Alice
. Syfy. Aired 2009; DVD release 2010. Miniseries review. Watched on Syfy.
The Plot: Alice falls through the Looking Glass into Wonderland. Except, it's today's world; Alice is a twentysomething martial arts instructor; and this isn't a children's Wonderland.
The Good: I loved this miniseries! It was fun, despite being serious. I liked Alice and her dedication to finding and saving first her boyfriend and then her father. I especially loved the chemistry between Alice and Hatter.
Traditionalists won't like this, I'm sure, because it isn't an adaptation of the Lewis Carroll Alice books
. Instead, it's a reimagining. The Carroll books were talking about something real. 150 years later, a different Alice travels to Wonderland, a Wonderland 150 years later and much more modern and darker and adult than Carroll's Wonderland. If the earlier Alice was about exploring a strange world, this is about surviving and understanding that world.
I cannot imagine watching this without having some knowledge of the Alice books (or previous, more literal movie versions). There are many references to the people and things the first Alice encountered, and part of the fun is identifying and figuring that out. So, no, this doesn't work as an introduction to someone with no knowledge of Carroll's original creation. Neither is it for children; Alice is a grown up, those she encounters are grown ups, and it's dark and violent.
I watched this on the Syfy channel. At this point, it doesn't look like its available to view online. The DVD is coming out in 2010. I'm curious to see whether there are any extras that aren't available at Syfy.com.
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© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
The Hanging Gale
. 1995 BBC Northern Ireland. DVD 2006, Acorn Media. Via Netflix.
The Plot: 1846, County Donegal, Ireland. The Phelan family struggle against the Irish Famine and the English policies and politics that turned a potato blight into deaths of one million men, women and children.
The Good: OH MY GOODNESS. This miniseries was so, so good; and not just the acting, which was great. When I saw this was made in 1995, I was surprised because it didn't look old. The production, the cinematography, the clothes, the hair -- none of it feels dated (and we've all seen the historical television shows and films that are terribly dated).
How much did I like The Hanging Gale? I went looking for fanfiction. For some of you, that is all that needs to be said.
Two of the Phelan sons are farmers; one a priest; one a teacher. This covers various bases and points of view; and the Phelan brothers are played by four brothers. the McGanns. Who, to be hopelessly shallow for a moment, are all quite good looking.
As things go from bad and worse, the question isn't whether someone will die, but rather when and how. Emigration (forced or voluntary) is also a possibility. Obviously, someone has to survive -- people did. But the Phelans are farmers, those whose lives were entirely dependent on the potato crop. The repercussions of the crop failure and English reaction (and inaction) is played out over four heartbreaking episodes as the Phelans lose the little they have.
One of my pet peeves about American fiction about the Famine is that the book always ends with the family leaving Ireland for the promised land of the United States. So I was very interested in watching a production that was without American involvement and bias. This is a BBC Northern Ireland production, with the acting brothers (Paul, Stephan, Joe and Mark McGann) from Liverpool; Stephan and Joe are the ones who originated the idea, so I went in hoping that this wouldn't end with the "happy ending" of US emigration.
In The Hanging Gale, by the time emigration happens, it is shown as being far from happy, but just a cheaper way than the poorhouse for English landlords to get the empty land they want. Those who left didn't go seeking something better; they were leaving. The ending ... this is not an American miniseries. The ending proves that.
I went in knowing about the Irish Famine; when I began searching via Google for additional information about this miniseries, the most shocking comment to me was people saying they didn't know about the Famine until they watched this min
Some psychologists believe a person’s birth order has a strong influence over the development of certain personality traits. Do personality traits come from a person's order of birth, and their families perception of their personalities? Or do personality traits from birth influence a families insight into each family members persona?
The above letter is from my brothers second grade journal, and I am his only sister. I've listed at the bottom of the page a list of personality profiles for birth order from Wikipedia, so that you can see the differences. Pay close attention to the last sentence in both the middle and youngest child paragraphs. Then read my brothers letter again, and see if you can guess our birth orders.
While your reading them also see if you can match Wikipedia's definitions with the members of your family. My answers are after the link that says "Read more" that my friend Sandee from Comedy Plus installed for me.
Please note, that the theory that birth order strongly influences our personalities is still a controversial issue among personality psychologists, so this is just for fun. However, a marriage counselor actually told me and my ex husband that our marriage would never work, due to our matching birth orders. But I did say "ex-husband", so it makes you wonder about self full-filling prophecies, doesn't it?
Anyway, here are some brief listings of traits listed in Wikipedia for birth order...
"Firstborns are typically and believed to be serious, conscientious, directive, goal-oriented, aggressive, rule-conscious, exacting, conservative, organized, responsible, jealous, fearful, high achieving, competitive, high in self-esteem and anxious."
"Middleborn children have a diverse range of personalities. The habits of many middleborns are motivated by the fact that they have never been truly in the spotlight. The firstborn always seems to be achieving and pioneering ahead, while the younger sibling is secure in his or her niche as the entertainer of the family.
The middle child may have an even-temper and a take it or leave it attitude. Alfred Adler (1964) believed that the middle child feels squeezed out of a position of privilege and significance. The child is internally compelled to find peace within the family and may have trouble finding a place or become a fighter of injustice."
"The names given to the youngest child are revealing: the youngest child of the family is viewed as the party animal, the entertainer who is unafraid to test his or her luck. They are also thought of as the baby of the family and an outgoing charmer. While this is certainly not true of all youngest siblings, proponents of this theory state that the youngest of the family is an endearing, and delightful friend.The youngest child is often babied or "pampered" more than the other siblings. This "pampering," according to Adler, is one of the worst behaviors a parent can bestow on a child. "Pampering" can lead to dependence, and selfishness as well as irresponsibility when the youngest enters adulthood. Youngest children may become manipulative and control-seeking if their sibling(s), parents, or other peers are overbearing or bossy."
Now, before reading on, and after reading my brothers journal, what would you say are our birth orders?
If you guessed me for the youngest child and my brother for the middle, you were right. It's amazing how close these definitions come to the personalities of my family members. Which makes me believe there is some truth to the influence our family members have on the way we view ourselves. Plus, it seems I was a little manipulative, and my brother a fighter for the injustice of his perceived situation. But, then again, maybe he was a baby. Maybe I called him a baby, because I felt or was often called a baby within our family? In any event, there is a birth order answer in there somewhere. Of course, this is just my opinion, and I'm not sure you should listen to me, because after all, I'm a bad little girl.
Which birth order are you?
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Alice
We recorded the first part of this and missed the second. I tried watching it and wasn't blown away but your review has convinced me I need to give it another chance. Perhaps I just wasn't in the right frame of mind that day.
i really liked this show. i watched both parts!
This miniseries wasn't my usual choice, but something about the previews intrigued me, so I watched both parts and found it very entertaining. Definitely loved the Hatter! Such great chemistry. (Yeah, I think I only really stuck around because of the chemistry. I'm such a sucker for that stuff.)
Kimberly, I think it helped watching the miniseries all at once because, well, Hatter. Loved Hatter, but while the "hmmmm interesting" for Hatter was in part one the OMG HATTER didn't really kick up till the second part. Also, the first half was confusing -- i liked the second half because the difference things fell into place and there was less of "What the frack is going on".
Michelle, glad to find other people who liked it!
Donna, mmmmm, Hatter. I think I'll rent the DVD just to watch him again.
I was curious about this one, and I keep hearing good things about it, so I guess I'll have to keep an eye out for the DVD. Thanks for the review!