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randall 
"I like to watch."
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 Posted - 07/04/2010 : 17:46:43
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I don't know how Pixar keeps this up, except they're probably the only studio that has ever put committees to good use. There's a senior staff that give notes on all productions, even backward-looking screenings where employees are asked to list things that went right, and things that went wrong. By the time a Pixar scene goes to render, it's been picked over, punched up, and polished to perfection.
TOY STORY 3 is darker than its two siblings, but at the same time more profound and sentimental. Quite a trick. The toys' owner is headed off to college, so it's either the attic, the trash, or donation to a day-care center for his lifelong playthings. The day-care center looks to be heaven for toys which, after all, just want to be played with, but there's another, more rueful side: newbies get to play with toddlers, who haven't yet learned to be gentle; and the toys are bossed by a formerly lovable teddy bear whose abandonment issues have turned him cruel: among his goons are a big baby-doll and a cymbal-crashing monkey, which might even be scary to very young children. Quoting everything from COOL HAND LUKE to STALAG 17, the flick is exciting, fun, and funny. The last ten minutes are heartbreaking -- you completely forget that these are all computer-generated groups of pixels.
The film is introduced by a new short, as is Pixar's habit, and this wordless one is even more brilliant than most. |
Edited by - randall on 07/04/2010 17:48:29 |
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ChocolateLady 
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 07/05/2010 : 13:13:59
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My daughter saw it Saturday and absolutely adored it. Mind you, she's hardly as discerning as I am, but from what she told me about it, I think you may be right. My initial thought that the way they've done these sequels is so much better than some of the others. Equal amounts of time and thought went into all three movies, so that each one could stand on its own and as pieces of art, rather than just money machines.
Mind you, I'm not sure I'll be able to see it in theatres because of the 3D, but from what I can tell, this is one of the few 3D movies where the script and acting came first and foremost with the 3D as an added attraction. So when I do get to see it in 2D, I'm sure I'll be equally as impressed by it. I say this mostly because my daughter instinctively didn't even mention the 3D aspect of it when she told me what she thought. She even said she didn't think I would like it less in 2D. That's saying a whole lot, if you ask me. |
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RockGolf 
"1500+ reviews. 1 joke."
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Posted - 07/05/2010 : 22:20:00
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| I saw it in 3D and I can't think of a single thing that 3D added to it. But I was chokin' back tears at the end. I kept rationalizing, "c'mon, they're a bunch of old toys. How can you possibly get emotional about them?" And my heart kept saying "Shut up, brain! Leave me alone.". |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 07/06/2010 : 12:39:36
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See it in 2-D then. Rocky's right: you wouldn't be missing a thing. In fact, I find current 3-D technology still wanting: the general luminescence level is much lower, and too many scenes look like the old Disney multi-plane format; an entire background is just moved back, like a painted theater backdrop. The only picture which has just screamed for 3-D is AVATAR, and even there (1) the "live-action" segments aboard the ship also have multi-plane-itis, and (2) it still looks tremendous in flat high-def.
One thing that everybody can applaud about digital presentation [not necessarily 3-D, but that's what's making exhibitors bring the technology in] is that you get a perfect performance. No scratches, no schmutz, no frame or focus problems once you've laid it in, no reel-change perfs or, for that matter, bad reel changes at all. I noticed the pristine performance once during TOY STORY 3, and it had been playing at this same theater for weeks. |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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BaftaBaby
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 07/21/2010 : 13:39:04
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I don't wanna make myself too unpopular here. Let's just say, pixar-magic apart, it didn't make me want to run out immediately and see it again. Which TS 1 certainly did.
But ... I cannot praise enough the by-now obligatory short Night and Day which preceded the main flick. Visually it reminded me of the early Mr Magoo and Gerald McBoing-Boing cartoons. But as for ideas and life lessons - just chock-full, pithy, engaging - even astounding. I don't care whether kids will get it or not. I totally loved it. By comparison, TS3 is fine, fine.
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Edited by - BaftaBaby on 07/21/2010 13:39:38 |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 07/31/2010 : 18:42:55
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quote:
Originally posted by randall
The film is introduced by a new short, as is Pixar's habit, and this wordless one is even more brilliant than most.
Yes, it's utterly charming, with a beautiful retro feel and an only slightly heavy-handed moral message. And even though I'm sure they didn't really understand it, the children in the packed cinema were all utterly captivated. An unusual 5/5 for a short from me. |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 07/31/2010 : 18:43:25
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quote:
Originally posted by randall
The toys' owner is headed off to college, so it's either the attic, the trash, or donation to a day-care center for his lifelong playthings. The day-care center looks to be heaven for toys which, after all, just want to be played with, but there's another, more rueful side: newbies get to play with toddlers, who haven't yet learned to be gentle; and the toys are bossed by a formerly lovable teddy bear whose abandonment issues have turned him cruel: among his goons are a big baby-doll and a cymbal-crashing monkey, which might even be scary to very young children.
There are some big spoilers there. I'm glad I didn't read this thread before seeing it.
I loved it too. I hadn't seen the others for many years, but the characters became and remain so iconic that it was really nice to see them again. I am very attached to my childhood toys (and other mementoes) and so I readily buy into the whole concept. Like the second film, it introduces new characters in a forward-moving way, rather than just as filler around the old ones. When the toys joined hands as they slipped towards the furnace, I almost shed a tear, and when they waved Andy off, I did.
A third 5/5. |
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ChocolateLady
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 06/08/2011 : 10:57:12
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I know, I'm slow on the uptake but I had to say that now that I finally saw this film, it really is the best of the bunch!
This just makes me thing how rare it is that sequels, especially a second sequel, can actually stand on its own excellence while still making the previous two films look good.
I saw this at home without any 3D enhancement, and I while I'm sure the extra effects were impressive, I cannot think that I lost out on anything. It had my husband and me bawling like babies at the end (and I'm welling up just thinking about it). Beautifully done from start to finish! |
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Toy Story 3
