I walked into Alice in Wonderland prepared to be completely underwhelmed. Something about Burton + Lewis Carroll + Depp seemed too on the nose for my taste. And yet -- mostly due to the fantastic performance of Mia Wasikowska -- I enjoyed the film far more than I ever expected. more ›

I confess to being a little confused by the enthusiasm for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland since my enjoyment of Burton's work has steadily waned over the years. For me, he peaked with Ed Wood. Despite all the lovely visual filigree that decorates his work, I find that I'm never particularly surprised by any of his films anymore. Sure, I'll see Alice in Wonderland, but that's mostly to see if Mia Wasikowska is as good an ingenue as she appears to be. What I certainly will see is Brooklyn's Finest. Despite mediocre reviews, I'm a total sucker for cop movies (Street Kings -- yes, fucking Street Kings -- has been on heavy rotation at my place lately.) It will be good to see Richard Gere back in uniform after the awesome Internal Affairs. Long overdue! more ›

Florencia Pita is one busy lady. A current faculty member at the Sci-arc (Southern Institute of Architecture), she is also a gifted designer and architect in her own right. Her Alice exhibit at LAXART (which just ended on August 30th) was a creative 7x20 foot installation inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Working with cast urethane, & covered in orange vinyl the exhibit explored bringing life to the found images in the... more ›

Quote of the week: 'Who are YOU?" said the Caterpillar. This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, 'I - I hardly know sir, just at present - at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.' – from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Good Benefits The Players Toast Awards at the... more ›