WOW I think this will be a great movie.. Most of all we get to see our Oz in action...

http://movies.yahoo.com/video/oz-great-powerful-big-game-003031489.html

I am very excited to see this new movie. It looks fabulous and having read ALL the Wizard of Oz books, including the ones in the series most of you have never heard about, this movie looks promising for an Oz fan. L. Frank Baum would be pleased.

Just back from seeing, "Oz, the great and powerful". Let me preface this by saying that I have not read the L Frank Baum series.

I thought the movie was visually entertaining. It was a combination of Tim Burton-esque acid-trip visuals and paper cut out cartoons. I enjoyed the story of how the Wizard, Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West all came to be. I felt that James Franco wasn't that good in his role of the Wizard. He just didn't portray enough of the slimy, con-man that the character called for. My overall accessment, good, but not great.

I loved it. I saw it in IMAX 3D.

I saw it in 3D, but not IMAX. It wasn't playing in IMAX here--the IMAX screen had Jack the Giant Slayer.

I felt the movie was visually stunning, but the actting by all the characters fell short. I justified Francos performance by the character he was supposed to be, and over the top, corny sleazeball. But after seeing him perform as the Oscars host a few years back, I just think cornball is his persona.. I found myself having more affection for the created characters of Monkey and China girl.

It was also a bit too long, but all in all the familiar story was once again enjoyable..

I used to have a huge crush in James Franco, since the first frame he is in in the first Spideman, for many years he was my #1 boy/man in the world (Ryan Phyllip being #2), love that scene in "Milk" (chapter 5 on the DVD) when he gets out of the pool naked. We don't see anything but the queen who is poolside does and his reaction is to raise his eyebrows, everything done in a very subtle way, great queer filmmaking. Sadly I don't think he is that hot anymore. Who deserves to take his place? Pettyfer? Liam?