Movie Reviews

Toy Story 3

  • Title: Toy Story 3
  • IMDB: link

With Toy Story 3 Pixar moves into uncharted territory. The studio has shied away from movie franchises and, other than Toy Story 2, has even stayed away from sequels. It’s been 15 years since the original Toy Story hit theaters and an entire generation has grown up with these characters. So the question is: Does the third film do the franchise proud?

The answer, thankfully, is yes.

As the third film opens Andy (John Morris) is no longer so young. Over the past decade-and-a-half the young boy who played with Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the rest of the toys has grown up. About to leave for college Andy is forced to make decisions on what vestiges of his youth to keep.

Without giving too much away, through a series of misadventures the toys find themselves packed away to a local daycare. The situation divides the group as to whether they should return to Andy or make new lives for themselves with the young children eager to play with them.

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I kinda like it when a plan comes together

  • Title: The A-Team
  • IMDB: link

I was a little cautious sitting down to watch the new A-Team, adapted from the 80’s television showof the same name. Although I liked it as a kid, the show itself hasn’t aged all that well.

The new film does make some departures from the original. The squad are no longer Vietnam vets, instead they are veterans of several skirmishes and war zones including the U.S. involvement in Iraq. This is where things turn bad for the team as they are framed for a crime they didn’t commit.

enjoyed the similarly themed The Losers from earlier this year and proposed if The A-Team was half as good I’d be happy. Turns out I’m happy. It’s not as good as The Losers, and it amps up the absurd to new levels (the team flies a tank in this movie), but I’ve got to admit it’s a fun ride.

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Wax on, wax off (again)

  • Title: The Karate Kid (2010)
  • IMDB: link

In 1984, director John G. Avildsen and writer Robert Mark Kamen presented the world with a coming-of-age story about young high school student named Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) who moved to California and learned karate from kindly handyman Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita).

The Karate Kid was a hit and cultural touchstone for anyone who grew up in the 80’s. It produced two sequels (and a third with Hilary Swank replacing Macchio), an animated series, a videogame for the NES, and countless merchandise. It also introduced the world to Elizabeth Shue, earned Morita a best supporting actor nomination, and forever cemented William Zabka (Johnny) in the minds of millions as a total dick.

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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

  • Title: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
  • IMDB: link

What do you say about a film which includes a “dagger of time” and magic sand which powers its time traveling capabilities? Yeah…magic sand!? Let’s get this out of the way right from the start – Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is ridiculous. Yes, utterly and completely ridiculous. It is however, at times, also fun.

Trying to find a good movie adapted from a video game is akin to finding a boy band who has aged well over the years. It just doesn’t happen all that often. Director Mike Newell and screenwirters Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard attempt to adapt the video game franchise created by Jordan Mechner for the big screen. How successful they are is debatable.

The story centers around Prince Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal), a street uchin who as a child was adopted into the family of King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup) and now is one of three princes of the Persian Empire. Although miscast (he’s neither an action star nor Persian) Gyllenhall relies on his charm to provide the kind of scruffy likable hero the film needs to build it’s silly premises around.

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Robin Longstride and his less than merry men

  • Title: Robin Hood (2010)
  • IMDB: link

Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe come together once again to create a a film about one man’s bloody journey to martyrdom. Sound familiar? Fans of Gladiator should like the look of this film, and fans of Braveheart should like the story (at one point Mel Gibson Crowe rouses a reluctant army by talking of liberty and freedom). Fans of the character, however, might have some issues with this new take on Robin Hood.

I’ll give Scott credit for trying to do a different type of Robin Hood film. Rather than focus on Robin and the outlaws of Sherwood Forest, the script by Brian Helgeland focuses entirely on the journey of a young archer from the Crusades to enemy of the crown. The entirety of the film (140 minutes) is dedicated to showing how Robin Hood came into being. Of course that means that the film entitled Robin Hood is missing one important ingredient – Robin Hood himself.

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