Toy Story 3 – And Other Films

It is fun to catch up with films when we are on holiday. We brought two with us on DVD which we watched earlier this week

State of Play with Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren and others was an average journalist-with-a-good-story thriller. It ‘did what it said on the tin’ – kept you entertained for a couple of hours.

No great movie – but OK for an evening’s viewing. Fairly predictable, and some competent people in the cast. I’d score it 7/10

Next we watched 2012

Bob had been really keen to see it when it first came out, but we were just to busy then, so we got it cheap in Tescos and settled down to watch it the other night.

Well I am glad I had some knitting with me to keep myself occupied! It was utterly ‘pants’ – to quote Bob.

All sorts of things made this film dire!

1. The science – please leave your brain at the door
2. The geography – likewise
3. The plot – it didn’t so much thicken as separate out like rancid milk.

The makers didn’t seem to have decided if this was an action thriller or a comedy or some sort of political statement. So there were horrifying bits where thousands of people were hurtling to their doom interspersed with vaguely amusing sections slapstick and farce. Every film cliché you can think of was in there somewhere.

And then there was the bit with HM the Queen. Now I admit I am pro Her Maj, but this bit annoyed me. You have all the world leaders being taken onto ‘Arks’ so they will escape the coming peril – and along comes a lady in a purple coat and big hat with two corgis trotting beside her. Quite clearly meant to be Elizabeth II. I just point out the following …

• in 2012 our Queen will be 88- she is the sort of generous woman who would give her ticket to someone younger
• she wouldn’t desert her people. After all, during the Blitz, when they asked her mother to leave London she replied “I will not leave without the King, and the King will never leave”
• and finally, if they did persuade her to go, she is the sort of sensible woman who would not wear a purple coat and hat – she would wear a Barbour and wellies, gloves and a headscarf!

Score 2/10

Then finally today, when the rains were coming down really heavily, we took Steph and our niece Lucy into Norwich to see Toy Story 3

That was fantastic [on the advice of friends, we did not bother with the 3d version]

It was funny, clever, touching, full of detail

And a real tear-jerker in places. 10/10. Worth waiting for!