Film Review
Oz the Great and Powerful
James Franco books a return trip to Oz in Sam Raimi’s fantasy prequel
The massive success of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland three years ago kicked off an at-times wearying string of fairy tale updates (Red Riding Hood, Snow White and the Huntsman, Mirror Mirror, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Jack the Giant Slayer, ABC’s “Once Upon a Time”). That film’s $330 million domestic box office certainly incentivized Disney to come up with more family fantasy reboots. Oddly enough, instead of dipping into the deep well of already Disneyfied fairy tales, the company has decided to go with a story made famous by crosstown rivals at MGM.

Reel World
On Saturday, March 16, Albuquerque Studios will host a private farewell reception to “Breaking Bad” from 4:30 to 6 p.m. On Thursday, March 14, the Reel New Mexico Film Series at La Tienda will present the fracking documentary Rooted Lands. The New Mexico Film Experience takes over Santa Fe’s Center for Contemporary Arts Cinematheque on Sunday, March 17. he Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour breezes through the KiMo Theatre on Wednesday and Thursday, March 20 and 21

Idiot Box
Whatever Floats Your Boat
“Vikings” on History Channel
History Channel, having exhausted the possibilities of Nazi-based documentaries, long ago turned its attention to reality television—both faintly historical (“American Pickers”) and not-at-all-historical (“Big Rig Bounty Hunters”). Sadly, they missed the window of opportunity on a Nazi hunter reality show. (Tracking down 90-year-old mass murderers sounds kinda depressing.) Now, the network is giving fiction a try with its first scripted, episodic series, “Vikings.”