Lewis Carroll’s timeless fantasy classic “Alice in Wonderland” has been adapted for the screen more times than Jane Austen’s works. There are classics like Norman Z. McLeod’s 1933 feature which stars Charlotte Henry as Alice to Jan Švankmajer’s creepy vision which scares me more than any film should. I also have a soft spot for the kid friendly Disney version which manages to be creepy without giving me nightmares.

Just in time for the release of Tim Burton’s vision of “Alice,” one which is also made by Disney but looks as seriously twisted as Švankmajer’s (in classic Burton style), BFI National Archive has unleashed a restored version of the first adaptation of Carroll’s story. Made in 1903, a mere 37 years after the story was originally published, the 12 minute adaptation was directed by Cecil Hepworth and Percy Stow and at the time, was the longest film to be produced in the UK. Only 8 minutes of the original film survive and the BFI has painstakingly restored it and made it available for online viewing. I’ve now seen it twice and must say, it’s as creepy (maybe more so thanks to the man in the bunny costume) as any of the other versions I’ve seen through the years.

• Hollywood hears Roar of Women – Commercial Performance Power of Actresses has Never been Stronger
  “Traditionally, female roles in Hollywood fall into one of three categories: the mother, the ingénue and the quirky (usually unlucky-in-love) best friend or sidekick. Not this year. What we were served in 2009 were some real characters, storylines and performances we could really sink our teeth into.”
• Variety Will Kill a Bad Review of Your ‘Mediocre’ Movie For Just $400,000
  “Last month, Variety panned a thriller called Iron Cross. But the review has been disappeared from Variety’s web site, which probably has something to do with the $400,000 Iron Cross’ producers paid to Variety for an awards campaign.”
• David Lynch-ified Movie Trailers
  Well, actually David Lynch had indeed a shot at Return (Revenge) of the Jedi, but passed on it. Want to see what the trailer at least for this, as well as Friday The Thirteenth (Part 5), A Goofy Movie and more would look like? Lynch cliches abound.
• The Repo Men One Sheet Collection
  Whether or not you feel that the filmmakers are simply re-making Repo! The Genetic Opera with a more traditional style, or there should be a lawsuit, these handsome one-sheets are nifty!
• The Curious Case of Tilda Swinton
  “Below is a guided tour of Tilda’s career in movie posters. Despite her striking beauty she hasn’t been particularly well served by poster designers (fashion designers, on the other hand, have a field day with her), which makes the I Am Love posters all the more notable. Do make sure to scroll all the way down though for the superb poster for the Beijing installment of her film festival: The Scottish Cinema of Dreams in China. Pure Tilda.”
• Roger Ebert regains his power of Speech from DVD Commentary Tracks
  “Before I lost my voice due to cancer-related surgery, I’d recorded commentary tracks for some movies on DVD: “Citizen Kane,” “Casablanca,” “Floating Weeds,” “Dark City” and, ah, “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.” These tracks had been recorded separately from the movies, so they could be edited to fit scenes. They might be “pure” audio. I asked two friends of mine, Ronnie Sass of Warner Bros. and Kim Hendrickson of the Criterion Collection, if they still had the original digital recordings. They rummaged in warehouses and found they did.”

You can now take a look at RowThree’s bookmarks at any time of your choosing simply by clicking the “delicious” button in the upper right of the page. It looks remarkably similar to this:

• Some Came Running: “Shutter Island”
  Glenn Kenny positively reviews the Scorsese’s newest opus: “So all things being equal, even the most devoted of Scorsese fans couldn’t necessarily be blamed for expecting little beyond a very very grand piece of Guignol, with inimitable style and panache but maybe not so much resonance. So I am thoroughly happy to report that, to my eyes and ears at least, Shutter Island is, in the Godardian formulation, a vrai Scorsese film, in its way the most fully realized personal work of the Scorsese-DiCaprio collabs, a puzzle picture that, as it puts its plot pieces together, climbs to a crescendo that aims to reach that perfect note of empathetic despair we haven’t seen/heard in a Hollywood picture since Vertigo. I think it very nearly gets there.”
• Top 10 Stills of 2009
  Part one of two in which InContention looks at compelling stills from 2009 films.
• Best and Worst worst date movies
  “One Slate writer brought a prospective beau to see the morbidly erotic In the Realm of the Senses, which also involves genital mutilation and which happens to be one of her favorite movies. She never heard from him again. “Just as well, since anyone who can’t roll with Realm O’ isn’t my type anyway,”"
• Robert Smith – “Very Good Advice”
  Robert Smith has turned his attention to Almost Alice, a collection of songs inspired by Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland. He’s joined by the likes of Owl City, Avril Lavigne, the All-American Rejects, and many other of your favorite artists. (The movie’s actual score was done by Danny Elfman, though Avril’s track will show up during the credits.) Take a listen to Smith’s “Very Good Advice” streaming here. It includes less tears than the original.
• When talking about your influences works against you.
  It’s fair. If you’re going to attack Tarantino, the first thing you typically do is cite him for plagiarism, which for me is missing the point — the locations and sequences he films are always slowed down to his distinctive pace. So why is Martin Scorsese celebrated for his cinephilia while Tarantino’s is held in evidence against him?.
• Avatar, the French New Wave and the morality of deep-focus (in 3-D)
  Jim Emerson wonders why James Cameron would use a shallow depth of field in Avatar, a technique that often uses blur to signal depth, in a film that already has depth through its use of 3D. He bolsters his position through references to Cahier critics’ defense of the freedom deep focus allows viewers, arguing that with so much to look at in Avatar, Cameron’s dictatorial shallow focus is inexcusable.
• Hollywood sign coverup part of campaign to purchase Cahuenga Peak
  A nonprofit group plans to cover the Hollywood sign with a banner urging “Save the Peak” this week, announcing its effort to purchase nearby Cahuenga Peak from private developers for $11.7 million.

You can now take a look at RowThree’s bookmarks at any time of your choosing simply by clicking the “delicious” button in the upper right of the page. It looks remarkably similar to this:

“Shorts Program” is a semi-regular column highlighting a short film that is well worth your time. If you have a short film you would like to share, drop us a line at marina@rowthree.com.

Idiocracy ain’t got nuthin’ on this!

Logorama, which could take home an Oscar next month, probably takes the vulgarity prize (in both language and aesthetic) and would very likely make Naomi Klein (author of No Logo) cry. Along with Klein, probably a few brand managers and intellectual property lawyers. The creators are equal opportunity offenders! The ’story,’ such that it is, follows Ronald McDonald on an OJ like cop chase through a cartoon Los Angeles where every person, building and car is constructed out of corporate logos. Yes, you can get lost just looking at background insanity, or follow a couple of Micheline Men cops trying to gun down old Ronnie and save Big Boy, the Pringles Guy and a cute Esso-gal. The animators here are having a blast, even though their symbols may be obvious (uh, kinda the point!), the energy and mayhem is infectious. Not just products and services, but film fonts and symbols, environmental groups and everything under the sun (even the open source Linux Penguin!) gets tarred and feathered with a broad brush which, appropriately is structured and executed like a modern Hollywood Blockbuster. Surely the collapse of the Western world is happening due to copyright-gone-wild and capitalist cannibalism. (Fun Fact: David Fincher, who also laid the satirical smack down on capitalism and violence in 1999s Fight Club is voice of the Pringles Man and Seven screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker is also lending his voice to the proceedings.)

Logorama was (of course!) made and produced by an ad firm, the French H5 Design Collective and directed by François Alaux. The entire 16 minute short is tucked under the seat. Enjoy!

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It appears to be list day. The Row Three best of the decade was a strange and varied consensus, namely that few lists looked alike over the 10 year span.

I don’t think it is possible to rank these films; simply here they are:

In The Mood For Love
25th Hour
There Will Be Blood
Enter The Void
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The New World
City of God
The Prestige
Miami Vice
Gerry

And 10 More:

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With Hollywood’s once fresh, young faces aging with wisdom, experience and (for the most part) honorable careers, it’s safe to say there are limits to the roles Leo Dicaprio, Matt Damon, Ethan Hawke, Ben Affleck, Tobey Maguire and their seasoned comrades of this attractive graduating class will be able to snag. This inevitable ‘passing of the torch’ has been in effect since the start.  Read More

As part of the media blitz to accompany the release of Quentin Tarantino’s new film Inglorious Basterds (our review), the man has been everywhere lately. That’s not such a bad thing considering that he’s a pretty entertaining guy. I may not always like his films or agree with his views but he’s as much fun to listen to as Kevin Smith (and a lot less annoying).

One video in particular which has caught my attention is this one in which Tarantino talks about the films which he has loved the most in the twelve years he has been directing film. The list isn’t a complete surprise but features a few films which are a little more mainstream than I expected from the director (either that or I’ve been searching out some seriously twisted stuff). Surprisingly, I’ve seen, and loved, most of the films on the list which includes, first and foremost, Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Roayle, followed by Audition, The Matrix and Dogville among many others.

This feels a little like cheating. I say this because the trailer I’m about to share is not in English and though it looks beautiful, I can’t quite follow what’s going on.

Though no one will dispute Michael Haneke’s position as a world class auteur, he’s not particularly well liked. Critics may love him as do many film lovers but his often condescending way of speaking to the audience, not to mention the continuous mindfuck his movies tend to bring, can be alienating. One may not love him but he is good at what he does: making films that make you think. I expect that his most recent, the Palme D’Or winning The White Ribbon, is no exception.

Set in small town Germany between 1913 and 1914, it focuses on a group of children, teens and their families, and follows their actions when a series of strange accidents begin to occur. It sounds like a bit of a mystery mixed in with family drama and small town life but to make things even more interesting, Haneke also sets this on the eve of WWI which will likely throw politics into the already messy mix.

This German trailer suggests the film looks beautiful and the Cannes win, though not always an indication, certainly suggests something great and considering the Cannes Juries have does well in their selections over the last few years, I expect this will be great.

The White Ribbon opens in Austria on August 24th and will open throughout various European markets in the following moths. It is scheduled for limited North American release on December 25th.

Trailer is tucked under the seat!

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