A Day at the Pictures

It would appear that Cineworld have started listing movies that you can pre-book along with the movies that are currently showing. Annoying much? Yes, I think so.

Why am I so annoyed? Because I wasn't paying attention, that's why. Between Cineworld listing movies for the wrong dates and me not paying attention, I ended up going to the cinema to see a movie that wasn't out yet.

Fail.

I went to the pictures to see Oblivion but, as you probably already guessed, it's not out for a few weeks. I wasn't too bothered, though, since I was planning on being there anyway. I just got a ticket for Red Dawn instead.


I heard that the reviews weren't very good for Red Dawn so I wasn't expecting very much - maybe that's why I enjoyed it as much as I did. Also, I've never seen the original and had nothing to compare it to so that probably helped as well.

It's easy to see where a bit of character development could have improved the film but it's actually pretty good. It deals with a fear that I think a lot of Americans harbor (invasion from the East) and has a good blend of action and emotion. (Also... Chris Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson don't hurt, right?)

Oz: The Great and Powerful came next.


I've been looking forward to this one for some time. It was... like Wizard of Oz - without the magic. Don't get me wrong... it's good. It's just not amazing.

The original Wizard of Oz terrified me so much that I was an adult before I watched it all the way through. (Not the witch, unsurprisingly, it was the tornado at the beginning that scared the crap out of me.) It quickly became a favourite. I mean... Margaret Hamilton. Need I say more?

Oz is a terrific bit of whimsy but I can't see it becoming the legend that the original is. The acting is good - yes, even Mila Kunis as Theodora. I thought she was very good, in fact. The bit where she appears to Oz the first time as The Wicked Witch actually gave me a chill. Actually, thinking on it, she was probably my favourite bit of the movie.

I also liked the projection of The Wizard. It was very clever and very well done. The little nods to the original were a nice touch too. (But there weren't enough of them.)

The fact that Oz wasn't a musical annoyed me. That's something that shouldn't have been changed. Also, it's pretty clear that they were setting it up to do a remake of The Wizard of Oz which, okay, could be good. It's been long enough now that a remake wouldn't exactly be a joke. But... Really? Does it need to be done? Can you do it better?

Meh. I'm not so sure.

And if they were setting it up for the sequel... Why no ruby slippers? They should have at least gotten a mention if they were going to play such a vital role in the sequel. I guess we'll just have to wait and see...