3/5/10 and 2/26/10

Alice in Wonderland - 2 stars

I thought it was boring. And it shouldn't be called Alice in Wonderland. It's not an adaptation of the book, or a live-action remake of the 1951 Disney cartoon. It's a sequel. So it should be called Return to Wonderland, or something like that. Imagine if the 1985 movie starring Fairuza Balk was called The Wizard of Oz instead of Return to Oz. People would have been pissed.

I don't think I have ever been annoyed by Johnny Depp like this before. Sometimes he uses a horrible lisp that reminds me of John Leguizamo from Moulin Rouge! and other times he uses a Scottish accent.

The big battle at the end was like something out of a Narnia movie. I don't think Lewis Carroll ever imagined Alice fighting a dragon with a sword while wearing a suit of armor.

Ghost Writer - 3 stars

This was a very good thriller. Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor are always interesting to watch. This movie has a great look to it. My only problem was the ending was a little bit of a letdown. We learn what has been going on, someone is confronted, and it's over. I wanted a little bit more resolution, and maybe a little more explanation.

Late in the movie, just when it needs a little bit of excitement, Tom Wilkinson shows up. That was a nice surprise.

Brooklyn's Finest - not screened for critics

Blood Into Wine - didn't see

And now, for movies that came out last week:

Cop Out - 1 1/2 stars

Kevin Smith has always written and directed his scripts, but everybody knows his real strength is writing. Why would they hire him to direct someone else's bad script? The first time we see Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, they have this look on their faces like "What the hell have we gotten ourselves into? This is gonna suck."

The movie isn't funny. Tracy Morgan tries really hard to get laughs out of each scene, but the stuff he does just gets worse and worse. I was embarrassed for him. The funny thing is the story isn't terrible. A better director might have made a decent movie out of it. Maybe if they had cast Martin Lawrence and Will Smith as the cops, it might have worked.

The Crazies - didn't see

White Ribbon - didn't see