Toy Story 3

This highly anticipated third addition to the “Toy Story” family was released on June 18, 2010, and is expected to cross the $1 billion mark soon. Viewers of the previous “Toy Story” films did not fail to show support for “Toy Story 3” and it garnered nine out of 10 stars, according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). The film catered to children, adults and everyone in between by taking them on the journey of Andy heading off to college. “Toy Story 3” made it very easy for fans of the previous films to identify with it immediately. Many current fans were children when the Toy Story trilogy first began, and their lives matured in relation to Andy’s, beginning with childhood and ending with college. Ultimately, this Pixar film had it all: action, heartwarming characters, and an excellent family-friendly plot.

Inception

Similar to director Christopher Nolan’s previous film “The Dark Knight,” this summer’s blockbuster “Inception” was arguably one of the most publicized movies of the season. Also like its predecessor, audience and critical reviews generally praised “Inception” as surpassing even the highest expectations.

Nolan, who directed, produced, and wrote this psychological thriller, reportedly worked on the film for more than 10 years. The time and effort put into this film is evident. Visually, the film is breathtaking, with dizzying, constantly evolving landscapes – many of them produced without CGI – within the dream worlds created by the characters.

Even so, the story is what earned “Inception” suggestions for “best film of the year,” and the action is as complex and multilayered as the labyrinthine dream worlds Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his team (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy) create. It is an intellectually and emotionally engaging journey for the audience. In short, this is a film worth every penny of the ticket and every minute of its running time.

Iron Man 2

Marvel’s sequel, “Iron Man 2” premiered on April 26 , 2010 and showed successfully its first weekend, stashing in over $128 million. Audiences responded well to the film, giving it a 7.4 out of ten stars rating on IMDb. Although the film did well, it had a hard time brushing off the stigma of being a sequel and was constantly being compared to the greatness of the original “Iron Man.” Many “Iron Man” fans felt that the sequel tried too hard to overcome the original and as a result the film suffered in many areas. Viewers felt action was replaced by substance and that the effects replaced the simplicity and integrity of the original “Iron Man”. Despite the critiques, other movie-goers loved the fast-paced and flamboyant attitude Tony Stark brought to the screen as a result of revealing his identity as Iron Man. In the end, “Iron Man 2” delivered everything an action movie fan could desire: an amazing cast, Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) effects and definitely no lack of flashy and intense scenes.

Read more: http://chimes.biola.edu/story/2010/may/11/ironman2-review/

The Expendables

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A reflection of Stallone’s old glory days of Rambo and Rocky, “The Expendables” pulled together an all-star action movie cast, including Jet Li, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Steve Austin and of course Sylvester Stallone. The film opened to reasonable reviews and box office numbers, receiving a 7.4 out of 10 stars on IMDb. The film boasts nothing but action and intensity; however, any viewer that is not a middle-aged man may be disappointed after viewing “The Expendables,” due to the movie’s lack of fresh innovation. Boasting only muscle and action hero bravado, the film failed to deliver any depth or real action movie intensity. Even devout fans of this movie genre felt that “The Expendables” was nothing more than Stallone’s desperate attempt to rekindle his inner action hero (he directed, co-wrote and starred in the movie himself). Besides guns, motorcycles, tattoos and everything else associated with the stereotypical manly man, “The Expendables” failed to leave any real impact on the action movie scene.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

The film adaptation of the video game “The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” opened on May 28, 2010 to mixed reviews. While some viewers believed the movie to be exciting, most were greatly disappointed with the film and found it to be quite forgettable and boring. More was expected from the big budgeted film, especially with Jerry Bruckheimer on board as director. In fact, this Disney film was even expected to be the next “Pirates of the Caribbean.” According to IMDb, “The Prince of Persia” received a rating of 6 out of 10 stars. Many viewers criticized the overly abundant special effects––their over-usage made them “not-so special” effects. Other audiences felt the movie was boring and weak in general. “The Prince of Persia” offered plenty of eye-catching effects and action sequences, but the plot was outdated and exhausted. What’s so exciting about an evil uncle trying to take over the kingdom? Even the repetition of the prince being captured, escaping, and then being captured again makes this once highly anticipated summer blockbuster completely unremarkable.

The Last Airbender

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The 2010 adaptation of the popular animated TV show and book series was released July 1 to negative critiques and harsh words for the film’s director, M. Night Shyamalan. On IMDb, the film only could muster up a rating of 4 out of 10. Many fans of the animated series and books were disappointed with the portrayal of Aang and other supporting characters. Audiences felt the acting was boring and repetitive, the script weak and shallow, and the 3D effects fell incredibly short of what a $150 million budget could provide for a film. “The Last Airbender” tried desperately to live up to its summer blockbuster name, but failed miserably to offer audiences anything short of comical acting and dialogue. In the end, it earned itself a reputation as one of the summer’s worst movies.

Despicable Me

“Toy Story 3” may have been the biggest animated hit of the summer, but “Despicable Me” gave it a run for its money.

Featuring a star-studded vocal cast ranging from Steve Carell to Julie Andrews, the plot is somewhat reminiscent of “The Incredibles” and centers around Gru, who wants more than anything else to be the world’s greatest super-villain. He’s something of a teddy bear at heart, however, and finds himself in competition with a younger, more high-tech villain by the name of Vector (Jason Segel).

To prove himself over his up-and-coming rival, Gru and his minions (a horde of yellow, one-eyed jellybean-like creatures) devise a plan to steal the moon. In order to infiltrate Vector’s villain lair and obtain a shrink ray––to shrink the moon for portability, of course–– Gru enlists the help of three cookie-selling orphaned girls by adopting them. Though he tries to resist, he finds himself becoming attached to the girls, which ultimately results in a saccharine sweet, heartwarming ending.

“Despicable Me” is enough pure silliness to delight its younger audiences, but is also laced with enough hilarious quips and pop culture references to serve as quality, lighthearted entertainment for older viewers as well.