#7 - Alice in Wonderland

Some 10 years after the events of Disney's animated classic of the same name, our heroine is a young woman on the verge of being married off to a man she's just met, tormented by the idea that she may be a bit not right in the head.  Without the guidance of her late father, Alice Kingsley is a bit lost in Victorian society.  However, she soon finds herself returning to the world of her dreams (it shouldn't be too much of a spoiler to say But It Wasn't Really A Dream, Or Was It?) where much more is at stake than last time.

Alice in Wonderland is a movie with a lot of problems.  There are many potentially interesting threads of plot woven through the story, but none of them are brought to really satisfying conclusions.  The struggle for women's individuality in a conformist era is ostensibly a theme, but is dealt with in a way that comes across as trite and redundant - in both the realm of the 'real' world and in Alice's fantasy world.  Instead of personalities, the characters are given certain traits and mannerisms which are intended to define them.  Audiences are given no legitimate reasons to prefer the 'good' side to the 'evil' side - and while this could lead to a wonderful exploration of the dangers of polarized conflict, we're just told to accept that some people are 'better' than others and are worth fighting for even when nothing is at stake for us*.  Perhaps it's a good moral for an era of twisted morals - colonialism is even tied in and shown in a positive light, barf - but not so much when it comes to teaching children about ethics, respect, and critical thinking, and this is supposed to be a children's movie.

But enough about the plot!  The real reason to watch this film is the same as the reason why any Tim Burton film is worth watching: it is a visual treat.  The animated effects, the lush set, the costumes - oh, the costumes!  I saw it in 3D and I thought the use of 3D was very tasteful - it's rarely used to make things pop out and startle viewers, but rather it gives the images on screen depth and the same surreal feeling that I think Lewis Carroll's writing conveyed.  Which does remind me - this movie was basically just an orgy of Lewis Carroll worship (with, oddly, more than a small amount of Phillip Pullman tossed in) - references to Carroll's work were shoehorned in even where they felt awkward and unnecessary - but now I'm getting back to my complaints....

*I feel it's worth mentioning here that the original Alice in Wonderland shows no desire to condescend to viewers this way, and in fact concludes that Alice should trust no one but herself to be completely reliable.  Apparently the 19-year-old Alice has forgotten this message.

#6 - Milk

Milk (directed by Gus van Sant) tells the story of the career of the first openly gay man to hold public office in the United States.  Harvey Milk begins as a nervous, firmly closeted man in New York and ends the story as one of the gay rights movement's celebrated heroes.  Milk chronicles his life in bustling San Francisco, his personal relationships, and his constant battle against opposing forces that aren't afraid to fight dirty.

Again, Milk is a film I had already seen before 2010, but well worth a second viewing.  It's a beautifully crafted piece of work.  Sean Penn immerses himself one hundred percent in the title role.  There are moments of agony and moments of bliss so exquisite that I felt them all even in the comfort of my suburban living room.  As I watched Milk for the second time, I was kind of bothered by the way it plunges viewers who might be unfamiliar or uncomfortable with the subject matter directly and harshly into gay culture, but as the action progressed, I realized this might very well be intentional.  Milk doesn't ask you to love Harvey Milk right from the start, nor does it ask you to forgive him for his errors.  But I think it will inspire you by the end, no matter who you are and where you come from, unless you refuse to be anything but hostile.

Probably the second best thing about Milk (with the first being Sean Penn of course) is the fact that it's historically accurate.  When I first saw Milk someone told me that if I really wanted to know the story, I should watch the documentary The Times of Harvey Milk - guess what, it's the same story.  Every moment of joy and fear is made more potent by the fact that they were experienced by real people.  Milk proves that a story doesn't have to be embellished or exaggerated to be powerful.  Despite my own involvement with the LGBT rights movement I knew very little about the details of this story before I saw Milk.  And this one is a story that should be heard.