Z/Web

Would it be too much praise to say I liked this sequel better than the previous two? Yes, it’s that good. This one is by far the most emotional. It tells the tale of the toys when their owner Andy is getting ready to leave for college and must decide what to do with his toys. The ending had me in tears. So bittersweet! I loved all the adventures of the toys: ending up in a day care center, a wonderful toy-filled environment. I loved the classic characters we get to see again, the new characters (including a sweet-looking teddy bear that is incredibly vicious), the hilarious Barbi and Ken combo, and even the humans have more of a presence this time. I loved the cleverness of the visuals and the imaginative use of toys for non-intended purpose. But most of all I loved the story, with its wonderful themes of loss and discovery and the inevitability of change and aging. Powerful stuff, wonderfully told. Plenty of meat for adults and wonderful for children. Hilarious, fun, and brilliant. Best movie of the year so far. Fascinating pre-movie short, “Day and Night,” too. Very clever. A must see.

If you missed this game today, you missed something amazing. I’m not sure whether I should love this team or hate this team. They made elementary errors early on to put themselves in a huge 2-0 hole in the first half, but rallied back incredibly to secure a 2-2 draw. A draw that should have been a win if it wasn’t for the referee who canceled out the USA’s winning goal for an invisible foul that apparently only he saw. The draw keeps us alive in the group — actually, with England’s woeful 0-0 draw we’re in a good position where a win in our final match will send us through — but why must the USA always be playing from behind? We must get our act together and play better against Algeria on Wednesday. If we play like the second half in this one, we’ll be fine. I just hope that first half team doesn’t show up.

If you missed this game today, you missed something amazing. I’m not sure whether I should love this team or hate this team. They made elementary errors early on to put themselves in a huge 2-0 hole in the first half, but rallied back incredibly to secure a 2-2 draw. A draw that should have been a win if it wasn’t for the referee who canceled out the USA’s winning goal for an invisible foul that apparently only he saw. The draw keeps us alive in the group — actually, with England’s woeful 0-0 draw we’re in a good position where a win in our final match will send us through — but why must the USA always be playing from behind? We must get our act together and play better against Algeria on Wednesday. If we play like the second half in this one, we’ll be fine. I just hope that first half team doesn’t show up.