Tag: David Shire

Classic Twofer – ‘The Wizard of Oz’ & ‘Return to Oz’ – Double Rainbow?



Oh, you thought we were done with kindertrauma after Willy Wonka?

We are in no way done with kindertrauma here.

Now, for clarity’s sake, the two films I’m talking about in this post did both play at the Mahoning Drive-In early this season, but not together (they were actually in separate double bills). I just thought it more fitting (and fun) to review them side-by-side.

Original Release Date: August 25, 1939

Directed by Victor Fleming
Written by Noel Langley & Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Woolf, based on the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Cast: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Charley Grapewin, Pat Walshe, Clara Blandick
Soundtrack: Harold Arlen (music), E.Y. Harburg (lyrics)

Honestly, I didn’t much care for this movie.

Now, listen, much like Willy Wonka, The Wizard of Oz is so ingrained into pop culture that it doesn’t matter if I think it’s a classic or not; it simply is at this point. In fact, I’d say you should watch it once just because it’ll unlock a whole world of jokes and references for you, but that doesn’t mean you should feel obligated to thoroughly enjoy it.

Which is not to say I hated it. I really liked Frank Morgan as Professor Marvel/The Wizard; I actually wish he had more legitimate screen time (I know he pops up in a few other parts; don’t e-mail me), but I understand that would hold up the story.

I think my biggest issue is that the film seems to rely so much on the turn from “real world” sepia to “Land of Oz” technicolor to wow audiences that the filmmakers just didn’t think of entertaining people in the same way as other strictly black and white movies of the time. To put it more simply, The Wizard of Oz just doesn’t hold up for me; and I’ve seen enough other films from the Thirties that do hold up and that I would recommend (It Happened One Night comes to mind).

Beyond that, to draw another comparison to Willy Wonka, I don’t mind the musical numbers in that one, but I can largely do without them in Oz; which, I know, that’s the whole point of casting Judy Garland, but she’s also 16 or 17 trying to play younger, and that takes me out of it as well (I do feel bad for the awful things she went through in her career though, including this film, so don’t think me heartless there).

Much respect to Toto though.

Rating: ★★½ (out of five)

Original Release Date: June 21, 1985

Directed by Walter Murch
Written by Walter Murch & Gill Dennis, based on the novels The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Cast: Fairuza Balk, Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh, Sophie Ward, Fiona Victory, Piper Laurie, Matt Clark, Emma Ridley, Justin Case, Pons Maar, Bruce Boa, Denise Bryer, Sean Barrett, Brian Henson, Lyle Conway, Beatrice Murch, Mak Wilson, Timothy D. Rose, Michael Sundin, Stewart Larange, Stephen Norrington, Deep Roy, John Alexander
Soundtrack: David Shire

Now, THIS is a beat I can dance to!
(Ironically, there are no musical numbers in Return to Oz, which is a positive.)

One last criticism I have of 1939’s The Wizard of Oz is that I just struggle to feel the stakes of it, but that’s not a problem with Return, because within the first ten minutes a ten-year-old girl is threatened with shock therapy if she doesn’t shut up about that gott-dang Land of Oz.

BOOM! I’m in!

And she’s an actual ten-year-old girl. She doesn’t have to play vulnerable; she simply is. That helps. Much respect to young Fairuza Balk, who carries so much of the film on her shoulders. As stated, Wizard of Oz is so iconic, it couldn’t have been easy to slip into the shoes of a character like Dorothy Gale after more than forty years of history, but I really appreciate the switch to a younger actress in the role.

Another difference between the “original” and Return is that while the ’39 movie was, to my knowledge, shot entirely on sound stages, large swaths of Return are actually filmed outside, which also helps give credence to the stakes, despite some quite fantastical moments.

I know one aspect of Return to Oz that many people find disappointing (or at least did when they saw it as children) is that Dorothy has a new traveling crew, while Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion are pretty much relegated to the sidelines, but I have to say that I love the new characters (especially Tik-Tok, the mechanical one man Army of Oz); not to mention that it probably would have been a less interesting sequel if it was just the same foursome again.

Also, the rest of the human cast is really solid, particularly Nicol Williamson and Jean Marsh as the heavies.

I’d be remiss though if I didn’t mention the visual effects, which were rightfully Oscar-nominated. Some are obviously quaint now after so many years, but many are still breathtaking (not a total surprise give that one of the supervisors was Zoran Perisic, who made Christopher Reeve fly in Superman I, II, and III). Even the stop-motion effects, which often don’t age fantastically, hold up fairly well.

One last shout-out I’ll give is to David Shire for the musical score. It may not be culturally iconic like “Over the Rainbow” but it serves the movie perfectly.

Rating: ★★★½ (out of five)


So, look, as I said, The Wizard of Oz is a classic no matter what I say. It doesn’t need me.

Return to Oz, on the other hand, has been a “cult film” all my life, and I think it deserves a bit more than that, so if you want to say I’m caping up for it, I’m proud to wear that.

I mean, I’ve defended Superman IV. You think I’m ashamed of Return to Oz?

Please.

Quick Thoughts – November Round-Up, Part 1

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

It seems like every major holiday gets plenty of love from the motion picture industry, except Thanksgiving.

I mean, other than Blood Rage (aka Nightmare at Shadow Woods), that fake [TOTALLY NSFW] trailer from Grindhouse, and Prisoners, I can’t think of a single other movie that takes place around the true American holiday.  And that’s not to say that this movie even is a Thanksgiving movie, because it’s really more about one man’s quest to get home for the holiday (and the traveling partner he happens to get stuck with).

I’m going to guess that Planes, Trains & Automobiles doesn’t hold up for everyone, but it still works for me, and if you’ve ever had a nightmare travelling experience, I’m guessing it’ll work for you, too.  Somewhere, perhaps rotting away in a vault, is a two hour cut of this film that I’d love to see (you can tell because the trailer has a ton of stuff that’s not in the final cut), but the version we have available is a nice, tight ninety-minute comedy that never overstays its welcome, no matter how much our two leads get on each others’ nerves.

I know it’s cliche because I overuse it myself, but they don’t make movies like this much anymore.  The comedy genre, not unlike horror, has been largely relegated to the discount bin, only being made if the studio can do it on the cheap.  In contrast, this movie has scope, and a budget to back it up.  After all, no airline, railroad, or rental car company would lend their likeness only to be depicted as incompetent, so the production had to essentially create their own.

But, hey, comedy comes down to comedy, right?  Fortunately, John Candy and Steve Martin are at peak performance with their respective shticks (an over-talker for Candy and a curmudgeon for Martin), but they’re also both adept at keeping things real when the moment calls for it.

This is a very good comedy film (particularly one that doesn’t involve science fiction or supernatural elements) from a decade that’s chock full of good to great ones.  It may leave you with more questions than answers (like, who is Del Griffith, really?), but I suppose it’s more about the journey than the destination.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

I remember watching this on Netflix a while back and thinking it was just okay, but upon further review (perhaps having my expectations more properly calibrated), Assault on Precinct 13 is a pretty good little movie.

Taking huge inspiration from the Howard Hawks-directed, John Wayne-starring siege westerns (Rio Bravo, El Dorado, and Rio Lobo) and upgrading the setting to modern day (as of 1976) Los Angeles, 13 is the tale of a ragtag group consisting of a CHP lieutenant, a pair of secretaries, and a few prisoners, trapped inside a nearly-closed police station and fighting for survival against a seemingly endless storm of gang members bent on revenge.

It’s not a perfect movie, but I give it ample credit for squeezing as much out of its low budget as it possibly could have (especially that wonderful synth score), and there’s one scene in particular, love it or hate it, that few would dare to even try these days.

The action might be a bit clunky (although there is That One wonderful shot), but the tension is expertly built, and the characters are interesting enough to get you through.  Even without much star power at work, I give Assault on Precinct 13 a solid recommendation (you know, just don’t expect Commando).

Rating: ★★★½

All the President’s Men (1976)

People will probably try to discredit me for saying this, but All the President’s Men doesn’t hold up that well.

Yes, it’s an important story in American history, and, yes, it demonstrates the value of a free and unfettered press, but, if you weren’t alive and conscious at the time of Watergate, there’s a lot you might miss.

I’m going to compare this movie to a similar one made nearly four decades later, that being Spotlight.  Now, I admit, I may be generationally biased here, but, the way I see it, Spotlight assumes you don’t know anything about the story, so, as it plays out, things that are significant feel significant because the movie has explained why they are significant.  All the President’s Men doesn’t necessarily play out like this, so, if you don’t know certain names, places, or abbreviations, things could fly right over your head without you even knowing.

However, the film does boast an impressive cast, Robert Redford in particular is wonderfully subtle, and, like Spotlight, the cinematography is probably underrated (lots of split diopter shots, which I’m always a fan of).

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Misery (1990)

Like All the President’s Men, Misery is a William Goldman screenplay adapted from an existing book.

Unlike All the President’s Men, nothing in Misery ever happened (that we know of).

I’ve said this before in relation to Coming to America, but everybody involved with Misery was firing on all cylinders.  Rob Reiner was coming off of directing When Harry Met Sally, William Goldman’s previous screenplay was The Princess Bride (also directed by Reiner), James Caan gives a magnificent performance in something of a comeback role, and Kathy Bates skyrocketed into the public eye with her Oscar-winning portrayal of Annie Wilkes; not to mention Richard Farnsworth and Frances Sternhagen doing top-notch character work.  Also, this was cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld’s last movie as a director of photography before moving to the big director’s chair, and it’s some of his finest work; mostly claustrophobic (it’s of little surprise that Misery was recently adapted for the stage, given the mostly limited setting), but also panoramic when called for.

Many great thrillers are dark comedies at heart (Hitchcock knew this well, and the Coens are still doing it), and this one is no exception.  As horrifying as things become, there’s usually a spoonful of sugar mixed in to keep things from veering into complete, well, misery territory.

Given the hit-or-miss nature of Stephen King film adaptations, Misery is clearly among the best (and Reiner hit paydirt twice, also directing Stand By Me).

It’s a work of art, plain and simple.

Rating: ★★★★½

The Paper (1994)

Ron Howard has made so many movies and worked with so many people that you probably don’t even know (or realize) half the stuff he’s directed.

The Paper likely falls into that category.

Howard’s filmography is largely dominated by Tom Hanks, but before they made their big Splash together (Oh, no.  Am I turning into Gene Shalit?), there was another comedic actor who helped put “Ron Howard: Director” on the map, that being Michael Keaton (in another little movie you might not know called Night Shift).

I’m going to call The Paper a “Kitchen Sink Dramedy” because, while the movie clearly has a sense of humor, there are so many dramatic elements thrown in that I couldn’t possibly list them all here (just to name a few: job interview, cancer, wrongful arrest).  And, if all that wasn’t enough, everything takes place in a 24-hour period (like After Hours but with an actual point, I think).

And it’s not just the script that’s fully loaded, as the cast list is long and distinguished (including Jason Robards as a newspaper executive…sounds familiar), with a heavy mix of established stars, “that guy” actors, and now notable people in before-they-were famous roles (not to mention one shot that’s literally just a wall of cameos).  An ensemble if there ever was one.

The Paper is far from a perfect film, and I imagine it would be a bit too cornball for some to handle (frankly, the movie is achingly Nineties), but I recommend it, especially for those curious about the business of newspapers (it has a reputation among journalists of being true to life despite its over-the-top nature).

Rating: ★★★½