Film Review #90: Toy Story 3

In 2009, when I first heard that Toy Story was getting another sequel, I was absolutely ecstatic.  After all, coming off of two of the best films they would ever make (WALL-E and Up), a second sequel to one of the most storied franchises in motion picture history was not only well documented, but also in high demand.  Everyone wanted to see Andy grow up and wondered aloud what would happen to Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Mr and Mrs Potato Head, Rex and the others should Andy leave for college.  I went into Toy Story 3 with a lot of optimism.  But when I left, I was not impressed.  I wasn't exactly appalled, but I wasn't exactly enthralled either.  Maybe it's because I absolutely loved Toy Story 2 and I valued it as one of the greatest films ever made.  But in any case, Toy Story 3 becomes ill with a deadly case of "Return of the Jedi" syndrome.  But this film is still better than any of the other sequels to come out from Pixar (not named Toy Story 2).

Plot: The movie begins almost too well.  It shows Andy's numerous adventures with the toys as he grew up more and more, ultimately cutting Randy Newman's famous "You've Got a Friend in Me" short.  Andy is now grown up and on his way to college.  But the toys, instead of remembering the good times they had with Andy, now panic that they would be thrown away or sold (like some of the other toys had been).  When they overhear that Molly has to donate her toys, they all decide they want to be donated after Andy's Mom accidentally takes the bag of her son's toys to the curb to be picked up as trash.  

The original group, plus Barbie (Jody Benson), arrive at Sunnyside Daycare and are instantly welcomed by the old toys there and their leader, Lotso Huggin' Bear (Ned Beatty) and his second in command Ken (Michael Keaton).  They bring them to their room, but Woody feels still loyal to Andy and leaves Sunnyside, but is accidentally picked up by a girl named Bonnie, who takes him to her home.  The toys, eager for playtime, are played with roughly by toddlers far too young to play with them.  Buzz goes to find Lotso and see if he could rearrange their situation, but Lotso is revealed to be a villain who has control over Sunnyside, and he switches Buzz back to Demo Mode, making him think he was a space ranger again.  

Woody learns of this from a clown toy named Chuckles, and departs to Sunnyside to help his friends escape and get back to Andy's.  The breakout works reasonably well, but the group is ultimately trapped in a garbage truck on their way to the dump.  The toys must escape from the dump before getting incinerated.

What's Bad?: There are a lot of problems with the continuity of the story.  For instance, at the end of Toy Story 2, Woody and Buzz come to the realization that although Andy will grow up, they are willing to endure the years because they want to be there to see it happen for themselves.  But in this movie, they are far more interested in their own lives, which seems really out of place to me.  

The story is a lot darker than I thought, which was also offsetting to me.  While I do like the villain and the setup for the story, some of the imagery, lighting, and scenes were very out of place to me.  If Toy Story had always had that dark underpinning, I would have normally had no problem with it.  

And I did not cry at the end of the movie.  I did feel sad that one large part of my childhood was ending, but not enough to cry like I did in Up or The Lion King.  

What's Good?: In the tradition of the great Disney Animated Films, what's good is REALLY REALLY GOOD.  The key moment for me was the emotional ultimatums both Woody and Andy come to at the end of the movie.  It was done, in my point of view, flawlessly.  The scene made a boy's departure from childhood to adulthood significantly easier, because it was involving two characters I had grown up with, since I first opened the VHS for my third Christmas in 1996.  

I absolutely love the new characters, especially Ken and Barbie.  Michael Keaton as Ken was absolutely hilarious.  Just the amount of jokes one could get out of a man doll like him reminded me a lot of my childhood, tormenting my sister and ruining all her Ken dolls.  Barbie is also hilarious.  You don't expect the voice of Ariel to act like Barbie does, but it's still very heartwarming to have yet another person from my childhood portray another comedic character in this movie.  

Overall: Toy Story 3 is among one of the better Pixar films, but it isn't exactly the best.  It has flaws, both practical and impractical, but it is still worth a showing once in a while.  Not the worst, but not the best.  And although the things in it that annoy me REALLY annoy me, the stuff that is good is too good to ignore.  

Final Grade: A-

You Ain't Never Had Friends Like Us...

Today, August 11th, 2014, the entire world has lost a true gem to the name of not only comedy, but of cinema entirely.  Naturally, no death is not sad, but the world today is mourning the loss of a man who I consider to be one of the best actors and comedians who ever lived.  Robin Williams is probably one of the most beloved comedians of all time, right up there with George Carlin, Rodney Dangerfield, and Richard Pryor.  Be it his incredibly quick and slick satire of anything from golf to parenting, or his truly sincere approach to acting he gave as many roles as possible, Robin was truly a man of many different ties.  He was a beloved father, actor, comedian, and friend.  

Naturally, no suicide is anything to joke about, but I really do wish that I had been able to meet Robin in person.  Would I have made a difference?  I hope so, but probably not.  But you cannot blame me for feeling this way.  After all, Aladdin was THE first movie I ever saw, and the Genie was like one of the best friends I could ever ask for growing up.  And to have one man leave so much of an impact on me is sheer brilliance.  I have seen as many Robin Williams movies as possible (from the highs like Dead Poets Society and Good Morning, Vietnam, to the lows like Patch Adams and License to Wed), but you'd be damned to find a movie with this man that either didn't humor me or touch me for even one second of film or one stretch of comedy.  

No matter his role, Williams put his heart and soul into each character he touched, be it a poetic and whimsical English teacher, an adult who got in touch with his inner child, or a genie with a desire to become free.

Robin, everyone in the entire world is going to miss you.  In fact, I'm going to spend the next few weeks doing little but listening to Robin's comedy albums I own and watching his movies.  I just hope you could realize that be you alive or dead, a comedy genius or a sincere actor, you have left a good impression on many and all you have ever come across.  And that is a life fulfilled.  I thank you for sharing your flair and wonder with me, Robin, and I hope that if there is a world beyond this one, that I get to hang out with you once in a while.  

Robin McLaurin Williams

July 21st, 1951 - August 11, 2014

Rest In Peace

Top 15 Total Drama Characters

When I first watched this show, I was surprised how amusing and entertaining it was.  Of course, some of the humor is a little childish and the animation is kind of weak when compared to some of the other work that came from Cartoon Network.  But to be perfectly honest, seeing as how I expected nothing from this show, Total Drama (I've so far only seen seasons 1-5), is one of the most surprisingly entertaining shows I think I've ever seen on CN.  

The characters are really what drives the show.  Try to picture every major stereotype you can find in teenagers and their actions (the punk with the heart of gold, the big lovable jock, the goth chick who wants to be liked, the queen bee, the dumb blonde, the surfer chick, the overachiever, the know it all, and of course that African American chick we all claim to know).  But it's the interesting twists they give each character that makes the character worthwhile.  And of course, you have the sociopath of a host and drill sergeant of a chef.  

So, without further delay, here are the Top 15 Total Drama Characters

15. Cody

 

Cody is easily one of the more annoying characters.  He's like that nerdy kid that thinks he's smooth with the ladies and I was so happy that he was booted early in Season 1 (being mauled by a bear in the process), and was left out of Season 2.  So when I heard he was going to be in Season 3, I was not looking forward to it.  But as the season progressed, not only did Cody get a taste of his own medicine when he came across the psycho fan girl Sierra, but he also got his own moments.  And while we know he'll never end up with Gwen, his falcon punch of Duncan is one of the funniest moments in the entire series.  And while his character will never be one of the elite characters in the series, some moments more than make up for his lack of a quality character throughout season one.

14. Ezekiel

I think he might be the only one who didn't win anything.  And Chris gave him multiple opportunities to try to win.  Originally home schooled by his parents (who were according to Chris, "freaky prairie people), Ezekiel was probably the least likely to win anything, considering his extreme out of touch nature and chauvinistic ways.  But after making it his goal to compete with the rest of the cast, he resorts to feral instincts and becomes a Gollum like monster bent on winning the entire contest and winning a million dollars.

13. Gwen

Gwen is technically the main character in Season 1 and the most polarizing character afterwards.  While she learns to get out of her shell and actually hang out and be friends with people other than goths (which makes no sense), when Season 2 starts, Gwen has become the center of the drama.  She lets her boyfriend Trent throw challenges for her, breaks up with him, convinces her rivals to vote him off and then throws the next challenge for her team causing friction between her and her friends. She also becomes a significant part in a love triangle between Courtney and Duncan, when many question if Gwen indeed had a crush on him, only to learn on a reunion special before Season 3 that she did.  Oh, that's just season 2.  Season 3?  She tries to become friends with Courtney only to steal her boyfriend and then complain for the remainder of the series.  To be perfectly honest, were it not for her being a main character, she wouldn't have made it on my list.  I mean, what goth people you know act like Disney Princesses?

12. Bridgette

Bridgette is one of the few characters who doesn't go through much character development in the series.  She, being the surfer chick, is very conscience about the wildlife throughout their journey, and even throws a challenge when she refuses to eat hot dogs made from dolphins.  But it's her horrible luck and extremely nice attitude that more often than not, lands her in the elimination ring.  That, or spending more time making out with her boyfriend Jeff.  After landing in the final 10 in Season 1, Bridgette is never allowed to recover, being eliminated fairly early in Seasons 2 and 3, being the 1st and 4th people voted off.  But in a show filled with skulduggery and treachery, it's refreshing to have a sane and good human in the show.

11. Zoey

I like to call Zoey "Bridgette 2.0", with all the niceness and friendly nature of the original model, despite the bad luck, but added naivety.  Zoey is very quick to become friends with most people she meets, becoming friends with everyone from bad boy Duncan to nerdy Cameron.  And unlike Bridgette, Zoey never loses focus on her goal, ultimately allowing her feelings for fellow competitor Mike to fall to the wayside in her drive to win, even clashing with him in the Season 5 finale.  For the record, Zoey is the only character in the post Season 3 group.

10. Izzy

Izzy is an absolute mental patient.  Where do I begin with her?  She's a compulsive liar but has no shame in revealing dark and disturbing secrets about her life and her family.  She apparently blew up an RCMP (Royal Canadian Mountain Police) base, and likes to refer to herself as Kaleidoscope (E-Scope) and Explosivo.  She has the attention span of a gnat and despite showing that she cares for big and lovable Owen, she is that wild stallion that is almost impossible to catch, and a wild ride if you do.  She is terrible at hunting, yet great at building bikes and kung fu.  Chef Hatchet views this psycho as his equal, besting him on multiple occasions.  Izzy has the uncanny ability to find her way back into competitions, until a head injury leaves her out of the game for good.

9. DJ

DJ is the gentle giant, but perhaps he takes the whole gentleness thing too far.  DJ shows virtually no hostility towards anyone throughout the series, and to be honest, is a big coward and a mama's boy.  His kindness and big heart often cause him trouble in challenges, being partially responsible for his teams or alliances losing nearly 20 challenges throughout the run of the series.  But DJ's most ironic moments come in Season 3, when he becomes cursed and ultimately brings harm to cute cuddly animals and ultimately doom to his team, causing Team Victory to lose all of it's teammates before one of the other teams loses one of theirs.

8. Chef Hatchet

To say Chef Hatchet can't cook is an understatement.  I think the only times he's ever cooked anything remotely edible was to further trick people into falling for one of Chris's many schemes throughout the series, such as making a huge turkey dinner for the teams, only to have Chris have the challenge be a test of stamina.  But Chef's highlight moments are when he is in charge of the show when Chris is either away or doesn't care enough, like in the episode "Basic Straining" when he becomes a drill sergeant and runs the campers ragged as if they were in a military base camp.  Or in "Are We There Yeti" when he puts the remaining campers out on a challenge while he goes through there personal belongings (Gwen's Diary, Heather's exfoliating cream, Duncan's knife etc.).  But the one thing you can't count on Chef for is making an alliance, because he ultimately pays the price when DJ and Blainely both get eliminated.



7. Chris Mclean


Chris is one of the few characters in the series you cannot describe with one word.  As the host of the entire series, all of the following words describe him:

Maniacal
Twisted
Self Absorbed 
Ruthless
Crazy
Evil
Soulless 
Hilarious
Sadistic 

I could keep going, but I have more people to get to.  Let's just say, there is a good reason the people in the show hate coming back, but the one thing they'd put up with in order to get their fame and fortune.

6. Heather

In terms of character development, Heather is probably the most well rounded.  She is the antagonist of Season 1, ruthlessly cutting her way through actual relationships and efficiently cutting down all but Owen and Gwen, who ultimately join forces to take her down.  While still selfish and coldhearted in Season 2, the additional antagonists Justin and Courtney lower Heather's importance down.  But Season 3 is centered around Heather's intense love-hate relationship with Alejandro, while she also gets replaced on many enemy lists by Gwen, Courtney, Duncan, or whoever was starting the drama.  In the end, Heather was able to prove she's smarter than she acts, ultimately winning it all in Season 3, before losing the money into a volcano in Hawaii.

5. Alejandro


The creators of Total Drama initially tried to make the good looking Justin a villain in Season 2, but he ultimately fell by the wayside when Courtney became the main villain.  Naturally, when the team was brought back for a third season, they needed a new antagonist.  And Alejandro is the perfect villain for this show, a good looking Latino who uses his looks and charms to manipulate and connive his way to the Final 2.  He is responsible for the elimination of Bridgette, Noah, Leshawna, Duncan, Tyler, Courtney, Cody, and Owen.  But Alejandro ultimately meets his match in Heather, who he falls in love with and is ultimately torched into a smoldering pile of fire and ash, who gets the Darth Vader treatment and gets put into a robotic suit until the beginning of Season 5, when he is also outclassed by another character, the evil personality Mal.

4. Owen


The most popular character in the series, Owen is a 296 pound bag of wonder and happiness that somehow manages to make the minimal amount of enemies: Heather, Courtney, and Alejandro.  Owen is a sloth throughout most of the series, and is usually the cause of his team's failures due to his over consumption habits.  But when motivated by sweets, delicious delicacies, or smoking meat (pun partially intended), Owen becomes determined to do whatever it took to find the source, even blasting past Gwen to win Season 1.  Owen's consumption is only matched by his naivete, which allows him to be a pawn in Chris, Duncan, Alejandro, and Courtney's various schemes.  His love for food is only matched by his love for Izzy, who only partially returns the favor.  After being one of the top rated contestants, Owen was surprisingly left out of Season 5.

3. Lindsay


Patrick Star, Peter Griffin, Homer Simpson, Dopey, and the entire Kardashian family have more brains than this smoking hot model.  Lindsay is twice as gullible as Owen, twice as clumsy as Bridgette, and yet somehow manages to make it into 4 of the 5 seasons.  How?  I guess luck.  And the occasional use of her brain.  Lindsay does show signs of a functioning brain, such as in her ability to mess with Courtney by asking her boyfriend Duncan to go to the movies with her, while also playing a major role in Heather's downfall in Season 1, by making her lose her hair to Chef's barber shop.  But, that is also compounded by her distraction by shiny things, her short term memory loss regarding her boyfriend Tyler, and her accidentally voting herself off in Season 2 that ultimately keeps Lindsay from being perfect.  But man, is she entertaining when both smart and stupid.



2. Duncan

Duncan is, in terms of placing, the strongest competitor in the entire series.  He finishes:
4th
1st
5th
8th
He is extremely rude, calculating, and overall an unprincipled delinquent who continually warns people that he has no friends, nor a desire to have friends.  But Duncan is much more like a teddy bear on the inside, doing surprisingly sweet and kind things for many people.  His kindness wins him many admirers and damages his reputation as a hardnosed criminal, as Bridgette, Leshawna, DJ, Owen, Jeff, Beth, Lindsay, Zoey, and his two heartthrobs Courtney and Gwen all manage to see past his piercings and gruff exterior.  Of course, his attraction to Courtney ultimately causes intense friction between the two, especially when he learns Gwen is into him.  In the end, Duncan's drive to become a criminal sends him not back to Juvenile Hall, but into a Canadian Prison where he still sits today.

1. Courtney

Living proof that Izzy did not corner the market on insanity.  She begins the series as "Heather B", because she is more driven by making herself win than her team.  But Courtney's character takes a surprising twist when the C.I.T. and class president falls for Duncan and unleashes her inner bad girl out on everyone just like Duncan.  But this results in her elimination when Harold stuffed the ballots against her.  This causes the second dynamic of Courtney's character, the psychotic blood sucker who uses her lawyers to get back into Season 2 and gain unfair advantages all throughout.  And while she engages Duncan in an intense rivalry, more often than not the two are drawn to each other and the friction becomes intense make out sessions.  Courtney's calculating only gets her so far, as her rules and attempts to control the game result in her elimination.  But it's her jealousy and anger that cause Courtney to lash out against Duncan and Gwen in Season 3, when it is revealed to her that Duncan and Gwen are now a couple.  Her calculating and stratigizing fails her, as she is ultimately swept up by Alejandro, who trashes her head to the point when she's hated by all and kicked off the show once more.  But it's Courtney's ruthless pursuit of her ambitions, her jealous rages, and her incredible freak out moments that make Courtney not just my favorite TD character, but also one of my all time favorite characters, period.  I always find myself voting for her, regardless of the circumstances.