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Toy Story 3 (2010)

Summary: When owner Andy begins packing up for college, Woody, Buzz and the rest of the toy chest are thrown into existential crisis. Typically clever Toy Story mayhem follows.

Toy Story 3 is a delightful accomplishment on so many levels that it’s hard to pick one specific element of the film to concentrate on.  It is a rare children’s feature that parents will enjoy as much as their kids. The animated film is an especially clever comedy, with relatable themes and an emotional powerhouse that will bring many to tears in its closing moments.

Pixar’s latest creation has captured the same magic that made their past films so wonderful. They’ve perfected their formula, constructing a movie that succeeds at so much that any criticism is negligible.  The animation is so stunning that the original Toy Story movies, made over a decade ago, are almost embarrassing to watch.

Despite all these positive aspects, Pixar’s greatest accomplishment with Toy Story 3 was producing a film that, while fresh and original, feels like a true sequel to its predecessors — a feat few Hollywood franchises have accomplished in their later chapters.  Pixar should be damn proud of this one.

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Inception (2010)

Summary:  Dorm Cobb is a world-class thief who steals ideas from people’s dreams.  Assigned a near impossible task with no alternatives, Cobb begins building an elite team for a mission in which failure is not an option.

The buzz movie of the summer, Director Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to his box office record-smashing, critically acclaimed The Dark Knight had expectations set dangerously high even before production began.

Luckily, Nolan has equipped Inception with a killer concept, mind-boggling special effects, a spot-on cast, and even some clever philosophical elements that, when tossed together with Nolan’s usual slick and thrilling presentation, produce one of the best and flat-out coolest blockbusters of our lifetime.

Inception’s one possible flaw is that the concept is almost too terrifyingly complicated. Nolan worked his brain too hard while conceiving his script and now stands the risk of losing the viewer in the muddy details and alternate physics of the dream world.

Thankfully, Inception is such a thrill ride that even those who can’t follow the film will thoroughly enjoy themselves. It’s about time someone showed James Cameron that blockbusters can be both creative and smart outside of the visual sense.

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Do The Right Thing (1989)

Summary: Racial tensions simmer on the hottest day of the summer in a black Brooklyn neighborhood.  A large ensemble cast rotates in and out of Sal’s Famous Pizzeria, an Italian-American owned establishment and therefore a focal point for conflict, where the lovable but lazy Mookie (played by Spike Lee) is employed.

This classic and flavorful film packs as much emotional punch today as it did in 1989.  The camera spends most of the film wandering around the neighborhood, introducing us to the colorful cast of characters, and drawing the fault lines in the community that break open as the movie enters it’s final, climactic act.

When the violence erupts, it hits hard due to the time Lee spent well developing the characters, giving them real depth, emotion, and personality.  The viewer is deeply shaken and left with much to think about, thanks to Lee’s contemplative closure to the film.

Without its controversial ending, Do the Right Thing would have been a well-directed, seriously themed comedy with little emotional impact. By taking the difficult path, Do the Right Thing became a classic analysis of racial relations that is as enjoyable to watch as it is powerful and thought provoking.  Props to Spike Lee for crafting a film that entertains as much as it makes one think.

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Mulholland Drive (2001)

Summary: Aspiring actress Betty Elms befriends and assists a mysterious amnesiac in this dreamlike “bloody valentine to Hollywood.”

Even for a surrealist director, David Lynch is a weird guy.  To properly understand any of his films, which are often described as waking dreams, one would have to enter his mind, which I believe the normal human consciousness would not be able to withstand.

Some of his past films are truly great classics (Eraserhead and Blue Velvet being most respected), while some are only muddled and incoherent, tedious two-hour exercises in mystification. Mulholland Drive is one of his films that works. Despite its enigmatic nature, the film is still an immense pleasure to watch and an even greater one to decipher, though the effort will probably make one feel like a kitten attempting to unroll a ball of yarn that has been superglued at every layer.

David Lynch can succeed with such a baffling script (written by himself of course) only because he is a master director, someone with such a clear vision of his film that he can guide the viewer in the right direction with nothing more then a small nod of the camera. Watching Mulholland Drive is a sublime delight, an engrossing experience that even those not seriously interested in film can enjoy.

Yet what makes Mulholland Drive so wonderful?  It may be the maddening yet engaging sensation of watching the snake of a plot twist itself into some incoherent shape and then unravel, leaving the viewer clueless all the while. It could be the emotional intensity that some breathtaking scenes explode with, or the dark humor that populates much of the film.

Whatever makes Mulholland Drive work, only someone as utterly warped yet genius as David Lynch could bring it to life, and the experience is truly unique because of it.

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There Will Be Blood (2007)

Summary: In the early 20th century, ruthlessly ambitious oilman Daniel Plainview embarks on a quest for wealth.  An impressive cast of characters must bear the repercussions of his greed-driven behavior.

Acclaimed as the best movie of the decade, There Will Be Blood is the momentous type of film that comes around rarely and transcends the label of “must see.”

A towering achievement in every aspect, the film combines Paul Thomas Anderson’s accomplished and distinctive directing with a blistering and intensely authentic performance from Daniel Day-Lewis for staggering effect.  Though films are always more than the sum of their parts, they often obtain greatness by relying on the strength of a particular facet of the production.

There Will Blood is so successful because of the collaboration between P. T. Anderson and Day-Lewis, a pairing of such cinematic force that each could separately carry an Oscar-winning creation.  A second viewing reveals how effectively this duo can work together: in one scene, nothing more then a questioning glance from Plainview and some meticulously composed lighting courtesy of Anderson deftly foreshadows a stunning revelation.

This is not to say the film’s other aspects are less than exemplary.  Standouts include Paul Dano portraying corrupt and zealous preacher Eli Sunday and the film’s eclectic score, written by Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood. Both add to the film’s manic energy.

Though there is a medley of themes revolving around There Will Be Blood, oil dominates the film’s volatile core. By using the sticky black tar as an all-encompassing metaphor, Anderson makes oil mean something different to each character as it slowly envelops their lives.

The greed-obsessed Plainview sees oil as means to become wealthy — he talks with such vigor about pumping the black gold out of the ground, one could mistake his fixation for insanity.  Plainview’s adopted son H. W. is literally anointed with oil as an infant early in the film, warning of a devastating accident yet to come.

For Eli Sunday, oil is the devil’s influence, a form of corruption that drags him further away from God without ever delivering on its dark promises.  When Daniel Plainview proclaims “I’m finished!” at the end of the film, the viewer could not ask for more.

The film has delivered on every level possible (including the promise of the title), and is as engrossing and well-crafted an experience as one can find — P. T. Anderson’s greatest triumph yet.

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