Films You Have Watched

[Dogg Thang]

Back from Nosferatu. It would have been just 90 minutes long if the Orlok dialogue hadn’t been delivered in that ridiculous slow voice. Some of it looked good but I did not care for the movie at all. Could be edited into a good 4 minute heavy metal video.

[QualityChimp]

I guess the moral of the story is that even if you're old, rancid, rotting and ugly, you can easily hook up with hot chicks, even married ones if you've got cash and status.

Was looking for something to watch with my daughter on NowTV and saw The Wizard of Oz.
It's hot property at the moment and will deffo watch Wicked when it streams, but realised that I've never actually seen it!
So we put it on and we all really enjoyed it.

I think it's a flawed story and you rush past the fact that most people in it are jerks, but it zips along and there's a classic song only a few minutes away.

Personally, I really enjoyed working out how they did some of the pre-CGI practical effects.
I remember watching "Ready Player One" at the cinema in 3D and thinking the 3D wasn't working at the start, because when we first enter The Oasis, the depth of vision massively expands, and I was thinking about how audiences at the time would've gasped as sepia tone Kansas turns into technicolour Oz.

This shot was achieved by a stunt-double in the sepia tone dress opening the door, then Judy Garland stepping into frame in the colour outfit.



If you wondering how they achieved the snow effect inside a studio, well the answer is simple. They used shredded asbestos...


So, it still manages to be pretty magical all these years later and deserved to be scratched off my bucket list movie poster.

We had time for another movie and I was toying with following up with Return to Oz, but I was listening to the "Scarred For Life" podcast and the guest was Jamie Smart ("Bunny Vs. Monkey") and he listed that as one of his 3 things that scarred him for life, but they talked about it for a bit and it really was one of those movies that was proper messed up. From the opening scene where Dorothy is getting electrocution shock therapy for imagining Oz to the stone king, the Wheelers, the witch that takes her head off, the sentient moose couch, tick-tock all rusted up and so on and so on. So I ditched that idea as I didn't want to traumatise my daughter!

so we watched "Migration" (NowTV) instead and it was pretty decent to be fair.
There's a strong cast and it's always fun recognising voices like David Mitchell as a yoga instructor duck.
Pretty disposable, but nothing to dislike, so perfect fodder to watch with the younger kids.

[Baseley09]

Watched Wicked over the weekend, had seen Cynthia and Ariana acting like a pair of reality departed goblins on the press junkets and musicals deffo aren't in my wheelhouse, had low vibes going in, but was highly entertaining.

For sure you can't get away from people bursting into showtunes that feel more stage than screen, nature of the beast. Great special fx and turns by the lead cast.

[Neon Ignition]

Haven't watched Return to Oz in many moons but it really is a weird approach to a sequel

[QualityChimp]

Haven't watched Return to Oz in many moons but it really is a weird approach to a sequel

I can't find ANY EVIDENCDE online, but when the film came out, there was a promotional tour where they had a lorry with some props from the film, like the stone king's head, that you'd walk through and there were some people there in the Wheelers outfits, which wasn't remotely unsettling to a small child.

[Neon Ignition]

I just looked up the Wiki for the film and it's quite interesting. Apparently the film bombed but still managed to score an Oscar Nomination for its effects - I had no idea but apparently there were 14 Oz books written and amongst its fanbase Return to Oz is considered to be more accurate to the books than Wizard of Oz. I'm actually quite amazed no-one has tried adapting the whole run of books. Apparently the tonal change was intentional as Disney was so concerned about falling foul of MGM and the original.

[Neon Ignition]

About a Boy
Missus was very keen for us to watch the old Hugh Grant film... so yeah...

[wakka]

Yeah there are loads of Oz books. The original book is indeed quite different to the film. Long time since I've read it but I loved it as a kid. There is a lot more to it than the film as I remember it being pretty long.

I just scrolled up and I cannot believe that until the year of our lord 2025 QualityChimp not only hadn't played Skyrim but hadn't seen the Wizard of Oz.

Anything else you need to be checking out as a matter of urgency mate? You seen Jurassic Park yet? Played Mario 64??

I kid I kid

[Dogg Thang]

The thing that blew my mind about the original Oz book is that the Emerald City isn't green. It's white. But visitors are made to put on green glasses when they arrive.

[QualityChimp]

Yeah there are loads of Oz books. The original book is indeed quite different to the film. Long time since I've read it but I loved it as a kid. There is a lot more to it than the film as I remember it being pretty long.

I just scrolled up and I cannot believe that until the year of our lord 2025 QualityChimp not only hadn't played Skyrim but hadn't seen the Wizard of Oz.

Anything else you need to be checking out as a matter of urgency mate? You seen Jurassic Park yet? Played Mario 64??

I kid I kid

Yeah, it's funny how some films just escape your radar. I'd seen Return to Oz a few times, but can't remember the last time the original Wizard of Oz was on telly.
It's so omnipresent, you're aware of it in so many other media. (I laughed at the "I'll miss you most of all scarecrow!" as Family Guy did that then panned to the Tin Man who says "I'm right here!"

I have seen Jurassic Park and Played Mario 64, fear ye not.

This is why I've quite enjoyed having this bucket list movie poster because it's pushing me to find out films to see them for the first time, catch them on the big screen or introduce my son to some classics.

Speaking of which, we watched The Prestige (Prime) together last night.
I think he struggled a bit with who was who, confusing the two main magicians and found myself having to explain the plot "Batman and Wolverine worked together, then Batman did a different knot on Wolverine's wife so she drowned, now Wolverine and Alfred are working together with a new assistant, Black Widow, but Fallon just helps him organise the tricks, whilst both Wolverine and Batman try to ruin each other's tricks and Wolverine finds David Bowie and Gollum to do the ultimate trick using science... Got that?"

I think the film is brilliant with loads of twists - which are reeeeaally obvious when you rewatch it, and is so clever.
I've never been convinced of the science part that takes a step into the realms of science fiction in an otherwise reasonably grounded movie.
It's also best not to overanalyse it as you end up going around in circles.

However, it definitely deserves to be on the poster to be scratched off, even if my son enjoyed Interstellar more.

[wakka]

Yeah, I remember a friend hadn't seen Star Wars when we were about 19 or 20 and when he watched it, he was kind of underwhelmed since he'd seen it played out and parodied so many times (including specifically in the same medium you mention, Family Guy skits). These types of films kind of end up part of the cultural fabric so you think you've seen them even when you haven't. Also, you've probably caught a few minutes here and there over the years since something like Wizard of Oz (or Star Wars) has been broadcast on TV so frequently, so it feels kind of visually familiar in that way too.

[Atticus]

This shot was achieved by a stunt-double in the sepia tone dress opening the door, then Judy Garland stepping into frame in the colour outfit.

That is so cool. Love that.

I never actually saw the film in colour until I was married (wife’s fave film) … I’d only ever seen it at my nana and granddad’s on the b&w telly

[wakka]

Haha oh man that's so funny. I mean, not that you realised at the time, but the colour portion is pretty crucial!

And yeah that GIF QC posted is really cool.

[QualityChimp]

I forgot to mention, but after looking at how they did movie magic in the olden days, my second favourite thing was just watching Toto.

He didn't sing "Africa", but I was cracking up as the main characters would jump into song and dance and he'd happily follow them around with his tail wagging.
I was genuinely missing plot at some points as I was too busy watching Toto.

[Neon Ignition]

The tornado in Wizard of Oz is excellent too.

Reminds me of how this 1937 example always comes up when discussion about excellent effects in old movies comes up:




I found this one too but, maybe it's just me and I'm wrong, but it seems to be incredibly obvious how this shot was achieved...

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