Tuesday Releases: Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters & Oz The Great and Powerful

JUNE 11TH, 2013

SNITCH // Hollywood loves Dwayne Johnson right now. With four or more films starring the professional wrestler set to release this year, there’s no denying he’s an action star draw, but who knew he had a passionate, emotional side? Sure, some of the lighter portions of “Snitch” are stiff and unconvincing, especially when Johnson is made to console the females in his life, but otherwise, Johnson as an overprotective father is completely on par and believable. The plot of “Snitch” follows John Matthews (Johnson) as he attempts to set up big time drug dealers to get his son out of jail making a stupid mistake. The based on a true story takes hold with titles at the end telling the true life laws of minimum sentencing. The downside to “Snitch” is how easy getting to the top of the drug dealer food chain is. The upside is getting to see above average performances by both the underrated Barry Pepper and the future star in Jon Bernthal of “The Walking Dead”. Both men steal the show. Johnson’s performance is fine and often warrants awe with his broad shoulders and large stature, but trying to domesticate him with dress shirts or a baseball cap just doesn’t do the trick, often leaving you unconvinced. The action picks up nicely towards the end of the film and the story eventually draws you in enough to care how everyone will end up, including the pivotal moments where John faces his son again. The conclusion is left rather open, leaving a sour note with tons of questions, but overall “Snitch” is an above average dramatic thriller with some key performances from its supporting cast.

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HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS // While partaking in “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” I had a few revelations. For starters, there are not enough R rated fantasy films being made. As tawdry as this film could sometimes come off, there was enough blood, nudity, and violence to satisfy in the most menial but effective ways. Also, the use of actuals for the creature the Troll was a nice addition and proves that actual effects still outweigh CGI in quality. Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton are beyond talented, which helps keep this fantasy film from falling off the deep end. Arterton is as gorgeous as always, nabbing the spotlight in all of her scenes, while Renner keeps his role grounded and commands most of his fast-paced action sequences. Allowing the film some self-awareness, with characters often speaking for the audience (“you’ve got to be f***ing kidding me”), keeps this film from becoming too serious. And an intense score from Hans Zimmer gives the film some class. Obviously this is a film about a fairytale, but to completely spin it into a killer, adult-oriented action film, and do so effectively was quite the risk and to me it pays off. And at a run-time of 88 minutes, who can complain with an action film that picks up and never lets go?

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OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL // Aimed more at the younger generation, “Oz The Great and Powerful” lacks the humor and sophisticated nature that makes a film “fun for all ages”. The visuals are incredible and the females are attractive, but apart from that, the adventure relies heavily on notions that are not entirely interesting. Basically your run-of-the-mill prequel, setting up story and building to the characters and situations we know from the original “Wizard Of Oz”, had the plot not been completely paper thin, with all twists telegraphed (even in the marketing), this could have been absolutely amazing instead of just another Disney movie. James Franco makes this “his” Wizard of Oz, adding to the whimsical disposition of the entire plot. Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, and Rachel Weisz all look their parts, but fall short of being anything substantial. With repetitive dialogue, in that Franco’s character says “I’m not a wizard” what feels like one hundred times and too similar a plot to “Alice In Wonderland”, I really question where this film came from and how much of a backlash it could receive for not setting new standards to the original. Even though we probably won’t look back at this as a classic, it is still entertaining on the most basic of levels.