The sensational Australian films just keep coming in 2009 with ‘Cedar Boys’, a gritty urban crime drama that explores a side of Australia that most would like to pretend doesn’t exist. First time feature film director Serhat Caradee has produced a brilliant film in the vein of our other great Aussie filmmakers, Alkinos Tsilimidos and Ana Kokkinos.

Tarek (Les Chantery) is a young Lebanese-Australian panel-beater who dreams about running his own business and setting himself up for life; but in order to do that he needs money. His friend Nabil (Buddy Dannoun) offers him an opportunity but at first Tarek is skeptical to get involved with any sort of crime; after all he already has his own brother, Jamal (Bren Foster) in prison. Then Tarek meets Amie (Rachael Taylor), a beautiful girl who lives in a different world to him. In a bid to impress Tarek decides to go ahead with Nabil’s plan and they incorporate their small-time drug dealer mate Sam (Waddah Sari) into a scheme that sees them play a very dangerous game indeed. Tarek’s dream could end up costing him everything.

Serhat Caradee proves himself as one of Australia’s best young filmmakers with an amazing debut feature; he literally does anything right and ends up creating the best Australian crime drama since ‘Two Hands’. So realistic is the script of ‘Cedar Boys’, that added with Caradee amazing style of filmmaking you are left feeling like you are watching a documentary. The dialogue is natural and there isn’t one single wasted line. Add this to an amazing soundtrack and Tarek’s world comes to life so amazingly well that you find yourself completely wrapped up in it, this means you actually care what happens to each of the characters… something that so many films seem to lack these days. ‘Cedar Boys’ is so good that it even out classes ‘Underbelly’ in the terms of a great crime drama.

All the actors are terrific in their roles and you can only hope that we see more of Les Chantary. This fine actor does a brilliant job in the lead role and he truly deserves a long career in the industry. Another standout is Rachael Taylor who defies those who call her ‘just another pretty face’ with a great portrayal of Amie. It is great to see show her acting ability in a meaty role that demands more than just good looks to get by.

‘Cedar Boys’ is a stunning crime drama that proves you don’t need a budget of one hundred million dollars to make an amazing film. The realism of this film completely sucks you in and makes for one hell of a watch. ‘Cedar Boys’ deserves all the praise it can muster.

Dave Griffiths

When it comes to ‘Avatar’ the famous saying ‘you get what you paid for’ certainly comes into play. If the rumors are true and director James Cameron (‘Titanic’, ‘True Lies’) spent $450 million on the film then it was certainly worth it. There is no doubt about it, Cameron has created a visual masterpiece. Every scene looks like it should be hanging in one of the world’s leading art galleries. And while Cameron’s gamble on a cast that has been harshly described as a cast of ‘nobodies and has-beens’ pays off, it is a pity that he didn’t spend more time working on the script, because the storyline is completely see-through and seasoned film-lovers will know where the film is heading within 10 minutes.

‘Avatar’ tells the story of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington – ‘Terminator Salvation’, ‘Rogue’) who arrives on the Planet Pandora where he is to take part in an ‘avatar’ program run by scientist, Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver – ‘Wall-E’, ‘The Tale Of Despereaux’). But while Grace plans to infiltrate the native people of Pandora in a bid to study them the military have an entirely different agenda. Mining boss, Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi – ‘Public Enemies’, ‘Middle Men’)  is desperate to have the people moved in a bid to gain accsess to a rare mineral and it seems that Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang – ‘The Men Who Stare At Goats’, ‘Public Enemies’) will use whatever fire power he needs to achieve this. Meanwhile Jake is torn between his loyalties between Grace, The Colonel and one of the natives, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana – ‘The Skeptic’, ‘Star Trek’).

For the most part ‘Avatar’ is a true spectacle. You can’t help at marvel at how the film looks. Pandora literally comes to life right in front of you and the beauty of the film just showcases James Cameron’s true genius. But while the film looks amazing you can’t help but feel that the story is incredibly weak. The general story contained in the film has been told a million times before and it is quite likely that most seasoned film lovers will pick where the story is going (and even how it will end) just minutes into the film.

The other thing that makes ‘Avatar’ a standout is that the chances Cameron took when casting the film pays off amazingly. Cameron fought tooth and nail to get Sam Worthington and it was certainly worth it. Worthington absolutely shines and after a stand-out performance in ‘Terminator Salvation’ (where he out performed Christian Bale) this should surely show that he has made it in Hollywood. He is also backed up by a wonderful performance by Zoe Saldana, while it is great to see Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez getting some great roles to once again show their skills. And despite the fact that they have stereotypical roles, Giovanni Ribisi and Stephen Lang also put in good performances.

The key to ‘Avatar’ is to just sit back and enjoy the view without doing too much thinking about the plot or characters. ‘Avatar’ is enjoyable watch and James Cameron once again shows why he is one of Hollywood’s top directors… just don’t expect the film to have that much substance or depth.

Dave Griffiths

Despite generating far less hype than it’s predecessor ‘Angels & Demons’ is actually a far superior to ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and shows that when given enough time Director, Ron Howard can create a wonderful film based on Dan Brown’s work.

Despite the novel ‘Angels And Demons’ being set before ‘The Da Vinci Code’ the film actually takes place after the initial story and this time finds Harvard symbologist, Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) summoned to Vatican City by Camerlengo Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor) who has proxy-control of the Catholic Church after the death of the current Pope. Once at the Vatican McKenna tells Langdon that the Vatican is under a terrorist threat from an old enemy… The Illuminati. Four Cardinals who have been selected as contenders to be the new Pope have been kidnapped and are being held by The Illuminati who have also stolen ‘anti-matter’ created by scientist, Vittoria Vetra’s (Ayelet Zurer) latest experiment. In the wrong hands this has become a bomb that could explode destroying the Vatican and most of Rome. With the help of the untrusting Commander Richter (Stellan Skarsgard), Inspector Olivetti (Pierfrancesco Favino) and Chartrand (Thure Lindhardt) Langdon and Vetra must solve a riddle created four hundred years earlier to prevent the bomb going off. All this while an assassin (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) constantly puts their lives at risk.

My biggest criticism of ‘The Da Vinci Code’ was that the end result suffered from the fact that the production of the film was rushed in order to release it while the novel’s popularity was still at its peak. Luckily this isn’t the case with ‘Angels & Demons’. The experience screen writing team of David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman (who between them have written some of the great blockbusters of our time) have managed to turn Dan Brown’s novel into a smart thriller that does actually keep the audience guessing and at times on the edge of their seats. It is also obvious that Ron Howard has had more time to think with this film as he once again shows his talent as a Director with some great shots that enhance the suspense and manages to bring such beauty to the film that means you can’t guess for one second that most of the Vatican City sets have had to be manufactured.

Howard also shows his expertise with some wonderful casting decisions. Taking chances on actors like Ayelet Zurer and Thure Lindhardt instead of casting ‘big names’ in these roles was a risky decision that pays off brilliantly, while he also manages to bring out the best in Hanks and McGregor. McGregor puts in one of the best performances of his career and hopefully this role will open him to a whole new audience.

‘Angels And Demons’ is a smart thriller that despite a few ‘James Bond-how-could-you-possibly-manage-to-do-that?’ moments works well. It leaves you constantly guessing (and more importantly actually caring) what happens next, is well written and beautifully captured. Easily better than ‘The Da Vinci Code’, ‘Angels & Demons’ is well worth forking over $15 to see.

Dave Griffiths

Naysayers of Australian cinema beware, there is life in the old dog yet and ‘Animal Kingdom’ shows that with force. Already a winner at Sundance, ‘Animal Kingdom’ takes the drama of ‘The Boys’ and mixes it with the brutal force that we all marveled at in the first season of ‘Underbelly’.

When Justin ‘J’ Cody (newcomer, James Frecheville) is forced to live with his grandmother, Janine (Jacki Weaver – ‘Easy Checkout’, ‘Three  Blind Mice’), he and his girlfriend, Nicky (newcomer, Laura Wheelwright) are introduced to the world of Melbourne’s criminal underworld in a family led by Pope (Ben Mendelsohn – ‘Beautiful Kate’, ‘Knowing’), Barry (Joel Edgerton – ‘The Waiting City’, ‘Separation City’), Craig (Sullivan Stapleton – TV’S ‘Sea Patrol’, ‘Carla Cametti PD’) and Darren (Luke Ford – ‘The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emporer’, ‘The Black Balloon’). As a tit-for-tat war break out and the police (led by Leckie (Guy Peace – ‘The Road’, ‘In Her Skin’) closes in, Josh learns the most valuable lesson you can learn from this family is to just shut the hell up.

As a film ‘Animal Kingdom’ does everything right. Each scene has been perfectly written by director/screenwriter, David Michod (‘Inside The Square’, ‘Solo’) who also manages to keep the audience constantly guessing what is going to happen next, but expertly not giving anything away before it happens. The characters are developed in such a way that when one moves you’re not sure what they are about to happen and you are constantly worried about what will happen to the characters that you have come to care about.

There is simply no weak link in the acting in ‘Animal Kingdom’, having talented actors like Anthony Hayes (‘Beneath Hill 60’, ‘Prime Mover’) in small parts make sure of that. Jacki Weaver, Ben Mendelsohn and newcomer, James Frecheville are on top of their game, while Luke Ford shows his brilliant performance in ‘The Black Balloon’ wasn’t a fluke. If Weaver, Mendelsohn and Frecheville don’t walk away with AFI Awards this year then something is drastically wrong.

‘Animal Kingdom’ is the perfect film. The acting, writing and directing are all the best they can possible be, in fact to use the word ‘faultless’ would not be an over-exaggerating. Raw and gritty ‘Animal Kingdom’ blows the opposition right out of the water.

Dave Griffiths

‘Antichrist’ is perhaps the most interesting films to surface in 2009. It is certainly a film the will divide cinephiles. On one hand director, Lars Von Trier has produced a poetically beautiful on the eye drama, but on the other hand, the moments of true horror in this film make anything you witnessed in ‘Hostel’ or ‘Saw’ seem PG rated.

The one thing that you can guarantee about ‘Antichrist’ is that despite all its horrific ‘can’t-look-at-the-screen’ moments it is a film that will go down is history as a classic. It is also a film that will be discussed at great length by film students who will throw up the ‘poetic depravity’ or ‘unnecessary gore’ argument while intellectuals will try to dissect all of Von Trier’s hidden meanings.

The storyline of ‘Antichrist’ centers around He (Willem Dafoe) and She (Charlotte Gainsbourg). While making love their son dies in a tragic accident and while He uses his skills as a therapist to clinically walk through his grief, She falls into a messy nightmare that ends up affecting both their lives.

Von Trier takes a lot of risks in this film. For starters the first few Acts of the film drag considerable, so much so that you begin to realise that Von Trier is going to need something awesomely brilliant to stop this becoming another poor attempt at the psychological horror/thriller genre. Luckily Von Trier delivers with a vengeance. While the opening of this film will be long remembered for its beauty, the clim will be firmly entombed in my mind for its brutality.

The only weakness with ‘Antichrist’ is that like a lot of things of beauty, if you scratch under the surface there is very little substance there at all. The story is weak, and there is not enough revealed about the characters for you to truly care what happens to them. While Von Trier’s originally and creativity sparkles, it’s simply not enough to blind you from the many flaws.

The one thing you can’t fault with ‘Antichrist’ though is the acting. Dafoe and Gainsbourg put in the performances of their lives. I just wonder how much their therapy sessions cost while they were recovering from their traumatic roles.

‘Antichrist’ won’t be everybody’s cup of tea. It’s strong (and at time violent) sex scenes will limit its audience and while some may leave the cinema marveling at Von Trier’s visual creative genius, a great deal more will be left wondering why the script wasn’t better. Still ‘Antichrist’ is destined to become a deserved cult classic.

Dave Griffiths

When the people behind a film over promote it they take a massive risk that they may indeed shoot themselves in the foot by raising the audience’s expectations of the film just a little too much. That is certainly the case with ‘Australia’; you walk in expecting gold and you walk out with a pocket full of ‘fool’s gold.’

‘Australia’ tells the story of  Drover (Hugh Jackman) and Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) who come together to save the outback station that Sarah is left to look after after the murder of her husband. Sarah struggles to adapt from England to the harsh outback and her life is made harder by the fact that King Carney (Bryan Brown) and Neil Fletcher (David Wenham) will stop at nothing to see Drover and Sarah fail. Sarah also battles to protect a young Aboriginal boy, Nullah (Brandon Walters) whom the authorities are desperately trying to make move to a mission.

This is one of those films that will have you impressed at one moment but then greatly disappointed the next. The first ten minutes of the film are woeful. Kidman and Jackman are forced to work with a script that makes both their characters seem like ‘comic send-ups’ of what they should be. It seems dangerously out of place, as for the rest of the film the characters are ‘normal’. While this trick worked in Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Moulin Rouge’ but fails miserable here.

The storyline of the film often lets down its audience during the film and some of the blue screen shots used are the worst seen in cinema since the ‘Chronicles Of Narnia’ series. And while the cinematography of capturing the outback works wonderfully, the scenes depicting the bombing of Darwin are very average indeed. Luhrmann tries in vain to emulate the shots used by Michael Bay in ‘Pearl Harbour’ but just doesn’t manage to do it.

There are several things that do save the film though. Some of the acting performances are sensational. Hugh Jackman and Brandon Walters deserve awards for their performances while David Wenham even makes the villainous Neil Fletcher a treat to watch. The big disappointment is Nicole Kidman. Her performance is below average and is a sure sign that her better acting days are well and truly behind her.

The other thing that makes ‘Australia’ watchable is the fact that the film does allow the audience to care about what happens to some of the characters. I’d be lying if  I said that my heart wasn’t in my mouth at various times when Drover and Nullah’s lives are at risk, but even then it did seem that Luhrmann didn’t exactly know how to draw out the suspense for as long as he should of.

When viewing ‘Australia’ the most important thing to do is to enter the cinema with the thought they you are going to see ‘just another film’ and close your mind to thoughts like ‘this is an Oscar winner’ or ‘this is the film that will save Australia’s film industry’. ‘Australia is well worth the price of admission, just don’t expect an absolute gem.

Dave Griffiths

If you don’t like character-driven films then stop reading now, because like most Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky, Vera Drake) films, Another Year is completely character driven, and due to its amazing script works well and is well enough to become one of the best films of the year.

Another Year follows happily married couple, Tom (Jim Broadbent – Animals United, TV’S Any Human Heart) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen – Heartless, TV’S Silent Witness) as they drift though summer, autumn, winter and spring. The pair live a simple life, Gerri is a counselor and Tom is a geologist and their idea of fun is pottering around in their garden. During this year however, they watch as their lonely friend Mary (Lesley Manville – Womb, TV’S The Queen) starts a path of destruction, which involves her drinking heavily and growing attracted to their son, Joe (Oliver Maltman – TV’S The Kevin Bishop Show & Clone), someone she is older enough to be the mother of. This leads to trouble when Joe brings his new girlfriend, Katie (Karina Fernandez – Happy-Go-Lucky, TV’S Married Single Other). The family are then put through more stress when Tom’s brother, Ronnie’s (David Bradley – TV’S Games Of Thrones, The Sarah Jane Adventures) wife dies.

Mike Leigh isn’t the kind of director who uses star-power to draw people to see his film, if he was then he would have given screen-legend, Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1, TV’S Psychoville) are larger and more prominent part here in Another Year. No, Leigh just wants to get in, tell his story and let his audience examine the psychological effects the events of the film have on the characters. When it comes to directing and screenwriting you really do get the feeling that he is a puppet-master, with the poor characters dangling precariously at the end of the string.

The screenwriting here is top notch. The dialogue is so natural that you feel like you are watching a docco, while his character development is far superior to most filmmakers going around. You can’t help but fall in love with Tom and Gerri and you want to know that everything will be alright for them. Leigh keeps you on the edge of your seat. You never really know what is going to happen next. The crush that Mary has on Joe could go either way, while Leigh keeps the audience guessing for a few minutes when the characters are arriving at a funeral, but you aren’t exactly sure who it is who has died.

Leigh has also perfectly cast this film. Jim Broadbent once again shows that he is capable of pulling off any role thrown at him, while Ruth Sheen and Lesley Manville put in great performances… so good in fact that you want to go down to your local video library and hunt down every movie they have ever made. Even bit parts like Carl (Martin Savage – TV’S The Bill, Family Guy) are filled with actors that are at the top of their game.

Another Year once again lets the audience see why Mike Leigh is one of the best filmmakers of our generation. This well-written drama captivates its audience without using huge action sequences or a sexy cast to move it along. Some brilliant screenwriting and terrific acting performances make this one of the films of the year. A must for lovers of alternative (arty) cinema.

Dave Griffiths

On the surface Angele & Tony is a slow moving French romance that seems to be below par. But when you go away and really think about the film you soon realise that while it is slow-moving the film affects your emotions in a way that very few romantic films do these days.

The film tells the story of Angele (Clotilde Hesme – Mysteries of Lisbon, Les derniers jours du monde) a young woman on parole who is desperate to find stability in her life. She wants to re-connect with her son, Yohan (Antoine Couleau) but she has been away from him for so long that he shies away from her, and his Grandparents are determined to fight her for custody. Angele decides the only way that she is going to get Yohan back into her life is to begin a relationship and get a job. She places a personal ad and meets fisherman, Tony (Gregory Gadebois – Hymen, An Ordinary Execution) who only his mother, Myriam (Evelyne Didi – Quartier lointain, Un camion en reparation) and brother, Ryan (Jerome Huguet – TV’S Diane, femme flic, Commissaire Cordier) in his life. And with his mother pining for his father and his brother searching for his father’s body and causing trouble with the local authorities, Tony really does have a lonely existence. Angele manages to get a job with Tony but can she seduce him and begin a relationship with him.

Director/screenwriter, Alix Delaporte really does take her audience on a ride with Angele & Tony. You like Tony straight away and because Delaporte deliberately doesn’t reveal all about Angele straight away you pretty soon think her intentions towards Tony are all bad… and the last thing you want to see is Tony hurt. This is all done by some brilliant writing by Delaporte who sets Tony up as the ‘lovable and very vulnerable loser’, the fact that his entire family is mourning the death of his father just adds to how sorry you feel for him. The only mistake Delaporte makes is trying to make a political comment by showing the treatment of the workers by the local authorities. This side-story only confuses the worldwide audience and seems to get in the way of the real story… the relationship between Angele and Tony.

This is the very rare time when the lack of romantic-chemistry between the leads actually enhances the film. Early on it seems like Angele and Tony are chalk and cheese and that only enhances the audience’s concerns that Angele is going to hurt Tony by chasing a relationship with him. But when the final credits are scrolling you will realise that the ‘anti-romance’ is actually the result of some fine acting performances by Clotilde Hesme and Gregory Gadebois. These are tough roles to act out and these two do it perfectly.

Angele & Tony isn’t your typical romance. Hollywood has got us used to the fact that a romance is made up of a ‘sexy’ cast and has a few laughs along the way. So when you come across a romance that is made up of a dramatic storyline consisting of an ex-crim struggling to get custody of her son and a family mourning the loss of loved one it tends to surprise the audience. In the end though Angele & Tony ends up being a nice romance that will take its audience on an emotional rollercoaster.

Dave Griffiths

‘Amreeka’ is the kind of film that reminds you that there is more to the American film industry then the weak Hollywood storylines, pretty faces and mega-million dollar blockbusters. ‘Amreeka’ contains something that a lot of modern American films fail to include… and that is heart. Whether it be the fact that the film is based on a true story or the fact that the script allows the audience to identify with the characters, this is a film that works… and works well!

Directed and written by Cherien Dabis ‘Amreeka’ tells the story of Muna Farah (Nisreen Faour) and her son, Fadi (Melkar Muallem). A single mother working as a banking but tired of enduring the harsh military lifestyle in her home country Muna decides to immigrate with Fadi to America, a country that they have been promised is full of riches for them. However things don’t go entirely to plan when Muna finds herself penniless, unable to find work and is forced to watch as Fadi is bullied because of his Middle Eastern appearance. Life in post-9/11 America is certainly not what Muna and Fadi thought it would be.

Dabis tells a story in a way a lot of filmmakers only dream they could. This may be because this story is personal to her, or it might just be that she is a natural storyteller. She doesn’t fill scenes with unnecessary information or dialogue which allows the story to flow on without the audience ever losing concentration. More importantly she also makes this gritty story look good. Her eye for detail and allowing the pictures to tell the story is top notch, while her characters are so well written and developed that you find it impossible not to find yourself becoming emotionally involved with them.

The other shining lights in ‘Ameerika’ are the two inexperienced leads in Nisreen Faour and Melkar Muallem. Both are exceptional in their roles and under the guiding hand of Dabis have produced performances that you can only hope become award-winning roles. Certainly their performances here should be attracting more work for them… hopefully as I would love to see both of them in something soon.

Dabis doesn’t hold back with ‘Ameerika’. It doesn’t take much scratching under the surface to see that this film takes a fair whack at American society and its attitude towards Middle Eastern immigrants. Neither Muna or Fadi are Muslim yet they are mistreated as if they are by those who have been blinded by the 9/11 attacks. It is a whack at America, but it’s also a much needed expose and kick up the arse as well. It’ll cop criticism but this is certainly a story that needed to be told.

This a beautifully written film that will emotionally affect anyone that watches it. Some wonderful directing and an exceptional script from newcomer Nisreen Faour makes this a must see. A brilliant film indeed.

Dave Griffiths

Has director, Tim Burton (‘Sweeny Todd’, ‘Corpse Bride’) finally lost his magic  touch. Normally I sit in a cinema absolutely captivated by his work but with ‘Alice In Wonderland’ it really did feel like Burton had missed his mark… in fact I left the cinema severely disappointed. As I child I loved Lewis Carroll’s ‘Wonderland’ tales, so when I heard that Burton was directing a new adaption I was excited with the thought of his dark vision would do… possibly breathe a brand new life into this series… but oh how wrong was I?

Burton’s adaption picks up 13 years after Alice’s first trip to Wonderland (now titled ‘Underland’ in this adaption). Now Alice (Mia Wasikowska – ‘The Kids Are Alright’, ‘Amelia’) finds herself the target of a painful suitor, Hamish (Leo Bill – ‘Me And Orson Welles’, TV’S ‘Ashes To Ashes’), but just as he lands his big question Alice spots the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen – ‘Unthinkable’, ‘Twilight: New Moon’) who once again leads her to Wonderland (Underland). Her she finds herself reunited with old friends such as Blue Caterpillar (Alan Rickman – ‘Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince’, ‘Bottleshock’), The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp – ‘Public Enemies’, ‘The Imaginarium Of Dr Parnassus’), The March Hare (Paul Whitehouse – ‘TV’S ‘Bellamy’s People’ & ‘Home & Corden’), The Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry – ‘House Of Boys’, TV’S ‘Bones’), Tweedledee & Tweedledum (Matt Lucas – ‘Astro Boy’, TV’S ‘Little Britain’) and her enemy The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter – ‘Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince’, ‘Terminator Salvation’). Once again Alice must team with her friends and try to dethrone The Red Queen so The White Queen (Anne Hathaway – ‘Valentine’s Day’, ‘Bride Wars’) can take over before it is off with all their heads.

As a 3D film ‘Alice In Wonderland’ looks amazing. Burton is a good enough director not to use 3D as a gimmick, so don’t expect to see ‘things’ jump out of the screen at you in a bid to get a cheap scare here and there. No the canvas Burton has set looks amazing but unfortunately the script is a serious let down. Early on the story works but it soon turns into yet another ‘battle film’, coming across as a poor man’s imitation of ‘The Chronicles Of Narnia’. To do Lewis Carroll’s memory any justice this film needed a more intelligent ending than just a battle.

Acting-wise ‘Alice In Wonderland’ is brilliantly cast. Mia Wasikowska shines as Alice but she is not handed the respect she deserves as she is down-graded in the credits to somewhere below actors doing cameos. She certainly deserves more as she is impressive in this breakout role and matches it with the performance of Depp who is a star in a role he was born to play.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment with ‘Alice In Wonderland’ though is the fact that Burton never quite makes this film as dark as the audience hopes he would. Sadly while beautiful to look at ‘Alice In Wonderland’s’ script just doesn’t do the story any justice. Okay but can disappoint!

Dave Griffiths