Episode Six-Point-Five: James Franco Edition (127 Hours / Oz the Great and Powerful)

Today, we've got a Blu-Ray that got added to the collection after we were already past its location as well as a new(ish) theater release. But hey, they star the same actor so we can totally lump them in together. Cool? Cool.

127 Hours (2010)

Director: Danny Boyle
Writers: Danny Boyle (screenplay), Simon Beaufoy (screenplay), and Aron Ralston (book)

Stars: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara

A lot of criticism has been directed at Boyle's hyperactive direction and editing, but I feel that it is fairly effective here. While a slower pace and a more somber atmosphere could have made for a more intense experience throughout, I feel that the higher tempo kept things from dragging (which could have easily happened in a story that focuses primarily on a single man in a single location). The first two thirds of the film still might not engage everyone, but when the story turns to "do or die" desperation in the final act it really shines - taking you from cringing horror to watery-eyed triumph. Franco is great in this and the journey is totally worth the climactic conclusion.

Score: 6 / 10

Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)

Director: Sam Raimi
Writers: Mitchell Kapner (screenplay), David Lindsay-Abaire (screenplay), and L. Frank Baum (novel)
Stars: James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis

Despite the beautiful scenery and fantastic creatures, Oz is a land devoid of much magic or charm. Finley, China Girl and Knuck are charmless, weak substitutes for the original trio of sidekicks. This leaves the success or failure of the film squarely on the shoulders of the Wizard and the Witches - and while Franco is tolerable as Oscar and Williams and Weisz play their weakly-written roles well, Kunis is woefully miscast. Given Raimi's prior films, I was looking forward to his Wicked Witch, but it fell way, way short for a variety of reasons. The film seems stuck somewhere between taking itself seriously and going into full "camp" mode - either of which would have been better than the limbo we ended up with. Major letdown.

Score: 3 / 10

Theater Interruption (Mama / Side Effects)

Mama (2013)

Director: Andrés Muschietti

Writers: Neil Cross (screenplay), Andrés Muschietti (story and screenplay), and Barbara Muschietti (story and screenplay)

Stars: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier

If there's anything that totally derails the film, it is its uneven storytelling; the first and final acts are more of a dark fairy tale, with emphasis on character, theme and atmosphere. Meanwhile, the middle act is a typical ghost story, overly reliant on jump scares and easily the weakest segment. I also have to say that Jessica Chastain looks way out of place here. However, I absolutely loved the creature design - both in sound and visual style. The feral children are definitely unsettling as well. The story was never anything great, but worked well enough when it took on the more fairytale-esque tone.

Score: 4 / 10

Side Effects (2013)

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Writer: Scott Z. Burns (screenplay)

Stars: Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law

A modern-day Hitchcock that does a wonderful job of keeping the audience on their toes, but may go a bit overboard on some of the plot twists in the later stages of the story. It really does feel like two different films and I would have liked to see more of the first half's atmosphere carried over into the second, but both are very good in their own ways. If this turns out to be Soderbergh's last film, at least it is a significant step up from "Contagion." Mara and Law are fantastic and make up for the abysmal work by Zeta-Jones and the 6'1" void that Channing Tatum leaves on screen.

Score: 6 / 10

Stay Tuned

We'll be returning to our "journey to the end of the shelves" on the 13th. So don't touch that dial! (And explain to me how you are navigating the internet with a dial...)