Miss Redmer In Acmeland

Yup, I ended up working for most of the day. I got called in around 9, though I wasn't able to get there until quarter of 11. That's ok. For one thing, I went in for several adults who don't normally call out sick unless there's an emergency. I need to make up for that lost hour last week, too. And I discovered when I got my schedule this evening that I only have 21 hours next week. That'll give me a lot of time to get ready for vacation, but it won't be great for my paycheck.

We were really busy for most of the day, too. Didn't help that I was frazzled and tired. I also had to go grocery shopping after work. Good thing I didn't need much, mostly meat, seafood, olive oil, and yogurt.

I did get to watch the new live-action Disney Alice In Wonderland this morning and later this evening while eating tacos for dinner. I'm not normally the biggest fan of Tim Burton, but I really enjoyed this. This Alice is a teenager, a young woman who feels constrained by the rules of propriety in Victorian society. She's being pushed into marrying a wishy-washy Lord, but what she really wants is to do "six impossible things before breakfast."

When she falls into "Underland," she finds a world both the same as and quite different than the ones we're accustomed to in the books, one both enchanting and frightening. Alice discovers that she can take charge and slay the beast...including the one in her own heart.

On one hand, the "yo go girl" heroics aren't exactly true to the book or the time period. This has more in common with recent fantasy tales like The Golden Compass and the 2000s Narnia adaptations than any version of Alice In Wonderland. It's also much darker than many Alices tend to be, including Disney's animated film.

On the other hand, the special effects are absolutely amazing (check out the Bandersnatch, the Tweedle brothers, and the Griffith). The costumes are awesome. Alice alone wears at least five or six different ones throughout the film. There's some fine performances, too, including Helena Bonham Carter's Queen of Hearts and Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter. This is highly recommended for fans of Tim Burton, Alice In Wonderland, or fantasy...but go in with a mind that's open to alternative interpretations.