film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997
Have you seen Slate’s Hollywood Career-o-Matic? This hilarious tool collates data from Rotten Tomatoes to assess who is a great actor, actress, or director based upon the Freshness ratings of their films. Its usefulness is questionable, though…
Oh, but there is joy in this movie… It fills you up, this wonderful, wonderful movie, with just the simple yet profound connection it’s possible to make with another creature, even if that creature is merely a cartoon rat.
Funnier and more touching and meaningful than its predecessor, Toy Story 2 is the rare sequel that improves upon its progenitor — and, considering how wondrous Toy Story was, that’s saying something. Toy Story — as funny and fun as it was — was also bursting with joy, with the delight the filmmakers obviously took in bringing a roomful of toys to life. Toy Story realized that secret childhood fantasy we all had, that our toys had lives of their own, that they played with one another when we weren’t around.
