The Toys Are Back In Town

TOY STORY 3

Directed by Lee Unkrich

Starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack.

For many of us this third and final installment of the Toy Story franchise will feel like an end of era. We have grown up with these characters and for some us, they're part of our childhoods. We were there when the first Toy Story boosted Pixar to the top in 1995 and we rejoined them for the second film in 1999 where we met some additions to the toy box. We invited Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang into our hearts and they've never let us down. Eleven years later, were here to say goodbye...can Pixar do it again?

For me, this year has been a year of many changes, many endings and Toy Story 3 is the icing on the cake. I was only 3 when the first film was released in '95, the same year my younger brother was born, and as I'm sure my mother will you, I loved every minute. I watched it over and over again and it's been in my VHS collection ever since. 1995 was a year of firsts, my first sibling, my first year at school and I believe I even lost my first tooth. 1999 and Jessie joined the crew and it reignited my love for the franchise. I've had to wait eleven years for the next installment and I certainly wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to watch a preview back in June.

Despite my long blogging hiatus I knew I had to do a review for this. So over two months later and here we are, having just watched it for about the fifth time, ready to write my review.

So lets start with the negative points shall we? There really aren't many, it was the perfect end to an almost perfect series. But there are few points that I wish they would of got right:

Firstly, I'm not totally sold on our villain. I felt like we had been here before and there didn't really seem to be much separating him from Stinky Pete from the second film. Perhaps it's just me but an old, wise toy who appears to be one of the good guys seems like familiar ground. It doesn't really ruin anything but it would of been nice to have seen something a little more original. In fact the betrayal of one of there friends would of been alot more interesting then another evil outsider.

Secondly, no Bo Peep, no Wheezy and no Etch. The latter two could of been forgiven but getting rid of Bo Peep. I understand if she appeared but then got the chop during the film but having an off screen exit felt like a bit of a cop out. Even at the end there was a hole that Bo Peep would usually fill. Buzz had Jessie but this time, Woody is left alone. Sad times indeed!

However it was difficult to pull out any negatives. Those are more nitpicks than faults, the film manages stand on it's own two feet and my little complaints really make no difference.

As for the positives, I could go on forever. I'll just limit it to three points that I for me, made the film:

El Buzzo was fantastic. Even the brilliant snippet at the end where Jessie puts on the Latin music is golden. If you haven't seen the film, it's worth if for these moments alone.

The new characters keep the film fresh. Without them, it would still be good but the additions of Barbie, Ken, Big Baby etc...really enhanced the experience. Even the smaller roles played by Mr Picklepants played by the legendary Timothy Dalton will bring a smile to your face and every role, regardless of whole big or small, each character has there place. Barbie, Ken, Mr Picklepants and Chuckles definitely stick in my mind!

That ending. Andy introduces his friends to Bonnie really brings a tear to your eye and when drives off leaving the toys on the porch, I almost blubbered like a baby. As I said earlier, the perfect end to a perfect series.

Well done Pixar! If you haven't seen it then go see it. If Toy Story means as much to you as it does me, you'll leave with a giant smile on your face! You may even go back for more...

5/5 - it really is that good!

Angels & Demons: Unfairly Over-Criticised

Fair enough, The Davinci Code was a big disappointment which failed to meet expectations in almost every way possible; the successor however, doesn't deserve the heavy criticism it has received. The film is witty, well paced and cleverly strung together, keeping us guessing until the end. When you think you've got things all worked out, they throw in a twist and for me, that's exactly what a good mysterious thriller should do. It does make mistakes but like many of the recent films, it makes up for it in other departments.

First off, for those of your who weren't satisfied with Tom Hanks portrayal of Professor Robert Langdon in the previous outing, you'll be pleasantly surprised here. While he remains consistent, not dramatically changing the character as actors have a habit of doing in a sequel, Hanks adds an element of humour to the role. The one liners add comic relief to the thrilling mystery and amongst the blood and gore, Hanks picks things up with a laugh. Critics have said they felt this was out of place and untrue to the novels character; I suggest they try reading Dan Brown's books before passing that kind of judgement!

While the film doesn't stay completely true to the novel, there isn't anything majorly different plot wise and the renaming of the Camerlengo is probably the biggest change. On the subject of Camerlengo Patrick McKenna played by the brilliant Ewan McGregor, wasn't he just fantastic? The final twist involving his character was a complete surprise and the predication I had made got completely turned on its head. I personally loved McGregor's portrayal and I couldn't of cast anyone better for the role.

What was bad? The complete waste of Ayelet Zurer as Vittoria Vetra, she was simply there as a plot device and there was little chemistry between Vetra and Langdon. While Zurer didn't play the role badly, the character was dispensable and there was very little reason for her presence. It felt as if they thought to themselves, "heck we've got no females in this, lets make one up so it doesn't look like we are being sexist!" Another bad point was the death of the assassin, it was obvious and the build up was there so explosion really wasn't a surprise at all.

So while the plot moved at a better pace than it's predecessor and the action was satisfying, it seems as if Angels & Demons also suffers from the Dan Brown blues and really doesn't reach it's potential. While it may be a good film, if you have read the book or seen the countless, exciting trailers then you may be a little disappointed by the final product. But all in all, it is one worth seeing, especially if your one of the few who enjoyed the first outing.

Star Trek: Abrams rejuvenation of an old classic!

But with LOST supremo, JJ Abrams at the helm, I was more than ready to give this film a chance. Though I myself have failed to fully dive into the Lost universe, I can understand why the series is so successful and I can only admire Abrams workmanship on both Lost and Fringe. While his most recent attempt in Hollywood left us less than satisfied, we all hoped Star Trek would give us a different feeling. And as I have already mentioned, it did. 

The movie rekindled the love of Trek for Trekkie's across the globe while also pulling in a brand new audience. This new generation might not want to run around wearing pointy ears speaking Klingon, the general response was extremely positive. And while it didn't go without it's criticism, the professional feedback was, on the hole, also good.

The premise for the film was extremely exciting, going back to the start and literally beginning all over again. Obviously, being in the industry I am, I got a few inside "spoilers" before the film had been premiered so when I finally came to watching it, I had a general idea of what was coming. The whole film was cleverly balanced so we saw a good amount of action while getting enough interaction and character building to level things out and the overall characterization was pretty good. 

Zachary Quinto delivered a top notch performance of Spock and I couldn't help but squeal when Zachary and Leonard came face to face. Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana both deserve to be commended for their brilliant interpretations of Kirk and Uhura. Pine shines and you can tell he really relished the opportunity playing the role and he really embraced Shatner's Kirk while really pumping him with energy. Uhura was also extremely likable and came across alot more warm and I for one, enjoyed the Spock/Uhura pairing. Simon Pegg was also very entertained as Scotty and matched Doohan's timing to a tee and while we saw very little of John Cho's Sulu, I was satisfied enough.

The biggest disappointment was the character of Nero, I just didn't think he was villainous enough, he was missing something that I couldn't quite identify but whatever it was, didn't matter, I still felt he was the weakest character. No fault of Eric Bana in my opinion and he did seem to build a character but it just wasn't evil enough for my liking and that was down to Abrams and the writing team to sort out.

With stunning action sequences, fantastic characters, witty dialogue and overall, top notch acting - this is defiantly a film not to miss. It's enjoyable for Trekkie's and newbies alike and while there was so criticisms to be made (most of which I didn't mention), this was a jolly, action packed trek. A fine addition to the Star Trek franchise and the only thing I have left to say is: sequel, please?!

Welcome to "the Proclamations of Dantay".

It's approximately 1:28AM on Friday, August 01 and this is officially the first post to be added to this brand new blog, "The Proclamations of Dantay".

You may firstly be wondering who the hell I am. That fact will remain a secret for an eternity and shall you ever discover my real identity, then I'll to kill you. Of course, I'm only messing with you. My name is Dan and I'm going to playing the role of head blogger here at PoD.

Unfortunately for me, I live in the United Kingdom, Devon to precise. Any more than that would be telling. And who knows what you could be. Paparazzi, a stalker, a rapist, a serial killer or even dare I say it, a Miley Cyrus fan! I don't have anything against the famous youths who are representing my generation but I cross the line at Miley Cyrus, she's a hideous human being. And I'm not talking about her appearance, she's a very pretty young woman but her attitude and behaviour stinks, she's defiantly giving us a bad name! So I warn you now, this isn't a place for fans of her majesty as there isn't a fan of hers around these parts. As I said, nothing against the girl, if she wants to be a rotten, two faced, spoilt, little bitch then it's not my place to question her. Be warned, I'm not a fan of Zak Efron or other like minded individuals either, so comments about them aren't usually pretty.

In this blog, I will be commenting on films, television, music and technology and anything else that tickles my fancy. Fingers crossed the series finale of ER will be the first on my list, swiftly followed by the new Star Trek movie. But no promises can be made on either accounts as it does depends on whether I have time to sit and watch them. It's worth noting that I work at a movie theatre and with that, I get to watch as many films as many times as I like - so if your going to get a review, it will be more likely to be one about film rather music but lets see how things pan out shall we!

Anyway, on with the show shall we. Enjoy the blog and finally, welcome to "The Proclamations of Dantay".