Malice in Wonderland

With 'Malice' Aforethought...
I got a screener copy of this dvd and expected it to be a total dud, cashing in on the success of Tim Burton's 'Alice', but was more than surprised when I sat down to view it. I told my wife, "Don't expect much", and she concurred but, in truth, we both enjoyed it for what it was.

Instead of being loosely adapted by the Lewis Carroll tale, it was almost a literal translation of the story, except all the characters were rewritten to fit into today's seedy British underworld of lowlife gangsters, drug lords, addicts and pimps, as seen through the eyes of Terry Gilliam.

Alice (Maggie Grace) is an American law student in London, whose parents are insanely wealthy. Struck down by a cab operated by Whitey (the White Rabbit, excellently portrayed by Danny Dyer), she awakens with amnesia in Wonderland, a world that's a million miles from home.

We follow her various escapades as she is dragged through an underworld filled with twisted individuals and some of...

Something for your head
...with Snoop Dogg having an album of the same name, and Tim Burton doing a big budget adaptation to the Lewis Carrol story this small film which had been seeking distribution for almost a year finally gets to shine.
This film is simply AWESOME It keeps with the idea of the Lewis Carol story brilliantly. When I first saw it I assumed that it would be to Alice in wonderland what the movie Freeway was for Little Red Riding Hood, I was wrong. This story keeps more to the actual source material not only in feel, but also with character and plot-line development. What sounds a bit off of kooky actually works in a way that left me in awe. This movie has instantly become one of my favorite lil' indies.
Acted to the nines by everyone involved, most of whome I've never heard of save for Maggie Grace who was in last years sleeper hit "TAKEN", directed with an artsy flair and delivered with endearing locations, and visuals one can not help but to fall down the rabbit hole...

Wonderland Underground
I really liked this take on Alice. This a version of Wonderland that isn't so bright and shiny. Wonderland is gritty and crime filled. Remember watching the original Disney version and thinking these characters are a littlle wonky and left of center. Well these characters take that to a whole new level, so much so that they are rolled over in the ditch on the side of the road. And Wonderland is right there w/ them just as twisted. Alice's story is a little more complicated in this version. For example she meets Whitey(the White Rabbit)by him hitting her w/ his cab. In the course of the movie Alice has several flashbacks to her childhood and some involving a recent conversation w/ her father. It may take you the whole movie to figure out what these mean or you may think you have it after a couple flashes. Alice and Whitey's team up makes the movie. Maggie Grace(Alice) and Danny Dryer(Whitey) have good chemistry which makes it all the better. This take on Wonderland definately isn't for...

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