Alice in Wonderland

Eddie offered a cigarette from his packet to Cam, which Cam took. Eddie then patted his pockets for a lighter but couldn’t find one. Cam produced a lighter from his packet and lit both of their cigarettes.

“I went to see Alice in Wonderland,” said Eddie.

“Isn’t that a chick’s film,” said Cam.

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” said Eddie. “It is more of a classic.” 

“Did you go alone?”

“What furtively up the back in a trench coat?”

“Good look at a kid’s film.”

They both laugh.

“No, I went with Max to Imax.” 

“Max’s cinema.”

“That’s what Max said.”

“And?”

“I wanted to hate it, but didn’t. I wanted to hate Johnny Depp, but I didn't, except for those eyes. What was with those eyes?”

“What’s with the eyes?”

“They digitally enhanced them and made them bigger on his face.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” said Eddie. “Because they could, I guess.”

“Tim Burton.”

“Tim Burton.”

“I thought they made him look a bit, ah…” Eddie felt his face crease into a wince.

“Creepy?”

“Special.”

“Frighten children?”

“He even seemed to have a lisp.”

“So, it was good.”

“It was quite good.”

“Not exactly a ringing endorsement.”

“Well, it's not the original Alice in Wonderland story, it's an interpretation of what could have come next…”

“An interpretation?”

 “Something like that.”

“Only Tim Burton.”

“Well, I haven't seen the original in years, I haven't read the book in more years than that, so it was all a bit vague to me.”

“But not the original story?”

“Well, what I could remember of it.”

“Ah, all those stories,” said Cam. “They get us through our childhood and then they just kind of float off into the ether of our distant lives.”

“They did something with the Red Queens head too, making it bigger than it should be.”

“Why?” Cam made large questioning eyes.

“Tim Burton,” Eddie said deadpan.

“Tim Burton.” Cam nodded in agreement.

“She was the best thing in it.”

“Helena Bonham Carter.” Cam tilted his head in agreement.

“Helena Bonham Carter.”

“Did Max like it?”

“Oh, you know Max, he doesn’t say much.”

“True, he doesn’t say much at all.”

“He did make one parting comment, though, as we walked across the terrace to the Nicholson Street tram.”

“What was that?”

“I quote, I was hoping that Freddie Krueger would turn up at the end of it, it would have made it a better film.”

“Ah Max. Loves a good massacre.”

“He really should go and teach in an American school.”

“His natural habitat.”

“He could pervert the minds of children, and if he really lucked in, he could watch them all die when he was done.”

Eddie and Cam laughed.