MOVIE: Wicked (2024)

by benmweilertNo Comments
WickedYear: 2024Rating: PGLength: 160 minutes / 2.67 hours When one looks back on all the stories that have come out that try to paint the villains of classic, well-known books as misunderstood, I think the original book for Wicked is what started this trend. Now, 30 years later, the first half of this redemption arc comes to the big screen with Wicked (2024). Having only read the original Baum book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and seen the Wizard of Oz (1939) Judy Garland movie, I came into this with unbiased eyes that didn’t know the context of the book or the musical that inspired this film adaptation. Casting-wise, the three leads of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), Galinda (Ariana Grande), and Oz (Jeff Goldblum) were great choices for a variety of reasons—mainly that the two witches knew how to sing. The songs themselves were mostly memorable, even if the only ones that stuck were the ones drilled into every piece of advertising for...
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BOOK: Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz (1908)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Dorothy and the Wizard in OzYear: 1908Author: L. Frank BaumLength: 148 pages I appreciate that by the fourth entry in the Wizard of Oz series that most of the story beats have become mostly formulaic but that the interesting parts are more about which characters are with Dorothy for the adventure. This way, there are elements of the familiar combined with the newness of different character interactions. In this iteration, we get to see more of the titular Wizard of Oz, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the end of the first book. You have to appreciate how Baum keeps having Dorothy transition to a new world through natural disasters in our own (almost Narnia-like). This time, she’s caught up in an earthquake that puts her in contact with strange creatures. Again, nothing new here. Once the Wizard shows up, it’s fun to see him interact with these fantastical beings since readers of the first book know he’s mostly just...
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