movies_06_23

MOVIE REVIEWS

Toy Story 3
By Joseph McAleer
Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) --- The third time's a charm with Toy Story 3 (Disney/Pixar), the action-packed sequel to two of the biggest animated films of all time, Toy Story and Toy Story 2. Arriving 15 years after the start of the franchise, Toy Story 3 offers a satisfying and poignant conclusion with valuable lessons on family, friendship, and destiny.

Toy owner Andy (voice of John Morris) is all grown up and heading to college, which means putting away his childish things. This is the moment all toys dread, with only three possible outcomes: storage in the attic, donation to charity, or the garbage pile. "At the first sight of the trash bags, we leave," says the leader of the green toy soldiers, as his battalion parachutes out of the open bedroom window.

Woody (voice of Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (voice of Tim Allen), and the rest of the "Roundup Gang" wax philosophical as the "warm and safe" attic beckons. "Every toy goes through this," Woody says. "We've survived yard sales and spring cleaning." Although the toys have never been played with in years, Woody insists that is not their raison d'etre: "It's never been just about being played with. It's about being there for Andy."

Before Toy Story 3 gets too bogged down in discussing the meaning of plastic life and the destiny of playthings, the action adventure kicks into high gear. Woody is chosen to go to college with Andy, while the other toys, prepped for the attic, are accidentally placed in the trash.

They escape, and joined by a reluctant Woody, spurn Andy and choose the next best option: donation to Sunnyside, a daycare centre which promises the one thing toys desire -- to be played with by a loving child.

At first glance, Sunnyside seems like Nirvana, and a warm welcome is offered by the resident toys and their benevolent leader, Lots-O'Huggin Bear (Ned Beatty). "Here there are no 'overs,' no heartache," Lots-O tells the refugees. "We are never abandoned or forgotten. We control our destiny."

Woody is not convinced, and his loyalty to Andy leads him to part company with his friends. But his journey home is cut short, and Woody lands in the arms of a caring child, Bonnie (Emily Hahn). Her home offers even more new toys to play with, including a hilarious porcupine dressed in lederhosen, Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton), who fancies himself a classically trained actor slumming among amateurs.

Meanwhile, back at Sunnyside, the rest of the gang savours their peaceable kingdom -- until the children arrive. The toddlers are unruly and destructive, and this dream world becomes a nightmare.
Lots-O, moreover, rules with an iron paw, imposing prison-like conditions after hours on the new arrivals. Sunnyside becomes a very dark place, and scenes of toy "torture" (and a rather menacing Big Baby doll) may upset or confuse the smaller ones in the audience.
Taking a page from The Great Escape, Toy Story 3 ramps up the action when Woody learns the truth and returns to help his friends. "We're a family. We stay together," he insists.

The journey is perilous, but Toy Story 3 never forgets its core audience. Good triumphs over evil, and the denouement is heartfelt, hope-filled -- and handkerchief-worthy.

Directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo) with music, once again, by Randy Newman, Toy Story 3 is a film for all ages. Baby boomer parents will appreciate the gag-driven script with plenty of innuendo (the blossoming relationship between the Barbie and Ken dolls steals the show), while kids will delight in all the new characters -- and drag their parents to the toy store afterward.
The film contains mild cartoonish violence and scenes of peril. The Catholic News Service classification is A-I -- general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is G -- general audiences. All ages admitted.
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McAleer is a guest reviewer for Catholic News Service. More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/movies.

Jonah Hex
By Joseph McAleer
Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) -- Jonah Hex (Warner Bros.), based on the popular DC Comics series, tries very hard to be a rip-roaring western but keeps falling between two stools. The title character is both hero and villain, a crusader for justice but also a man hellbent on revenge.

The period atmosphere is gritty and authentic, but what about all those people rising from the dead, not to mention the alien technology in the firearms?

In short, put reality on hold and watch a comic book come alive in this fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek adventure. At just 81 minutes, this film is a pretty fast read.

We first meet Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) tied to a St. Andrew cross, which is X-shaped, and forced to watch as his archnemesis Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich) murders his wife and son. Turnbull then brands his own initials on Hex's face, and leaves him for dead. Hex's hideous scar becomes a metaphor for his pain and an all-consuming thirst for revenge.

Hex is rescued by local shamans and brought back to life -- sort of -- with a nifty new skill: When he touches a corpse, it resurrects, allowing Hex time for interrogation and discovery.

This talent comes in handy, as the body count in Jonah Hex is enormous: Scores die, by gunshot, ax, fire, dynamite, even rabid dogs. No wonder there always seems to be a lot of empty wood coffins lying around, and schools of ravens circling overhead.

Turnbull, a former Confederate general who never accepted the Union victory in the Civil War, fakes his death. Hex, who served in Turnbull's regiment, channels his unrequited revenge into a new life as a High Plains drifter and bounty hunter.

Only one good woman holds his heart: prostitute Lilah (Megan Fox), who has issues of her own. We never learn what these are, and the corseted Fox is simply western eye candy (and a far cry from Miss Kitty in Gunsmoke).

Soon we discover Turnbull is alive, and amassing armies and firepower to restart the Civil War. President Ulysses S. Grant (Aidan Quinn), the fearless Union general, looks mighty afraid in this movie for, as he intones, "Turnbull is building the weapon."

In true comic-book fashion, Jonah Hex careens off the rails into fantasy. It seems Eli Whitney, once he invented the cotton gin and new kinds of firearms, drew up plans for the first weapon of mass destruction.

Turnbull obtains these plans, and builds what he calls "a country killer," intent on obliterating Washington on the Fourth of July, 1876. Only one man can stop him: Jonah Hex.

Few are spared a violent end in Jonah Hex, and director Jimmy Hayward (Horton Hears a Who!) displays a sadistic fondness for mass murder, including blowing up innocent churchgoers as they leave Sunday service. The destruction is, however, remarkably unbloody, and the camera does not linger long on the victims.

While it is always clear that the bad guys go to hell (when the "hell hounds" can be heard barking, you're in a bad spot), it's hard to condone Hex's fanatical drive for revenge, whatever happened to him in the past.

Jonah Hex contains stylized if unbloody violence, including gunfights, brawls, and explosions, implied sexual activity, occult rituals, and some profanity. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III - adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
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McCarthy is a guest reviewer for Catholic News Service. More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/movies.