Holiday Movie 'Review'
One of my favourite holiday non-holiday movies is the Robin Williams/Joan Cusack/LL Cool J vehicle, Toys.
Between the Music (there's a link to the soundtrack at the bottom of this) which includes, Tori Amos, Enya, and Thomas Dolby, The Cast (with the aforementioned cast), and the Zaniness (conversations in supply closets about Toy espionage), Toys shapes up to be a good movie.
It's downfall, I think, in some circles, is, perhaps, that it is TOO zany. Joan Cusack takes her silly character acting to the edge, the British general goes too British, and Robin Williams.. well... it seems like it was meant for Robin to be silly on camera while sticking in a vague script.
And, to be fair, it's true. But I think this is it's success. It's just absurd, asinine, crazy. Fun. It's humour and charm are child like and it manages to get to the inner child. It's humour seems to be directed towards adults while looking like a child's movie. This... this complete disconnect makes it a fun ride, I won't lie. And, to be honest, I adored LL Cool J in it. I think his absurd Army Guy character is just genius and hysterical.
Yet, at it's core, Toys, manages to battle the "War" toy versus the non-violent toy group... and, after hefty combat, the non-violent toy wins. How does a toy without guns win? By being with Robin Williams.
I won't lie: I cry a little at points, between the musical cues and the story arc. Maybe it makes me weak, or retarded, or whatever, but I love this movie. It's a hidden gem. If you haven't watched it, your missing a lot. And, hey, let's remember:
The soundtrack has Thomas Dolby and there are cameos by Jamie Foxx and Yeardley Smith.
The movie is absurd, but if you take your reality hat off, you can appreciate this movie for what it is: surreal and genius.
Download: 'Toys' soundtrack
Between the Music (there's a link to the soundtrack at the bottom of this) which includes, Tori Amos, Enya, and Thomas Dolby, The Cast (with the aforementioned cast), and the Zaniness (conversations in supply closets about Toy espionage), Toys shapes up to be a good movie.
It's downfall, I think, in some circles, is, perhaps, that it is TOO zany. Joan Cusack takes her silly character acting to the edge, the British general goes too British, and Robin Williams.. well... it seems like it was meant for Robin to be silly on camera while sticking in a vague script.
And, to be fair, it's true. But I think this is it's success. It's just absurd, asinine, crazy. Fun. It's humour and charm are child like and it manages to get to the inner child. It's humour seems to be directed towards adults while looking like a child's movie. This... this complete disconnect makes it a fun ride, I won't lie. And, to be honest, I adored LL Cool J in it. I think his absurd Army Guy character is just genius and hysterical.
Yet, at it's core, Toys, manages to battle the "War" toy versus the non-violent toy group... and, after hefty combat, the non-violent toy wins. How does a toy without guns win? By being with Robin Williams.
I won't lie: I cry a little at points, between the musical cues and the story arc. Maybe it makes me weak, or retarded, or whatever, but I love this movie. It's a hidden gem. If you haven't watched it, your missing a lot. And, hey, let's remember:
The soundtrack has Thomas Dolby and there are cameos by Jamie Foxx and Yeardley Smith.
The movie is absurd, but if you take your reality hat off, you can appreciate this movie for what it is: surreal and genius.
Download: 'Toys' soundtrack