Cage's Dazed Madness

In the case of some directors I cannot fathom what goes on in their head when they choose their next project. How could you possibly predict that Ang Lee would follow a comic book film with a serious drama? And similarly, how could you ever know what went on in Werner Herzog’s mind when he decided to do a new version of Abel Ferrera’s Bad Lieutenant? When I say new version, I definitely do not mean remake, because this Lieutenant is miles away from the somber cop doomed for destruction that Harvey Keitel put on the screen.

In this new version we get madness, and lots of it. Mostly related to the drug-induced state that Terence McDonagh finds himself in, initially to help him deal with his constant back pains. So what we have here is not so much a character who wrestles with his inner demons (though there are some; his drunk parents on their way to rehab and a need to prove himself in the force due to his father’s legacy) as there was in Ferrera’s version, but we get a story that lets us fully indulge in our fantasy of doing horrible things without a conscience. The violence and drug use in this film is as gloriously enjoyable as in a good early Tarantino film and with hardly any consequences to the character as Hollywood used to deem necessary. We never really get into the mind of lieutenant McDonagh or feel remotely guilty for the things we are seeing on screen but, my, oh, my the ride is surely a fantastic thing to behold.

Gloriously over-the-top, Nicholas Cage’s acting approaches the genius of his role in Leaving Las Vegas. He sure seems to have a knack for playing people who are under the influence of something. But what is so great about this film, and what must surely be Werner Herzog’s insane influence on it, are the psychedelic sequences in between. Supported by a great hallucinatory soundtrack are McDonagh’s delirious visions of iguanas and crocodiles that are filmed in a way that seems to connect with the state of a very disturbed mind. The setting too, is perfect for this version of the Bad Lieutenant. Where New York made the story dark and profound, New Orleans gives the whole thing a sweaty and hallucinogenic atmosphere that was previously explored in the TV-series True Blood. It perfectly fits this tale of an unhinged mind, set loose on the world in a position of some power.

I was concerned that the story would end with all the crazy characters reforming themselves and their lives and I had reason for worry when near the end everyone sits at a table drinking mineral water, but fortunately we can trust Herzog. He makes the film end with a hilarious scene where Cage stares vacantly into space and breaks up over a joke inside his head that we’ll never be able to hear.

Burton the Pushover

I remember having seen the first trailer of Alice in Wonderland about a year ago and being extremely excited by it. I should have known it could hardly be as good as I was hoping it to be when looking at Burton’s track record over the past few years. It’s great to see someone stay true to his style but it is unfortunate when style is about the only thing a filmmaker has to set him apart from the rest. I’m all for adding a sordid and dark layer to a well known story, as Burton often does but you know something’s wrong when someone like that joins hands with Disney. Wasn’t there a good reason Burton left Disney in the first place? Dark and gloomy just aren’t in Disney’s vocabulary ever since The Black Cauldron failed miserably at the box office. Even though there are some details about Alice in Wonderland that surprised me and seemed to be Burton’s influence, such as a eyeball ripped from a creature’s socket by a cute little mouse, there were some fatal flaws in the story that have completely destroyed my enjoyment of the film. Flaws that seemed to come straight from the dullest formula for all-ages-entertainment, which just cannot be forgiven if the source material is as fantastic as Lewis Carroll’s work.

But keep in mind that the plot for Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is only remotely related to the original book. I didn’t mind the changes even though I did not understand why they mentioned that Wonderland was supposed to be Underland as it added absolutely nothing to the development of the story. Was it just a silly joke then, about Alice’s foolishness as a young girl? Well, that just adds to the incredible misogynist tone that I noticed in some parts during the film. I found it completely unforgivable when certain cruel remarks were made about Alice’s aunt Imogene, a plot element that reminded me of a situation in Jane Austen’s Emma. In this book however Emma was scolded for her behaviour that was a result of her complete selfishness and narcissism, and showed a great deal of remorse about it in the end. No such thing happens in Alice. It is perfectly fine to casually mention that a woman who was never married is a foolish (and probably schizophrenic) creature.

Despite these unfortunate mistakes there were some things about Alice that were well made. Helena Bonham Carter’s Red Queen, although a spitting image of Blackadder’s Queenie, is gloriously over the top and wonderfully wicked, Alan Rickman’s Caterpillar is deliciously slow and Stephen Fry’s Cheshire Cat is as erratic and hedonistic as should be expected of this character. Johnny Depp is fine as the Mad Hatter though it remains unclear why his accent should shift from upper-class lisping English to growling Scottish, unless it is merely to point out that he is very mad indeed. Oh deary me.

So even though some of the characters are well executed, though with a cast like this there were absolutely no risks taken, the film itself makes a mockery of Carroll’s work. A mockery that can be perfectly illustrated with one terrible moment at the end of the film when the Mad Hatter breaks out in an strange sort of break-dance, the beats start pumping and everyone is laughing merrily about what an odd character this Hatter is. Vomit.