Toy Story 3 (2010)

Leave it to a family gathering with my in-laws to derail my mission of watching every single Disney animated film in uninterrupted, chronological order! Then again, most of you probably didn’t even realize that I have been working towards this goal and it has been taking me longer than it ought to in the first place. Coupled with the fact that this is one heck of a fun movie, I don’t mind going off on a tangent just this once.

First and foremost, I must warn you that this is going to be something of an incomplete assessment of the film. It has been years since I last saw the original Toy Story and I have only ever seen bits and pieces of Toy Story 2. I have been assured by several people familiar with the whole series that the events of Toy Story 3 don’t hinge upon the events of Toy Story 2. If this is true, then it is already a good thing that Disney managed to make each film with a self-contained story. After being brought up to speed on a few of the carry-over characters from the sequel, our journey commenced.

Andy, the child to whom the toys belong, is all grown up and heading off to college. After all these years, Andy is still hanging on to some of his all-time favorites. Andy’s mom tells him that he needs to put whatever he is not taking with him in either the attic, the trash, or donate it to Sunnyside Daycare. Surprisingly, Andy elects to take Woody to college with him and puts the rest of the toys in the attic. The only problem is that he packs the toys in a trash bag, which his mother mistakenly puts out for collection. They narrowly escape but do not realize what Andy had intended.

Having seen the mix-up, Woody tries to convince the gang that Andy really still wants them. Not believing him, Buzz takes command of the dejected toys and they sneak into the box headed for Sunnyside. Woody gets taken along for the ride and they discover a brand new world. The leader of the Sunnyside toys, Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear welcomes them with open arms and introduces them to a paradise of endless play. Woody leaves, determined not to let his original owner down. The rest of the toys soon discover that Sunnyside has a dark side. Word of this gets back to Woody, who plots a daring break-out attempt.

While the story isn’t chronologically consistent (it’s been 15 years since the first and Andy definitely was not a toddler!) that doesn’t really matter. Nobody ever said that time has to pass at the same speed within this story world and that of the real world. All that matters is the story that’s being told. Said story is definitely not what I was expecting. While I recall the original Toy Story having a few dark moments, it was nothing compared to what’s in store for you here.

Toy Story and its sequel (from what I’ve seen of it) are about Woody saving Buzz or Buzz saving Woody. Those films were all about finding a sense of belonging. These themes are still at play here, only Woody is now trying to save everybody, but the sense of belonging plays second fiddle to the toys learning to cope with the fact that they are no longer needed like they used to be. They have to transition into a new role and it is difficult for them to accept their fate. These are far more adult concepts than the first film (and probably the second too) dealt with.

There is no question in my mind that this film was made for the generation that grew up with the first two Toy Story films. Sure, it exists to entertain the new generation that was born in the past 11 years but the Pixar team was wise to give the original devotees a little more than just another rescue to watch. While I usually despise adult humor making its way into children’s movies, none of the double-entendres go too far and there is still plenty of innocent humor for the kids.

Sad as it is that some of the amusing background characters from the first installment are no more, it’s a smart move. Had Andy held on to all of his toys, there would have been too much going on. Toy attrition opens up the door for a bunch of great new characters. Some of them only have seconds to shine, but shine they do! From a melodramatic, premium plush hedgehog to a flamboyantly metrosexual Ken doll, it’s clear that the filmmakers and actors had fun pulling out all the stops.

The animators even pull out a few stops of their own, adding to the Toy Story legacy. The first installment of the series was the first full-length feature film entirely created with CGI. It was bold new territory that looked amazing. The animators take full advantage of the advancements in CGI over the past 15 years and elevate their game even further. The toys have always looked spot on but what floored me scene after scene was the richness of the textures. Some of the materials the toys are ‘made’ out of look real enough to touch. I can only imagine how real it must have looked in a good 3-D showing.

Even though I haven’t seen Toy Story 2, I have to say that I was very impressed with this film. It doesn’t feel recycled or needless. The story is sharp and has something for every age demographic. There is plenty of humor for kids and grown-ups alike and the balance between the two is as good as it gets. The animation still wows and the action will keep you interested start to finish. The fact that, after 15 years, Disney is still capable of making us care about these toys is something special.

RATING: 3.75 out of 5

Rescue Dawn (2006)

It seems that every war has its share of incredible stories. The intensity of battle brings out the best in some men despite the utmost trying circumstances. The Vietnam War is almost exclusively viewed in a negative light. Tales of atrocities were commonly reported and hold fast in the American psyche. Rescue Dawn is just the opposite. Here is a Vietnam-era tale of boldness and bravery that not only astonishes but uplifts.

German-American Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale), a pilot in the US Navy, is shot down over Laos in February 1966 during a covert mission. Despite his best efforts, he is captured by a communist militia. Since US operations in Laos were illegal, the Laotian government isn’t too keen on being nice. They offer his freedom if he signs a document for release condemning his country. Refusing, he is tortured and taken to a rural POW camp in the middle of the Laotian jungles.

Dengler’s fellow inmates include two Americans- Gene DeBruin (Jeremy Davies) and Duane Martin (Steve Zahn)- and three men of Thai descent. There is little hope of rescue, as America and Laos did not have diplomatic relations, so the prisoners advise Dengle to get used to being chained down much of the time, fed meager portions and to avoid upsetting the abusive guards. Refusing to concede, Dengler plots a bold escape that could lead them all to freedom.

The first thing that struck me about this film is the way it looks- old. I don’t know if it’s due to the equipment director Werner Herzog chose to use or just an immaculate attention to detail, but this films looks about 20 years older than it really is. Oddly enough, this older look makes the whole film more visually believable. I see no digital grading to make the jungle greens pop or any of the crispness that modern film-making technology lends to a film. It all looks very old-school and I love it.

Another key factor is that everything looks authentic in this film. The sets are almost all on-location and everything down to the costumes and hair styles of the characters (pre-capture that is) looks era-appropriate. Herzog avoids falling into the trap of allowing any modern elements from creeping into his historical picture. This prevents any action or war movie clichés from putting a crimp on the intense tale being told.

Filming on location in Thailand really gives the film the mood it needs. The thick jungles surrounding the POW camp are haunting with an abundance of heavy mist and animal noises. Inside the jungle you can’t help but feel claustrophobic as the dense vegetation threatens to swallow up our subjects. As vile as the Laotian prison guards are, Rescue Dawn shows just how menacing an antagonist nature can be.

Christian Bale, Jeremy Davies and Steve Zahn are well up to the task of taking on the jungle though. The transformations they put their bodies through to look like starving, unkempt POWs are shocking. Christian Bale seems to be the modern master of dire and determined protagonists. Jeremy Davies exudes a chilling aura as the lone doubter of the escape plan. He speaks with the freakish conviction of failure that can only come from someone who has been cooped up for too long. It’s Steve Zahn though who surprises the most here. Normally seen in humorous or outlandish roles, Zahn is perfect in his muted performance as the most shell-shocked of the bunch.

The only minor fault I could find, which didn’t even come close to taking me out of the mood, was an instance or two of sub-standard effects in a few early scenes. I can understand using some CGI instead of tracking down or rebuilding working models of Vietnam era airplanes. Some things are just easier with today’s technology even if they don’t look perfect. The rest of the film is paced, shot, acted and directed fantastically.

War-time and action escape flicks aren’t exactly anything new. It’s the perfect sub-genre for thrilling audiences but it has also grown stale thanks to an abundance of inferior films that just don’t work. That leads to some critics and moviegoers to cry foul when they feel a film like Rescue Dawn is predictable. Werner Herzog can’t help it that Hollywood has thrown nearly every conceivable permutation of escape flick at us already. If we want to be honest with ourselves and the film, all we can do is judge the film by its presentation. The ‘based on a true story’ tagline almost always adds extra weight and meaning to these kinds of productions, especially, in this case, when we watch a story unfold that most people have never even heard of.

Rescue Dawn is a flat-out tour de force of everything done right in a wartime escape movie. You will find yourself cringing at the brutality of the POW camp, on pins and needles in anticipation of the escape and on the edge of your seat as it unfolds. In many ways, this film is like a Vietnam version of The Great Escape but I won’t even think of comparing the two further. Both are true stories that probably fudge a few historical facts here and there but they both make for compelling drama. Track this gem down and treat yourself to one of the best war films since Saving Private Ryan.

RATING: 4 out of 5