Subject: Oz

Date: Mon Jan 6 14:20:58 2014
User: Denny
Message:
Watched the recent Oz the Great and Powerful with the kids and then the older Wizard of Oz with Dorothy. Kids preferred the newer one. What you think? I would never have wanted to try to follow in the heels of the classic but I gotta say I think they did a nice job with the new one. Denny

Date: Mon Jan 6 14:46:28 2014
User: joeygray
Message:
Didn't even know there was a newer one.

Date: Mon Jan 6 14:52:32 2014
User: hotnurse
Message:
I liked the newer one too. I have always thought that the original was a bit spooky...so did my two boys when they were young. I still get a little creeped out when I watch the flying monkeys and all those little people with squeaky voices.

Date: Mon Jan 6 16:39:33 2014
User: billyh
Message:
I avoid remakes. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was a disaster compared to the Alex Guinness mini-series and Hit Man which was supposed to be an updated Get Carter are 2 examples of a waste of time.

Date: Mon Jan 6 18:03:51 2014
User: Denny
Message:
Some remakes are darn good. True Grit comes to mind. I recall thinking "A Perfect Murder" which was a remake of "Dial M for Murder" was fun. Denny

Date: Mon Jan 6 19:00:25 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:
Willie Wonka/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were both excellent. Thomas Crown Affair -- both very good, though I like the way the first one spent time exploring Boston. Nosferatu the Vampyre was good both times through. The Bird Cage/La Cage aux Folles were also quite good. King Kong remade was, in some ways, better than the first. The remake of Little Shop of Horrors totally blew away the first one. Likewise, the remake of The Fly was much better. I'm torn on Hairspray -- the John Waters version was so bizarre and the remake was basically just campy. Casino Royale the second was awesome. It's pretty easy to make a list of remakes that sucked.

Date: Mon Jan 6 21:05:28 2014
User: Klepp
Message:
Scorsese, De Niro, et al. remade Cape Fear quite well, in my opinion.

Date: Mon Jan 6 22:53:07 2014
User: arachne8
Message:
I'm old, work in a theater and have seen both. I liked the old one for several reasons: First, the character in the new one was not very nice. I never really warmed up to him. Second, the special effects in the first one was amazing for the 1930's, especially since they did not have the technology we have today. A lot more creativity went into the making of the first one and it was a much better story. Good characters, good actors and great music. The first one hands down. It was great entertainment.

Date: Tue Jan 7 02:55:18 2014
User: ddoss
Message:
Well, I like both films, but they tell different stories. And, I think they both work on their own merits. The newer one tells how the Wizard got to Oz. Franco, as the Wizard, was a lot of fun, as well as the two wicked sisters. This version explains a lot of what goes on in the older version. Yes, the older version was a bit darker and scarier. That is why it was not a success when it first came out. It only became the classic it is now years later when Judy made "Over the Rainbow" such a bit hit during WWII.

Date: Tue Jan 7 03:23:09 2014
User: joeygray
Message:
Uh, yeah it was pretty much a success from the get go. Critical acclaim, strong showing at the Oscars, it even made money on release despite its enormous budget. Of course the annual TV showings elevated it to its legendary status, but it was always well regarded.

Date: Tue Jan 7 12:19:36 2014
User: MaryMary
Message:
Yes, I have seen both recently / since the new OZ (OZ The Great and Powerful) is NOT a remake, but a prequel, trying to compare them is the proverbial apples to oranges. Both are wonderful movies, and the new OZ movie has an excellent story line, great actors/acting and special effects, and definitely is an effective "lead-in" story for the 1939 classic.

Date: Tue Jan 7 15:08:21 2014
User: Seamunky
Message:
I liked Return to OZ which was another take on the story ~ cool and creepy

Date: Tue Jan 7 15:37:27 2014
User: kdobbins15228
Message:
I love the original. The prequel is very good, but not a classic. While it's not a movie, the play 'Wicked' is fabulous.

Date: Tue Jan 7 17:46:53 2014
User: timprkr
Message:
Apples and oranges. The special effects in the 1939 version are laughable when compared to today but who would prefer a 39 Ford to a 2014 Mustang? The first Wizard of Oz launched Judy Garland's career and she is magnificent in the film. For that alone it is worth watching. As to it being creepy - that's the whole point. It is supposed to be creepy.

Date: Thu Jan 9 21:51:23 2014
User: trekker
Message:
I agree the original was a classic, but the new one was very good as well. As a fan of "That Seventies Show" I am stunned by how good Mila Kunis is in the Oz movie. She was just average in the TV show, but has really blossomed, both physically and as an actress.

Date: Thu Jan 9 22:48:43 2014
User: joeygray
Message:
>> special effects in the 1939 version are laughable when compared to today Obviously I'm a big fan of the original. IMO its special effects are far from laughable, and it's amazing how well they've held up over the 75 years, especially the tornado and the skywriting scenes. (I admit the good witch's travel ball is completely cheesy.) Basically the special effects stood unmatched, with maybe a couple isolated exceptions from the likes of Harryhousen, until ILM / Star Wars was shot nearly 40 years later.

Date: Fri Jan 10 14:17:40 2014
User: paqman
Message:
It's been touched on by some, in separate posts: one is the prequel, the other was not. So, they can't be fairly compared in that sense. For me, however, the MAJOR difference is musical versus non-musical. The songs, alone, make 'The Wizard of Oz' a COMPLETELY different genre of movie, IMHO. I just wish the 3-D copy of the original had been good. It was blurry through most of my showing. I did notice more detail I had NEVER noticed in all my previous viewings. Just good to see it on the big screen, where it belongs.

Date: Fri Jan 10 19:06:13 2014
User: bil
Message:
liked both but I also liked "The Tin Man" mini-series that the SyFy channel showed

Link: The Tin Man