Alice in Wonderland

I went to see Alice in Wonderland with my roommates yesterday and LOVED it! By the time it actually came out, I wasn't very excited about it. I felt like there was a little too much hype. I personally have never read the book, and was never a huge fan of the film when I was little. It was never one of my favorite Disney movies. That said, I really liked the story. I really liked that Linda Woolverton was able to take the familiar tale and create something new.

For the most part, the cast was excellent. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter completely stole the film. Johnny Depp was especially amazing. He brought multiple dimensions to the Mad Hatter that I had never considered before. He created much more of a three-dimensional character than I think anyone else could have. Carter was adorable. When compared to Anne Hathaway's portrayal of the White Queen, I actually found myself rooting for the Red Queen instead. Matt Lucas was also really good. I have enjoyed just about everything that I have ever seen him in, and am really happy that he is becoming better-known.

The rest of the characters were all cast really well. Even though I looked up the cast list prior to seeing the film, I found myself getting lost while watching it. Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Michael Sheen, and Stephen Fry were all especially good. Aside from Anne Hathaway, the only character that I wasn't really impressed with was Alice. I haven't seen Mia Wasikowska in anything else, and she was okay, but I did not find myself really identifying with her or really rooting for her during the film. I feel like that is kind of necessary, especially for a character like Alice.

Despite any problems that I may have had with certain actors or characters, I would definitely recommend this film. It is definitely a must-see!

Dream Cast Thursday! Anastasia

For this week's Dream Cast Thursday, I will be recasting Anastasia. The first film that I looked at was Anatole Litvak's Anastasia (1956). The second film that I looked at was the animated film, Anastasia (1997). The animated film has always been one of my favorites. I saw the 1956 film for the first time this summer. I would like to do a film that blends the two together. It would be live action, have some of the magic and romance of the animated film, and have some of the darker aspects of the live-action film.

The first character that I cast is Anastasia. In the 1956 version, Anastasia/Anna Koreff was played by Ingrid Bergman. In the 1997 version Anastasia's voice was dubbed by Meg Ryan. For my remake, I cast a French actress named Melanie Laurent.

I felt that there were two different characters in the films that were very similar. In the 1956 version Yul Brynner plays General Sergei Pavlovich Bounine. In the 1997 version, the voice of Dimitri was dubbed by John Cusack. For my remake, I cast a German actor named Thomas Kretschmann.

The third character that I cast was the Dowager Empress Marie. In the 1956 version, she is played by Helen Hayes. In the 1997 version, her voice was dubbed by Angela Lansbury. For my remake, I cast an English actress named Julie Christie. 

The last character that I cast was Grigori Rasputin. He did not make an appearance in the 1956 version. I looked at the 1996 film, Rasputin. In this film, he was played by Alan Rickman. In the 1997 version, his voice was dubbed by Christopher Lloyd. For my remake I cast a Croatian actor named Rade Serbedzija.

So what do you all think? What films have you seen that have depicted the life of Anastasia? Who would be in your remake?