I only made it half-way through Tin Man. Just too drawn out I suppose (as mentioned in Keith's USA Today post). I loved 10th Kingdom, though I also nodded through the last 2 parts. Sounds like Alice is going to fall somewhere in between in terms of treatment, and in fewer hours. So I'm tuning in!
Angela --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Tracey de Morsella" <tdli...@...> wrote: > > > SyFy's > <http://io9.com/5418438/syfys-alice-+-warning-may-contain-your-next-british- > obsession> "Alice" - Warning: May Contain Your Next British Obsession > > > <http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/8/2009/12/hatter.jpg> > http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/8/2009/12/500x_hatter.jpgThis weekend > Syfy is taking a trip through a very modern looking glass > <http://io9.com/tag/lookingglass/> , complete with romance, casinos and lots > of fighting. So is this Wonderland worth revisiting? Check out our spoiler > free Alice review. > > We were sent an extremely early edit of the film, so I'm not making a final > judgment on the two-day mini movie until it airs, but what I did watch I got > a excited about. > > Here's the premise: Alice is a no-nonsense commitment-phobe and karate > instructor. So yeah she kicks ass, and a lot, for better or worse. Strong > armed Alice falls for one of her students who sneaks her some sort of > magical ring and is promptly kidnapped. Alice follows her boytoy through the > looking glass and is transported to Wonderland. But Wonderland has changed. > It's now a dirty world that looks strangely like Vancouver. Alice soon > learns that the Queen of Hearts is kidnapping humans and imprisoning them in > her casino, siphoning off their happy emotions and selling them to the > inhabitants of Wonderland. Thus making her beloved, for providing the quick > fix, as well as rich. > > Alice meets the Hatter in one of these emotion dens and the two strike a > deal to go and save her boyfriend, who has presumably been kidnapped by the > Queen for emotion harvesting. If I tell you more we'll get into spoiler > territory, but there are plenty more twists and turns. It also gets pretty > heavy with the family issues and inner love turmoil for poor Alice. In fact > it really reminded me of a shorter and less in-depth version of the TV movie > The 10th Kingdom, which I adored. So even coming close to that is a good > thing. > > <http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/8/2009/12/alice-04-tim-curry.jpg> > http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/8/2009/12/500x_alice-04-tim-curry.jpg > > > Plus the cast is just bafflingly great. Tim Curry plays the Dodo, Kathy > Bates is the Queen of Hearts, Harry Dean Stanton is the Caterpillar, and > Colm Meaney is the King of Hearts. Those names alone are worth tuning in > for. You won't want to miss watch Tim Curry walk around with his stomach > forward, Dodo-style. Sure, I could mention that Curry really pushes the > level of running and screaming that I can take from him, and that Kathy > Bates seemed like she was sporting dead face for most of the movie, but > they're are small issues. > > But the real standout was Andrew Lee Potts' Hatter. Call me a sucker for > British heroes who wear funny suits and like to throw their weight around, > but I couldn't rip my eyes off of the Hatter when he was on screen. Almost > to the detriment of Alice. Potts is familiar with the scifi world, having > starred in the BBC's Primeval, but he really hits his stride here. And while > I was watching him on a version that needed copious edits and tweaks, I > still really enjoyed watching him try to elevate the story and dialogue he > was handed. Yes, making the Hatter a cute hipster is a little eye rolling, > but he made it work. Potts really attempted to sell some of his totally > implausible actions he was taken in by the script. You heard it here first: > If Matt Smith the new Doctor crashes and burns, certainly wouldn't be any > worse off with Potts. But that's just hopeful projecting on my part. > > <http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/8/2009/12/alice-02-matt-frewer.jpg> > http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/8/2009/12/500x_alice-02-matt-frewer.jp > g > > > So the bottom line: I'm tuning in. I'm anxious to see what the home of Matt > Frewer's dimwitted White Knight looks like, as it's merely described as a > chessboard forest kingdom. Along with the flying jetski-like flamingo sky > cars, and the Queen's casino once the FX are all finished. Plus I wouldn't > miss the opportunity to watch Andrew Lee Potts make me reassess my staunch > views on men who wear guyliner. > > <http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/8/2009/12/alice-03-zak-santiago.jpg> > http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/8/2009/12/500x_alice-03-zak-santiago.j > pg > > > Even though some of the story did feel a bit pushed here and there, and the > plot was in an eternal loop of running to the casino and escaping, then > running back, and escaping, the characters, settings, costumes and actors > make this worth your time. And for those of you worried it's a Tim Burton > rip, fear not: This contemporary Wonderland has a strange feel all on it's > own. > > The first part begins December 6th, 8 PM. >
