Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk?

A couple of posts ago I made a list of things I had to do (and still have to do) before next term. In the course of it I mentioned going to see Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Since my days are now disconcertingly free, I decided that today would be the day to finally go see this modern foray into Greek mythology. Now the local theater, Odeon (which as it happens is very appropriately named for the movie I was planning to see) is not like movie theaters in the States. Whereas we are used to having every movie which is playing available to be seen at least five times a day, in Britain such convenience is only available for the very new and very popular movies. Thus, Percy Jackson only plays at noon on Saturdays and Sundays.

With this in mind, I set out with Meryl, Frank and Dustin (all of whom had things they needed to do) at around 11:30 this morning and headed downtown. After we split up at the corner of Cornmarket and High Street, I headed down the road, wondering if the tickets were going to be cheap enough that my debit card wouldn't cover them (most businesses have a five pound minimum when using card). However, when I got to the Odeon which is closest to my house, I was perplexed to find I had the wrong time: Percy Jackson was playing at 11:30, and thus I was a good twenty minutes late. Even more bemusing however was the fact that the Odeon was locked up tight. Somewhat confused, I instead wended my way through several alleys and streets to arrive at the other Odeon, which is very close to Glaucester Green, the place where I first got off the bus in Oxford. Like the previous theater, this Odeon too had Percy Jackson listed at 11:30. Unlike the previous cinema, however, this one was open, so I stepped inside and, glancing at the movies currently playing, decided to see Tim Burton's latest imagining, Alice in Wonderland.

I needn't have feared that my debit card wouldn't do the trick. At 9.85 pounds, movie tickets in Britain are a good deal more expensive than they are in the United States, although I suppose the presence of seat numbers and the ability to pick where one sits beforehand lends the whole experience a touch more class. Also, this was a 3D movie, which I'm sure contributed to the exorbitant price as well. Going over to the snack bar (I hadn't eaten yet that day), I noticed one phenomenon that seems to have made its way across the pond: ridiculously high snack prices. A medium-sized popcorn and a large soda cost me 6.95 pounds. Normally I wouldn't buy food at such a price, but I was hungry, so I swiped my card and carried my junk food into the theater.

I have to say, I quite enjoyed Alice. The acting was without exception very good, even excellent. Indeed, the cast list is practically a who's-who list of great actors and actresses, especially great British Thespians. The essentially unknown Mia Wasikowska is backed up by Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Alan Rickman as Absalom the Caterpillar, Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat, Anne Hathaway (the one who didn't marry Shakespeare) as the White Queen, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen and (briefly) Christopher Lee as the Jabberwocky. Above all I have to say Depp's performance stood out as my favorite. Aside from his famous talent on the screen, the concept of having Johnny Depp, who is well-known for his predilection for good hats, play the Mad Hatter is brilliant, although this may just be my personal bias; for like Depp's character, I too have a passion for fine hats and good tea.

Finally, it just seems so appropriate that I should be seeing Alice in Wonderland here, of all places, for Lewis Carroll was an alumnus and teacher at Christ Church College, and it's said that he based the characters from the work on people he knew there. As I was walking back home after the performance, feeling somewhat whimsical in my beautiful hat and looking forward to a cup of tea when I got home, I walked by Christ Church and, on a whim, stopped in a small shop, Alice's Shop, across the street. Inside were all sorts of trinkets of Lewis Carroll's story, from key chains to backwards clocks, to girls' dresses, to books. All in all, an unusual, but in no way unpleasant, day.