Oz the Great and Powerful

Oz the Great and Powerful - Dir. Sam Raimi (2013)

Walt Disney had always wanted to make an animated film based on Frank L. Baum's The Wizard of Oz. However, MGM beat him to the punch, acquiring the rights and producing their classic musical starring Judy Garland. The closest Disney ever came was a television special featuring the Mouseketeers as various characters and the disturbing cult classic Return to Oz with a young Fairuza Balk as Dorothy. Oz the Great and Powerful is an interesting proposition since it’s a prequel to another studio's movie. Despite the books now falling into public domain, Disney is unable to use elements specifically created for the cinematic version of Wizard of Oz, which is now owned by Warner Brothers. Thus, there are no ruby slippers and even the design of the Yellow Brick Road and the shade of green on the Wicked Witch's skin had to be altered.

Spoilers Ahead.

Oscar Diggs (James Franco) is a sideshow magician in a traveling circus that has found its way to the dustbowl of Kansas. He is not only an illusionist, but an inventor with aspirations to become Harry Houdini and Thomas Edison rolled into one. A jealous strongman chases Diggs into a hot air balloon that is quickly sucked into a tornado that transports him to the Land of Oz. Taking a cue from the 1939 version, Oz opens in black and white with the 1.33:1 aspect ratio before expanding to widescreen and fading into color. There, he is greeted by Theodora (Mila Kunis), a good witch who believes Diggs is the prophesized wizard that will free them from the tyranny of the Wicked Witch. Theodora's sister, Evanora (Rachel Weisz), promises Diggs he will become the new King of Oz and be rewarded the treasure of Emerald City should he defeat the Witch.

Diggs is joined on his journey by a talking monkey with wings named Finley (Zach Braff) and a living China Girl (Joey King), the only survivor of a porcelain village shattered by the Witch's army of flying baboons. But, the witch they are sent after is actually Glinda the Good (Michelle Williams) whose father, the former King of Oz, was poisoned by the true Wicked Witch, Evanora. When the truth comes out, Evanora manipulates her sister into biting an enchanted apple that turns her into the hook nosed Wicked Witch of the West.

It's clear that Disney is hoping to replicate the mammoth success of Alice in Wonderland. Both projects share a producer in Joe Roth and a production designer in Robert Stromberg, who also worked on Avatar. Those previous credits clearly shine through in the digital construction of Oz, which looks like a Technicolor melding of Wonderland and Pandora. There are enormous blossoms, river fairies with piranha-like teeth, and a glimmering art deco Emerald City. However, what's lacking is a sense of awe. The CGI environment never feels real and many scenes simply come off as actors walking in front of a green screen. The soundstages and matte paintings of the original film felt more real than the expensive special effects of Oz. Director Sam Raimi manages to inject some life into the action with his trademark flourishes of whip pans, accelerated zooms, canted angles, and cameos by brother Ted Raimi and Bruce Campbell. One set piece involves a Looney Tunes-esque sequence on a cliff that is played out in silhouette. When the heroes arrive at the Dark Forest, they are assailed by snapping vines in a creepy callback to Evil Dead. Thankfully, no one gets raped by tree branches. Raimi also tosses in several cool shots of the witches hurling magical energy at each other, especially Evanora who shoots lightning bolts like a Dark Lord of the Sith. The prologue makes nice use of 3D with objects flying out of frame, but the effects become less pronounced as the movie progresses.

James Franco never rises to the occasion of convincingly portraying the young wizard as a vintage flim-flam man. You imagine the character as someone like Robert Preston in The Music Man or George Clooney in O Brother, Where Art Thou, a scoundrel with the gift of gab. And it's easy to imagine why Raimi would be drawn to Diggs because Raimi's early days as a filmmaker required the same sense of invention, ingenuity, and salesmanship. You can also draw parallels between Oz and Army of Darkness, both of whom feature a protagonist transported to another land who must overcome their own selfish motivations to defeat an evil force with their unique knowledge.

Franco simply isn't up to the task, not surprising since he wasn't the first choice. The studio wanted Robert Downey Jr. and when he turned it down, they pursued Johnny Depp who was already committed to The Lone Ranger. While Franco could hardly be considered a consolation prize, Depp's previous turns as Ed Wood and Willy Wonka might have made him the perfect pick. Franco frequently takes a backseat to Finley and the feisty China Girl, who fill the roles of adorable sidekicks. Mila Kunis is equally out of depth as the Wicked Witch, a role that doesn't take advantage of her natural comedic skills. Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams pick up the slack and are absolutely stellar as Theodora's fellow spell-casters.

Oz the Great and Powerful was lavished with a budget of $200 million, but all that money couldn't buy this film any of the charm or timelessness of its predecessor.

Rating: ** (*****)

Ted

Ted - Dir. Seth MacFarlane (2012)

You have to wonder if Seth MacFarlane ever has time to sleep. The man has built himself an animation empire at Fox as the creator of Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show. He writes, produces, and does numerous voices on each show. Fox even put him in charge of developing a new version of The Flintstones to add to their line-up. MacFarlane has hosted several Comedy Central Roasts, Saturday Night Live, and will also host the upcoming Oscars. Somehow, his busy schedule didn't prevent him from writing and directing his first feature film, Ted, which went on to become the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time.

The story begins on Christmas in Boston when a lonely boy named John Bennett (Bretton Manley) wishes that his new teddy bear would come to life. Miraculously, the wish comes true and the two become the best of friends. Decades later, John (Mark Wahlberg) is now 35 and working a lousy job at a car rental agency. The bear, Ted (MacFarlane), is still around and the two have become typical Boston meatheads content to drink beer, smoke pot, and watch Flash Gordon. John's exasperated girlfriend, Lori (Mila Kunis), knows John will never truly grow up so long as Ted is around. Lori finally demands Ted leave when she returns to their apartment to find him carousing with a bunch of hookers. John must now find a way to balance his relationships with Ted and Lori while the bear fends for himself in the real world.

Ted has all the hallmarks of a Seth MacFarlane production. It is littered with profane humor and random celebrity cameos from the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Norah Jones, and Tom Skerritt. Flash Gordon himself, Sam J. Jones, makes an appearance as he riotously parties with the hero worshipping protagonists. Most importantly, Ted features a plethora of pop culture references fired off with machine gun precision. MacFarlane's cannibalization of pop culture can be summed up by a parody of the Airplane! parody of Saturday Night Fever. Characters riff on everything from Diff'rent Strokes to Hootie and the Blowfish. Oddly enough, these gags work better than jabs at more timely targets such as Adam Sandler's Jack and Jill or one-time Superman Brandon Routh.

MacFarlane comfortably surrounded with familiar faces. He co-wrote the script with fellow Family Guy writers, Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild, while the score was done by Walter Murphy, who also composed the Family Guy theme song. Patrick Stewart does voiceover narration, Alex Borstein has a supporting role as John's mom, and Patrick Warburton appears as one of John's co-workers. Mila Kunis, the voice of Meg Griffin, brings charm and wit to the usually thankless role of the nagging girlfriend. Giovanni Ribisi has an over-the-top turn as an obsessed fan determined to purchase Ted for his creepy kid.

The entire movie hinges on the friendship between John and Ted. Both Wahlberg and MacFarlane deliver the goods. Wahlberg hasn't much luck at straight dramatic roles as evidenced by his shaky performances in The Lovely Bones and The Happening. He's also done so many C-grade action films that it's easy to forget how talented he is as a comedic actor. He's hilarious in Ted, especially in a scene where he rapidly lists the names of white trash girls. Wahlberg also gets to show off a flair for physical humor when he throws down with Ted. Speaking of the bear, the CGI is excellent with Ted seamlessly blended in with flesh and blood actors. MacFarlane not only did the voice, but the motion capture on set while directing. In another MacFarlane trademark, everyone simply accepts the existence of a talking teddy bear without once raising an eyebrow.

Are people going to find Ted offensive and juvenile? Certainly and it's hard to argue the point when you see a talking teddy bear spray lotion on his face while acting like it's semen. Seth MacFarlane relishes journeying into R-rated territory in a manner he cannot on television and finds a unique take on the buddy comedy.

Rating: *** (*****)

Black Swan

Black Swan - Dir. Darren Aronofsky (2010)

Black Swan is a feverish concoction that recalls the early psychological thrillers of Roman Polanski along with the backstage drama of All About Eve and a dash of Powell and Pressburger's The Red Shoes. Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky continues exploring themes of addiction and the mental anguish that comes from naked ambition. In his debut film, Pi, a mathematical genius is driven to the brink of insanity due to an obsession with a numerical sequence that might allow one to contact God. His sophomore effort, Requiem for a Dream, followed a quartet of hopeful dreamers whose lives are utterly destroyed by their addictions.

Thematically, Black Swan matches up very closely to Aronofsky's previous picture, The Wrestler. On the surface, ballet and professional wrestling seem like they are worlds apart, one is considered highbrow and the other lowbrow. But, both are performance arts that require its participants to sacrifice a great deal in terms of physical well-being and personal lives. While The Wrestler focused on a downtrodden man past his prime, Black Swan centers on a young woman at the cusp of a burgeoning career.

Natalie Portman is Nina Sayers, a dancer for a prestigious New York company run by the artsy alpha male, Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel). For the new season, Leroy boastfully proclaims that his production of Tchaikovsky's "Black Swan" will practically reinvent the old standby. He chooses Nina as his new lead with reservations. In terms of grace and technique, Nina has all the skills necessary to dance the role of the White Swan. However, she lacks the raw sensuality to dance the role of her twin, the Black Swan. As Nina throws herself into her work, her grasp on reality gradually unwinds. Her unbalanced mental state is only exacerbated by the arrival of Lily (Mila Kunis), who threatens to steal her spot as the company's top star. Lily is everything that Nina is not. Lily is sexy and free-spirited whereas Nina is virginal and repressed.

Physically, Nina must remain thin and lithe while mentally, she is kept in a state of child-like regression by her overbearing mother (Barbara Hershey). The Sayers live in a cramped apartment with Nina's bedroom decorated in pink and littered with doodles and stuffed animals. It's clear that whatever psychological problems have plagued Nina for years and haven't sprung up overnight.

Much like David Cronenberg, Aronofsky blurs the line between reality and the protagonist's distorted fantasies. The director pulls the carpet out from under the audience multiple times as Nina slips further and further away from sanity. The film's much talked about lesbian sex scene between its starlets is a firm example. Perhaps, it really happened. Most red-blooded males certainly hope it did. Was it a complete dream or maybe a masturbatory desire? Also cribbed from Cronenberg is Aronofsky's fascination with extreme body horror as Nina finds herself gradually morphing into some sort of avian form.

The first and second acts of Black Swan are gripping thanks to the excellent performances of Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. Aronofsky's long-time cinematographer, Matthew Labatique (who shot on Super 16mm with some DSLR work), gives the film a grainy look that only accentuates the moody atmosphere. But, the film's final act is where it goes completely off the rails. Black Swan switches from creepy psychological thriller to wildly over-the-top melodrama. Any semblance of subtlety is thrown right out the window. It's difficult to tell if Aronofsky wanted the movie to be taken seriously or treated as camp.

Rating: ** (*****)

Date Night

Date Night - Dir. Shawn Levy (2010)


Putting Steve Carell and Tina Fey together seems like an easy way to find comedic gold. With his work on The Daily Show and The Office, Carrell cemented his status as a bankable movie star following the success of The 40-Year Old Virgin. Fey has done the same on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. Though she wrote Mean Girls and took a supporting role, she has yet to find a star vehicle worthy of her talents. Date Night is definitely not it.

Carrell and Fey star as Phil and Claire Foster, married with two kids and living in suburban New Jersey. He’s an accountant and she’s a real estate agent. Hoping to shake up their stagnant relationship, the Fosters hope to get a table at a trendy new restaurant in Manhattan. They wind up stealing another couple’s reservations, which becomes a running gag throughout the movie. A case of mistaken identity sends them on the run from a pair of gun-toting thugs (Common and Jimmi Simpson) who are after a flash drive. That’s just the beginning of one crazy night that involves car chases, crooked cops, and mobsters.

Taraji P. Henson co-stars as a sympathetic police detective and Mark Wahlberg appears as a perennially shirtless securities expert. Mark Ruffalo and Kristen Wiig have maybe one scene each as another married couple on the outs. James Franco and Mila Kunis round out the cast as a two low-rent crooks named Taste and Whippit who originally made the reservation. They almost manage to derail the picture into something livelier.

Those of you expecting Date Night to be a Hitchcockian edge of your seat thriller ala The Man Who Knew Too Much must have severe brain damage. The jokes come straight out of a bad 80’s sitcom with some labored slapstick gags thrown in for good measure. Fey and Carrell are never allowed to rise above the bland, cardboard characters they play, despite their best efforts. Date Night’s funniest moments don’t occur during the movie at all, but in the outtakes shown over the end credits. Given the freedom to adlib, they’re able to show off the natural wit that made them stars, coming up with funnier material than what was provided for them.

Rating: *

The Book of Eli

The Book of Eli - Dirs. Albert & Allen Hughes (2010)


The world has ended once again. In the past several months, it has been destroyed by zombies (Zombieland), vampires (Daybreakers), and Roland Emmerich (2012). This time around, we’re lucky enough to have Denzel Washington around to save us all. And if there’s anybody you want to have your back in a post-apocalyptic nightmare, it’s Denzel.

The landscape of Book of Eli has much in common with the recent Cormac McCarthy adaptation, The Road. This is a barren and desolate wasteland dotted by the rusting, abandoned husks of automobiles. Denzel is the archetypical hero of the Spaghetti Western. He is the mysterious, taciturn individual wandering what’s left of the world, armed with a machete and an iPod. He takes on the hijackers and cannibals who cross his path. He is the man with no name. Though the film is titled The Book of Eli, no one refers to him as such. The only reference is a tag in his backpack reading, “Hello, my name is Eli.” Some folks call him Walker because he walked into town.

Said town is ruled with an iron fist by the ruthless Carnegie, played with a villainous aplomb by Gary Oldman. He keeps his blind mistress Claudia (Jennifer Beals) under his thumb as well as her daughter Solara (Mila Kunis). Carnegie has his men searching the wastelands for a particular book and it becomes obvious he is on the hunt for a Bible. All known copies were destroyed following an alluded to war that decimated the world. Of course, Eli has it in his possession, reading it on a nightly basis.

As one of the only humans to remember what life was like before the end times, Carnegie knows the power of the book. He seeks to enthrall the masses with its words in order to rebuild the land in his image.

Rounding out the supporting cast are the Punisher Ray Stevenson as Carnegie’s right hand man, Michael Gambon and Francis de la Tour as elderly survivalists who’ve turned cannibal, and musician Tom Waits as a shopkeeper.

Don’t expect any deep philosophical debate about the influence of religion. Book of Eli has its feet firmly planted in the territory of genre film. It’s the kind of movie where Denzel quotes Scripture then decapitates a man with his machete. The Hughes Brothers debuted with the Boyz in the Hood contemporary, Menace II Society, but haven’t a film since From Hell, a poor adaptation of the Alan Moore comic which came out nearly a decade ago. While they’re keen on slow motion shots of Denzel striding confidently through a scene, the Hughes Brothers direct their action sequences with a strong hand. So many American directors chop action up into a jumbled mess with quick cuts, overly tight close-ups, and shaky cam. Here, the twin siblings allow us to actually see the fight scenes. The film’s first set piece is stylishly shot in silhouette with Denzel battling a gang of thugs underneath a bridge.

The script by Gary Whitta isn’t anything wildly innovate, but Denzel is charismatic enough that he could read the Yellow Pages for three hours and make it interesting. The same goes for Gary Oldman whose Carnegie is reminiscent of the crooked DEA agent from The Professional. Jennifer Beals and Mila Kunis look exceedingly gorgeous for two women living in a world without make-up or hair product, but I’m more than willing to accept that. What is hard to accept is the petite Kunis as badass, action heroine. It didn’t work in Max Payne (admittedly nothing worked in that damn movie) and it doesn’t quite work here. But, Denzel kicking ass for just under two hours is a more than satisfying experience.

Rating: ***

Extract

Extract - Dir. Mike Judge (2009)

Writer/Director Mike Judge returns to the workplace comedy with Extract released to theaters in time for Labor Day. The creator of Beavis & Butthead had a cult hit with Office Space and Extract acts as a nice bookend. Where Office Space centered around cubicle dwellers and their soul-crushing dealings with white collar middle management, Extract is firmly planted in the blue collar world of manual labor as seen from the perspective of the boss.

Jason Bateman stars as Joel Reynold (no ‘s’), owner of Reynold’s Extract, a bottling plant that manufactures flavoring extracts. Much like Arrested Development, Bateman is once again the lone beacon of sanity immersed in a sea of stupidity, selfishness, and absurdity. Joel’s right-hand man is Brian (played to an understated tee by J.K. Simmons) can’t be bothered to learn anyone’s names and calls everyone, “Dinkus.” There’s the meathead forklift driver Rory (TJ Miller who played a similarly dim character in Cloverfield) who hands out flyers every day for his two-bit metal band. And there is a pair of hairnet wearing gossipers who blame everybody else for their own laziness. A confluence of idiocy leads to a Rube Goldberg-esque series of accidents to causes good ol’ boy Step (Clifton Collins Jr.) losing a testicle. On the verge of a lucrative buyout from General Mills, the accident is the last thing Joel wants to deal with. He’s also sexually frustrated by an apathetic wife (Kristen Wiig) whose drawstring sweatpants may as well be a chastity belt.

Along comes a beautiful, new temp, Cindy (Mila Kunis), who surprisingly takes a keen interest in learning more about flavor extracts. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Cindy is a con artist and convinces Step to sue the company so she can bilk him of the payoff. Joel’s bartender friend, Dean (a long-haired & bearded Ben Affleck) somehow convinces him to hire a gigolo to do his wife thus leaving Joel free and clear to have his own affair. The gigolo, Brad (Dustin Mulligan), is a blond and tanned surfer looking kid who might be the dumbest character in a cast full of morons.

The performances of said cast are good all around with one of the best being, Clifton Collins Jr., who is suddenly in every picture this year. He played a Romulan henchman in Star Trek, a sweet-natured one-armed store clerk in Sunshine Cleaning, and an over-the-top Latino mobster in Crank 2: High Voltage. As Step, Collins defines trailer trash with his greasy mustache, mullet, and trucker cap. I’ve always had a hard time taking Ben Affleck seriously in a dramatic role. He’s far more adept at these comedic supporting roles. Also watch out for rock star Gene Simmons as a loudmouth, ambulance chasing lawyer with a serious case of helmet hair. Meanwhile, Bateman winds up playing basically the same character as he has since his comeback. Kristen Wiig who has stolen scenes with only one or two lines (see Knocked Up or Ghost Town) isn’t quite as memorable despite her more substantial role.

Extract will inevitably be compared to Office Space and it stands in the shadow of its predecessor. Extract doesn’t offer up the same wit and insight as Office Space. While Judge has written some funny dialogue here, you won’t find any of the instantly quotable lines of Office Space. The comedy in Extract ranges from subtle to broad to pretty lowbrow, such as an extended scene where Bateman tries to smoke out of an extra-large bong.

Rating: ** ½

Max Payne

Max Payne - Dir. John Moore (2008)

Wow…a video game movie that sucks. What. A. Fucking. Shock. Max Payne may not have been directed by Paul W.S. Anderson or Uwe Boll, but John Moore does nothing to distinguish himself from either hackmeister. Moore captures the atmosphere with a stylish, Sin City-esque setting, but lacks any emotional connection whatsoever. Ponderous allusions to Norse mythology and valkyries poorly attempt to add a more cerebral layer to what is a dumb action movie.

Perhaps, the film’s biggest downfall is the miscasting on nearly every level. Mark Wahlberg plugs into the stoic action roles well, but whose bright idea was it to cast Meg Griffin as a badass, Russian mafia assassin? Ludacris as an internal affairs investigator? Chris O’Donnell as…well, anybody? The paper-thin story, cardboard characters, and God awful dialogue could have been forgiven if it weren’t for the fact that Max Payne is an action movie almost devoid of any action.

The finale features some good Matrix-style shoot-em-up moments, but it’s too little, too late. An hour and a half of Mark Wahlberg talking to donkeys would have been infinitely more entertaining. "Say ‘hi’ to your mother for me, all right?"

Rating: *