The reviews of the movie are coming out too, and they are - as usual - a mix bag. One thing shines through though, and that’s Johnny’s performance in a role he’s well used to playing - the dark, mysterious rebel.

Yum.

BuzzSugar says: As we experience a recession, we watch a story in which the protagonist robs banks in the midst of the Great Depression — should we be rooting for this guy? Depp makes us want to, that’s for sure, but what with all the bloodshed, it’s hard to always think that what Dillinger’s doing is cool. Public Enemies actually makes us think about this stuff, and making us think is more than most of the big Summer movies can boast.

They continue to say that while they love the story, an the choice of lead actors in Depp and Marion Cotillard, the filmmaking itself made them queasy with random close-ups and “herky-jerky” camerawork. They weren’t a fan of the makeup either, as it was to easily making them remember that it’s a story, all make-believe. It ended on a positive note, however, stating the film is an “intriguing thrill-ride with a little bit of heart and the sharp, intelligent Johnny Depp to lead us through it.” They give it 4.5 stars (out of five.)

EW has similar thoughts, giving the movie a B- rating. Their problem seems not to be with Johnny as the “effortlessly elegant, intriguingly self-contained stars on the screen today” portraying Dillinger, but that at the end, you never get to know Dillinger at all, and they couldn’t get a feel for the bank robber himself, stating in the end that “Public Enemies re-creates clothes, but doesn’t fully fashion the man who wore them.”

I dunno about you - but Johnny Depp can lead me ANYWHERE, and I’ll be happy to follow along!

On admiring Dillinger: “Back then the banks were the enemies. We’re learning today that they’ve been the enemies yet again. So when it comes to Dillinger, isn’t it somehow nice to see the underdog kind of take control, even if it was another time?”

Who would he hang with, Hoover or Dillinger?: “If I was given a choice to spend some time with either John Dillinger or J. Edgar Hoover, I’d pick Dillinger any day. J. Edgar Hoover was the most dangerous man in Washington for an inordinate amount of years. John Dillinger was someone who wanted to make the best of life. He just got handed a rotten egg and he did his best to right that wrong.”

How he connected with the character: “…I remembered my grandfather who, at the same time Dillinger was robbing banks, was running moonshine in Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia.They were both going against the establishment.”

But what’s really important? “My kiddies are getting bigger. My daughter’s 10 and my boy’s 7. The greatest thing is just the sort of beauty of watching my kids grow up and become little adults.”

And of course, advise on how to grow up: “Remember that you make your own reality. You don’t have to stay in a little shell that was hammered out for you from childhood. We’re all conditioned to live the way our parents want us to live, and that turns people into serial killers sometimes. At a certain point you have to come out and live your life the way you want to live it. I had to fight to retain my individuality. I’d get agents who’d say, ‘Well, what are you fighting against? Why are you going against the grain?’ But I knew that if I continued on in the way that they wanted me to, it was death. It’s just a question of standing straight and saying, ‘No. I’m not going to be what you want me to be. I’m going to be what I want to be.’”

Pictures of both the dinner and the premiere red carpet below!

And here’s HBOs first look at the movie, Public Enemies, delving behind the scenes for a bit of “the making of” - which serves only to make me wanna see it more! SO who’s gonna take me to the movies on Wednesday? (Assuming it actually hits our small theater on time… ha!)

Oh I DO love it when Johnny’s pimping a new movie…

Tonight, Johnny Depp was a guest on Late Night with Davide Letterman, and he dressed up for the occasion in true Johnny style.

Mmmmmmm yummy.

Oh Johnny, how dashing! Not much to say, other than YUM! Enjoy!

It’s all over the net this morning, and my source inside the post-production office (Hey - I KNOW PEOPLE! WHOOHOOO!) made sure that I had gotten the notice that they’ve released some of the first looks at Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, starring our boy Johnny! Now, being in Alaska, and fond to sleeping till Noon, these pictures are making it up all over, so I’d best get them here for you ASAP right?

It’s not even NOON yet!
(And we just had an earthquake! WHOO! Ride the wave!)

Anyway - here you go. We’ve got the first pictures of Johnny as the Mad Hatter, of Helena Bona Carter as the Red Queen, and a stunning Anne Hathaway as the White Queen - and? Matt Lucas as the Tweedles, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and Mia Wasikowska as Alice, too.

Something you might not know, is that the movie is sort of a sequel! Alice is 17, and finds out she’s going to be proposed too at a snooty party, and makes a run for it, and of course, follows the White Rabbit down the Rabbit Hole back to wonderland, where she first visited a decade before. The White Rabbit is convinced that he has the right girl, but Alice doesn’t remember her trip. The creatures of Wonderland are ready to revolt and are hoping that Alice will help them - can she?

Another tidbit - The Red Queen has “a moat filled with bobbing noggins” (OFF WITH THEIR HEAD! hahaha!), the White Queen floats instead of walking, and Johnny uses an accet for the Hatter that the producers can only call “indescribable”!

I love love LOVE the artwork, and I can’t WAIT! March 5, 2010 is SO FAR AWAY… Good thing we have Public Enemies to keep us going through the summer, hm?

Christian Bale and Mario Cotillard joined him, of course, and I’m sure they looked fantastic too - Ok, I know they did, because they’re in the pictures too - but who can look anywhere other than at our boy? EXACTLY.

Johnny spent some time signing autographs too in Chicago, where Public Enemies is actually set up - lucky fans! So who’s gonna be first in line to see Public Enemies? And can you somehow get me in with you? (It won’t open here in the middle of AK for a while yet. Darnit.) Soon as you score a viewing, be sure to come back and let us know!

In the mean time? Enjoy pretty, pretty Johnny…

Oh, how I love my job…

The cast and crew in San Juan, Puerto Rico, gave Johnny a party to celebrate the day - that included cake, and gifts. What do you give the guy who has everything? Simple! A guitar and the red corvette he’s been driving during the filming of The Rum Diary! Lucky, lucky guy! He does look hot in that car…

So join us in wishing Johnny Depp the happiest of birthdays - may the movies be many, the life be long, and the happiness be great. (…and more pics would be nice too. )

Johhny Depp.
In the Rain.

(Insert happy lil sigh here!)

And, as always, Johnny always makes time for his fans - saying hello to some on the way to his car, and one lucky lady even got a kiss! Lucky random lady! Check out the smile on the one behind him too, who’s hand he’s holding in that picture! Think it’s too late to book a flight to Puerto Rico?!