Luke's Corner: Week 2

Hello bloggers and internet people, sorry for the delay, but I am now back with week 2 of Luke's Corner (No need for applause).

Today I am writing about the wonders of Toy Story 3.

Oh My God this is an amazing film. Although it came out like a year ago it still leaves me in awe. The presence that this movie brings upon me is extraordinary and it is a sheer testament to the level of work at Pixar that they can keep on going strong in a threequel, where so many have failed ( - cough – Shrek, Spiderman – cough - ).

This film is, simply put, awesome. I generally think there are very little faults to this film. The cast is great; the animation is amazing and it once again features some great voice actors including Tim Allen, Tom Hanks and Joan Cusack.

But what I thought made this film really great was the bad guys.

The villains in Toy Story 3 really made this film Disney in my eyes (in the best sense of the word, the classic eras, not the more modern one), yet Pixar keep everything vintagely Pixar, it has their own original, personal stamp all over it. Lotso has to be the greatest combination of evil and cuddly ever and is really one of the best villains ever (including the great evil present in classic Disney films) I found it inspiring how Pixar managed to make a teddy bear evil. Teddy bears are the cutest things. I just didn’t expect it. Kudos Pixar.

But another villain in this film made it great to sit and watch 5 times. Big baby. By Thor’s hammer this is one fascinating villain. A BABY DOLL!! Big Baby is so wonderfully complex; he’s an enigma of a villain. The producers must have put a lot of thought into making this film amazing. Pixar never ceases to amaze me on every conceivable front.

The only thing that I think kind of disappointed me, and I know that I am in a huge minority here, was the ending. I thought they could have put a little more effort into making all of us Toy Story fans get emotional – although I know that William bawled his eyes out. I didn’t find it very emotional. But the film in general was still amazing; it just felt like it was a tad restrained in its ending.

Overall I give it 9/10

Ups: Lotso, Big Baby, Voice Actors, Set, Animation

Downs: Ending, Lack of the Aliens

Thanks for reading,
Luke

Next week: Kung Fu Panda 2 Review

The Art of Cars 2 Review - A Work of Art

The first thing I have to say is that I’m insanely grateful to Abrams&Chronicle for the free copy; however, it won’t influence my review in any way shape or form. Now this is not to say that it needs the help; the book is fantastic and another great addition to the already strong ‘Art of’ range. The book is written by Ben Queen (the Cars 2 screenwriter) and Karen Paik (who wrote the Art of Ratatouille book) and they’re previous professional writing experience shines though, as they do a great job of it. I’m still inclined to say the Art of Toy Story 3 is better, as it felt more special, like a legacy of the franchise of Toy Story, whereas this book deals specifically with Cars 2, not the original Cars. The book is also decidedly less wordy for the aforementioned reasons; however this is somewhat of a good thing, as it brings more attention to the fantastic artwork. The book is still extraordinarily detailed and is just a bit easier to get into, whereas with the previous instalment, you had to sit and read it for a while, whereas here you can dip in and out, yet you will still want to commit to it, which is to be commended.

Picture of the Day: Japanese Up

Disney/Pixar have really stepped up their Tweets as of late and we got a really good one this past week. Disney/Pixar Tweeted that the title of Up was "tweaked for Japan", this linked to the very cool looking poster above, which we are now informed reads "Grandpa Carl's Flying House". You can't make this stuff up. It's not quite as catchy as Up, but I'd still pay to see it.

The Art of Cars 2 Arrives

My Review Copy of The Art of Cars 2 has just arrived from Chronicle Books and while I am endeavouring to avoid any spoilers, I am still reading it thoroughly and it is beautiful. Stay tuned for my full review of the book, coming later this week.

Gnomeo & Juliet Released on DVD/Blu Ray in the UK/Semi-Review

On June 6th (next Monday) Gnomeo and Juliet, a film several years in the making, that was originally planned at Disney before being shut down by John Lasseter after the 2006 Disney/Pixar merger and eventually picked up by Starz Animation, comes to DVD and Blu Ray here in the UK.

The film, based on William Shakespeare's classic play, Romeo and Juliet, came out in early 2011 here in the UK and was met with a quite good box office reception and a not bad critical reception.

Personally, I'd give the film about a 6.5/10, it was very funny and had a fairly sound story (as it was based on a play written by the genius that is Shakespeare), the film also had very solid voice acting (James McAvoy, Emily Blunt et al) and had really good music (from Elton John and Lady GaGa). However, it's not particularly great, the characters are so-so - nothing original - and easily forgettable, the animation is also a bit clunky and certainly is nowhere near the best I've seen this year ( *cough* Rango *cough*). However, there are enough laughs, jaunty tunes and Shakespeare/nerd references (i.e. the house numbers: 2b and not 2b and some glue labelled 'Taming of the Glue') to make this a wholly enjoyable - if not entirely memorable - film.

I'd probably recommend renting it as opposed to buying it, but the decision rests with you. It's still a good film.