Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.
... View MoreBlistering performances.
... View MoreThere are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
... View MoreThe story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
... View MoreThe Toy Story series shows no sign of running out of steam. Quite the opposite - it is getting better. Great, sweet, funny, fun movie. Innovative plot and direction. Great CGI.Casting and voices are spot-on.Superb.
... View MoreI was so happy when I heard there was going to be a third Toy Story film. It's basically the final chapter (or so we thought until recently) that ties everything together and gives us some happy and sad moments. More new characters plus a prison camp plot that could give The Great Escape a run for its money. While some trilogies' third chapters got a little silly (look at Return of the Jedi), this makes for a better threequel, right up there with the third Lord of the Rings film. Most threequels come up wanting but this didn't. It's nice as a conclusion to the Toy Story saga.
... View MoreThis. THIS. This is what I wanted, and boy...I got it. At first I was worried Pixar may have milked this series just for a quick cash grab, but they continue to surprise me. This really was magnificent. Woody and the gang are now stored away, no longer played with due to Andy now grown up and moving to college. They accidentally get donated to a local daycare centre which is ruled by a "cute but not so cute" huggable bear. So the toys try to escape and return to Andy. Now this film is a prime example why child-friendly animations can be just as entertaining and emotionally captivating for the mature audiences. Especially those like me who grew up with the previous 'Toy Story' films, and Pixar know this better than anyone else. There is an ever present underlying sense of nostalgia riddled throughout this animated feature. Rehashed quotes and catchphrases, flashbacks, call back humour and even visual Easter eggs. It's just a pleasure to watch really. It's a story about growing up, having to part with objects and memories that have accumulated a sense of sentimentality. Making the difficult choice to let go and move on. It's beautifully told, both in the script and animation. It's breathtakingly vibrant and highlights what this franchise has done, not just for Pixar, but for CGI animation it its entirety. The characters were full of life, the new additions were memorable enough albeit had very limited screen time unfortunately. The inner dynamics between the group of toys were fully expressed where both conflict and cooperation were explored. A few goofy scenes for younger audiences, like Buzz dancing the flamenco whilst in Spanish mode, to ensure laughter is had all round. One scene though...actually make it two, just poured pure emotion. When the toys are holding hands, and when Andy departs. It's so simple yet incredibly effective. It never ceases to amaze me, but 'Toy Story' may just be the best animated franchise of all time. Please Pixar, do not make anymore...you risk spoiling its legacy.
... View MoreThe toys are back for another adventure, but the context this time is that Andy is about to go off to college and has to decide what to do with his playthings. When they accidentally get sent to a children's daycare, they find both a new obstacle and a dark story behind some of the toys.I wouldn't call "Toy Story 3" a masterpiece, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I understand that there's a fourth movie planned. If so, then it will be missing two of the original cast members: Jim Varney died not long after "Toy Story 2" and his role got recast in this movie, while Don Rickles just died a few months ago.And as I always do when discussing one of these movies, I have to discuss the cast. We all know who Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Estelle Harris, Michael Keaton, Bonnie Hunt and Whoopi Goldberg are. Wallace Shawn is best known for "My Dinner with Andre"* but also played Vizzini in "The Princess Bride". John Ratzenberger is apparently best known for a role on "Cheers" but I only know him from this franchise. Jodi Benson voiced Ariel in "The Little Mermaid". Timothy Dalton played James Bond in the late '80s, and his Bond is known as the worst (although personally I think that Sean Connery was the ONLY good one). Kristen Schaal and Jeff Garlin are standup comics. Laurie Metcalf plays Sheldon's mom on "The Big Bang Theory" and recently won a Tony for a Broadway performance. R. Lee Ermey is best known as the brutal drill sergeant in "Full Metal Jacket".Anyway, you'll probably like the movie.*My parents met him and Andre Gregory around the time that it got released. The four of them had dinner in a small restaurant and had a philosophical conversation about the movie.
... View More