Jun 18 2010

Toy Story 3

Now years since the first Toy Story, Andy (John Morris), the owner of many toys is a grown young man and headed to college, his toys are headed to the attic for storage. But wait, not so fast, a rough turn of events instead puts the toys into the brutal hands of the children at the Sunshine Daycare. Now locked up in a prison-like institution ruled by the tyrannical Lotsa the Bear (Ned Beatty), Woody (Tom Hanks) Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the rest of the gang must bust out and find their way home before Andy leaves for school. Will they make it, or will they end up as fodder for the land fill? Simply put, Disney’s Pixar doesn’t make bad films, even at their weakest, they’re still pretty good. And, even though this is the third time we return to the well on this franchise, somehow the writers have managed to keep the recurring Incredible Journey-esque plot and subplots entertaining. Multilayered humor makes for an enjoyable watch for all ages with plenty of laugh out loud moments; and, with a runtime that doesn’t overstay its welcome, the film rounds out just right. I wouldn’t really bother seeing the film in 3D since there’s no point to it, but the film overall is definitely worth seeing. Toy Story 3 is rated G.


Jun 11 2010

The A-Team

A group of well respected Army Rangers become fugitives from the U.S. military when a CIA black ops mission they were assigned to goes awry. Now it’s up to Hannibal (Liam Neeson), Face (Bradley Cooper), Murdock (Sharlto Copley), and B.A. (Quinton Jackson) to clear their names and finish the mission they were originally asked to complete. But who’s pulling the strings and which alliances can be trusted?
The first of two re-boots from the 80’s out this weekend, I can honestly say this film does exactly what it was designed to do. It’s a popcorn chomping, summertime action adventure flick based on the iconic characters a lot of us grew up with. Clever but impossible plans are laid, stuff blows up, bad guys are caught, more stuff blows up, more bad guys, the pattern continues. I mean, that’s why we watched the show originally right? A few cliche action moves and stylistic choices are made throughout the film that director Joe Carnahan could have just as easily done away with, but there’s nothing terribly egregious that will just make you groan out loud. I’m also proud to report that all of the leads pretty much nail their roles, capturing the essence of what we’ve come to expect; although, I’m still wondering what truly useful purpose Jessica Biel really served in this film? Ticket sales by sex appeal? Okay, pass, I guess everyone else is doing it, why not? Also, I’m proud to report, just like the old TV series, the violence and implied violence never results in high blood spatter which is pretty amazing in itself. And, keep a close eye out for cameos of original A-Team members Dirk Benedict and Dwight Schultz. Despite the long-ish feel I’d say the film is still worthy of seeing on the big screen, which is also where it’s probably best suited. The A-Team is rated PG-13.


Jun 11 2010

The Karate Kid

The second re-boot of sorts this weekend happens to be the beloved tale of the Karate Kid. Staying generally true to the original outline, a young boy, Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) and his mom (Taraji P. Hensen) move to a new town, in this case it’s Beijing, China. Once settled Dre finds a love interest, Meiying (Wenwen Han), but is challenged by the school bully, Cheng (Zhenwei Wang). Before long the building maintenance man, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), takes pity on Dre and volunteers to unconventionally teach him Kung Fu for a pride/grudge match against Cheng. Now, admittedly I went into this screening with low expectations bracing for cutsie humor and a half baked script. Surprisingly, the film turned out a lot better than that. Well choreographed action and actual Chinese martial arts philosophy and culture is woven into the drama which lends to the credibility of the overall story. Decent acting from all of the children actors also helps considerably. On the down side, the film is long, it’s over two hours long and could have easily been cut back by a third if the first half of the film moved just a little faster and a fist full of beauty shots were cut from the picture. As a family friendly alternative that actually stands to impress, this isn’t a bad option. The Karate Kid is rated PG.