from the weekend :: Ka-Ciao! (Summer Film Series – Vol. 9, No. 3 :: CARS 2)

June 24, 2011 ~ Studio Movie Grill ~ Plano, Texas

This past Friday I joined my sister’s family for an opening day viewing of Cars 2, something that had been planned for months by their NASCAR-lovin’ selves. The first film is one of their very favorites, and the last boy tends to quote Lightning McQueen a lot, but I’ve never been as much a fan of that film beyond the simple fact that Pixar films are always enjoyable and visually stunning. The race car aspect though? Meh. So I was thankful that I could join their crew for this sequel because I knew my viewing experience would be made so much better by hearing the boy’s commentary throughout the film. Or at least that’s what I thought. Turns out, I loved the film more than any of them! It was far better than the first one — for me, at least — and my experience was heightened by sitting next to the first boy rather than his younger brother. Which just goes to show that nothing is certain in art or life.

I planned to take several photos before and after the movie, but the boys just weren’t having it. The Pickle was almost cranky the whole day, so I only managed a few. But I think I have enough to tell the story. The boys and their parents arrived at the cinema more than an hour before showtime, so they were able to secure the first spots in line. Such a long wait is not agreeable to the last boy, but he managed to endure with the help of Angry Birds — or, as he calls it, “Frustrated Birds”, because “angry” is not a nice thing to be. … During the movie, K2 and I laughed at pretty much every scene — and most of all when Mater gained the power to change his appearance by voice command and turned himself from a tow truck to a monster truck to a taco truck. We couldn’t stop giggling! I was sitting too far away from the other boy to hear his comments throughout the film, but I did notice him during the opening title sequence. When the original Cars graphic appeared onscreen, Pickle’s hand flew into the air displaying the number two. And as that number appeared on the movie screen, he shouted out, “Two!” It was a terrific way to start the show!
 

You'd think the movie didn't delight these guys, but the truth is they knew I was taking a photo. Plus, I think this occurred during closing credits (which were kinda boring).

Summer Film Series – Vol. 8, No. 3: TOY STORY 3

July 1, 2010, at Studio Movie Grill in Plano, TX

On this blog I regularly proclaim the pure genius of the Pixar dynasty and never moreso than when I speak of the Toy Story films. In my eyes they will always be the standard by which all other animation (and technologically advanced films) are measured simply because Toy Story was the first of its kind and changed the face of movies forever. Digital had always looked digital before Woody and Buzz arrived on the scene, but after that moment just fifteen short years ago, a whole new world opened before our entertainment-loving eyes. I hold Toy Story dear for very personal reasons, as well, including the fact that it has crossed the boundaries of four generations in my immediate family alone and endeared us all to its world of lifelike toys with the biggest hearts we’ve ever known. And while I love witnessing their continuing saga, I honestly didn’t believe that the third installment could truly be “the best of them all,” as so many moviegoers proclaimed. But I was willing to have that proven to me, so I went to the cinema with a completely open mind and open heart, giddy with excitement for what was to come.

Toy Story 3 is a gift to us who have walked with Pixar and the toys since the beginning. It is a rousing adventure story for kids and a love letter to older fans. In a word, it offers “closure” on the franchise and on the relationships we have built with these rich characters over the past decade. The script uses college-bound Andy to take us through the emotional release — and emotional it is, as entire audiences have been heard weeping during the final act of the film… myself included! — and it provides a beautiful portrait of letting go with the assurance that all will be well in the future. Yet, before we reached that poignant farewell, the ride that took us there was supremely satisfying and contained some of the most brilliantly crafted scenes of any Pixar film to date. True to form, the creative minds behind the film also placed Hollywood homage at exactly the right moments and with perfect finesse. I’m particularly fond of a “prison” scene that adapts Clifton James’s monologue from Cool Hand Luke. I believe I shed as many tears during those moments of laughter as I did in the heart-wrenching scene at the end. And it is these kinds of scenes that stay with me. From Woody’s cry to “Save the children!” whereupon we see a line of crazy-haired Troll dolls trapped on a speeding train, to Buzz Lightyear’s transformation into a Spanish lothario, Toy Story 3 filled the treasure trove of memorable moments to delightful capacity. I couldn’t have been happier!

I didn’t leave the cinema declaring this third film the best of the series — I still hold the first one so dear and find the second one better and better with each successive viewing — but I did find myself fulfilled by the experience. The saga does seem complete to me. I would always welcome more well-crafted tales of the gang, of course, but these three main stories seem to comprise a complete odyssey. Like Andy, I was able to send them on their way with confidence that my time with them had concluded as it should. Now I look forward to reliving the entire tale again and again in the future, and just maybe I’ll get the chance to introduce these beloved characters to yet another generation some day. And I can’t imagine they won’t be loved as dearly.

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image via Rotten Tomatoes and linked to source

the brilliance of Pixar

I can’t believe it was fifteen years ago that Pixar first burst into my consciousness, but I can happily say my movie-going life has never been the same. Animation was forever changed, of course, but the joy of Pixar films has always gone far beyond the technology. The characters, the stories, the heart and morality of each and every film is greater than most any other film that has been made in the last 15 years. And though I have my favorites among them, I view each Pixar film as exceptional in its own way. Still, I never quite understood just how completely brilliant the filmmakers were until a recent visit to a new dentist.
 
You’ll remember that a portion of the story in Finding Nemo takes place in an aquarium located in a dentist’s office. My new dentist has taken cues from that segment and recreated the aquarium with the fish from the movie, as well as decorative elements around the waiting room that hearken back to Nemo himself. On my first visit to the office I was endlessly fascinated by the aquarium. In particular, the two clownfish were mesmerizing. Within a few moments I noticed the same behaviors that I’ve watched in the movie a thousand times. From the both of them staying very close to the anemone and rubbing against it for fun to the larger clownfish swimming between the smaller one and any other approaching creatures. I could just hear Marlin fussing over Nemo, worrying about him and trying to protect him from any harm. In that moment I understood that the filmmakers at Pixar truly nailed the characterization of this species of fish. And I was nothing less than astounded at the depth of their genius.
 
A few weeks later I went back to the office and filmed a video, mostly for the last boy but also just for posterity. Beyond the Marlin and Nemo fish, the tank also features a counterpart for Dory, and she is simply awesome to watch. You never see her leave her small little cove in the center of the aquarium, and she darts back and forth to the same exact spots over and over again. It’s so easy to imagine her fun little voice wondering what it was she was doing just moments before. Click the image below to see for yourself! My already die-hard love for Pixar has grown a thousand-fold with this one experience. And that comes before I’ve even had a chance to see Toy Story 3! I can now say with total conviction that Pixar is the greatest filmmaking team of all time.

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Summer Film Series – Vol. 7, No. 2: UP

June 25, 2009 at Movies 14 in McKinney, Texas

When the first trailer appeared for Pixar’s latest film, UP, my reaction was, “Um… no.” I was thoroughly disappointed in the concept, despite the beauty of the film itself. A story about a cranky old man and his balloon-powered flying house didn’t have appeal. It seemed… weird. But because the film came from Pixar, and I have loved almost every film they’ve produced, I was willing to refrain from judgment until I saw more. It took practically a year for me to care at all about this new film, and that interest didn’t even begin to flame until it was released last month and some trusted bloggers began proclaiming its delights. Suddenly I found myself ready to take another Pixar journey, knowing full well that they would have to truly WOW me to overcome my initial reservations. In the end, I wasn’t wowed, but I did find enough joy in the film to not feel I wasted any money on the ticket.
 
The grumpy old man was successfully tempered by a nostalgic sequence involving the romance between him and his wife, including a montage depicting a full lifetime of being friends and spouses. This alone helped me care about the character and find him fun to watch. This also resulted in grounding the film when all of the quirky characters began popping up. A chatterbox little boy, a troupe of talking dogs, and a hugely colorful bird (in every sense of the phrase) often threatened to push the film over the top, but the determination of the old man to steer his home to a paradise location in South America kept the film from veering into too much camp. And that, for me, saved the film.
 
Visually, UP is everything I expected from Pixar: rich detail, stunning animation, and vivacious coloring. I’m sure the 3D version is remarkable. But I felt the film lacked the punch of previous Pixar offerings. UP is simply… sweet. A sweet film. Not a great film, and not a film I care to see again. But it was sweet and, at times, touching. I was disappointed, however, in how very “adult” the theme of the film was. It’s a story of love and loss and reclaiming dreams — concepts that hit the core of an adult much more readily than a child. This thought was underscored by the cinema full of children with whom I viewed the film; there simply wasn’t the same energy in the room during this latest film as I have witnessed in previous years. The kids did seem to enjoy it, but their laughter and their interest was only evident during the movie’s outrageous moments (almost entirely involving the child character, the bird and the dogs). Because these moments were fewer than any others in the film, UP did not come off as a movie made for children as much as it seemed a film for adults. And I’m not sure of the reasoning behind this. I was also extremely disappointed in Pixar’s decision to include a villain who, at one point, wielded a shotgun and fired it at a house with a child inside. It disturbed me to the point of questioning their judgment, and I’ve never questioned them before.
 
Ultimately, the film was a good Father’s Day outing for me and my dad. We enjoyed it but felt the same thing: this isn’t the best Pixar can do. Because my mother is not a big fan of animation, she chose to skip this one, and I never felt she was missing anything. Which disappoints me. I’m truly a fan of all Pixar has done and can do. I hope that next year’s offering returns to former glory and that they return their focus to children as a target audience. History has proven that Pixar’s films for children are just as enjoyable to the adults who accompany them, and there are very few moments of regret. That’s what I expect from Pixar.
 
film image from Rotten Tomatoes