Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

Yesterday afternoon I saw Alice in Wonderland by Tim Burton.  I must say that I enjoyed it.  The visuals are beautiful and the story is pretty good.  Alice the book is very hard because it isn't really a story, just a girl wandering from one weird situation to another.  But this movie isn't a straight telling of the book.  It is a reimagining where Alice is grown up and is facing a big decision in her life.  I won't go into too much detail about the plot but there is an attempt to make the plot elements more cohesive with the upward time movement of the story.  It works as much as any attempt to make Alice in Wonderland cohesive and it was nice to see more of two of my favorite characters, The Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter.  Johnny Depp does a great job as that character as does Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen.

I would have like a little more back story for a lot of the plot.  I would have like to understand what the Hatter was saying a lot of the time too, but we don't always get what we want.  Anyway, it is a beautiful movie, sweet and moving and the costumes were amazing.  So thumbs up from me.


cross posted with The Little Bookworm

Quote It

"Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honor and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words "make" and "stay" become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free."

— Tom Robbins

"Sundown" (Lost thoughts)

I'm still waiting for answers.  I'm serious.  I'm getting tired of this. I know not every epsiode can be GIANT crazy reveal or anything, but just throw me a little something now and then.  Also I know the sideways stories (hee) are going to mean something someday, but I find them a little boring right now.
So quickly,

ideways:

Nadia is married to Sayid's brother, Omer, because Sayid doesn't feel worthy of her since he is a badass killer and all.  His brother took out a loan from the very shady (yet sexy) Martin Keamy who we last saw killing everyone before Ben killed him.  But that was a different universe or something.  Anyway, Omer is mysteriously mugged even though he already payed the loan back and Keamy's guys bring Sayid to meet him in order to get Sayid to convince his brother to keep paying out.  Sayid kills the two bodyguards in about 10 seconds and when Keamy tries to negotiate, Sayid shoots him anyway to be on the safe side.  Sayid then finds No English Jin locked up in the freezer.

sland:

Claire is sent to deliver a message which is that Locke wants to see Dogen who is not a fool and knows that Locke wants to kill him so he doesn't go.  He sends Sayid out to stab Locke but that doesn't work and Locke convinces Sayid that he can give him what he wants.  What Sayid wants is to be with Nadia and Locke says he can get him that.  So Sayid goes back and has a nice conversation with Dogen who reveals that he was sent to the Island by Jacob in exchange for his son's life because Dogen had put him in the hospital after a drunken car accident.  Then Sayid drowns Dogen and slits Lennon's throat, saying he knows that the only thing keeping Locke/Smokey out is Dogen.  Everyone has till sundown to decide whether to stay or go.  If you stay, then you die.  Most everyone leaves.  Smokey comes and kills everyone, but misses Illana, Sun, Frank, and Miles. Oh and Ben who went to retrieve Sayid who has gone to crazytown so Ben leaves him.  Kate foolishly tells Crazy!Claire at some point that she took Aaron and Claire gets mad face but shakes it off.  When Smokey comes, Kate jumps into the pit where Claire is being held and so she isn't killed.  I'm guessing Claire wants to do the Kate killing herself.  After all the killing, Sayid emerges with Claire and Kate and they walk over the dead bodies with the eerie music of Claire singing "Catch a Falling Star" playing in the background.  Kate's face is disbelieving.  Locke is standing on the other side of the Temple with all the people who got out in time aka his new followers, Lockies (?).  He nods and smiles at Sayid and Claire and looks at Kate non too happily.  They set off. DUN

hat did we learn:

Locke/MIB is an angry man who was trapped by Jacob.  Now that Jacob is dead, he wants to kill every living thing on the Island.  But I think that was obvious before.  I still think Jacob is a god, but now I'm wondering if MIB is one too or what is he?  I'm not sure anymore.  Demi-god?  He is really good at infecting people.  Rousseau went mad as did her crew, Claire is crazycakes and now Sayid is too.  The thing is that Sayid is really good at killing people which is why it is good to have him on your side.  I wonder if they were struggling over Sayid's soul and that is why Jacob said to save Sayid.  Because Locke is a lot stronger with Sayid on his side now.  Claire is fine, but Sayid is a stone cold killer no matter how much he doesn't want to be.  He tries and tries not to, but he is what he is.  I think that was the point of the scence where Sayid the child kills the chicken without hesitation.  He was just born that way.  Is it his destiny?  Like Saywer, I think Sayid is tired of being who he is and that is why he went willingly with Locke.  He just wants something good.

The thought occured to me that maybe the Sideways world is the reality that Locke is creating for the castaways if they join him.  Like here is the thing you want but you don't get in it in the way you want kind of deal the devil makes.  So maybe it's not entirely real yet, but as they join him it becomes more real.

Whatca Say?

I am notoriously bad at recognizing celebrities in real life. Of course, I've only run into a celebrity twice in my life. Both times someone else had to point them out and say Look. It's so and so. And I never believed them. Ever. Besides what do you say? I'm not an autograph OMG type person and I certainly don't want to bother anyone.

Which leads me to another topic. Book authors. They are my own brand of celebrity. The kind I am actually excited to meet. They add value to the world, literacy etc. and are usually very nice and I have never know what to say to any of them. Granted I've only meet them at library conferences where you have like 5 seconds to say something witty and urbane and I can be so terminally shy that it doesn't work out. So I end up standing there like a mute idiot, getting my book signed and walking away. Oh why wasn't I blessed with the ability to say Hi in a reasonable manner?

For example, at one conference I meet Maureen Johnson and I was so excited that I made my friend stand in line too. I waited and finally made it up there and then all I could manage was something about a certain book banning of hers that was a big topic at the time. Which was everyone else was talking to her about! So lame and so unoriginal. She's seems like a cool gal so I should have something else prepared.
At the same conference (I think) I meet Rachel Cohn since she was signing with David Leviathan. I had read her Gingerbread books but, honestly, I hadn't read anything by him. Anyway, they both had short stories in a book I had just read. I mentioned it and she said she had forgotten she had written it. My one topic! So then I just stood there.
My friend KRose is a different story. She attended a conference with me in Chicago and meet Libba Bray who I had talked nonstop about forever. But she was scheduled at the same time as some workshop and I stupidly choose the workshop and missed meeting her. But KRose got a book autographed for me and apparently had a wonderful conversation with her. Which is so cool. I wish I could be as outgoing as that. KRose can talk to anyone at anytime and she never feels awkward or anything. And I don't know why I do either. I mean, the odds that anyone will remember me is teeny-tiny. If I could only think of something to say...

Social Justice - bowing out this month

I failed so much at the Social Justice Challenge last month.  I didn't read or watch anything or complete any action steps.
This month's issue is domestic/child abuse and I'm bowing out on this month right now.  Those are very important issues, don't get me wrong.  But they make me heartsick and I can't deal with it.  I just can't.  So I'll be a bystander this month.  Sorry.