Monday, January 6, 2025

Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Wizard of Oz [Movie Review]

"The Wizard of Oz" is a movie produced through MGM. It was released in 1939. It was filmed in both sepia and full color which was unusual for the time.

This movie hardly needs any introduction. By this point, just about everyone has seen it at least once. I've seen this movie a lot of times in my life. I had a good reason to go back to it, since I had recently read the screenplay. I still really enjoyed it.

I guess, in brief, I should just say that it is a brilliant production, great acting, great cinematography, great music, and really it is just an all around great movie. An easy recommendation for anyone of any age. I'm just here to let you know that I agree with everyone, and there isn't really anything else to say about a movie this famous.

Or is there?!

Actually I did want to say a few things. It was a little weird watching this after reading the screenplay. You can see some of the bits that got left in after a number of scenes got cut. For example, Hickory half mentions he is working on an invention at the beginning. This was some sort of wind machine that was cut from the movie, but he still mentions it.

When the Wicked Witch sends the flying monkeys down to grab Dorothy, she also mentions sending down an insect as well. This remark was supposed to lead to the missing "Jitterbug" song. Yet, despite the song being cut, she still mentions it, although now it doesn't lead to anything.

When Dorothy is saying her goodbyes to everyone at the end of the movie, she turns to the Scarecrow and says that she will miss him most of all. That's a leftover from a cut love-interest with Hunk, who is the Scarecrow's counterpart in Kansas. She would have actually felt a strong love for the Scarecrow throughout the film for this reason, but all that's left is that one remark.

One final thing I want to mention is that Dorothy really defends that she was in Oz when she wakes up. Either she's crazy and they are just putting her on, or maybe she really was there. It's hard to say, but she doesn't give into their claims that it was just a dream. I didn't remember it that way, but I kind of like that she defends it.

That's it. Consider the movie reviewed. I enjoyed seeing it again, and I look forward to whatever else Oz has in store for me. Maybe I'll end up going there myself someday...

This blog was written on September 11, 2024.

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Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Fairy Tale Spotlight: Mission Impossible [Book Review]

Wait! Stop! It's not what you think! I actually bought this book by accident. I wasn't even going to read it, but I finally decided to go through with it. I was trying to buy the very first Mission: Impossible novel ever written, and I ended up with this. This is a Christian book. The difference in title has to do with the missing colon.

"Mission Impossible" is a book written by Wesley E. Smith. It was published in 1969. It has absolutely nothing to do with spies, espionage, masks, and the IMF. It is a Christian book about a man who tries to start a ministry for the wayward youths in his city.

It tells the true story of Wesley E. Smith. It takes place shortly after he is saved, and he immediately tries to bring a kid on the street to Christ. It was like an impulsive thing, but it works and he just keeps trying to do it. The story is not just about the kids he saves but also about him learning how being a Christian works at the same time.

The one thing I can absolutely relate to in this book is the snooty aspect of some churches. He has a horrible time trying to let these gang members into the churches because nobody wants to see them there. It breaks up their mojo or something. Jesus hangs out with thieves, but these church-going Christians can't be bothered to let a kid with a leather jacket come in to listen to what the preacher has to say.

Much of the story goes into how faith in God can lead to a lot of really surprising "coincidences." Wesley has trouble believing in the unseen, but he tries his best. I did like how he just sort of gave himself to the Lord in hopes that he could reach these kids.

Not everything in this book is particularly accurate to source material [the Bible], but I didn't mind it too much. I should say that I have read better Christian books than this, and honestly I prefer fiction.

I can put up with mostly anything I read, even if I don't agree with it, but people are temperamental these days. You might like it; you might hate it. What I say is... don't worry about it. Read something else. I read this book because I accidently paid money for it. I got out of it what I needed, and now I am moving on. No recommendation today.

This blog was written on September 11, 2024.

Thank you for reading my blog! Did you enjoy it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. Also stop by my Amazon.com listing by clicking this link: https://www.amazon.com/T.K.-Wade/e/B07BQK9RTZ

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