A Little Dab of This & A Little Dash of That

Monday, March 11, 2013

Monday, Monday; Return from Oz...

MONDAY, MONDAY; RETURN FROM OZ...

Well, here it is another Monday and we've returned from Oz.

     As many have discovered before us, and as many will after; the road to Oz is not ever an easy one. For on our way, my husband and I encountered the ferocity of "lions, tigers, and bears" in our little "munchkins"; and OH MY!  Suffice it to say, that we could've done with the Wicked Witch's crystal ball, not to mention a little help from a certain wizard.  Nevertheless, a merry band of travelers we, ventured on; albeit to a later show than originally planned.

     I had planned to wait and see if there were any lingering effects on our munchkins' bedtime ritual, so far none at all.  So here is my peek behind the curtain of Oz: The Great and Powerful.  Note: there are plenty of reviews out there, my main reason for doing is just to convey my opinion of the movie as well as let you know how kid friendly it is.

      First word of caution: be sure to go to restroom before the movie, regardless of your age.  Not only is the movie over 2 hours, (130 minutes according to the given information) if the theater that you are visiting is like ours, there will be 7 previews before the movie starts.  They alone were 25 minutes I think, but we always enjoy seeing them.

     The film starts in black and white, and then once Oz gets whisked away to Oz- there is vivid color throughout the remaining time of the film.  He ventures around Oz throughout it's dark as well as sparkly corners, meeting new characters of every sort at pretty much every turn.  I do not want to give anything away, although after all the marketing, I don't know if there were really any surprises for us. So, unless you haven't watched the previews or haven't read any of the headlines about the movie, I doubt there'll be anything that shocks you.  My main concern was whether or not my daughters who are 5 and 8, would be too scared.  As one review suggested, they agreed that the scariest thing was the flying baboons.  The first time you are introduced to one, there is the element of surprise, then you  have a screeching baboon in your face, which would startle even the most stoic.  That being said, no lingering effects as of yet.  The other scene I had heard about was a "torture" scene involving the witches, but I thought it was handled in such a way that it doesn't leave that strong of an impression.  So much is going on at the same time, that attention gets diverted.

     Now, let's talk about the witches.  Without a doubt my favorite part of movie.  I was a tad concerned that the reason for The Wicked Witch of the West's transformation was going to be a little shallow.  She was scorned, but that was not the reason for her change.  There was a bit more to it than I anticipated.  Not much, but a bit.  I would have liked to have seen more of her wickedness; I'll elaborate on that at a later date.  Just kind of rooted for her because she's underestimated by everyone.  Evanora is fun.  As is Glinda.  It's a good thing that Glinda had that, oh let's just say girl next door appeal, for the Wizard, or things might have turned out a little differently.

     Overall, I'd give it a 3.8 out of 5.  A solid "Good" rating. I was glad that I saw it at the theater, because a lot of the appeal for me was visual and that just doesn't happen the same on the TV- no matter how big.  While it had familiarity to the Warner Bros. 1939 film, there were many different ideas introduced.  Seemed like the moral of the Oz came through: that you can search the world over, but all the while, all you ever dreamed of is right in your back yard.
      Need to get this posted while it's still Monday.  So nighty night.
Added a great bread recipe today, be sure to check it out.

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