3-D Alice in Wonderland hits screens today

The much awaited and much talked about Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland' releases today both in 2-D and 3-D versions.  The other Hollywood movie that releases today is Mira Nair's biopic 'Amelia'. Bollywood has two thrillers to offer this weekend- multi-starrer 'Hide & Seek' and 'Right Yaaa Wrong' featuring Sunny Deol and Irfaan Khan.

Hollywood-New releases

Alice in Wonderland

If enchanting escapism is what you seek from wonderlands, Tim Burton’s version of Alice in Wonderland is not for you. If you are the one who appreciates bizarre dark adaptations and super cool 3D effects, you can give this one a try. Coming from Tim Burton who made Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the chocolate factory, we wonder what went wrong this time around. Indiatimes

Commercial considerations have also made Alice 19 years old, for the all-important teen market. Burton lets her break the Victorian mould and become an empowering, feminist figure as she puts on some Joan of Arc armour, grabs the vorpal sword and roars “off with your head” at the Jabberwock. In all, a fantastic film that gets curiouser and curiouser. Times Online

The spectacular 3D special effects are everything you’d expect from Burton. Actually, we never know what to expect from this guy. That said, his final product still registers an exceedingly high weird quotient, which we suppose is what we come to expect. And somehow, just filming in the English countryside adds its own layer of disorientation. The Friday Flyer

View the trailer here

Amelia

The aerial photography in this biopic looks slick, as does two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank as the rangy pioneer aviatrix Amelia Earhart, who went missing in 1937 while trying to circumnavigate the globe in her flying machine. But, oh mama, the minute the characters open their mouths, the onslaught of clichés brings the movie down in flames. Rolling Stone

The movie dutifully covers the high points and a few details you didn't learn in grade school — including Earhart's great passion for Gore Vidal's father and how much of her celebrity was contrived and manipulated — but it leaves the odd impression of being merely a very long trailer for a film you'd actually love to see. Time

One problem with biopics is that they are too predictable, especially when they are about well-known figures. I would assume that most of us know what ultimately happened to Earhart, and the last half-hour of the movie trudges toward that mysterious ending in such a slow and deliberate manner that I kept peeking at my watch to figure out how long before she vanished. Cinematical

View the trailer here

Bollywood-New releases

Hide & Seek

The tangled web of relationships does unwind gradually to reveal undercurrents that lead towards death and denouement. And as the odd assortment of friends try to resolve their old differences, Santa Claus comes gunning for them from the dark shadows of the deserted mall. One by one, the group begins to crumble and the mystery peels, layer after layer. There's enough pizzazz to keep the adrenalin pumping here. The Times of India

Debut filmmaker Shawn Arranha tries too hard to make you anxious; his effort palpable in every scene where the characters scream for their lives even as Santa runs after them with this weapon or that. In thrillers and sub-horror genres like the Slasher, treatment is paramount. Here, the storytelling is archaic reminding you of thrillers made back then, with everyone talking in echoes in flashbacks, a rape thrown in (close-up of the girl’s thighs), one-dimensional characterisation and a predictable following of events. Sify.com

View the trailer here

Right Yaaa Wrong

Come to think of it, a plot like Right Yaaa Wrong is not easy to pen and narrate. The conflict between two thick friends and how they find themselves on the opposite sides of the law ought to be handled with gloves. Most importantly, when the tension reaches its peak, the culmination has to be razor-sharp and concurrently, justify both the sides' point of view. Fortunately, Right Yaaa Wrong hits the right note. Sify.com

A very less hyped Irfan khan movie having a good masala blend with the story twist involved in it is Right yaa wrong. After a long time you will see a good directed movie with some out of track of Bollywood typical style.
Definitely this movie is much better than many movie released after last big hit and entertaining movie 3 Idiots. FYOQ

View the trailer here

DVD Recommendation

Heading to the DVD parlour this weekend? Then Stuff India recommends Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes

Guy Ritchie puts the fun factor back in to the holmes envioronment and Robert Downey Jr enthralls with his comic timing and action sequences. The AV transfer is dazzling. Whats there to not like? (Recommendation by Yatish Suvarna, technical editor, Stuff India)

View the trailer here