Movie Review: Toy Story 3

This is going to be the easiest and shortest movie review I have ever written. This one comment will pretty much describe the film in its entirety and describe how important it is that you see it. Are you all ready for it? Here we go! I'll even bold it for effect.

Toy Story 3 is the best Pixar movie ever made

(thus far).

Thanks for reading, go see it.






Ok, so maybe it can't be that simple, but you have to admit that single comment says so much. Pixar has a strong history of amazing animated feature films. Their stories always have amazing depth and feeling, sometimes more depth and feeling then most films these days. For a child, the films are fun and for the adults they are all too human. To say that Toy Story 3 is the best Pixar movie yet is a monumental judgment call considering Pixar is the juggernaut studio that produced such masterpieces as the first two Toy Stories, the futuristic Wall-E, the romantic Up and the fun-fueled Monsters Inc. (just to name a few). And while I am now reminded how amazing each movie is, I am still willing to stand behind my initial statement.

Andy is now graduating from high school and I getting prepared to go to college, yet he can think of no better way of repelling the ladies then by having a full toy chest at the foot of his bed. After numerous unsuccessful attempts by Woody, Buzz and crew to get Andy to play with them, the forever loyal toys decide it is time to pack up and retire to the attic where Andy may sometime call upon them again in the future. Following a mishap, the crew splits up and an impending doom is thrust upon them. It is now for the toys to decide whether to ride out a sticky situation or get back to their rightful owner, Andy, before it is too late.

The technical aspects of the film should go without saying. Pixar is always the best studio when it comes to their animation, voice acting and soundtrack. They truly have mastered the art of computer animation to the point that it is seamless and you forget that it is in fact an animated feature. Everything just seems to fit and act natural. Nothing unexpected here.

The story is what really gets me. Now, the love sequence from the film Up has to be one of the best sequences of all Pixar films but Toy Story 3,in its entirety, has the strongest story. It is a seemingly complex story of loyalty and love that harps back to the original two films of the franchise. Yes, we are talking about toys here, but what Toy Story 3 has done is masterfully tricked you into believing that Andy and his toys are bff's! What we're really looking at then is how do you feel about saying goodbye to your best friends? Heavy, right? With tons of laughs and gratuitous slapstick humor, the film flawlessly weaves a spectacular web that concludes that greatest animated franchise of all time perfectly. The Gypsy Kings even cover "You Got A Friend In Me" for the credits! What more could you ask for?!

I'm sure you've seen the other two Toy Stories, right? So what are you waiting for? Forget vampires and werewolves. Forget air (gender)benders. Who cares about A-teams or Kung-fu kids?! Toy Story 3 is the best film of the year so far and, in my opinion, as close are you're going to get to a perfect movie!

9.9/10

stv

FYI. I'm saving my strongest statement of all for the end. I saw this movie two weeks ago and all I can come up with is the most un-clever review I have ever written. HIYO!

A Time to Kill

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Steve Jobs



“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.”

Albert Einstein

Life on Lemonade

What do you do when life hands you lemons? You make an MTV audition tape! That's what local talents Jenna, April and Reggie have done. MTV is currently host an open casting call to all those who think they have what it takes to create a completely original MTV reality series. This local trio have produced a very intriguing and sentimental casting tape that is sure to be relatable to most of you out there. Ever feel like you were meant to do something bigger then what you're currently doing? Ever feel like your talents and skills are better suited elsewhere? Ever feel like you could learn so much more about yourself or your world? Ever feel like you should be following your dreams? These are just a few of the questions that are confronted in Life on Lemonade; a seriously cool coming of age of sorts for all the dreamers out there. So remember, dreams are attainable.. just keep squeezin' them lemons!

Do us all a favor and check out their audition video below, then follow the LINK to view thier casting page!



Become a Facebook friend of Life on Lemonade!

loves,

stv

Kid 'n Play

For the past couple of weeks, I've been helping out Chloe's aunt by stepping in and babysitting the family baby. You've seen Brooklyn featured on this blog before and I'm sure we can all agree that she is cute as a button. Here of some photos of us playing in the yard as she shows off her new playground. Chloe took a few of these photos, so it seems she's been finding her inner Small Time Visionary.

A rare serious moment. I wish I could claim I took this beautiful photo, but Chloe was the one behind the lens this time. I love it!

Drivers ed. How flattering.

All that play has the kid tuckered out. Nap time, cutie pie.

loves,

stv

Does Ms. Liberty Get Lonely?

stv

Taking the High Road

On the West Side of Manhattan there is an amazing park that stretches through the neighbourhoods of Chelsea, The Meat Packing District and Hells Kitchen. It is called the High Line and it is one of the best examples of modern urban redevelopment. The High Line was originally an elevated track that moved dangerous trains off of the streets of Manhattan. Built in the 1930's and last utilized in the early 80's, the High Line became a decrepit community eyesore and was slated to be demolished until a small group of community activists fought to preserve the High Line and it's significance to the neighbourhoods it served. By taking ingenious design, the High Line magnificently mixes industrial material with natural occurring plants and wood that somehow blend into the urban landscape seamlessly. Beautiful!

Redevelopment is not a new concept to many of us. The City of Calgary has been working aggressively at re-shaping our oldest and ugliest neighbourhoods. Don't believe me? Just take a walk through the East Village, Victoria Park and Bridgeland. Can you think of any old industrial/brownfield sites that would be a good candidate for a face lift? I'm sure you can! Just to name a few off the top of my head, how about the old Firestone site or the Currie Barracks? These are sites that remained nearly deserted and unused, but could certainly benefit from a redevelopment strategy.

Look outside of the box; rethink your neighborhood. Make it yours.

Redevelopment doesn't end simply at placing a condo on top of an old site. There are far more options that may not be as financially viable but add to a city's attractiveness and livability. Adding new high rises simply add to the problem as we consume more and effectively force out those who cannot afford to live in luxury. This is why our civic officials need to take charge of our cities, listen to their constituents and mute out the corporations. We need more low-income housing. More parks. More transit options. Our cities belong to us and we need to dare to be a little different.

To learn a little more about what the City of Calgary is doing in terms of redevelopment, click on the following links: Calgary's Brownfield Strategy, Toward Smart Growth in Calgary, and Plan It Calgary Display Boards. I've done my research, you should too!

stv

Rule #1: