MIRROR MIRROR (Rated PG)
Tarsem Singh, a director known for stunning art direction and highly developed visual storytelling ability, puts a new twist on the Grimm Brothers' age-old fairy tale.
A haunting snowbound forest, a richly detailed hideout in a hollow tree, a magical castle, ornate palace rooms and sumptuous costumes all combine to deliver an extraordinary visual feast.
With a slightly revisionist glimpse at the Snow White legend, "Mirror Mirror" still looks very much like a Walt Disney production, except that it is not.
Fairy tales are no longer the exclusive domain of the Mouse Kingdom. That's a good thing, because competition is bound to produce a better product, even though Lily Collins as Snow White looks perfectly turned out from Disney central casting.
A princess should always be enchanting and beautiful, and Lily Collins, a raven-haired beauty with porcelain-like skin, has the grace and spunk required of a Snow White cruelly mistreated by her evil stepmother Queen.
Even better is Julia Roberts, America's Sweetheart, going very much against stereotype in the role of the wicked monarch, her usual pleasant smile now used in a sinister, creepy way to convey true menace.
After the beloved King (Sean Bean) vanishes, his ruthless wife, the evil Queen, seizes control of the kingdom and keeps her beautiful 18-year-old stepdaughter, Snow White, confined to her quarters in the palace.
The Queen's kingdom is a sad, desolate place, where the once
happy subjects are taxed into poverty to support the monarch's lavish lifestyle, including grand soirees to attract an appropriate suitor.
With the royal finances in a shambles, the Queen is anxious to marry for money. Her target is young, handsome Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer), who is not easily fooled by the apparent age difference.
Instead, Prince Alcott stumbles upon Snow White at the royal party and is instantly smitten. How can you blame him for being attracted to real beauty and charm?
Of course, the jealous Queen banishes Snow White to a nearby forest, where she is to be eliminated by the Queen's bumbling servant Brigton (Nathan Lane).
Snow survives and is taken in by a band of rebellious but kindhearted dwarves, and in turn, the brave young woman blossoms into a warrior determined to save her country.
Meanwhile, back at the palace, Prince Alcott is put under a spell so that he will, against his wishes, marry the Queen and so deliver the riches of his native land to her evil purposes.
At this point, even the youngest, most naïve member of the audience will be fully aware of where things are going. It's just a matter of time until the Prince and Snow White exchange the proverbial kiss.
Yet, there's even a twist to that magical moment when the lips of the charming prince and the lovely princess meet for the first time; the spell cast on Alcott is the one to be broken.
The most fun to be had is when the merry band of dwarves, who enjoy acting like highwaymen as they rob wayward travelers, creates grand mischief.
With names like Half-Pint, Napoleon, Grub, Butcher, Chuckles, Grimm and Wolf, the seven dwarves are pranksters and renegades who are tamed by the arrival of Snow White into their hideaway.
For the general audience, even though it lacks grand ambition, "Mirror Mirror" has enough clever visuals and witty one-liners to entertain even the most hardened cynics. Or, at least one would hope.
In the end, this retelling of the classic fairy tale will be most appealing to the younger crowd, particularly girls attracted to a message of empowerment.
The winner in this film is Lily Collins, a promising actress possessing the style, beauty and elegance of a young Audrey Hepburn.
TELEVISION UPDATE
The nostalgia craze is still going full blast, first with "Mad Men" and now Starz delivers an original new series highlighting the decadent world of Miami Beach in the late Fifties.
Set in the glamorous world of the luxurious beachfront Miramar Playa Hotel, "Magic City" opens on New Year's Eve, 1958, a tumultuous time in Miami and abroad. Only 90 miles away in Cuba, Castro's rebels are closing in on Havana.
Running the hotel is Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Ike Evans, who's confronted with a picket line organized by the local union that wants to shut down his hotel just as Frank Sinatra is scheduled for the blowout New Year's Eve show.
Conjuring up ways to finance his dream, Ike has sold his soul to the devil, mob boss Ben "The Butcher" Diamond (Danny Huston), hence a lot of tension runs through the storyline.
Now married to a much younger former showgirl (Olga Kurylenko), Ike juggles conflicts and difficulties with his children by his former wife, two older boys and a young girl skeptical about her stepmother.
"Magic City" looks like a dramatic series with promise, and since it's on the Starz cable network, the show is suitable for mature audiences only.
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