Peculiar Reviewer

In 1939, many say to be the greatest year in film, MGM's The Wizard of Oz  had no chance up against Gone with the Wind at the Academy Awards, yet had it been released one year prior, or later, the beloved fantasy adventure that launched Judy Garland's career would have swept away the awards. At 16 years of age, Judy Garland was already Strasberg-ing it before Strasberg. Well, Sam Raimi's Oz the Great and Powerful has no Dorothy, basing itself on L. Frank Baum's Oz novels set 20 years before Dorothy shows up. Jack the Giant Slayer seems to have been slayed by the Land of Oz at the box office this weekend, taking in $79.1 million and leaving the competition in Kansas, which is precisely what the conman circus magician Oscar Diggs ( James Franco ) does. Transported away in a hot air balloon from Kansas to the Land of Oz in an amazing Terry Gilliamesque tornado scene, Oscar meets three witches who believe the young magician to be the G...

Indie star Sarah Polley ( Away From Her ) makes her writing/directing return with the Canadian comedy-drama Take This Waltz . In the film, Michelle Williams ( My Week With Marilyn ) portrays yet another dysfunctional character, this time an anxious young wife who flirts with the idea of having an affair with her slightly stalker-ish neighbor. Yet her husband, played by Seth Rogen (in his most stripped down role to-date), is the perfect husband, not to mention the sanest character in the film. What starts out attaining a Lost In Translation feel, slowly descends its way into lost territory. We spend the movie trying to figure out what is wrong with Michelle Williams' character, then realize we are ultimately following an unlikeable protagonist who does not change. Comedian Sarah Silverman doesn't get enough screen time, and her presence is much needed to relieve from the constant awkwardness and painstakingly drawn-out tension between characters. The movie is charming th...