Why I Love #8: Alice in Wonderland

So I recently saw the new Alice in Wonderland by Disney that was directed by Tim Burton. I'm not really a Tim Burton fan.. I think I've only seen "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "9" before this. No, I have not seen The Nightmare Before Christmas, but based on the hype, I was expecting something more out of Alice in Wonderland. I mean, even though I haven't seen Nightmare, I've seen all sorts of merchandise and heard good reviews of his films.

Before I write about the film, I just want to say that I am huge fan of books like Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz (especially this), the Chronicles of Narnia, and others. I like the idea of children journeying into magical fairylands and the power of imagination. I read a lot of these before I entered high school, and the land of Oz was definitely my favorite. I had read Alice in Wonderland before, but I never really liked it. I think that the various adaptations in comic books, other movies, and various merchandise are much better than the original book. Of course, without the original novel by Lewis Carroll, none of the current adaptators would have been able to "put a spin" on it.

(Spoilers after.) So the new movie was disappointing. With the grown-up Alice twist and the star cast (including Anne Hathaway), I expected more of a spin on the original tale. I'm not sure, but I think this was supposed to be a remake instead of a sequel. (Or vice versa?) But the entire film was just like the Disney cartoon one EXCEPT for the fight scene at the end between Alice and Jabberwocky. Everything else had already been done before in the cartoon or was completely uninteresting. And the revelation at the end where Alice goes "Oh! Those weren't dreams (where I was in Wonderland before)... those were actual memories!" was so completely obvious that I wanted to say "No duh!" I mean, even a child could have understood that from just watching the movie without her saying it. Seriously, they just copied everything from the cartoon and then added a mediocre fight scene.

Thus, I was really disappointed by this movie. I did not like it at all, and I think the Alice mini-series on Syfy was much better. In fact that cannot even be compared to this remake. So don't watch this movie. Not recommended. 3 out of 5 stars. Just because it had nice special effects and for the awesome new Alice merchandise. Watch the Alice mini-series on Syfy instead. Seriously =D

Photo credit: Disney's Alice in Wonderland poster (2010)
...

Selena Gomez - Round and Round

~Pop Song of the Day #52~

So you might be thinking "Sure, post the song that everyone's heard already, since it's totally new blah blah blah". Well, it's true that it IS new and has received a lot of hits on Youtube already, but Selena Gomez is not your typical Disney pop princess. When I saw her on Wizards of Waverly Place, I thought, "Ok, her album will be another manufactured pop CD". But I was completely wrong & blown away when I heard her album full of dance-y songs. Some may call the songs pop-rock, but the beats were all pure dance. They were completely not what I was expecting & I <3'd it. Round and Round is Selena Gomez and the Scene's 1st single from their 2nd album. Listen to it 2x and it'll get stuck in your head =D I didn't like it at first, but then it got stuck in my head lol. Note: I would have rather they released some of the other songs from the 1st album as singles (like my fave I Don't Miss You At All, or maybe I Got U, or As A Blonde); but I guess getting new songs is better.

Kimberly Cole - Smack You

~Pop Song of the Day #51~

Meet Kimberly Cole, pretty much a new-comer in the music industry. Although she doesn't have a Wikipedia page (and I'm too lazy to look at her bio on her Myspace Music page), I'll just write what I know about her off the top of my head. First off, the first time I heard this song, I stopped it after the intro. If you're a Ke$ha fan, then you'll recognize the similarity of the intro, but the song is completely different and awesome. It's been playing non-stop on my computer for a few days now. Although the subject matter can seem a bit violent and vulgar, the song itself is catchy and dance-y. Kimberly doesn't have an album out yet, but one of her songs "Superstar (Smash It)" was featured on the TV series Dollhouse (which happens to be one of my fave TV shows).

Sorry for not posting!

Hey guys, sorry for not posting for 2 - 3 months >.< I'm going to blame it on studying for AP exams, finals, etc. It's been a busy couple of months, but now that it's SUMMER ~ ! I will have much more time to post and update this blog. I have SO much new music to show you & I still start reviewing books more. I can't believe I got 300+ views even though I haven't been updating. Sorry again, and I will definitely keep posting over the summer. Thank you readers! =]

Picture credit: Me! I actually painted the picture in art class this yr, and just had time this month to save it onto my computer.
...

After School - Bang!

~Pop Song of the Day #50~

Meet After School... yet another Korean girlband. I've listened to a few of their singles, but this is the song that I am currently obsessed with. When I watched the music video, I was confused at first since I don't keep up with K-POP news. Apparently, they now have 8 members?! LOL, almost as much as Girls' Generation. Anyway, Bang! is their latest single, and it seems to have the theme of a "marching band"? On the first listen, I didn't think much of it. But after the second listen, I got hooked onto the melody (where they're shouting & stuff). It is super catchy... definitely listen to it!! =D

Anna Maria Perez de Taglé - Part of Your World

~Pop Song of the Day #49~

Meet Anna Maria Perez de Taglé, a 19 year-old American actress, model, and singer of Filipino background. She is best known for her roles on Hannah Montana, Camp Rock, and Fame. It seems that she has an album coming out soon, so maybe she's going to be the next Disney starlet? Anyway, my friend Christine introduced me to this song on Facebook. (Shout out / thank you!!) I always love listening to Disney songs, becase most of the time, their pop songs are amazing.. this one is no exception. I haven't listened to Anna Maria's original songs yet, but I hope they will be awesome =D

Kid Sister - Daydreaming

~Pop Song of the Day #48~

Meet Kid Sister AKA Melisa Young, a 29 year-old rap artist based in Chicago, Illinois. She's best known for her single "Pro Nails", featuring Kanye West, and is said to be Kanye West's protege. She recently finished her debut album, which was released in 2009. I didn't like this artist much at first. I listened to her first single off her debut album, Right Hand Hi, but didn't really like it. Then, I listened to her new 2nd single, Daydreaming, and I absolutely <3 it =D Although she's a hip hop / R&B / rap singer, this song sounds like something they could play on Lite FM lol. The melody seems like something ANYONE would enjoy..