Everybody loves “The Wizard of Oz,” the classic 1939 film about Dorothy’s (Judy Garland) spiritual journey down the yellow brick road. That’s right, I said spiritual journey. Read into the movie what you will, but her pilgrimage seems to have elements borrowed from Buddhism, New Age and Christian belief systems.

Could Glenda the Good Witch of the North, who sends Dorothy on her journey be a Zen Master? Possibly. Do her ruby slipper represent the Buddhist inner spark?

But even if the spiritual aspects of the story are coincidental, the fact remains that Dorothy takes a pilgrimage not unlike many who came before her and many who will come after… she went on a search to find her true home, she just did it with a lion, a scarecrow and a tin man.

I think the underlying spiritualism of the story is one reason the movie has endured for so many years. It is an intergenerational classic, or as Oz expert John Fricke says, “We always say the age range for The Wizard of Oz is from fetal to fatal.” It’s a funny line, but there is a ring of truth to it.


J. Edgar: Underneath the fine performances and craftsman like filmmaking is... not much. Or too much, depending on your point of view. The script is ambitious, covering fifty turbulent years, both politically and personally for the former FBI chief. But as the story jumps from decade to decade, interweaving old and young versions of the characters, you can't help but wish that director Clint Eastwood had chosen one aspect of the story and told it well instead of this scattershot approach. It's a case of too much information and too little insight.

Tower Heist: It's nice to see Eddie Murphy in a movie that allows him to drop his beloved family entertainer guise and bring back some of the bravado that we loved in movies like 48 Hours. It's just too bad the movie feels like it was made thirty years ago.

Cafe de flore: The idea of the uncompromising power of true love is the thing that connects the stories of a jet-setting Montreal disc jockey (Kevin Parent) and the single mother (Vanessa Paradis) of a downs syndrome child. The main pleasure here is watching Paradis throw glamour out the window—she is, after all the face of Chanel—and deliver a gritty, but lovingly rendered performance as a protective mother.

London Boulevard: Stars Colin Farrell, Ray Winstone and Keira Knightley headline this gritty British crime drama directed by the guy who wrote The Departed, William Monahan. Smart, surly and sassy, this one uses a great soundtrack and performances to sooth out an occasionally clichéd script.

Tags: 4 ½ STARS, Musicals