Movies

Opening Today: @Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful

Growing up, my favorite uncle was my Uncle Ozzie. He was an artist who made album covers, and painted food realistic enough to be on menus and look like the real thing!  He was funny, and smart - creative, and hardworking - all the things I held, and still hold in the highest regard.  To me, he was magic.

Photo: Artwork by Ozwald Greene, Sr. One of my uncle's album covers from 1983. Discogs.com

Heading up to NY to visit, I would have the song playing over and over in my head, "Weeeeee're OFF to see the WIZARD! The Wonderful Wizard of OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOZ! When the hubby and I went to see the screening of Oz the Great and Powerful, I couldn't help smiling, thinking about my uncle, and how amazing he was (and still is) to me.  We sat down, 3-D glasses in hand, and I thought about what my uncle's prequel would have been like.  I only know the story from the AFTER he got to America, like we know the story of the wizard AFTER he got to Oz.  What was he like?  What made him want to pursue a career as an artist?  What magical sights had he seen or people had he met in Tobago that inspired him to dedicate his professional life to making beautiful things?

Oz the Great and powerful is a prequel to the Wizard of Oz book by L Frank Baum, and presumably the many films, books, and even Broadway musicals based on the original story . Here is the synopsis:

Disney's fantastical adventure "Oz The Great and Powerful," directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum's beloved wizard character. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot-fame and fortune are his for the taking-that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity-and even a bit of wizardry-Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful wizard but into a better man as well.

I was never a HUGE fan of the 1939 movie - that's the one that we see on TV 99% of the time.  I know some people are fanatics over it, but me - not really.  I saw the Wiz growing up, and I remember liking it for the music, but being terrified as well.  Truth is, it really is no easy story to tell without scaring somebody.  Monkeys with wings are just scary.  Witches... pretty frightening.  Having no heart, no brain, and no courage? Terrifying.

This story starts at what is presumed to be just before the reign of the wizard of Oz that we all know about from books and movies, and what happened to make him the Wizard.  The previews sold me on the special effects, and from the time I put on those 3-D glasses, I was pretty impressed. There were some slow parts, and again, I don't love stories of witches and the like.  If you are looking for action? Check. Drama? Check. Child friendly fun film? Wait.

These days, if there's a lesson in a film, that's a bonus - and probably not the intention of the film makers.  There is a lesson in here somewhere (I think), but one of my takeaways was that a womanizing man can make an otherwise awesome woman into a real... well... witch.  I won't spoil it for you, so here's my rundown:

Did it earn the PG rating? Yep.  Sure did.  Even I jumped a little at some of the action scenes, and no matter how you slice it - witches are scary.  You also have some pretty provocative costumes on the witches - heaving bosoms and pleather hot pants aside, it wasn't so bad.

Bottom line, should you go see it? If you are a fan of the Wizard of Oz movie from the 1930's and the book, you may find some really interesting additions that were made in Oz the Great and Powerful (from the book) that were omitted from the well known screen adaptation.  The special effects, graphics, and color are all amazing, and the action scenes can get your blood pumping a little.

Should I take the kids to see it? As usual, depends on your kid.  I wouldn't simply because I don't like some of the things that are implied.  I am pretty tired of the fair eyed, fair haired, "princessy" female character being portrayed as good, while the dark haired, dark eyed, more olive toned female character is portrayed as bad.  It gets old, and I think that it shows a lack of creativity to use just white clothes, blonde hair, and a light weak voice to show that someone is good, and dark clothes, dark hair, and a stronger voice to show that someone is bad.  I don't know about anyone else's kids, but my kids are smarter than that.

I also don't like the idea of a man just using simple tricks to woo women - like it doesn't take much and that women are stupid.  Sure as an adult, I can sift through the mess to get to the entertainment, but kids are highly susceptible to suggestion. With all the amazing special effects and that suggestion is pretty powerful in a movie like this.  My little one's won't be seeing this one.  The witches and special effects aren't too much for them, but I don't see where it will really add anything to their minds in that two hours that would be better than us reading together, playing outside, riding bikes, or visiting a museum. I'd take the oldest if he asked, and I had time - but I know that he'll miss half the dialogue when Mila Kunis appears in those skin tight shiny pants - that can be distracting for a teenage boy.

More about the movie:

Cast: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff

Director: Sam Raimi

Producer: Joe Roth

Executive Producers: Grant Curtis, Palak Patel, Philip Steuer, Josh Donen

Screenplay by: Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire

Running Time: 130 minutes

When small-time magician Oscar Diggs (James Franco) pulls one flimflam too many, he finds himself hurled into the fantastical Land of Oz where he must somehow transform himself into the great and powerful wizard-and just maybe into a better man as well. "Oz The Great and Powerful" is produced by Joe Roth, with a screenplay by Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire. Grant Curtis, Palak Patel, Philip Steuer and Josh Donen are serving as executive producers. "Oz The Great and Powerful" opens in U.S. theaters on March 8, 2013.

Oz the Great and Powerful Website |  Oz the Great and Powerful on Facebook | @disneyozmovie on Twitter

Disclosure: My husband and I were given passes to see this movie for the purpose of writing a review. As always, my opinions are my own. For more information click on "About".

Author Profile: Eva Wilson  - Website

Eva is the administrator and blogger for SocaMom.com. Follow her on Twitter at @socamomdc.

Opening Today: Jack the Giant Slayer from @wbpictures #jackthegiantslayer

I really didn't know what to expect with this movie.  Having seen the trailer several times, I knew there'd be giants squashing things... and Jack, but that was pretty much all I took away from it.  Considering that it seems to be based on the old English folktale of Jack and the Beanstalk, that can easily be read to a kid in 15 minutes, rather than the even older folktale, Jack the Giant Killer, which can be turned into a much longer - grosser (is that a word?) story.

So instead of going with a smarter Jack from the Jack the Giant Killer folktale, they went with the kind of uninteresting Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk.  Okay.  Funny thing, the original title was "Jack the Giant Killer".

In order to stretch a 15 minute movie into a 114 minute movie - there needed to be a few plot additions - well a lot of them.  Like more than just one giant villain.  Okay.

I always like a good date night, so the hubby and I accepted the invitation to go check out the press screening.  Halfway through it, I was wishing that the boy could have come with us - or just he and I.  The hubby enjoyed it, but we didn't leave the movie talking about it like we do for most of our date night movies.  One of the great things about taking the boy to the movies is watching his reaction to it, and chatting with him afterwards.  Same thing with the hubby. This one, the boy would have talked about.

And what's not to talk about for a 13 year old? Larger than life boogers, the occasional epic poot? C'mon. He'd have loved it. There's nothing like watching a movie targeted at teens, next to a teen who is beyond excited. The hubby and I on the other hand, we needed a little more out of a date night movie.

Synopsis: An ancient war is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom and its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend... and gets the chance to become a legend himself.

Did it earn the PG-13 rating? The more that I see that kids are exposed to, the more unsure I am.  I wouldn't have taken my smallest who are 6 and 7 to see it.  For the 13 year old, it doesn't have anything that would make me blush or shift in my seat if I were next to him.  There's a good bit of killing, but 99% of the human killing is either off screen, or implied.  A couple of kisses, but no nudity or sex.

Bottom line, should you go see it? Hmmmmm.  I would say yes, because some movies need to be on a big screen for you to get the most out of it.  The special effects are pretty good, but if you are going for some deep story, or to teach your kids a moral lesson that you haven't found a creative way to get across to them - this isn't your movie.  If you are looking for pure entertainment for young teens that you won't fall asleep in, and an opportunity to be the cool parent - they'll like you for taking them.  The 3D isn't really necessary, but it's alright.

Should I take the kids to see it? I don't take my small ones to PG-13 movies.  I didn't start letting the oldest see PG-13 movies until he was 13, but you have to know your kid.  He reads comic books, and they can get pretty gross sometimes, so gross doesn't really phase him.  If you didn't have a sitter for a 10 year old, they probably wouldn't have nightmares if you took them to see it with an older child.  Nothing terribly disturbing here - at least not more disturbing than the actual fairy tale!

More about the movie:

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci

Director: Bryan Singer

Acclaimed filmmaker Bryan Singer directs the 3D epic action adventure "Jack the Giant Slayer," starring Nicholas Hoult ("X-Men: First Class") in the title role. The film also stars Eleanor Tomlinson as Princess Isabelle; Stanley Tucci ("Captain America: The First Avenger") as the deceitful Lord Roderick; Ian McShane ("Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," HBO's "Deadwood") as the besieged King Brahmwell; Bill Nighy ("Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows") as the giants' leader, General Fallon; and Ewan McGregor ("Star Wars," "The Ghost Writer") as palace guard Elmont.

Singer directs from a screenplay by Darren Lemke and Christopher McQuarrie and Dan Studney, story by Darren Lemke & David Dobkin. The film is produced by Neal Moritz, David Dobkin, Bryan Singer, Patrick McCormick and Ori Marmur, with Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Alex Garcia, Toby Emmerich, Richard Brenner, Michael Disco and John Rickard serving as executive producers.

The creative filmmaking team includes Singer's longtime collaborators, director of photography Newton Thomas Sigel ("X-Men," "Superman Returns") and editor John Ottman ("X2," "Superman Returns"). The production designer is Gavin Bocquet ("Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith").

A New Line Cinema presentation, in association with Legendary Pictures, "Jack the Giant Slayer" opens March 1, 2013 and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Jack the Giant Slayer Website | On Twitter #JacktheGiantSlayer | On Facebook

Disclosure: My husband and I were given passes to see this movie for the purpose of writing a review.  As always, my opinions are my own.  For more information click on "About".

Author Profile: Eva Wilson  - Website

Eva is the administrator and blogger for SocaMom.com. Follow her on Twitter at @socamomdc.

Opening Today: The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey #Movie #Review

I'm a pretty lucky mom - or really, my boys are pretty lucky sons. They have a mom who's pretty excited about movies like Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, X-men, John Carter, all that.  So when I told my oldest that we were going to see the Hobbit, he knew that it would be just he and I, no little ones, and that I'd be awake. I had no trouble getting him to complete his school work today, because he knew that if he didn't finish his work, he wouldn't be going.

This is SO not the Seven Dwarfs.  Image Credit Warner Bros.

The boy read the book by based on The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien and wrote a paper about it last year in 7th grade, so he was interested to see if the movie was anything like the book.  I think I was supposed to have read the book in middle school... but like so many books that I was supposed to read, I probably didn't.

Synopsis: The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever...Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of ingenuity and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know. - Warner Bros.

I've seen all of the Lord of the Rings movies, so as far as the action and visuals - I knew what to expect... I thought. Apparently, it has been a while - AND I haven't watched it next to an excited teenager.  I sunk into excited teenager mode myself, sniggling, giggling, and whispering with my son at all the good stuff.  It was like going to the movies with a... oh, I dunno, a PERSON!  So many times I go to the movies with the kids, I feel like the transportation, the bathroom escort, and the waiter bringing all the snacks balanced in both hands and on my head (may as well be).  Not this time.  I actually laughed out loud. Loud.

This movie did earn that PG-13 rating. There was no cussing, sex, or nudity - unless you include the scantily clad (but not at all sexy) goblins, orcs, and Gollum.

There was a lot of violence...The characters aren't technically human - but the casualties of the "human-like" creatures included at least one beheading... and that head being thrown.  The casualties for the not so human like creatures were numerous.  Lot's of beheading, stomach slicing, knee-capping (not so awful to look at, but it can make you cringe), arm chopping (like.. off.), and general war like behavior was all over this movie.  If you go to see it, expect it.  The movie poster gives you more of a Seven Dwarfs kind of feel, right?  Well, these dwarfs were not skipping through the forest and singing... well, they did sing at least twice.  Unlike the Disney Dwarfs, there were twice as many, and they were wielding weapons from slingshots to swords.

There were all kinds of things that a thirteen year old boy would like... boogers, swords, mud, monsters, running, jumping, falling, fire... all that.  So I was the cool mom for a good 2 hours and 45 minutes.  Did I neglect to mention that? Yes, it had to be good for ME to be awake and engaged for that long.  Like most moms, you give me a dark room, quiet kids, and a snack, and I'm knocked out.  The Hobbit, an Unexpected Journey, is an opportunity for moms to hang out with their teenage boys, with not one single awkward moment because of a random boob flashing across the screen, make-out scene, or over the top kiss.

There are some witchcraft mentions - more than the usual wizardry thing I expected, but they didn't go too far into it.  It may be revisited in the other two movies scheduled for 2013 and 2014, so you've been warned.

"That's it?!?!? Noooooooooooooo," complained the Boy when it was over.  He kept telling me that there were battles that didn't happen, things that they didn't talk about yet, and that there had to be more.  We sat through the credits, and sadly - that was it.  the people in front of us chuckled at our conversation.

"You should stop reading books - then you won't be disappointed," I joked.

"That WAS a long book," he sighed. "How could they just end it like that?"

"That's how they get you to come back and see the rest of the movies."

"I guess you're right - It was pretty long. That's wrong though. How could they do that?!" he continued to complain.

"You're going to come back and see the other two right?" I asked.

"Of course!"

"That's how... mission accomplished," I said.

Bottom Line - should you go see it?

Yes, IF you are into the Lord of the Rings type movies.  If you aren't into armor clinking, sword swinging, and all that, you may not love it.  There were some real "laugh out loud" moments.

Should I take the kids to see it?

Like I said, it earned that PG-13 rating.  Even my 13 year old jumped a few times, and I could hear him whisper, "gross" and "creepy" a few times.  I'd suggest it for kids 13 and over - but as always, you know your kid and what they can handle, so trust your gut.

The Hobbit Movie Website |  The Hobbit on Twitter | The Hobbit on Facebook

More about the movie...

Author Profile: Eva Wilson  - Website

Eva is the administrator and blogger for SocaMom.com. Follow her on Twitter at @socamomdc.

Disney's Wreck It Ralph #Movie #Review

I know you are used to getting my reviews on the day the movie comes out, but Hurricane Sandy had other plans for us DC area bloggers who planned to go to the pre-screening around the same time she planned to make her entrance into our area. One by one the emails came cancelling the pre-screenings from DC to Baltimore, and several theaters in between.

I didn't freak out since a lot of the movies for which I go to pre-screenings, I would have gone to see anyway. This was one such movie.  I couldn't resist introducing my kids to the video games and characters that I grew up with!  I just like to be able to warn my readers just in case there's something that could be inappropriate for the kids, or if it isn't worth getting a sitter to see it on date night - so pre-screenings make that easier.  Either way - if you haven't seen it yet - here goes!

We took the kids to see Wreck It Ralph this Sunday evening. The theater was near empty, and we got to sit front and center.  All good parents must've had their kids at home in the bed, but we had been out all day, and we weren't ready to go home yet.  Monday (today) was going to be count day for DCPS, and we didn't have to be in until half past noon, so the hubby and I figured, why not?

I was sure that the hype surrounding it - including the hype I built up in my own mind - would never be able to match the movie, but it was what I thought it was and then some.

Synopsis from Disney:

From Walt Disney Animation Studios and Emmy(r)-winning director Rich Moore comes "Wreck-It Ralph," a hilarious, arcade-game-hopping adventure. For decades, Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) has been overshadowed by Fix-It Felix, Jr. (voice of Jack McBrayer), the good-guy star of their game who always gets to save the day. Tired of playing the role of a bad guy, Ralph takes matters into his own massive hands and sets off on a journey across the arcade through multiple generations of video games to prove he's got what it takes to be a hero.

On his quest, Ralph meets tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (voice of Jane Lynch) from the first-person action game Hero's Duty, and feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) from the candy-coated cart-racing game Sugar Rush, who may just be his first real friend. But everything changes when a deadly enemy is unleashed, threatening the entire arcade and Vanellope herself. Ralph finally gets his chance to save the day-but can he do it in time? "

It is rated PG because of some crude humor, but I would have said that it was because of the amount of drinking by the characters and the instances when they would say things like, "move your assss-teroid," or something along those lines.

My kids didn't notice the drinking or thinly veiled cursing. If they did, they would have said something.  When I was growing up, I didn't notice how violent Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry could be, nor did I take notice of the amount of drinking and smoking... I notice it now that I have kids.

Bottom Line - Should you go see it?

Yes. That is all.

Should I take the kids?

Sure. Nothing too scary for a six and seven year old, but if your kid is super jumpy, they may not like it.  Someone does get eaten on screen... at least twice.

Disclosure: My husband and I paid for all of us to go to this movie.  We were not given tickets or entry to the movie in exchange for this post.  My opinions as always, are my own. For more information about sponsored posts, click on "About Socamom".

Author Profile: Eva Wilson  - Website

Eva is the administrator and blogger for SocaMom.com. Follow her on Twitter at @socamomdc.