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Style Or Substance? 20 Visually Stunning Movies That Go For Broke

  • By The Playlist Staff
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  • May 8, 2013 1:51 PM
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  • 23 Comments
20 Visually Dazzling Movies
Features
No matter what you think of Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby," opening this week in ultra-luxurious 3D, one thing's for sure – it looks pretty spectacular. Filled with lovingly crafted costumes, opulent sets, and computer generated imagery that makes ragtime New York seem like a quasi-futuristic metropolis, it is drunk on its own excess. It feels like the movie Luhrmann has been angling towards for a while and has finally achieved (thanks in part to the added dimensionality of 3D), for better or worse. It's a giant, gilded, vulgar monstrosity that overwhelms more often than it entertains. And it got us thinking about other movies whose similarly excessive styles have either been an asset or a detriment. So put on your 3D glasses, your best pink pinstripe suit, and grab a glass of bootleg liquor, for our list of 20 visually dazzling movies.
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More: The Great Gatsby, Baz Luhrmann, Tron: Legacy, The Wachowskis, Oz The Great And Powerful, Sam Raimi, Terry Gilliam, Zack Snyder, Guillermo del Toro, Francis Ford Coppola, Tarsem, Darren Aronofsky, Walt Disney, Features, Terrence Malick

Watch: New TV Spot For ‘Oz The Great And Powerful’ Plus Super Bowl Teaser & Behind-The-Scenes Pics

  • By Tess Hofmann
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  • January 29, 2013 1:25 PM
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  • 0 Comments
News
Much of the mystery surrounding Sam Raimi’s upcoming “Oz The Great and Powerful” seems to have dissipated. With two trailers that pretty clearly delineated the story and provided a generous glimpse at the film’s look, all that’s left is to see the darn thing! But, with over a month to go until the theatrical release, marketing still needs to drum up some more interest, and has apparently resorted to labeling a recycled, condensed trailer as a new “first look.” The new TV spot aired during the SAG Awards, and unless we’re mistaken, there’s nothing here that we didn’t see in the second trailer.
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More: Oz The Great And Powerful, Sam Raimi, James Franco, Mila Kunis

D23: ‘John Carter,’ ‘Timothy Green’ Receive Lukewarm Responses

  • By Jeff Otto
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  • August 21, 2011 6:51 AM
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  • 6 Comments
'Oz' & 'Frankenweenie' Presentations Are BriefAt this weekend’s D23 convention, Disney hopes to capitalize on the excitement around must-see projects like “The Avengers,” Pixar’s “Brave” and “The Muppets” by presenting a look at their entire slate of releases across all divisions. They opened with a lengthy animation presentation from John Lasseter that was heavy on Pixar (“Planes,” “Brave,” “Monsters University” and two new project announcements) and concluded with a Marvel presentation that, while brief, still managed to set fanboys hearts aflutter with a first extended look at “The Avengers.” In-between Disney faced their greatest challenge in holding audience attention for looks at some lesser known projects.
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More: Films, Actors, Film Studios, Sam Raimi, Genre Films, The Odd Life Of Timothy Green, Animated Films, John Carter Of Mars, Taylor Kitsch, Oz The Great And Powerful, Pixar, Frankenweenie, Brave

Bruce Campbell Confirms A New 'Evil Dead' Film Is Gearing Up For Production

  • By Oliver Lyttelton
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  • July 12, 2011 1:21 AM
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  • 0 Comments
Film Apparently Low-Budget, Sam Raimi Collaborator Bob Murawski InvolvedUpdate: Yes, the new "Evil Dead" movie is really for real this time and Bloody Disgusting has dug up more news on the film, revealing that Fede Alvarez will be directing the film. Who? Well, he made the hyped robot invasion short "Panic Attack!" that nabbed him a deal with Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures back in 2009. Looks like his big moment has arrived. Check out the short film below.
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More: Films, Actors, Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, The Evil Dead

The Small Screen: Steve Zailian & Richard Price Remaking BBC Hit 'Criminal Justice' For HBO

  • By Oliver Lyttelton
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  • June 21, 2011 3:02 AM
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  • 0 Comments
Plus David S. Goyer Adapting Comic '100 Bullets' For Showtime, And Sam Raimi's 'Noir' Greenlit By StarzWhen what would otherwise be a sure-fire Oscar contender teaming Todd Haynes and Kate Winslet ends up as a five-hour miniseries, when the season finale of "Game of Thrones" is the talk of the town, and when Darren Aronofsky follows up his most successful film to date with a TV pilot written by a Pulitzer Prize-winner, you know that the idea that TV as a lesser medium is long gone. In the last six months alone, names like Gus Van Sant, Mark Romanek, Jody Hill, Tom Hanks, Neil Gaiman, Aaron Sorkin, Scott Rudin, David Hare, Zooey Deschanel, Robert Towne, Michael Mann, Ron Howard, Javier Bardem, David Fincher and Kevin Spacey have all been working on TV shows to one degree on another.
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More: TV Networks, Sam Raimi, Steve Zaillian, David S. Goyer, Criminal Justice, Noir, 100 Bullets

Danny Elfman Makes Peace With Sam Raimi To Score 'Oz The Great and Powerful'

  • By Oliver Lyttelton
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  • June 20, 2011 12:55 PM
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  • 4 Comments
Composer Also In Talks For 'The Hunger Games'Update: Movies.com confirms that Danny Elfman will be scoring "The Hunger Games" with T. Bone Burnett. That's pretty awesome.
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More: Films, Composers, Musicians, Sam Raimi, Gary Ross, Hunger Games, Genre Films, Danny Elfman, T. Bone Burnett, Oz The Great And Powerful

Rumor: Tim Burton, Sam Raimi, Shawn Levy Among Depressing Choices To Helm Inevitable 'Pirates 5'

  • By Oliver Lyttelton
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  • June 2, 2011 1:02 AM
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  • 7 Comments
Chris Weitz, Alfonso Cuaron Also Allegedly In The Running"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" might have made the much-mocked second and third Gore Verbinski-helmed entries in the series look like masterpieces in comparison, but audiences don't seem to care much -- especially internationally, moviegoers love them some Johnny Depp and it's already raked in a staggering $650 million in less than two weeks in release. Inevitably, this means that talk is turning to a fifth installment, a script for which has already been commissioned by Disney from Terry Rossio, who with partner Ted Elliott wrote all four installments to date.
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More: Films, Actors, Film Studios, Alfonso Cuaron, Rob Marshall, Sam Raimi, Shawn Levy, Chris Weitz, Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Michelle Williams To Make Tentpole Debut As Good Witch Glinda In 'Oz The Great & Powerful'

  • By Oliver Lyttelton
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  • May 17, 2011 10:32 AM
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  • 0 Comments
Well, while we might roll our eyes slightly when it comes to the idea of "Oz The Great & Powerful," a prequel to classic "The Wizard of Oz," it's hard to deny that director Sam Raimi has landed a mightily impressive cast. The "Spider-Man" helmer might have lost Robert Downey Jr., who was originally intended for the lead role of Oscar Diggs (aka Oz), a conman who ends up being transported to the magical land seen in the 1939 Judy Garland musical, and becomes embroiled in a conflict between three witches, but he managed to replace him with newly anointed Oscar-nominee James Franco.
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More: Films, Actors, Actresses, Sam Raimi, Genre Films, James Franco, John C. Reilly, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis, Oz The Great And Powerful

Sam Raimi Wants Hilary Swank, Disney Eyes Michelle Williams For 'Oz: The Great And Powerful'

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • April 23, 2011 4:47 AM
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  • 2 Comments
While Sam Raimi and Disney are walking together down the yellow brick road to "Oz: The Great and Powerful," it looks like the director and studio may start picking up those bricks and throwing them at each other.
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More: Films, Actresses, Film Studios, Sam Raimi, Genre Films, Michelle Williams, Oz The Great And Powerful

Bruce Campbell Says 'Evil Dead' Remake Script Is "Awesome," He Might Have A Role In It

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • April 13, 2011 3:43 AM
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  • 12 Comments
A remake or sequel to Sam Raimi's cult favorite "The Evil Dead" has been knocking around for years now, moving in fits and starts but never really getting anywhere. And while we're probably not much closer to it, fans can't help but ask about the film anytime Bruce Campbell or Raimi hit the press circuit. Back in January, the Guardian reported that Raimi's longtime producing partner Rob Tapert said, "we're looking at a script this month. What's interesting about 'Evil Dead' is very few people saw it in the format we made it for, which is for the [movie] theater. I think Sam wants to embrace the ultimate experience in grueling terror."
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More: Films, Actors, Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, The Evil Dead

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