ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

Mia Wasikowska   Johnny Depp   Helena Bonham Carter   Anne Hathaway   Sacha Baron Cohen   Alan Rickman

          Constant artificiality in the emotional exchanges and CGI effects makes much of this film meaningless.  It’s like a stroll—or a run—through a garden of artificial flowers or being stuck inside a video game, as in the Russian film Hardcore; only this is for kids.  Case in point, Alice is congratulated profusely in the end, but it’s not very clear exactly what she did other than sail/burst around in a time machine that pops her out on the ground or the floor.  Traditionally, the hero(ine) is sent by fate through trials that establish her mettle, but we see none of that here.  The main point of the film—which is that you can’t change the past—is obscure, until Alice talks about learning her lesson at the end.  Otherwise, all the action of the film is trying to do just that, change the past.

         The film opens with Alice the captain of a ship in dangerous waters where she is willing to take risks (she doesn’t believe in “impossible”), even against the advice of her crew.  Of course—this being Alice—she makes it safely to her homeport, pumped about the next adventure.  To her dismay, her benefactor has died, and his son Hamish (a rejected lover) wants to reclaim her boat, has made a spurious deal with her mother regarding her home, and now wants her to work as a clerk.  What to do?

          As she is mulling this over, Alice gets a message from the Blue Caterpillar (Rickman) that she is needed back in Wonderland, so she goes through the glass portal to see what is wrong.  It’s the Mad Hatter (Depp), who has slipped into a dangerous depression following the disappearance of his family.  After discussing it with the White Queen (Hathaway), Alice pursues the possibility of going back in time to “get” his family and bring them up to the present.  The person in charge of the “Chronosphere” is Time (Cohen), and he warns against the plan.  Not to be deterred, Alice gets her hands on it anyway, and proceeds.  There follows lessons about the folly of trying to change the past, side issues of sibling rivalry, and the values of home and family.

        With CGI overwhelming the story, it’s difficult to see how children would really come away with the messages—as mundane as they are.  They are likely to enjoy the production design (Dan Hanneh) and special effects in and of themselves and the costumes (Colleen Atwood), but as far as deriving any edification about sibling rivalry, undoing the past, or the rights of females, I doubt those things come through.

A CGI bloated production with a weak storyline.

Grade:  C-                                    By Donna R. Copeland

EYE IN THE SKY

Helen Mirren     Aaron Paul     Iain Glen     Alan Rickman     Barkhad Abdi

          This is a different thriller from most; the tension is mostly in the inaction rather than the action.  Helen Mirren is the no-nonsense Colonel Katherine Powell in London and in direct command of the U.S. drone operators who are waiting to pull the trigger on a target in Kenya.  She is logical and decisive while still being compassionate, unlike some of her superiors who cannot seem to think through problematic situations and come up with a plan.  Clearly, many of them have sat at a desk through most of their careers.  That is unlike Lieutenant General Frank Benson (Rickman), however, who immediately comprehends Powell’s reasoning and is prepared to give his authorization of a strike.  He is a military man.  It is the political officials who may not have had direct experience in war who struggle with making a decision.

         There are agonizing moments as we watch two suicide bombers get fitted with their vests while we wait for multiple authorizations (these have been “kicked upstairs” or over to U.S. officials to avoid personally taking responsibility).  Since this is spur-of-the-moment, many of the authorities are otherwise occupied, and are stunned about making such a decision at all, much less on the fly.  The salient issue has to do with weighing the cost of one innocent casualty versus the potential of killing 80 men, women, and children.  It becomes much more potent because everyone can see a particular little girl who could be caught in the explosion.

         It is instructive for nonmilitary people to see the kind of agony that decision-makers must go through during a war—especially the newly appointed and young drone operators.  In this instance, it is just as agonizing for the audience to sit through long sequences waiting for the higher-ups to make up their mind.  And we have to listen to considerations that have more to do with political fall-out and “covering one’s butt” than humanitarian and ethical concerns, which makes it even more nerve-wracking. 

       During and after this long process, instructions are given as to how to report the incident, and the quote at the beginning of the film becomes applicable:  “In war, truth is the first casualty” (Aeschylus).

          Director Gavin Hood and writer Guy Hibbert have created a fine picture of substance that will grab your attention and pull you right in with the feeling of being a part of the action.  They shed light on the new arena of drone warfare and help us understand some of its complexities.  The cast is part of the excellence of the film, headed up by the ever-perfect Mirren who seems to be able to convincingly play any role.  She and Rickman (May he rest in peace) make a good team, in sync with one another in timing and emotional space.  Aaron Paul subtly evinces the conscience-ridden drone operator who has no experience in actual “kills”, and knows enough about the law that he can request reconsideration of an order.  Barkhad Abdi reprises his role as a Somalian (Captain Phillips), but this time he is one of the good guys—well played. 

Eye in the Sky will make you squirm and groan about wartime decision-making.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland