Everything Groovy Is Bad Again

James Franco and Bruce Campbell

A movie I really wanted to like, Sam Raimi's Oz The Great and Powerful was rather disappointing and now I (as you will, soon) partially know why. 

The original Evil Dead  trilogy ended with 1992's Army of Darkness; which took the camp level up another 10 notches by making Ash (Bruce Campbell) a genius among idiots while forever cementing his status as a cult icon. And while I am a devout Raimi fan (hell, I love The Quick and the Dead), I must admit that Army of Darkness is my least favorite of the three. Unlike Evil Dead II's perfect blend of horror and slapstick, the third movie just tries a little bit too hard, if you know what I mean. Oh, don't get me wrong; it's hilarious and bizarre and horrific and evokes so many other genre films of the past, but of all of Raimi's earlier films, it is the most self-aware and consequently the least effective.

Regular readers know how much I adored Raimi's 2009 return to Horror, Drag Me to Hell. And while I was truly looking forward to seeing Raimi's visual stamp on the Oz franchise, I was truly disappointed to see the horribly over-produced mess that was Oz: The Great and... No, Not Really So 'Great,' More Like... 'Okay,' I Suppose.

Thankfully, the video embedded below helps explain at least part of what was wrong with the director's latest effort.

I somehow lost the link to the site where I found this. If you saw it somewhere else first, please let me know where. And please join me in hoping Raimi sticks to Horror from now on.

More, anon.
Prospero

Prospero's Essential Movie Guide: Part 3

Friends of Dorothy

Now that I've gone and moved onto "talkies," let's talk about a few classics from the 30's, shall we? 

1938's Bringing Up Baby is Uncle P's favorite movie of all time, and with many a good reason. Howard Hawks' definitive madcap comedy was a flop when first released, despite Dudley Nichols and Hagar Wilde's brilliant script and performances from the era's brightest stars (Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn) at the height of their comedic prowess. Grant's hapless paleontologist and Hepburn's flighty heiress characters compliment one another perfectly. Add a dowager aunt (May Robinson); an intrepid wild game hunter (Charles Ruggles); a taunting terrier; two leopards and a befuddled local police department and you have what may very well be the funniest movie ever made (at least until Mel Brooks came along, 30 years later - but more on him, later). 

Of course, everyone talks about the "Perfect Year" for movies - 1939, which gave us two amazing films from gay director Victor Fleming (Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz); probably Shirley Temple's best film, The Little Princess; Greta Garbo in Ninotchka (Garbo laughs!); Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosiland Russell and Joan Fontaine in The Women and Robert Donat & Greer Garson in Goodbye Mr. Chips.

Of course, the most famous and beloved film from that year is Fleming's version of L. Frank Baum's children's novel, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." The stories surrounding this film are legendary and while many gay men of  'a certain age' consider it a watershed film (indeed, 'A Friend of Dorothy' became a euphemism for being gay in the 60's and 70's), I simply consider it a watershed film among the many that made me love movies as a child. Sequels and prequels to The Wizard of Oz abound, but none have found quite the niche that this film has found in the American psyche. 

In 1978 (told you I was OLD) I played the Cowardly Lion in my high school production, which featured elements (authorized by Geoffrey Holder) of the Broadway production of The Wiz, the African American version. It was probably the first time my high school director (now recognized as the best in the country) used Broadway elements in the staging of a high school musical. The Wizard of Oz is probably the most well-known and most-beloved of all musical films and will no doubt remain a classic for many centuries to come.

All of these films deserve the label "Classic" and should be seen by every cinephile and film student.

More, anon.
Prospero

We're Not in Omaha Anymore, James

A few months ago, Disney released a rather impressive trailer for director Sam Raimi's Oz: The Great and Powerful, a prequel to the most beloved fantasy film of all time, The Wizard of Oz. Unlike Gregory Maguire's political satire Wicked, which explores the relationship between the the witches of Oz before the arrival of Dorothy, Raimi's film delves into the arrival of the Wizard into the land of Oz. 

The sexually ambiguous James Franco is Kansas magician Oscar Diggs who finds himself transported to Oz where he meets  the witches Theodora (Mila Kunis); Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams) who draw him into a power play for control of Oz. Today, Disney released the full trailer, and it looks nothing less than magnificent.

Raimi (despite Spider-Man 3) remains one of my all-time favorite modern directors. He has a very distinctive visual style and a rather twisted sense of humor (which is quite apparent in his brilliant horror movies Evil Dead II and  Drag Me to Hell). Personally, I can't wait for his take on L. Frank Baum's iconic characters. 

Of course, I'm one of the few people who loved Disney's 1985 film Return to Oz, a rather dark sequel to the original, which stuck much closer to Baum's novels than the 1939 classic and introduced audiences to a young Fairuza Balk, who would later go on to become a Goth film icon.

Disney is banking on Raimi to create an Oz franchise with this new film, though I'm guessing that the film version of the Steampunk-inspired musical based on Maguire's novel will be the movie to move the story forward given Maguire's two sequels to his original novel.

More, anon.
Prospero

The Gayest Things You'll See This Week

James Franco in Oz: The Great and Powerful

USA Network, these days known mostly for its original comedic procedurals like "Monk;" "Psych" and their latest, "Common Law" is breaking new ground this summer with "Political Animals," a 'limited series event' about a former First Lady and now Secretary of State (Sigourney Weaver) who makes a bid for the Presidency. Weaver is flanked by Carla Gugino as a print reporter shadowing her while trying to keep her job relevant and Chris MacNeil herself, Ellen Burstyn as Siggy's out-spoken, tart-tongued mother. Siggy and the POTUS emeritus (and soon-to-be ex-husband) have two sons, one of whom came out as teen while living in the White House. In the clip below (via), the son has apparently hired a rent boy, or as Chelsea Handler night say: "Oopsie!"

And then right after I watched that clip, I saw the jaw-dropping trailer for Sam Raimi's WOZ prequel, Oz: The Great and Powerful, starring James Franco; Mila Kunis; Rachel Wiesz; Michelle Williams and Zach Braff. Raimi's last film was the critically adored but audience ignored Drag Me to Hell, which I just out and out loved. This teaser trailer from Disney literally made my jaw drop. Watch this Shiz* in full screen and HD, if you can (also via):

I've watched it three times already and seen something new each time.Wow! Really can't wait for this one!

*Yes, that was both a Snoop Dog and Wicked reference, which JA over at MyNewPlaidPants says is now a go with Billy Elliot director Stephen Daldry at the helm. Anyone care to place bets on the casting of "Glee" diva Lea Michele as Elphaba? But who then as Glinda? Amanda Seyfried? Can she even sing? Who would you cast as Elphie and Glinda?

More, anon.
Prospero

The Gaga Gayest Things You'll See This Week

Funny, I don't remember Scott Hamilton ever calling anyone a "slore." According to the Urban Dictionary (and I'm just paraphrasing here), a slore is a combination of the words "slut" and "whore." Really? Did we need to combine those words into a new one? Weren't they descriptive enough on their own?

Of course, all this started with flamboyant figure skater Johnny Weir not being asked to participate in Stars on Ice, or some such nonsense.

Does anyone really pay money to go to those stupid ice shows, anymore? I remember once as a kid being taken to see Disney on Ice and thinking it lame, even then. And as recently as 2000, my then-employer (an insane woman who would burst into tears at the mere mention of Tuesdays with Morrie) gave tickets for The Wizard of Oz on Ice to myself and another co-worker, which we gleefully attended as a total goof. My co-worker got totally wasted and spent the ride home screaming "I'm a flying monkey!" out the window of the car to every person we passed. As I recall, there was no mention of "slores" at either event.

You may remember that Johnny felt the organizers of the show passed on him because of his perceived sexuality, and publicly shared his feelings. Today, Weir's Olympic teammate, "straight" skater Evan Lysacek (pictured above, in the straightest skating costume ever) said Johnny was simply whining about his failure to be included because Stars on Ice only takes the "best of the best." To which Johnny responded in the most adult way anyone could expect a figure skater to do. He called Lysacek a 'slore.' Huh?

Is this the best the US Olympic Figure Skating Team can do? Two bitchy queens calling each other names? If I wanted to hear that kind of nonsense, I'd watch re-runs of "Dynasty" on Hulu. At least I'd get some bitch-slapping, hair-pulling, fountain-fighting fun out of it. Oh - and just in case you were wondering about Johnny, this should put those nasty rumors to rest once and for all (via):

Of course, a love of Gaga doesn't automatically make you gay. Just ask the boys of the University of Omaha's acappella group 'On the Rocks.' This performance isn't gay at all (via):

Well, maybe it's a little gay. Okay, okay. It's a lot gay. But that doesn't mean the cubs prancing about the stage are gay. Well, not all of them. They are a talented bunch, though - I'll give them that.

More, anon.
Prospero