Oz the Great and Powerful

"I don't want to die ... I haven't accomplished anything yet!"

Oscar Diggs is a carnival magician with a smooth tongue and plenty of tricks up his sleeve. He does not want to be a good man --- he wants to be a great one, and he's willing to swindle, charm, and use people and break ladies' hearts to get there. 

After one not-so-successful performance, he (in essence) steals a hot air balloon to get away from some other displeased performers, and gets more than he bargained for when a tornado sweeps his hot air balloon off to never never land.

Overall, it was very well done. As far as prequels go, it didn't flop. It did its job, and did it very well --- providing backstory for the characters from The Wizard of Oz. The cinematography was excellent. In my opinion this movie totally redefines the world of Oz and completely changes your view of the original Oz movie. In a good way. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and I was laughing way more than I thought I would.

What really made this movie as enjoyable as it was was the characters. They each had their own history and you can't help but get drawn in. Other movies focus on the action or plot, but this film focused mostly on the characters, and I think that's what made it successful as a prequel. They "cast a spell" over you, making you become emotionally attached to them. Mostly the three witches, Glinda, Evanora, and Theodora. (Gotta love the names.) The acting for these three was excellent, especially for Theodora --- she had more depth than the others, I think. I can feel character inspiration coming on now :-)

Oscar Diggs being who he is (a flirt) there was more romance, and more broken hearts, than I expected in this film. It fit in okay as far as his character goes, but it's still there and ... well, it doesn't make you like Oz very much. \It can be kind of funny at times, however.

The language in this movie was relatively clean, only two uses of d**n, and awkwardly placed in the same scene. I saw no real problems with this movie  --- after all, it was targeted towards families. I do think, though, that kids younger than 8 shouldn't see it. It was intense at times, but not extreme enough for it to get a PG-13 rating.

I really enjoyed it. It's not on the same scale as ... The Avengers, perhaps, but it definitely is a wonderful adventure that I enjoyed watching, and I can't wait till it comes out on DVD so I can experience it again. :) It's full of suspense, humor, and an element that, well, kept me from being bored and keeps me from thinking about anything else! 

Out of 5 stars, I would give it a 4. I recommend this to any fantasy or Oz loving geeks, or anyone else for that matter. It snatches and captures the attention of all ages. In short: I loved it.

Starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, and Rachel Weisz :: directed by Sam Raimi :: rated PG :: a Disney movie (:

Sophie

Am I a horrible blogger or what? :)

*ahem* anyway.

Yes yes yes yes.

Well. Sophie. If I had to pick one word to describe her, it would be spunky. She has a mouth, and she's not afraid to use it, on anyone --- her sisters, a guard, the head of the rebellion, no matter. 

You would think with her proper upbringing she would have the best manners out of the group, but nooo. She is the most obnoxious one there, and the most oblivious. Sierra and Skylar both grew up surrounded by the harsh reality of their world, but Sophie was sheltered from all that. She was the daughter (or so she thought) of a nobleman and his wife. She was wealthy, pretty, and well educated. She had never set foot in Lower East Side or even seen a resident there. Though she was curious, her parents had abruptly changed conversation whenever it wound its way even remotely near Lower East Side. She's never been allowed to play, run, or do anything except manners. 

She likes the arts, especially acting and painting. She grew up taking theater and art lessons, and sure enough, they paid off in the end (at least theater did). Not telling you how, though. :)

After discovering that her whole life is a lie, that she really isn't the daughter of Clara and William Carnes, and that she is one of three triplets, she determinedly sets off (accompanied by Skylar) to find her true parents and other sibling. This leads to all sorts of adventures with her mouth and tendency to jump head first into things without thinking them through getting her in lots of trouble. 

She is the funniest one in the group (in my opinion) and she hates for things to get too serious. She's always the one to try and brighten up the situation with a joke or a quip, and has firmly decided that the best way to handle a problem is to look like you know exactly what you're doing and that everything is going according to plan, even when it's not. 

She calls herself half and half --- half tomboy, half girly girl. 

Character Inspiration:

• Me, actually (: Sophie is like me in multiple ways. I think that's why she's my favorite. (Don't tell the others) ;)
• Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice

As a sidenote that relates in no way to what I was talking about - have any of you seen/heard of Dance Moms? It's a show about a bunch of little, darling, AMAZING dancers, their harsh teacher (harsh is an understatement), and their gossipy moms, and it's filmed near where I live. I don't really watch it that often (I only watch the dances mostly when I do turn it on) but I saw this picture and wanted to post it for your amusement. 

Hahaha....the Ziegler girls are adorable. (: