Movie: Oz The Great and Powerful (2013)

Rating: B-

When you're making a companion piece to something that's been as revered, memorable, and loved as 1939's The Wizard of Oz, you better get ready for some backlash, comparison, and criticism. And while Sam Raimi's prequel certainly has room for improvement, I found it at the very least, entirely serviceable.



The question however, is that when it comes to something that is as revered and memorable, and loved as The Wizard of Oz, is serviceable enough? The budget was big enough. The photography and visual effects were certainly a spectacle. And they certainly tried to capture the aw shucks innocence of the land of Oz. Unfortunately, they were missing something. Something that the great and powerful Oz ended up handing out at the end of the 1939 original to the Tin Man. A heart.

There was nothing in Oz the Great and Powerful that tugged at your heart strings. Was it simply the allure of Judy Garland? Or the mysticism of Technicolor at the time? Or maybe it was 70 odd years of built up expectations? I don't know, but I found the performances of the witches to be lacking. I suppose I could have given Mila Kunis a pass, but I found her "green" face to be rather distracting. It quite simply took away from her performance, made her look more like The Mask; a rubbery caricature.
I also didn't find Michelle Williams' performance to be particularly genuine. I realize that she's the saccharine personification of ooey gooey goodness, but it felt entirely forced. I mean, she was great in My Week With Marilyn, so I have to wonder, was she simply miscast for this role?

(blogger's note: spoiler alert)

I loved how Sam Raimi gives nods to the original while recognizing that we live in an entirely different age now in such a fashion that only Sam Raimi can. In particular, James Franco basically tells the munchkins to shut up in the middle of their introductory song and dance piece.

Finally, the biggest question that I wished that they would have answered was, where did the ruby slippers come from?

~Cheers.

Movie: Prometheus (2012)

Rating: B-

The prequel that isn't a prequel that really is a prequel to Alien. If you're watching this movie as a fan of the 1979 movie with Sigourney Weaver and looking for answers, I'm afraid you're going to be sorely disappointed. The movie's screenplay is co-written by Damon Lindelof, one of the writers/creators of the hit TV series, Lost. So before you even step in to the cinema, you should be prepared to come out with more questions than answers.



There are certainly many Easter Eggs that pay homage to the 1979 film, but to call this an official prequel is a little bit of a misnomer. What it is, is the introduction for a new series based upon the Alien creature. The curious thing is, the way that this story is written, the Alien creature doesn't even have to be involved as this particular story moves forward, which makes it pretty interesting.

The cinematography and set design in Prometheus was astounding; as was the performance of Michael Fassbender. The story moves along with thrills and scares and all the things you find in a Sci-Fi Thriller/Horror film. But Prometheus tries too hard to do too much which just simply leaves too many holes for me to give it a better grade. Without including spoilers to this movie, the trials and tribulations of Noomi Rapace's character is so far fetched that it was no longer believable.

While I could point out all the plot holes and things that really don't make a lot of sense, I would be giving too much away. But given all the issues with this movie, why is it still a B-? There's enough there to give you a thrill ride. There are enough questions left unanswered for there to be a viable sequel. And there is certainly enough there to make you squirm in your seats and make you wonder if space exploration might not be such a great idea.

Casual fans of the movie might not want to stay until the end of the credits, but for y'all die hard fans, there is something there that you might want to stick around for. But don't blame me if you do. haha.

Here's an interesting TED talk video related to the movie that's rather interesting:



~Cheers.

Movie: Green Lantern (2011)

Rating: C+

Seriously, I'm getting a little tired of movies meandering in mediocrity this year. I've yet to see a single film this year that's blown me away. 2010 was a Smörgåsbord of absolutely brilliant films. Green Lantern, continues this trend of pedestrian product.



Green Lantern is JUST funny enough, JUST presentable enough, JUST entertaining enough, JUST...well...I think you know what I'm getting at. It's a good thing they cast Ryan Reynolds in the lead role, otherwise, I fear this movie would have just fallen flat. I mean, just when I was starting to think that Blake Lively could act (See The Town), she goes back gives a performance that is JUST noticeable enough.

As with X-Men: First Class, and Thor earlier this year, the introduction of the movie takes too long. They don't really have much of a choice, they're trying to introduce everybody and trying to set up the situation, but the movie is (thankfully) only 105 minutes long, but the introduction is unfortunately, too long, too tedious, and too tiresome. It does seem however, that there will be a sequel. If that's the case, I think that they will do a better job of it all. Less flying back and forth between planets and less trying to figure out who I am moments.


To summarise, it's JUST watchable enough.

Just a few more personal thoughts after the Jump....

Movie: X-Men: First Class (2011)

Rating: B

After a couple of abhorrent, abominable, atrocious, and absolutely appalling sequels following a fairly inspired X-Men in 2000, X-Men: First Class is a much appreciated reboot...or pre-boot(?)...that's ambitious, smart, and surprisingly entertaining.



Kevin Bacon? Really?! I can't remember the last memorable role that he was in. Well...Footloose maybe? Haha. And yet, he seems to keep popping up everywhere. OK. Seriously. This movie is really about how Professor Xavier's relationship with Magneto. For the fans out there of the comic series, this prequel really doesn't follow the same story lines. That being said, it more than adequately addresses the beginnings of their relationship, their bond, and their struggles.

Using snippets of actual history, including actual footage of President Kennedy, X-Men: First Class does enough with actual events to make this movie pretty real. But one thing totally threw me off. The appearance of Brendan Fehr. No lines, not even a name! In the credits, they name him "Communications Officer". I tried looking it up, but I haven't been able to find any answers as to the reason he's nothing more than an extra in this film.

That being said, the film is great. It takes a little while to get started, and it does have a couple of slow spots, but other than that, it is fairly well thought out. There are also some brilliantly placed cameos and hints about the origins of some future X-Men characters.

*Ed.Note: There isn't anything to stay for after the credits. Forgot to include that.

~Cheers.