Toy Story 4

Year of Release:  2019
Director:  Josh Cooley
Screenplay:  Andrew Stanton and Stephany Folsom, story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Josh Cooley, Valerie LaPointe, Rashida Jones, Will McCormack, Martin Hynes and Stephany Folsom
Starring:  Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Madeleine McGraw, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves
Running Time:  96 minutes
Genre:  Animation, comedy

Toys Woody (Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Allen) and their friends have been donated by former owner Andy, to a little girl named Bonnie (McGraw).  Increasingly neglected by Bonnie, Woody still accompanies her on her first day of kindergarten, and watches her fashions some items of garbage, into a bipedal spork that she calls "Forky" (Hale).  Like the other toys, Forky is alive, but believes himself to be trash.  Bonnie and her family head out on a road trip, with Woody constantly trying to stop Forky throwing himself into trash. Separated from Bonnie, her family and their friends, Woody tries to convince Forky of how much Bonnie loves him.  Trailing the family RV through a small town, Woody thinks that his friend Bo Peep (Potts) is in an antique store, however when they enter, they encounter the seemingly friendly Gabby Gabby (Hendricks), who nevertheless has her own agenda.

Released in 1995, the original Toy Story was groundbreaking as the first completely computer-animated feature film, but it was more than just a special effects showcase, being both funny and heartwarming.  Over the years, it has become a beloved franchise for both children and adults .  This outing manages to break the law of diminishing returns, being funny, action packed and surprisingly emotional, as well as being beautifully animated.  Fans of the series will enjoy being reacquainted with familiar characters as well as some delightful new faces.   It sticks to the formula of the previous films where the toys are separated and then have to be rescued by their friends.  Due to the size and fragility of the toys, the ordinary outside world becomes a hostile landscape with danger lurking around every corner.  The film also continues the philosophical themes of the series where the toys have to accept their nature and the transitory nature of their existence, where they invest so much love and loyalty in their owners, only to eventually be discarded as the child grows up.  While it is not as good as Toy Story 2 (1999) this is still a great family film which will appeal to both adults and children. 

Forky and Woody in Toy Story 4

Drive

Year of Release:  2011
Director:  Nicolas Winding Refn
Screenplay:  Hossein Amini, based on the novel Drive by James Sallis
Starring:  Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaac, Albert Brooks
Running Time:  100 minutes
Genre:  crime, thriller

Ryan Gosling stars as the unnamed Driver, a mechanic and part-time movie stunt driver who occasionally moonlights as a getaway driver.  Living a quiet, solitary existence, his only friend is his employer / manager Shannon (Cranston).  However, the Driver soon finds himself drawn to his neighbor Irene (Mulligan) who lives alone with her son, Benicio (Kaden Leos), her husband, Standard (Isaac), is in jail.  However when Standard is released and forced into taking part in a robbery, the Driver has to take extreme measures to protect Irene and Benicio.

Nicolas Winding Refn is a fantastic visual stylist, and here he turns Los Angeles into a seductive, neon-drenched netherworld.  Despite being set in the present day, the film has a kind of retro, 1980s feel about it, accentuated by Cliff Matinez's pulsating synth score, but the Driver himself could almost be a Western hero, the Clint Eastwood-style Man With No Name.  Certainly, with his silk jacket emblazoned with a scorpion logo on the back, the blank-faced Gosling turns in an iconic performance with very little dialogue, communicating a lot with just a quick look and the twitch of his mouth.

Mostly, this is a slow-moving film, but it is punctuated with sudden bursts of graphic violence (warning:  the violence is pretty shocking, especially as it often erupts so suddenly).  The storyline is fairly predictable, although this isn't really a plot driven film, it's a mood piece.  Also Carey Mulligan really isn't given much to do at all, and the other principal female character, Christina Hendricks' Blanche, has barely any screen-time at all.  However, Bryan Cranston is striking as the always unlucky Shannon.

It may be too slow and too brutal for some, but it is a ride worth taking.

Carey Mulligan and Ryan Gosling in Drive