2010
is going to be a great year for movies. I’m confident of this. Since
we’re in this ride together I figured we’d get ready for the year in a
fun and exciting new way. First, over the course of the next fifteen
weekdays we’re going to highlight one mainstream film a day. Some of
them are slam dunks, some of them have a cloud of trouble floating
above them, but all represent a great way to spend a Friday night at
the movie theater even if it results in you ripping its ass thereafter.
One
of the things this site is built on is a love of movies. Some folks
think we’ve let some of that go by the wayside. I disagree, but
regardless, I want 2010 to be a year where this site restores some of
that wonder. Though the glass can never truly be half-full in a
business so driven by rehashes and hollow entertainment, we’re going to
have fun with it and prepare you guys with as many tools as possible to
make the moviegoing experience worth it. Especially as the internet
gets more and more bogged down with people who have no right serving as
an authority of film blabbering all over blogs and Twitter and beyond.
There’s a reason you come here.
Toy Story 3
Directed by Lee Unkrich
Starring
the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Timothy Dalton, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Keaton, John Ratzenberger, Bonnie Hunt, and Don Rickles
Written by Michael Arndt
The Gist
Andy’s going to college and the toys we’ve come to know and love are left at a day care where their whole way of life changes.
It’s a Toy Story movie, so it’s definitely one of the major releases of the year. That said, it’s not the plot that drives these movies but rather the details the Pixar folks bring to their movies that make them so transcendent.
With that said, I’m truly concerned about this movie.
The first film was good for what it was. The second film is amazing. A near masterpiece [though Wall-E and The Incredibles are my favorite Pixar films by a long stretch]. I think I’m personally Toy Story’d out. What else needed to be said about toys being outgrown by their owners and having an existential crisis?
Granted, there was the proposed Toy Story 3 that was to be done outside of Pixar’s realm when it appeared they’d be breaking off from Disney but cooler heads prevailed. With that said, Pixar develops amazing original concepts. We don’t really need a sequel do we?
Participants to Watch
Michael Arndt has gigantic shoes to fill as the writing of this flick. Addicted to Love, Inspector Gadget, and Little Miss Sunshine isn’t a resume you’d exactly want if you were following up a massive work of animated art like the second film in this series. Granted, the quality control at Pixar wouldn’t let a total dog through the system but there’s always the fear there’ll be that magic missing.
Blake Clark is taking over from the deceased Jim Varney as the voice of Slinky Dog. Them’s some big paws to fill.
Lee Unkrich has the directorial reins all to himself after sharing them on the previous flicks he’s worked on with Pixar. Wil we notice?
The Buzz
Lightyear.
Best Case
It fits perfectly next to the previous two. People are happy to lose their tidy Toy Story DVD sets that seemed complete only a couple of years ago. It’s a classic.
Worst Case
It’s forgettable and ONLY makes $150,000,000 domestically. Boo hoo.
CHUD’s Prognosis
I really have a bad feeling about it. And frankly, a subpar Pixar flick [though I hate A Bug’s Life and hold no major love for Cars] just shouldn’t be an option. No Pixar film is better than a mediocre one.
Useful links
Offical Site
Wallpapers
Wednesday: One that may surprise us.