Toy Story

I don't really remember ALL the details in the movies I watch (that's why I plan on blogging about EVERY movie I see from now on) but I do remember watching the first Channing Tatum G.I. Joe film (The Rise of Cobra) and witnessing a major story lead-in involving Joseph Gordon-Levitt - prompting me to make a deal with myself to never never never miss the sequel.

And so I had a chance to watch the screening of GI Joe: Retaliation sponsored by Nestle Kit Kat at Greenbelt (great great chocolate! haha) with heightened expectations, and here are my quick thoughts. In bullets cause no one reads paragraphs anymore.

• We are late for the screening. When we entered the theater, it's already the scene where the joes are on an aircraft, then we see Dwayne "Tooth Fairy" Johnson and Magic Mike shooting a cupcake.
• Adrienne "Wonder Woman for one episode" Palicki is also in this movie but at first I thought it's Eva Mendes.
• There are hands carefully peeling the foil off two bars of chocolate-covered wafer bars... oh wait it's my free Kit Kat.
• If you're seeing this for Channing, this is Channing's movie much like Step Up 2 is also his.
• Fireflies explode. This looks like a Michael Bay movie.
• Storm Shadow aka white ninja aged a lot since the first movie.
• If you're going to imprison a very dangerous individual, why would you give him a tour of the facility and explain the security features?
• Go Snake Eyes aka black ninja! My favorite character even without a face or a speaking line. Trivia: Black Ninja is Darth Maul. Sucks that in his major movies, he cannot show his real face.
• White Ninja, Black Ninja and Asian girl go zip lining with red ninja friends. White Ninja has no idea but I'm sure he'll wake up with a very sore body.
• Bruce Willis lives in an armory.
• World leaders discuss nuclear warfare. So timely. North Korea guy gets best actor honors.
• So many battle scenes and white ninja's clothes never get dirty.
• Like many bomb movies, it's all about the detonators.
• Naturally, they win and the real* president loves them. Cobra Commander meanwhile is missing - a lead in for a third movie.

It is quite obvious that Rise of the Cobra and Retaliation were made by a different set of people. I enjoyed the first movie more. Retaliation offers too little to develop the GI Joe story. Nevertheless, fight scenes especially the sword fights are superb. Too many people who can't act but then again, this isn't an "actor's movie." It's just playtime.