Random Movie Review: Return to Oz

A movie seldom celebrated but left a great enough impression on the masses of youth born roughly between 1978-1988 that if you mention it to anyone born in that time their likely response will be something along the lines of "Oh My God, yes!"

Return to Oz was panned by critics for being too dreary and frightening.  Both slights are true.  Those wheelers scared the bejesus out of me.  I cannot overstate how creepy the idea of princess that can change heads is to a 6-year-old.  But, it's a funny thing, looking back it's far more memorable than a lot of other live action children's movies because it was a little scary.

I don't want to oversell Return to Oz, it's no Neverending Story or even The Ewok Adventure, but it had imagination.  It had personality.

To quote Jules Winnfield, "Personality goes a long way."

Also, easily Fairuza Balk's best movie (maybe that's why she never made that many).

Return to Oz, just a smidge Underrated.  

Random Movie Review: Top Five Robin Williams Films

Hello all, a little bit different spin on Random Movie Review this week.  Now, I know what you're thinking... "this week"?  "different spin"?  That's right folks!  New weekly segment!

I couldn't help but notice in the days that have followed the death of Robin Williams many people have shared their feelings on depression and their collective grief at the passing of a prolific entertainer but not quite as many have taken a moment to celebrate his work.

It is with that in mind that I invite you to realize the five greatest accomplishments of Robin Wiliiams' career, as decided by me: The decider.

#5

Good Morning, Vietnam

Way back in 1987 America got a big screen sized helping of Robin Williams' stand-up style done as a radio play.  Good Morning, Vietnam, loosely based on the experience of actual radio personality Adrian Cronauer, is one of the first memorable performances by Williams' and also one of the funniest.  It loses a little bit of steam when it focuses on the drama aspects of story, but its irreverence and many quotable lines make it a classic.

#4

Dead Poets Society

Some might be surprised not to see this even higher on the list.  One of the most well regarded of Williams' dramatic performances is certainly memorable for the right reasons but the story itself is a bit tired and the student characters fail to develop into anything beyond archetypes.  This movie always reminds me of another coming of age film from the same era, Scent of a Woman; a film that might have been quickly forgotten if not for one majestic performance.

#3

The Birdcage

Not only is The Birdcage Robin Williams' funniest live action movie, but it happens to also be one of the best stage to screen adaptations Hollywood has pulled off in the last 30 years.  Williams shares the screen with a fantastic cast and another brilliant comedian in Nathan Lane allowing him to play off others and set up jokes for a change instead of the manic "one-man-show" performances he is more widely known for.

Aladdin

Number 2 on Rated Wrong's definitive list of Robin Williams' movies is what was probably the first exposure anyone under the age of 30 head to the funniest man on earth.  Aladdin was a part of Disney's pre-Pixar animation hot streak of the late 80s early 90s (Little Mermaid - Pocahontas) and Williams' wild man performance is THE reason why.  Williams picks up what very easily could have been a very forgettable animated tale and effortlessly carries it into the cannon of Disney classics.

#1

Good Will Hunting

After Good Will Hunting Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon could all bill themselves as Academy Award winners, but only Williams could boast the title of Academy Award winning actor.  Good Will Hunting is Williams' best movie, a great movie, and it earns that distinction in large part because of his masterfully understated performance.  With Good Will Hunting Robin Williams showed the world he was more than just a clown, he was an artist, and a damn good one.