Oz The Great and Powerful

I wonder how that wizard ever ended up in Oz. Said no one ever. None the less, Sam Raimi decided it was something to look into so here we have Oz the Great and Powerful; a decent if somewhat unnecessary prequel to the 1939 classic.

We begin in black and white 4:3 ratio Kansas with the titular wizard (played by the ever present James Franco) doing his thing on the fairground circuit. Oz dreams of greatness but his silver tongue and his wild ambitions seem to only be getting him into hot water. An air ballooned getaway from one such incident sends Oz into the path of an oncoming tornado which transports him to the Land of Oz and blows the film into lush wide-screen colour. From here he encounters two witches (played by Mila Kunis and Rachel Weiss) who inform him of his prophesised arrival. The tale goes that a great Wizard will fall from the sky and slay the evil witch so Oz enlists a monkey sidekick (head-meltingly voiced by Zach Braff) and an exquisitely animated porcelain girl (Joey King) and heads out to do just that.

It’s tough to shake that whiff of insignificance but some of Oz still works. Aside from a rather tame Wicked Witch there are still glimpses of Raimi’s horror chops- Bruce Campbell even pops up for a brief cameo- but perhaps the best part is Franco’s dozy performance which provides a nice reminder of how affable he can be when he isn't trying so bloody hard.

Oslo, August 31st 

Having taken leave of rehabilitation for a job interview, Anders (Anders Danielson Lie) embarks on a 24 hour odyssey of old friends, parties, rejection and regret through the streets of the Norwegian capitol, gradually observing the extent with which the city has left him behind. Shot in the crisp Scandinavian autumn light and anchored by Danielson’s wonderfully reserved and sombre performance, Oslo triumphs as a young man’s efforts to confront the affliction his friends and family seem so hopeless to acknowledge.

G.I. JOE: Retaliation

While on a mission to confiscate some nukes from the usual bunch of pesky Arabs, an elite group of U.S. commandos called The JOEs are forced to go rogue when a man disguised as their president (Jonathon Pryce) turns the U.S. military against them and obliterates most of their team. It seems even bigger things are afoot too as the Cobra commander- the JOE’s arch nemesis- escapes from his underground prison and begins to hatch his evil plans. The JOEs must regroup and reload before the Cobra has the chance to unleash the mysterious Project Zeus and rule the world etc.

Expectations were never going to be too high for this one. The Rock stars as someone called Roadblock and there’s a serious amount of “AMERICA, FUCK YEAH” going around… and yet… it’s not so bad. Director Jon M. Chu, the man apparently behind the Step Up sequels, whips up some solid high-stakes action sequences; The RZA shows up briefly to do his quaint Shao Lin thing and Jonathon Pryce gives a seductively slimy turn as a villainous U.S. prez who even squeezes in a decent Bono gag.

All that said, we shouldn’t be getting too far ahead of ourselves- after all, it’s still the sequel to a film based on some fairly unremarkable toys - but maybe don’t go running for the hills just yet. 

Sehsüchte Festival

Now in its 42^nd year, the biggest film festival for the students- and by the students- in Europe returns to Potsdam’s Konrad Wolf University for its annual festivities, screening hundreds of films from around the globe on both the University campus and the grounds of Potsdam’s world famous Babelsberg studios. In Berlin film Captain Oscar, two friends make a deal to share a bed but then must cope with their ever increasing affections. Also screening will be Through the lens of inkedKenny in which A Montreal photographer seeks to capture the city’s gay bear community. Outside of the festival’s sizeable core program there will be plenty of room for copious networking as well as some tasty sounding retrospectives. The Retro/Futuro section will be examining the evolution of narrative forms and technical innovations in the past and present including a special screening of the silent expressionist classic The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari with live accompaniment from electronica band ALP. The Schreibsüchte contest to find the best script will see participants pitching their story to a live audience and jury of experts as well as having their dialogue read out by a group of voice actors. While the Current and Controversial section will be focusing on defining excess, both social and financial, in the cinematic world.

Rich Moore's Wreck-It Ralph.

"Just because you're a bad-guy, doesn't mean you're a bad guy". This is the mantra of Rich Moore's Wreck it Ralph; an animation of great tenderness and craft, gushing with nostalgia for the arcade game world it inhabits. After 30 years acting as resident bad-guy in 8-bit game "Fix it Felix", Ralph (John C Reilly) is understandably jaded. Every evening spent watching squeaky-clean hero Felix polish off his medals and bask in his public's adoration. Seeking a change Ralph decides to head out into the arcade world to claim a medal of his own and some long overdue recognition. 

RZA's The Man with the Iron Fists.

Wu Tang maestro RZA pours his Staten island brand of eastern philosophy and decades of Kung Fu fandom into this cluttered tale of revenge.

We're in Feudal China and Gold has been stolen; a peaceful leader has been usurped by a cruel tyrant; a man made of steel is on the warpath; a mysterious hooded assassin is killing people with deadly poisoned darts; a bunch of other stuff is going on too. It's all a bit of a mess. An iron-fisted Blacksmith (RZA himself) joins up with a hedonistic Englishman named Jack (A plump-and thoroughly enjoying himself-Russell Crowe) to sort it all out.

With Eli Roth on the script and presented (whatever that means) by none other than Quentin Tarentino, RZA's clearly called in some favours. The all-star soundtrack features Kanye and The Black Keys and while the tunes are solid they rarely compliment what we see on screen. This sort of over indulgence is rampant; with RZA plundering his resources when you feel a lighter touch would have done the job.

Whenever a director speaks of ‘The Movie they’ve always dreamt of making’ it's wise to approach with caution and Iron Fists is no different. The winks and nods to kung fu lore are plenty of fun but the project feels about as over-gestated as you might expect from something that’s spent a lifetime in production.

Around the World in 14 Films. Neighbouring Sounds (Pictured).

Around the world in 14 films hits Kino Babylon this month to showcase a selection of films from around the globe, each plucked from the cream of this year’s festival circuit. It all kicks off with Sundance hit/indie juggernaut Beasts of the Southern Wild (30 NOV/19:30, 2 DEC/21:45), but alongside Benh Zeitlin’s excellent debut there are plenty of (somewhat) more hidden gems to savour. Directors Jessica Woodward and Peter Brosens blend sinister aesthetics and apocalyptic eco-fear to chilling effect in rural terror piece The Fifth Season; as when spring refuses to arrive, a small farming town in the Ardennes turns to chaos (4 DEC/22:15, 5 DEC/20:00). Amiel Courtin-Wilson’s **Hail**, concerning an ex-con’s decent into madness and violence, is a fine slice of stylised Australian realism (7 DEC, 22:15). Having brokered a surprisingly simple deal to become the Liberian ambassador to The Central African Republic, Danish filmmaker Mads Brügger investigates the shady dealings of diamond-smuggling faux-diplomats in undercover expose The Ambassador (1 DEC/22:00, 4 DEC/20:00). After suffering a stroke, a housemaid finds friendship and solace in her young ex-employer in Ann Hui’s A Simple Life (3 DEC, 22:00). In the vibrant Neighbouring Sounds, Kleber Mendonça Filho explores the banality of some intertwining urban lives in the affluent Brazilian city of Recife (DEC 1/19:30, DEC 7/20:00).