osprey_archer

Emma's in town again, and we went to see Jan Svankmajer's Alice today. It's a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, which naturally means it's absolutely cracked. There's only one actor in the film, the girl playing Alice - who is quite good, actually (though I may be biased, because she looks a lot like I did at the age of eight) - and a lot of puppets. The white rabbit is a taxidermied bunny with sawdust leaking from its abdomen.

This sets the tone for the general uneasy creepiness of the rest of the film. There are size-changing kolaches and jam containing tacks, and a sock caterpillar who sits on a darning mushroom - apparently darning involves a mushroom shaped thing? - which inspires Alice's socks to slip off her feet and make a break for caterpillarhood. She has to drag them out of the floor as they try to escape.

When your very socks turn on you, you know it's a bad day.

There's a sense that nothing can be counted on, which seems liberating at first but grows oppressive. Sure, it's nice to be surprised, but I just want to eat a kolache without changing size already!

It's an interesting film, and I'm glad I saw it; but I can't say I liked it, exactly.

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In other news, a photo of one of the local restaurants. I haven't eaten here yet, because it's been too hot to eat outside; and just look at this place, you just have to eat outside here, surrounded by flowers and overhung by vines.

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