TOY STORY 4: SAYING GOODBYE TO FRIENDS

The TOY STORY films have been hits for Pixar and Disney since the release of the first film in 1995. Now 24 years later what could be the final film in the franchise has been released and is on the way to disc. Think about this. A 5 year old child who saw that first film is not graduated from high school and on their way to college. That in itself is amazing. That the movies can remain fresh, interesting and grab onto a new generation even more so.

If, like me, you hadn’t kept up with the other three films, Andy (the boy who originally owned the toys) has passed them on to his sister Bonnie. Having grown and in college the toys now make up a major part of Bonnie’s life. But she’s about to start going to school and has the normal fears children do when that time comes. Woody (Tom Hanks) steps in to help, recalling the first day of school Andy had and how he helped him through it.

Sneaking into her backpack he’s there to watch over her. When art supplies are taken from her desk, he retrieves some from the trash and in so doing picks up a spork too. Bonnie sees the items on her table and lights up, mixing them together to create her own figure made of a broken popsicle stick for feet, a lump of modeling clay to hold the feet and spork together, glued google eyes, a rubber band mouth and a pipe cleaner for arms. She dubs her new toy Forky and now Woody must get him to go home with her. After all, Forky thinks he’s nothing but trash.

Forky continues to try and escape and Woody and friends continue to bring him home. Then the family decides to go on a road trip via RV. Along the road Forky jumps out and Woody is determined to rescue him. Forky still thinks of himself as trash. As the pair make their way to the camp the family is staying in for the night, Woody finally convinces Forky that Bonnie needs him, that he is HER trash. Off they go to be reunited.

But along the way they pass near an antique shop and Woody spots a familiar glow. It’s the base of the lamp that Bo Peep (Annie Potts) and her sheep were on in the front window of an antique store. He and Forky enter and meet Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks). The talking doll has a broken voice box and she sees Woody as her chance to remedy the situation by taking his. Woody escapes but not Forky.

At a nearby playground Woody is reunited with Bo Peep and the sheep only to discover she’s now a lost toy and happy about it. The worlds is hers to explore and no longer depend on a child to play with her. He tells her what’s happening and eventually she agrees to help him recover Forky along with several other lost toy friends.

AND while all this is going on Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the other toys are wondering where Woody is. Having been told to consult his “inner voice” Buzz takes him literally and pushes his buttons to speak. Low and behold they send him on a quest to find Woody and help him recover Forky.

So what makes the TOY STORY movies work? There is no simple, single, solitary answer. It is an amalgamation of items that weave together to not only capture the imaginations of children but of adults who will be sitting there with those kids watching. Everyone has had that special toy at one time or another, that one item that meant so much to you but that somewhere along the way was lost, misplaced or no longer played with. These movies, and this one in particular, bring back those memories of lost toys.

In addition to that the film deals with emotional predicaments that children find themselves in and deals with those issues. The loss of a special toy transfers possibly to the loss of a special friend. People move, change schools or pass away. The toys serve as metaphors for these things and the movie opens a door for discussion between parents and children. Without spoiling anything it also opens the door to talk about when it’s the right time to leave, to move on. That what some would consider a simple cartoon can have that impact and allow itself to be used to open those doors is something special.

No one can say for certain that this will be the last film in the series but it does have an ending that would make you think so. That would be the smart thing to do. Set aside the concept of making another film for the sake of dollars and let the toys be free finally. Doing so would make the impact of the film all that more special. And this is a special movie that adults and children will love. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll find something you can share with your kids or alone. It’s one great movie. 

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CRAWL: NO GATOR-AID

It’s October and what better time than now to watch a movie that will provide some chills, some spill and all out mayhem? If that’s the type of movie you enjoy then by all means watch CRAWL. Released this summer to theaters and making its way to disc this week you’ll find it entertaining, frightening and will do for swimming what JAWS did years ago.

Kaya Scodelario plays Haley, a champion swimmer who’s still trying to insure she stays on the team. After a practice she gets a call from her sister Beth asking if she’s heard from their father. Haley hadn’t gotten the word yet that a major hurricane has shifted and is headed their direction. Beth hasn’t been able to reach their father and wants Haley to go check on him.

She drives through the pouring rain and makes her way to her place to pick up her dog first. She then heads to her father’s place. Searching the house she finds his phone but no dad. The door to the crawlspace beneath the house is open so she goes looking for him. Finding her father (Barry Pepper) wounded, she tries to drag him to the steps only to find a full grown alligator blocking her way and hungry to finish off the pair.

She makes her way back behind some pipes that prevent the alligator from reaching them. Resuscitating her father she learns that he was beneath the house trying to block some holes before heading out when he was attacked. The alligator came up through the drainage pipe. Now the pair need to find a way out while avoiding the alligator.

Haley sees her cell phone and realizes she can call for help if she can just get to it and avoid the alligator.  As she reaches it she discovers that he’s not alone and a second alligator is in the crawlspace with them. She’s attacked and wounded and loses the phone, but finds a safe area to hide in. Now it’s just finding a way to either get help or escape from beneath the house without being eaten alive.

In addition to the duo in jeopardy a sub-story focuses on the father/daughter relationship between the two. They’ve had problems in the past and she’s blamed herself for the divorce her parents went through. Between moments of finding escape the pair discuss the reality of what caused this to happen and rediscover one another.

So does the movie work? Can you make an alligator frightening? Absolutely. Director Alexander Aja (known for his work on THE HILLS HAVE EYES remake, MIRRORS and PIRANHA 3D) brings his skill with creating a tense film within the confines of a small location. Almost the entire film takes place beneath the house with a few scenes and the last 15 minutes or so taking place upstairs. And all of it taking place in the midst of a hurricane. When the film ends you’ll check your fingers to see if they’ve pruned having watched so much water cascade through the house.

To make a movie truly frightening takes skill and not overdoing the revelations of the creature in question. That was one of the things that made JAWS such a great film. It wasn’t seeing the shark from start to finish but the build up to the point where it was finally seen. Aja does the same here but does end up showing it more than that film. The alligators are all CGI but not overused. It makes them believable in the situation here and all the more frightening. The alligators also have a tendency to show up unexpectedly throughout the film as well creating a number of “jump” scenes that will have anyone sitting close to your TV leaping back as they pop out.

Scodelario makes a credible heroine and loyal daughter who finds the time in the midst of potential tragedy to make peace with her father. Pepper, known for roles in films like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and THE GREEN MILE, plays his role mostly injured from start to finish but brings that believability factor into play as Scodelario’s father. With the exception of a few other characters who mostly become lunch for the alligators, the film is carried by these two and they do a great job of it.

While this may not be spooks and ghosts, goblins and ghouls, it does offer a nice frightening movie that can be enjoyed for the month of October. The film is rated R for violence and it is quite gory at times. If your children have no problem with that, or with going near water to swim anytime soon, then pre-teens might enjoy this one. I found it a treat and could easily watch it again. 

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SATANIC PANIC: NOT WHAT YOU THINK

For those of us alive and well in the 1980s we’re well aware of the term “satanic panic”. The phrase was coined when allegations of satanic rituals and child molestation were brought forth, in particular the McMartin Preschool case. The attention to items like this spread like wildfire and it wasn’t long before news crews were talking to various suspects, Geraldo had guests on his show linking the satanic groups to the Manson murders and Son of Sam killings and everything else under the sun. So when I heard there was a movie called SATANIC PANIC coming out that was what I associated it with. The fact is it has nothing to do with that and is a rather well done horror/comedy that uses it as a springboard instead.

Samantha ‘Sam’ Craft (Hayley Griffith) is a down on her luck teen who takes a job delivering pizzas on her scooter. When a call comes in for a high end area of town the other delivery guys turn it down and send her. It seems that they’ve been stiffed for tips there before. One suggests to Sam that if it happens she sneak into the house and shame the owners into coughing up a tip.

Of course this is exactly what takes place. When stiffed for the tip, she starts to leave and then decides that she deserves her money. Unfortunately for her she isn’t aware of the fact that the house she’s stopped by is home for a coven of witches preparing to bring forth the demon Baphomet for Beltane to the world. Led by socialite Danica Ross (Rebecca Romijn) preparations have been made, her husband locked up for nearly foiling the plan and a search for a virgin to replace the originally intended victim is taking place.

When Sam steps in she’s quickly captured and tossed into the den where Danica’s husband Samuel (real life husband Jerry O’Connell) is decked out in only his tighty whities. He clues Sam into what is transpiring and decides to save her life by taking her virginity from her. Except that Sam isn’t interested and after finding a gun shoots him in the neck, then escapes through the nearby doors.

When Danica finds out what has happened she takes Samuel’s heart out to use in a ceremony by baking it. Danica is having problems of her own controlling the coven since one of the members, Gypsy Neumieir (Arden Myrin) wants to take over the group. At some point you know a confrontation between the two will happen.

In the meantime Sam has run to a nearby house where she finds a young girl babysitting two boys. The girl offers her a drink and tells her she’s going to call the police. Sam puts the drink down and one of the boys drinks it instead, dying shortly after. It turns out the babysitter is the daughter of one of the cult couples and chases after Sam who hides in a bedroom…where she finds another girl hogtied on the bed.

The girl is Judi (Ruby Modine), daughter of Samuel and Danica, and she was the intended victim for the evening. Instead she ruined her mother’s plans but taking care of the virginity issue on her own. Now she wants nothing to do with them and is all out to help Sam escape. With the coven on their tail and using witchcraft and spells to catch them it appears the girls might not make it through the night.

The film definitely qualifies as a dark comedy and presents more laughs than scares along the way. Sadly they aren’t major laughs but are done well enough to keep viewers entertained. The concept is fresh and that’s rare for horror films let alone horror/comedy movies. And while some might find the subject matter offensive keep in mind it’s not played out as serious and the members of the coven all come off as snooty snobs concerned only with maintaining their positions in society.

That’s an underlying part of the film as well, a depiction of the haves and have nots so often talked about in political circles these days. In the film the haves are portrayed as coming into their wealth not through work or achievement but by using satanic methods to insure they retain their rule over the simple working folk. Fortunately the writer and director were smart enough not to make that the central theme but they did choose to stick it in there.

The acting isn’t top notch but it’s not bad. Griffith comes off best here showing potential that will make her worth watching down the line. Romijn has done better in the past and doesn’t come off quite that well here. O’Connell seems a bit sleazier than he has in some roles but handles it well. And Modine shows potential as well.

All in all for a movie that’s being released on disc in October this is one that adults might have a laugh at. I don’t know that I’d recommend it for teens and definitely not for children. At the last minute they decide that language might not be enough to get an R rating and toss in an orgy scene filled with enough nudity for several films. For that reason, as well as the theme of the film, I’d keep youngsters away. 

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THE STAND: KING’S OPUS DONE RIGHT

(A small note. The trailer here is from the original release of THE STAND on DVD. The review is of the new release on blu-ray with a much improved image.)

I was a huge fan of author Stephen King early on in his career. Then I felt that things changed. With THE TOMMYKNOCKERS book I suddenly felt like he was writing as if he was being paid by the word. I stopped reading his novels. But one I’m glad I read that was, at the time, his most lengthy novel was THE STAND. While reading it I couldn’t see a way that they could make a movie out of this book. There were too many characters and all had major roles in what would transpire. Thankfully it wasn’t made into a feature film and instead was done as a mini-series on TV. Now that complete mini-series is on disc and the result is fantastic.

If you’re unfamiliar with the story it’s an end of the world scenario that beings in one of the most logical progressions ever written. When a killer virus is accidentally released on a top secret base, a low level guard grabs his wife and child and escapes in their car. Unfortunately they were still exposed.

At a gas station miles away and a few days later a group of friends is hanging around and talking. This is the old Mayberry style station where people would do that. Among them is Stu Redman (Gary Sinise). The guard’s car heads toward the station and crashes into the gas pumps. He is pulled from the wreckage and the bodies of his wife and child are bloated and rotting inside the car. He only has enough life in him to say that they didn’t make it.

A cousin of one of the men in the station, a State patrolman, shows a few days later to let them that the military is closing off the town. Stu is fine but several of the others are beginning to show signs of illness. What happens, and the books explains this in detail, is that the patrolman has now been exposed to the virus as well and everyone he stops from thereon is exposed. Ticket writing is now a cause of the spread of the disease as well as those the escaped guard came into contact with.

When the military takes over the town Redman and his friends are put in isolation. The scientists realize that he has a natural immunity to the disease. But he’s not alone. Across the country while so many die, others are surviving. Singer Larry Underwood (Adam Storke) in New York City is surviving while his mother dies. Frannie Goldsmith (Molly Ringwald) survives along with her friend Harold Lauder (Corin Nemic) who helps her bury her father. Deaf mute Nick Andros (Rob Lowe) survives in a small town where he was helped by the local policeman.

All of these survivors as well as others begin having dreams. In the case of some they dream of an elderly black woman named Mother Abigail who sits on her porch in front of a corn field telling them to come and gather around her in Nebraska. But for others they dream of a black demon like figure named Randall Flagg (Jamey Sheridan) who urges them to meet with him in Las Vegas. These two characters represent good and evil and a battle between the two over the fate of humanity is coming.

The reason for the length of the book and the mini-series is that the number of characters whose backgrounds need to be established as well as their motivations is what moves the story forward. A simple battle between good and evil would not involve the viewer unless they cared and knew about the characters. In so doing it creates a story that draws you in and has you taking sides.

But not all characters are good and some who begin that way end up being traitors to the causes they espouse. Betrayals take place and may affect the outcome of the ensuing battle. And the survivors will lead the world or see its destruction once that battle ends.

There is no way to single out a performance in this mini-series to lay claim to the best. Everyone involved here brought their A-game and it shows. Sinise, one of the best actors around, was just coming off some successful smaller roles and about to break out with his performance in FOREST GUMP which came out after this role. He was more than capable of handling Stu here, the centerpiece of the tale. But so was everyone else.

The mini-series has been available in the past so why bother talking about it now? It’s because it is now being released in a restored collector’s edition on blu-ray. While the previous DVD release was fine the difference in image here is noticeable with a much cleaner and crisper version to enjoy. The colors are noticeably different and less washed out than before. As a fan of the mini-series I was particularly glad to hear this was getting the special treatment it deserves. It may not come with a ton of extras like some releases do but it is the item itself that should be enjoyed and at 6 hours it won’t be something done in one night. Now it can be enjoyed with repeat viewing the way it was meant to. I can’t begin to recommend this one enough.

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