Beetlejuice is supposed to be funny. It occasionally is; “I’ve been feeling a little flat”, says a man who looks like he was killed by a steamroller; but the nonstop jokes, led by its title comedian slash “bio-exorcist”, are mostly corny. The two lip-synced song/dance scenes; easily the worst parts of the movie; are downright cringey. A moderately entertaining plot, about a dead married couple trying to scare a family out of their house, lies (buried) underneath.
my rating : 3 of 5
1988
This is a Disney prequel to The Wizard Of Oz that focuses not on Dorothy but The Great And Powerful one himself. It’s a story that didn’t need to be told; I would’ve preferred a sequel; but it’s nonetheless a wondrous one.
The fun begins when Oz, a full-time magician and part-time casanova, gets caught in a Kansas twister and conjured off to Oz. The land shares his name by chance, but the people there think he’s the awaited King, so he plays along.
The plot is a little cartoony at times; the Knuck character is particularly annoying; but it’s mostly an adventure as Oz, like Dorothy before (after) him, is joined by a cast of eccentric friends on his way to kill The Wicked Witch.
my rating : 4 of 5
2013