"The Wizard of Oz" Still the Greatest Fantasy Film Ever

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 115 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 mintues)
MPAA – G
DIRECTOR: Victor Fleming
WRITERS: Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Woolf (based upon the novel by L. Frank Baum)
PRODUCER: Mervyn LeRoy
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Harold Rosson (photographed by: in Technicolor)
EDITOR: Blanche Sewell
COMPOSER: Herbert Stothart
SONGS: Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg
Academy Award winner

FANTASY/ADVENTURE/FAMILY/MUSICAL

Starring: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Charley Grapewin, and Clara Blandick

The subject of this movie review is The Wizard of Oz, a 1939 musical fantasy and adventure film from MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). The film is based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a children’s fantasy novel written by L. Frank Baum and first published in 1900.

Although Victor Fleming was credited as the film’s director, several other directors worked on the film, including King Vidor, George Cuko, and Mervyn LeRoy (who produced the film along with Arthur Freed). In fact numerous people who contributed to this film did not receive any screed credit, such as Arthur Freed (writer and producer), Ogden Nash (writer) and Herman J. Mankeiwicz (writer).

Various critics and popular polls often name it one of the “ten best movies of all time,” and in 2010, the Library of Congress said it was the most watched movie of all time. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve watched it, but I consider The Wizard of Oz to be the greatest fantasy film of all time.

Since it was first released over six decades ago, The Wizard of Oz has stood the test of time as a great fantasy film. And though computers have revolutionized the use of special effects in movies, The Wizard of Oz, with its painted backdrops, handmade costumes, and ordinary makeup effects is as potent as any modern fantasy film filled with super SFX.

In the story, a tornado whisks a Kansas farm girl named Dorothy (Judy Garland) and her dog Toto to the magical Land of Oz where she encounters many strange and wonderful beings. She embarks upon a quest to the Emerald City to see the Wizard of Oz, who reportedly has it in his powers to send Dorothy back to Kansas. Along the way she gathers a group of fellow travelers who also wish a boon from the Wizard: The Scarecrow (Ray Bolger) who wants a brain; The Tin Man (Jack Haley) who wants a heart; and The Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) who wants courage. To get what they want, however, they must face off with The Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) who wants a pair of magical ruby slippers that Dorothy wears.

Anyone who has seen The Wizard of Oz is already aware of the magical hold the film has had and continues to have over audiences. Like a good fantasy film, it is filled with fantastical elements, but the heart of the story is the quest for something dear. For Dorothy, it is a way home; for her friends it is something they wrongly believe is missing from their lives and personalities. Like a great family film, The Wizard of Oz endears itself by entertaining all ages with a wonderful story, memorable songs and lines, and loveable characters. It is also in a way an adventure film, but the vicarious thrill of the adventure doesn’t come from destruction, but comes from sharing the quest with friends and loved ones.

The Wizard of Oz is undoubtedly one of the great American films. Watch it, and one can’t help but marvel how the filmmakers came together to make a film that approaches perfection with nearly every scene and in nearly every moment.

10 of 10

NOTES:
1940 Academy Awards: 2 wins: “Best Music, Original Score” (Herbert Stothart) and “Best Music, Original Song” (Harold Arlen-music for E.Y. Harburg-lyrics for the song "Over the Rainbow"); 4 nominations: “Best Picture” (M-G-M), “Best Art Direction” (Cedric Gibbons and William A. Horning), “Best Cinematography, Color” (Harold Rosson), and “Best Effects, Special Effects” (A. Arnold Gillespie-photographic and Douglas Shearer-sound)

1939 Cannes Film Festival: 1 nomination: “Palme d'Or” (Victor Fleming)

1989 National Film Preservation Board, USA: National Film Registry

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Five Major Studios Sign Theatrical Digital Distribution Deal

Lionsgate, Universal Pictures, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Paramount Pictures Sign on to DCDC Distribution Service Platform

BURBANK, Calif. & LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition (DCDC) announced today that it has reached agreements with Lionsgate, Universal Pictures, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Paramount Pictures to provide each with theatrical digital delivery services across North America. DCDC, formed by AMC Theatres, Regal Entertainment Group, Cinemark Theatres, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros., has created a network for next generation satellite and terrestrial digital distribution capable of supporting feature, promotional, pre-show and live content distribution into theatres using the latest in digital distribution technologies. The network is designed to provide a highly reliable and cost effective distribution model for distributors and exhibitors alike. As digital distribution replaces the use of traditional, physical media for content distribution, users of the network will have access to a host of delivery options and resources.

Speaking on behalf of DCDC, Randolph Blotky stated, “DCDC’s service platform is the state of the art for digital delivery of various kinds of content to theatres in North America. Its business model will assure long-term consistent low cost pricing to content providers and exhibitors across the industry. We are very excited to welcome Warner Bros. Entertainment, Lionsgate, The Walt Disney Company, Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures to our service.”

Darcy Antonellis, President, Technical Operations, and Chief Technology Officer, Warner Bros. Entertainment added, “The vision of creating a cross-industry distribution service to benefit distributors, exhibitors, service providers and consumers is becoming a reality. We're extremely pleased to be working with our colleagues to bring to fruition a powerful distribution network that is advantageous for us all.”

Nikki Rocco, President, Universal Pictures Distribution, added, “With the majority of the domestic theatrical market now digital, the ability to efficiently distribute films via satellite to a large subset of our exhibitor partners will further ensure moviegoers have access to the latest and highest quality theatrical entertainment. Universal is excited to work with DCDC in the satellite delivery of our films, as it rolls out its satellite platform over the coming months.”

“DCDC’s new satellite service provides a seamless and secure system that will enable us to streamline and expedite access to our latest content,” said Dave Hollis, Executive Vice President, Theatrical Exhibition Sales and Distribution, The Walt Disney Studios. “This is a crucial advancement in theatrical distribution, and we’re thrilled to be on board.”

“The wide-spread adoption of DCDC’s platform is a game-changer,” said Dan Fellman, President, Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures. “The service ensures that audiences have the most high-quality entertainment experience while exhibitors and content providers achieve a strategic, secure and cost-effective new business model. We are very pleased to join DCDC and our partner studios in this initiative.”

“We are pleased that Lionsgate can again be at the forefront of digital cinema and be part of the state of the art digital delivery system that will benefit the entire industry,” said Richie Fay, Lionsgate’s President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution.

“All of us at Paramount believe the advancement of digital distribution technologies will help to further our goal to bring the finest entertainment to audiences in a seamless and secure manner, and the DCDC will be a great partner for us to achieve that goal,” said Megan Colligan, Paramount Pictures’ President of Domestic Marketing and Distribution.

“DCDC is creating a technological superhighway,” said Tim Warner, CEO and President, Cinemark Theatres. “It’s one port access to thousands of screens, for both movies and alternative content, from all content providers.”

DCDC is expected to complete the initial network roll-out before year-end. Deluxe/EchoStar LLC will be providing operations support for the DCDC network.


About Warner Bros. Entertainment:
Warner Bros. Entertainment is a global leader in all forms of entertainment and their related businesses across all current and emerging media and platforms. A Time Warner Company, the fully integrated, broad-based Studio is home to one of the most successful collections of brands in the world and stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry from feature film, television and home entertainment production and worldwide distribution to Blu-ray and DVD, digital distribution, animation, comic books, video games, product and brand licensing and broadcasting.

About Universal Pictures:
Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is part of NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.

About The Walt Disney Company:
The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products and interactive. Disney is a Dow 30 company and had annual revenues of about $42.3 billion in its last fiscal year.

About Lionsgate:
Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms and international distribution and sales. Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as the blockbuster first installment of The Hunger Games franchise, the 13th highest-grossing domestic release of all time, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, which has grossed more than $800 million at the worldwide box office, Warm Bodies, Texas Chainsaw 3D, The Expendables 2, The Possession, Sinister, The Cabin in the Woods and Arbitrage. With the January 2012 acquisition of Summit Entertainment, the Company has now added the blockbuster Twilight Saga franchise, which has grossed more than $3.3 billion at the worldwide box office, to its current slate, giving the Company the two premier young adult franchises in the world. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

About Paramount Pictures Corporation:
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

Review: "The Master" Piece

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 17 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Master (2012)
Running time: 144 minutes (2 hours, 24 minutes)
MPAA – R for sexual content, graphic nudity and language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Paul Thomas Anderson
PRODUCERS: Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison, Daniel Lupi, and JoAnne Sellar
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mihai Malaimare Jr.
EDITORS: Leslie Jones and Peter McNulty
COMPOSER: Jonny Greenwood

DRAMA

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Jesse Plemons, Ambyr Childers, Rami Malek, Laura Dern, and Kevin J. O’Connor

The Master is a 2012 film drama from writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood). The film follows a World War II Naval veteran who returns to America unsettled and uncertain of his future – until he is tantalized by a new religion and its charismatic leader. The Master is also noted for its similarities to the life of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.

The Master opens with a brief look at Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) and his service during World War II. After the war, Freddie is sex-obsessed and an alcoholic, and he struggles to adjust to post-war life. Early in 1950, Freddie is jobless and drifting, when he stows away on the yacht of Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the founder and leader of a philosophical movement called “The Cause.”

Seeing something in Freddie, Dodd takes him into the movement, and Freddie travels with Dodd along the East Coast, spreading the teachings of The Cause. Freddie’s erratic and violent behavior, however, makes Dodd’s followers, especially Dodd’s wife, Peggy (Amy Adams), suspicious of him.

First, let me say, The Master is a film overflowing with quality. The cinematography by Mihai Malaimare Jr. is some of the best that I’ve ever seen. The colors practically pulse with enchantment. Every so often, I come across a film score that affects me in ways that just seem to inspire me to better things. Jonny Greenwood, the lead guitarist and keyboardist of the rock band, Radiohead, delivers such a score for The Master.

Yada, yada, yada: do I have to say that Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams deliver stellar performances? Of course, they do; it’s some of the best work these three actors have ever done.

Anderson takes what he gets from his collaborators and delivers a vibrant, uncompromising film in The Master. It is a trip down the piss-gold, yellow brick road into the American heart of darkness, delving into themes of master-disciple relationships, the yearning for success, and our urge to uncover each other’s secrets. The Master is challenging and frustrating, but for serious movie audiences, it is simply a gift.

Greenwood’s score, which Anderson uses to maximum effect, makes me think that, in some ways, The Master is a science fiction film. As much as the film delves into the past, it is about where the characters are going – their futures. At times, The Master looks like a weird science fiction film made in the late 1940s or early 1950s. The Master seems out of time, a movie that belongs to a time over a half-century ago, and it was trying to predict what the psychological state of affairs would be like after “The Cause” took over the world.

Anderson refuses to settle the matters of the characters by the end of this film –sorry for that semi-spoiler. However, The Master is the kind of movie that proves that film is indeed an art form and not merely a commercial endeavor for people and corporations that want fame and money.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2013 Academy Awards: 3 nominations: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” (Joaquin Phoenix), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Amy Adams)

2013 BAFTA Awards: 4 nominations: “Leading Actor” (Joaquin Phoenix), “Original Screenplay” (Paul Thomas Anderson), “Supporting Actor” (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and “Supporting Actress” (Amy Adams)

2013 Golden Globes, USA: 3 nominations: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Joaquin Phoenix), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Amy Adams)

Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Happy Birthday, M.A.D.

I recently remembered that you loved those initials... and the magazine and it copycats and competitors.  So have a MAD Happy Birthday.

First "Hobbit" Film Over a Billion Dollars in Worldwide Box Office

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” Crosses One Billion Dollars and Still Climbing

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” has surpassed the billion dollar milestone at the worldwide box office. The joint announcement was made today by Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Operating Officer, New Line Cinema; Gary Barber, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios; Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures; and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

To date, the blockbuster has earned $301.4 million domestically. With its recent release in China, where it has grossed $37.3 million in 10 days, the film has earned a staggering estimated $700 million internationally, for a global total of $1 billion to date. “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” becomes only the 15th film in history to exceed one billion dollars worldwide.

In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “We could not be more proud to have reached this amazing benchmark. Together with our partners at MGM and New Line, everyone at Warner Bros. congratulates Peter Jackson and his entire cast and crew on the extraordinary success of this film.”

Kwan Vandenberg said, “From Berlin to Beijing, it is so gratifying to see how the release of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ has been such an event with audiences around the world. We know that moviegoers everywhere are already excited about the next film, as are we.”

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Pictures, is the acclaimed first film in Oscar®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson’s epic “The Hobbit” Trilogy, based on the timeless novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. The film recently earned three Oscar® nominations, for Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Visual Effects.

From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the first of a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. The three films tell a continuous story set in Middle-earth 60 years before “The Lord of the Rings,” which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”

The film stars Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Sylvester McCoy, Barry Humphries, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis.

The screenplay for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. Jackson also produced the film, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers.

New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Present a WingNut Films Production, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” All three films in “The Hobbit” Trilogy, also including “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” and the final film, “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” are productions of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), with New Line managing production. Warner Bros. Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television distribution being handled by MGM.

www.thehobbit.com

Review: Average "Willow" Entertains

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 69 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux


Willow (1988)
Running time: 126 minutes (2 hours, 6 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: Ron Howard
WRITERS: Bob Dolman; based upon a story by George Lucas
PRODUCER: Nigel Wooll
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Adrian Biddle
EDITORS: Daniel Hanley, Michael Hill, and Richard Hiscott
COMPOSER: James Horner
Academy Award nominee

FANTASY/ADVENTURE

Starring: Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh, Patricia Hayes, Billy Barty, Pat Roach, Gavan O’Herlihy, David Steinberg, Mark Northover, Kevin Pollack, Rick Overton, Maria Holvoe, Julie Peters, Mark Vande Brake, Dawn Downing, Tony Cox, and Ruth & Kate Greenfield

The subject of this movie review is Willow, the 1988 fantasy film that was a collaboration between George Lucas and Ron Howard. Joe Johnston was also an associate producer on the film.

The 1988 film, Willow, which Ron Howard directed, was George Lucas’ attempt to do for fantasy films what Star Wars had done for science fiction films, but Willow’s box office receipts barely paid back the film’s production costs. Lucas reportedly studied mythology from around the world in the process of writing this film’s story, but in the end, he borrowed heavily from author J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings (which nearly a decade and a half later became an international super hit film trilogy) the way he borrowed from author Frank Herbert’s Dune for Star Wars. Willow is by no means great, but it’s a good, entertaining fantasy adventure for the juvenile, teens, and adults who like fantasy films, although Willow is low-wattage compared to the intensity of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films.

In the story, Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis), the member of a dwarfish race called the “Nelwyn,” takes possession of Elora Danan (Ruth & Kate Greenfield), a special baby girl sought by an evil sorceress, Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh). Bavmorda wants to kill Elora because a certain prophecy says the child will cause Bavmorda’s destruction. Willow, who is also an apprentice sorcerer, must take the baby girl back to her people, all while being pursued by Bavmorda’s soldiers. Through the difficult journey, Willow is joined on his quest by the boastful and loony swordsman, Madmartigan (Val Kilmer), and two sarcastic brownies, a type of diminutive fairy.

Although Willow borrows from such high fantasy tales at the Rings trilogy, the film is more grounded in reality, more earthy. In Willow, magic is inconsistent, and practitioners must rely as much on their wits and skills to survive as they do on magic. The film is notable for the fact that the hero is played by a dwarf actor, and the both of the powerful magic users are old women. However, nothing much about the film stands out as memorable, except for James Horner’s fabulous score, which borrows heavily from other musical sources, in particularly Mozart. The other item of note is a giant two-headed dragon that appears in the middle of the film’s narrative. It was one of the early attempts at adding computer-generated characters into live action film.

5 of 10
B-

Friday, May 20, 2005

NOTES:
1989 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing” (Ben Burtt and Richard Hymns) and “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (Dennis Muren, Michael J. McAlister, Phil Tippett, and Christopher Evans)

1989 Razzie Awards: 2 nominations: “Worst Screenplay” (Bob Dolman; George Lucas-story) and “Worst Supporting Actor” (Billy Barty)

Ron Howard, Warwick Davis to Tweet "Willow" Anniversary

DIRECTOR RON HOWARD AND STAR WARWICK DAVIS REUNITE ON TWITTER TO CELEBRATE THE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF "WILLOW"

WHAT:
Join Director Ron Howard and star Warwick Davis for an exclusive Artist to Artist Twitter chat in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Willow! Fans can even join in the conversation by tweeting questions using the hashtag #WillowChat.

In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the unforgettable classic, Willow, has been fully digitally restored and debuts on Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack March 12, 2013 from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

The Willow Blu-ray and DVD include a dazzling array of extras with never-before-seen exclusive content such as deleted scenes with remarks from Ron Howard, a personal video diary of Warwick Davis, matte paintings and much more. In addition, look out for Ron Howard’s new introduction for the original 1988 featurette “The Making of an Adventure,” as well as special effect legend Dennis Muren’s new intro to his piece, “From Morf to Morphing: The Dawn of Digital Filmmaking.”

WHO:
Director, Ron Howard - @RealRonHoward
Actor, Warwick Davis - @WarwickADavis

WHEN:
Tuesday, March 12
2:00pm – 2:30pm PST

WHERE:
Twitter - #WillowChat