Spring Breakers Review

Justin and I saw Spring Breakers on March 23, 2013!! This was an insane movie balancing a look at moral decay in the youth of America today, intense scenes of violence and sexual promiscuity, and some comedy thrown in. This movie definitely reminds me a little bit of Requiem for a Dream mixed with Trainspotting in alot of ways. I thought it was a well done movie with an excellent cast. This movie had been getting alot of attention due to the controversial presentation of Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, and Ashley Benson. This movie definitely will erase the previous image you have of Gabrielle from High School Musical. The movie centers around the notion of four friends since grade school wanting some adventure on spring break. They are tired of the "boring dorm life" that college has. Harmony Korine took these four girls and created a chaotic environment to show how much he dislikes the way youth spends their midsemester breaks. Each of the girls has a bad side, but none more so than Hudgens and Benson. I thought it was really amazing to see how Hudgens did a complete 180 in this movie to portray Candy, while Benson turned the voltage up from her Hanna character on Pretty Little Liars for her role as Brit. The girls will do anything to get out of the dorm life and experience adventure. The other two girls are Faith and Cotty. Cotty is played by Korine's wife Rachel, while Selena Gomez did a very good job as a girl maintaining her churchgoing attitude (her name being Faith wasn't a coincidence). She put deeper meaning and understanding into where the Faith character was coming from. The girls (minus Faith) end up going on a mission for extra money to make sure they get to Florida for spring break. What ensues is a chaotic scenario where Candy and Brit end up robbing a restaurant with Cotty watching on from the car-great camera work. The girls end up in Florida amidst a cornucopia of parties, where things really spiral. They encounter a rapper/hustler/drug dealer named Alien played very well by James Franco. My favorite was Hudgen's role of Candy, because it was just so different than what you're used to as well as Gomez's Faith character. However, Franco stole alot of scenes with his over the top look and attitude. Of course, I knew right away that Candy and Brit would want in on this type of activity because they want out of their dull lives. Faith wants out of this before things get too out of hand. There was a phenomenal face to face scene with Gomez and Franco where Gomez did an excellent job displaying her character's dilemma with getting involved with Franco's business. The other three would stay on board. One scene I really liked was when Alien plays "Everytime" by Britney Spears showing us a montage of events where Candy, Brit, Cotty, and Alien raid houses for money, drugs, etc. They are decked out in these pink ski masks-it was a very colorful atmosphere, so it added even more. Alien and his best friend Archie are in a feud, where Alien wants to take him out for an issue between them. After getting shot, Cotty realizes what Faith did and wants to go home back to the "dull dorm life." Though Franco's dialogue can get played out in this, I still was always interested in whatever Candy and Brit were doing. The colors, camera work, and intensity of the final scene was really well done. Candy and Brit are the last two girls standing and finish Alien's mission to take out Archie. It was a really chaotic scene that definitely summed up the insanity and controversial message of the movie. The final scene reminded me so much of Scarface, and there are subtle hints throughout that the final scene will take place especially the way Hudgens and Benson are able to get the money in the first place. The cast, characters, directing, plot, and scenes that will propel this to cult status kept me into the movie. I have always liked Vanessa Hudgens-she was nuts in this movie, and she did a great job going outside of her comfort zone. Selena Gomez is very good in this movie, and I think she'll become an even better actress over the years. Ashley Benson was good in this as well, and I thought her and Hudgens had fantastic chemistry. Rachel Korine was alright, but I thought the other three did much better with their roles. There's also a fun cameo by Jeff Jarrett who I didn't know was in this movie. Overall, I would give this movie a 4/5. This movie will shock you, but it has alot of crazy things going on, and the cast is brilliant.

Oz: The Great and Powerful Review

Justin and I saw Oz: The Great and Powerful on March 9, 2013!! This movie was incredible, and my favorite movie of 2013 thus far. The theater was packed. There weren't any empty seats, which was awesome. This movie is a prequel to Oz, based off the books by L. Frank Baum. It follows the arrival of the wizard into Oz, and how the land was shaped when he arrived. James Franco plays a con artist magician named Oscar in Kansas. His nickname is Oz. He's conceited, selfish, and a fibber. We follow his journey from Kansas doing magic shows for half a house in a world of black and white to a world of colorful personalities and wondrous sights to behold. He is transported to Oz via hot air balloon and a twister. He encounters a good witch named Theodora. She tells him of a prophecy of a great wizard that will save them from the wicked witch and restore the Emerald City and Oz. I really liked Mila Kunis in the role. Her role is important as she has to portray two sides, and the one side is kind and gentle, while the other side would be revealed towards the middle of the movie. They start somewhat of a relationship, but based off of the personality of Oscar, we know he's not committed. He journeys to the Emerald City with a trusty companion in Finley the monkey, voiced by Zach Braff, who provides some great comedic lines. The scenery of the Emerald City and the poppy fields was really beautiful. Rachel Weisz filled the role of Evanora perfectly. Weisz is one of my favorite actresses of all time. She demonstrated the calculating presence you want to see from a villain. Evanora has deceived everyone into believing somebody else is the Wicked Witch. Evanora spins a tale trying to tell Oscar if he destroys the wand of the Wicked Witch, she'll end her and become king. In Oz, the journey is always exciting, and we meet a new character in China Town (which is a town featured in the books). Her name was China Girl, and voiced by Joey King. That's not the first time we see China Girl in the movie, as she was a girl in a wheelchair in Kansas asking Oscar to help her walk. The Wicked Witch had ransacked China Town, and had killed China Girl's family. Her legs had fallen off, and she wanted to get her family back. In a really nice parallel, Oscar is able to make China Girl walk again with the assistance of glue. The audience really liked that. She was a favorite character amongst the audience in general. I knew that the other witch Evanora sent Oscar to take out had to be Glinda, and I loved the introduction of her. Normally, I can't stand Glinda, but Michelle Williams portrayal made me like her here. She was good, powerful, instilling hope in Oz and its citizens, and pushing Oscar to be a great man-what Glinda is supposed to do. I never liked her in the original because she just comes across as such a first class...something that rhymes with witch haha. Oscar recognizes Glinda from somebody in his past, who is the mother of a certain character we all know from the original so well that begins with a D. Of course, Evanora is spinning her web of deceit over her sister Theodora showing Oscar with Glinda, which infuriates her. She is able to make her tap into her wickedness that has been in her all along. I noticed a ruby ring on her finger which gave Theodora power, like Evanora's emerald necklace. I liked the way the transformation scene was shot. Evanora brought Theodora down to her level. The rivalry of the Wicked Witch of the West vs. Glinda is one of the best rivalries you can find. Since Theodora is young, obviously her heart is going to take a toll. The spell took away Theodora's heart, made her the WWOW, and transformed her beauty into what a wicked witch would look like. Why is Evanora beautiful though? We'd find that out. They had a great scene where WWOW, in a similar fashion to when she first appears in The Wizard of Oz, appears for the first time. I liked the look of the WWOW-it maintained the traditional look Margaret Hamilton made famous, while also adding a few new tweaks to keep it modern-particularly the dress. She vowed to make people regret their decision to make Oscar their king. She also showed her disdain for Glinda. We know that the army of Oz cannot kill, so a plan has to be hatched to stop two Wicked Witches now. I liked that while appealing to a younger audience, they still were able to appeal to an older audience, particulary when Theodora and Evanora captured Glinda. The witches of Oz is the best story in the Oz universe. The intensity where two sisters team up to drain Glinda of her goodness to have her join them was great. Williams sold it so well. Oscar is a magician, and is able to portray some tricks that excite the citizens of Oz, as well as battle the witches of Oz without killing anybody. Evanora and Glinda have an intense fight where Evanora and Glinda have a staredown and a crazy battle using their magic to gain an advantage over the other. Glinda is able to expose Evanora in her true form, and I liked the way they did that. We all know how Evanora will meet her end, so its not going to be here where it happens, but it was a good battle. Glinda was awesome in this movie. My favorite character in the Oz universe is the WWOW, though. Oscar takes his seat as the wizard fulfilling the prophecy, as well as granting wishes to help those who came with him on the journey, and allowed him to create the magic to battle Theodora and Evanora. This movie was excellent appealing to a new generation as well as an older generation. It balanced many of the traditions we came to love from the Wizard of Oz in 1939 and added a new story for a different audience-great blend. We saw the introduction of the Wicked Witch of the West similar to how we did in the original. we saw the Scarecrow-who would have even more of an impact on the Emerald City than Oscar. We saw the Cowardly Lion briefly. We even saw a reference to the Tin Man with the tinker men, and of course Evanora's spell taking away Theodora's heart. We saw Glinda's bubbles as well, which was really cool. The cast, effects, story, characters, and blend of comedy with fantasy dramatic elements make this a 5/5!! I really enjoyed this.