Oz the Great and Powerful Review

Before entering the theater to see 'Oz the Great and Powerful' I came upon a note stuck to the doors of the place. The note informed the audience of a curious fact. The first twenty minutes of 'Oz' are presented without colour and in a different screen format. To film fans the allusion is obvious, and quite charming, but apparently cinemas feel the need warn casual filmgoers of this dramatic deviation.

''Only black-and-white in the first act of the movie? That's unheard of!'' The theater owners might have thought. Well actually, there was a little film which employed this trick way back in 1939, it was called 'The Wizard of Oz'. 'Oz the Great and Powerful' serves as a prequel to that film. It chronicles the arrival of the charming con artist Oscar Diggs to the magical Land of Oz. Upon his arrival Theodora the Witch of the West mistakes him for the Wizard whose coming was foretold in a prophecy.

Like Neo, Anakin, Aragorn and Harry before him, Oscar goes forth to fulfill his destiny. There's just one problem, Oscar's a fake. He's a cheap magician who delights in fooling those gullible enough to believe him. During his quest he falls in with a comical flying monkey, a girl made of china and two more witches. He joyfully poses as The Wizard until he hears what is expected of him. According to the prophecy he's destined to kill the Wicked Witch. By now Oscar realizes he's in over his head. His first instinct is to escape Oz, but thanks to his interactions with its inhabitants he finds he might just have it in him to be The Wizard.

'Oz the Great and Powerful' is directed by Sam Raimi. Who's better known for his nasty horror films and the first trilogy of 'Spider-Man' movies. His franticly comedic style is a nice fit for the Land of Oz. One of the most interesting things is the colourful way the world is created for this film. Some of it is deliciously old-fashioned. I believe I even spotted a matte painting of the Emerald City in there! The visuals aren't as messy as in Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland'. The film itself is also far more involving and fun than Burton's efforts.

The story itself is promising but half way through it becomes deriative. Why does every fantasy movie require a great final battle? It might have something to do with 'The Lord of the Rings'? Those movies built up to a spectular confrontation with an ultimate evil. However, such a conflict feels awkward in a good-natured world like Oz. I had the same problem with 'Alice in Wonderland', which also jammed a war into its final act. It's a shame they took this well-worn path yet again for 'Oz the Great and Powerful'.

Fortunately the film features a good protagonist. James Franco shines brightly as Oscar, an endearing schmuck of a man. Here, the actor displays a previously undiscovered sense of wit and slimy charm. Mila Kunis is less convincing as Theodora, a good witch with a broken heart. Kunis looks like she belongs on a catwalk instead of in Oz. Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams are fine as the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch, respectively.  

'Oz the Great and Powerful' is perfect for those looking for a fun bit of fantasy entertainment. It's better than recent re-imaginings like 'Snow White and the Huntsman', 'Hansel & Gretel' and 'Alice in Wonderland'. It also makes good use of the otherwise loathsome 3D format. Sam Raimi has delivered an adequate fantasy adventure with some nice nods to the classic 'Wizard of Oz'.  

Ted Review

'Family Guy' creator Seth McFarlane has a movie. It's called 'Ted' and it's about a deadbeat car salesman who lives with his girlfriend and his talking teddy bear. The situation is familiar and the comedy is very similar to the aforementioned show as well as 'American Dad' and 'The Cleveland Show'.

The film stars Mark Wahlberg as the sympathetic loser John Bennet and Mila Kunis as his girlfriend Lori. McFarlane uses his remarkable voice to bring to life the titular character Ted. The film starts off strong and sweet with young Johnny growing up as a shy and lonely kid. His inability to make friends forces him to wish for a best friend. The narrator (Patrick Stewart) reminds us that nothing is more powerful than a boy's wish so Ted comes to life, scaring the shit out of John's parents.

Much like Macaulay Culkin the bear enjoys a brief but intense period of fame. But when the years finally catch up with him he's a drunk, drug-addicted, swearing teddy bear with an unhealthy adoration for the movie 'Flash Gordon'. Johnny and Ted waste their lives watching television and cracking rude jokes. Lori, the only grown-up in the entire movie, feels John is wasting his potential. In true Hollywood fashion she makes him decide; live a forfilling life with her or an unfilling one with Ted.

This is a well-explored story in many romantic comedies over the last few years. Logically, it's not the most interesting part of this film. The character Ted is the main attraction and he doesn't dissapoint. McFarlane makes him crude but equally endearing. His relationship with John feels genuine, quite an accomplishment for a CGI teddy bear.

The humor is truly that of McFarlane. If you like 'Family Guy', warts and all, chances are you like 'Ted'. It does suffer from the fact that it's a live-action feature. Some jokes would work a lot better in an animated medium like 'Family Guy' but don't really hit the right tone for live-action. There's only a few of these misses  and the amount of succesful gags almost make you forget about them. 

There's also an entertaining sub-plot about an obsessive fan (Giovanni Ribisi) and his overweight son. Both of them are screwed up in a fun way and try to kidnap their biggest idol. This part of the movie doesn't get as much attention as the troubled relationship between Lori, Johnny and Ted making it feel like padding. It might have worked better if it had been integrated more organically into the story. 

What makes 'Ted' memorable is its good natured tone. There's lots of cracks at ethnicities, sex, diseases, the mentally handicapped, 9/11, the physically handicapped, prostitution and religion but at its heart the film is quite sweet. With its music (obviously inspired by John Williams) and its romantic/bromantic sensibilities the film is not only funny but also heartfelt.