Film Review: TOY STORY 3 (2010) – [3rd Re-watch]

Director: Lee Unkrich
Writers (Story): John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich
Writer (Screenplay): Michael Arndt
Running time: 103 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): U

Genre: Animation/Comedy/Drama
UK Release date: 19^th July 2010

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 19^th August 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

NOTE: What follows is my original review of the film when I first saw it in July 2010 with a few additions. It recently showed again on TV and I must love this film a lot because I felt I should see it yet again (for the second time this year!). Fortunately my opinion has not changed, hence yet another repeat outing for this review (with a couple of alterations). It was good to watch it in the privacy of my own home because there was something in my eye towards the end and there was a handy box of tissues nearby… Hope you enjoy the review.

-o0o-

The toys are back for their third outing. And as the 3D debate rages on I took the high ground and stuck to the supposedly outmoded two dimensions for this one. After all that’s exactly the number of dimensions the screen has. But enough of this I hear you say, tell me more about the film.

Andy is growing up fast and is on his way to college soon. He has not played with his toys in quite a while and, quite frankly, they’re worried. With talk of the attic, and even worse, the trash, even Woody is getting apprehensive. Andy’s mum tells him to sort out his room, things for the attic, things to go to college with him and things to go out for the trash. His sister Molly also gets a box to put toys in to donate to the Sunnyside day-care centre (yes I know I used the English spelling, I’m English, what can I say?). By some mix-up all of Andy’s toys end up in the donation box, I won’t say how because I don’t want to spoil it. All seems very pleasant when they arrive. They are greeted by a bear called Lotso who is very nice to them, but all is not what it seems at Sunnyside. I think that’s enough of the plot to whet your appetite. You wouldn’t forgive me if I gave too much away would you and those Spoiler Police (Toys Division) are really strict these days.

As we have come to expect from Pixar, this is an exceptionally well made film with a great plot, endearing characters, lots of adventure, comedy and one or two tear-jerking moments along the way. I also have to give a mention to Randy Newman whose songs throughout the series have been tremendous, always fitting the mood perfectly, there’s even a Spanish number this time around! Great work, as ever, from the voice talents of, Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, Joan Cusack as Jessie, Ned Beatty as Lotso, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, Michael Keaton as Ken, Wallace Shawn as Rex, John Ratzenberger as Hamm, Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head, John Morris as Andy and Jodi Benson as Barbie.

Everything from the exciting opening sequence to the rather poignant ending works so perfectly. There are some great moments, like when Ken met Barbie for the first time, Mr. Potato Head as a tortilla and Buzz Lightyear in Spanish mode has to be seen to be believed! I really enjoyed this film and really engaged with the characters I know so well for the previous two films and found myself quite choked at the end. All three films have been tremendous and I really hope they don’t make a fourth, finish on a high guys!

SteelMonster’s verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

My score: 9.3/10

IMDb Score: 8.5/10 (based on 229,809 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0435761/

MetaScore: 92/100: (Based on 39 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 99/100 (based on 252 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 91/100 (based on 286,431 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/toy_story_3/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
[Mr. Potato Head, portraying One-Eyed Bart, jumps out of a train while carrying money sacks]
Mr. Potato Head: [laughs evilly] Ah, ha ha ha! Money, money, money!
[Woody lassoes a rope to grab the money from Mr. Potato Head's hands, then trips him]
Woody: You've got a date with justice, One-Eyed Bart!
Mr. Potato Head: Too bad, Sheriff! I'm a married man!
[Mrs. Potato Head jumps onto the train, giving karate yells]
Woody: One-Eyed Betty?
[Mrs. Potato Head chases Woody across the train tops, then uses nunchucks to knock him off. As the Potato Heads look and laugh evilly, Woody suddenly reappears, riding Bullseye with Jessie]
Jessie: I think you dropped something, mister!
Mr. Potato Head: Jessie?
Woody: Give it up, Bart! You've reached the end of the line!
Mr. Potato Head: I always wanted to go out with a bang!
[Mr. Potato Head presses a button on a remote, causing dynamite to blow up the bridge]
Jessie: Oh, no!
Woody: The orphans!
[cut to a group of Troll dolls riding the train]
Mr. Potato Head: Hate to leave early, but our ride is here!
[Three aliens drive up in a pink Barbie Corvette]
Aliens: Ooh!
Mr. Potato Head: It's me or the kiddies, Sheriff! Take your pick!
[the Potato Heads jump into the convertible and drive off]
Woody: Ride like the wind, Bullseye!

Buzz Lightyear: Hold on, this is no time to be hysterical!
Hamm the Piggy Bank: This is the perfect time to be hysterical.
Rex the Green Dinosaur: Should we be HYSTERICAL?
Slinky Dog: No!
Mr. Potato Head: Yes!
Buzz Lightyear: Maybe! But not right now!
Hamm the Piggy Bank: C'mon. Let's go see how much we're going for on eBay.

Lotso: Ken? New toys!
Ken: Far out! Down in a jiff, Lotso.
[goes down the elevator]
Ken: So, who's ready for Ken's dream tour?
Lotso: Let's show our new friends where they'll be staying!
Ken: Uh, folks, if you'll just want to step right this way...
[he sees Barbie]
Ken: Hi, I'm Ken.
Barbie: Barbie. Have we ever met?
Ken: I would have remembered.
[she laughs]
Ken: Love your leg warmers!
Barbie: Nice ascot!
Lotso: Come on, Ken, recess don't last forever.
Ken: Right on, Lotso. This way everybody.
Lotso: Got a lot to look forward to, folks. The little ones love new toys.
Buzz Lightyear: What a nice bear!
Rex the Green Dinosaur: And he smells like strawberries.
Woody: Ugh.

[last lines]
Woody: So long... partner.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site (US): http://disney.go.com/toystory/
Official Site (UK): http://www.disney.co.uk/toy-story/#characters
Trailer:

Film Review: TOY STORY 3 (2010) – [2nd Re-watch]

Director: Lee Unkrich
Writers (Story): John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich
Writer (Screenplay): Michael Arndt
Running time: 103 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): U

Genre: Animation/Comedy/Drama
UK Release date: 19^th July 2010

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 29^th April 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

NOTE: What follows is my original review of the film when I first saw it in July 2010 with a few additions. It recently showed again on TV and I must love this film a lot because I felt I should see it yet again. Fortunately my opinion has not changed, hence the repeat outing for this review (with additions, oh, and I upped the score a bit too). It was good to watch it in the privacy of my own home because there was something in my eye towards the end and there was a handy box of tissues nearby… Hope you enjoy the review.

-o0o-

The toys are back for their third outing. And as the 3D debate rages on I took the high ground and stuck to the supposedly outmoded two dimensions for this one. After all that’s exactly the number of dimensions the screen has. But enough of this I hear you say, tell me more about the film.

Andy is growing up fast and is on his way to college soon. He has not played with the toys in quite a while and, quite frankly, they’re worried. With talk of the attic, and even worse, the trash, even Woody is getting apprehensive. Andy’s mum tells him to sort out his room, things for the attic, things to go to college with him and things to go out for the trash. His sister Molly also gets a box to put toys in to donate to the Sunnyside day-care centre (yes I know I used the English spelling, I’m English, what can I say?). By some mix-up all of Andy’s toys end up in the donation box, I won’t say how because I don’t want to spoil it. All seems very pleasant when they arrive. They are greeted by a bear called Lotso who is very nice to them, but all is not what it seems at Sunnyside. I think that’s enough of the plot to whet your appetite. You wouldn’t forgive me if I gave too much away would you and those Spoiler Police (Toys Division) are really strict these days.

As we have come to expect from Pixar, this is an exceptionally well made film with a great plot, endearing characters, lots of adventure, comedy and one or two tear-jerking moments along the way. I also have to give a mention to Randy Newman whose songs throughout the series have been tremendous, always fitting the mood perfectly, there’s even a Spanish number this time around! Great work, as ever, from the voice talents of, Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, Joan Cusack as Jessie, Ned Beatty as Lotso, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, Michael Keaton as Ken, Wallace Shawn as Rex, John Ratzenberger as Hamm, Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head, John Morris as Andy and Jodi Benson as Barbie.

There are some great moments, like when Ken met Barbie for the first time, Mr. Potato Head as a tortilla and Buzz Lightyear in Spanish mode has to be seen to be believed! I really enjoyed this film, I really engaged with the characters I know so well for the previous two films and found myself quite choked at the end. All three films have been tremendous and I really hope they don’t make a fourth, finish on a high guys! Over all, highly recommended.

My score: 9.3/10

IMDb Score: 8.5/10 (based on 205,628 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0435761/

MetaScore: 92/100: (Based on 39 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 99/100 (based on 253 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 91/100 (based on 286,431 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/toy_story_3/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
[Mr. Potato Head, portraying One-Eyed Bart, jumps out of a train while carrying money sacks]
Mr. Potato Head: [laughs evily] Ah, ha ha ha! Money, money, money!
[Woody lassoes a rope to grab the money from Mr. Potato Head's hands, then trips him]
Woody: You've got a date with justice, One-Eyed Bart!
Mr. Potato Head: Too bad, Sheriff! I'm a married man!
[Mrs. Potato Head jumps onto the train, giving karate yells]
Woody: One-Eyed Betty?
[Mrs. Potato Head chases Woody across the train tops, then uses nunchucks to knock him off. As the Potato Heads look and laugh evily, Woody suddenly reappears, riding Bullseye with Jessie]
Jessie: I think you dropped something, mister!
Mr. Potato Head: Jessie?
Woody: Give it up, Bart! You've reached the end of the line!
Mr. Potato Head: I always wanted to go out with a bang!
[Mr. Potato Head presses a button on a remote, causing dynamite to blow up the bridge]
Jessie: Oh, no!
Woody: The orphans!
[cut to a group of Troll dolls riding the train]
Mr. Potato Head: Hate to leave early, but our ride is here!
[Three aliens drive up in a pink Barbie Corvette]
Aliens: Ooh!
Mr. Potato Head: It's me or the kiddies, Sheriff! Take your pick!
[the Potato Heads jump into the convertible and drive off]
Woody: Ride like the wind, Bullseye!

Buzz Lightyear: Hold on, this is no time to be hysterical!
Hamm the Piggy Bank: This is the perfect time to be hysterical.
Rex the Green Dinosaur: Should we be HYSTERICAL?
Slinky Dog: No!
Mr. Potato Head: Yes!
Buzz Lightyear: Maybe! But not right now!
Hamm the Piggy Bank: C'mon. Let's go see how much we're going for on eBay.

Lotso: Ken? New toys!
Ken: Far out! Down in a jiff, Lotso.
[goes down the elevator]
Ken: So, who's ready for Ken's dream tour?
Lotso: Let's show our new friends where they'll be staying!
Ken: Uh, folks, if you'll just want to step right this way...
[he sees Barbie]
Ken: Hi, I'm Ken.
Barbie: Barbie. Have we ever met?
Ken: I would have remembered.
[she laughs]
Ken: Love your leg wamers!
Barbie: Nice ascot!
Lotso: Come on, Ken, recess don't last forever.
Ken: Right on, Lotso. This way everybody.
Lotso: Got a lot to look forward to, folks. The little ones love new toys.
Buzz Lightyear: What a nice bear!
Rex the Green Dinosaur: And he smells like strawberries.
Woody: Ugh.

[last lines]
Woody: So long... partner.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site (US): http://disney.go.com/toystory/
Official Site (UK): http://www.disney.co.uk/toy-story/#characters
Trailer:

Film Review: RANGO (2011)

Director: Gore Verbinski
Writer (Screenplay): John Logan
Writers (Story): John Logan, Gore Verbinski & James Ward Byrkit
Running time: 103 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): PG

Genre: Animation/Action/Adventure
UK Release date: 4^th March 2011

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 8^th January 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is a film I’ve wanted to see for some time, although I didn’t know all that much about it. Recommendations did the trick, but it never made it to my local cinema and so I waited for a TV airing. As you can probably guess, it aired this week and I’m pleased to say the recommendations were correct! Although not quite up there with the best of the Pixar films, it’s still very entertaining and beautifully animated. I will give you my thoughts after this brief summary.

When a pet chameleon is involved in an accident that leaves him on a desert road, he looks for help. It first comes in the form of an old armadillo called Roadkill; he sets the chameleon off in the direction of the nearest town, Dirt. On the way he is picked up by Beans who is going to town for supplies for her ranch. Once there the chameleon enters the saloon where he makes himself out to be a bit of a hero… a hero called Rango! The townsfolk immediately make him the sheriff; but there’s a problem. The town is running out of water, there’s very little left in the bank and the mayor is behaving strangely. When the remaining water is stolen from the bank it’s up to Rango, and a posse, to go and bring it back. Also, can they solve the mystery of the disappearing water supply? Well, I’ll leave it there or the Spoiler Police will be confiscating my glass of nice cool refreshing water by my side here… (thirsty?).

As I’ve already said, it’s beautifully animated and well worth seeing just for that alone! As for performances, well everyone was very good, particularly Johnny Depp as Rango/Lars, he surprised me with this performance; very reminiscent, at times, of his character, Raoul Duke, in ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’. Isla Fisher as Beans and Abigail Breslin as Pricilla both put in great performances, as did Ned Beatty as the Mayor. Honourable mentions must also go to; Alfred Molina as Roadkill, Bill Nighy as Rattlesnake Jake, Stephen Root as Doc/Merrimack/Mr. Snuggles, Harry Dean Stanton as Balthazar, Timothy Olyphant as Spirit of the West and Ray Winstone as Bad Bill.

I must say I did like the offbeat style of this film, very reminiscent of an old Western but with a modern twist. Lots of slapstick comedy moments and some great sight gags add to the fun. A nice score by Hans Zimmer is interspersed by a nice collection of songs, principally performed by ‘Los Lobos’. Over all, I found this film very entertaining with some great animation; one I will definitely re-watch sometime… Recommended.

My score: 7.9/10.

IMDb Score: 7.4/10 (based on 57,195 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1192628/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 88/100 (based on 205 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 69/100 (based on 94,672 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rango/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Rango: [after some kids throw rocks at him] Hey! What was that for?
Priscilla: You're funny-looking.
Rango: Well? You're funny-looking too.
Priscilla: That's a funny-looking shirt.
Rango: That's a funny-looking dress.
Priscilla: You got funny-looking eyes.
Rango: You got a funny-looking face!
Priscilla: [small pause] You're a stranger. Strangers don't last long here.
[walks away]

Rango: Reptiles gotta stick together, brother.
Buford: I'm an amphibian.
Rango: Ain't no shame in that.

Rango: [an arrow is sticking through Turley's head, entering in his right eye and coming out the left-rear side of his head; Rango looks disgusted] You've, uh... got something in your eye.
Sergeant Turley: [indicates his left eye, seemingly oblivious] Oh, that? That's conjunctivitis. It's hereditary.

Rango: Is this Heaven?
Spirit of the West: If it were, we'd be eating strawberry Pop-Tarts with Kim Novak.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.rangomovie.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: SHOOTER (2007)

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Running time: 120 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Thriller/Action/Drama
UK Release date: 13th April 2007

Watched on DVD Sunday 3rd July 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This film is based on a novel by Stephen Hunter caller “Point of Impact”. It charts the betrayal of a marine sniper and his efforts to clear his name. Originally set around the time of the Vietnam War, the film brings events up to date and into the 21st Century. There’s plenty of action and explosions, and even a damsel in distress, so it covers most of the bases. I’ll give you my thoughts after a brief summary.

Marine sniper, Bob Lee Swagger is on a mission in Africa when is spotter, and best friend, Donnie Fenn is killed. Left to die by his superiors, he eventually gets out and immediately resigns his commission. Three years later he’s living alone in the mountains with his dog when a Colonel Isaac Johnson comes to him with a proposal. There has been a threat on the President and they believe only a highly trained sniper could carry it out. They want Swagger to scout out possible locations and report back to them. They play on his patriotism and eventually he agrees. On the day the threat is due to become real; they insist he attends in order to advise them. Little does Swagger know, he is about to be set up. Injured, he escapes and, with the help of a couple of friends, he plots his revenge.

A very well made film with some nice action scenes, stunt work and CGI. A decent plot with plenty of twists and turns, not all of them too predictable, thankfully. Performance wise, I thought Mark Wahlberg did a decent job as Bob Lee Swagger, as did Michael Peña as FBI agent Nick Memphis. Of the bad guys, the pick of the bunch were, Danny Glover as Colonel Isaac Johnson and Ned Beatty as Senator Charles F. Meachum. Oh, and I should also mention the damsel in distress, Kate Mara as Sarah Fenn.

As revenge thrillers go, this is pretty run-of-the-mill stuff. There are no stand-out performances, outstanding dialogue or even radical plot-twists. One thing that did strike me though, was the total lack of humour, not even one wise-crack from a bad guy… quite disappointing. But having said all that, it does do what it says on the tin and I did find it quite entertaining. It’s never going to win any prizes, but still… Recommended.

My Score: 6.7/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0822854/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/shooter/
Official Site: http://www.shootermovie.com/
Trailer: