Review: Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)

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2013, James Franco, Michelle Williams, Oz: The Great and Powerful, Rachel Weisz, Sam Raimi

Director: Sam Raimi
Stars: James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz
Plot: A smooth-talking magician is forced to prove his worth when he is whisked away by a tornado to a magical land, into the middle of a power struggle between three witches.

Frank L. Baum’s series of Oz books have had the cinematic treatment most famously on two occasions. The Wizard of Oz, which is considered one of the greatest films ever made, created a star in Judy Garland – she went on to become a huge Hollywood icon despite her tragically short life. Fairuza Balk took on the role of Dorothy Gale in the 1985 film Return to Oz, although her career was never projected into anything like the same stratosphere. With a total of fourteen books in all, the saga is ready-made for further adaptations, so it is no surprise that the back story of how the ‘Wizard’ came to be in Oz has finally been told.

In 1905, Oscar Diggs (Franco) is a small-time magician who travels around Kansas as part of a travelling circus, alongside his assistant Frank (Zach Braff). As a storm approaches one of the fairs, the circus Strongman (Tim Holmes) learns that Oscar has been flirting with his wife and tries to attack him. Oscar manages to climb into a hot air balloon just in time and floats away, but is sucked into the approaching tornado and whisked high into the sky; after staring death in the face (and a few random spinning objects), the balloon lands in a mysterious land. A woman named Theodora (Mila Kunis) discovers him and reveals that he is now in the Land of Oz. She believes that he is a wizard prophesied to defeat the Wicked Witch who killed the King of Oz.

En route to the Emerald City, Theodora falls in love with Oscar due to his charming nature and they encounter flying monkey Finley (Braff), who Oscar saves from a lion and consequently devotes the rest of his life to Oscar’s service. Upon reaching the dazzling green citadel, they meet with Theodora’s sister Evanora (Weisz), who is unconvinced that Oscar is the aforementioned wizard. She tells him that the Wicked Witch lives in the Dark Forest and can be killed if her wand, the source of her power, is destroyed. On the way to the forest, Oscar and Finley meet China Girl (Joey King), a living, talking china doll whose home and family were destroyed by the Wicked Witch. However, when the intrepid trio find the witch in question, Glinda (Williams), they learn that there is more to the quest than they could ever have imagined.

Oz the Great and Powerful has a lot to live up to. The fact that this isn’t a musical and the filmmakers were not allowed to replicate anything from The Wizard of Oz (the intellectual property belongs to Warner Bros. so no ruby slippers, a slightly different Emerald City and the Wicked Witch isn’t quite the same shade of green), gave Sam Raimi a headache from the off. You could raise the point that a visit to Oz isn’t worth the trouble without totally immersing yourself within it, but that argument is by the by. Instead we’re treated to the same black and white start and then a magical transformation into colour once Oscar crash lands via the obligatory tornado. Alongside Neverland and Middle Earth as one of the most iconic fictional worlds, Oz looks and feels a little unconvincing. Ironically, without the painted backgrounds and 1930s production values, the film loses some of its charm and the overwhelming CGI though inevitable, makes you wonder if the green screens could have been dialled down more than a notch or two. However, when the camera whizzes around the higher echelons of the Emerald City, the experience is rather thrilling. The prequel’s storyline, taking us all the way back to the origins of Baum’s tales is fairly interesting, but there are few surprises, especially when a rather large hint of what’s to come appears in the form of a witch with a short temper and a tendency to lash out with a colourful ball of fire or two.

Acting-wise, no-one is stretched at all, but this is to be expected. The main characters are leading us into a world which is both fun and scary, so Oscar bait (no pun intended) this will not be. The trouble with James Franco is that he tends to play various versions of himself and here is no exception. His suave womaniser is a persona he has developed during the course of his career, but in 1905 it looks rather out of step with the times and he could very easily have travelled back from 2013, hiding his time machine underneath the nearest windmill whilst moonlighting as a magician. At least two of the witches have fun in their respective roles, however. Mila Kunis’ Theodora gets a great deal of screen time as the most significant of the trio – with a dramatic character arc, she clearly has fun playing against type, although Kunis spends the first half of the film just looking pretty. Rachel Weisz is underused, perhaps due to her character’s insignificance in relation to the Oz stories as a whole, but does nothing more than scowl with glee. Michelle Williams’ Glinda doesn’t exude anything like the same kind of motherly assurance that Billie Burke showed in the original and arguably makes the least impact – proof if any were needed, that a nice witch is just a contradiction in terms. Sam Raimi’s direction is assured and he clearly knows that the emphasis should be on fun, aiming everything mostly at younger audiences rather than pack in a load of knowing references for the adults.

Oz the Great and Powerful isn’t a patch on the 1939 classic, but it’s a fun experience. With Disney rumoured to be working a sequel, expect more of the same, considering how well this outing did at the box office. If a little more thought is given to the plot, tying as much of Frank L. Baum’s world in as possible, then there is no reason why some of the magic can finally return during our next visit to the merry old land of Oz.

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Trailer: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013)

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2013, Anna Faris, Bill Hader, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, Cody Cameron, Kris Pearn, Will Forte

Directors: Cody Cameron, Kris Pearn
Stars: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Will Forte
Plot: Flint Lockwood now works at The Live Corp Company for his idol Chester V. But he’s forced to leave his post when he learns that his most infamous machine is still operational and is churning out menacing food-animal hybrids.

Release Dates: 27th September (USA), 25th October (UK)

Trailer: Rise of the Guardians (2012)

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2012, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher, Peter Ramsey, Rise of the Guardians

Director: Peter Ramsey
Voices: Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher
Plot: When the Boogieman launches an assault on Earth, several mythic beings team up to stop him.

Release Dates: 21st November (USA), 30th November (UK)

Review: The Muppets (2011)

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2011, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, James Bobin, Jason Segel, The Muppets

Director: James Bobin
Stars: Amy Adams, Jason Segel, Chris Cooper
Plot: Now disbanded, The Muppets are re-united with the help of three fans to save their old theatre from an oil tycoon.

As far as Muppet movies are concerned, our foamy friends have travelled around quite a bit, both through time and space. Since breaking onto the big screen in 1979 with The Muppet Movie, they went to Manhattan in 1984, back to Victorian times in The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), sailed the high seas in Muppet Treasure Island (1996) and went high above the earth in Muppets from Space (1999). Commercial success has been hard to come by so, after a break of twelve years, has the franchise finally been revitalised?

Walter (voice by Peter Linz), a Muppet, lives with his human brother Gary (Segel) in Smalltown. They both became huge fans of The Muppet Show and while Gary grows from a child into a man, Walter stays exactly the same. After ten years dating his girlfriend Mary (Adams), Gary decides to take Mary to Los Angeles to celebrate their anniversary but he also invites Walter along so he can tour the Muppets’ former studio – Mary feels alienated by Gary’s insistence on putting Walter before her. When they reach their destination, Gary, Mary and Walter take a tour of the studio but while there, Walter sneaks into one of the offices and overhears Statler and Waldorf agreeing to sell the plot to Tex Richman (Cooper), a greedy oil magnate, who wants to destroy the Muppets’ former home and drill for the proverbial ‘black gold’ underneath. Walter also learns that $10 million would save the theatre from Richman’s clutches – he tells Gary and Mary and they go to find Kermit the Frog’s mansion.

The intrepid three tell Kermit about Tex’s plans and he decides to rally the troops and get the old gang back together, organising a telethon to raise the money. Firstly, they find Fozzie Bear who is working in Reno with tribute act, The Moopets. Next is Gonzo, who is now a plumbing magnate and then Animal, who is taking anger management sessions with Jack Black. To save time finding everyone else, the primary Muppets are re-united using a montage, with Rowlf the Dog and Miss Piggy the last to be found – the latter of whom is working as Vogue Paris’ “plus-sized” fashion editor. The Muppets pitch their idea for a new TV show to various networks but are turned down each time until they go to CDE’s executive Veronica (Rashida Jones), who initially rejects them for being passé, but when popular programme Punch Teacher is forcibly cancelled because of complaints, she gives them the green light. Now, with the gang ready to thrust themselves back into the limelight, they must hope the public respond and help them save the studio once and for all.

The Muppets is undeniably fun and there is a nostalgic mood that engulfs the film, especially when those familiar, (mostly) furry faces begin to assemble. Not only do we get to see our old favourite Muppets playing themselves for a change – past films have seen them mainly taking on different personas – we also see a modern take on Jim Henson’s creations, which should hopefully win them a new generation of fans. Screenwriters Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller have fashioned a plot that never lets up and manages to incorporate some witty one-liners as Kermit, Gary, Mary and Walter visit each of the original gang to persuade them to come out of retirement. There’s a strong emphasis on entertaining adult audiences with a few ‘knowing’ references mixed in with the real-life concerns, but children can just sit back and enjoy the manic Muppets themselves and the catchy musical numbers which will stay in your head for a while afterwards.

With the Muppets providing a ready-made cast, it is down to the humans to ensure that there is a good support and a dazzling array of cameos. Segel’s Gary, Adams’ Mary and Linz’s Walter are a great trio to follow and are very likeable. Jason Segel and Walter form a superb double-act and although Amy Adams is rather sidelined for most of the film, she gets into the spirit of the proceedings when she gets the opportunity with a song and dance. Jack Black is the star of the show, with perhaps his best role (as himself) since The School of Rock (2003) – having him as Animal’s anger management sponsor and then being forced to participate in the telethon whilst tied to a chair is pure genius. Alan Arkin, Zach Galifianakis, Emily Blunt (as Miss Piggy’s secretary in a nod to her role in The Devil Wears Prada) Whoopi Goldberg and Dave Grohl are just a few of the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearances.

If there’s one major criticism of The Muppets, it’s the sudden lapses into cheesy High School Musical territory, particularly with the final number Life’s a Happy Song which is a touch nauseating and Chris Cooper’s rendition of Let’s Talk About Me which is frankly cringeworthy. These quibbles aside though, this is a welcome entry in the Muppets’ cannon that should breathe new life into a previously faltering franchise.

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Review: Hugo (2011)

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2011, Asa Butterfield, Chloë Moretz, Christopher Lee, Hugo, Martin Scorsese

Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Lee
Plot: In 1930s Paris, an orphan boy who lives in the walls of a train station, tries to find the story behind a robot and a former filmmaker.

Martin Scorsese might be most famous for directing iconic, violent films such as Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980) and Goodfellas (1990), but he has never been shy of trying something a little different every now and then. Aside from the occasional documentary, Scorsese was at the helm of Bringing Out the Dead (1999) and Shutter Island (2010), two films that showed he could try his hand at genres that aren’t his norm. Hugo goes one step further – this is essentially a film aimed at children, which is arguably more akin to asking Quentin Tarantino to direct the next Chipmunks Squeakquel.

In 1930s Paris, Hugo Cabret (Butterfield), lives with his widowed father (Jude Law), a clockmaker, who regularly takes his son to the cinema and particularly enjoys the films of Georges Méliès. One day, Hugo’s father dies in a museum fire and he is taken in by his uncle (Ray Winstone), an alcoholic watchmaker whose job is to monitor clock maintenance at the train station Gare Montparnasse. He shows Hugo his job, but is later found drowned in the Seine. Ever since then, Hugo has lived within the walls of the station, looking after the clocks, stealing food and trying to rebuild an automaton (a mechanical man), which is supposed to write with a pen. Believing that the automaton contains a message from his father, Hugo steals the mechanical parts needed to fix it, but is caught by the owner of the toy store, Papa Georges (Ben Kingsley) who takes his notebook which has all the notes and instructions for the repair.

In order to recover the notebook, Hugo befriends Papa’s god-daughter Isabelle (Moretz), who promises to help him. The next day, Georges gives Hugo a pile of ashes which he claims are the remains of the notebook – Isabelle, to Hugo’s relief, tells him that the notebook has not been burned. Georges decides that Hugo can earn the notebook back by working for him in his shop until he pays back everything that he stole. Hugo manages to fix the automaton, but is missing one vital component – a heart-shaped key that will bring it to life. He shows Isabelle the movies that he had grown to love and she introduces him to a bookstore whose owner Labisse (Lee) initially displays distrust towards Hugo. Isabelle turns out to have the key to the automaton and they activate it to finally see what happens. When it draws a famous scene from a Georges Méliès’ Voyage to the Moon (1902), Isabelle recognises the signature underneath as being her godfather’s. Hugo and Isabelle go ask Papa Georges for an explanation and learn a startling revelation about his past.

Hugo is proof that appearances can be deceptive. What starts out with a particular focus on two young protagonists, avoiding the attentions of their elders with the use of slapstick humour, eventually turns into something altogether magical. Asa Butterfield, who was launched into our cinematic consciousness with a fine performance as Bruno in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, is perfectly cast as the wide-eyed Hugo Cabret. There would be many other young actors who would have taken on this role and made it too mawkish, but Butterfield tackles both the comic and more serious scenes with aplomb. Moretz takes on a character that is in complete contrast to her incarnations of Mindy Mcready/Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass (2010) and Abby in Let Me In (2010) – her portrayal of Isabelle as Hugo’s companion in their journey together is conveyed very well indeed.

Now to the adults. This is Ben Kingsley’s best film for a good while. When we finally discover Papa Georges tragic secret, the plot takes an about turn and since the whole film depends on how this character is played, his casting in this role is an absolute masterstroke. We initially feel his antagonism towards Hugo and world, so there is little sympathy for him, but at the halfway mark, the whole mood of Hugo changes and this is in no small part down to Kingsley’s magnificent performance. There are small roles for Christopher Lee and Jude Law, who are not really given time to develop their characters, but Sacha Baron Cohen, who looks for all the world like Allo Allo’s English gendarme Arthur Bostrom, provides the main comic relief which generally sits well. Scorsese’s direction is exquisite – perhaps there was a feeling that he would be out of his depth here, but every scene is intricately poised and his love for cinema is clearly evident throughout.

After watching about half an hour of Hugo, you may think that only children are invited to the proceedings, but once Papa Georges story is revealed it is the adults, particularly those who love early cinema, who will be in awe at Scorsese’s latest offering. The first half may not be perfect, but once it gets going, the rest most certainly is.

Rating:

Review: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

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1946, Donna Reed, Frank Capra, It's a Wonderful Life, James Stewart, Lionel Barrymore

Director: Frank Capra
Stars: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
Plot: When a businessman reaches the edge of despair on Christmas Eve, his guardian angel appears and shows him what life would have been like in his hometown if he had never existed.

There can be few films that encapsulate the meaning of Christmas more than It’s a Wonderful Life. There are no gimmicks, cheesy songs or CGI – it just has a clever yet simple premise, with a central character who is easily relatable and likeable. Over two-thirds of the storyline charts the gradual frustration of George Bailey and the consequent demise of his self-esteem which, in anyone other than Frank Capra’s hands may have become instantly forgettable, mawkish and over-sentimental.

James Stewart stars as Bailey, whose life has taken a turn for the worse. Prayers from his family and friends arrive in heaven, where a group of angels discuss what needs to be done to save George from himself. Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers), Angel Second Class, is assigned to come down to earth and earn his wings in the process. He reviews George’s life with the head angels, recounting the fact that at the age of 12 he saved his younger brother Harry who had fallen through ice, consequently losing the hearing in his left ear. He also saves his pharmacist boss Mr. Gower (H.B. Warner) from inadvertently killing a child by mistakenly putting poison in their prescription – Gower was at the time grief-stricken over the death of his son and thus distracted.

George sacrifices his ambitions for his brother, staying in Bedford Falls to help his father (who later dies from a stroke) to run the Bailey Building and Loan Association. He also falls for his childhood friend Mary (Reed) to whom he eventually marries and starts a family. Meanwhile wealthy businessman Henry Potter is trying at every opportunity to take over the Bailey’s family company, only just missing out during the Great Depression due to George’s tenacity to retain his customers. World War II then begins, but George is unable to list because of his ear, but Harry wins the Congressional Medal of Honor for shooting down 15 enemy planes and saving a U.S. transport ship.

Events suddenly take a turn for the worse when, on Christmas Eve, George’s Uncle Billy (Thomas Mitchell) manages to lose $8,000 of the Building and Loan’s cash which falls into the hands of Potter who secretly keeps it. As the company is being audited that day, Potter calls the police, accusing George of bank fraud. Without seeing any way out, George decides that he is worth more dead than alive due to a $15,000 life insurance policy, stumbling drunk to a bridge, intending to commit suicide. Clarence jumps into the river so that George rescues him, saying that he has been sent down from heaven to show George what would have happened without him, such as his brother drowning (and subsequently not being there to save the American soldiers) and many of his family and friends being desperately unhappy. But after seeing all this, will George realise what he means to the town and Clarence get his wings as a result?

It’s a Wonderful Life has all the ingredients for an absolute classic. A terrific script, convincing characters, a plot that is engrossing and involving at the same time, but most importantly the casting of George Bailey is perfect. James Stewart retains his signature southern drawl, but this doesn’t matter at all as he brings the central character of the story to life in a way that no other actor could possibly come close in doing. Stewart was the most versatile of actors, making his name across a variety of genres, but George Bailey is arguably his finest role. He is supported by a fine cast including Donna Reed who conveys Mary with both vulnerability and charm. Lionel Barrymore makes a thoroughly menacing Potter and Henry Travers’ Clarence is witty and heartfelt.

The film is a slow-burner, building up layers of plot and subplot to set up the finale in which Clarence takes George on a journey around the alternate reality of Bedford Falls. Because Bailey is the everyman character that Stewart made most of his career playing so well, it appeals to such a wide audience – this, combined with the fact that Frank Capra was famous for directing films about human kindness, makes for a very touching experience. With its central theme of anti-materialistic friendship, It’s a Wonderful Life transcends the decades and is as relevant now as it has ever been.

If you’ve never seen It’s a Wonderful Life, make sure you set aside a couple of hours to sit back and enjoy one of the best films ever made. It may be a Christmas movie, but you’ll find it just as entertaining at the height of summer as you will during the festive season.

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Review: Field of Dreams (1989)

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1989, Field of Dreams, James Earl Jones, Kevin Costner, Phil Alden Robinson, Ray Liotta

Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Stars: Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta
Plot: An Iowa farmer hears a voice telling him to build a baseball field – when he does, the ghosts of a famous Chicago Black Sox team start appearing.

Kevin Costner’s film career began in the early 1980s, but it was a purple patch from 1987 starting with The Untouchables and ending on a sour note eight years later in Waterworld that really brought him to prominence. Looking at the list now, there are some very influential entries – Dances with Wolves and JFK are the best by far, but even Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, though derided by critics, cemented Costner’s status as box-office gold at the time.

Field of Dreams set off a series of successful films for its star and is not your usual heart-warming family movie. Costner plays Ray Kinsella, an Iowa farmer who is wandering through his cornfield one day when he hears a disembodied voice whisper “If you build it, he will come”. Kinsella later sees a vision of a baseball field among his crops and decides to flatten an area of his acreage to build it, complete with floodlights despite the initial cynicism of his wife Annie (Amy Madigan). When whoever ‘he’ is doesn’t show up, the Kinsellas realise that they are heading towards financial ruin due to having spent their savings on the baseball field.

Suddenly, their daughter Karin (Gaby Hoffman) sees a man on the field dressed in Chicago White Sox baseball kit. Ray goes to investigate and finds out that the man is the ghost of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson (Liotta), a player revered by Ray’s father. Joe asks Ray if he can bring some other players onto the field and returns with seven members of the same team who were banned after the Black Sox scandal of 1919 – only the Kinsellas can see the apparitions. After hearing the voice again say “ease his pain”, Ray must continue to discover what the cryptic messages really mean, whilst trying to avoid bankruptcy.

Field of Dreams is a quirky film, yet it appeals to a wide audience – it also feels a little dated, but that’s actually part of its charm. Kevin Costner is in virtually every scene and holds the whole thing together very well indeed. It would be hard to imagine anyone else playing the character of Ray Kinsella, which is probably why this is one of his most popular roles. Not only do Madigan and Hoffman provide great support to Costner as the Kinsella family, there are star turns from screen legends James Earl Jones as author Terence Mann and Burt Lancaster in one of his final roles as Dr. Archibald ‘Moonlight’ Graham.

Baseball may not be the most fascinating subject for a movie, especially on the British side of the Atlantic, but there’s something very heartfelt and poignant about a man trying to reconcile his feelings about his late father and about life in general. Robinson’s direction is very suitable for the setting – despite the obvious themes about the afterlife, there is never an over-sentimental, mushy scene – the temptation to overdo the ghostly scenes with bright lights is never succumbed to. Instead we are taken on a very CGI-lite journey that is very involving and realistic.

Field of Dreams is quite rightly regarded as a modern classic – not in the same league as The Shawshank Redemption, but by not explaining everything, for example ‘the voice’, this is definitely a thought-provoking film that will stay with you for days afterwards.

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