Toy Story 4 (2019)

The whole gang is back for yet another insight into the world of what toys get up to when nobody is looking.

Now that Andy has gone to college, all of his toys have gone to a little girl named Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw). She is just about to start kindergarten, and is nervous about what that will entail.

Even though she isn't allowed to take any toys with her to her orientation, Woody (Tom Hanks) stows away in her backpack, to keep an eye on her and make sure everything goes okay.

While there, she makes something from random craft supplies: a spork with pipe-cleaner arms, popsicle-stick feet and goggle eyes, that she names Forky (Tony Hale), and who quickly becomes her new favourite toy.

Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw) shows off her new favourite toy Forky (Tony
Hale).

But when he meets all the other toys in her room, he decides he doesn't want to be a toy, and he keeps trying to run away.

To reward Bonnie for being so brave on her first day of kindergarten, her parents take her on a road trip, and all the toys tag along.

But Forky throws himself out of the window of the RV on the middle of the highway, Woody must go after him to save him. They find themselves in an antique store next to a visiting carnival - the rest of the toys are at the RV park between the store and the carnival.

Inside the store, Woody and Forky meet a doll named Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks), who wants nothing more than to be taken home by a child, but as an antique doll, most children aren't interested.

When Bonnie realises Forky is missing, she is absolutely distraught, and the other toys, led by Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), do everything they can to get Woody and Forky back again before the family leave the RV park.

Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and Bo Peep (Annie Potts),
with Bunny (Jordan Peele) behind.

All your favourite toys are back: Rex (Wallace Shawn), Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), Jessie (Joan Cusack), Trixie (Kristen Schaal) and Mrs. Potato Head (Estelle Harris). But there are plenty of new toys to meet and fall in love with, too: Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves), Bunny (Jordan Peele) and Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key), to name just a few.

The screenplay, written by Andrew Stanton & Stephany Folsom, is just beautiful, with all the characters audiences have grown to love and a bunch of new ones to enjoy. The plot is filled with twists and turns, and plenty of moments for parents to enjoy while attending with their children. I know I've said this before, but Pixar have managed to do this with all their films thus far, and this one is no exception.

There are a lot of similarities between this instalment and the original Toy Story from way back in 1995. It feels like the filmmakers are trying to bring these characters to a new generation, but I must say, they've done a brilliant job of this.

The first indication of this is the opening titles sequence, which features the song 'You've Got a Friend in Me' performed by Randy Newman, the same way the original film began.

Randy Newman also composed the film's score, and has written a couple of new songs for this film. These new songs are similar in tone and general feel to any other songs from the previous Toy Story films. The rest of the music is just perfect, reflecting either the on-screen action or, in most instances, the emotion or intensity of the accompanying action.

Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks).

All of the voice cast are very well suited to their roles. Of course, the majority of the cast have performed these roles before, some in all three previous films. Of the new cast, some definite favourites of mine are Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key, who have a great chemistry together, having worked together extensively before on their show, Key & Peele. They have a wonderful connection here, and their dialogue bounces back and forth with brilliant comic timing.

Madeleine McGraw also injects real emotion - and turmoil - into the character of Bonnie, making her a fully three-dimensional character that will bring you to tears - in a good way.

Speaking of tears, I must advise you, if any of the previous three films brought a tear to your eye, make sure you bring tissues for this one.

Director Josh Cooley has made an absolutely beautiful film here. There hasn't been a Toy Story film this good in a long time, and I know I will be watching this one many more times.

9 out of 10.

Get Out (2016)

This film was comedian Jordan Peele’s directorial debut. And what a debut it was, too.

Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) is visiting his girlfriend Rose’s (Allison Williams) parents for the first time, having been seeing Rose for about five months. And he is absolutely terrified. What if they don’t like him? Has Rose even told them he is black?

Rose reassures him that her parents will be fine with him, after all, her dad always says he would have voted for Obama for a third term if he could have.

Chris reluctantly agrees, and goes with her up to their country home upstate. He is introduced to Dean (Bradley Whitford) and Missy (Catherine Keener), and later Rose’s brother Jeremy (Caleb Landry Jones). They seem like a nice enough white family; then again, they have two black servants: groundskeeper Walter (Marcus Henderson) and housekeeper Georgina (Betty Gabriel).

Not only that, but everyone seems to be acting awfully strange around Chris, especially when a bunch of Dean and Missy’s friends stop by the next day for a big party, and are behaving very oddly indeed.

I really can’t say more than this, for fear of spoiling the rest of the film for you. It is well worth watching, and actually, I would suggest watching it multiple times if you can; you notice a lot more on subsequent viewings.

The most incredible thing about this film is the clever screenplay, written by director Jordan Peele. There are a handful of comedic moments, which fans of his previous work will no doubt recognise and appreciate. But the key to this script is the horror that lies just below the surface for the majority of the film. It is a very clear representation of what Peele has experienced in his own past, growing up in the United States as an African American. The strongest themes of the film are those that address and deal with race and race issues, including race relations throughout society, particularly white middle-class American society.

In fact, the script is so tightly written, and well constructed, it is hard to believe that this is Peele’s first foray into screenwriting. I imagine it must have taken him a lot of time and hard work to fill his script, and consequently his film, with so many little nuanced parts. Peele is an incredibly gifted writer, that much is clear, both from his past work as a comedian and here in this film, but this screenplay is far and above his best work to date. I for one can’t wait to see what he does next.

The cast performances are all perfectly on point, but especially the performances of Kaluuya and Williams as the young couple. Both of them bring their absolute all to their roles, and their dedication and hard work really pay off on screen.

There is also a great cameo performance by Stephen Root as a party guest, blind art curator Jim Hudson.

And if you saw the end of this film coming, I suggest you seek psychiatric help. Immediately.

That being said, I think this is one of the greatest films of its time. It is so well written, so well shot, so well directed, so well acted, so well scored, there can only be one appropriate rating.

10 out of 10.

Us (2019)

Ever since the 2017 release of Get Out, Jordan Peele’s directorial debut which earned him the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, the world has been waiting and watching to see what he would do next. And this – his second feature – certainly does not disappoint.

Gabe Wilson (Winston Duke) and his wife Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o) have brought their children, Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex), to their holiday home by the coast, excited to have some time together as a family to relax after a busy year.

Along with neighbours Josh Tyler (Tim Heidecker) and his wife Kitty (Elisabeth Moss) and twin daughters Becca and Lindsey (Cali and Noelle Sheldon), the family spends a day down at the beach at Santa Cruz.

Adelaide is incredibly nervous to go back to that beach, as something happened to her when she was younger on the boardwalk there. Wandering away from her parents, she saw something in the hall of mirrors that terrified her: a mirror image of herself (that wasn’t just in the mirror). Traumatised ever since, she fears that something or someone might be waiting there for her to return.

When they get home that night, after dark, they discover a mysterious family standing in their driveway. A family that look exactly like the four of them. A family who then terrorise them, and seem desperate to kill them all.

And that’s not all. It seems everyone around them has perfect doubles, too, including the Tyler family, who are being terrorised in exactly the same way.

I really can’t say more than that; it will spoil too much for you if you should care to watch it. (This isn’t a film for the faint of heart, but if you enjoy this genre of film, and particularly if you were a fan of Get Out, then check it out for yourself).

Once again, Jordan Peele’s unique sense of humour (which viewers of his sketch comedy show, Key and Peele, will recall) is on display here, as well as his unique take on the world, particularly as related to the horror and thriller genres.

His script is incredibly clever, and has so many things hiding just below the surface, little gems for audiences to enjoy if they look past the mere narrative structure.

As with Get Out before it, this film has an awful lot to say about race relations, particularly what it means to grow up as an African American in a society that is almost entirely controlled by white people. However, this time around, his commentary is a lot more subtle than it was in Get Out. While the messages of Get Out were incredibly overt and obvious (not in a bad way, just saying), this film does not at first glance appear to have anything to do with race.

Cinematographer Mike Gioulakis has done an incredible job at using light and shadow to not only create a growing sense of dread and terror, but also to highlight some of the film’s darker ‘messages’. Many of the scenes take place in almost total darkness, with just barely enough light to make out character silhouettes.

The score (by Michael Abels) is very clever as well. Sure, large sections of the movie are not scored at all, but the parts that are really shine; his ability to convey psychological mood through the use of music and sound is clear. There are significant sections also where the music is used to hint at a growing sense of impending dread, and when combined with the innovative cinematography, make for an overall effect that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I have to say unequivocally that Jordan Peele has done it again. This film is – in my opinion – even better than his debut feature, and I would even say better than a lot of other films I have seen recently. Peele’s ability to take what appears to be nothing more than yet another horror film and make it something so much more is a lesson in clever writing and expert direction.

10 out of 10.