Bimal's Roy – Do Bigha Zamin.

Do Bigha Zamin was made around 1953 which was an Hindi film made by an Bengali director – Bimal Roy which casted superb characters like Balraj Sahni, Nirupa Roy in lead roles. The movie has a unique theme of socialist and is an important element for the era of cinema. Mr. Bimal was inspired by the Italian realistic movie and so he made this movie. He has merged lots of art, craft, lights, various techniques just to create a movie which leaves a bench mark. This film received various success and the first film to receive the best film award on international level.  The story is not that different but revolves around a farmer who stays with his wife and son in a small village where poverty was spread. And then the film continues showing the strugglke between the farmer and the zaminadar. Finally the movie ends when the farmer along with his family walks off from the village. This movie doesn’t teach the audience to fight back and win but instead leaves the race and walks off.

There is a farmer who earns money to pay off his debts by pulling the rickshaws and his whole struggle is been portrayed in this movie. This movie will give the audience the effect of pre-independence as the rich people like zamindars cheats and exploit the poor. The most memorable scene for me would be when the farmer pushes himself to his limits by pulling the rickshaw as the rider on it offers the farmer more money in order to pull it as much fast he could. The expressions given by farmer i.e. Shambu his smile, his emotions etc. there is a comparison shown between rich class and poor class. And rich class people treat poor class people like machines. I don’t think there was any mistake or anything wrong about this movie as this is was an art and not the movie we can enjoy by can feel and attach with their emotions. These movies directions and the abilities of actors was just mind blowing. In his entire struggle he doesn’t lose hope which is the moral. This moral remains with the audiences till the end of the movie. The movie is just terrifically performed and can be expected only for the best. Yes, watching it in the present times you might feel it to be a little melodramatic in its approach towards the end. But once you get into the mood, realizing the hardships faced by its lead characters helplessly, the film sinks deep inside your soul and makes you the feel the magic on the screen in an admirable style. This was a beautiful depiction of black and white film and watching this movie is like a treat to your eyes. As it is cut of classiness and watch it more than once.

Any of the movies made by Bimal will only give positive vibes to the audiences. This movie was just other master piece made by him. I appreciate the director's last scene where it shows the family is still intact with hope for the future at the same time the struggle for survival goes on as they lost their land to the greedy landlord. I will be honored in giving these movie 4.5 stars for such a remarkable thought process.

THE EXORCISTS – SCARIEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME.

This american movie was made around 1973 which is full of supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and William peter blatty who was so influenced byb his novel which was of the same name. thyis movie basically deals with 12 year old girl and her mothers desperate attempts to win back her child, her going through all those exorcism conducted by varioua priests etc. this film has trememdous cast like linda blair, Ellen Burstyn, max von sydow, Jason miller, lee J. cob etc. now if we look at the list of bollywood movies many horror movies is being influenced by this movoie whichis one of the most scariest movie. This movie won many awards as well as hearts of the audiences. This movie has crossed the highest gross all over the country and also the first horror films to be nominated for best picture.

This movie had an great influence especially on the teenagers. This movie has been influenced by a true horror story and even changed the way people used to look upon such horror movies. There is a young girl who is overpowered by a clever and ugly demon and there a priest who is trying to untied her through the influence of good over the evil. According to me this movie cant be anyones imagination but as said on a true story. The movie is a great start with thriller and ends with a cry of pain. Basically the story of the movie revolves around human souls and that’s why this movie forces us to look at it in a different angel and understand the concept of horror and reality of human sufferering. This movie has great shots which can take the souls of the audience and make them fear. The difference or the best part about this movie were its shots, camera angels and the effects of light which was put to it. This movie asks every audience the question about faith, reality, death etc. if we think now its illogical that ghost or such spirits exist, but we can say that the 12 year old girl may had an mental disorder.

If we had seen the movie during 70’s or 80’s we might believe that such eviks exist, but now we don’t after all it’s a movie. I felt horror, fear, shocked, nausea, shivering, etc and rthere are rare movies which make me feel in this way. I was just hoping the movie to get completed as soon as possible and I might run from there. The most remembered shot for me was when father karras encourages b y saying that we must need to send that girl in 16^th century and the bedroom scene were she is tortured badly. The special effects which is being there in the ending portion which makes us feel the evil is still there in that room and then it is transferred from bodies.

The way the shots and camera angels are taken is just mindblowing. Magical effects and sound tracks are just a great treat to look upon. This movie gives the viwers the quality they demand for. Like the scene where regan’s head rotates through 360 degree was made using a model who was flexible.

I don’t know why people like horror movie cause I didn’t even enjoy this movie. As wahat I reveived from this movie was onl;y pain, agony, suffereing of the 12 yr old girl and the scenes which can horrify me even the day light. This movie is not made for kids . But then too I had never seen such movie which has the best things to unfold. I wil fgive 4 stars out of 5 and will afcouyrse say this one is a must watch only if you are ready to take a ride of horror. Because this one will surely horrify you.

Hindu mythology empowers Indian television

Indian entertainment television channels have always had a great audience for their tele-serials. These are predominantly complex family sagas with weeping women and conniving mothers-in-law plotting against daughters-in-law. But now the gods are back in the 21st century to break the stranglehold of soaps on Indian TV. Tele-serials based on Hindu mythology with their many gods have stormed television gaining a loyal audience. Mahabharata, the grand epic where women, wars and villains are in plenty and life’s lessons are uttered through the mouths of the gods themselves. Mahabharata, the Hindi language serial which is aired on Star Plus since mid-September at prime time - 8:30pm - five days a week, is having a successful run with new age techniques and fresh acting giving new blood to an ancient epic. I had no clue during my childhood that the stories which we heard would be characterized and depicted in such a great manner on our tv sets. In 1988, at 10am every Sunday, India came to a virtual standstill when Mahabharata that was produced by BR Chopra was aired, but even a quarter of a century later, the story is not very different. Hindu nationalist parties cashed in on the success of these Hindu epics among people. The BJP’s grand tour in 1991 was in imitation of the chariot wheeled in by the god Krishna to war in the Mahabharata epic. The appeal of mythology also increases at a time of social stress, of footlessness. People want to reconnect with their culture when they are in a flux, and the age old stories in the epics are comforting and help them solve their problems. Non-believers, who felt the Indian youth of the 21st century would not relish these Hindu epics on TV, have been proven wrong. The new Mahabharata has made a conscious effort to grab the eyeballs of a younger generation growing up with the technological gizmos of the 21st century. Special effects make the war scenes truly epic. Mahabharata is the grand old epic story of warring cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, who fought a deadly war. It Appeals to the regional audiences and even adds Glamorous to the budgets. Thus characters playing the role of god are given good status in the society by the viewers themselves.

Television reality without a pity

Recently, several network executed and reality TV producers admitted that there’s a creative crisis in the genre now. Apart from them now who can do anything to these programs.  Television producers and executives are taking more risk so that they hit they show. But according to me due to lot of scripting and taking lot of effort real world becomes a lot more mediocre. Networks should pull the programs. Programs like seven people living together in a house are not that great anymore. This generation or this era lives in diversity. For the producers every year is a difficult one.

The characters’ in scripted world feels more real than the people on reality shows. The sense of real creative energy is quite low. Whereas 10 years ago the scripted world was as boring as it could get and non-fiction was in there with all these innovative formats, now it’s completely reversed. It’s a creative crisis. There is a high motivation on the buyer and seller’s parts to keep doing the same thing. Everything you wanted to know about the reality shows.

In reality shows there are no live feeds, the Twitter popularity index works, sometimes the shows back fires, shows lack for weakness, contestants get injured, past and their present comes into limelight, shows speaks about humanity, imbalance between contestants, what happens in the whole week. The producers have to produce the show as per the real time. When we talked about other shows that have aired in real time and used viewer votes to affect the game, Big Boss have/have not votes. Honestly, I’ve never seen a show where element of social media actually felt like it worked. It always felt like an afterthought to me, it always felt something that didn’t matter. I was very conscious of trying to figure out a format in which Indian really could affect something other than should they eat oats and chapatti bhaji all week. I thought that was an important part of the game. What better way to get story in real time for contestants on a show than for them to realize India thinks they are the most hated? Does that change your behavior? That, I haven’t seen before. I’ve never seen something where you have a true effect on how someone acts in the game. The shows which are telecasted are totally scripted ones. So audience has lot there keen interest in them and wants something which is innovative and unique.

Television - a new educational medium...

Television is one of the most effective mediums to educate the children. The people who blame television for children’s lack of education and communication are wrong. In fact, children are watching suitable programming, television is one of the most effective mediums through which to teach and inspire youngsters. We need to start speaking to children on their level, which means embracing technologies such as interactive TV and the internet to get them interested. We can learn a lot from innovators. It’s always that people give lots of importance to the negative aspect instead of the positive one. I don’t disagree that television also spoils the children mentally and physically, but on the same side it also educates, motivates them to a lot of extent.

Watching television is more accurately described as entertainment than play, but it is in reality a tool for both. Watching programs is one side of the picture; using the equipment for video games is another. Television helps in creativity, enhances imagination, etc. elders need to know what is good and what is bad for their child and help them accordingly. The educational value of what young kids watch on television may help improve their behavior. The first type of educational TV that most people think of most likely comes from channels such as the Discovery Channel or the History Channel. These channels generally are aimed towards adults, and are educational while still being entertaining. However, there are more types of education television than just this. There is educational television for children to help them learn the basics of the alphabet, and increase a child’s willingness. Another new trend is career specific channels. These channels focus on a very niche audience. The Aged Care Channel from Australia is one such channel. This channel shows programs that can both be supplemental and offer general advice to keep caregivers up to date, or it can be used to teach courses. This type of television course work is also being expanded to help educate students in remote areas that otherwise would not have access to higher quality education. Discovery Channel has set up the, which is an organization that helps spread education around the world to remote classrooms using the medium of television.

Television can be utilized as a great educational tool. Though not everything about the effect of television is understood in general, or specifically about its effects on young children, educational television seems to be appropriate in moderation, especially to help reinforce class work. Television also is a great tool in educating older teenagers and adults. In remote villages or a nursing home in India, it helps spread education to willing students. Television must be employed intelligently. If we consciously make decisions to use television responsibly, then great things can be accomplished.

Television violence = aggressive children

An average child watches 4 hours of television programs on a daily scale. Television can be a powerful influence in developing children and shaping behavior. Unfortunately, much of today's television programming is violent. Hundreds of studies of the effects of TV violence on children and teenagers have found that children may become "immune" or numb to the horror of violence, will start doing violence just to solve problems, imitate the violence, etc.

 Extensive viewing of television violence by children causes greater aggressiveness. Sometimes, watching a single violent program can increase aggressiveness. Children who view shows in which violence is very realistic, frequently repeated or unpunished, are more likely to imitate what they see. Children with emotional, behavioral, learning or impulse control problems may be more easily influenced by TV violence. The impact of TV violence may be immediately evident in the child's behavior or may surface years later. Young people can even be affected when the family atmosphere shows no tendency toward violence.

While TV violence is not the only cause of aggressive or violent behavior, it is clearly a significant factor. Parents can protect children from excessive TV violence by paying attention to the programs which there child watches, censor the programs, set timings, etc.

Parents can also use these measures to prevent harmful effects from television in other areas such as racial or sexual stereotyping. The amount of time children watch TV, regardless of content, should be moderated because it decreases time spent on more beneficial activities such as reading, playing with friends, and developing hobbies. If parents have serious difficulties setting limits, or have ongoing concerns about their child's behavior, they should contact a child and adolescent psychiatrist for consultation and assistance.

TV Violence -- a Cause of Child Anxiety and Aggressive Behavior? But first we have to consider how best to address those questions. To prevent and treat public health issues like AIDS, cancer and heart disease, we focus on modifying factors correlated with an increased risk of a bad outcome. Similarly, we should strive to identify risk factors for violence and determine how they interact, who may be particularly affected by such factors and what can be done to reduce modifiable risk factors.Naturally, debate over TV violence stirs up strong emotions because it raises concerns about the balance between public safety and freedom of speech. Even if violent media or TV is conclusively found to cause real-life violence, we as a society may still decide that we are not willing to regulate violent content. That’s our right. But before we make that decision, we should rely on evidence, not instinct.

Television and censorship

It’s time for all people to proudly demand for censorship. Censoring the television network, programs, is very difficult. Continuously since morning only filth is running on TV. Raunchy humor, references, depictions, sex, foul languages, violence, etc. are used to a wide extent. People have the right to demand censorship so that then the reserved content which is appropriate and objectionable will be shown. And we can even restrict the time of watching and programs. In this modern technology today everyone has access to more than a hundred viewing choices at any time without regular network TV. Censorship will not be kept on cable or satellite TV. Adult viewers can watch whatever they want, but parents can be assured that if they desire their child could watch those programs without fear of being exposed to a world where every odd moment resolves around sex, where adultery is common, and foul language is a routine job.

            To be clear, the courts have also ruled that while regulation of expression, through various sanctions for violations, is allowed. To protect the public from indecency in limited spectrum of which the public enjoys common ownership. Its like let the cable producers produce anything the market will bear it. Parents show put the tv off till 10 P.M. so that there children walking past a stray tv set they might not ask a strange question?

            As a parent everyone has the right to be worried about what your child may be watching on tv. Because only the sexually scenes wont cause lot of problems, but also movies and games or pictures of blood, gore, violence and other elements disturb a lot. There is an option to censor and then only educative channels options would be available. The easy way the child could watch TV and that too adult programs, the more they get prone to. When a child has a private access to TV, he can very easily watch late night movies, that too adult one. If a child wants to watch an adult movie, he will find a way to watch it no matter how many precautions you take, is just a view put forth by some parents.

I would like to conclude by saying that how can you, as a parent, monitor what your child watches on television?

TV Ads attracts Multiple Buyers!

Over the last few years, viewers have tremendously increased and even the time they spend on watching TV programs or ads has increased to a great extent. Its is pretty much good for advertisers as the viewers are giving lot of time watching the screen, and even when audience are viewing tv they vare side by side also accessing other devices i.e. multi screen viewers. People like to be a multi taskers and this behavior has been increased from past three years.

            There may be new trends in the market to benefit these opportunities. In my survey regarding multiplatform tv viewing its been shown that thses benefits might be achieved and in what way. May be it’s a good news or we can say a bad one that among multi taskers, certain types of ads are more or less effective in terms on online viewing. And I was surprised when I found out that there is no single ad that can accomplish both task of increasing the number of visitations to the website and the number of online purchases.To come to the conclusion, I constructed a database, formed questionnaire, prepared a report of detailed study which focuses on multi platform or multi screens viewing. The effect of tv ads online are doubled than those shown on tv. As people watch the ad online and purchase it on the spot. There are different types of ads in the market which focuses on the audience. Among multitaskers, we found that the focus ads are the least effective of all ad types in terms of driving online purchases. They don’t increase the number of people that visit the brand’s website and actually reduce the likelihood that TV viewers will momentarily purchase any product. But it is precisely this effect on engagement that makes viewers pay greater attention to the TV rather than switching attention to a lower and self-paced media such as the Internet.

Well, like most things, it really depends on what product you are selling, your brand, your audience, and your strategic goals. If you sell online and have a reason to believe that you are advertising to a multitasking audience, then TV ads that were created to operate under high levels of attention, such as imagery-focus ads, will not work. This is the case for young viewers, as they multitask most of the time, and for older viewers, who multitask early in the morning and in the evening. In these cases, one should opt for action-focus ads regardless of the brand or industry.

 Importantly, advertisers can actually benefit from the increasing trend of consumers engaging in media multitasking by crafting more appropriate ads. Lower, or divided, attention is not necessarily bad news as long as advertisers target the most effective content to their audience, and use the TV ad as a springboard for consumers to engage with the brand online and ultimately make a purchase.

Psycho (1960) – Fear Ride

Psycho movie is an American horror film which has been directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock. This movie is based on the novel which has been written by Robert Bloch in 1959. This movie stars Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin and Janet Leigh. This film turns out to be a keen enjoyment and a great exception.

The story runs behind, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) who steals money from her seniors and then skips the town. She drives for hours, then, exhausted and nervous, stops in a remote area at the Bates Motel, run by Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). Norman is quite cheerful, but he's nervous and hiding something. This behavior of Norman keeps the audience linked with the movie. He invites Marion to share some dinner with him and mentions his overbearing mother who stays in the adjoining mansion. Norman's hobby is preparing or stuffing the skin, and he also happens to have an extra key to Marion's room.

There follows one of the most dreadful murders and it takes place in a bathroom and involves a great deal of swabbing of the tiles and flushing’s. This murders and everything was an ugly shot. Psycho is not a long film. The director has done a tremendous job of technical effects; perhaps because it is difficult, and he has also given importance to each and every character.

Now let’s talk about the quality of movie. Everything about this film is perfect, from the gorgeous black and white cinematography to every single performance, to the famous Bernard soundtrack which can even horrify you, to some of the most suspenseful and frightening scenes ever filmed. There is some real violence in this film, but it's not at all explicit, making it in some ways scarier this movie has a mixture of various levels.  It's truly scary, but it's also a psychological mystery and a couple of different kinds of love story. All the performances are excellent, and the screenplay is on the top, but Hitchcock is the real star, in each and every frame it keeps on manipulating the viewers, making it pitch perfect for– there's always something new to see. The bestest part in the movie was the shower scene.

The extract begins with a character writing and then evaluating a sheet of paper which then she rips the piece of paper, starting the scene rather ominously as it suggests that the character wants to conceal it from everyone. A mid-shot is applied introducing the scene with Marion and showing the intensity of her body language as well as her facial expression. In this shot we see she is resting her head on her hand before she rips the paper into shreds. This implies to the audience that she is tired and worn out contributing to the narrative a further element of mystery as we are not quite sure as to why she feels this way. Once she rips the paper, she pauses as if pondering a thought as she then glances to the bathroom. From here the camera pans from one composition to another.

The camera movements and transitions within its narrative and the techniques have contributed to the rise of tension gradually meeting the crux of the scene and gives a thrilling experience to the audience. Not only does it allow the audience to indulge in the tension being outputted from the scene, but it also relays the emotion from the characters onto us, among other things. There are lots of mid-shots and close up shots in the movie. There is hardly a long shot. A crab shot, still sustaining a low-angle shot, is then used to track Marion as she moves into the shower then closing the blinds. An appliance of vulnerability is given as Marion is now naked, which foreshadows her sudden death in the scene. This is to impose empathy to the audience as throughout the scene so far the camera had focused intently on Marion, following every one of her movements, slowly constructing a sense fear and horror. This serves as a deeper impact onto the audience when she dies at the climax of this scene.

This particular part of the extract bears a series of camera techniques to give rise to the fear and horror in which the climax indulges in. Marion is introduced into the shower with a medium/close-up to establish that she is naked whereas also not revealing too much. The mid/close-up also establishes the facial expression on Marion. As opposed in the beginning of the scene, Marion seems to be happy and suggesting that she is free from her bearings and troubles, decreasing the level of fear and horror. This, however, may increase the level of tension as Marion seems to be in a very vulnerable position and possibly signaling a turn of events as there was a continuous unnerving theme given by the varied pace of camera movements. Jump cuts are applied here as Marion showers and a shot/reserve shot is also applied between Marion and the shower cap to show that what she is focusing on. The fast pace of this composition deviates the audience’s attention and subtly constructs a sense of horror and fear and one is taken a back.

Hitchcock's style and techniques, and the way he uses the camera and lighting to tell the story is just a masterpiece. It's fun to go back over the film and look for clues to the ending, too. What makes "Psycho" different from other films is that, when so many films are already half-forgotten, and vanished as we leave the theater, is that it connects directly with our fears. I would give 5 stars out of 5 to this brilliant artwork because this movie being in black and white can take a hell out of you. The audience can’t even imagine what will happen next and the best part is that it hooks your attention. I would love to rate it 5 out of 5 a brilliant movie. A great treat to all his fans and viewers.

Television > multiple platforms

As I mentioned in my previous blog that era will be soon called as the technological era. As viewers tend to use multiple screens rather than a single screen. Multiple screens are computer, laptop, internet, tablet etc. this was the best gift given to all the people by the inventors. Microsoft is winning one of the most important battles in the digital world: The battle for the TV. The TV battle is important for reasons we already know: TV consumes more time than anything else and it generates annual revenues from $140 to $160 billion each year in the US alone.

But the profit or stock of the battle have risen sharply. The fight over the TV is really a fight over the next massive consumer platform that is coming up for grabs. Of platforms there are few: Google owns search, Amazon owns digital retail, Face book owns social, and Apple owns consumer devices. Microsoft owns, well, nothing at the moment, despite its handsome revenue stream from Windows and Office.

That could change soon. Microsoft’s is already the most-watched net-connected TV device in the India and soon, the world. With more than 70 million consoles in households worldwide – as many as half of them connected to the Internet, depending on the country – Microsoft can rapidly drive new video services into tens of millions of households. People even watch their missed episodes on internet and that the reason why this technology is in a great demand. TV offers us with 1,000 channels but an average viewer watches only 10 channels at the max. Television takes lot of time and it’s even worse when we need to surf the channels manually. But on other devices it’s pretty much easy to handle, also saves lots of time. Viewer need not have to wait for the program to start on TV, but can watch what happens next in the serial through other devices.

Now days it’s a fight over television and fight over other platforms. Tough fight indeed, let’s sees who wins!!!

A JOURNEY TOWARDS TV VIEWING!

          

      TV continued to serve as a significant group medium during 1960s and into the 1970s.  Although the number of channels available to the average household grew to 5 or 6 in the early 1970s, there was relatively little channel changing and the three broadcast networks in the country.  However, the change for TV viewing patterns was planted by a series of technological innovations.  Among the most significant technological innovations introduced during this period was the remote control.  TV viewing became more personalized and channel changing became more common.  One individual could now separate from other household members and watch programs with more niche appeal such as sports, from a bedroom, den or basement "TV room."  However, it is important to understand that this was an evolution, not a revolution in viewing behavior. 

The changes occurred gradually from the early 1970s.  Group TV viewing did not disappear.  It simply became one of many TV viewing patterns. Even now we can see group viewing in the form of team. Likewise whenever there is a cricket match going on there is a group formed a people watch tv together.  Further, group viewing itself evolved.  Now, a family sitting together in the living room watching TV during the evening was just one form of group viewing.  Families also watched as a group in the kitchen or dining room while eating a meal and smaller groups gathered together to watch TV, e.g., a group of children watching from the floor in a den or bedroom.  In addition, the number of channels people actually watched grew much more slowly than the number available to them.  Likewise in today’s time we have more than 1,000 channels available to watch, but an individual only watches 6-7 channels and pays for the rest of the channels. There is a new concept which has been coined i.e. multiplatform television viewing. In this technological era multiple screens viewing and multiple screen's have became the most popular thing among the youngsters. The evolution of TV viewing raises a number of questions about the future. Do people really want to interact with television?  I believe that the answer is clearly yes.  However, some people want to interact a lot and some want to interact only a little.  Further, the amount of interaction is likely to vary by type of program and even time of day. 

Standards and multiple versions of a technology are important as well, but from a consumer perspective the issue is not related to regulation or competition but simplicity and a feeling of comfort that the technology they buy will be around in three or four years.  New technologies must also compete for space in the household.  This is a more significant issue today in technology-dense households than it was in the 1950s.  In my research and my survey in households, many people raise the question: where am I going to put another electronic box? 

Mostly people like to watch tv on multiple screens rather than a single one. During 1970’s and 80’s people hardly had tv sets and now the situation is quite different. Most of the people have latest technologies i.e. computer, laptop, tablet, internet, etc. in this busy schedule no one gets time to watch tv and record their programs on tv, but rather use other devices for the same purpose.

I conclude by saying that this era belongs to technology or this can be called as the technological era. Days are not far when people will not use tv and rather use other devices to watch, record, play there programs.

Alice In Wonderland – Family, Fantasy, Adventure

Alice in Wonderland is an American live action, animated and fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and written by Linda Woolverton. Released by Walt Disney Pictures and  the film stars Mia Wasikowska as Alice Kingsleigh with Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter. The story is inspired by the English author Lewis Carroll's 1865 fantasy novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its 1871 sequel Through the Looking-Glass. Wasikowska plays a nineteen-year-old Alice. She is told that she can restore the White Queen to her throne because she is the only one who can slay the Jabberwocky, a dragon-like creature that is controlled by the Red Queen and terrorizes Wonderland's inhabitants.

 Years after her adventures in Wonderland have become a dimly-remembered dream. We should thank Tim Burton for his Alice in Wonderland, for it does one thing extraordinarily well: It reminds us that James Cameron really did achieve something new and surprising with his new Avatar.

Visually the certainty that the two imaginative fabulists artist were made for each other is, to a great extent, realized exquisitely, with spectacular 3D, a haunting design for Wonderland, a seamless meeting of live action with animation, and a great deal of offbeat, twisted charm in the whole movie. It is in the story -- which is not an adaptation of Alice Adventures In Wonderland and Through The Looking-Glass but really a kind of sequel that reflects both and constitutes the characters from both.
Woolverton’s theme is Alice becoming a woman and finding her destiny, with a little help from socio-political allegory and the most eclectic cinematic band of guerrilla revolutionaries in fantasy since the Fellowship Of The Ring, from Johnny Depp’s acutely sensitive, schizophrenic Hatter to the agitated Dormouse voiced by Barbara Windsor and the mischievous illusionist Cheshire Cat voiced by Stephen Fry.

Frankly speaking it should be entitled something like Alice in Underground or Alice: Returns. Wrapped around the Wonderland sequences is a framing device — Alice flees a surprise engagement party when she discovers she is to wed a snotty aristrocrat — that feels forced but things soon perk up with the appearance of Michael Sheen’s White Rabbit. Hurtling down the rabbit hole and experiencing life from various size perspectives thanks to the ever-popular potions and cakes, we and Alice are re-introduced to some of the most unforgettable oddballs in literature. And actually, losing one classic line of surrealism, satire, poems and freaky stuff enshrined in nonsense literature to impose a very Burtonesque brand of bizarreness makes for an engagingly creepy and coherent story of girl power that does work very nicely. Exchanging the child Alice for an Alice who bravely infiltrates the Red Queen’s court of tantrum-driven whimsy and rage as a secret agent, rescues her comrades from the head chop and bursts beautifully into battle in armour on the back of the Bandersnatch creates a pleasing, exciting adventure in its own right.

Helena Bonham Carter’s tyrannical wacko is sensationally fun, her grotesquely enlarged head miraculously topping a diminutive body. Even Hathaway’s good queen is unnerving, her white hair at punky odds with her black brows and lips. As for Depp, in his seventh collaboration with Burton, what’s not to like? In a frizzed orange fright wig, huge yellow-green cat’s eye contact lenses and gap-toothed, Depp still has dash, determined to see him as more romantic hero than lunatic. We’re right there with him on that.

The rest of the cast is satisfyingly thick with sterling British thespians and personalities, from Lindsay Duncan as Alice’s mother to a splendid voice cast that includes Alan Rickman as the hookah-smoking caterpillar, Sir Christopher Lee the Jabberwocky, Timothy Spall as royal bloodhound Bayard and Matt Lucas digitally duplicated into the chatterbox twin Tweedles, Dum and Dee.

Shot in 2D and 3D up subsequently, this has obvious appeal in either option and, no doubt, is a delight to everyone. In fact, I like everything about the movie except the 3D. I don't hate it, but it's distracting through most of the film. It just doesn't add anything to the experience beyond the post-movie dizziness. However, there are some good parts. First and foremost, the visual effects are incredible. Every creature and every landscape is beautifully designed making the movie a real eye candy.Secondly, two of the main parts are played by Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp. Despite the fact that their characters are very plain and dull, these brilliant actors still bring great performances.So, what would be my final verdict? The narrative may be forced and uninteresting but the combination of costuming, art direction, production design and cinematography compensate. 

 The movie itself—a simple, delightfully wacky, adventures movie set in Lewis Caroll's crazy world—is good. The story, the dialogs, the photography, the direction, and the acting are all spot on. The digital effects are perfect for the story, from the delicate details of the White Rabbit'sembroidered vest to the intricate scenarios. The design—like all Tim Burton's movies—couldn't be better: The characters, the costumes, the settings... everything exudes the spirit of the original John Tenniel's book illustrations. And then there is the adult Alice—who returns after her first adventures in Wonderland. By the end of it, you will fall in love with Mia Wasikowska, especially when she gets into her shiny armor. These questions can be answered only if you watch the movie - Did you manage to catch Alice in Wonderland at the weekend? What is your opinion or take on this movie? Or is it one Burton that's well worth going for?

This movie is a real treat for fans of this twisted imagination and great British character actors and I would love to rate this movie 4.5 out of 5 stars.