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The Movie:
An excellent director who has been able to bring together some fantastic films (Welcome to Sarajevo, Jude) on his own terms, British director Michael Winterbottom does a fine job again on a smaller scale in "Wonderland", the story of three London sisters seeking love and escape from feeling lonely. The almost documentary-like feel of the movie (it was shot in the low-budget 16mm format) brings us closer to the lives of the characters. If their lives aren't always completely compelling, Winterbottom still manages to work with a fine cast and bring out strong moments.
The main characters are Nadia(Gina Mckee), a coffee shop waitress who places ads in the personals seeking her ideal mate; Molly(Molly Parker), who is pregnant and close to giving birth and Debbie(Shirley Henderson), a single mother whose son is spending the weekend with his father. The males of the film are rather limited characters; generally either worried about commitment or not being terribly responsible.
The film almost seems to work against itself at times. The three female leads give fine performances and do enough with their characters that I wished they would be lifted into another film at times, especially McKee, who gives a warm performance in a movie that can be rather cold at times. "Wonderland" is not a happy film, in fact, there are times when it's depressing and noticably slow. Still, one has to hand it to the strong performances again, as the three female leads are able to engage us in their lives enough to keep us following their stories, which are often unpredictable and although this is a work of fiction, usually realistic feeling.
"Wonderland" is one of those films where, for me, it was a ride of ups and downs and rather flat periods, but by the end of it all, I was satisfied with the whole package. Some parts and pieces didn't work well, some characters I wasn't interested in. The film though, with its multiple characters and storylines, remains a bit of a balancing act, and by the end, Winterbottom has kept everything from falling apart.
The DVD
VIDEO: For a film that was shot on 16mm (another popular example of which would be Kevin Smith's "Chasing Amy"), "Wonderland" often looks excellent. The film is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and it is anamorphic. Although there is an occasionally slightly grainy look to the image as is to be expected from 16mm, it's actually not very noticable. Sharpness and detail are both suprisingly good, although not always completely consistent, as softness creeps into some scenes. Still, at its best, there's very nice depth to the image.
Yes, the 16mm film does have some grain, but not a great deal. There's mainly a light layer of grain - nothing that I found distracting, though. Otherwise, there isn't a great deal of flaws to take away from the viewing experience. A little trace of pixelation appears a couple of times as well as a couple of minor print flaws in the form of some little speckles. Shimmering is absent, and the picture generally doesn't suffer too much from the problems that are visible.
Colors vary throughout the movie depending on the scene, from sometimes rather subdued and pale to beautifully deep and vibrant. They don't appear flawed here, and sometimes colors look quite lively and almost electric. Those going into "Wonderland" should not expect a smooth, sharp picture similar to usual mainstream offerings. The picture is somewhat grainy and soft at times, but the rough look works for the film.
SOUND: "Wonderland" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and it generally is a dialogue-driven entry, but it has one other fantastic thing going for it. Michael Nyman, who composed what I still consider one of the best scores of the late 90s with 1997's "Gattaca" offers a fine score here, as well. Although not as haunting or beautiful as his work with "Gattaca", his score here still manages to be enjoyable and fit well with the characters and their story.
Although the interior scenes have really nothing going on besides the dialogue, there is actually some activity once the film heads outdoors, if still nothing too agressive. The film has a very "live" sound, capturing the world around the characters quite well. Ambient sounds are placed nicely around the viewer and sound clear, and surrounds sometimes offer a respectable sense of space and dimension. Voices though, sometimes sound a bit rough and sharp, although not to the level that it made the film uncomfortable to listen to.
MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with very basic images serving as backgrounds. For example, the main menu simply re-uses the front cover.
EXTRAS: The trailer. That's it, that's all.
Final Thoughts:
Positive: "Wonderland" is an enjoyable picture for the most part, and those who don't mind a somewhat depressing film at times might enjoy this as a rental. Audio/video quality is generally fine for the low-budget material.
Negative: The lack of extras is a dissapointment. Although the film didn't do a great deal at the box office, it was generally well-recieved and boasts an interesting look; it would have been nice for a commentary from the director, actors or cinematographer.
Film Grade
The Film ***
DVD Grades
Video 83/B = (332/400 possible points)
Audio: 85/B = (340/400 possible points)
Extras: 65/D = (195/300 possible points)
Menus: 70/C- = (140/200 possible points)
Value: 81/B = (243/300 possible points)
TOTAL POINTS:1250/1600
DVD GRADE:C/78%
FILM GRADE: ***
DVD GRADE: C
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