Alice in Wonderland, Shutter Island, and Percy Jackson....

So, the wife and I haven't been out to the movies much lately, so we made up for it a bit by seeing 3 movies over the weekend. (not all were my choice, but here's my opinion on 'em)..

Alice in Wonderland:

If you love Tim Burton movies, you'll love this one. Not quite as dark as most of his work, but certainly all Burton-esque... I thought the movie did a good job of including all of the most memorable characters and visuals viewers of the original Disney movie or readers of the books, would expect. Yes, the story was a mish-mash of the books' ideas, but I personally think it all worked pretty well. Depp was downright weird (which the Mad Hatter should be), and Carter (Red Queen) seemed to be channeling the queen from the Blackadder series (which is a good thing), but the White Queen was a snoozer... Still though, a pretty decent movie, and what you'd expect from Burton and his usual crew of actors. (and do be sure to see it in 3D)...

Shutter Island:

It's still hard for me to envision DiCaprio in an adult role, but he's aging at least, so it somewhat works here. This was a good mess with your head movie, so if you like that, you won't be disappointed. Depending on how complex you think the twist will be, it's either an easy guess, or tricky, but either way, it won't diminish your enjoyment of the movie. Great acting, nice cinematography, and really transports you to the period too... Not really a horror movie, but definitely more suspense and mystery...

Percy Jackson:

It is what it is. If you're expecting kind of a Harry Potter rip-off, that's pretty much what it is, though of course, with a lot of cheese factor. The older actors in this movie do a good job, but the underlying story is a bit silly... (I mean, just what exactly do the Olympian gods do without current followings, etc.) The premise is that they do what they've always done...but of course, it's difficult to believe you get to Olympus through an elevator in the Empire State Building for example. Obvious CGI effects, and unbelievable calm in what should be horrific circumstances (just moments after regaining his consciousness after loosing his mom, he's got a crush on a gal?) don't help. Bottom line, the kids will like it, but it will be on DVD pretty soon, and isn't likely to get a sequel, no matter how many books there are. Mixed reviews...it's cute, and good for kids, but not too young (or Hades will give them nightmares)...but adults won't be too interested.