Welcome to the very last ever What Classics Did You Watch Last Week thread. If you don't already know what to do by now, it's probably too late to learn.
You know who else was just following orders? HITLER!
The Thoughts That Once We Had (Thom Andersen, 2015) 5/10
[movie clip show interrupted by quotes, cinema essay]
J'ai rencontré le Père Noël / I Believe in Santa Claus (Christian Gion, 1984) (w/ Rifftrax commentary) 4/10
[French colonial propaganda Christmas musical for children]
La guerre du feu / Quest for Fire (Jean-Jacques Annaud, 1981) (2nd viewing) 8-/10 (from 6)
[prehistoric adventure, sci-fi survival movie, interracial romance]
Manchester by the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan, 2016) 8-/10
[actor in a leading role academy award winner]
Going My Home (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2012)
[down-to-earth soap opera/sitcom/"home drama" = Kore-eda family drama lite]
Episode 6: "Ryota Hits Upon a Bad Plan" 7/10
Episode 7: "Just What is a 'Hometown' to You?" 7/10
Bill Burr: Walk Your Way Out (Jay Karas, 2017) 7/10
[standup comedy show]
A Colour Box (Len Lye, 1935) 6+/10
A Colour Box (Len Lye, 1935) (2nd viewing) 6+/10
A Colour Box (Len Lye, 1935) (3rd viewing) 6+/10
[abstract animation short]
Dawn of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1978) (3+rd viewing) 6/10 (from 7)
[post-apocalyptic logically impaired low budget action drama]
RiffTrax short: Perc! Pop! Sprinkle! (1969) 3/10
[(un)educational film]
Arnulf Rainer (1960) & Antiphon (2012) projected side-by-side (Peter Kubelka, 2014) -/10
Austrian avant-garde filmmaker Peter Kubelka's 'Arnulf Rainer' is, as he says, "storyless, color- and image-free". The seminal structural film is stripped of all content to create what is probably the most minimalist work that can still be rightfully called a film, as it marries picture and sound by means of being either "picture on" or "picture off" and "sound on" or "sound off". So during any given moment (frame) the film is in one of four possible modes:
-) white frame, no sound
-) white frame, white noise
-) black frame, no sound
-) black frame, white noise
Those limited means are all Kubelka allows himself to work with in order to create excitement, anticipation, surprise, humor and many other things that cinema is capable of evoking in a viewer. ''Arnulf Rainer' works with its unpredictability, when for example after a passage of rapid flicker a long passage follows that only uses black frames, one waits for the flicker to kick in again. Or when after a long passage in which the sound is perfectly in sync with the flicker (e.g. consistently alternating between white frame + noise and black frame + silence) it creates disorientation when suddenly this pattern is subverted.
The analog nature of film and film projection adds another unpredictable component, for no frame is truly monochromatically white, instead what you might see are blemishes on the film stock or discolorations on the screen. Nor is any moment of white noise truly identical to another, neither on the filmstrip itself nor the way they come out of the speakers. In physical reality and in your perception of it alike, none of the film's four modes ever is identical to the same mode. On the screen and in the room each moment reverberates, light from a white frame bleeds into the next black frames and the sound waves echo in the room. On your senses they leave residues behind, momentarily blinding you with the screen's light or making your ears ring from the noise for the next few seconds.
Taken as just an object in itself 'Arnulf Rainer' seems to do very little, but this exactly is its strength. Certainly it is a film more interesting to talk about than it is watching it, but this shouldn't devalue it. It is more to be seen as a provocation that ultimately poses the question: "What is film?" A simple question with many answers. What is film but sound and picture. By having set out to make a film that limits it to ONE sound and ONE picture (or their absence) Kubelka created a study of the medium of film and our understanding of it that still hasn't ended today. Not without reason has Kubelka made very few films but has been giving countless lectures that are as much about human perception and senses as they are about film, and continues to give them to this day.
In 2012 Kubelka released a "negative" version of 'Arnulf Rainer' titled 'Antiphon'. All the black frames are now white frames, parts that were noise are now silent, and so on. Kubelka truly puts the experimental into "experimental film" when at screenings/lectures he shows the two films in a variety of ways, including next to each other on the same screen or even superimposed on top of each other. Superimposed do the two films simply cancel each other out, creating one constant picture and one constant sound? I can't answer this question, you'll have to attend a screening and witness it for yourself.
Notable Online Media:
[top 2:]
How to Direct like David Fincher - Visual Style Breakdown
Donald Trump Doesn't Understand Citizen Kane - Renegade Cut
[rest:]
A.O. Scott, "Better Living Through Criticism" [half]
Movie Science: Arrival
The Dark Knight: Visual Echoes
Scenes with a Live Audience - Fun Edit
Why I Left the Left
Do I have ADHD?
Trump vs. Bernie in the First Ever @midnight Presidential Debate [third]
Sean Spicer Press Conference (Melissa McCarthy) - SNL
Heidi - Japanese Version
Heidi Theme in German [billionth viewing]
my surviving Xtranormal films
a lot of Bombay TV films
- just another film blog -
http://perception-de-ambiguity.tumblr.com
Ended it with a warhorse.
The Grapes of Wrath (1940) - John Ford - 9/10 - Yes
jj
Wow! My very last reviews on the WCDYWTW thread. Hard to believe but it's been a great run. I have to give a big shout out to DFC who began the thread originally before turning the reins over to Zetes. Both men did an outstanding job of maintaining the thread and I'm proud to say both of them have crossed over from CFB pals to genuine friends outside the IMDb (I've even met one of them). Thank you to all who read the reviews and gave constructive feedback, both positive and negative, through the years. A special thanks to lqualls-dchin and rcocean, both of who have been consistent in their support week after week. To all you terrific contributors to this weekly thread, an oasis of civilization in the CFB desert, thank you for your contributions. I've learned a lot and discovered a lot of gems from you guys. Thank you to those who have contacted me via PM re my meager contributions and given me their contact information. You'll be hearing from me. And now on to the movies!
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
When a tornado rages over the Kansas landscape, a young girl (Judy Garland) and her dog are carried off in their house and when it lands, it's in a strange and colorful land called Oz. But how to get back home? Glinda (Billie Burke), the good witch, suggests visiting the wizard of Oz in the Emerald city and it's down the yellow brick road to see the wizard. Well, what can one say that hasn't already been said about one of the most beloved film classics of all time? It's seeped into our collective consciousness and pop culture. Well, I hate to be the spoilsport but I'm just not enamored of the film as most people. It's got a genial sweetness to it and Judy Garland alone should be reason to watch the film (and she is). Her rendition of Over The Rainbow is one of the great movie moments of all time. But I find its message of "there's no place like home" disturbing. Who'd want to go back to Kansas after they've been to Oz? But thematically the film suggests that everything we need is "home" and there's no need to go out into the world and seek adventure or anything else. Hmmm ..... But perhaps I'm projecting something into the film that was never intended but I'm dubious. The hummable songs are by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. With Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Margaret Hamilton, Jack Haley and Frank Morgan.
June Moon (1949)
A young lyricist (Jack Lemmon) meets a young dental assistant (Eva Marie Saint) on a train going to New York and is instantly smitten with her. But as he gets pulled into the Manhattan nightlife by the gold digging sister in law (Jean Carson) of his writing partner (Edward Andrews), he loses his way. Based on the 1929 Broadway play by George S. Kaufman and Ring Lardner, this version performed live in the early days of television is most notable for seeing the pre-stardom Lemmon and Saint at such an early stage of their careers. Neither had yet made their feature film debut and although their star quality hadn't manifested itself yet, they're an attractive and engaging pair. As for the piece itself, in spite of its happy ending, there's an underlying thread of acrimony running through it, a sense of dissatisfaction among its characters. Directed by Walter Hart. With Glenda Farrell, David Opatoshu and Joshua Shelley.
David And Bathsheba (1951)
The King of Israel (Gregory Peck) lusts after the wife (Susan Hayward) of one of his soldiers (Kieron Moore). They begin an adulterous affair but God will have none of it so he sends a drought upon Israel. Directed by Henry King (Song Of Bernadette), this is a rather ponderous affair. It plays it straight and seriously when what it really needs is some good old fashioned DeMille vulgarity! The closest it ever comes to that is Gwen Verdon in dark Egyptian make up doing a bump and grind in front of the King. Peck and Hayward are the real deal when it comes to star wattage but star power can do only so much and they're not able to kick some life into this sanctimonious tale. By the time the movie reaches its conclusion and psalm 23 ("the Lord is my shepherd") is set to Alfred Newman's music as Peck and Hayward walk nobly to the rain, you just might be ready to toss your cookies! Unlike its biblical counterpart, the screenwriters make Bathsheba a deliberate temptress luring David rather than the victim of his lust. But audiences ate this stuff up and the film was a big hit. With Raymond Massey, Jayne Meadows, James Robertson Justice, John Sutton and George Zucco.
The Mad Magician (1954)
Set in the late 1800s, a magician and master of disguise (Vincent Price) has his new show canceled when his employer (Donald Randolph) has him served with an injunction. Their contract states that all new works and inventions by the magician are owned by the company. It isn't long before the employer mysteriously "disappears" and it won't be the last death! Directed by John Brahm (1944's The Lodger), this was Price's third foray into 3D following House Of Wax and Dangerous Mission. The plot is basically a rehash of Wax but shot in B&W instead of color and without much style. The main problem I had with it is that I found Price's character enormously sympathetic for a villain and some of the supporting characters like the snooping landlady (Lenita Lane) who helps solve the mystery quite annoying. When you find yourself rooting for the bad guy (I wasn't rooting for Price in House Of Wax), clearly something is awry. Which doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. At 1 hour and 13 minutes, it's too brief to wear out its welcome and there's a nice supporting performance by Eva Gabor as Price's conniving ex-wife. With Mary Murphy, Patrick O'Neal, John Emery, Jay Novello and Corey Allen.
Subway In The Sky (1959)
Set in Berlin, a military doctor (Van Johnson) is suspected of drug peddling and murder. He escapes from the military police and sneaks into his wife's (Katherine Kath) apartment since she is the only one who can prove his innocence. Instead, he finds his wife gone and a nightclub chanteuse (Hildegard Knef) living there instead. Based on the play by Ian Main by way of the novel by Bruce Birch and directed by Muriel Box (Rattle Of A Simple Man). For a rather stage bound thriller, the majority of the film takes place in a penthouse apartment, this is pleasantly entertaining. It's rather easy to identify the real killer and most of the suspense comes from whether the police will catch an innocent man before he can prove his innocence. The real murderer is a real twisted piece of work and there's one last shocking killing. All in all, a pedestrian piece of film making but who says it has to be great to be enjoyable? Johnson is serviceable but it's Knef who takes over the film and she even gets to sing! With Cec Linder, Vivian Matalon, Albert Lieven and Edward Judd.
Otto E Mezzo (aka 8 1/2) (1963)
An internationally renowned Italian film director (Marcello Mastroianni) finds himself with a frightening form of director's block. He's paralyzed with doubts and as costs mount on an elaborate film he's set to direct, he has no script! There's a saying that you don't know what you have until you don't have it anymore. When I was younger and attended every new Fellini that opened with anticipation, I don't think I appreciated the enormity of his contribution to cinema. He's been gone for over 20 years now and revisiting 8 1/2, I was astounded by his imagination and creativity. There has never been another director quite like him and when one uses the term "Fellini-esque", one instantly knows what is being referenced. The visuals alone (the B&W cinematography is by Gianni Di Venanzo) justify watching the film but Fellini offers a complex examination of an artist on the brink of artistic bankruptcy. He doesn't give the film's protagonist or us a solution but he does tie the director's inability to create with his flaws and limitations as a human being. A highly influential film on many directors including Woody Allen, Francois Truffaut and Bob Fosse. The massive cast includes Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimee, Barbara Steele, Sandra Milo, Rossella Falk, Madeleine LeBeau and Eddra Gale.
Petulia (1968)
An eccentric socialite (Julie Christie), who's married, stumbles into the life of a divorced doctor (George C. Scott) and attempts to pull him out of his shell. Set in San Francisco at the end of the 60s, Richard Lester (A Hard Day's Night) takes what appears at first to be an updated screwball comedy and plunges quickly into something darker. Christie's Petulia is a victim of domestic abuse and married to a psychotic (Richard Chamberlain), who may be a repressed homosexual, while Scott's Archie is shut off from his feelings. It's clear from the beginning that they're all wrong for each other but their emotional pain is so great that perhaps they can comfort each other. Lester and his cinematographer Nicholas Roeg and editor Antony Gibbs give us a fragmented puzzle as broken as its protagonists as it flash backs and flash forwards until its painfully poignant last shot. Its look and style may date it but its foundation is solid. One of the best films of its decade. The haunting score is by John Barry. With Shirley Knight, Joseph Cotten, Arthur Hill, Kathleen Widdoes, Pippa Scott, Rene Auberjonois, Austin Pendelton and Janis Joplin.
The Wild Party (1975)
Set in the 1920s, a once popular silent film comedian (James Coco) throws a lavish party to showcase his comeback movie and invites the Hollywood elite as well as the hangers on. But the party slowly descends into an evening of debauchery and eventual tragedy. Loosely based on the epic 1928 book length narrative poem by Joseph Moncure March, the film invites comparison to the Fatty Arbuckle scandal especially with the casting of the rotund Coco in the lead role. This is an odd little film. Directed by James Ivory (Howards End), not only is the rhyming spoken narrative unusual but there's so much dancing and singing that the film is a borderline musical. It looks smashing but the screenplay by Walter Marks is so poorly constructed that it's hard to imagine how the film could have worked. Coco's character is so inconsistent that he makes no sense and no explanation or backstory is offered to clear it up or give reasons. It's a pity the film isn't better because it contains a very good performance by Raquel Welch as Coco's mistress. She's quite vulnerable and touching as the faithful girlfriend who withstands the constant and erratic abuse dished out to her. With Perry King, David Dukes, Tiffany Bolling, Royal Dano and Bobo Lewis.
Storyville (1992)
The lawyer son (James Spader) of a powerful Louisiana family is a rising political figure in the state. But a night of sexual games with a Vietnamese prostitute (Charlotte Lewis) not only puts his political career in jeopardy but spirals into blackmail and murder. In the South, it's said that the past is never dead and here, its fingers are far reaching. Based on the novel Juryman by Frank Galbally and Robert Macklin and directed by Mark Frost, the co-creator and writer of Twin Peaks with David Lynch. It's an uneven film to be sure but overall, I found it a rather engrossing potboiler. I suspect it's inherent in the novel (which I haven't read) but the actions of Spader's character seem illogical and very stupid for someone aiming for a political career. Sure, there are a proliferation of sex scandals in politics every year but Spader's actions seem so self destructive for someone who appears to have a solid head on his shoulders as well as a moral backbone. If you can get past that then you might enjoy the murder mystery aspect of the film including an extremely well done courtroom shoot out. There's an evocative underscore by Carter Burwell. The cast includes Jason Robards, Piper Laurie, Joanne Whalley, Michael Parks, Steve Forrest, Woody Strode and Michael Warren.
Rat Race (2001)
A Las Vegas casino tycoon (John Cleese) stashes two million dollars in a locker in Silver Springs, New Mexico. He then randomly selects a handful of people and gives them each a key to the locker. The first to get there gets the two million. Sounds easy, doesn't it but the impediments and obstacles in getting there are anything but easy! Directed by Jerry Zucker (Airplane!), the film comes off as a homage to It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World. The premise is the same, a group of greedy people willing to do anything to get rich but whereas the Stanley Kramer film remained cynical and mean spirited to the very end, Rat Race goes all sappy and sentimental on us. But up until then, it's quite funny if politically incorrect in its humor (lesbians, Jews and PETA are likely to be offended and pedophile jokes? Really?) But the cast which is heavily cast with comic actors are up for it and if you're a fan of those everyone running around hysterically in a frenzy movies like Mad World, 1941 or Russians Are Coming then you should find much to like here. If you're not, it's just as well you pass it up. The large cast includes Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., Rowan Atkinson, Kathy Bates, Seth Green, Jon Lovitz, Kathy Najimy, Wayne Knight, Dean Cain, Amy Smart, Breckin Meyer, Lanai Chapman and Gloria Allred.
I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
An unfinished manuscript by the American writer James Baldwin (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) reflects on racism in America while reminiscing not only on his own life but his friendships with slain African American civil rights leaders Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Medgar Evers. I'm often leery of documentaries because their film makers have an agenda (which is perfectly fine) but too often manipulate images to suit their agenda or set up situations that will accommodate their viewpoint (don't get me started on Michael Moore!). Raoul Peck's powerful documentary stands out because the words are those of Baldwin, not the film maker and the images are irrefutable (no re-enactments here), disturbing as they are. In 2017, as we see the last stand of a white patriarchal power trying to turn the clock back, Raoul Peck's film is more relevant than ever. My only quibble is minor and that is that some of the movie clips used are out of context and make no sense. I mean is Doris Day swooning over Rock Hudson really the face of racism? But stuff like that constitutes seconds and what Peck has done bringing Baldwin's powerful and unfettered words makes us realize that we're stepping backward. Highly recommended.
In ancient Egypt, cats were worshipped as gods. They have never forgotten this
Ah Addison. you've finally seen my only moments on the big screen. Hint: I am throwing a pie at a man wearing a big dress and wig.
Best wishes for your future endeavors! Over and out.
Though MGM has a big reputation for its "literate" output (Irving Thalberg was big believer in the "great books" approach), it should be said that the MGM machine tended to mangle the source material more than it tried for an approximation. THE WIZARD OF OZ is an example: though the sets and costumes are pretty spectacular, the story is domesticated in typical MGM fashion. It should be said that THE WIZARD OF OZ is one of those movies made by committee (in spite of the credits), with an assembly line of directors providing the material to be edited together. (The "Over the Rainbow" sequence was directed by King Vidor, who was always proud of that fact.) This is also the movie where a star is born: Judy Garland had shown her potential in bits and pieces in small roles in BROADWAY MELODY OF 1938 and LOVE FINDS ANDY HARDY, but here she carries the movie, though Margaret Hamilton, Bert Lahr and Ray Bolger provide stellar support.
A lot of the biblical epics of the 1950s are almost unwatchable now. It's hard to know how to take them, because they're usually ponderous and so sobersided. And DAVID AND BATHSHEBA is a case in point. But Gregory Peck and Susan Hayward really are movie stars, and that's obvious here.
I've never seen THE MAD MAGICIAN in 3D, but i can't imagine that it would be much better. It's unusual because it's kind of a drab movie (that's why when i found out it had been done in 3D i was surprised), but Vincent Price soldiers on and is able to give a performance in spite of the material.
SUBWAY IN THE SKY has a derivative feel to it: by 1959, there were so many international thrillers (often set in some "exotic" city) that this one couldn't help but seem a rather pale imitation. By the 1950s, a lot of American movie stars were making films in Europe; Van Johnson had already gone the British route in 23 PACES TO BAKER STREET but he's not quite the right actor for international intrigue. However, Hildegarde Knef had already been in a number of these international thrillers, such as DIPLOMATIC COURIER and THE MAN BETWEEN, she was quite effective in those films and she's good here.
Yes, it is hard to remember just what an original Fellini was, because his influence has been so ubiquitous. But the experience of seeing 8 1/2 on its original release was (as they used to say) mind-blowing. And talk about dazzling: few black-and-white films have been so magical. Of course, the title refers to the fact that (according to Fellini) this was his eighth (and a half) feature film. (The previous seven were: VARIETY LIGHTS, THE WHITE SHEIK, I VITELLONI, LA STRADA, IL BIDONE, NOTTI DI CABIRIA, LA DOLCE VITA, and Fellini regarded his episode of LOVE IN THE CITY as his half film.) And 8 1/2 cemented Marcello Mastroianni's status as the leading Italian film actor of his generation.
Richard Lester himself considers PETULIA his best movie. It was also one of the films photographed by Nicolas Roeg which showed off the beauty of Julie Christie (the others were FAHRENHEIT 451 and FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD). But PETULIA showed, not just Lester's virtuosity, but his sensitivity to actors, because some people gave just about their best performances in this film: not just Julie Christie, but George C. Scott, Shirley Knight, Richard Chamberlain, Pippa Scott, Kathleen Widdoes.
The Merchant-Ivory films are very erratic; in a lot of cases, the literary material is misunderstood, and there's often a problem with casting, and the films become static. The pictorial aspects just sit there. For me, the problem is a lot of the books being adapted are ones i like (such as Jean Rhys's QUARTET) and the results are hard to recognize. THE WILD PARTY was the source of two separate musicals in the 1990s, neither was satisfying. And the film was always a sad disappointment. It needed more flash and drive. But it's one of the rare instances when Raquel Welch showed she could act.
STORYVILLE was one of those TV "events" which seemed to be all flash with a huge cast, but little narrative center. I remember it because this was the period when James Spader was getting a lot of roles, and he never seemed to be cast properly. But i also remember how big the cast was, and the complications just got out of hand, so that even when people were trying to give good performances, they were defeated by how illogical their characters were.
RAT RACE was fun, and one thing i remember was how wholeheartedly the cast threw themselves into it.
Your comments on I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO are spot-on; though there are so many documentaries now being released, it's rare for a documentary to really have artistic qualities. But Raoul Peck mixes readings of James Baldwin's (unfinished) manuscript with some wonderful footage of various appearances by Baldwin. His intelligence is bracing and it's frighteningly relevant in the current political climate.
Well, if this is your last review on the IMDB boards, it's a good place to end!
I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
An unfinished manuscript by the American writer James Baldwin (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) reflects on racism in America while reminiscing not only on his own life but his friendships with slain African American civil rights leaders Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Medgar Evers. I'm often leery of documentaries because their film makers have an agenda (which is perfectly fine) but too often manipulate images to suit their agenda or set up situations that will accommodate their viewpoint (don't get me started on Michael Moore!). Raoul Peck's powerful documentary stands out because the words are those of Baldwin, not the film maker and the images are irrefutable (no re-enactments here), disturbing as they are. In 2017, as we see the last stand of a white patriarchal power trying to turn the clock back, Raoul Peck's film is more relevant than ever. My only quibble is minor and that is that some of the movie clips used are out of context and make no sense. I mean is Doris Day swooning over Rock Hudson really the face of racism? But stuff like that constitutes seconds and what Peck has done bringing Baldwin's powerful and unfettered words makes us realize that we're stepping backward. Highly recommended.
Much as it pains me (smile emoticon) to say it Addison I must. That is an outstanding capsule review of this Oscar-nominated documentary and you have made me even keener to see this film than I already was.
After the boards have closed, I shall continue to vist your blog site, THE CINEMASCOPE CAT and read your reviews. Please forgive me for giving folk here its address, but I think there are others here who would also like to continue reading your concise, spoiler free capsule reviews, so it might give you more traffic. Please continue to post your reviews on your blog, I will be checking it ever Sunday morning (SA time) and looking out for them.
http://thecinemascopecat.blogspot.co.za/
I am not sorry for most of the things I have said on the CFB over the years (and especially not for drumming up support on other forums for RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY in Ale's 1962 poll - or even for the Hervé Villechaize comparison; which was, I hope funny - it tickled me anyway, and wasn't meeant in a mean-spirited way), and I confess I do find you a bit haughty at times, but I sincerely regret having told you to "stick your olive branch where the sun don't shine". It was a faux pas of massive proportions, and terribly, unforgivably rude. 'Course I thought it was funny at the time, but even my beloved longtime friend and mentor Professor Robert Brookes (now suffering from chronic short term memory loss) - the most intelligent man I have ever known, told me it was "unforgivably rude", and there is not much Robert thinks is rude.
Some of Robert's paintings.
http://www.thematrixcc.co.za/gallery/29
So, while I don't expect you to forgive me, I do apologise sincerely for that comment. Take care and be well. You have been a legendary presence on the CFB, and one of the posters who kept me coming back and back.
The Dude abides
(the poster formerly known as Jefferson Cody)
You have been a legendary presence on the CFB, and one of the posters who kept me coming back and back.
Seconded.
"He was a poet, a scholar and a mighty warrior."
Thanks DeWitt. Great reviews as always.
The Wizard Of Oz (1939) I would agree that Garland makes the movie, although I think it would've been a good movie - not a great movie - even if Shirley Temple had been cast. As for Dorothy wanting to go home, she says it in the movie, OZ was a great place but all she wanted to do was get back to her home and family. I mean really, how great was OZ? Lets see: Evil Witches trying to kill you and your dog, fake and incompetent wizards, flying monkeys, trees throwing apples at you, and lions, tigers, and bears? Certainly Emerald city was beautiful, but the whole place was rather dangerous, no?