Toys Movie Reviews

Robin Williams is Leslie Zevo. His father is Kenneth Zevo, founder of Zevo Toys, a factory that doesn't so much exist in a town but in the middle of its own world. Zevo is old and dying and played by the legendary Donald O'Connor. (His funeral scene creates a nice little laugh until I remembered that O'Connor himself passed away a few months ago.) Kenneth Zevo must hand over control of his factory, but feels that his son Leslie isn't ready for this job. And his daughter Al-Sashia (Joan Cusack) isn't, well you find out at the end of the film. So he turns the factory over to his brother General Zevo (Michael Gambon) of the U.S. Army.

General Zevo clearly doesn't want the job, but the Army isn't the way he remembers it. He is the kind of soldier who would shoot a fly with his .45 sidearm instead of using a fly swatter. That creates a nice laugh, but in a really funny scene he goes to visit his father, who never tires of humiliating hiis son by showing how he outranks him. What to do? He tours the factory in a sequence that demonstrates again and again the visual wonder of this world. But this isn't his world. He begins to think that there may be a market in the world of war toys, but Willaims and everyone else at the company feels that it isn't the company's style.

General Zevo comes up with an idea. The only reason I can reveal this idea is to explain how the film goes off the rails. The company will manufacture miniature toys armed with real bullets, missiles, and bombs. They will be controlled by children who think they are playing videogames and scoring points. When his scheme is discovered by Williams and Cusack they find themselves running through the factory pursued by the miniature war toys. Bullets are soon flying, explosions are going off, and everything leads to a battle between the evil war toys and the old innocent wind-up toys. It is here when my heart started to really sink. Why couldn't Barry Levinson come up with a more imaginative solution to stop the General than having innocent toys attack (and be blown to pieces) by war toys? Surely a movie with such imaginative setting could give us a payoff just as imaginative, couldn't it?

Robin Williams was born to play this character. He is so convincing as a man who never seemed to grow up. Again and again he uses his gift for verbal improvisation that for once doesn't stop a film dead in its tracks. Joan Cusack displays a charming innocence that many times I don't always see. At the end the secret of who her character really is doesn't come across as a surprise. And there's a nice sweet romance between Williams and Robin Wright Penn as a new employee. And all during the opening, first act, and middle, is that wonderful look. The production designer Ferdinand Scafforeili was nominated for an Academy Award, and perhaps should have received a special achievement for it.

So, TOYS has a magnificent extravagant look, terrific performances, and even some really sweet and delightful music (especially the opening song). But it doesn't have an imaginative conclusion or a good third act. I guess I will recommend this film. Its good qualities really are the price of admission. But ask yourself, what was that ending all about?

What you do get is a movie that is incredibly creative, visually and musically, with an incredible cast that all get it. It is a fun movie about good vs. evil (or joy and innocence vs. militarism), it can be very silly, and if you get into it you'll love it. I do.

The first 40 minutes of this film feel like a broad farce, but y the end of the film, the characters really take hold and I was actually pretty involved in their plight. In particular, I think anyone with a passing interest in the goofier sides of Japanese pop culture (disposable pop stars who can't sing, weird non-sequitur advertising campaigns) will definately enjoy this film. The transfer is pretty good (although the audio definately reflects the limitations of the source material.)

There's a supernatural sex theme as various people get their just desserts in interesting ways, the best being as Uschi Diggart is seduced by the bed-sheets she lies in.

Very little makes sense, but I loved it for that alone.

The next film "Toys are not for Children" is quite strange (not in any positive way). A girl is obsessed with her long-lost father and the toys she got from him.

She grows up to an immature woman. A man marries her, but she can't satisfy him or herself as she wants to sleep with her toys. I thought that this was just stupid.

Somehow she gets involved with an odd woman who sets her up with another man (who *spoiler alert* *spoiler alert* turns out to be her daddy whom she kills)!

"TOYS ARE NOT FOR CHILDREN" is bizarre and beautiful! And Super Creepy! Child-like grown woman is obsessed with pleasing her father...to do this she becomes a 'prostitute' because the only thing she knows about him is that he fancies the 'working girls'. She hasn't seen him since she was six years old...but somehow thoughout her life he sends her children's toys (that she sexualizes as a way to relate to good ol' Dad).
Bad scripting, bad directing, really bad acting, crummy editing, and disjointed plot twists add up to one heck of a nail biter at the end.

Buy this disk if you like twisted storylines...AND the disk has a great short about a toy truck. And a short nudie about some Christmas Cuties.

Something Weird Video RULES THE SKOOL!!!
=^..^=

My little sister Sarah hates Hermey she calls him H instead.My oldest sister Randy thinks that Hermey is cute though.Me and my oldest sister noticed something about Hermey,his ears aren't pointy so that means he's not an elf,so how come everybody calls him an elf,I wonder if anybody ells has ever noticed that before,I think he was a kid that ranaway from home.

I loved the Toy Taker,and Queen Camilla,they were my favorite characters.Queen Camilla reminded me of my mom,because she's a parametic,and I loved her song to.I thought the Toy Taker was cool I loved the song he sang,I felt realy sorry for him though poor guy:(.He deserves to ruin christmas,just like how Washu( Tenshi Muyo)deserves to destroy the univurse.I think it would be realy cute if the Toy Taker decided to get a job to babysit little kids I think that would be realy sweet of him.

Favorite characters:

1.The Toy Taker
2.Queen Camilla
3.Hermey

Least favorite characters:

1.Rudolph
2.Yukon Cornelios
3.Bumble

Favorite songs:

1.The Toy Taker
2.Beautiful just like me
3.The Island of Misfit Toys

Least favorite songs:

1.Beyond the stars
2.Mr.Cuddles
3.Best christmas ever

This is a great movie I don't see why everybody hates it so much.Its was way better than the last Rudolph in 1998 that one was just horrible,this one was great it had all the old characters back Hermey,Clarice,Yukon Cornelious,the Bumle,etc.So stop wyning and enjoy its own merits.I just love this movie I keep watching it nonstop.^-^