Toy Story 3

One of the taglines for this movie: The Breakout Comedy Of The Summer. With their owner on his way to college, the toy-box gang are left to ponder uncertain futures in the attic. Due to a mix up they find themselves donated to a daycare where they are initially overjoyed to be played with again, but their enthusiasm is quickly lost when they are put in the hands of untamed tots with no idea of how to play with them properly. All the toys must band together to escape the prison they have found them selves in and make it back to the familiar comfort of their owner's house.

Woody is chosen by Andy to accompany him to his college dorm, but must first make sure that his friends make it back to Andy's room from the Sunnyside Daycare center they have been accidentally donated to. Buzz Lightyear must deal with his feelings for Jessie while becoming the new leader of Andy's toys when they find themselves in new surroundings, but the new toys may use his own technology against him. Jessie finds her growing feelings for Buzz frustrating as he seems to have trouble reciprocating and is dealing with the abandonment issues that are still fresh due to her last owner no that Andy is leaving. Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear is the toy that runs things at the Sunnyside Daycare center with an iron fist in a velvet and he has a policy when it comes to new arrivals that Andy's toys may not find conducive to their well being.

You can mark my words that the Toy Story Trilogy is going to go down as not just one of the best animated trilogies of all time, but one of the best trilogies period. This third movie proves why Pixar has the formula that every other modern animation studio must emulate if they wish to survive. This movie builds perfectly on the movies that have come before it with its blend of comedy, adventure and honest emotion. The ending is bittersweet, but touching and as with the other movies the toys looked more real than the human beings whose world they inhabited. I envy those who were able to see this movie in the 3 D that it was crafted to be seen in. I will miss that the gang from from Andy's toy-chest and the quality movie going experience they imparted. I rate this movie a Rated T.

P.S.
During the credits we a nice wrap up to the life of the toys after their farewell with Andy and, in some cases, each other.

Jonah Hex

The tagline for this movie: Revenge Gets Ugly. In this post-Civil War antihero Western film the U.S. military makes former Confederate soldier, who is not a scarred bounty hunter with warrants on his own head, an offer he would be a fool to refuse. All the charges against him will be dropped he he can stop a domestic terrorist who is ready to use an experimental weapon to destroy the fragile Union of the states. When the bounty hunter learns that the terrorist is someone from his past he thought dead the job becomes personal.

Jonah Hex is a bounty hunter who witnessed the death of his wife and son by his commanding officer who then branded him with a hot iron on his face which he later removed with a hot hatch disfiguring himself. Lilah is a gun-wielding prostitute who finds herself drawn to Jonah who finds herself caught up in his assignment when she is used as a pawn to keep him from completing what he had set out to do. Quentin Turnbull is a driven man who wants to make sure that the Confederacy rises again and in the process kill Jonah Hex for the death of his son. Burke is a bowler hat wearing, tattooed, psychopathic Irishman who happens to be the right-hand man of Turnball.

I liked the choice to have the heavy metal band Mastodon do the score for the film since it give the soundtrack of the film a modern feel while keeping the momentum of each scene. I find the  feel of the movie a little like a patchwork quilt with the best parts of the comic book series sown into place haphazardly. The movie is not bad, but it is by no means great. It seems half of the effects budget was used to make sure Megan Fox was always kept in soft focus with certain close-up scenes making her seem to glow. The actors used in this movie are top notch and help to raise it higher than it could have been, but that is not high enough to be a Summer filler movie instead of a Summer blockbuster. I rate this movie a Rated D. Maybe it will be better in a dvd collection like the comic works in a comic book collection.

Knight And Day

This movie doesn't have a tagline. An action adventure centered around a fugitive spy who enlists the aid of a civilian on a glamorous and at times deadly adventure where nothing is what it seems. The agent has become aware that he was not suppose to survive his latest mission and must now fight to keep everyone he has involved in his this assignment alive. Amid shifting alliances and unexpected betrayals in a race across the globe they find that the battle of truth vs. trust may be key to their survival.

Roy Miller is a spy who is doing his best to stay one step ahead of the people he works for in an attempt to figure out why he is being attacked by the people who are suppose to be working with him. June Havens is a lady who just wanted to attend her sisters wedding and move on with her life who is thrust into a world of espionage that is beyond anything she thought she would be prepared to handle. Fitzgerald is a fellow agent at the agency Roy running from who is doing his best to capture Roy and get his hands on the object Roy has in his possession. Director George is the boss of both Roy and Fitzgerald who is trying to understand why one of her top agents has apparently gone rogue and what his connection is to the civilian June while making sure Fitzgerald locates the creator of the object Roy his hiding.

What can I say about this movie that has not already been said in multiple reviews? It is an original movie aimed at adults, but the problem is that they seem to try to get every adult in the net they cast. It's original, but it feels like you have seen this story before in multiple movies with a better script. The chemistry between Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise come off has friends until the very end of the movie where you get a hint there could be more. The action is at breakneck speed, but you get the feeling it is there to overcompensate for the obvious holes in the plot. The supporting actors and actresses are on point in their performances, but in some scenes they are not given much to work with. The director does a great job of keeping you interested in the film to an extent with the shots chosen even if they are not always executed with the enthusiasm required. I rate this movie a Rated C. It seems like it would be a great pilot for a television show.

Grown Ups

One of the taglines for this movie: Back Then They Were Too Young To Know Better. Now They Have No Excuse. After the death of their elementary school basketball coach, five childhood friends get together and spend the Fourth of July weekend together with each others families. The former teammates reminisce about the good times they had their as kids and try to help their children learn to enjoy the simple pleasures.

Lenny Feder is a Hollywood agent married to  Roxanne with two boys, a girl and an au pair who is feeling a bit self conscious by his success when compared to that of his friends. Eric Lamonsoff is a salesman married to Donna with boy with issues concerning his mother's breast milk and a girl with anger management issues. Kurt McKenzie is a stay at home father married to a pregnant Deanna and their family consists of a boy and girl and her mother. Rob Hilliard is a new age message therapist married to Gloria who is 30 years his senior and he has 3 daughters  from previous relationships. Marcus Higgins is the only one not married and aimlessly moving through life with no particular direction or master plan.

I wish I was Adam Sandler because in almost every movie he been a lead in with his Happy Madison Production company he has given himself a hot love interest. I enjoyed seeing so many past cast members from the 90's era of Saturday Night Live in a movie that wasn't an official SNL film. This movie is lite Summer fun that is safe for the family to watch with out parents having to answer too many uncomfortable questions at the end of the movie. I am happy to report that the funniest parts of the movie are not given away in the commercials even though you will have some gems that you will be ready to see. I rate this movie a Rated B.

P.S.
If you want to hear one of Adam Sandler original songs (this one about his dad) stick around for the end credits

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

The tagline for this movie: It All Begins... With A Choice. The city of Seattle finds itself in the midst of a string of mysterious killings and our heroine is yet again surrounded by danger. A malicious vampire continues her quest to avenge the death of her mate. Our heroine must choose between her love for one and her friendship with another with the knowledge that the decision has the potential to ignite a centuries old blood feud.

Isabella Swan is at the center of a maelstrom of emotion with her graduation quickly approaching and her choice to become a vampire with the Volturi awaiting her conversion and Jacob dreading it. Edward Cullen must protect his true love from the vampire who wishes to kill her to hurt him and the come to grips with the fact that he is unsure of what the outcome will be if he does to her what she wants him to do. Jacob Black is dealing with his love for someone he knows can love him and the need to protect her from all the potential dangers to her, but how can her protect her if her decisions make her a danger to herself. Victoria wants nothing more than to cause Edward suffering by killing who he loves most and if that means she must create an army of newborn vampires to combat the werewolves and vampires of Forks, then so be it.

For me this movie felt like a continuation of the themes expressed in the second film. There was no emotional cliffhanger at the end of this movie and more a tying up of the Victoria revenge subplot. The character of Riley Biers was and interesting way of showing the perceived love can be used to manipulate while true love can lead you being able to do more than you thought possible within yourself.

The dialogue between the leads felt real and I have to admit that this as been one of the best looking I liked the soundtrack for this film, but I liked the one in the previous film more when it came to the songs used that connecting to the scenes shown.  The dialogue between the leads felt real and I have to admit that this as been one of the best looking Twilight movies so far. I rate this movie a Rated T.

The Last Airbender

The tagline for this movie: Four Nations, One Destiny. The story followers the adventures of a young successor to a long line of Avatars, who must put aside his childhood and become a beacon of hope. The world is divided into Four Kingdoms, each represented by the element they harness. The Fire Nation launched an attack that eradicated the members of the Air Nomads and are now on their way to conquer the Water and Earth Nations. Since the avatar is the one being who can master all four elements and communicate with the spirit world he is a threat to the Fire Nation's plan of world domination.

Aang is the Avatar and an  Airbender who has been trapped in a sphere of ice with his sky bison Appa for 100 years and has been freed to find the world is not as he had left it and in need of someone to believe in with the courage them how better life can be. Katara is a Waterbender who is learning the right techniques to better control her powers and use them to protect her village from Fire Nation. Sokka is Katara's older brother who is a warrior the South Water Tribe with no special powers but a determination keep his sister safe as he promised his father. Zuko is the Prince of the Fire Nation who has been exiled by his father until he can find the avatar and bring that person back to the Fire Loard.

This live action movie is based on the Nickelodeon animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender. I have to give it to the ego of M. Night Shyamalan to write a script that condensed a season of the series into a movie. I am a fan of the show and I must say that this adaption his hit and miss. I like Dev Patel's interpretation of Zuko to the point that I can not imagine Jesse McCartney in the role, but  I do wonder what Dante Basco could have done with the live action version of the character he voiced in the series. Which brings up something I hope is remedied if sequels are made, which is a cameo for each of the voice actors who helped make the characters famous. Now onto the most disturbing part of the movie which is the tacked on 3 D effects which spoil what would have been a perfectly fun 2 D movie. If you are given the option please see this film in 2 D has the 3 D will be a waste of your money. I rate this movie a rated B.