Upcoming Movies: April 2013

April 5
"Trance" - An art auctioneer who has become mixed up with a group of criminals partners with a hypnotherapist in order to recover a lost painting.

"The Company You Keep" - A thriller centered on a former Weather Underground activist who goes on the run from a journalist who has discovered his identity.

April 12
"Oblivion" (http://www.oblivionmovie.com/) - A veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.

"To the Wonder" (http://www.magpictures.com/tothewonder/) - After visiting Mont Saint-Michel, Marina and Neil come to Oklahoma, where problems arise. Marina meets a priest and fellow exile, who is struggling with his vocation, while Neil renews his ties with a childhood friend, Jane.

April 26
"Mud" (http://mud-themovie.com/) - Two teenage boys encounter a fugitive and form a pact to help him evade the bounty hunters on his trail and to reunite him with his true love.

"The Big Wedding" (http://thebigweddingmovie.com/) - A long-divorced couple fakes being married as their family unites for a wedding.

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"Olympus Has Fallen"

 

Not only it's 'Die Hard in the White House,' it's die harder. "Olympus Has Fallen" takes full advantage of the R-rating by having the highest body count and headshots ever seen in an action movie. The stabbings are brutal and gunfire roars almost nonstop.

A former secret agent and head of presidential security detail is put on desk duty after he saved the president from a freak car accident at the expense of the first lady. When the White House is under air and ground attack from North Korean terrorists, he pushes his way in and goes 'Rambo' to save the president and his young son, and the security advisers. He also serves as an insider who connects with the war room in the Pentagon.

The plot holes are bigger than the undetected bomber plane and armored garbage trucks, but it's entertaining nonetheless. At the same time, the constant gunplay in the dark becomes monotonous after a while. A half-hour shorter running time would have been sufficient to restore the old glory and it would've been more fun. 

DVD: http://tinyurl.com/bmletsq
DVD (blu-ray): http://tinyurl.com/cahrp4o

 

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"The Call"

 

Edge-of-your-seat realistic... until it's not.  Realistic, that is.  A 9-1-1 operator faces a serial killer on the line hell-bent on kidnapping and murdering teenage girls.  "The Call" manages to keep the suspense going scene after scene mostly because of the probability of the incidents happening in real life (and shows us what to do and what not to do), and the consequences suffered by the victims and bystanders.  But it goes downhill after three-quarter of the movie, with an idiotic ending that betrays what we know about the main protagonist.  A strong 'B' movie, it's enjoyable for what it is, but a different ending wouldn't have lessened the edge-of-your-seat element, and it would have kept it real. 

DVD: http://tinyurl.com/bsk5ewp

DVD (blu-ray): http://tinyurl.com/c4933sc

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Farewell Posterous, Hello Blogger: New Home

Posterous, acquired by Twitter last year, is shutting down on April 30, 2013 (sadly), so this blog (http://themoviemaven.posterous.com), created in 2010, will be gone forever.  If you receive this via e-mail from Posterous and would like to continue to receive updates, this is the right page on Blogger and enter your e-mail address.  Unless otherwise notified, http://sdmoviemaven.blogspot.com/ will be the new home for The MovieMaven.  Thanks for reading!

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"Oz: The Great and Powerful"

 

Magic. Fantasy. Wonder. These are some of the things that came to mind when viewing “Oz: The Great and Powerful.”

Oscar Diggs (James Franco, “Eat Pray Love") is a street-magician with traveling circus in Kansas. He performs his tricks, both for the audience and beautiful women, with equal charm and smarminess. Although he does seem to hold a special place in his heart for a special lady, Annie (Michelle Williams, “Shutter Island”). The extended black-and-white scenes are necessary and give insight into Oscar's life and aspiration.

After being chased out of his trailer during an incident, Oscar hops into a hot air balloon and runs into a tornado. He gets twirled and transported into a fantasy land vibrant beyond imagination. Cascading waterfalls, blooming flowers and glowing butterflies over verdant lands and snowy mountains in the background.

Oscar meets a beguiling beauty, Theodora (Mila Kunis, “Black Swan”), who says that she's a good witch. She mistakes him for a wizard, who falls out of the sky to save the people and claims the throne, fulfilling a prophecy of defeating a wicked witch who killed the king. She leads him the yellow brick road to the diamond palace of Emerald City and see her sister, another witch, Evanora (Rachel Weisz, "The Bourne Legacy"). Dangled with riches and respect, Oscar plays along and pretends that he's indeed Oz, the wizard. Along the way, he partners with a winged monkey (Finley) and porcelain doll (China Girl), who accompany him in his misadventures. His interactions with them are the highlights of the movie, comical and tender.

When Oscar finally finds the purported Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda (Michelle Williams), the truth comes out. He faces the challenge of continuing to assume his identity as a savior for the sake of the people, who places their belief and hope in him, or run and hide.

Oscar is faced with the impossible dilemma of leading an army of ordinary folks - munchkins, farmers and tinkers, who only know how to work the land, make bread, sew clothes or play music - against wicked witches, trained soldiers and flying beasts. With faith and encouragement from those around him, the mortal con-man comes up with a plan utilizing his skills as a magician and everyone's strengths to create wondrous smokescreen to defeat the enemy. The clever trickery, using fog bank, scarecrows, illusion, fires and fireworks, play out masterfully. Oscar may not be the great and powerful wizard they're looking for, but he may be just what they need. He may be destined for greatness and there may be goodness in him after all.

"Wizard of Oz” may be a movie originally made for kids, but “Oz: The Great and Powerful” is a magical spectacle and story enjoyable for all ages. The vivid visuals alone are worth the admission price. The 3-D makes the special effects really pop but not overused. And especially for those who've never seen the 1939 film, director's Sam Raimi's version of 'Oz' is sweepingly enchanting and engaging.

http://www.sdentertainer.com/arts/movie-review-oz-the-great-and-powerful/

DVD: http://tinyurl.com/ahh5h5w
DVD (blu-ray): http://tinyurl.com/ajwrs6d

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Upcoming Movies: March 2013

March 1

"Jack the Giant Slayer" (http://jackthegiantslayer.warnerbros.com/) - The ancient war between humans and a race of giants is reignited when Jack, a young farmhand fighting for a kingdom and the love of a princess, opens a gateway between the two worlds.

"Stoker" (http://www.foxsearchlight.com/stoker/) - After one girl's father dies, her uncle, who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her unstable mother. She comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives and becomes increasingly infatuated with him.

March 8

"Oz the Great and the Powerful" (http://disney.go.com/thewizard/) - A small-time magician arrives in an enchanted land and is forced to decide if he will be a good man or a great one.

"Dead Man Down" - In New York City, a crime lord's right-hand man is seduced by one of his boss's victims, a woman seeking retribution.

March 15

"The Call" - When a veteran 911 operator receives a call from a girl who has just been abducted, she soon realizes that she must confront a killer from her past in order to save the girl's life.

"Upside Down" (http://upsidedown-movie.com/) - Adam and Eden fell in love as teens despite the fact that they live on twinned worlds with gravities that pull in opposite directions. Ten years after a forced separation, Adam sets out on a dangerous quest to reconnect with his love.

March 22

"Olympus Has Fallen" (http://olympusmovie.com/) - Disgraced former Presidential guard finds himself trapped inside the White House in the wake of a terrorist attack; using his inside knowledge, he works with national security to rescue the President from his kidnappers.

"Admission" (http://m.focusfeatures.com/) - A Princeton admissions officer who is up for a major promotion takes a professional risk after she meets a college-bound alternative school kid who just might be the son she gave up years ago in a secret adoption.

March 29

"G.I. Joe Retaliation" (http://www.gijoemovie.com/) - The G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.

"The Host" (http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/thehost_movie.html) - A parasitic alien soul is injected into the body of Melanie Stryder. Instead of carrying out her race's mission of taking over the Earth, "Wanda" (as she comes to be called) forms a bond with her host and sets out to aid other free humans.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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"Safe Haven"

This sweet serving from Nicholas Sparks' novel offers a lovely taste of a simple life in a seaside town in the South. Julianne Hough (Katie) and Josh Duhamel (Alex) seem comfortable together and sell the story of second chances.  But don't mistake simple life for safe.  Katie's past follows her and there's nice twist you won't see coming (unless if you read the book), which makes "Safe Haven" a step above your run-of-the-mill Sparks'
romance. 

DVD: http://tinyurl.com/caq7mqx
DVD (blu-ray): http://tinyurl.com/cpngl24

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