Toy Story 3

Pic source: click here.

Toy Story 3 is by far the most hilarious animation movie I have ever watched. I laughed like crazy throughout the film. I've also watched this about three or five times now. I know, crazy right? Anyway, here's some info as usual.

Director: Lee Unkrich

Writers: John Lasseter (story), Andrew Stanton (story), Lee Unkrich (story), and Michael Arndt (screenplay)

Genre: Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

Casts (voice): Tom Hanks (Woody), Woody Allen (Buzz Lightyear), Joan Cusack (Jessie), and others. For the full credits on casts, click here.

Summary:

Woody, Buzz and the whole gang are back. As their owner Andy prepares to depart for college, his loyal toys find themselves in daycare where untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice. So, it's all for one and one for all as they join Barbie's counterpart Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants and a pink, strawberry-scented teddy bear called Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear to plan their great escape. (From imdb)

You'd also want to check out the goofs and trivia. They're awesome! :D As always, watch out for spoilers if you haven't watched the movie yet. 

Ooh! A logical explanation for one of the goofs:

The laptop in Andy's room was open when he came in because Hamm and Rex was looking for how much they were worth on e-bay, and they didn't have the time to close it! (I figured this out the third time I watched the movie, lol.)

The great escape.

Reasons to love this movie:

1. Absolutely inspiring family story. There are tons of things you can learn from this movie.

2. A balance of everything. Adventure, comedy, togetherness... you will get sucked into this movie until the very end, and you may not want to get out. :)

3. Amazing plot. The plot can sometimes be unpredictable. It also tells a bunch of stories without anything being nonsense. Every part of the story is important to uncover the plot, and every part is a beauty and excitement.

Reasons to not like this movie:

None. For me. 

All in all, I think this movie deserves 10 out of 10 stars. This is actually the first time I've given a perfect score review for a movie and I don't think I'll regret this. A definite must watch - even though you're an adult or a grandpa, this movie will touch you.

Toy Story 3 is also one of the sequels that actually works. It's rare and ought to be appreciated.

Video trailer:

Toodle-o,

Maria

THE EXPENDABLES (2010)

The expectation for this film is obviously very high with one of the best action hero line ups (if not the best) in cinematic history. I can honestly say that I was not disappointed. This was a high octane, unbelievably explosive, funny, blood thirsty, proper action movie! This film would not have been out of place in the 80s, but manages to fit into the market of today's cinematic action experience. It is easily much more graphic and gory than most modern day action films, but this adds to the film and creates a degree of realism. Let's face it; if you go around killing people it isn't going to be pretty! This film did what it needed to do, it wasn't afraid to contain blood, guts and violence for the sake of an age restriction but also wasn't overly ridiculous.

CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON

Director : Sylvester Stallone
Writers : Dave Callaham (Screenplay and Story) and Sylvester Stallone (Screenplay)

Release Date : 13 August 2010 (Indonesia)

Genre : Action | Adventure | Thriller
Cast :

	Sylvester Stallone	...	Barney Ross
	Jason Statham	...	Lee Christmas
	Jet Li	...	Ying Yang

	Dolph Lundgren	...	Gunner Jensen
	Eric Roberts	...	James Munroe
	Randy Couture	...	Toll Road
	Steve Austin	...	Paine

	Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Trench
	Bruce Willis	...	Mr. Church

Plot : Barney Ross leads the "Expendables", a band of highly skilled mercenaries including knife enthusiast Lee Christmas, martial arts expert Yin Yang, heavy weapons specialist Hale Caesar, demolitionist Toll Road and loose-cannon sniper Gunner Jensen. When the group is commissioned by the mysterious Mr. Church to assassinate the merciless dictator of a small South American island, Barney and Lee head to the remote locale to scout out their opposition. Once there, they meet with local rebel Sandra and discover the true nature of the conflict engulfing the city. When they escape the island and Sandra stays behind, Ross must choose to either walk away and save his own life - or attempt a suicidal rescue mission that might just save his soul.

HEROES TODAY. LEGEND FOREVER

What I think about this movie :
1. The plot is not that original, but it doesn't need to be, nor was it expected to be. The cast, goes without saying, was fantastic. What could have been a disaster of conflicting egos ended up being a believable team of mercenaries where banter is rife and keeping each other alive is their number one priority. Stallone can give himself a big pat on the back for getting so many iconic actors onto the screen together and actually making it work. Though the much hyped cameo of two particular people was short lived, it was hilarious and I think a great moment in cinema.

2. This was a great film that keeps you glued to your seat, constantly makes you gasp and laugh out loud and leaves you pumping with adrenaline. It was ridiculous and wonderful all at the same time, with more bullets and bombs than Rambo and more fighting than Rocky. This is a must see film for any movie buff or action hero wannabe. It is certainly not for the faint hearted, or for kids, but for any true action movie lover this is the ultimate manly film.
3. The only negative: Some of the blood and explosions looked digital. Wish it could have been just a bit more authentic. Sometimes, there was a tad too many closeups during the fight scenes. With so many people fighting at the same time, sometimes I couldn't tell who was punching who. It didn't happen very often, but how cool would it be just for one moment to see three simultaneous fights from a super wide master shot?

TRAILER

We are the shadow, the smoke in your eyes, the ghosts that hide in the night.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Brian Tyler.

The Expendables: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Expendables"	3:22
2.	"Aerial"	2:58
3.	"Ravens And Skulls"	4:49
4.	"Lee And Lacy"	2:15
5.	"Massive"	3:24
6.	"The Gulf Of Aden"	6:56
7.	"Lifeline"	4:29
8.	"Confession"	2:56
9.	"Royal Rumble"	3:41
10.	"Scanning The Enemy"	3:47
11.	"The Contact"	1:31
12.	"Surveillance"	3:27
13.	"Warriors"	3:49
14.	"Trinity"	4:19
15.	"Waterboard"	3:01
16.	"Losing His Mind"	2:37
17.	"Take Your Money"	2:41
18.	"Giant With A Shotgun"	3:57
19.	"Time To Leave"	1:55
20.	"Mayhem And Finale"	5:47

-auReL-

AVATAR : THE LAST AIRBENDER (2010)

After waiting extremely eagerly for this movie, I sat in the theater and was extremely eager for it to END. Ear-oh? Oong? Soak-ah?! Could they have butchered the names anymore than they did? Worse, the entire movie felt like a string of clips put together for an hour and a half and not like a movie at all. All the major parts of the Book of Water were skimmed over, while things like the freeing of the earth nation village (while important) were given screen time that could have been given to major events like the southern air temple. I was really disapointed after watched this movie.

FOUR NATIONS, ONE DESTINY

Director : M. Night Shyamalan
Writers : M. Night Shyamalan
Release Date : 4 August 2010 (Indonesia)
Genre : Action | Adventure | Family | Fantasy
Cast :

	Noah Ringer	...	Aang
	Dev Patel	...	Prince Zuko
	Nicola Peltz	...	Katara
	Jackson Rathbone	...	Sokka
	Shaun Toub	...	Uncle Iroh
	Aasif Mandvi	...	Commander Zhao
	Cliff Curtis	...	Fire Lord Ozai
	Seychelle Gabriel	...	Princess Yue

Plot :

Air, Water, Earth, Fire. Four nations tied by destiny when the Fire Nation launches a brutal war against the others. A century has passed with no hope in sight to change the path of this destruction. Caught between combat and courage, Aang (Noah Ringer) discovers he is the lone Avatar with the power to manipulate all four elements. Aang teams with Katara (Nicola Peltz), a Waterbender, and her brother, Sokka (Jackson Rathbone), to restore balance to their war-torn world. Based on the hugely successful Nickelodeon animated TV series, the live-action feature film “The Last Airbender” is the opening chapter in Aang’s struggle to survive.

He will need you... and we all need him.

What I think about this movie :

1. The actors were dismal, with the exception of Dev Patel as Zuko and to a lesser extent Shaun Toub as Iroh, who wasn't an accurate portrayal of Iroh visually but at least captured the character's wisdom much better than many of the other actors on board for the movie. He however failed to provide many of the aspects of Iroh that made him endearing in the series.
2. The music was great. The special effects looked amazing, I don't care what anyone says. The fighting was cool. The sets were adequately spectacular. I will give that the northern water kingdom was gorgeous, but that's about all I have to say kindly about this movie.
3. If you love Avatar: The Last Airbender as the series, I recommend giving this movie a miss. It's heartbreaking how they butchered something that had such fantastic and barely needing change source material.

Trailer :


enjoy ^^

-auReL-

Shrek Forever After (2010)

I watched this movie on Thursday. One reason was because a blogger friend of mine said it was awesome. I, on the other hand, wasn't very impressed.

Average plot, average characters. Like I said, wasn't impressive.

Here's some info. As usual, from imdb:

Director: Mike Mitchell

Writers: Josh Klausner, Darren Lemke

Genre: Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

Casts (voice): Mike Myers (Shrek), Eddie Murphy (Donkey), Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona), Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots), Julie Andrews (Queen), and many more. See the complete list of casts here.

Summary:

A bored and domesticated Shrek pacts with deal-maker Rumpelstiltskin to get back to feeling like a real ogre again, but when he's duped and sent to a twisted version of Far Far Away -- where Rumpelstiltskin is king, ogres are hunted, and he and Fiona have never met -- he sets out to restore his world and reclaim his true love.

The Final Chapter.

Maybe the reason I'm not really liking this movie is because it's too fairytale-ish. I'm sure it's perfect for kids half of my age but I guess it's just not for me. There's no 'cool' factor in this movie, just lots of educational factors, which are important for the targeted audience, but again, not for me.

And the story is like repeating the previous Shrek series. All about true love's kiss, getting Fiona's love... blablabla... *sigh*. Again and again and again, not for me. I even don't really like Shrek.

You should watch it if you're a Shrek fan, and/or you're... about 9-11 years old. Or if you're six. Or if... you just want to watch it because it makes you curious!

Tam ta-tara -- It's four stars out of ten!

Trailer:

Toodle-o,

Maria

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

I just had to watch this movie two times (both in theatre). It's just so good. Definitely a must watch! (I'm gonna say that again at the end of this article, count on it! :D)

As usual, a couple of info:

Director: Mike Newel

Writers: Boaz Yakin (screenplay), Doug Miro (screenplay), Carlo Bernard (screenplay), and Jordan Mechner (screen story and video game series "Prince of Persia")

Casts: Jake Gyllenhaal (Dastan), Gemma Artenton (Tamina), Ben Kingsley (Nizam), Toby Kebbell (Garsiv), Richard Coyle (Tus), Gísli Örn Garðarsson (Hassansin Leader), and many more. See the complete list of the casts here.

Genre: Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Romance

Summary:
Set in the mystical lands of Persia, a rogue prince and a mysterious princess race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time -- a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.

Defy The Future.

Prince of Persia is a game originally created by the wonderful Jordan Mechner in 1989. Through various titles it has been developed and published by different companies. The first two (Prince of Persia and Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and The Flame) by Brøderbund, the recent years' games by Ubisoft. 

There are many stories about the Prince of Persia.The movie is based on  a game by the same title, which was created in 2004. Oh, there are certainly some changed characters' names, different settings and a little twist on the subplots, but the main plot is basically the same. The Prince himself never even has a name in the games. But it would be weird if he's still referred to as 'Prince' in the movie, right? Seeing as there are two other gorgeous princes as well.

The game itself is the first of The Sands of Time trilogy. The second one is Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, the third is Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. Some elements from those two are also incorporated in the movie.

Good news for iPhone users! Prince of Persia Retro is released in iPhone OS. Well, I guess that's good news for iPod touch user like me too. Teehee.

For game users, the most recent development of Prince of Persia is Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands.

You can look it all up here. Don't you just love wikipedia? x)

Trailers for those who are curious:

Why I love this movie so much:

1. Great story. Smart ending. A tiny bit similar to Shrek (next post... hopefully), but nonetheless nice.

2. Wonderful choice of actors. Jake Gyllenhaal is drop dead gorgeous and Gemma Artenton is simply perfect for roles like Tamina. Yes, their acting is superb too.

3. Awesome special effects. They could do a little better on the sand-surfing scene but it's still worth it. 

All in all, 8 stars out of 10. And fulfilling my promise from the beginning of this article: This movie is definitely a MUST watch! 

Toodle-o,

Maria

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

This movie is based on Cressida Cowell's book with the same title, although the story is very different. 9 out of 10 stars, I'd say. The story is well developed, the animation beautiful, and the characters enticing.

Love it.

Info, taken from imdb:

Directors: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders

Writers: Cressida Cowell (based on a novel by), William Davis (screenplay)

Genre: Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

Casts: Jay Baruchel (Hiccup), Gerard Butler (Stoick), America Ferrera (Astrid), Craig Ferguson (Gobber), and others. Check out the complete cast list.

Summary (taken from imdb): 

Long ago up North on the Island of Berk, the young Viking, Hiccup, wants to join his town's fight against the dragons that continually raid their town. However, his macho father and village leader, Stoik the Vast, will not allow his small, clumsy, but inventive son to do so. Regardless, Hiccup ventures out into battle and downs a mysterious Night Fury dragon with his invention, but can't bring himself to kill it. Instead, Hiccup and the dragon, whom he dubs Toothless, begin a friendship that would open up both their worlds as the observant boy learns that his people have misjudged the species. But even as the two each take flight in their own way, they find that they must fight the destructive ignorance plaguing their world.

What I think about the movie:

1. The animation is fantastic.

2. Characters are very memorable.

3. Story is well developed. In fact, the story development is so good I haven't seen a movie like this for so long. It develops the characters wonderfully, creates a very understandable main story and the other story 'branches' are also finished beautifully. I definitely love the ending. It was so real.

The only thing I wish at the end of the movie is MORE HICCUP! :) Definitely a must watch.

Toodle-o,

Maria

CLASH OF TITANS

Directed by : Louis Laterrier

Released by : Warner Brothers Picture
Duration : 188 minutes
Genre : Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Rating : 2.5 of 5

The Synopsis :
"The Clash of the Titans" is set in the Greek city of Argos where a war is about to explode between man and the gods. Perseus (Sam Worthington) raised as a fisherman, but is actually a demi-god. Perseus is the son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) who is about to take on the gods after the death of his family. Zeus' brother Hades (Ralph Fiennes) was the one who killed his family, and Perseus wants to kill him. However, it is Perseus's destiny to rescue the city of Argos from the ruthless rage of Hades and his Kraken monster. With nothing to lose, Perseus leads a band of soldiers on a quest to defeat the Kraken. In doing this, Perseus will prevent Hades from overthrowing Zeus and in turn destroying mankind.

Cast :
Sam Worthington as Perseus
Liam Neeson as Zeus
Ralph Fiennes as Hades
Jason Flemyng as Calibos / Acrisius
Gemma Arterton as Io
Alexa Davalos as Andromeda
Mads Mikkelsen as Draco
Tine Stapelfeldt as Danae
Luke Evans as Apollo
and many more

OVERVIEW :

This movie is actually the remake of the first movie with the same title. Released in 1981, the first "Clash" starred Sir Larry as Zeus alongside titans of the stage and screen like Claire Bloom (as Hera), maggie Smith (as Thetis) and Ursula Andress (as Aphrodite). And Harry Hamlin, wearing the "dry look" and robes so voluminous he could have rigged the entire Greek fleet, played as Perseus, the demi-god and son of Zeus.
If you don't remember the film or the myth, not to worry : there are titans, they clash. Simple as that.
FYI : If you have watched the movie, you also have to know that there is no woman named Io in the Greek mythology. And actually, in the end, Perseus was supposed to marry Andromeda beside Io. In the myth, Andromeda (the queen of men) and Perseus were married. She even followed him to Tyrins, Argos and ruled at Tyrins through their son, Perses.

Memorable quotes :
Spyros : " One day, somebody's got to make a stand. One day, somebody's got to say enough..."
Perseus : " If I do this, I do it as a man! "
Ozal : "Death should be afraid of us."

The trailer :

-auReL-