James Franco is the Wizard of Oz. Mark Wahlberg is Mark Wahlberg. In this fortnight’s The Parallax Podcast, Luke Buckmaster and Rich Haridy review Oz: The Great and Powerful, Broken City and a trio of strange DVD releases.

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We’re off to see James Franco as the Wizard, the (wonderful?) Wizard of Oz. Because because because…?

Oz: The Great and Powerful, director Sam Raimi’s prequel to the beloved 1939 original, opens this week. Will it cast a spell over audiences? Luke Buckmaster and Rich Haridy exchange opinions almost as colourful as the film’s “spare no expense” CGI.

Meanwhile Mark “Marky Mark” Wahlberg and Russell “thank god he’s not singing again” Crowe exchange scowls in Allen Hughes’ grimy crime drama Broken City.

On DVD, Buckmaster and Haridy discuss Bobcat Goldthwait’s snarky blood-splotched black comedy God Bless America and the David Lynch-esque thriller Berberian Sound Studio.

For a hit of cult film action, expert Zak Herburn literally dons a lucha libre and talks about esoteric 1970 head-scratcher  Santo and the Blue Demon vs the Monsters. You’ve seen that, right?

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