Select movie reviews, television reviews, book reviews, behind the scenes stories, fashion journalism and humor

This article originally appeared in Hollywood Today.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore…'Tin Man' by Robin Rowe Three Stars *** HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA (Hollywood Today) 12/3/07 - "If you're going to do it, you want to totally re-invent it," says Zooey Deschanel who plays Tin Man's Dorothy Gale or 'DG'. "And, I think the script 'Tim Man' did that. 'Tin Man' is quite different from the original." 'Tin Man' is a dark 'Bladerunner' world ruled by dictator-queen Queen Azkadellia, played by Kathleen Robertson. The queen is a beautiful witch who summons bat-like flying monkeys out of her fetching cleavage. (I wouldn't make this up.) These flying monkeys are uglier but somehow not as freaky scary as they were in 1939 when going after Judy Garland. More...

The flying monkeys are back in this darker incarnation of 'The Wizard of Oz'.

"It was the first American fairy tale," says 'Tin Man' producer Michael O'Connor. "It's a journey of hope. We've had to add a bit more story because it's a six-hour mini-series. Our wicked witch is a little bit different than that in the book, but we think she's a touch more evil and diabolical. What was the nice, beautiful Oz is anything but beautiful. The paint is peeled. The garden of Oz is now the bleakness of the O.Z. [The 'Outer Zone'.] DG, no longer Dorothy, is an updated modern woman. She's older than the girl in the book."

Corseted Queen Azkadellia is sexier and much better costumed than DG, who looks more like the policewoman from 'Torchwood'. Alan Cumming is Glitch, the geek/scarecrow whose brain was removed by Azkadellia in order to "re-educate" him. DG picks up Glitch by rescuing him from some 'Star Wars' Ewok-like munchkins. Raoul Trujillo is Raw, the cowardly lion who DG rescues from a pack of nasty 'Jurassic Park' hyena-like creatures. DG also rescues the Tin Man, cop Neal McDonough, who was trapped inside an iron maiden-like 'Dr. Who' Cyberman costume. And the Wizard himself, the Mystic Man, is Richard Dreyfuss…on acid.

Nobody sings because 'Tin Man' isn't a musical. It borrows from 'The Matrix' in making DG the magical key person to everything in this alternative Oz universe. Making Dorothy a 20-year-old action hero is a bold move by SCI FI and almost works. Zooey Deschanel, who gained notice in 'Almost Famous' is capable, but doesn't deliver a Xena-like intensity to this warrior princess. Sometimes 'Tin Man' reminds of 'Dune', which is not a good thing. There's too much violence, such as the fight scene where McDonough is hit in the face over and over again by his nemesis Zero.

Despite the campy nonsense this story sounds, 'Tin Man' entertains. King of the classic-book-remade-into-TV-movie Robert Halmi Sr. does better here as executive producer than with his SCI FI series 'Flash Gordon.' A lot of credit should go to actors Robertson and McDonough, who manage to keep a convincing straight face in spite of the ridiculous situations that writers Craig W. Van Sickle and Steve Long Mitchell place them in. The set design and locations look superb, so much so that Robertson said she didn't want filming to end, that it was too much fun being there. The visual effects are great, too. The shot of the tornado is remarkable.

The most disappointing element of 'Tin Man' would be the commercials. It's not just that the Verizon-sponsored show has a lot of them, it's that the identical Verizon and VISA commercials that aired on the previous break are repeated in the next break. The Verizon commercial, which shows a girl wishing she got a mobile phone instead of a vicious pony for her birthday, is funny and bears watching more than once. The VISA commercial of shoppers turned into robotic break dancers compulsively making purchases is unfortunately not a nod to Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis'. VISA really hopes we all wish we could turn into brainless zombie consumers compulsively sliding their plastic. Ahhhhhhh! Maybe the first purchase should be a Tivo to skip through the commercials?

'Tin Man' is a clever original interpretation of the classic Frank Baum book. Worth a look. Playing on the SCI FI CHANNEL this week on three nights in a row. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and repeats.

Distributor: SCI FI CHANNEL
Release date: December 2nd, 2007 (USA)
Six hour mini-series.
http://www.scifi.com/tinman/