only had to pay like $50 or something. So why isn't it similar for our health? Supposedly a health savings account can help you spend less on premiums, but I don't understand them enough to figure out why. Luckily, my husband got a really awesome job that pays for our health insurance so we're not laying out hundreds of dollars each month for it. Now we actually have the ability to get forward in life. I'm very grateful for that.

No Rain

The weather is finally getting nice around here. There's been quite a bit of rain lately and, frankly, I'm tired of it. I'd like to be able to get some nice patio furniture and just sit outside soaking up the sun. The rain ruins that. Not to mention that it also ruins my husband's garden. Some of our strawberries are already splitting from too much water. Go away rain!

Upcoming Plans

There will be a video game review coming up in the next few days. I just want to play the game a little more to really get the feel for it. Sorry I'm so slow! I'm also going to attempt to get back into watching jdoramas this weekend. It's been so very long since I'm really sat down and watched anything. I have RH Plus waiting for me. It's a show about vampires. Hopefully it's a really good show about vampires. Though I don't think any of them will be doing the hot 'vampire in a tuxedo' thing. Ah well. That is my goal for this weekend. Finish that entire series.