Return to Oz

Today I finally went to see Oz: The Great and Powerful in 3-D. Directed by Spider-man and Evil Dead director Sam Raimi this new Oz film by Disney is a visual treat, with many wonderful references to L Frank Baum's work. This is Oz, not Wonderland, as was first thought when catching a first glimpse of the film late last year. James Franco plays Oz, also known as Oscar Diggs, a con-artist and a swindler who entices women with his music box. To start the open title sequence is quiet a 3D visual treat, acting like a pop-up book (or pop-out) and it also brought us into the time period very well. Though I would say at least one actress in the opening segment in Kansas made me think they found this girl somewhere in L.A. Besides that James comes off brilliantly in his part, it does get hard to tell when and if he is telling the truth at first but really thats what the character is about. Sam does do a similar thing done in the original 1939 Wizard of Oz movie in which characters in Kansas play the roles of characters in Oz, thankfully the L.A girl stayed in Kansas. Once our wizard is whisked off to the land of Oz by that pesky tornado we are treated to the wonders of the digital age. Sam had done the classic bit of filming the kansas prologue in black and white and even having the screen less wide. This was put to good effect for the 3D visuals as they seemed to flow right out of the movie. Then when landing in Oz the colour returns and the screen widens. Oscar first meets Theodora, a good witch (supposedly). Mila Kunis plays the role and she isn't bad but she's better when her wicked side comes out to play. Then we are greeted by Finley, the butler/flying monkey. Of course the evil witch's flying monkeys are way more terrifying. Eventually, Oscar is greeted into the Emerald City. The Emerald city is crafted with wondrous design and the sets within are fantastic. He meets the second witch, Evanora (Theo's sister) who is played devilishly by the great Rachel Weisz and soon he meets Glinda (who he is fooled into believing is a bad witch). Michelle Williams plays the role of Glinda and she is as sweet as honey, simply terrific in her performance as well. As an Oz film this movie follows less with what was done in Warner Bros The Wizard of Oz and makes more of an effort to be like the books. One such addition is the China Town (China as in not the Chinese). There he helps a little girl get back her legs. Visually this film is fantastic and the make-up and costumes are Oscar worthy (at points). The wicked witch of the West as some of the least believable make-up, it looks too unrealistic, not ugly enough, compared to Eve's true form (a great Evil Dead reference to be had at her true reveal). On a final note the film was a true Oz picture, keeping L. Frank Baum's creation in tact (though there is still no Witch of the North or for that matter the silver slippers) The new characters (Finley the winged monkey and the China girl) were great characters and provided a fair amount of the laughs in this film. This is a great Oz movie, and to me stands side by side with the original picture.

Side Effects

With it being terrible weather outside I decided that today would be a good day to catch a movie. I went and saw Side Effects. Now, this is supposedly Steven Soderbergh's last film. He goes back to the kind of story telling he did in Contagion, this time dealing with therapists and prescription drugs. Steven works with one hell of a cast. Jude Law (Contagion) is fantastic. Catharine- Zeta Jones (Ocean's Twelve) is as mysterious and sexy as ever. Channing Tatum (Magic Mike, Haywire) is phenomenal here, he turns in another strong performance. The real talent in this is defiantly Ronney Mara. Work wise she has been doing amazing, starring in The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo and coming out with an oscar nomination. She is simply amazing in this, her performance is real and gripping. The story over all is very Hitchcockian. One last thing. Thomas Newman does the score for this film, not Cliff Martinez, and it is fabulous. He does an amazing job and crafts one of the best scores of the year. I'm seriously hopping he gets a nod for his work on this one. And I hope he finally wins. He lost out to Life of Pi this year, but hopefully next year he'll finally grab a win!!

Die Hard 5.0

   In the fifth instalment in the die hard franchise we finally meet John McClane's son Jack. He's tied up in an investigation involving highly dangerous uranium. The film's main plot is weak but the chemistry between the leads Jai and Bruce works well and having Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the film was a plus too, she makes more than just a brief cameo at the beginning. What I would have liked is more of a well known cast. With it being such a blockbuster franchise you'd think they could get a stronger cast "John Noble, Naomi Rapace??" John Moore's direction is solid but Skip Woods script is complete trash. Not much of an interesting plot here but it is still an entertaining instalment, though the shortest one in the franchise. On the plus side, there were some very good twists in the third act and it was a very explosive finale. The film could of also done better with a more interesting villain. The main cast is good but the villains and the script are horrible.

3 1/2 out of 5

2/18/13 7:07pm

Today I revisited A good day to die hard, and you know what, I loved it. Yes, the script is thin but it is still a very enjoyable movie. It changes the formula, this time John McClane goes looking for trouble aka his son needing help "even if he does not admit it". A nice lack of CGI, most everything is done in a realistic manner. Jai Courtney is terrific as John's son Jack and the ending is very heartwarming. Most of all the movie is hugely entertaining. A thrilling car chase, shootouts and massive explosions. I also find that there is a reasonable explanation as to why John McClane survives so much with little scratch. He's developed a hard skin. He can take it. He's badass and so's his son. I loved Die Hard 5 and thought the director, John Moore, did a fantastic job with what he had to work with in ways of a weak script. The one reason to see this movie is to learn of his relationship with his son and who his son is. People may say that John is barely in the movie and I do believe Jai may be taking over the franchise as the new John McClane. And I am okay with that, in fact I'm thrilled. Jai is fantastic in this. I find that the people who complained about that are the ones who complained about Batman being absent from The Dark Knight Rises or Matt Damon not being in Legacy, or Arnold having little to do with Terminator 4. Movie franchises evolve and we should let them, stop living in the past!

4 out of 5

7:38pm

What would have really benefited the movie is a prologue detailing the villains backstories about Chernobyl.

In only 5 and 1/2 hours, the countdown has begun!!!

Only 3 more Days

Skyfall DVD cover art

Correction, in 5 Days Time

In 5 days time this movie will be available. It's like waiting for the big paycheque to arrive. I have never been more excited for any movie since The Dark Knight!!!