zkonedog

Despite it having garnered a horrendous reputation over the 40 years since its 1985 release, Return to Oz isn't all bad. It harbors some interesting material. Alas, it still isn't a good flick by any stretch of the imagination because of how bizarre and dour it is.

For a very basic overview, Return to Oz tells the story of Dorothy Gale (Fairuza Balk) six months after her original Oz travels. Worried about the young girl's mental health, Aunt Em (Piper Laurie) takes her to an asylum for a "new treatment" (shock therapy) to help purge her memories. Dorothy manages to escape---and eventually finds herself back in Oz, where she must work with some new friends to rescue some old ones.

I'll start with the good here. The underpinning concept is actually a pretty strong one. Dorothy's return to a broken-down Oz is fascinating as a guiding plot, and new friends Tik Tok & Jack Pumpkinhead are intriguing companions. The special effects are also strong in a very Neverending Story style. The tale even incorporates elements from the L. Frank Baum books that inspired the 1939 musical! There's more than enough here for a successful flick.

So why isn't it---successful, I mean. Well, because the whole thing is so slow, dark, and dour. This is absolutely, positively NOT a children's movie. It's far too terrifying for tots. At the same time, it won't appeal all that much more to adults, either, considering how slow-paced and bizarre the whole thing is. Director/writer Walter Murch doesn't seem to know exactly who to be wooing in this return to a childhood classic.

While not necessarily needing Return to Oz to be an out-and-out colorful musical like its decades-earlier predecessor, I certainly needed it to be more fun than this movie ended up turning out. I'll give it four stars of credit for being "on the right track" conceptually and conjuring up some fun sidekicks for Dorothy, but overall it is more a curiosity than a great cinematic experience.

There is nothing flashy about director Ron Howard's Cinderella Man. It is a workmanlike biopic that takes the exact right person behind and in front of the camera to make it work. For the first half hour or so, you could be forgiven for being underwhelmed. But if you stick with it all the way through, you'll truly be moved by the end.

For a very basic overview, Cinderella Man tells the story of James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe), a Roaring Twenties pugilist on the verge of a breakout. Alas, the Great Depression changes all that and instead the powerful man is reduced to scattered dock shifts and charity to support wife Mae (Renee Zellweger) and their three children. But just when things seem to be at their worst, Jim's manager Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti) gets him a one-in-a-million opportunity to fight again. That opportunity provides Braddock a chance to get back on his feet---and become an inspiration to a down-but-not-out nation. Will it take him all the way to heavyweight champion Max Baer (Craig Birko)?

Cinderella Man primarily works because this is "peak Russell Crowe" era (coming on the heels of classics such as Gladiator & A Beautiful Mind). The story being so simple, it takes an actor with extreme likability and charm---both of which Crowe had oozing from every pore at this time. The entire endeavor hinges on the viewer absolutely, positively being able to root for Braddock with no compunctions and Crowe is more than up to the task.

It also helps to have the steady directorial hand-and-eye of Howard behind the camera. This is a story best portrayed without a lot of editorial content, and Howard's style is perfect for that kind of picture. He knows exactly how to build character compassion and throw in little bits of relatability along the way. A lesser or more obtuse director may have mussed that mix.

After seeing Cinderella Man originally quite close to its 2005 debut, I remember thinking it "just okay". As such, I was surprised at how high my re-appraisal of it was during this 20th anniversary re-watch. Sure, it may outwardly appeal to boxing fans, but there's enough character work here to render it enjoyable to any audience looking for a touching human interest biopic to be inspired by.

The first 40 minutes of Jack Frost are about as magnificent as you'll find in a holiday flick. Director Troy Miller has audiences seemingly set up for an all-time classic. The problem? There's still an hour of runtime, and in that span most of the goodwill leaks out of the film like air out of a faulty balloon.

For a very basic overview, Jack Frost tells the story of young Charlie Frost (Joseph Cross), whose father Jack (Michael Keaton) is killed in a tragic accident one Christmas Eve. A year later, still trying to emotionally recover with mother Gabby (Kelly Preston), Charlie makes a Christmas wish and gets his father back---in the form of anthropomorphic snowman!

The setup of Jack Frost is so strong as to make you think "this is going to be incredible!". Keaton plays the wise-cracking, cool guy musician Dad perfectly and Charlie's world of school let-out, snowball fights, and hockey practice/games resonates with audiences old and young. The "one year later" time jump is also unique and again seemingly telegraphs an emotional journey for the Frost family. At about the 40 minute mark, I was as invested in this holiday flick as any other I've ever seen.

Alas, the final hour is a mess. As soon as Snowman Keaton emerges, it's almost as if writers Mark Steven Johnson, Steve Bloom, & Jonathan Roberts lose the thread of what the movie is all about. For example: the scene where Charlie realizes he has the essence of his father back is immediately followed up with---zero emotion and an instant transition into a comic snowball fight. The rest of Jack Frost plays out similarly. Every time the father-and-son bond---or continued grief from Preston's mother character---needs to be referenced, it falls almost unimaginably flat. The whole piece descends into a slapstick, bad-special-effects piece that harbors none of the goodwill or promise of the setup. Even an emotional denouement is far too little and too late to hoist the proceedings back up again.

As such, I have to settle on a "just okay" 6/10 star rating for Jack Frost. I've watched this film multiple times over the course of my life and every time I think "why do I have this rated only 6-stars?!"---especially after the early acts. But each time, by the end I realize EXACTLY why, as the movie so badly and inexplicably loses itself as it tries to transition from reality to the magical realm.