Alice Through The Looking Glass...Review

by Al Kessel

They're BAACK!! Lewis Carroll's enchanting Alice's Adventures in Wonderland continues with Disney Alice Through The Looking Glass, the spectacular follow-up to the hit 2010 Disney film, Alice In Wonderland, bringing back all your favorites from the original, plus a few more characters sure to grab a place in your heart. 

In “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” the all-star cast from the 2010 blockbuster is back with Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter who’s desperately searching for his family; Anne Hathaway as Mirana, the kind, mild-mannered White Queen; Helena Bonham Carter as Iracebeth, the short-tempered, big-headed Red Queen; and Mia Wasikowska as Alice, the heroine at the heart of the story. Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, Talledaga Nights)  joins the ensemble as Time, a magical being that is part human, part clock, and the late Alan Rickman—to whom the film is dedicated—returns as the voice of Absolem, the blue Monarch butterfly who metamorphosed from the blue caterpillar “Alice in Wonderland.”

Sacha Baron Cohen as Time

This time around, all is not well with Alice in the 'real' world, so she once again escapes to Underland, only to find things aren't so hot there either! The Mad Hatter has stumbled upon something that sends his life, and his very mental being, topsy turvy and only Alice can save him...and Underland. In her new adventures, Alice encounters Time itself...err, HIMSELF, and off she goes on another wondrous action packed adventure through time. 

Now, we're HUGE Disney fans, and honestly love just about everything they put their stamp on, and Alice Through The Looking Glass is no different. Though not quite as good as the first installment, this adventure is still extremely enjoyable. More focused on Alice this time around, we don't see as much of the Hatter and company as before, but the story works. In fact, being the video gamer I am, Alice Through The Looking Glass plays out much like a good video game (Hint Disney Interactive!!). With spectacular visuals, a wonderful musical score and the introduction of Sacha Baron Cohen as Time, Alice Through The Looking Glass is a must see for any true fan of Lewis Carroll's work, or Disney.

Bonus Features include:
    * A Stitch in Time: Costuming Wonderland - three time Oscar winning costume designer Colleen Atwood explains how costuming helps shape the curios characters of Underland and reveals hidden Easter Eggs within the cast's ornate outfits

    * Music Video Just Like Fire by Pink

    * Behind the music video

    * Behind The Looking Glass - Jump back and forth through time during this in-depth look into the making of Alice Through The Looking Glass, hosted by director James Bobin

    * Time On - Delight in this discussion with the unpredictable Sacha Baron Cohen who plays Time, the keeper of the Chronosphere, a metallic sphere that powers ALL TIME

    * Alice Goes Through The Looking Glass: A Scene Peeler - View a side-by-side comparison of raw production footage and final scenes, as Alice enters Underland through a magical looking glass.

   * Characters of Underland - – Get to know the quirky and colorful supporting characters in Underland, such as the tubby twins known as the Tweedles (Matt Lucas) and Absolem (Alan Rickman), the blue caterpillar turned blue Monarch butterfly

    * Alice Goes Through Time's Castle: A Scene Peeler - View raw production footage alongside final scenes, as Alice enters Time’s castle of eternity.

    * Deleted Scenes

    * Gag Reel

All in all, Disney Alice Through The Looking Glass is a great family film, bringing back all your favorites from Underland, and presenting an interesting and heartfelt look into characters that have won a place in our hearts. We give this film 4 out of 5 Hidden Mickey's!

Disney Alice Through The Looking Glass is now available on Digital HD/SD and Blu-Ray, and DVD

Hi Ho Silver...AWAY! - Review of Disney's Lone Ranger

by Al Kessel

When I was a kid, I remember watching old re-runs of The Lone Ranger from the 1940's, starring Clayton Moore as the Masked Man and Jay Silverheels as Tonto. Now remember, this was from the 1940's...so the characters were a bit, well, different. The stories were always about some bad men doing some bad things, and the Lone Ranger, with his trusty side-kick Tonto saving the day. By the end of the episode, as The Lone Ranger would slowly ride into the sunset, all the town folk would say that now famous line..."who was that masked man?". Kind of corny but hey, it was a western, and full of action! It worked! So, imagine my delight when I first heard that Disney was going to reimagine (because you know, nothing is remade these days, just, reimagined!) The Lone Ranger! AND..Johnny Depp was going to play TONTO?! HOLY COW!!

Tonto and Silver

Now, if you haven't seen Disney's The Lone Ranger yet, I'll TRY not to spoil anything. But that may be hard since, in order to really review THIS title, it's important to give you some details from the movie. So, be forewarned now. 

The Lone Ranger and Tonto

The plot to this version of the iconic Western is a little different than the original. In the original, The Lone Ranger (also known as John Reid) was the last surviving Texas Ranger, who were sent after the fiendish Butch Cavendish and his gang. Well, seems the Rangers were betrayed and ambushed by Butch and all were shot and left for dead. This is where Tonto comes in. Tonto realizes that one of the Rangers is still alive and nurses him back to health. Realizing he is the last remaining Texas Ranger (and that Cavendish killed his brother Dan, one of the Rangers), he dons the iconic mask (made from his brothers vest) and vows to fight injustice as the Lone Ranger - so named not because he fights alone, but because he is the last of the Texas Rangers. 

William Fichtner as Butch Cavendish

In the 2013 Disney reimagined version, much is the same, except that John Reid wasn't originally a Texas Ranger, but a lawyer (district attorney actually) who was relocating to his brothers town to uphold the law, when certain events happen (you'll have to watch to find out) that lead John to join his brother and the other Rangers in their hunt for Cavendish. Pretty much the same deal as the original: betrayed, ambushed, killed, found by Tonto, mask, avenge brother. 

BUT, unlike the original, Tonto is sort of the star of this version. They made the Lone Ranger out to be somewhat of a bumbling ninny who, at first, stumbles into heroism. Actually, John wasn't Tonto's first choice to help him in his quest, his brother Dan was.  In fact, in the original story, Tonto gives John Reid the name Kemo-Sabee which he tells Reid means trusted scout, or trusted friend. In the reimagined version, which by the way is laced with a lot of great humor and sight gags, Tonto gives Reid that same moniker but says it means wrong brother! And in this version, Tonto creates the mask for The Lone Ranger to wear.

Tonto makes John Reid's mask

Disney's The Lone Ranger got a LOT of horrible reviews and a lot of bashing by moviegoers. And I understand why. If you go into this film with the expectations that you're going to see THE The Lone Ranger, well, yep, you're going to be VERY disappointed. This is NOT your daddy's Lone Ranger at all. It's something different, and in some ways better, other ways, not so much. Yes the plot is sort of sticky, and the movie tends to go long in a few places, but it is an enjoyable watch. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful, and the way in which they relate the story of The Lone Ranger is extremely clever (again, you'll need to watch to understand). The 'look' of the movie is just outstanding, but like I said, at times the actual movie leaves a bit to be desired. In fact, in a few places I said that if it weren't for Johnny Depp, this movie may not have worked at all. Depp brings so much to the reimagined character of Tonto which, for me was refreshing. I liked the original Tonto just fine, but he was just a side-kick, and at times not a very intelligent one. Depps' creation had heart, and a very intriguing back story that explains a LOT about the character that I felt worked. Which in this case was a good thing because I wasn't too fond of Armie Hammer's portrayal of John Reid/The Lone Ranger. After awhile he kind of grew on me, but I could have easily seen any number of other actors in the role. 

Johnny Depp's Tonto is Amazing

With a decent cast of supporting actors like Helena Bonham Carter (Harry Potter, Alice In Wonderland) as Red Harrington, Tom Wilkinson (Batman Begins, Michael Clayton) as Latham Cole and William Fichtner (Black Hawk Down, The Dark Knight) as Butch Cavendish, Disney's The Lone Ranger isn't a totally bad movie. It's actually a fun and adventurous romp through the old west! If you're a fan of The Pirates Of The Caribbean movies, you'll most likely enjoy The Lone Ranger. It's definitely worth a viewing!

Disney's The Lone Ranger hits stores on Blu-Ray Combo Pack, Digital HD, DVD and On-Demand December 17, 2013

The Blu-Ray and DVD packs come with the following Bonus Features:

• Blooper Reel (TOTALLY hilarious!)
• Deleted Scene - (Blu-Ray and Select Digital Retailers Only)
• Riding The Rails Of The Lone Ranger – (Blu-Ray and Select Digital Retailers Only) For the production of the movie, director Gore Verbinski had a five mile oval track built along with multiple engines and cars. See the incredible effort that went into crafting such a detailed and important part of The Lone Ranger.
• Armies's Western Road Trip - (Blu-Ray and Selected Digital Retailers Only) Armie Hammer takes viewers on a tour of the scenic locations the production shot in as we see and learn more about the amazing places he went to become The Lone Ranger
• Becoming A Cowboy - (Blu-Ray and Selected Digital Retailers Only) Before the cast began shooting the film, they had to learn how to shoot a gun...and ride a horse! In this piece we follow the cowboy (and cowgirl) cast to boot camp, where they got a chance to experience what their characters would really be living like in the Wild West. 

Hi Ho Silver....AWAY!!!!

Bring the magic home to watch over and over again! 

Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer star in The Lone Ranger, from Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Director Gore Verbinski. It’s a wild ride of high velocity action, explosions and gunfights that brings the famed masked legend to life through brand-new eyes. The Lone Ranger (Hammer), the last of his kind, teams with Tonto (Depp), a dark and mysterious vigilante, to seek vengeance after justice has failed them. It’s a runaway train of epic surprises, as these two unlikely heroes must learn to work together before the ultimate showdown between good and evil explodes.

On December 17, 2013, Disney will release The Lone Ranger on Blu-Ray and DVD! The Blu-Ray+DVD+Digital Copy will include:

• Blooper Reel (YEAH!).
• Deleted Scenes.
• Riding The Rails Of The Lone Ranger - For the production of the movie, director Gore Verbinski had a five mile oval track built along with multiple engines and cars. See the incredible effort that went into crafting such a detailed and important part of The Lone Ranger.
• Armies's Western Road Trip - Armie Hammer (The Lone Ranger) takes viewers on a tour of the scenic locations the production shot in as we see and learn more about the amazing places he went to become The Lone Ranger.
• Becoming a Cowboy - Before the cast began shooting the film, they had to learn how to shoot a gun…and ride a horse. In this piece we follow the cowboy (and cowgirl) cast to boot camp, where they got a chance to experience what their characters would really be living like in the Wild West.

Disney's The Lone Ranger runs about 2 1/2 hours and is rated PG-13