At the movies with Robyn Gallagher

TIM Burton’s Alice in Wonderland follows on from Lewis Carroll’s original stories.
Now Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is 19, trying to get away from a drippy wannabe fiancé, and all the while haunted by a curious recurring dream involving a white rabbit. In no time she’s back down the rabbit hole, returning to the strange land of her childhood, only to discover she’s been brought back by her wonderland pals to slay the terrible jabberwocky.
Director Tim Burton, known for his dark style, depicts Wonderland as more of a bleak wasteland, the loveliest thing being Alice’s ever changing wardrobe of gorgeous frocks (she seems to get a new one every time she grows or shrinks, which is very handy indeed).
The film is full of computer graphic magic, with Helena Bonham Carter transformed into a giant-headed Red Queen, Matt Lucas (Little Britain) is perfectly cast as both Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and a host of celebrity-voiced creatures (Stephen Fry is brilliant as the Cheshire cat).
Alice, along with some help from the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp, in his seventh film with Burton), turns from a confused young woman into a kick-arse hero, but the film turns too much into an action movie, with the climax ending up a dull fight scene.
For a film-maker as accomplished as Tim Burton, and with such a stellar cast, there’s something lacking from Alice. It’s a still gorgeous film, though.
Alice In Wonderland is screening in both 3D and regular 2D. Unlike some films, the 3D in Alice doesn’t add much to the experience. I recommend seeing it at your favourite cinema, and enjoy it without the plastic specs sliding down your nose.

The true story of ballet dancer Li Cunxin is told in the Australian production Mao’s Last Dancer.
Born in poverty in rural China, Li was selected for an intense ballet school, taken away from his family to spend his childhood dancing. As a young man, he visits the Houston Ballet Company on an exchange, and gains a taste for the freedoms of the West.
Dancer Chi Cao (otherwise of the Birmingham Royal Ballet) has the challenge of playing a character who is an excellent dancer, but he handles the task superbly, leading to a number of scenes featuring some breathtaking dancing.
The script, by Shine writer Jan Sardi, has some clunky dialogue in places, with the film sometimes taking on a melodramatic tone.
But Mao’s Last Dancer is a moving film, as a young man faces the prospect of never seeing his family again.

Animated film 9 should not be confused with the recent release Nine. That one is a musical full of lovely ladies, whereas the animated 9 is the story about little robots who have to save a post-apocalyptic Earth from the machines that have all but destroyed it.

If this sounds bleak, well, it is, but 9 is not without heart. Elijah Wood voices 9, the ninth in a series of robots built by an old man. He is activated and soon finds the other eight in various states, and tries to figure out just what is going on in the horrible world they’re faced with.
It began as an Oscar-nominated short film by writer/director Shane Acker, and he’s had the opportunity to expand it into a feature film, fleshing out the world of 9 and his pals with great emotional depth.
The animation is particularly impressive, with the handmade hessian and brass look of the little robots contrasting with the clattery metal of the evil robots, and each of the robots taking on their own visual personality.
It is worth a look if you’re after a well told story and some excellent animation.
(Robyn Gallagher is a Wellington-based web editor and blogger filling in for Dan Slevin who returns next week.)