This Week's Cinema Releases

It's a busy week at the box office, so let's get cracking shall we...

The week's biggest release in terms of budget and sheer scale is Oz the Great and Powerful. Disney have ploughed a whopping $200 million into this film so they'll be hoping for a hit after the disaster that was last year's John Carter.

Clearly thinking that they've got themselves a banker, Disney have returned to Oz and have entrusted Evil Dead and Spiderman director Sam Raimi with bringing Oz back to life for a whole new generation. Also on board are James Franco as Oz, Mila Kunis as Theodora, Rachel Weisz as the evil witch Evanora and Michelle Williams as Annie. The story sees Franco play a small time magician who attempts to scheme his way to success, when his dubious tactics are uncovered however he is hurled from Kansas into the Land of Oz. When he arrives he thinks that he has found the fame and fortune he desperately craves but the three witches (Weisz, Kunis and Williams) suspect that he might not be the great wizard that the inhabitants of Oz have been expecting.

It seems to be a strange move by Disney to try and reboot a franchise as old as Oz, whether or not it will have enough about it to enrapture a whole new generation of fans remains to be seen.

Next up this week we're going to quickly take a look at The Guilt Trip starring Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand, a reason we'll be taking a quick look is it's probably not worth spending too much time on it. Rogen plays Andy Brewster who is about to embark on a massive trip, on the way he stops off at his mother's (Streisand) and before you know it she's going on the trip too.

Pairing these two together is a rather odd choice and judging from the trailer along with the reviews it has received state-side, it seems that unsurprisingly, they don't share a lot of comical chemistry. Oh well, they both look like they're trying and there's bound to be an audience, albeit a small one, for The Guilt Trip this weekend seeing as it's Mother's Day.

One of the more interesting films released this weekend is Robot and Frank starring Frank Langella. Set in the near future, Langella plays Frank, a grouchy retiree who struggles to fill his days and as-well as take care of himself. His son (played by James Marsden) decides to get his father some help and buys him a house robot whose primary goal is to improve Frank's health and look after him in general.

Frank however has a secret past; he used to be a jewel thief and he soon learns that his new robot friend could be an incredibly effective burglary aide. He's soon back to his old tricks again and has to come face to face with the consequences of his actions and his old age.

Robot and Frank has been described as original, fresh and vibrant and has performed well on the festival circuit so it should be a good watch if you're looking for something a bit different at the cinema this weekend.