Complete in Thee: 30-Day Challenge, Day 24

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

30-Day Challenge, Day 24

A movie no one would expect you to love.

Agh. Some of these posts are not so easy.

I mean, what does it mean by "no one"? No one at all? No one upon meeting me? No one who knows me at least a little? None of you? And should it be one no one expects me to love that I do love, or that I don't love? (I analyze too much.) I think all my readers here are pretty familiar with the types of movies I like... I'm not too secretive about what I like. It is a fact generally acknowledged that I love Jane Austen and Charles Dickens adaptions and other period dramas (though not all) and animated films (particularly Disney). If you didn't know I love Disney animated films and get as much enjoyment out of watching them as I do out of watching a Jane Austen flik, then I guess there's the answer to today's post. :-)

But anyway, I thought it would be more interesting (and easy) to write about a movie no one would expect me NOT to love.

So I love animated films. And I have a soft-spot in my heart for, well, um, like dolls and stuff. :-) So what would you all expect me to like? (In general. At least, I think most people would expect me to like it.

Toy Story. :-P

Okay, rewind. I really like Toy Story 2. It's not one of my top 10 favorites, but I do enjoy watching it very much if I fastforward Jessy's depressing song. But Toy Story 3 is a different matter.

I was hesitant at first about watching it because I knew the theme was Andy growing up, and I've struggled a lot inside about growing up and knowing I'm not a little girl anymore. (It has awesome pros, but it's kind of sad too sometimes. :-) ) But when I watched it, that aspect didn't bother me at all. I teared up in the end scene with Andy playing with the little girl... especially when he starts talking about how Woody is a faithful friend... Okay, so that was a lovely scene; I loved that part. In fact, I would probably have loved the movie except for one thing.

The climax.

*spoilers ahead* (if you haven't seen it and you don't want to know, just stop reading here)

If Lotso had clipped the "stop" button on the dump belt when I thought he was going to, and everyone had been saved just before going over the edge towards the fire pit, I would have been quite happy with the movie. I would have gasped with relief and sat back to enjoy the rest of the film.

But to have those "friends" of my childhood... Woody, Buzz, Jessy, Rex, Slinky, and the others, really actually almost burn to death?? I didn't even like when they all started holding hands. I've heard some people say they started crying there and thought it was so wonderful because it symbolized the strong bond of their friendship and how they would stick through anything together, but I didn't like it at all. I don't mind if the characters "almost die" and then get saved in the nick of time, but to really almost ALMOST die...and in such a traumatic way... and so emotional... and, I mean, Woody and Buzz, ya know?... yeah. It was just a little too much. I even had a hard time appreciating "The claaaawww!!" I was so tensed up after that that I had a hard time sitting back and enjoying the sweet ending. I did like the sweet ending, but I was too traumatized to really let it warm my heart, if you know what I mean.

In addition, the film did have enough "darker" moments that it just didn't make it to the top of my list. The evil Lotso bear that smells of strawberries, and... *shudders* that SUPER CREEPY BABY DOLL that looks like it needs someone on the American Girls Fans Message Board to fix it up.... (I still hated the baby doll even by the end.) And just little aspects here and there. Not bad things, necessarily, just things that didn't sit right with me when I wanted a heart-warming, nostalgic movie. :-)

Don't get me wrong-- I don't hate this movie, and I don't not recommend it (though I don't recommend it for children, even if it is a cartoon-- don't believe in that line on the back of the case that says "G-General Audiences"). I got some good laughs out of it, and I thought the ending was the perfect way to conclude the series. I loved Bonnie (absolute adorableness!) and her little toys, especially Mr. Pricklepants ("I am trying to stay in character!") :-) :-) And who doesn't love Woody? (mmmmm!! *hugs self* I LOVE WOODY!!!!) But it just didn't make it to my favorites list and I probably wouldn't watch it again unless my sisters let me fastforward through (or leave the room for) the whole dumpster scene. It just wasn't my idea of a good climax. The climax should have been a good several minutes prior to that, like, before the dump truck even picked the toys up in the first place. :-P

(Though it's kind of odd, because I don't really dislike intense scenes in general; I mean, I love The Incredibles and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which have some intense, main-character-almost-dies types of scenes. (Didn't know I liked those? Maybe I should have featured them... :-P ) (another post for another time...) I think, though, that it was the fact that I sort of "grew up" with Woody and Buzz and the others, and already have a soft spot for (eh-hem) toys anyway, so to see them almost burn to death just wasn't what I wanted to see. :-P

So what did you think about it? Feel free to disagree with me. I'm very glad if other people like it, because I feel bad that I didn't. :-) What were your thoughts on Toy Story 3?

P.S. I'm sorry I keep posting about animated films. I tried to think about something else to write about for this post, but animated films kept coming to mind and I didn't know what live action films people wouldn't expect me to love. :-)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...: Lol, I just watched Toy Story 3 with the kids last night! And I totally agree with you about the creepy Big Baby! And when they were all in the dump on their way to the fire, I was like "No, it CANNOT end this way....!"
And I hated, absolutely hated, Ken and Barbie - sick!
I think my favorite part of the movie was Buster.... so old, so fat, so lazy.... just like our dog!!!

CG; February 3, 2011 at 2:44 PM
Jason Hunsicker said...: While I do love Toy Story 3, I must agree that the dumpster scene was pretty intense. Just like you said the whole "the claaaaaw" thing wasn't so funny because you were so traumatized by what had just happened...I pretty much felt the same way. But anyways...I did still enjoy the movie, although just like you, it isn't one of my favorites.

Oh, and I agree with you about animated films...they're really all I buy these days...; February 4, 2011 at 6:56 AM
Melanie said...: Oh yay! I'm glad to know I'm not too off-base in watching so many animated movies. :-) :-) I still need to watch "How to Train Your Dragon" yet...; February 4, 2011 at 8:43 AM

PRAYER REQUESTS

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Ephesians 6:18)

PLEASE PRAY...

* That I would draw nearer to God every day and never allow my relationship to become stagnant ritual; particularly that I would grow in the area of submission, patience, 1 Corinthians 13 love, and wholehearted devotion

* That I might have wisdom as I edit "The Marquis' Daughter"; that the Lord would bless and work through it; and that I might find just the right publisher for it.

* That I would submit to the Lord's work in my life, whatever it may be; that I would take each opportunity He brings me (even the seemingly hard ones) to draw closer to Him and point others to Him

*That our Etsy shop might be successful and that it would be a means by which we can glorify God and share the Gospel

Ephesians 2:1-10

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

"The heart set to do the Father's will need never fear defeat. His promises of guidance may be fully counted upon. Does it make sense to believe that the Shepherd would care less about getting His sheep where He wants them to go than they care about getting there?"

"God is God. Because He is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will, a will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to."

"If God, like a father, denies us what we want now it is in order to give us some far better thing later on. The will of God, we can rest assured, is invariably a better thing."

"Obedience to God's will is the secret of spiritual knowledge and insight. It is not willingness to know, but willingness to DO (obey) God's will that brings certainty."

"Victory over all the circumstances of life comes not by might, nor by power, but by a practical confidence in God and by allowing His Spirit to dwell in our hearts and control our actions and emotions. Learn in the days of ease and comfort, to think in terms of the prayer that follows, so that when the days of hardship come you will be fully prepared and equipped to meet them."

"And shall I pray, Oh, change Thy will, my Father,
Until it be according unto mine?
Ah no, Lord, no, that never could be, rather
I pray Thee, Blend my human will with Thine."

"A crucified life cannot be self-assertive. It cannot protect itself. It cannot be startled into resentful words. The cup that is full of sweet water cannot spill bitter-tasting drops, however sharply it is knocked."

"And as we rest our hearts upon what we know (the certainty of the ultimate triumph of good), leaving what we do not know to the Love that has led us all our life long, the peace of God enters into us and abides. And then we see our light."

[A Practicing Christian]...it means that every single act and feeling, every experience, whether pleasant or unpleasant, must be referred to God. It means looking at everything as something that comes from Him, and always looking to Him and asking His will first, and saying, "How would he wish me to deal with this?"

Christ says: "Give me all. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work. I want you."

"I was not born to be free. I was born to adore and to obey."

"What is saving but taking us out of the dark into the light? There is no salvation but to know God and grow like Him."

"I will not try to convince you of anything about God. I cannot. You must know Him. I only tell you I believe in Him with all my heart. You must ask Him to explain Himself to you, and not take it for granted that He has done you a wrong because He has done what you do not like. Whether you seek Him or not, He will do you justice. But He cannot explain Himself unless you seek Him."

"Sometimes a thunderbolt will shoot from a clear sky; and sometimes into the life of a peaceful individual, without warning of gathered storm, something terrible will fall. And from that moment everything is changed. That life is no more what it was. Better it ought to be, worse it may be. The result depends on the life itself and it's response to the invading storm of trouble. Forever after, it's spiritual weather is altered. But for the one who believes in God, such rending and frightful catastrophies never come but where they are turned around for good in his own life and in other lives he touches."