Oz: The Great And Powerful (2013)

 

Oz the Great and Powerful is an upcoming 2013 American fantasy adventure film directed by Sam Raimi. The film is inspired by L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and is set before the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. The film stars James Franco as Oscar Diggs, otherwise known as "The Wizard of Oz". It also stars Mila Kunis as Theodora, Michelle Williams as Glinda, and Rachel Weisz as Evanora. The film will be released by Walt Disney Pictures in traditional 2D, as well as in the Disney Digital 3D, RealD 3D and IMAX 3D formats.

Synopsis:

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.

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 but into a better man as well.  

Additional Notes:

 

Imagines the origins of the Wizard of Oz's wizard, who debuted in author L. Frank Baum's first book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Baum, who wrote 14 novels between 1900-1920, all set in the fantasyland he so vividly created, never fully portrayed the wizard's background. Oz The Great and Powerful is a cinematic prequel to Baum's books.

The fantasy world of Oz The Great and Powerful was brought to life by Academy Award®–winning production designer Robert Stromberg. In all, Stromberg designed 24 full sets plus several partial sets, bringing the total to around 30. Stromberg created such iconic sets as the famed Yellow Brick Road and Emerald City, all freshly designed and imagined, along with such highly anticipated, new designs as the witch's Throne Room, the Whimsie Woods (where Oz meets Theodora), the Dark Forest, which introduces Glinda the good witch in the story, and China Town, whose inhabitants are made up entirely of porcelain.

James Franco, who plays Oscar Diggs (aka Oz), had to learn magic tricks in order to accurately portray his small-time, circus magician character. He came to set two weeks early so he could work with Las Vegas magician Lance Burton. Working every day, Franco learned tricks involving doves and fire as well as how to pull objects out of hats and how to make things levitate.

There are over 3,000 props used in "Oz The Great and Powerful," with 1400 of them manufactured specifically for the film. These do not include the 5000 coins Prop master Russell Bobbitt had made especially to fill Oz's treasure chest. One side of the coin is stamped with an image of the Yellow Brick Road and on the other side there is an image of author L. Frank Baum.

Cast:

 

James Franco as Oscar Diggs/The Wizard of Oz. Franco had previously worked with Sam Raimi in the original Spider-Man trilogy. 

Mila Kunis as Theodora/The Wicked Witch of the West 

Michelle Williams as Glinda, the Good Witch of the South/Oscar's romantic Kansas counterpart 

Rachel Weisz as Evanora/The Wicked Witch of the East 

Zach Braff as the voice of Finley the Flying Monkey/Frank, Oscar's circus assistant[2] 

Joey King as the voice of China Girl/Young Girl in wheelchair 

Abigail Spencer as Mrs. Hamilton 

Ted Raimi as Skeptic the Tinker Man 

Bruce Campbell as Gore, the Dark Wizard. Campbell is Raimi's most regular collaborator since his first short film It's Murder! in 1977. It is his eleventh appareance in a (short or feature) film directed by Raimi. 

Tony Cox as Knuck 

Tim Holmes as The Strong Man 

Martin Klebba as Nikko

Showing on Cinemas on:
March 08, 2013

 Official Movie Trailer:

Safe Haven (2013)

 

 Safe Haven is an upcoming 2013 American romantic thriller film starring Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel and Cobie Smulders. It will be released theatrically in North America on February 14, 2013. The film is directed by Lasse Hallström, and is an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks's novel of the same name. The film was originally set for a February 8 release, but was moved to February 14, 2013.

 Synopsis:

 When a mysterious young woman arrives in a small North Carolina town, her reluctance to join the tight knit community raises questions about her past. Slowly, she begins putting down roots, and gains the courage to start a relationship with Alex, a widowed store owner with two young children. But dark secrets intrude on her new life with such terror that she is forced to rediscover the meaning of sacrifice and rely on the power of love in this deeply moving romantic thriller.

 The arrival of a mysterious young woman named Katie in the small American town of Southport, North Carolina, raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet unassuming, Katie is determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into reluctant relationships. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community. But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts her from her past. Eventually, though, Katie realizes that a choice must be made between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards, and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

Cast:

   Julianne Hough as Katie Feldman
    Josh Duhamel as Alex Wheatley
    Cobie Smulders as Jo
    David Lyons as Kevin Tierney
    Scott Porter
    Cullen Moss as Deputy Bass
    Mike Pniewski as Lt. Robinson
    Ric Reitz as Police Chief Mulligan
    Mimi Kirkland as Kristen
    Noah Lomax as Josh
    Juan Carlos Piedrahita as Detective Ramirez

Showing on Cinemas on:

February , 2013

PG-13

 Official Movie Trailer:

Future Weather (2013)

Synopsis:

Lauduree (Haney-Jardine) is a 13-year-old loner passionate about nature and worried about global warming. Greta (Amy Madigan), her grandmother, is a fiery nurse jaded by alcohol and disappointment. When Lauduree is abruptly abandoned by her dreamer single mom (Marin Ireland), she decides to take survival into her own hands, forcing her and Greta to rethink their futures.

Cast:

Perla Haney-Jardine as Lauduree 

Amy Madigan as Greta 

Lili Taylor as Markovi 

Marin Ireland as Tanya

Showing on Cinemas on:

February 22, 2013

Official Movie Trailer:

The Gatekeepers (2013)

The Gatekeepers (Hebrew: שומרי הסף) is a 2012 documentary film by director Dror Moreh that tells the story of the Israeli Shin Bet from the perspective of six former heads of Israel’s secretive internal security service. It combines in-depth interviews with archival footage and computer animation to recount the role that the group played in Israel’s security from the Six Day War to the present. It is nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 85th Academy Awards.

Synopsis:

For the first time ever, six former heads of Israel's domestic secret service agency, the Shin Bet, share their insights and reflect publicly on their actions and decisions. Since the Six Day War in 1967, Israel has failed to transform its crushing military victory into a lasting peace. Throughout that entire period, these heads of the Shin Bet stood at the center of Israel's decision-making process in all matters pertaining to security. They worked closely with every Israeli prime minister, and their assessments and insights had - and continue to have - a profound impact on Israeli policy.

Cast:

Ami Ayalon

Avi Dichter

Yuval Diskin

Carmi Gillon

Yaakov Peri

Avraham Shalom

Showing on Cinemas on:

February 20, 2013

PG-13

Official Movie Trailer:

Like Someone In Love (2013)

Synopsis:

Like Someone in Love revolves around the brief encounter between an elderly professor (the wonderful 81-year-old stage actor Tadashi Okuno, here playing his first leading role in a film) and a sociology student (Rin Takanashi) who moonlights as a high-end escort. Dispatched to the old man by her boss—one of the professor’s former students—the young woman finds her latest client less interested in sex than in cooking her soup, talking, and playing old Ella Fitzgerald records (like the one that gives the film its allusive title). Eventually, night gives way to day and a tense standoff with the student’s insanely jealous boyfriend (Ryô Kase); but as usual in Kiarostami, nothing is quite as it appears on the surface. Are these characters—who conjure in one another the specters of regret and roads not taken—meeting by chance, or is it fate? Is this love, or merely something like it?

Cast:

Ryo Kase

Rin Takanashi

Tadashi Okuno

Showing on Cinemas on:

February 15, 2013

Official Movie Trailer:

Lore (2013)

 

Lore is a 2012 Australian-German war thriller film co-written (with Robin Mukherjee) and directed by Cate Shortland. The film had its Australian premiere at the 2012 Sydney Film Festival.

Synopsis:

Left to fend for themselves after their SS officer father and mother, a staunch Nazi believer, are interred by the victorious Allies at the end of World War II, five German children undertake a harrowing journey that exposes them to the reality and consequences of their parents' actions. Led by the eldest sibling, 14-year old Lore (striking newcomer Saskia Rosendahl), they set out on a harrowing journey across a devastated country to reach their grandmother in the north. After meeting the charismatic Thomas, a mysterious young refugee, Lore soon finds her world shattered by feelings of both hatred and desire as she must learn to trust the one person she has always been taught to hate in order to survive. 

Cast:

    Saskia Rosendahl as Lore
    Kai Malina as Thomas
    Nele Trebs as Liesel
    Ursina Lardi as Mutti
    André Frid as Günther
    Mika Siedel as Jürgen
    Nick Holaschke as Peter
    Hans-Jochen Wagner as Vati
    Sven Pippig as Bauer
    Philip Wiegratz as Helmut

Showing on Cinemas on:

February 08, 2013

Official Movie Trailer:

A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charlie Swan III (2013)

A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III is a 2012 American comedy film directed, written and produced by Roman Coppola. It stars Charlie Sheen, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Katheryn Winnick and Patricia Arquette. It premiered at the 2012 Rome Film Festival and is set to have a limited theatrical release on February 8, 2013 in the United States.

Synopsis:

A graphic designer's enviable life slides into despair when his girlfriend breaks up with him.

The film, set in a stylized Los Angeles, is a daring, playful comedy of lost love, friendship, revenge fantasies, and Brandy Alexanders. Charles (Charlie Sheen) is a successful graphic designer whose fame, money andcharm have provided him with a seemingly perfect life. When his true love, a perplexing beauty named Ivana, suddenly breaks off their relationship, Charles’ life falls apart and he swirls into a downward spiral of doubt, confusion and reflection. With the support of his loyal intimates— Kirby (Jason Schwartzman), Saul (Bill Murray), and his sister, Izzy (Patricia Arquette) — he begins the hard road of self-evaluation to come to terms with a life without Ivana. The film begs the question: Is it possible to love and hate someone at the same time?

Cast:

Charlie Sheen ...as Charles Swan III 

Jason Schwartzman

Katheryn Winnick

Patricia Arquette

Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Aubrey Plaza ...as Marnie 

Official Movie Trailer: