Toy Story 3

Do we really need to do an introduction for "Toy Story 3"? It is the continuation of one of the most recognihttp://www.blogger.com/posts.g?blogID=1469180974611665649zed and well-loved movie franchises ever. It not only revolutionized how movie merchandising was marketed and sold but it also changed how we saw movies - it created a whole film genre of its own. If you really love (or even hate) 3D animated films, then you have 1995's "Toy Story" to thank for what's happened. It was and still is a testament on how much technology in movie making has evolved. It was the first all CGI feature-length film and this was no small feat given it was a decade and a half ago. Fast forward to 2010 and the third film has a big challenge to face. Not with the first and second film scoring high on everyone's all time favorites. Can "Toy Story 3" put a shining cap to what the other two films started? Read on to find out.

Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and the whole gang of toys are desperately trying to get the attention of Andy (John Morris). Andy has neglected his toys for years and now that he is 18 and going to college, the gang feels hopeless that they’ll ever be played with. The toys are accidentally thrown as trash when Andy was cleaning up his room, although what he wanted was to keep all his toys in the attic. The toys are hurt and decide that they will just go to the donation bin. They arrive at the Sunnyside Daycare with other toys being friendly to them. Woody decides to go back to Andy alone as his other friends decide to stay. He later finds out that Sunnyside Daycare is an unhappy place, where toys are tortured and brutally played with. Will Woody be able to rescue his friends? More importantly, are they going to be reunited with Andy before he finally goes away?

This is either the easiest or the hardest review we are ever going to make because the movie ended and we still couldn’t find anything wrong with it. "Toy story 3" was perfect in the 120 minutes it was played on the big screen. We can boldly say that this is one of the best 3D animated movies we have seen not only this year but probably since the beginning of the genre. And folks mind you, we are definitely not exaggerating in any way.

Taking a look at the movie, you would wonder how it could be so brilliant when it is really so simple. Do not expect anything out of the ordinary. They just managed to make the Toy Story formula work again with their perfect story execution and eye popping animation. If you watched the first films of the "Toy Story" saga then you won’t feel out of place but you do not need to see the first two movies to understand what's going on. With that said, "Toy Story 3" still has a refreshing story to tell with new challenges that will surely bring a tear or two to your eyes. The old characters are still as memorable as they used to while the new toys are a little below than what we expected them to be (except Ken who was funny as hell). It is so hard to put into words what we felt when watching "Toy Story 3" because it is just that good. Perfect story, perfect pacing and perfect dialogue plus a twist on the end seals the deal. We advice, no, beg you to watch "Toy Story 3". You can miss any film this year - just not this one okay?

A bonus is the short film "Night and Day" before the film starts. This is another classic Pixar tradition which is worth a look. Its quality is as superb as the other Pixar shorts of past, maybe even a notch better.

Grown Ups (2010 film)

Grown Ups is a 2010 American comedy film starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider. Rock, Schneider, Spade and Sandler (as well as co-star Tim Meadows) all joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in the 1990-91 season; other actors Colin Quinn, Maya Rudolph, and Norm MacDonald have also been SNL cast members. Sandler and Fred Wolf wrote the script and Dennis Dugan directed. The film was produced by Sandler's production company Happy Madison and was distributed by Columbia Pictures


Cast

Adam Sandler as Lenny Feder
Kevin James as Eric "Babbay" Lamonsoff
Chris Rock as Kurt McKenzie
David Spade as Marcus "Dickie" Higgins
Rob Schneider as Rob Hillard
Salma Hayek Pinault as Roxanne Chase-Feder
Maria Bello as Sally Lamonsoff
Maya Rudolph as Deanne McKenzie
Di Quon as Rita
Madison Riley as Jasmine Hilliard
Jamie Chung as Amber Hilliard
Colin Quinn as Dickie Bailey
Tim Meadows as Malcolm
Norm MacDonald as Geezer
Steve Buscemi as Wiley
Blake Clark as Coach
Ada-Nicole Sanger as Donna Lamonsoff
China Anne McClain as Charlotte McKenzie
Cameron Boyce as Keithie Feder
Joyce Van Patten as Gloria Hillard
Dan Patrick (uncredited) as Norby the Ride Guy
James Schneider (uncredited) as Lenny Fenders Nephew

Letters to Juliet (2010)

When a young American travels to the city of Verona, home of the star-crossed lover Juliet Capulet of Romeo and Juliet fame, she joins a group of volunteers who respond to letters to Juliet seeking advice about love. After answering one letter dated 1951, she inspires its author to travel to Italy in search of her long-lost love and sets off a chain of events that will bring a love into both their lives unlike anything they ever imagined.

Knight and Day

Knight and Day,[4] (formerly titled Wichita[5] and Trouble Man[4]) is a 2010 action comedy film starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. The film, directed by James Mangold, is Cruise and Diaz's second on-screen collaboration following the 2001 film Vanilla Sky.[6]
The film went through a period of "development hell"; which included a prior film director and multiple writers that worked on the script. Producers for Knight and Day went through multiple other actors for the lead roles before eventually settling on Cruise and Diaz. Adam Sandler, Chris Tucker, and Gerard Butler were considered by the film's producers for the male lead that later went to Cruise, and Eva Mendes was initially set for the role that Diaz later portrayed in the movie. The film's investors offset funding costs by paying Cruise a lower advance fee and neglecting to provide him with a share of the revenue until the financiers earn back their initial investment in the production.[7] Filming took place in several locations, mainly in several cities located in Massachusetts, while other scenes were filmed in Spain and parts of Austria.
Knight and Day was released in the United States on June 23, 2010. The film received mixed reviews from film critics; it garnered a "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based upon aggregated reviews,[8] and a rating of "mixed or average reviews" at Metacritic.[9] Knight and Day performed poorly at the box office in its debut,[10] proceeded to fall nine percent in ticket sales in its second day after being released,[11] and took third place behind films Toy Story 3 and the comedy Grown Ups in its first Friday after release.[12] At $20.5 million, the total U.S. weekend box office take for Knight and Day was the worst result for an action film starring Tom Cruise in 20 years

Casting
The film changed lead cast members multiple times while the production was mired in a period known as "development hell".[16] Prior to the finalization of actors Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, comedian and actor Adam Sandler was offered to star in the film when it was titled Wichita, but declined explaining, "I just don't see me with a gun."[16] Wichita was developed under production at Revolution Studios; the film was later moved to Sony Pictures.[16] At Sony Pictures, actors Chris Tucker and Eva Mendes were slated to portray the two lead roles in the film; it was titled Trouble Man and intended as a romantic vehicle film for Tucker and Mendes.[15][16]
After Tucker and Mendes dropped out of the lead roles, Diaz signed on to the film with Sony Pictures, and actor Gerard Butler met with production staff regarding starring opposite Diaz.[16] Butler instead decided to take on the lead role in the film The Bounty Hunter, opposite actress Jennifer Aniston.[16] Tom Cruise considered accepting a role in the film; at the time he was auditioning for parts in five films including Salt, and The Tourist.[16] Cruise decided he wished to star in Knight and Day, and had a vision for the film which included modifying the male lead character with his own ideas.[16] Other actors cast in the film included Maggie Grace, Peter Sarsgaard, Marc Blucas, Paul Dano, Viola Davis, and Jordi Mollà

The Karate Kid (2010 film)

The Karate Kid, known as The Kung Fu Kid in China and Best Kid in Japan and South Korea, is a 2010 martial arts remake of the 1984 film of the same name. Directed by Harald Zwart, produced by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, the remake stars Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. Principal photography for the film took place in Beijing, China; filming began around July 2009 and ended on October 16, 2009. The Karate Kid was released theatrically in the United States on June 11, 2010 and Singapore a day earlier on June 10, 2010.

Cast

Jaden Smith as Dre Parker, the protagonist of the film. He is initially shy and timid, but with Mr. Han's help, he becomes more confident and even earns the respect of the other characters.
Jackie Chan as Mr. Han, the maintenance man who teaches Dre kung fu.
Taraji P. Henson as Sherry Parker, Dre's mother
Zhenwei Wang as Cheng, the bully and film's main antagonist.
Yu Rongguang as Master Li, a kung fu teacher who instructs his students to be merciless towards their enemies.
Wen Wen Han as Mei Ying, Dre's crush who quickly befriends him.
Ming Xu as Bao
Ji Wang as Mrs. Po, the principal of Dre's new school.
Yi Zhao as Zhuang
Tess Liu as History Teacher
Harry Van Gorkum as Music Instructor
Luke Carberry as Harry, a boy who also befriends Dre.
Michelle Yeoh as Woman with the cobra (uncredited cameo)[4]

The Last Airbender

The Last Airbender is a 2010 American epic adventure fantasy film released to North America on July 1, 2010. It is a live-action film adaptation based on the first season of the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The film stars Noah Ringer as Aang, a reluctant hero who prefers adventure over his job as the Avatar. Aang and his friends, Katara and Sokka, journey to the North Pole to find a Waterbending master to teach Aang and Katara the secrets of the craft. At the same time, Fire Lord Ozai, the current Fire Lord of the Fire Nation, is waging a seemingly endless war against theEarth Kingdom, the Water Tribes, and the already vanquished Air Nomads. The film also stars Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, and Dev Patel.

Cast

See also: List of Avatar: The Last Airbender characters

• Noah Ringer as Aang, who disappeared from public sight a hundred years ago. While chronologically 112 years old, Aang still retains his biological age of 12. He is the latest reincarnation of the Avatar. Though he is capable of bending all four elements, at the beginning of the film he has only learned to airbend. It is also his duty to maintain balance in the world, which conflicts with his easy-going, fun-loving personality.
• Dev Patel as Prince Zuko, a 16-year-old Fire Nation prince who travels with his uncle Iroh. The former heir to the throne, he was exiled by his father, Fire Lord Ozai, and ordered to capture the Avatar (who had not been seen in almost a century, making the assignment a wild goose chase) in order to regain his lost honor. He is the deuteragonist and a secondary antagonist of the film.
• Nicola Peltz as Katara, a 14-year-old girl of the Southern Water Tribe and its last remaining waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. Since the death of her mother, Kaya, she has served as the maternal figure in her family, and is no stranger to responsibility despite her young age. She is Aang's good friend and love interest.
• Jackson Rathbone as Sokka,a 15-year-old warrior from the Southern Water Tribe and Katara's older brother. He can be condescending, and has no bending powers, but is extremely intelligent (He just doesn't show it at times) and often takes up leadership roles by virtue of coming up with most of the workable plans and tactics.
• Shaun Toub as Iroh, Zuko's uncle. He is extremely easy-going and friendly, and often acts as a surrogate father to Zuko. Formerly a great general of the Fire Nation, personal tragedies led to his retirement, and the role of heir-presumptive passed to his younger brother Ozai.
• Aasif Mandvi as Admiral Zhao,^[17] a hot-tempered Fire Nation Commander in pursuit of the Avatar. He is Zuko's principal rival. Hence, he is the film's primary antagonist, to both Zuko and Aang.
• Seychelle Gabriel as Princess Yue,^[17] the princess of the Northern Water Tribe. She has committed herself to defending her people against Fire Nation attacks.^[18] She is also Sokka's love interest of the film.
• Cliff Curtis as Fire Lord Ozai,^[17] the leader of the Fire Nation as well as Prince Zuko's father. He is a secondary antagonist of the film, and the main antagonist of the series.
• Summer Bishil as Azula, the daughter of Ozai and sister of Zuko who is a gifted firebender as well as a sociopath.
• Francis Guinan as Master Pakku, known as the greatest waterbender in the entire Northern Water Tribe. He teaches Aang and Katara waterbending.^[19][20]
• Katharine Houghton as Kanna, the grandmother of Katara and Sokka.
• Damon Gupton as Monk Gyatso, an Air Nomad who was a dear friend of Aang's who was killed by Fire Nation soldiers long ago.
• John Noble as the Dragon Spirit, a being of the spirit world who serves as a mentor to Aang.

Twilight (series)

Twilight

Main article: Twilight (novel)

Bella Swan moves from Phoenix, Arizona to live with her father in Forks, Washington to allow her mother to travel with her new husband, a minor league baseball player. After moving to Forks, Bella finds herself involuntarily drawn to a mysterious, handsome boy, Edward Cullen. She eventually learns that he is a member of a vampire family who drinks animal blood rather than human. Edward and Bella fall in love, but James, a sadistic vampire from another vampire coven, is drawn to hunt down Bella. Edward and the other Cullens defend Bella. She escapes to Phoenix, Arizona, where she is tricked into confronting James, who tries to kill her. She is seriously wounded, but Edward rescues her and they return to Forks, having killed James.

Main article: New Moon (novel)

New Moon

Edward and his family leave Forks because he believes he is endangering Bella's life. Bella falls into a deep depression, until she develops a strong friendship with Jacob Black, who she discovers can shape shift into a wolf. Jacob and the other wolves in his tribe must protect her from Victoria, a vampire seeking to avenge the death of her mate James, by killing Bella. A misunderstanding occurs, and Edward believes Bella is dead. Edward decides to commit suicide in Volterra, Italy, but he is stopped by Bella, who is accompanied by Edward's sister, Alice. They meet with the Volturi, a powerful vampire coven, and are released only on the condition that Bella be turned into a vampire in the near future. Bella and Edward are reunited, and she and the Cullens return to Forks.

Eclipse

Main article: Eclipse (novel)

The vampire Victoria (James' mate from Twilight) has created an army of "newborn" vampires to battle the Cullen family and murder Bella for revenge. Meanwhile, Bella is compelled to choose between her relationship with Edward and her friendship with Jacob. Edward's vampire family and Jacob's werewolf pack join forces to successfully destroy Victoria and her vampire army. In the end, Bella chooses Edward's love over Jacob's and agrees to marry him.

Breaking Dawn

Main article: Breaking Dawn

Bella and Edward are married, but their honeymoon is cut short when Bella discovers that she is pregnant. Her pregnancy progresses rapidly, severely weakening her. She nearly dies giving birth to her and Edward's half-vampire-half-human daughter, Renesmee, but Edward injects Bella with his venom to save her life and turns her into a vampire. A vampire from another coven sees Renesmee and mistakes her for an "immortal child". She informs the Volturi, as the existence of such beings violates vampire law. The Cullens gather vampire witnesses who can verify that Renesmee is not an immortal child. After an intense confrontation, the Cullens and their witnesses convince the Volturi that the child poses no danger to vampires or their secret, and they are left in peace by the Volturi.

Main characters

See also: List of Twilight characters

• Isabella "Bella" Swan – The protagonist of the series, teenager Bella is a perpetually clumsy "danger magnet" with dark brown hair and brown eyes. She is often portrayed as having low self-esteem and unable to comprehend Edward's love for her. She has an immunity to supernatural abilities involving the mind, such as Edward's mind-reading ability. After her transformation into a vampire in the saga's fourth installment, Bella acquires the ability to shield both herself and others from "mental harm" from other vampires.
• Edward Cullen – Edward is a vampire who lives with a coven of like-minded vampires known as the Cullen family, who feed on animals rather than humans. Over the course of the Twilight series, Edward falls in love with, marries, and then has a child with Bella. At first, Edward feels a mutual hatred toward Jacob Black because of his love for Bella, but in Breaking Dawn, he comes to see Jacob as a brother and friend. Like some vampires, Edward has a supernatural ability: mind reading. It allows him to read anyone's thoughts within a few miles radius. Bella is immune to his power as a human, but learns how to lower this "shield" after her transformation to a vampire.
• Jacob Black – A minor character in the first novel, Jacob is introduced as a member of the Quileute tribe. He resurfaces in New Moon with a much larger role as Bella's best friend as she struggles through her depression over losing Edward. Although he is in love with Bella, she initially sees him as just her best friend. He and other tribe members can shape shift into wolves. In Eclipse Bella realizes that she loves Jacob, though her feelings for him are overpowered by her love for Edward Cullen. In Breaking Dawn, Jacob finds a (platonic) soulmate in Bella and Edward's baby daughter, Renesmee, ridding him of his heartache for Bella.