DVD OF THE WEEK

Toy Story 3 *****
Dir: Lee Unkrich. Voices: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack

The animated box office battle at cinemas this year was between the latest and presumably/hopefully final instalments of the Shrek and Toy Story franchises. While the latest Shrek outing felt like a slight blip on an otherwise downward trajectory, Pixar obviously have greater pride in the vehicle that put them on the map. They have determined to tell a new story, and one with different themes and subtexts.
Nearly the whole gang are back and the dilemma the toys find themselves in this time is what happens when owner Andy finally grows up. Here – after a brief and effective montage – he's a seventeen year old, about to head to college, and the toys are faced with either a life in the attic or donation to a daycares centre. It's an interesting conundrum – stay loyal to one owner, who has moved on, or give way to their natural desire to be played with (by whoever).
And it is, of course, handled beautifully. The animation is flawless, standing up well in 2-D, mixing eye-popping action sequences with a plethora of one-liners and character beats. Meanwhile the jeopardy that the heroes are placed in pushes the envelope, bringing genuine tension and the odd scene that might even freak out younger more sensitive viewers. There are some new toys (Barbie finally gets her Ken) though sadly not a new song to rival Randy Newman's sublime 'You've Got a Friend in Me”.
It would be a hard-hearted adult who doesn't enjoy this just as much as kids no doubt will.

It's hard to imagine that someone surviving the trauma of the first film would return to the same caves for The Descent Part 2 (***). But, surprisingly, it's handled believably and efficiently and within 15 minutes a team of cavers and police are deep underground. What follows is a very effective horror outing, combining the natural claustrophobia inherent in the setting with jumpy shocks, some seriously yucky moments, and a lot of tension. Despite being 'Part 2” this might be even more effective if you haven't seen the first film.

Operation: Endgame (****) slipped through the cracks but when I finally saw it last week I wished it hadn't. It features two teams of highly-trained assassins who work from an underground bunker and take their names from the tarot deck. A new recruit – the Fool – arrives and almost simultaneously the boss of the whole thing is mysteriously murdered. This triggers an order for the rival squads to eliminate each other and much chaos ensues in a whip-smart and powder-dry action-comedy also known as Rogues Gallery in some territories. A lot of shooting, a lot of fun.

I Come With The Rain (***) focuses on Josh Harnett's ex-cop private eye, still haunted by memories of a serial killer he caught. Hired by a mysterious Chinese billionaire to find his son, the trek takes him first to the Philippines and then to the murky underground of Hong Kong. Strangely, about an hour in, what has been a plot-driven thriller takes a complete left turn into impressionistic, oddly mystical territory and the film becomes some strange Christ analogy. Worth seeing, despite that, particularly for the superb cinematography and use of colour.

I'm a sucker for the work of maverick B-movie legend Larry Cohen. Though pushing seventy he's still turning out fun, tricky little screenplays. Phone Booth and Cellular were his and he's stayed with a phone theme for Messages Deleted (***), in which Matthew Lillard's screenwriter finds himself receiving phone calls from people who are then murdered. In no time he's the prime suspect, running from the law and trying to solve the mystery. Lillard's presence recalls Scream and indeed the film has a similar tone, not taking itself too seriously while assuming viewers are familiar with tropes of the genre.