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Category Archives: Video
Film Review: Toy Story 3
Full Title: Toy Story 3
Director: Lee Unkrich
Year: 2010
Running Time: 103 minutes
Comments:
Being a huge fan of the Toy Story saga, I highly anticipated this third installment like so many other young people that grew up with the first two films. Looking back and to this day, the original Toy Story (1995) is one of the few “kids,” CGI films that I enjoyed. I don’t know what it is, maybe because it was the first of its kind or perhaps because I was so young when I saw it in theaters. I don’t know, but I have always held a place for it in my heart. Up until a few weeks ago, I actually had not seen it in nearly ten years and yet I still knew most of the lines! Then, of course, it was followed by Toy Story 2 (1999), which I also saw in theaters and liked. On the other hand, it was ok in comparison to its predescessor and lacked that inital, special touch. So, going into this new movie, I had big expectations and hoped it would be at least as good as the sophomore effort, but probably not on par with the original film. Fortunately, my expectations were satisfied and then some! Which, by the way, is a rare feat; I often walk away feeling disapointed, to different degrees. Ok, now about this “feature presentation.” In Toy Story 3 the owner of the toys, the young boy Andy is becoming a man as he heads off to college, having long abandoned his action figures and playmates alike. As he cleans out this old “junk” he comes across his old heroes, Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), he decides to take Woody with him, but leaves Buzz with the other toys. His mother mistakes a bag filled with the toys (intended for the attic) for a trash bag. Feeling unwanted, they escape and crawl into a box that is to be sent to the Sunnyside Daycare, believing they will be appreciated and loved by new children. Woody follows the others, trying to convince them otherwise. SORTA SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! Upon their arrival at the Daycare they are greeted by another toy, Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear (Ned Beatty), whom on the surface appears to be a warm, welcoming host, but beneath he is a cruel, sadistic, monster. As it turns out, he runs Sunnyside as a prison and the toys become his inmates. Now, it is up to Woody and the gang to defeat the evil Lotso and return to their beloved owner, Andy. I must say Lotso is a great villain, one of the best I have seen in a while and perhaps the best I have ever seen in a children’s movie. He is truly filled with hatred and bitterness beyond repair. Which causes the viewer in some ways to simultaneously fear and pity him. Well maybe not fear… fear for the characters, ok just a little bit of fear. Ahh, being scared by a teddy bear (with a cane at that!), a new low for me. In any case, there is certainly a dark and often emotional tone to the film that is executed near perfectly. It’s darker than the previous two TS, but not murky enough to frighten kids and push them away, and there’s plenty of humor/fun for the whole family to enjoy. Sometimes the jokes are a bit too Pixar for my taste, such as the exchanges between Ken and Barbie, which make me smirk, but are not exactly the strengths of an otherwise unique film. The story culiminates in a fantastic and beautifully chaotic climax, which with no hyberbole, I can safely say keeps you on the edge of your seat and feeling earnestly concerned for the well being of the characters. Overall, this is a great film and perhaps the best all summer, but it is not without its flaws. It drags toward the end, such as the scene between Andy and Bonnie, which could benefit from some trimming. Also, I know this is a kids movie lol, but seriously, Andy would not care as much about these toys! For example, his reaction at the beginning was very genuine; he didn’t really care about them. Him tagging Woody along because he means something to him, I can somewhat buy, but claiming that all of them mean something to him is a stretch, for me at least. As I said, it drags, but all in all, the ending works well. So, is it better than the first film? No, but few are. With that being said, Toy Story 3 does what very few films can: make an honorable and wonderful trilogy. In this instance, it is even more notable because in most trilogies, the third feature is the weakest, clearly this is not the case. I might not love this film as much as the first, but it is undeniably well crafted and will most likely be revered in years to come.
Grade: A-, initially after viewing this I was feeling between a B+ and A- (which some folks thought was too harsh lol), but through the process of film analysis, I eventually leaned toward its well deserved A-.
Hicks Vid of the Day
Not too long before the masacre…
Classic Album Review: You Turn Me On
Artist: Beat Happening
Full Title: You Turn Me On
Label: K/Sub Pop
Year: 1992
Track List:
1) Tiger Trap– 9
2) Noise– 9/10
3) Pinebox Derby– 10
4) Teenage Caveman– 10
5) Sleepy Head– 9/10
6) You Turn Me On– 9
7) Godsend- 8
8) Hey Day– 8/9
9) Bury the Hammer– 9
Comments:
Right off the bat, this is definitely my favorite Beat Happening album and one of my all time favorite albums altogether. From the first chords of “Tiger Trap,” you know you are in for something special. The song is nearly seven minutes long, much longer than previous BH tunes and yet the simple, endearing, and always fascinating quality to their music is reatained. Most of the tracks here are longer than their previous LPs, but they don’t drag and you never feel bored. I take that back, “Godsend,” is wayyyy longer than necessary. It’s a great song…. for the first few minutes. 9:28 is too long! Besides that, I have nothing bad to see about this record. It is fantastic and proves that Beat Happening can utilize cleaner production to their advantage. Overall, the music sounds better than ever (though this was not the first cleaner sounding album), but specifically the vocals are phenomenal. Heather’s singing is the best, better than Calvin’s; “Noise” and “Sleepy Head” showcase her talent. Calvin’s classic baritone is prominent in catchy numbers like “Pinebox Derby,” “Teenage Caveman,” and “You Turn Me On.” On Teenage’ when he holds the “oneeeeeeee” in alone, it is easily one of the greatest musical moments ever recorded. For me, this album simply conists of amazing pop songs, what would be hits in another universe where earnest and quality music is appreciated on a grand scale. On first listens, that’s all I heard. I really had to pay attention, to notice the lo-fi, primitive nature of the music that was more obvious in other BH records. They did not feel like simple, Daniel Johnston esque, musically limited creations (not to say there is anything wrong with that stuff). My point being: the power of this album is in its presentation. I just hear a fabulous pop record with songs that hit you as complete ideas. I have to make a real dedicated effort to key in on that lack of musicality, which is clearly there, no doubt, but these songs are so damn excellent that it becomes of little concern. Though You Turn Me On may not be as seminal as their earlier work, it certainly continues that very same spirit and demonstrates the consistent awesomeness in their catalog.
Grade: A/A+
Maine Coons Motherfucker!
Song of the Day- Nation of Ulysses
Song of the Day
Remember This Show?
I hope so… it reminds me of my early childhood, as I often watched it in the morning before heading to Pre-School and Kindergarten. Ahhhh.
Concert Review: 1964 The Tribute
Artist: 1964 The Tribute
Date: August 12, 2010
Location: Merchantsauto Stadium
Comments: YEAH YEAH YEAH! The Beatles, London’s answer to Elvis, the hip, new Rock and Roll band leading the British Invasion is here!-well perhaps that’s how I would start a review of the real Beatles forty-six years ago. But, these guys are the closest thing we have to seeing the original line up in their classic form. The 1964 Tribute tries to recreate this initial invasion, albeit with better sound quality (well sorta) and mid-career numbers thrown in the mix. In terms of sounding just like the Beatles, they were truly terrific. I was standing in line waiting for my chicken tenders and fries and thend suddenly it was announced that The Beatles were hitting the stage. They rocked right into “I Saw Her Standing There,” if I had not been informed that it was showtime, then I simply would have thought they were playing the song on the radio. They were that accurate! The harmonies were perfect and they had all the energy and quick wit of the Fab Four. The show was split up into two sets with a brief intermission in between. The first set conisted of mostly 1964 tracks, with “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” and “I Should Have Known Better,” particularly standing out. The second set mostly contained post-64 tunes, which in terms of authenticity, this was a undeniable flaw. I know, I sound like a whining geezer of the Cavern Club era, but nonetheless I am a man of authenticity. It’s nice to throw in some later tunes, but when most of the second set features numbers you would not catch suit and tie era Beatles perform, that’s stretching it a bit much. Plus, there was plenty of better 64 and earlier hits they could have unleashed such as “And I Love Her,” “If I Fell,” “Misery,” “Anna (Go to Him),” “I’m Happy Just to Dance With You,” and others. Then again, to totally contradict that, I still highly enjoyed those later songs because I prefer that aspect of The Beatles catalog. A few other gripes (to needle drop an Anthony Fantano line) of mine were 1) the sound- not nearly loud enough. Now, don’t misconstrue me here. They sounded fantastic as The Beatles as stated before and I could hear their music fine. It wasn’t a problem of not being able to hear them, which was quite a factor in the actual Beatles shows. Instead, here the audio simply was not loud enough! I could hold a conversation with my mates and we could hear each other perfectly; this should never be the case. And since it was not loud enough, the music did not hit me as hard as it should have and therefore I could not get into the performance as much. In other words, head bobs and foot tapping sufficed. 2) We were in a baseball park and the stage was set at the mound and everyone was naturally in the stands. I was seated as close as one could be, but still I wish I was wayyy closer. At the same time, it wasn’t the nosebleeds, but it would have been far more exciting if we attendees could stand in the field. 3) The group’s interaction with the audience, while sometimes comical and perhaps accurate, more often than not got in the way of the show and well just was annoying. I also couldn’t hear what they were saying a few of the times. I will say, however, they did a decent acting job with each of their respected performances as the individual Brit musicians.
Grade: B+, I had more negative things to say then I usually do for a B+ concert, but the positives largely outweighed the negatives and I had a fab time re-living a 1960s Beatles gig, if only just a little bit.
Classic Album Review: Dreamy
Artist: Beat Happening
Full Title: Dreamy
Label: K/Sub Pop
Year: 1991
Track List:
1) Me Untamed- 8
2) Left Behind- 8
3) Hot Chocolate Boy– 10!
4) I’ve Lost You- 8
5) Cry For a Shadow– 9
6) Collide- 6
7) Nancy Sin- 8
8) Fortune Cookie Prize- 8
9) Revolution Come and Gone- 8
10) Red Head Walking– 9
Comments:
Beat Happening strikes again with their fourth album, Dreamy, their most polished sounding record yet. But, don’t worry it’s still the same minimalist, amatuer sounding Beat Happening you know and love. With this release, it seems like BH matured a bit in their subject matter, especially with tunes like “Me Untamed,” (a far cry from Johnson’s usual coy, lovey dovey lyrics) “Cry For a Shadow,” and “Revolution Come and Gone” (as Michael Azzerad cites, a clear reference to the sudden, apparent, demise of the underground movement). With that being said, there’s plenty of fun, adventerous (at least lyrically), creative, and ultimately joyful numbers. Chiefly, “Hot Chocolate Boy” fits this category; it is by far my favorite in their catalog and one of my all time beloved songs! Just, simple, but enthusiastic playing. If I had to choose one BH number to show to newbies, it would absolutely be HCB; it has nearly everything that made BH excellent. I really dig the line “He’s a sensation, Hot Chocolate Nation.” Overall, I like this album, but I do not favor every track. “Collide” is too repetitive and I often like repetitive songs, even for BH, but this time it’s just annoying. This album is filled with good songs, but only a few great ones. The higher quality production ameliorates the recording, but clearly isn’t the most important ingrediant in audio magic. As I said before, this is a good album, it just lacks an album feel to it, but all in all it is certainly KLYAM Recommended.
Grade B/ B+
P.S. if you go bonkers for Calvin Johnson’s deep, baritone voice, then you will most likely love his vocals here, as they are baritone as fuck…. or you will think he has a stomach ache like my mother says.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 