Alice in Wonderland - the Versions You've Never Seen

Alice



Czech animator Jan Svankmajer’s trippy Alice, may only claim to be “inspired” by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but it’s actually closer to the text than you might think if all you’ve ever seen are stills photos of this obscure gem. While this stuff is nightmare fuel to be sure, when you get down to the brass tacks and marmalade, it’s actually more faithful to the absurdity and dark wit of the original than the sugary-sweet Disney version and it’s imitators.
Highly recommended.

Phoebe in Wonderland




Here’s a great Alice in Wonderland inspired tale that was nominated for a few minor festival awards, but never won any. Which is a shame, because Elle Fanning gives an Oscar-worthy performance as the title character a little girl who has difficulty following the rules - but why? That’s the mystery at the heart of the story. But it’s not just Phoebe’s story, it’s also the story of her parents (Felicity Huffman and Bill Pullman), who are embattled by Phoebe’s problems, and the baffled school administrators and counselors who try to deal with this problem child. But one misfit drama teacher (Patricia Clarkson) may hold the key, in the form of a school play – Alice in Wonderland.

Probing the line between creativity and mental illness, with seamless blurring of fantasy and reality ala The Fisher King, this movie is a masterpiece. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Religion on Film

Religion on Film

Someone once said, atheists make the best religious films, and there may be some truth to that. The problem with most religious films made by the faithful is that they are either church-lady style “fast track” to heaven films where the filmmaker lionizes some religious figure, totally whitewashing any possible misdeeds and creates a boring, one dimensional, 3 hour sermon on celluloid. Or, they create a film made to appeal to a religious market with all the edicts of that market – anything controversial avoided (safe for the kiddies) – and/or based on religious tenets that make no sense to outsiders.

Here are a couple religious films that I think do a good job.




The Jesus of Montreal

A group of actors put on a Passion Play in Montreal. But not being religious himself, the director relies on historical sources and archaeological data for his script. The play grows enormously in popularity, but also angers church and city officials. Ultimately, through his play and through his life, he does a better job of representing Christ’s teachings that the hypocritical powers-that-be.





The Message

This film about the birth of Islam is a grand epic in the vein of The Ten Commandments. It was made in accordance with Islamic law, so Mohammad is never shown – but the filmmakers do a very good job of telling the story without showing the prophet.

Anthony Quinn does a great job as Hamza, one of the leaders of the new sect. It also features some of the best large-scale desert battle scenes since Lawrence of Arabia.

Old Fashioned Serial Killer Films

We tend to think of serial killers as a fairly modern thing. I tend to think of the 1970s, the time when Robert Ressler coined the term “serial killer”, and the period during which many of the most famous (Bundy, Gacy, Son of Sam, Zodiac, etc.) were most active.

But of course serial killers probably predate civilization itself. Someone asked me to recommend some classic films (movies from the pre color era) that involved serial killers.

So, here are a few choices:

Sweeney Todd




No, I’m not talking about the recent film with Johnny Depp, nor am I referring to the Stephen Sondheim musical. This is the original 1936 version of the film made in the UK; it has an authentic cockney flavour to it – and best of all, no cheesy songs.

Bluebeard




This atmospheric thriller from 1944 features the talents of the great John Carradine as an artist who kills his subjects.

The Lodger



Also made in 1944, this film is about a Lodger (of course) who may just be Jack the Ripper; very moody and atmospheric. There was also a very good silent version of this made in 1927 that is also free to watch online: http://www.archive.org/details/AHtheLodger

Bloodlust!



This is a “B” movie from 1961. Essentially a version of The Most Dangerous Game, despite it’s limited budget it’s actually pretty good. Best of all, you can watch this one for free online too: http://www.archive.org/details/Bloodlust.mpeg