Reviews

Sitting in the theatre Friday I had prepared for the worst.I had allowed myself to have such high expectations their was no way that even Tim Burton could have meet them. I enjoy Burton's Films mainly because to me they are like curling up with a twisted children's book like Mary Poppins or The wonderful Wizard of Oz.His movies I describe as a living piece of art ripped from the very pages and brought to life deliciously. of these type of tales. Don't believe me? go borrow some of these books from your local library.When Burton does do a movie from a published source he tends to choose only the key elements of the story to bring to life, he mixes it with his own vision of the story and come up with an acceptable take.For Instance Sleepy Hollow. a few alterations and out of it came a deliciously dark tale that was visually stunning and well plotted.Story changing doesn't bother me so much, In fact I feel that if a movie is good enough it will encourage viewers to actually go find the book and read it. In this day in age that's an impressive feat. The lights darkened and the film started and I was once again swept away to Wonderland. The story was solid, well put together and well acted. The story takes an unsure 19 year old woman who after a fanciful journey learns to take control of her own life and to stand up for what she believes in during a period when women didn't have control. Each battle she overcomes in Wonderland is one she had within herself.I think a lot of people are missing that, which makes no sense to me since this story has been told 100's of time over the past century.As Alice goes through Wonderland Tim makes sure that all the key points from both of Lewis Carroll's books are in place. He introduces the characters to Alice who is clearly on a return visit.The colorful array of characters go from the Mad Hatter and the March hare to the Catepilar and Cheshire cat. All the familiars as well as some of the lesser known characters of the White Queen and the Jabborwocki. I was so afraid that Alice In Wonderland would only be about the Mad Hatter, just because of the Depp Factor, but fortunatly Tim remembered the movie was about Alice and her coming of age story.Johnny Depp does exceedingly well in this role compared to the gay pirate routine or the border line pedophile Willy Wonka. The Mad Hatter has depth despite his madness. Anne Hathaway does a brilliant job as the air headed white queen.. a relief from the 1985 mini series depiction of the same character. The Tweedles are awesome' and the Cheshire cat you want to take home with you.Tim's Wife even outdoes herself as the Red Queen. Delightful. Visually is everything you ever wanted Wonderland to be. I do believe that Tim Burton has not used castles in his films since Faerie Tale Theatre's Aladdin.Both Castles are directly from your imagination. Anything and Everything you could want out of an alice in wonderland movie is here and present. now the 3d aspect, not a necessity for enjoyment but definitely icing on the cake. The movie will hold its own in 2-d. Leaving the theatre I felt like it was money worth spent. I went to the theatre to see a work of art tribute for a 100 year old classic done by a very talented director. I got what I hoped for. A good solid story, great acting, stunning visuals and most importantly a desire to see it again.Your enjoyment of the film does depend on your outlook i suppose and what you hope to see. I hope the experience is as equally wonderful for you as it was for me.

Jack and the Beanstalk has got to be one of the best animated films I have seen to date. In the 80's The Disney Channel had rights along with HBO, and they aired a lot of the "Magic Windows" video rights. They aired the unico Movies and Pandas Adventure and The Prince and the Fire Child. I want to let everyone know that this version of Jack and the Beanstalk on DVD. Hens Tooth Video has acquired rights and released a beautifully restored copy. Definitely worth the $25 asking price, can be found on Ebay, Movies Unlimited, Critics Choice, Best Buy Online, FYE online, Coconuts Online etc... For some reason stores don't seem to be able to order them for in store.

This was a great special.It aired on February 4th 1978. It was based on Rober Newton Peck's fantastic "Soup" Books. There was also a televised sequel "Soup For President" also from 1978.Both movies are part of the ABC WEEKEND SPECIALS series. After I managed to acquire both films I was quite excited to see such good adaption of the books.Soup and Rob are 2 kids in the early 20's living in Vermont. They constantly get themselves into hot water for the pranks they pull.This particular film follows the boys misadventures at a Halloween party, and later follows their adventures with a school bully.Very funny and heartwarming. Fans of the books will be pleased.

I really liked this version. It was part of a series entitled "Enchanted Musical Playhouse". 4 episodes were made. They aired on the Disney Channel and were later released to Home Video. The Velveteen Rabbit served as the pilot episode, the later films were all introduced by the same little boy from Velveteen. The other episodes were also lesser known fairy tales - The Steadfast Tin Soldier starred Shields and Yarnell, Ferdinand The Bull starred Paul Williams, and Petronella starred country singer "Sylvia". A wonderful series if you can find them, thankfully I recorded all 4. I hope this helps anyone looking for information.

Lost In Oz is a modern adaption of the L. Frank Baum books.Oz needs a new Dorothy Gale to save them from the newest Wicked Witch. She has taken control of The Emerald city and has enchanted Ozma.The Good Witch Of The North summons a girl from the Kanssas plains to take on this challenge. With the help of some old Oz friends and an airplane pilot from the U.S.A. ( call name Scarecrow)This girl must set out to find The Wicked Witch Of The West and stop her evil plot.Lesser Known Oz Characters help out heroine on her way, such as The Hungry Tiger and The Patchwork Girl. Mia Farrow is absolutely stunning as The Wicked Witch Of the West. This darker version of Oz has the feel of the original books. A marvelous film to watch.

Although some people believe this is a Faerie Tale Theatre Episode, it is not. This wonderfully animated/live action short was only aired on the Disney Channel, along with another Tim Burton short entitled Vincent.The two were placed together as a half hour segment.The Hansel and Gretal story retold.Hansel and Gretal must escape a witch and her remarkable gingerbread house and find their father.It is a Japanese spoof of the story. The short is only about 20 minutes long. What animation there is, is similar to that of A Nightmare Before Christmes. It is mainly live action.I do recommend seeing this special if you can obtain it -- it is one of Tim Burton's odder works. Tim Burton did a Faerie Tale Theatre Episode Entitled Aladdin, and that is also well worth seeing.

I am shocked by so many people who seemed to dislike this film. I would compare it to Death Becomes Her ( Bruce Willis film). I have never seen the original, in fact many have told me not to see it. I went because of the cast and the trailers. I tend to like dark comedy's anyway - if your looking for a horror film this aint it - no blood, guts etc.. just a lot of laughs and a lot of fun. Bette Midler was hysterical as usual -- along with the gay guys anticts i just laughed all the way through. I was confused over Faith Hill becoming an automatic teller machine - that didn't seem to fit. Enjoyable storyline - don't take it to serious. Glen Close and Christopher Walken make a great pair ( as they did in Sarah Plain And Tall). It doesn't take rocket science to figure out the plot, but it's alot of fun watching the characters bounce from room to room. Id say its a perfect way to spend an afternoon , get away from reality, and just enjoy a decent comedy - unless you want to see something with no intelligence, in which case you can view Dodgeball or Scooby Doo 2. Before you judge this movie harshly why not try to remember the really bad films like Blair Witch Project or Eyes Wide Shut. Nicole Kidmans career has certainly improved since her divorce -- I give this movie 4 stars!!!!!!

I love this series - it is the first time in a while that there has been a cliffhanger series on tv- it got you to the point where you had to see it the following week - sometimes the week was unbearable to get through to find out what happened! im so glad i recorded them - as the disney channel only reaired them once. The Fox Family channel aired a sequel series - which was good but not as good. Ashka was totally evil! she was an awesome villian - i highly recommend this australian sci fi series!!!

Scorch was an awesome little dragon - he was a puppet like character (kind of like alf) that lived with a weather forecaster and his daughter.He originated on the match game and got his own series! Sadly it lasted only 6 episodes ( i believe only 3 aired in the states) but he was funny original and totally adorable - a rival to baby dinosaur!!the best episode is where he caught Dragon Flu!!! A CBS Treasure!!!

This show was great - i was 7 when it aired and i used to learn the songs and bug my parents with it. The girls all had problems that i could relate to, so i enjoyed it.I managed to record all the episodes and im so glad others remember it to.If you get a chance to watch it please do!! it is one of the better series that the 80s had to offer!