Mirror, Mirror

There are two Snow White movies out this year. Fairytales are everywhere. And everyone seems excited about "Snow White and the Huntsman." It's adult nature is intriguing and with Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen what could go wrong. She won an Oscar for playing a serial killer and did bitch to perfection in Young Adult.

I say all this because after a lukewarm response to the trailer for Mirror, Mirror with Julia Roberts - they counted it out. Julia is America's Sweetheart. How could she play evil? And on March 30, they released it. That's today! Go see it!

No, really, go see Mirror, Mirror. The tone is off from time to time and Lilly Collins doesn't have the presence that it would otherwise need. But she does have the look and doesn't screw anything up. This is only her fourth film, maybe in time she grow into an actress to watch.

Tarsem, the director, is known for her visuals. And what the trailer doesn't show is that it is visually stunning. Imagine a trailer that doesn't reveal every detail! The costume design (but a designer who passed away earlier this year) is the best I've seen in a movie in years. Just give her/him an Oscar. The wedding dress worn by Julia Roberts was my favorite. If you're a fan of fashion, see this film!

Armie Hammer is actually really great (in a departure for him) as the Prince and Nathan Lane is so much fun as the right hand to the Evil Queen. The chemistry they both share with Roberts is terrific.

But how does Roberts fare... she's kind of a revelation. She came to play on this film and is fearless in her choices. What she does with her accent, her eyes, her body language. She is a bad ass Queen. Not the Evil Queen we read about. Because the film is an interesting commentary on getting older and has a few twists, that are all pretty fun. But she's funny. Roberts is a great comedic actress and doesn't just make her a bitch with a knife that wants to cut out Snow White's heart. She makes her a lunatic... that you root for. She has the kind of movie star presence that no one else has. And the film needed that.

I'm not that target audience (12 and under would be my guess). I would have loved it if I were a bit younger ... or a lot younger :), but I did like it. And as a Julia Roberts fan, it's one of her best performance. It's a performance not to be missed.