In Contention

Tag: Alice in Wonderland

  • FRIDAY FORECAST: ‘Alice’ super

    Mia Wasikowska in Alice in Wonderland*All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars.

    Hot on the heels of “Avatar” crossing the $700 million mark to way less fanfare than I would have thought that would warrant six months ago, 2010 unleashes its very first 3D blockbuster.

    Everything about Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” screams smash hit and despite looking completely unappealing in every way to yours truly, it will no doubt break some box office records this weekend. Namely, the all-time biggest March debut currently held by the $78.4 million of “300.”

    How much higher can it go?

    Well, I think it’s safe to say that Burton’s personal best, the $92.1 million start for “Planet of the Apes,” is out of reach, but stranger things have happened. Like “Planet of the Apes” grossing $92.1 million for instance. Between the Disney brand, the 3D gimmick, Burton’s cache and Johnny Depp’s star power, every demographic is being reached and with competition non-existent, things are looking very good. I’m going to say $82 million.
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  • 2/15 Oscarweb Round-up

    Mia Wasikowska in Alice in Wonderland• Were some details of the Oscarcast revealed in a recent promotional video? [Gold Derby]

    • Rosanna Greenstreet sits down with “The Last Station” star Christopher Plummer. [The Guardian]

    • “Alice in Wonderland” cinematographer Dariusz Wolski complains about green screen technology. [Hero Complex]

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  • 2/4 Oscarweb Round-up

    (from left) Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper in All About Steve• China censors Oscar nominations announcement due to documentary short nominee. [Daily Telegraph]

    • Dave Karger and Missy Schwartz run the numbers on the Best Picture and Best Actress categories. [Oscar Watch]

    • Jeffrey Wells ponders the possibility of the home video release of “All About Steve,” starring Razzie-nominated actress Sandra Bullock, hurting her Oscar chances. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

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  • Tim Burton named Cannes jury president

    Tim BurtonIn a move that should remind some of his more disenchanted fans of the high esteem with which he is still held in the industry, Hollywood’s resident kook-auteur Tim Burton has been tapped to head the jury of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. He said in a statement:

    After spending my early life watching triple features and 48-hour horror movie marathons, I’m finally ready for this … It’s a great honor and I look forward, with my fellow jurors, to watching some great films from around the world. When you think of Cannes you think of world cinema. And as films have always been like dreams to me, this is a dream come true.

    The selection makes him the first full-time American filmmaker to preside over Europe’s most sanctified cinematic institution since Quentin Tarantino in 2004. (Actor-director Sean Penn took the gig two years ago). A more mainstream pick than usual, he’s nonetheless one of the industry’s most identifiable directorial brands, and therefore an obvious candidate for the position.

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  • Burton’s ‘Alice’ goes emo

    Mia Wasikowska in Alice in Wonderland

    [UPDATE: Commenter Aspect Ratio reassures the pop-phobic that only Avril Lavigne’s contribution will feature in-film (and over credits). Otherwise, it’s Danny Elfman business as usual.]

    File this under film news I didn’t see coming: Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz and Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus are collaborating to write music for Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” which opens Stateside in March. Wentz told MTV News:

    We did a song for ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ [and we] might do a few more depending on when [Mark] goes in with Blink. [It] sounds nothing like Blink or Fall Out Boy. Mark understands songwriting on a completely different level. It’s awesome to have a chance to sit in a room with him and watch him work out a melody.

    The less it sounds like either artist’s band the better, as far as I’m concerned. The “Alice in Wonderland” soundtrack will also feature new tracks from the likes of All Time Low and Avril Lavigne, as well as (slightly more my speed, this) Robert Smith and Franz Ferdinand. Cinema Blend’s Katey Rich has a full listing here.

  • My most anticipated films of 2010

    InceptionAnnually I put together a hasty list of my most anticipated films of the New Year on January 1.  I got rid of the pomp and circumstance around the perennial post a while back and just stuck with the list.  But a couple of things…

    I’m not sure if Kevin Macdonald’s “The Eagle of the Ninth” will make it to theaters in 2010, but that would definitely be a consideration.  And it’s difficult not to be interested in product from major filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Peter Weir and James L. Brooks, but, alas, they didn’t speak up for me when putting this together.

    Typically, the blockbusters will show up in numbers on something like this, because for me, that’s what I tend to anticipate.  When art seems to be skillfully married to commerce (like my #1 selection — which is most people’s #1 selection), all the better.  But it’s tough to really know what the art house product could have in store until we’re in the thick of the year.

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  • ‘Alice in Wonderland’ at Spike’s Scream 2009

    How exactly is something that debuted online before Comic-Con, played at Comic-Con and has been in theaters for months now considered “exclusive, never-bef0re-seen footage?”  Anyway, I wonder if there will be any jokes/material planned around this film at the Oscarcast, given the film opens the Friday prior.  Probably not.

  • 8/6 Web Round-up

    Nation's Pride• Nikki Finke takes umbrage with the “Nation’s Pride” trailer being used to promote “Inglourious Basterds.” [Deadline Hollywood Daily]

    • Graeme McRanor sits down with “District 9” composer Clinton Shorter. [Jawbone.tv]

    • Top 10 movie pregnancies. [The Film Experience]

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  • COMIC-CON: Wrapping it up

    2009 San Diego Comic-Con InternationalI wish I could tell you how awesome the “Iron Man 2” footage form yesterday’s Paramount panel was, but Hall H was packed to the gills and even us schmoes int he VIP line couldn’t get in because it was at capacity.  Without a doubt, the event was the most popular attraction at this year’s Comic-Con.

    It sounded good muffled through the walls.  That’s all I got.  Hoping for another screening in LA soon.

    By far the highlight for me was the Entertainment Weekly Visionaries panel with James Cameron and Peter Jackson.  It’s a pretty big leap from last year’s set of Zack Snyder, Frank Miller, Kevin Smith and Judd Apatow.  Let’s hope next year isn’t a step backwards at the crew responsible for this momentous occasion gets creative and puts a few equally brilliant minds together on that stage once again.

    Speaking of Jackson, “District 9” made a major splash here.  The screening was very well-received on Thursday and the Saturday panel got the crowd chomping at the bit.  In this community anyway, the film is sure to be a runaway hit.

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  • COMIC-CON: A very important date with the designs of ‘Alice in Wonderland’

    Alice in Wonderland set design at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con InternationalYesterday I moseyed on over to Seventh Ave., between J and K Streets for a glimpse of Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” production design set-up, and the display was predictably jaw-dropping.

    An empty bulding has been converted into various elements of Wonderland, from the hall of doors to the tea party set-up to the Red Queen’s throne room, it was all the eye-popping Burton splendor you could hope for.  The other side included a stop on the massive “Tron: Legacy” viral event, which was thoroughly covered by Devindra Hardawar at /Film.

    Given our tendency to champion below-the-line talent here at In Contention, I thought I owed it to costume designer Collen Atwood (whose threads were also on display) and production designer Robert Stromberg to tour the event and offer up some snaps of their work.  Models and concept sketches were strewn throughout as well.  Both designers, I think it’s safe to say, are heading for Oscar nominations next year.

    Here’s a taste of what I saw today:

    Alice in Wonderland costume design at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International

  • WEEKLY WRAP: Comic-Con, a taste of ‘Avatar’ and ‘Alice’

    Comic-Con• Comic-Con was the week’s big story, with 25 minutes of footage from “Avatar” its major talking-point so far.

    • Meanwhile, the rather less glitzy sci-fi of “District 9” wowed the crowds.

    • And Gary Oldman slipped some unexpected news about the next Batman installment.

    • Good week for trailers, as both “Alice in Wonderland” and “Bright Star” offered a crazyglimpse of their goods.

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  • COMIC-CON: Disney showcases ‘Carol,’ ‘Alice,’ ‘Tron’

    (from left) Patton Oswalt and Tim Burton at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con InternationalThe first opening day studio panel has just concluded as Walt Disney Pictures brought Robert Zemeckis (“A Christmas Carol”), Tim Burton (“Alice in Wonderland”) and the “Tron: Legacy” principals to Hall H for a hefty three-dimensional dose.

    The “Christmas Carol” footage, which was an extended version of the Marley’s ghost sequence Disney has been showing for a few months, seemed to leave the audience dizzy with glee.

    Patton Oswalt sat down with Zemeckis before the unveiling for a brief Q&A, leading by questioning the director’s reason for tackling the Charles Dickens classic after so many incarnations have already been filmed.

    “If you read the actual novel, it’s very, very trippy,” Zemeckis said.  “It’s very surreal and it’s really cool, and it’s very cinematic.  I think we now have the filmmaking tools to film what Dickens wrote.”

    Oswalt addressed the issue of “dead eyes” in the performance capture technique and a term applied to the uneasy visceral feeling it summons: “the uncanny valley.”

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  • ‘Alice in Wonderland’ teaser trailer

    As someone who is both fanatical about Lewis Carroll and agnostic on Tim Burton, I’ve been a little wary about this project from the outset. Burton and his team have given something of a CGI Gothic distortion to John Tenniel’s immortal illustrations — I don’t know how I feel about it, but suffice to say we can probably fill some 2010 Oscar slots in the design races.

    I am concerned, however, about the solo star billing of Johnny Depp, and his first-person narration — this story shouldn’t be The Mad Hatter Show. Thanks to Cinematical for the heads-up:

  • ‘Alice’ trailer on the way

    Alice in WonderlandFrom Disney:

    Be the First to See the ALICE IN WONDERLAND Teaser Trailer!

    The Loyal Subjects of the Red Queen, the Loyal Subjects of the White Queen, and the Disloyal Subjects of the Mad Hatter are all building armies on Facebook. The fan page with the biggest army at 4PM PDT on Thursday, July 23 will get to see an exclusive new trailer from Disney’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND before anyone else.

    So be sure to log onto Facebook and choose a side.

    The Loyal Subjects of the Red Queen: www.facebook.com/RedQueenSubjects
    The Loyal Subjects of the White Queen: www.facebook.com/WhiteQueenSubjects
    The Disloyal Subjects of the Mad Hatter: www.facebook.com/MadHatterSubjects

  • Comic-Con on the way

    San Diego Comic-Con InternationalLike the rest of the web geek world, I guess, I’m gearing up for this year’s San Diego Comic Con International, which begins with preview night on Wednesday.

    All eyes, of course, are on Thursday’s slew of events, a treasure trove of goodies that made for a ton of Sophie’s choices when putting together my personal schedule.  I’ll definitely be at the Disney panel, with glimpses of Robert Zemeckis’s “A Christmas Carol” in 3D and a taste of Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” among other things.  Speaking of 3D, perhaps the most anticipated panel will be James Camerons “Avatar” event.  I’m definitely looking forward to that, but the likely crowd of humanity that will be doing same?  Not so much.  Trying to wrangle some VIP consideration as we speak.

    The Peter Jackson-produced “District 9” isn’t as high on my to-do list as most, but I’ll probably park it for Paramount’s “Iron Man 2” Panel on Saturday.  The film just wrapped a 72-day shoot over the weekend, by the way.  Warner Bros. also has a panel, on Friday, but Spike Jonze’s “Where the Wild Things Are” is the only thing that has me interested there.  Focus Features also plans a considerable presence with “Coraline” (the Blu-ray and DVD of which hits shelves tomorrow) and “9.”

    Oh, and Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.”  I suppose I should check that out.

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  • Disney sends all-star auteur team to Comic-Con

    Tim BurtonWell, this is impressive. Hayao Miyazaki, John Lasseter, Tim Burton and Robert Zemeckis have all lined up to help represent Walt Disney Studios at Comic-Con in San Diego later this month, in the interests of showcasing a range of new and/or revived Disney features at the geek mecca. This is the first Comic-Con for all four filmmakers, so it’s quite a coup for Disney to assemble them in one place.

    Burton and Zemeckis will be joining a panel on 3D filmmaking (the first time Comic-Con has broached the subject), which will include discussion, not to mention exclusive footage, of their respective upcoming 3D features “A Christmas Carol” and “Alice in Wonderland.”

    Meanwhile, Miyazaki and Lasseter are set to participate in an animation panel (which also includes such veterans of  hand-drawn Disney animation as “The Little Mermaid” duo Ron Clements and John Musker), in which a range of upcoming animated titles — including “Toy Story 3,” “The Princess and the Frog” and “Ponyo” — will all be previewed.

    Both sound likely to be hot tickets. Kris, of course, will be on site in San Diego and covering the whole shebang for your reading pleasure. Lucky man. (Full press release after the cut.)

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  • Terrifying ‘Alice in Wonderland’ stills

    So ready for this movie.  Click for larger version.  One more after the jump…

    (from left) Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway in Alice in Wonderland

    (Courtesy: USA Today)

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  • Johnny Depp to star as Tonto in Bruckheimer’s ‘Lone Ranger’

    The Lone RangerUPDATE (11:36 p.m.): Big oops on my part.  It turns out Depp will be playing Tonto in “The Lone Ranger,” not the hero himself.  Which, frankly, strikes me as even odder.  But anyway, sorry for getting ahead of myself this afternoon.

    EARLIER: So…what do we think about this?  The news has broken out of the Kodak Theater during a Disney event this afternoon and is slowly trickling its way through the web.  Before long, it’ll likely be the biggest entertainment story of the week, maybe the month, because these things get inflated when a guy like Depp and a property like “The Lone Ranger” come together, so let’s dig into it now.

    A Bruckheimer/Verbinski/Rossio/Elliot collaboration on this material is a perfect conception and exactly what would make it work at a time when the western is struggling to make its way to relevance once again.  But I’m approaching this news with some measured reserve.  The likely reaction will be a gigantic: “That’s awesome!”  But I dunno…

    This is an exciting project regardless.  “The Lone Ranger” has quickly become one of my most anticipated films in the Hollywood pipeline and despite my ambivalence about today’s news, it still is.

    Also announced at the event, by the way, was that there will be a fourth installment of “Pirates of the Caribbean.”  Considering the dollars involved in that franchise, it’s certainly not a surprise, but I don’t think I’m alone when I say: “Ugh.”

    Additionally, Depp was “officially” announced as Tim Burton’s Mad Hatter in the upcoming “Alice in Wonderland.”

    Tell us what you think of Johnny Depp’s casting trifecta this afternoon.