Toy Story 3 Woody Poster

As the title describes, here is another one of the character posters put out by Disney Pixar recently.

Toy Story 3 Character Posters and Trailer

It’s been way too long since Toy Story 2 was released but finally, the 3rd installment of the Toy Story franchise is just around the corner. I was kind of bummed when we didn’t get the Toy Story 3-D double-feature here in Malaysia. But now that I’ve seen the trailer for Toy Story 3, I just cannot wait for it. Check it out for yourself below, along with the character posters featuring Buzz, Rex and Hamm.

Toy Story 3 is about what happens when Andy stops playing. Woody and Buzz had accepted that their owner Andy would grow up someday, but what happens when that day arrives? In the third installment, Andy is preparing to depart for college, leaving his loyal toys troubled about their uncertain future. It would seem they end up in a daycare center.

Toy Story 3 gets an American release June 18, 2010 and Malaysian release a day before.

Source: Cinema Blend

Toy Story 3 Teaser Poster

Simple yet so effective. Love it.

Expect Toy Story 3 in the summer of next year.

Toy Story 3 Teaser Trailer

It’s been al most 14 years since the first one and almost a decade since the last one. But finally, after waiting for so long, we are going to see another Toy Story very soon. Toy Story 3 sees the return of all the original voices including Tom Hanks and Tim Allen and will be the first Toy Story to be made since Disney bought Pixar. Will this change the film? I don’t think so. I am so excited for this. Toy Story was one of my favorite animated films when I was growing up. I really cannot wait for Toy Story 3. Unfortunately, we still need to wait until next summer for its release. But along the way, Disney will be re-releasing Toy Story as well as Toy Story 2 in 3-D. I don’t know if the 3-D versions will hit Malaysian shores, but I sure would love to see it. Toy Story 3 will also be available in 3-D, of course.

For now, sit back and enjoy the teaser trailer below. It doesn’t divulge any of the films plot info, but it sure is nice to watch all these familiar characters just hang out. The trailer is in HD so it might take a while to load. If you really can’t wait, just hit the HD button to disable it.

Toooo infinity, and beyond!

Toy Story 3 hits theaters June 18, 2010.

So are you as excited for a third Toy Story after so long? Did you love it as a kid? Do you still love it? Tell me in the comments below.

Angels & Demons Review

[This review is spoiler-free]

Right off the bat I’m going to say that Angels & Demons surpassed my expectations. Maybe because they weren’t high expectations, but expectations nonetheless.

I will say that this movie is a huge improvement over The Da Vinci Code, but of course not as good as the book. Whichever way you were to look at this film, it is worthy of being a “summer blockbuster”.

Robert Langdon is a Harvard symbologist who is thrown into the middle of a terrorist threat situation by a long forgotten cult called the Illuminati. They’ve kidnapped 4 cardinals and have threatened to kill them as well as destroy Vatican city using a new piece of technology called anti-matter.

All of this while Conclave, the traditional ritual where the cardinals elect a new leader of the Catholic world after the death of the Pope, is going on. Langdon, alongside Dr. Vittoria Vetra, a physicist who worked on the anti-matter project, traipse across the Vatican and Rome both in search of the hidden anti-matter and attempting to prevent the murders of the 4 abducted cardinals.

If you’re a devoted fan of the book and was expecting them to stay completely true to the story, then you’re going to be disappointed. Not only were parts of the book I found entertaining omitted from the movie, but some parts were even altered.

For the sake of the people reading this who haven’t read the book, I won’t divulge the parts that were changed and removed.

Unlike Star Trek, Angels & Demons starts off really slow. I disliked the opening 15 minutes or so, in which only Italian is spoken with no English subtitles. It felt like a really low-budget European film. I read the book and even I couldn’t make out what was going on. But slowly, the film picks up in the middle as we see more of Tom Hanks and finally climaxes in a rather spectacular and exciting fashion.

The camerawork is quite clever in parts and manages to give an ominous and dark feel to the movie. This could be just me or a lot of other people too, but I thought the way the story was brought to life visually was impeccable. Quite a number of things in the movie appeared almost identical to what my mind’s eye made them to look like when I was reading the book. Ron Howard definitely did a magnificent job of imagining the buildings and the inner decor of certain places, and bringing them to life on the big screen.

I’ve mentioned before that Tom Hanks is past his prime in these kinds of movies but I thought he does a respectable job in this one, better than in The Da Vinci Code. I’m also kind of thankful he got rid of that god awful haircut. The rest of the cast does an OK job. Ewan McGregor did pretty well with the part of the Camerlengo but he was just too Obi Wan Kenobi for me.

Effects are a little dodgy in places but when it matters, it is awesome. This movie has an outrageous and ridiculous plot, which is why so many loved the book. Ron Howard has managed to create a movie that will, for the most part, please this strong fan base. This movie is by no means an excellent film. It is purely a fun, exciting thrill-ride and again, worthy of being one of the year’s biggest movies. Go watch it. You will be entertained.

Looking to the future, Paramount has already announced the planned production for the third Robert Langdon story, The Lost Symbol. Not much about the story yet but it will be set in Washington D.C. and will revolve around freemasonry. The Dan Brown book gets a North American release September 15 with a first printing of 5 million copies, which is a lot. The movie is slated for a 2012 release. If Angels & Demons does well, which it most probably will, we can count on Ron Howard and Tom Hanks on returning for a third installment.

Popcorn-meter

7/10 Popcorns

Opening This Week: I Love You, Angels & Demons Pushing Battle For Terra

Angels & Demons, the third big blockbuster to come out of Hollywood this summer is one of five movies to hit the silver screens in Malaysia this week. In this post, we'll be taking a more detailed look at that film along with the Jason Segel and Paul Rudd comedy, I Love You, Man; the animated film, Battle For Terra and the Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning superpower movie, Push. The fifth film to get released this week is a Thai film by the name of Fireball.


I Love You, Man (2009)
Starring: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Jon Favreau, Andy Samberg
Director: John Hamburg
USA release: March 20
Msia release: May 14
USA box office: $70,140,277
Worldwide box office: $74,999,124
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes
Rated in USA: R for pervasive language, including crude and sexual references
Rated in Msia: 18PL
IMDb User Rating: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%

The film is about a guy who is about to get married but has no friends to invite to the wedding. So he tries to make friends and goes on "man-dates".

This film has an average score of 7.9 on IMdb and a whopping 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. And reviews for this film could not get any better. Many people have said that this is the funniest film of the year so far. But expect a lot of censoring in the theaters here. Not a film for family. Go watch with your guy buddies.




Angels & Demons (2009)
Starring: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer
Director: Ron Howard
USA release: May 15
Msia release: May 14
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Runtime: 2 hours 19 minutes
Rated in USA: PG-13 for sequences of violence, disturbing images and thematic material
Rated in Msia: 18PL

Angels & Demons is based on the Dan Brown novel by the same name and which is the follow up to the The Da Vinci Code. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), a Harvard professor and expert in symbology is dragged into the investigation of a murder because the victim was branded with the Illuminati ambigram. On his hunt for the perpetrator, Langdon uncovers the plot by the Illuminati cult group to murder four cardinals in the Vatican as well as disrupt one of the holiest processes and destroy one of the most sacred of places in all Christianity.

So many people loved the books. So did I. But also, so many people disliked the big screen adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, as did I. That's what makes this film a tricky one. I have a strong feeling with won't be spectacularly good. And early reviews have come back pretty mediocre. This film will definitely not be as good of a movie as Star Trek but will be a fun movie to just sit back, relax and watch. If you're worried of the religious aspects of the film, don't be, there's nothing in it. Even the Vatican brushed it off as just another Hollywood project.




Push (2009)
Starring: Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou
Director: Paul McGuigan
USA release: February 6
Msia release: May 14
USA box office: $31,806,100
Worldwide box office: $44,446,740
Genre: Action, Thriller, Sci-Fi
Runtime: 1 hour 51 minutes
Rated in USA: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, brief strong language, smoking and a scene of teen drinking
Rated in Msia: 18PL
IMDb User Rating: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 21%

The Division, a shadowy government agency, is genetically transforming citizens into an army of psychic warriors. Nick Gant (Chris Evans), a second-generation telekinetic or "mover", has found sanctuary in Hong Kong and is eventually forced out of hiding when Cassie Holmes (Dakota Fanning), a 13-year-old clairvoyant or "watcher" seeks his help in finding Kira, (Camilla Belle) an escaped "pusher" who may hold the key to ending the Division's program. Pushers possess the most dangerous of all psychic powers: the ability to influence others' actions by implanting thoughts in their minds. However, the unlikely duo lands themselves square in the crosshairs of Division Agent Henry Carver (Djimon Hounsou), a pusher who will stop at nothing to keep them from achieving their goal. (Cinema Online)

Push looks like a decent movie that reminds people of Heroes but doesn't try to be Heroes. Should be fun and action filled. But don't expect too much.




Battle For Terra (2009)
Starring: Chris Evans, Evan Rachel Wood, Justin Long, Luke Wilson, Danny Glover, Amanda Peet, Dennis Quaid, David Cross
Director: Aristomenis Tsirbas
USA release: May 1
Msia release: May 14
USA box office: $1,529,114
Worldwide box office: $1,529,114
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Runtime: 1 hour 25 minutes
Rated in USA: PG for sequences of sci-fi action violence and some thematic elements
Rated in Msia: PG-13
IMDb USer Rating: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 46%

When the peace-loving inhabitants of planet Terra come under attack from the last surviving members of humanity adrift in an aging spaceship, the stage is set for an all-out war between the two races for control of the planet. A rebellious young Terrian, Mala (Evan Rachel Wood) together with an injured human pilot, Jim (Luke Wilson) must somehow convince their leaders that war is not the answer and help the two races coexist before it's too late. (Cinema Online)

The movie's done terribly at the US box office, but that could be because it was released on the same weekend as Wolverine. The IMDb User Rating looks promising though, so at least a handful of people thought it was good. It should be good for the kids and the whole family. Battle For Terra is also showing in 3-D.



[If being viewed on a reader, see post to watch videos]

Sources: Cinema Online, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo, YouTube

Doctor Popcorn's Top 5 Favorite Christmas Films

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

Hope you manage to get your hands on one of these films. Perfect for this time of the year, spreading tons of yuletide cheer.
Merry Christmas and a very Happy 2009!

Halloween teaser trailer trick or treat

Did you read Angels and Demons? If not, did you read The Da Vinci Code? If not, did you watch The Da Vinci Code? If not, then nevermind. Here's the official teaser trailer of the upcoming prequel to The Da Vinci Code, adapted from the bestselling novel by Dan Brown, Angels and Demons. Starring the evergreen Tom Hanks, set for release May 15 2009. Enjoy.

Happy Hallow's Eve to all.

Angels, demons, ghosts and ghouls alike.

Brought to you by Doctor 'Illuminatus' Popcorn.