I realize that it’s a little too March to be discussing my favorite holiday gifts, but I only recently had the opportunity to dive into one of mine and, as a result, I feel the need to share it’s greatness with our readers. The ESPN 30 for 30 Collector’s Set Blu-ray is an outstanding collection of sports documentaries that is rife with social commentary and almost sure to have something for sports and/or documentary fans alike. Before I get accused of paid programming, I’ll disclaim that all thirty of its films aren’t home runs (that’s right, a sports pun). Moreover, I’m fairly sure that all of the series’ entries are available to watch instantly on Netflix right now making the physical collection redundant for some. Regardless of how you partake, I encourage you to sift through the series, find a topic that interests you, and give it a shot.

All recommendations aside, this week’s Top 5 features a healthy portion of Iron Man 3 coverage (including the new trailer), Oz the Great and Powerful interviews with Sam Raimi, James Franco, Mila Kunis, and more, the first trailer for The Hangover Part III, a sizable Justice League movie rumor, and the new trailer and poster for Will Smith and Jaden Smith‘s After Earth. As you may be expecting, a brief recap and link for each of the above waits after the jump.

Opening this weekend is Disney and director Sam Raimi’s fantastic prequel to The Wizard of Oz, Oz The Great and Powerful.  The film centers on a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics (James Franco) who finds himself transported to Oz and drawn into a battle between the three witches Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams).  Loaded with incredible visuals, amazing 3D, and a beautiful world created by production designer Robert Stromberg (Alice in Wonderland, Avatar), Oz is the type of movie that definitely should be seen on a movie screen and it’s absolutely worth the extra charge to see it in 3D.  Oz The Great and Powerful also stars Zach Braff and Joey King.

Recently, I got to speak with Weisz.  We talked about what it was like to walk on the yellow brick road for the first time, her reaction to the finished film, 3D, collaborating with Sam Raimi, and not doing David Cronenberg’s next movie, Maps to the Stars.  Hit the jump to watch.

We can find truth in deception.  We find the deeper truth beneath the artifice.  Sam Raimi‘s Oz the Great and Powerful makes no secrets of its deception, and shows how deception can be used for good or evil.  We just don’t call it deception when it’s used for good.  Then it’s an illusion, not a trick.* Oz creates a beautiful illusion that we can get lost in not because of the visual effects wizardry or the size of the canvas, but because of the honesty of the characters and Raimi staying true to his oddball style.

From director Sam Raimi, Oz the Great and Powerful imagines the origins of the wizard that was first brought to life in author L. Frank Baum’s book The Wizard of Oz, in a fantastical adventure that utilizes 3D to enhance what is truly an awe-inspiring movie-going experience.  When small-time circus magician Oscar Diggs (James Franco) is unexpectedly carried from Kansas to the vibrantly beautiful Land of Oz in a tornado, he soon meets three witches – Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams) – who are unsure about whether he truly is the great wizard that they’ve been expecting.  In one of the biggest tales of fake it ‘til you make it, Oscar must use his magical skill and a little ingenuity to help good triumph over evil.

At the film’s press day, co-stars Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz spoke at a press conference about working on such a big CG and effects film, the best part about playing a witch, doing all of the wire work for their big fight scene, making sure they had just the right outfit, how the costumes affected their performances, and their experiences with The Wizard of Oz.  Check out what they had to say after the jump. 

A new trailer has dropped for Sam Raimi’s Oz the Great and Powerful.  This one minute glimpse into the land of Oz sets the stakes of the battle to come and features plenty of clashes between witches, wizards and more.  Watch James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz take to the screen in the special effects spectacular starting March 8th.

You can also check out these recently-added clips and behind-the-scenes footage, along with interviews from Steve’s set visit: 30 things to know about the film plus a video blog, and his interviews with Sam Raimi, James Franco, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, and Joey King.  Hit the jump to watch the new trailer.

Two new clips and 13 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage have been released from Sam Raimi‘s Oz the Great and Powerful.  The film centers on a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics (James Franco) who finds himself transported to Oz and drawn into a battle between the three witches Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams).  We previously saw a clip showcasing the conflict between Theodora and Evanora, as well as Oz and his cohorts “traveling by bubble”, which should be impressive on the big screen in 3D.  The new clips showcase the film’s attempt at comedy by showing Oz’s frustration with his traveling companions, Finley (voiced by Zach Braff) and China Girl (voiced by Joey King).

Hit the jump to check out the previously released clips and the new ones as well as the behind-the-scenes footage.  Also, click on the respective links for Steve’s set visit: 30 things to know about the film plus a video blog, and his interviews with Sam Raimi, James Franco, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, and Joey King.  Oz the Great and Powerful opens March 8th.

Every year, Jimmy Kimmel Live follows the Oscars with a star-studded sketch.  Last year, audiences were treated to a trailer for Movie: The Movie, which featured dozens of movie stars parodying every film genre and cliché.  Naturally, every hit needs a sequel, and JKL has delivered with Movie: The Movie 2V.  I’ll let you be the judge between which trailer is better, but I would say the sequel surpasses the original when it comes to the obligatory Matt Damon joke.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Movie: The Movie 2V opens Arbor Day.

A few days ago, we posted a partial clip from Sam Raimi’s Oz the Great and Powerful that debuted on Jimmy Kimmel Live.  Now, an extended version of that clip is available.  It features Rachel Weisz (The Mummy) as Evanora arguing with Mila Kunis (Black Swan) as Theodora over the truth of Oz’s claims.  Needless to say, things get a bit…heated.

Hit the jump to watch the extended clip, and be sure to get caught up on Steve’s set visit here: 30 things to know about the film plus a video blog, and his interviews with Sam Raimi, James Franco, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, and Joey King.  Oz the Great and Powerful opens in 3D on March 8th.

The first clip from Oz the Great and Powerful premiered on Jimmy Kimmel Live this week when star Rachel Weisz appeared on the show.  Weisz plays the witch Evanora, here engaged in a heated discussion with fellow witch Theadora (Mila Kunis).  They conflict over the arrival of a Kansas magician (James Franco) who just landed in Oz, and the building tension forces Theadora to tap into her wicked side.  The early buzz says Oz is good, which makes me more curious to check it out than I was a week ago.  Here’s hoping Sam Raimi delivers a fun fantasy adventure.

Michelle Williams and Zach Braff also star in the March 8 release.  Watch the clip—plus a bit of the interview where Weisz talks about her Machiavellian character and the crazy costumes—after the jump.

Disney has released the first featurette for director Sam Raimi’s Wizard of Oz prequel Oz the Great and Powerful.  It’s actually a fairly in-depth look behind the scenes of the film, as we’re treated to interviews with Raimi and many of the cast members including James Franco, Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Zach Braff.  The focus is on how Raimi brought the world of Oz to life with the help of production designer Robert Stromberg and costume designer Gary Jones, and it’s clear that this was an absolutely massive production.  Jones and Raimi also provide insight into designing the iconic Wicked Witch, with Raimi noting that he wanted “a big, scary green witch,” instead of taking a more subtle approach to the character.

Hit the jump to watch the featurette.  If you missed any of Steve’s set visit coverage, check out 30 things to know about the film plus a video blog, and his interviews with Sam Raimi, James Franco, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, and Joey King.  Oz the Great and Powerful opens in 3D on March 8th.

The original Daily Show wasn’t very good, but it had a joke I’ll never forget: “The Super Bowl is two hours of commercials occasionally interrupted by football.”  Even people who don’t care about football tune in to see the commercials, and the cost of airtime grows every year.  Plenty of studios will be paying to get TV spots in front of the year’s biggest audience.  We know that Fast & Furious 6 will be premiering its first trailer during the Super Bowl, and now Disney has released a sneak peek at what they have in store for Oz the Great and Powerful.  Hopefully, it’s better than what Disney did last year with John Carter where they just stuffed the movie inside the film’s title.  That’s how you throw away $2 million on a TV spot.

Hit the jump to check out the teaser, and come back Thursday when we’ll be posting Steve’s visit to the set along with interviews with director Sam Raimi and the cast.  The film stars James Franco, Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, and Rachel Weisz.  Oz the Great and Powerful opens in 3D on March 8th.

A couple of new featurettes have landed online, one for an upcoming movie and one for a 2012 film that’s vying for Oscar gold:

• Oz the Great and Powerful – A new featurette for director Sam Raimi’s prequel to The Wizard of Oz shows quite a bit of new footage and does a nice job of introducing us to the cast of characters (James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Michelle Williams).  I find it curious that they’re trying to keep the audience guessing as to which witches are good and which are bad, since the names are the same as the ones in the source material.  The film opens in 3D on March 7th.
• Moonrise Kingdom – Hot off a Best Original Screenplay nomination for writers Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, this new featurette focuses on the genesis of the project and the writing of the incredible script.  The film is currently available on DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD.

Hit the jump to watch the featurettes.

The first TV spot for Jonathan Levin’s ZomRomCom Warm Bodies has debuted.  It’s a quick look at principal cast members Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer, as well as some flashes of a supporting character played by John Malkovich.  Buzz has been positive so far, but you can decide for yourself when the picture opens on February 1st.

We also have a new TV spot for Sam Raimi’s Oz the Great and Powerful which clues audiences in to who’s on whose side by pointing out the good, bad wise and powerful characters.  There’s not a lot here in terms of new footage, but the opening release date of March 8th is still two months away.  Oz the Great and Powerful stars James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams.  Hit the jump to see the new TV spots.

New TV spots have been released for Beautiful Creatures and Oz the Great and Powerful.  Beautiful Creatures is a supernatural love story centering on Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert) a “caster” (a.k.a. a witch), her relationship with Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich), and her dread at being chosen for good or evil.  This TV spot sells the love-angle, but I can’t help but being slightly intrigued by the supernatural element of the story.  As for Oz the Great and Powerful, the TV spots are about ringing in the New Year with Sam Raimi‘s Wizard of Oz prequel.

Hit the jump to check out the TV spots.  Beautiful Creatures opens February 13th.  Oz the Great and Powerful opens in 3D on March 8th.

How do you make a Jason Bourne film without Matt Damon? There are a couple of options: you can remake the first film, or you can spin-off in a new direction.  What’s most frustrating about The Bourne Legacy is that it takes a third option, which is to pretend that Damon is actually a character in this world, but he’s just not on screen.  Perhaps Universal was stuck between a rock and a hard place. They couldn’t kill Damon off-camera, and they probably hope he’ll come back for more, so instead they brought in Jeremy Renner for a story that runs in parallel to the end of The Bourne Ultimatum, but doesn’t do anything to move the franchise forward.  It is also pretty bad. Our review of the Blu-ray of The Bourne Legacy follows after the jump.