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In Review: Sneak Peek
The 2010 Spring Movie Preview
By Heather Turk
Springtime at the cineplex is usually so quiet moviegoers can hear baby birds chirping outside. Not this year, however, as Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland hits theaters March 5th.
Capturing the wonder of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, the film follows a 19-year-old Alice (Mia Wasikowska) as she returns to the whimsical world to end the Red Queen’s (Helena Bonham Carter) reign of terror. During her journey, Alice reunites with her childhood friends, the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen), the Caterpillar (Alan Rickman), the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry) and the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp).
Presented in select theaters in Disney Digital 3D, Alice in Wonderland is easily one of the year’s most anticipated films. Burton’s unique directing style and Carroll’s beloved tales mesh perfectly, as trailers have shown, bringing the story to life in a way never before seen. Of course, Burton’s breathtaking vision aside, fans of Alice are simply mad over the casting–in a good way. Burton’s decision to cast Depp as the Mad Hatter is a matter of genius, and the Mad Hatter just might be the role Depp was born to play. Anxious to fall down the rabbit hole? Tickets will go fast during the film’s opening weekend, so don’t be late for this very important date!
More Coming Attractions
Alice in Wonderland isn’t the only spring release generating buzz this year. Here’s a look at some of the season’s other talked about films that should make the weeks leading up to May’s big summer blockbusters–Iron Man 2, Shrek Forever After and Sex and the City 2–bearable.
The Runaways (March 19): Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning (The Twilight Saga: New Moon) team up once again for this biopic based on the 1970s all-girl rock band of the same name. Stewart plays the iconic Joan Jett while Fanning plays The Runaways’ lead singer, Cherie Currie–and yes, the two do their own singing. While Fanning is one of Hollywood’s brightest young stars, audiences seem to have a love/hate relationship with Stewart. Casting her to play the “I Love Rock ’n Roll” star may seem a bit odd considering her fan base barely knows who Joan Jett is, but the move might just expose her music to a whole new demographic. Meanwhile, The Runaways might just prove once and for all that Stewart actually has a career ahead of her, as her performance has been getting rave reviews since the film premiered at Sundance. If all goes well, The Runaways might just have audiences singing, “I Love Kristen Stewart”!
How to Train Your Dragon (March 26): It seems like DreamWorks Animation can do no wrong these days. Based on the children’s book by Cressida Cowell, How to Train Your Dragon tells the story of Hiccup, a Viking teenager whose world is turned upside down when a dragon challenges him and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view. With the final chapter of the Shrek franchise hitting theaters May 21, it doesn’t take a genius to see that DreamWorks is hoping this 3D adventure takes flight so they can adapt Cowell’s many sequels into blockbusters of their own. Sure to entice moviegoers of all ages with an all-star cast of vocal talents, including America Ferrera, Gerard Butler, Kristen Wiig, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, How to Train Your Dragon shouldn’t have any problem heating things up at the box office.
Babies (April 16): On paper, it sounds like a risky venture–a documentary that looks at a year in the life of four babies from around the world. However, if the final cut is half as entertaining as the trailer, Focus Features’ Babies could be one of those rare documentaries that’s a box office hit. The charming trailer shows four new babies–Bayarjargal from Mongolia, Ponijao from Namibia, Mari from Japan and Hattie from San Francisco–going about their lives as cameras follow their every move. Highlights include one of the babies sitting in a giant bowl of water while a goat sneaks up from behind to take a drink, and two babies fighting intently over something to play with. While Babies may speak more to moms than any other demographic, its irresistible trailer is sure to draw dads and many non-parents to the theater, too. Expect Babies-fever to be in full swing come Mother’s Day.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (April 30): First, Michael Myers got the reboot in 2007. Then Jason followed in 2009. Now, it’s Freddy Krueger’s turn, as arguably the most beloved ’80s horror icon gets re-imagined in Samuel Bayer’s A Nightmare on Elm Street. Watchmen’s Jackie Earle Haley dons the bladed glove this time around, and although he’s got Robert Englund’s support, the real question is, will fans be able to accept anyone but Englund as the sweatered one? It’s been reported that Haley’s Freddy Krueger won’t be cracking jokes nearly as often as Englund’s Krueger, as producer Brad Fuller wants to take the franchise back to its scary roots. It’s a bold move, considering one of the things that made Freddy a horror buff favorite was his personality! Curiosity alone should result in a Nightmare sequel or two, but only time will tell if audiences will ever acknowledge Haley as the real Freddy Krueger.
