Movie Review: Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)

The movie starts in black and white and we meet Oz (James Franco), a magician with a flair for seducing women. He dreams of acquiring fame and money and is willing to sacrifice the love of his life Annie (Michelle Williams) to realize his ambitions.

But fate has different plans for Oz and he is forced to flee in a hot air balloon. He is magically transported to the Land of Oz.

Oz meets lovely Theodora (Mila Kunis) and is upto his old tricks again. She falls for him and believes him to be the wizard, who according to a prophecy, will save the Land of Oz from the Bad Witch.

James Franco and Mila Kunis in Oz the Great and Powerful

Theodora's sister, Evanora (Rachel Weisz) is less welcoming and informs Oz that he needs to kill the aforementioned witch before he can start enjoying a life of riches. Oz also picks up a talking monkey, Finley (Zach Braff) and China Girl (Joey King).

We then meet the Good Witch, Glinda (Michelle Williams). Glinda is able to see through the character of Oz for the selfish coward that he actually is. Still, she introduces Oz as the savior to the people and privately asks Oz to keep up the show.

Evanora is revealed to be the Bad Witch and she manipulates Theodora into attacking Oz and Glinda. Theodora is transformed into an ugly witch, thanks to Evanora.

Rachel Weisz as Evanora

The rest of the movie deals with how Oz lives up his prophecy and saves Glinda and her people from the combined onslaught of Evanora and Theodora.

I have enjoyed all of Sam Raimi's movies (Evil Dead trilogy, Spiderman trilogy and Drag me to Hell) I have seen so far. This movie proved to be the exception.

This is a typical summer blockbuster movie. While there is nothing wrong with that, it deprives the movie of the humor and wit that Sam Raimi is known for.

All his trademarks are there: the fast camera movements (in a couple of scenes), cameos by Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi and the Evil Dead hand scene reference. But they seem more like obligatory nods to his fans.

The movie boasts of some excellent CGI work, as can be expected from a big budget movie from a top notch director and the biggest movie studio. What the movie lacks is originality. There are some clever touches here and there, but I was reminded of Avatar, Lord of the Rings and Alice in Wonderland more than once.

I also felt that the actors were kind of lost in the green screens they had to work with. The digital imagery takes precedence. This need not be the case. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is an example of fantasy movie making where both the imaginary landscapes and the actors complement each other to present the ultimate immersive experience for the viewer. Peter Jackson's movies transported us to Middle Earth during the movies' running time. Unfortunately, this is not the case with this movie.

I have never been a big fan of James Franco's acting and this movie does not help his case. Just as it was in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, he continues to be upstaged by the computer generated cast members. Andy Serkis stole the show as Ceasar, the chimp in that movie. Here, it is Zach Braff as Finley and Joey King as China Girl who make the best impression.

Joey King as China Girl and Zach Braff as Finley 

These 2 characters breathe more life into the movie than the rest of the cast combined and the visual effects team deserves full credit. Both Zach and Joey do some excellent voice work and are more appealing in their computerized representations than as flesh and blood characters.

Zach has some of the funniest lines in the movie and he delivers them to great comedic effect. His exchange with Oz about stereotypes was probably the best. Speaking of stereotypes, the movie also pokes fun at the general perception of witches being ugly and riding on broomsticks.

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Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams are here to collect their pay checks. Tony Cox and Bruce Campbell fare much better in their much briefer roles.

I have enjoyed a lot of Disney movies in the past: The Lion King, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo and the Pirates of the Caribbean series. I believe there are 2 types of Disney movies: one for mass consumption and the second one, I prefer to call Disney movies for kids. This one unfortunately falls in the second category.

Yes, this is a Disney movie for kids

This is a predictable Disney family movie that delivers exactly what a Disney family movie always does.

Fans of Sam Raimi would probably do better by rewatching his earlier movies. Fans of fantasy genre have the Lord of the Rings trilogy and/or the Harry Potter series.

I would recommend this movie strictly to die hard fans of Disney movies.

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Image Source: Walt Disney Pictures

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Benedict Cumberbatch confirms Sherlock season 4

As a fan of the BBC Series, I am happy to share this information.

Benedict Cumberbatch has proven to be a great modern version of the Victorian detective. He is one of the best casting choices in a long time, when it comes to Sherlock Holmes based adaptations.

Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat are well-versed in Arthur Conan Doyle's stories and have incorporated several nods to the Canon. I especially liked Gatiss' retelling of The Hound of the Baskervilles.

The exact dates of airing are yet to be revealed. Rest assured, I will keep you updated with the latest news.

Here's wishing the best to the BBC Sherlock team.

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Is CBS Elementary a good adaptation of Sherlock Holmes?

Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson in Elementary

I have been having an interesting conversation about the CBS show with James C. O'Leary.

I decided to post my thoughts about this discussion as a separate post, so that other readers can join the discussion as well. Here is a screenshot of James' comment:

I agree with James that I am expressing my thoughts about Elementary, based on what I expect from an adaptation, irrespective of whether it is based on the Canon or just the characters.

Miller and Liu do make a good Holmes-Watson. I like the sense of humor that Miller brings to his performance. That is very much Canonical in nature and something common to all of my favorite Holmes actors (Vasily Livanov, Basil Rathbone, Peter Cushing and Arthur Wontner). I also like the smarter than your average Watson as portrayed by Liu.

Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes in CBS Elementary

It is the characterization and the writing in general that leave a lot to be desired. Out of the 17 episodes so far, only 3 have managed to hold my interest from start to finish: Child Predator, M and The Deductionist. That means Elementary is successful only 17% of the time. Not an impressive statistic for a show based on Sherlock Holmes in its very first season.

There are certain quintessential Sherlockian traits that I look forward to in any onscreen representation of Holmes: his aversion to women being one of them. This is what is missing in Elementary and the Robert Downey Jr movies as well. Cumberbatch's version also walked the thin line and came out relatively unscathed. When I see an adaptation that has Holmes having intimate encounters/relationships with women, that is a big turnoff for me.

James gave the example of The Adventure of the Charles Augustus Milverton, where Holmes gets engaged to Charles’ maid Alice. I believe the engagement was forced on Holmes by Alice and he just played along to get the information, he needed to help his client. Holmes uses Social Engineering tactics many times in the Canon to solve cases and I believe this is just another instance.

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As James pointed out, Holmes after retirement may have let "the softer passions" play a more active role in his life. I would cite the movie The Seven-Per-Cent Solution as a good example of portraying this probable development in Holmes’ personal life. The ending scene suggests this possibility in a subtle and nuanced manner. The movie by the way is amazing.

James then discusses about Arthur Conan Doyle’s interest in writing the Sherlock Holmes stories only for monetary incentives.

There is always the financial motive that makes people do many of the things they do and Arthur Conan Doyle was no exception. Yes, Doyle wrote most part of the Canon for money.

Conan Doyle had a strong disdain towards his creation. He could not wait to wash his hands of Holmes.

But what he gave us is one of the enduring classics of literature and a character who will stand the test of time as the archetype of fictional detectives.

Unlike Doyle, I however am a fan of Holmes and expect a good level of fun quotient in an adaptation of my all-time favorite literary character.

Arthur Wontner and Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes

Yes, there have been instances where more than one Sherlock Holmes adaptations competed at the same time for viewer’s attention (and wallets). Arthur Wontner’s movie Silver Blaze (released in the UK in 1937) was renamed Murder at the Baskervilles and released in the US in 1941 to cash in on the popularity of the 1939 adaptation starring Basil Rathbone.

Both Wontner and Rathbone gave two of the best performances ever.

Coming back to CBS Elementary - Yes, it is cheaper for CBS to make their series in the US. My personal and humble opinion is that there is no reason for the show to exist in the first place.

Both the Downey Jr movies and the BBC series have been well received internationally. Downey Jr’s version brought a blockbuster flavor to the legendary detective. Cumberbatch’s version places him in the 21^st century with all the modern gadgets and technology at his disposal.

Robert Downey Jr and Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes

Robert Downey Jr and Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes

Both these adaptations are not 100% Canonical takes by any stretch of the imagination. What they do have is a sense of humor and have been made by people with a good understanding and knowledge of the original stories. This is especially true of the BBC series.

Elementary does not bring anything new to the table that has not already been covered by the BBC series and the Downey Jr movies (not to mention countless ones before).

On the contrary, Elementary has Holmes doing things that are patently not Sherlockian. I am referring to his habit of having “fun” with random women in nearly every other episode. They might as well call him and Watson by some other name and drop the few Canonical nods that crop up now and then. The Canonical nods and the character’s names are the show’s only tenuous links to the Canon.

I expect at least some semblance of resemblance to the Canon and a sense of fun in an adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. I personally find both of these lacking in Elementary.

The attempts at humor in Elementary often fall flat. A good example would be the Pink Panther style attacks conducted by Holmes on Joan in Episode # 16 - Details.

Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson in CBS Elementary

I can understand people who are unfamiliar with the original stories, taking a liking to the CBS show. Miller and Liu are doubtless charismatic performers, who are a joy to watch on the screen.  I am sure that the show will turn a decent profit for CBS. I am just not sure if Elementary will attain a cult status among fans of Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories. Click here and here to read the reviews of season finale episodes "The Woman" and "Heroine". Click here to read all my posts about CBS Elementary. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to this blog by clicking here. Image Source: CBS

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TV Review: Elementary Episode # 17 - Possibility Two

Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes

Gerald Lydon (Dennis Boutsikaris) is the victim of a medical condition that is genetic in nature. He does not have that in the family and believes that he has been the victim of a deliberate infliction. He tries to hire Holmes to figure out the guilty party.

Holmes refuses to take his case and is bribed with a rare species of bee. Shortly, Lydon is taken into custody for the murder of his driver, Crabtree (Steven Hauck).

The plot thickens with the death of a scientist, Natasha Kademan (Jennifer Lim). Natasha is killed soon after she arranges to meet Holmes to share sensitive information that might help solve the mystery.

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In the customary subplot, Holmes has started mentoring Joan in the skills of detection. He lets her do the deductions on crime scenes and advises her to carry evidence bags all the time.

He also assigns the laundry work to her and keeps the fridge cleaning duties to himself. This is another tactic to hone her observation skills.

In the Canon, Holmes never teaches Watson the methods of deduction. This aspect is unique to Elementary. Unfortunately, this development does not seem to be a good omen for the show. As good it is to see Holmes and Watson in a mentor-student relationship, things seem to be headed in an altogether different direction. Holmes seems jealous of Joan’s intimacy with her college professor.

Lucy Liu as Joan Watson

The mystery itself was quite convoluted.

I did enjoy the scenes at the dry cleaning service. They were genuinely funny.

The scene where Holmes texted Gregson and Bell while they were interrogating a suspect, instantly reminded me of the press briefing scene in BBC Sherlock’s “A Study in Scarlet”, where Cumberbatch’s Holmes texts Lestrade and everyone else in the room.

The scene did have one redeeming feature - Holmes quotes Benjamin Franklin: “You may delay, but time will not”.

Jennifer Lim as Natasha Kademan

Canonical references

1. Someone named Musgrave has recommended Gerald Lydon to contact Holmes – Reference to Holmes’ college mate from The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual: “Reginald Musgrave had been in the same college as myself, and I had some slight acquaintance with him.”
2. Holmes receives a bee as a bribe from a prospective client - In the story His Last Bow, Sherlock mentions he is writing a book on Bee Keeping entitled “Practical Handbook of Bee Culture, with some Observations upon the Segregation of the Queen”.
3. Holmes teaching Single stick fighting to Joan - Watson mentions about Holmes in A Study in Scarlet: “Is an expert singlestick player, boxer, and swordsman.” Holmes himself states in The Adventure of the Illustrious Client:  “I’m a bit of a single-stick expert, as you know.”
4. Holmes is seen speaking Norwegian language – Reference to this line spoken by Holmes in The Adventure of the Empty House: “You may have read of the remarkable explorations of a Norwegian named Sigerson, but I am sure that it never occurred to you that you were receiving news of your friend.”
5. Holmes is seen listening to a French song (“La Vieille Chanteuse” by Claire Diterzi) – Reference to this line stated by Holmes in The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter: “But, none the less, my turn that way is in my veins, and may have come with my grandmother, who was the sister of Vernet, the French artist.”

Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes

Elementary is proving to be a very average adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories. I do not find anything outstanding in this show.

The show seems more like a character-driven drama than a show based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories. I am guessing that the show will score very well with audience who are yet to familiarize themselves with the Sherlock Holmes Canon.

I do give credit to the show for the Canonical nods that pop up now and then. Even this aspect of the show is becoming stagnant. The Bee Canonical Nod has been used in a number of episodes and the Single stick has also made a couple of appearances.

It is becoming increasingly tedious to sit through the episodes. That is something that rarely happens with an adaptation of Sherlock Holmes stories.

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Image Source: CBS

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