DWA Seeing The Bright Lights Of 3D Crood Oil Getting Refined! THE CROODS Own Number 1

Wow. Dreamworks Animation's (DWA) THE CROODS is really clubbing the competition this weekend! The family friendly movie is enjoying a massive reaction from fans on its first weekend of release, as OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL slips slightly to third at the box office. Still the two 3D movies are doing remarkably well.

In fact the only other 2013 opening weekend that has been better than OZ was THE CROODS; a great one-two punch for 3D so far this year.

What's up next? How about a little flick starring Bruce Willis, The Rock and Channing Tatum: G.I. JOE: RETALIATION in stunning 3D on March 28.

Here are the top five movies this weekend:
1. THE CROODS - $44,700,000 ($44,700,000 / $107,316,000)
2. OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN - $30,500,000 ($30,500,000 / $30,500,000)
3. OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL - $22,031,000 ($177, 559,000 / $356,359,000)
4. THE CALL - $8,700,000 ($30,904,000 / $30,904,000)
5. ADMISSION - $6,446,000 ($6,446,000 / $6,446,000)

Stat Source: Box Office Mojo

Movie Review: OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL - 9 Stars

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I thoroughly enjoyed OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, much more than I thought I would. You know, James Franco either works or he doesn't work there is little in between and thank goodness he works very well as Raimi's wizard. A good choice in fact. I thought the casting in general was quite well done.

Here's the official storyline:
When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

The 3D is amazing. Right up there with LIFE OF PI, HUGO, THE HOBBIT and AVATAR. Sam Raimi and 3ality Technica sent it soaring. The moment I saw the first trailer with the black and white small screen and the blowing flames I knew that we had the potential of something very good here for 3D. When you use extra black space on the edges it allows you to overplay the 3D when needed - like the flames. And when he widened the shot and brought in color as the balloon emerged from the tornado - pure magic. No wonder Disney was all over this.

I loved, loved Danny Elfman's score throughout this! He deserves to be commended.

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OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL currently sits with $280 million in worldwide box office only 10 days into release. Another 3D blockbuster to say the least.

You really should go see this movie if you haven't already. And bring your family if you have young ones. The finale is especially fun and had me smiling ear to ear. A wonderful story, spectacular scenery and immersion and a satisfying conclusion. Easily 9 stars. Enjoy!

Must Watch: First Clip From Raimi's OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL!

Hmmm. This looks GOOD. Perhaps it's because Franco is not in the scene but this clip looks very, VERY good. Great acting and significant conflict was built up in what, 30 seconds?

This is a Sam Raimi movie after all - we should all know that it's going to be a great time at the cinema. *AND* it's shot in native 3D using 3ality Technica rigs, so the visuals should also be top notch.

Here is the official storyline:
Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot – fame and fortune are his for the taking – that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity – and even a bit of wizardry – Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL opens on March 8. 




via Collider

Check Out New Images From MAN OF STEEL, OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL And DESPICABLE ME 2

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Got some new images for you from upcoming 2013 3D movies, namely MAN OF STEEL, OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL and DESPICABLE ME 2.

I have to say that I think Henry Cavill is an excellent choice of Clark Kent / Superman. I don't know if anyone will ever top Christopher Reeve as the man of steel because he kind of set the bar incredibly high to begin with. But Cavill is certainly believable from everything I've seen thus far.

I think the imagery in Sam Raimi's OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL is indeed great and powerful - and I've noticed a few tricks up his sleeve during the trailers that I think will play out very well in 3D (the B&W to color transition and the extra depth space held in the temporary smaller visual screen size) so I'm anxious to see if those creative touches light up the movie as I think they will.

DESPICABLE ME 2? Well what's not to like really. Love the characters. And those minions are the secret sauce of this franchise - there's more proof in the image!

Out of the three depicted in this post, I'll go with MAN OF STEEL as my most anticipated. More thoughts on upcoming movies are on my short list! Stay tuned.

MAN OF STEEL flies into theaters June 14, OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL opens March 8 and DESPICABLE ME 2 is slated for July 3.

Sources: USA Today

New Character Poster For OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

...And we have Rachel Weisz as the wicked witch from Disney's OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL looking rather menacing.

I am actually looking forward to seeing this native 3D production and I'm not really a fan of the original story. Did I just say that out loud?

Here's the storyline for the movie:
OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL opens on March 8, 2013.

Source: Cine1

New Trailer For Raimi's OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

This trailer looks amazing to me. Visually we could be nearing a masterpiece here and if the comparisons to Disney's other recent magicial 3D trip to another realm, ALICE IN WONDERLAND stay true, then it should be a great trip indeed for us. And for Disney's coffers. 

Here's the storyline for the movie:
Disney's fantastical adventure "Oz The Great and Powerful," directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum's beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot--fame and fortune are his for the taking--that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity--and even a bit of wizardry--Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

Official Site: http://www.disney.com/thewizard

Disney's OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL opens on March 8, 2013.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer...

MUST WATCH: First Trailer For Sam Raimi's OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL!

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Ok - this looks good. I can see myself totally immersed in this thing even though being transported to another world by a tornado seems a bit of a stretch to accomplish. Suspension of disbelief seems to be working here.

Director Sam Raimi seems to have stepped up to the plate swinging with this effort, his first since DRAG ME TO HELL in 2009. Of course most will remember him for THE EVIL DEAD and the first three movies of the Spider-man franchise.

Note in the black and white beginning to the trailer, flames are shooting outside of the camera frame - this is going to really startle some folks as those flames will be coming right at you (in my estimation) - more so than normal. It's an old technique in 3D from the golden years and it looks like the beginning of the movie may have some of these sights gags. The way it works is that those black bars surrounding the movie hold space in reserve expressly for 3D purposes only. When an object moves into those black areas, the off the screen effect is greatly exaggerated. It should be impressive. I expect once the movie turns to color that the 'comin' at ya' moments fade off dramatically and goes for more immersion.

OZ Panel At Comic-Con 2012

You know, I used to find it hard to believe just about any character that James Franco plays, but he seems to be getting better as an actor. I had wondered why he kept getting such great roles in his career despite not having all the chops of some of his contemporaries, but I am pretty much over that now. 127 HOURS was great. He looks good here as Oz too. I think his best days are ahead of him. We'll see!

Here's the movie's storyline:
Disney's fantastical adventure Oz The Great and Powerful, directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot--fame and fortune are his for the taking--that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity--and even a bit of wizardry--Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

Director: Sam Raimi
Writer: Mitchell Kapner
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Cast: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz
Release: March 8, 2013

Website and Mobile site: Disney.com/TheWizard
Follow on Twitter: Twitter.com/DisneyPictures

Love the potential for 3D here. The visuals - especially of the Oz landscape are going to look outstanding! Can't wait to see the results. For all of our OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL coverage, click here.

MUST WATCH: Behind The Scenes Of Sam Raimi's OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL - Plus 3D Production Workflow Info!

3ality Technica Rigs With Red Epic Cameras

Ready for a fresh take on THE WIZARD OF OZ? I am. Well it's really a prequel. Moreover, it looks like Sam Raimi's going to deliver with some new perspectives on the famous characters. Plus, there is no singing and dancing - well very little according to Mila Kunis. In fact, due to licensing restrictions Disney has had to avoid some connections to the original movie, but that could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. I don't have any real interest in a total remake of the first Oz.

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One of the cool things about the movie is that it's being shot in native 3D using Red Epics and 3ality Technica's 3D rigs. If you're interested in a technical and in-depth review of the workflow involved with OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, check out this great read found on 695 Quarterly.

James Franco's Oz takes on three witches played by the aforementioned Mila Kunis joined by Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams.

Says Franco: "This Oz is a little different. You get to see a lot more of who this Oz is. The search for (his heart) is one of the main themes of this movie."

Stereoscopic Monitoring Setup

Here's the movie's official storyline:
Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well. When small-time magician Oscar Diggs (James Franco) pulls one flimflam too many, he finds himself hurled into the fantastical Land of Oz where he must somehow transform himself into the great and powerful Wizard—and just maybe into a better man as well.

I would think that Disney will be revealing more OZ during Comic-Con this week - we'll see. 

OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL opens on March 8, 2013. Click here for all of our coverage of the movie. Click here for the movie's official site.

Check out the behind the scenes ET video:



Original Clip Source: IndieWire
 

First Look: Poster From Sam Raimi's OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

Looks like Sam Raimi is going to land nicely with OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL after his helming of the Spider-man franchise for so long.

The poster looks outstanding. I like the blend of the realistic (a hot air powered balloon) and the fantastic (The Emerald City in the background), the rich colors and lighting. Beautiful.

Want further testament to how gorgeous this movie is going to look? OZ is being shot in native 3D using 3ality Technica's 3D camera rigs! You can expect the best.

The movie stars James Franco (Oz), Mila Kunis (Theodora), Rachel Weisz (Evanora), Michelle Williams (Glinda) and Zach Braff (Finley).

Here's the movie's storyline:
Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

Be prepared for an avalanche of marketing with Comic-Con coming up next week!

OZ: THE GREAT A POWERFUL opens March 8, 2013.

Raimi Signs On For OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL... Is DOWNEY JR. Next?

Sam Raimi has signed on to direct OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL according to Deadline. The movie is actually going to be a prequel to THE WIZARD OF OZ and it will definitely be in 3D.

Robert Downey Jr. is being pursued to play the Wizard of Oz, but it remains to be seen whether he can find the time to fit the production into his schedule with huge films like SHERLOCK HOLMES 2, THE AVENGERS and GRAVITY.

The big question on everyone's mind is can Raimi duplicate what Tim Burton just did with ALICE IN WONDERLAND? Good question. What do you think?