While The Mad Hatter wonders why a raven is like a writing desk, audiences of the new “Alice in Wonderland” might wonder what director Tim Burton was hoping to accomplish with his live-action reimagining of the Lewis Carroll classic.

The twisted visionary behind “Edward Scissorhands” and “Ed Wood” has no problem getting another strange and enchanting performance out of his frequent collaborator, Johnny Depp. The actor’s Mad Hatter, boasting Carrot Top hair and the occasional Scottish accent, certainly tickles the imagination. So why can’t the rest of “Alice in Wonderland” do the same?

(more…)

Another perspective on the best movies of 2009 from contributing writer Josh Miller.

This is not an objective list; rather than choosing films that are the best films of the year because of simple filmmaking aesthetic, I chose the ten films that I had some sort of resonance with personally. This list could potentially be updated in the near-future, but this is a pretty accurate reflection as it is…..

1. The Road – This adaptation of the Pulitzer-Prize winning novel by Cormac McCarthy is a bleak look at a  father and son wandering around a post-apocalyptic world. Many films have covered this territory in the last few years, but The Road is the best of them and the best film of 2009. It’s a dark, gloomy film that portrays the animalistic nature of humans unflinchingly. It’s suspenseful, thought-provoking, and powerful.

(more…)