Movie Review

Pixar conjures magic yet again with bittersweet Toy Story 4

The mere existence of Toy Story 4 is a little bittersweet. As fans of the series know, the final moments of Toy Story 3 (which, BTW, came out NINE years ago) seemed a pitch-perfect ending to the series, with all the toys we know and love moving on from their original owner, Andy, so that a new child, Bonnie, could grow up with them.

But no matter why Pixar decided to go ahead with a fourth film, it remains an utter pleasure to spend time with the characters that made the studio the powerhouse it is today. This time, Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), Hamm (John Ratzenberger), and more are on a road trip with Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw) and her family. Bonnie, who recently started kindergarten, has created her new favorite toy, Forky (Tony Hale), and thanks to Forky’s strong desire to throw himself in the trash, Woody takes it upon himself to protect Forky at all costs.

This proves an exhausting job, and one of Woody’s many attempts at rescue leads them both into a small-town antique store, where Woody thinks he has found the long-lost Bo Peep (Annie Potts). There, they also encounter Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks), an old doll who has long lingered on the shelf thanks to a broken voice box. When she discovers Woody is a pull-string toy, she covets his voice box to make her whole again.

Those are the basics, but there is so much going on in the film that it would be impossible to cover it all in a synopsis. Written by Andrew Stanton and Stephany Folsom and directed by Josh Cooley, the characters have an adventure more-than-worthy of previous entries in the series, buoyed by the outstanding humor and emotion that Pixar has brought to nearly every film in its history.

As they’ve done in the other films in the series, the filmmakers seamlessly integrate a variety of new characters. Forky is hilarious from the start, as are carnival toys Bunny (Jordan Peele) and Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key), motorcycle daredevil Duke Kaboom (Keanu Reeves), and Giggle McDimples (Ally Maki). Gabby Gabby is ostensibly the villain of the film, especially when she calls in a troupe of ventriloquist dummies to protect her, but she comes with a heartbreaking backstory that makes her feel less than evil.

Unsurprisingly, the film’s animation is absolutely gorgeous. While the core characters are still recognizable from their debut in 1995, the advance in the amount of detail the animators can now show on them and the world in general is staggering. There are many times where, with a little suspension of disbelief, the film could plausibly be passed off as live action, especially when it comes to things like water and hair.

Now, the bittersweet feeling comes with knowing — absolutely this time — that it will be the final experience watching and listening to these iconic characters. For the past 25 years, they have set a standard that most other films can’t match. They will live on in the hearts of children and the young at heart, but the tears that come at the end aren’t merely because of the stellar storytelling.

It may not have truly needed to be made, but Toy Story 4 is just as good as any of the other films in the series and proves once again that Pixar is the undisputed master in the animation field.

Buzz Lightyear, Bunny, Ducky, Woody, Giggle McDimples, and Bo Peep in Toy Story 4.

Buzz Lightyear, Bunny, Ducky, Woody, and Bo Peep in Toy Story 4

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

Buzz Lightyear, Bunny, Ducky, Woody, Giggle McDimples, and Bo Peep in Toy Story 4.

Movie Review

Great acting and directing drive The Christophers to artistic heights

Michaela Coel and Ian McKellen in The Christophers

Photo by Claudette Barius

Michaela Coel and Ian McKellen in The Christophers.

Director Steven Soderbergh is one of those filmmakers who — aside from the Ocean’s series — never seems to make the same kind of movie twice. He is somehow able to adapt his abilities to all sorts of different stories, making each of them as compelling as any other. His latest masterclass is in the London-set film, The Christophers.

Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), who restores art for a living, is approached by brother and sister Sallie and Barnaby Sklar (Jessica Gunning and James Corden) with a scheme. They want her to become the new assistant for their aging father, Julian (Ian McKellen), a famous artist known for a series called “The Christophers,” in order to gain access to unfinished paintings from the series and complete them herself.

Lori accepts the deal despite having some uneasy feelings about Julian, with whom she had a bad interaction years ago. Julian is just as wary, both because he knows of his children’s interest in the unfinished works, and because he would prefer to be left in peace. Although the trepidation on both sides continues for the bulk of the story, a grudging respect arises between two artists who know skill when they see it.

Directed by Soderbergh and written by Ed Solomon, who last collaborated on No Sudden Move, the film is astonishing in its ability to be compelling with such a small story. Much of the film is spent inside Julian’s multi-story home as Julian and Lori have low-level confrontations about a variety of things, including the meaning of his art, her abilities, the fate of the remaining “Christophers,” and more. Each conversation brings out more detail about their worldviews and their thoughts about their lot in life.

Much of the success of the film lies in the performances of McKellen and Coel. The 86-year-old McKellen has not lost his ability to astonish with the spoken word, and the monologues he delivers are engrossing even when they’re about mundane things. Coel, best known for the 2020 HBO show I May Destroy You, is a great foil for McKellen, never backing down from his challenges and giving her own unique takes on her lines.

While the film can be enjoyable for non-art lovers, those who appreciate the vagaries of the art world will have a lot to chew on. Soderbergh and Solomon debate a lot of aspects of art, including whether it’s possible to separate the art from the person making it, why some art is valued more than others, the ethics of forgery, and more. Because the film is about a fictional artist, it gives the filmmakers a bit more freedom in their criticisms.

Aside from McKellen and Coel, Gunning (Baby Reindeer) and Corden are the only other two people who get significant screen time in the film. Both of them are, let’s say, acquired tastes, and each gives an elevated performance that matches the energy of their respective characters. Tilly Botsford makes a nice impression in a small role as Julian’s masseuse.

Soderbergh’s last three films — Presence, Black Bag, and now The Christophers — have nothing in common other than the expert filmmaker helming all of them. When you can make a ghost story, a spy film, and a small film about artists equally interesting, you know you’re doing something right.

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The Christophers is now playing in theaters.

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