June 18, 2010, - 3:52 pm
Weekend Box Office: “Toy Story 3,” “Please Give”
I did not see “Jonah Hex,” which was not screened for critics, usually a sign that it’s a bomb. But here’s what I did see:
* “Toy Story 3“: This was a fantastic movie. Great for you, great for your kids, great for your whole family. Be sure to see it in 3D.
Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and the rest of the toys in the gang are back, but their owner, Andy, is now 17, and headed to college. He’s cleaning out his room and doesn’t want the toys (except for Woody) anymore. Andy’s outgrown the toys and hasn’t played with them in years. He puts them in a garbage bag headed for the attic, but ultimately, they end up, instead, at a day care center, where they have to fight off an evil set of competing toys and abusive kids who don’t play nice with them. They try to escape back to Andy’s house, but end up in other places first, including a landfill.
Wholesome, cute, funny, entertaining, and oh so clever. So much eye candy, so many smart jokes, and the usual excellent 3D animation. Charming, magical, and about as good as the other “Toy Story” movies. Sterling Disney Pixar stuff.
I missed the critics’ screening for this and went to the Midnight show, last night, so I could review it for you. The theater was packed and the movie was very well received. The Disney/Pixar cartoon preceding the movie, “Night and Day,” is very cool, too. Lots of applause, throughout. Be sure to stay through the credits, as the movie and very cute scenes continue.
At $14–which is what I paid to see this last night (cost me $4 extra because it’s in 3D, but I recommend you see it in that form)–it’s a little pricey, especially if you are taking an entire family, so best to take your kids to the matinee, which is usually cheaper. If there’s one drawback other than the price, it’s that the movie seemed a little long.
Can’t say enough great things about this. And it’s one of the only good movies this summer, which has a dearth of anything worth seeing. Very well done.
FOUR REAGANS
* “Please Give“: More like, Please Skip This. One of the worst and most pointless movies of the year. You know a movie is bad when it begins with scenes of various women’s breasts being placed on a mammography machine. Totally gratuitous.
A couple of vintage furniture dealers living in New York City are waiting for their 90-something next-door neighbor to die so that they can buy her apartment and expand. They try to get to know the neighbor’s granddaughters, which include an assistant at the mammography lab and a self-indulgent, deceitful facialist (Amanda Peet). The overweight husband of the vintage furniture dealers (Oliver Platt) soon begins an affair with Peet, which then ends. The neighbor dies, and they get her apartment. The end.
Believe me, I’m making this dreadful movie, an utter piece of garbage and waste of 1.5 hours, sound far better than what it is. Skip at all cost, unless you simply need to throw out money and time you’ll never get back. A complete waste of time, money, and more.
FOUR MARXES PLUS
Tags: Amanda Peet, Andy, Buzz Lightyear, Disney, Movie Reviews, Oliver Platt, Pixar, Please Give, Toy Story, Toy Story 3, Woody
There’s a Toy Story 3?!!
How about Jaws 5?
Or perhaps a Rocky 9?
Columbine 101 on June 18, 2010 at 4:01 pm