Geek of Oz

Scarlett Johansson reprises her role as Natasha/Black Widow in Marvel Studios’ action-packed spy thriller “Black Widow”—the first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Florence Pugh stars as Yelena, David Harbour as Alexei aka The Red Guardian and Rachel Weisz as Melina. Directed by Cate Shortland and produced by Kevin Feige. Black Widow hits Australian cinemas on April 30, 2020

It's hard not to acknowledge Tim Burton's foray into Disney's Wonderland as the financier of Sam Raimi's Oz the Great and Powerful. After pulling in a cool billion worldwide, it makes good business sense for The House of Mouse to keep that CGI ball rolling. Oscar Diggs (James Franco), affectionately known as Oz is a small time carnival flim-flam man come magician. Travelling from town to town he courts many a small town girl, much to the chagrin of his faithful sidekick Frank (Zach Braff). Everything changes when he and his hot air balloon are caught in a twister and transported to the land of Oz. This is where the adventure begins.

It’s been ten years since The Bourne Identity and it still stands as a fascinating piece of action film making. It achieved a marriage of compelling character drama with truly thrilling action. Think back to some of the more iconic scenes such as the Mini Cooper chase sequence through the narrow streets of Paris, Jason Bourne evading soldiers in the American embassy or the rooftop fight scene in Morocco. The signature features of the trilogy were the lightning quick editing, brutal hand-to-hand combat scenes and the aforementioned “on location” settings around the world. Add to that the immediate like-ability of Matt Damon as the lethal but affable protagonist and you have a winning combination. Jason Bourne wasn’t the bulky action hero of the 80s or the gun-toting cowboy of the 90s – he was the new and improved special agent, a man who uses his head more often than his fists. In a post 9/11 world he was the character the western world wanted, the result of which is a very entertai...

Directed by Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Spider-Man) and produced by Joe Roth (Alice in Wonderland, Snow White and the Huntsman), Oz the Great and Powerful is shaping up to be a film of undeniable pedigree. Add to the mix a smattering of todays hottest young actors and you've got yourself what will undoubtedly be an epic fantasy film. Acting as a prequel to Frank L. Baum's original text, Oz the Great and Powerful tells the story of how Oz (James Franco) arrived in a magical land, became known to Glinda (Michelle Williams), Theodora (Mila Kunis) and Evanora (Rachel Weisz) before eventually ruling one the entire land of OZ! Check out the trailer after the jump!