New reviews by A View From Mars:

Finding Neverland (B+) Just as I thought that I was growing rather tiresome of all these Peter Pan adaptations(Hook anyone), low and behold, a different and refreshing take on an old classic. In this one, it's not so much Peter Pan itself but rather how J. M. Barrie came to realize the boy who would not grow older. Johnny Depp plays the Scottish playwright in what might be one of his more subdued roles yet and even at this, he does a brilliant job. Kate Winslet plays the recently widowed mother of four young boys that Barrie befriends in the park one day. It should be noted that my knowledge of Peter Pan is pretty much relegated to the Disney animated version and even so, it's been entirely too long. However, it was interesting to note how the characters and the story of Peter Pan came to be (even though the film facilitates this through direct and indirect references). The movie lends itself some liberties, but unless you are familiar with the history, you can have a fun time believing that the four boys and everything that was happening in Barrie's life at the time were about as perfect as a muse that any writer can hope for. Solid acting, solid story . . . solid movie. Perfect for the holidays.


Alexander (C-) I'd heard bad reviews about this movie prior to seeing it, both from critics and people I knew, but still I forged on determined to indulge myself in an epic that I was not so knowledgeable in. I knew the basics and hoped to learn a little more about this "Great" guy, but this was not the case. I came out of there knowing about the same as when I entered, only with 3 hours less of my life. I'd been impressed with Collin Farrell in some of his earlier roles, but his performance as Alexander was not the problem for me, it was Alexander himself and his story. His conquering of Europe and Asia is a very impressive feat, but I don't necessarily think that this equates to good film making. I didn't think there was enough confrontation and despite that there were only two major battles shown, I was left with way too much dialogue (which I usually enjoy) about his story that I didn't care for at all. To be honest, I would have had more fun sitting at home "conquering" Europe and Asia myself while playing RISK. Avoid this one, unless you consider yourself the historian who hasn't had their fill of Alexander the Great.