Oz the Great and Powerful

By John Mulderig, Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) — Lush visuals and sly humour boost “Oz the Great and Powerful” (Disney), director Sam Raimi’s 3-D prequel to the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz.”

Like its imperishable predecessor, Raimi’s fantasy adventure is based on the writings of L. Frank Baum (1856-1919). This second stroll down the Yellow Brick Road, however, incorporates thematic elements that make it unsuitable for small movie-goers  who also might be frightened by some of the spooky creatures jumping out at them from the screen.

Long before Dorothy was ever heard from — so opening scenes reveal — a small-time carnival roamed the plains that featured among its attractions the magic show of Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a charming rogue known to one and all by his nickname, Oz. Off stage, Oscar is gifted at weaving romantic illusions for the many ladies who take his fancy, a talent that sometimes gets him in to trouble.

In fact, it’s while he’s on the run from an outraged rival that he hops into a hot-air balloon and casts off, only to find his escape vehicle caught in the powerful up-draft of a tornado. As Judy Garland long ago discovered, transport by twister leads to just one place: the magical land that shares Oscar’s moniker.

There, Oscar discovers that both his arrival and his eventual victory over the forces of darkness gripping the realm have been prophesied. His triumph, should he attain it, will yield Oscar the throne of Oz along with the immense wealth of its treasury.

But Oscar’s self-doubt poses a stumbling block on the way to his promised destiny. So too does his initial inability to determine which of his new homeland’s three presiding witches — Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) or Glinda (Michelle Williams) — truly embodies goodness.

As scripted by Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire, “Oz” emphasizes confidence, cooperation, the marvels of science and the kind of generalised faith in happy endings that constitutes Hollywood’s offence-proof substitute for religion.

Oscar is, nevertheless, shown praying to God in times of need — as, for instance, while spinning through the tornado. And his stated ambition to be a great man, rather than merely a good one — “Kansas,” he says dismissively, “is full of good men” — is eventually proven to be misguided.

There’s even an echo of the Bible — and of John Milton’s great epic “Paradise Lost” — as one character’s consumption of an apple marks her irrevocable embrace of wickedness.

Yet several plot points, including Oscar’s fateful ride in the balloon aforesaid, turn on his womanising. The specifics of his love-’em-and-leave-’em lifestyle are omitted, as are the limits to which he carries his seductions. Even so, the subject, however vaguely treated, is not one that belongs in a picture for children.

Additionally, tots might be overwhelmed by the sight of grand-scale pyrotechnics and by such sinister beasts as the winged baboons who take flight to protect the interests of dark magic.

 The film contains mature references, perilous situations, a couple of mild oaths and potentially upsetting images. 

 

Snitch

By John Mulderig, Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) — How should society balance the government’s need to combat drug use — and its attendant evils — against the right of a citizen to be judged and punished according to the individual circumstances of his or her case?

If the fact-based film “Snitch” (Summit) is any evidence, the current use of mandatory sentences as a weapon in narcotics cases has those two competing interests thoroughly off-kilter.

Director and co-writer (with Justin Haythe) Ric Roman Waugh invites us to sympathise with the fate of naive suburban teen Jason Collins (Rafi Gavron). After he foolishly agrees to accept delivery of a shipment of illegal pills on behalf of a friend, Jason is promptly busted and faces a compulsory 10 years behind bars.

The only path to a lesser doom is to testify successfully against others, something Jason’s so-called pal is already doing to him. But, since Jason has no real involvement in the world of drugs, he can only obtain mercy by entrapping people. Despite encouragement from his lawyer to pursue this option, with admirable fortitude, Jason refuses.

Jason’s divorced and estranged father, John (Dwayne Johnson), however, is not ready to give in so easily. Guilt-ridden over his neglect of the lad, John struggles to come up with a solution to Jason’s dilemma.

John’s persistence eventually convinces Joanne Keeghan (Susan Sarandon), the federal attorney prosecuting Jason’s case, to make a deal with him: If John can infiltrate a local narcotics cartel and garner sufficient evidence to convict its boss, a petty hood named Malik (Michael K. Williams); she’ll reduce Jason’s time.

John has already been given an introduction to Malik by one of the employees of his successful trucking business, ex-con Daniel James (Jon Bernthal).

Daniel’s situation is almost as poignant as Jason’s: Despite his past, he’s a dedicated husband and father determined to make a fresh start through honest work. But, with Jason’s prospects worsening rapidly — he’s repeatedly beaten by his tougher fellow inmates — John successfully wears Daniel down, convincing him to revisit his former life long enough to make the connection with Malik.

John then uses his fleet of vehicles as a lure, pointing out to Malik the advantages they would offer in transporting large cargoes of illicit goods.

Waugh enhances the action that follows with continued human drama and social commentary. The latter element gives rise to some clunky dialogue, especially from Joanne. Yet the overall result is both suspenseful and morally rich.

The damaging effects of divorce, the ethical and physical courage displayed, respectively, by Jason and John, the moving spirit of reconciliation and mutual forgiveness between father and son — all add heft to what might otherwise have been an easily dismissed series of shoot-outs and car chases.

The film contains much stylised and some graphic violence, including gun-play and a beating, mature themes, about a half-dozen uses of profanity and considerable crude and crass language. 

 

The Guilt Trip

By John Mulderig, Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) — The inevitable tensions of family life have served as the basis for many a screen comedy. In the current holiday season alone, they provide grist for two very different cinematic mills: the crude misfire “This Is 40” and the warm-hearted mother-and-son road movie “The Guilt Trip” (Paramount).

Though the latter includes material for mature eyes only, it offers a view of clan interaction that calls to mind St. Paul’s inspired insight that the first — and perhaps primary — attribute of real love is patience (1 Cor. 13:4).

Learning that lesson as the film unspools is buttoned-up Los Angeles chemist Andy Brewster (Seth Rogen). Visiting his New York-based mom Joyce (Barbra Streisand) before setting off on a cross-country business trip — during which he’ll be pitching a cleaning product he invented to various store chains — Andy discovers a secret about her past: Before she married long-deceased dad, Joyce had a boyfriend for whom she still carries a nostalgic torch these many years later.

This being the age of Google, a moment’s research on Andy’s part, once he’s alone in his room — together with a follow-up phone call — reveals that Joyce’s former beau is alive and well, single, and living in San Francisco. Andy decides he’ll secretly engineer a reunion by inviting Joyce along on his journey, and pretending that his last appointment is in the City by the Bay. Needless to say, doting Mom is thrilled by the idea.

Not all the adventures that ensue make for family viewing, notably an unintended stop-off at a roadside strip club. But the vibrant mutual affection between the two main characters shines through as they try to reconcile their ill-matched temperaments.

Extrovert Joyce repeatedly runs afoul of Andy’s love of the laid-back, and frequently elicits wry observations from him on the eccentricity of her outlook. A creative researcher, but no salesman, Andy could benefit from Joyce’s common touch, but bearishly refuses to listen to her advice.

As a dedication included in the end titles hints, and publicity materials for the film explain more fully, screenwriter Dan Fogelman found inspiration for his script in a real-life excursion he and his mother — also named Joyce — undertook together.

By turns amusing and touching, director Anne Fletcher’s picture, which sees both Streisand and Rogen in top form, registers as enjoyable fare for grown-ups.

The film contains brief partial nudity, numerous adult references, a couple of uses of profanity as well as at least one rough and about a dozen crude terms.