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Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
A good family watch
Director: Sam Raimi Starring: James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis Length: 130 minutes It's always a bit of a gamble if you do a sequel or prequel to a classic film and even more of a gamble if you leave it for 74 years before you make that follow up film but I have to say from a small child I always wondered exactly how the Wizard of Oz, mortal though he was, actually got to be in Oz and attain his position.Now my wonderment has been satisfied ! So was it worth the wait ? Victor Fleming's classic The Wizard of Oz (1939) was indeed a classic and so it was with some intrepidation that I attended the screening of this prequel from Director Sam Raimi. Oz the Great and Powerful tells the story of Oscar Diggs known as Oz, a con man and circus magician who is transported in a hot air balloon via tornado to a strange and mystical land that is strangely also called Oz. He is here thought to be the long awaited saviour of the land who prophecy had decreed would return to defeat the wicked witch of the west. He meets three witches in Oz.Theodora,Evanora and Glinda His character failings lead him to making a powerful enemy of once good witch Theodora (Mila Kunis) who in modern times would be the girl you didn't want to meet on a speed dating night out ! Within three minutes she wants to be his Queen and is so put out at his lack of sincerity that she plumps for a life on the dark side and a permanently green complexion.We all have issues I guess. He also makes an enemy of Evanora (Rachel Weisz) just by existing,as she's the wicked witch,until Theodora loses the plot anyway, and is therefore fearful of his appearance full stop. The final witch he meets is Glinda (Michelle Williams) who looked so much like an ex- girlfriend of mine in this,that I was enchanted just by her very look.The fact that she was the good witch and a handy adversary for our hero (James Franco) just made me buy into her character more. Despite the fact that Oscar's so-called powers are merely stage magic tricks he attempts to defeat evil and become the chosen King of Oz. Franco is as usual both charming and convincing and it's interesting to watch as his character develops from a womanising waster into a hero and role model for any aspiring wizard.Franco's character carries the film and it's lucky that Franco has both the charm and talent to carry it perfectly. The remainder of the cast compares well, with Michelle Williams managing against the odds to prevent Glinda from appearing overly sweet and sickly, despite her innocence and good nature. There's a pantomime feel about some scenes and some are cheesy,but for me,it just added to the magic being portrayed. The cinematography is wonderful.The CGI never looks out of place and the change from black and white to colour is reminiscent of Fleming's version. Disney are unable to install their film as a prequel to Fleming's, since the rights are owned by Warner Bros, hence no appearance of ruby slippers. Oz the Great and Powerful instead stands as a prequel to the original book series written by L Frank Baum, but this has not been publicised so well. This family adventure is well put together and can be enjoyed by both parents and children alike.It's a great feat when this can be achieved and despite my misgivings on Disney (the commercial franchise) their film department should be very proud of this film.
Bulla... Big Fat Gypsy Gangster (2011)
a must see
If you're a fan of Bulla it's a must see.Great performance by Ricky Grover.We need Bulla back on the box.Thoroughly enjoyed it. I think that it showed that Bulla has a lot more depth than you could ever get across on the shorts that he made his trademark on the 11 0'Clock show. One of the funniest parts of the film for me personally was the part where the old boxing manager is bemoaning the advent of cage fighting and Bulla responds to descriptions of cage fighting incidents of eye gauging and biting with "but that's a beautiful thing.I can't see anything wrong with that.A sport has to evolve. I also laughed out loud when Bulla stabs the reporter in the arm with an infected needle to make sure he's listening. I have seen a couple of bad reviews but I think it's from people who don't appreciate alternative comedy and don't like to think to deeply or listen too closely in order to take in irony. For me it was a long awaited must see and I thoroughly enjoyed it.