Tag Archives: Pixar

1990s, Article, Best Movie Bracket, Computer, Crime, Detective, Lists, Top 3

1995 Best Movie Bracket

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I have a theory that 12 years old is the greatest age. You are in the homestretch of your childhood and the world is at your doorstep. You haven’t quite entered the dreaded teenager phase where you start caring way too much about what other people think instead of just being yourself. Being 12 is great. 

As a part of that theory, I also think that the movies you see when you are 12 will stick with you and potentially even shape your future. Look back for yourself. What movies did you see when you were 12? I was 12 in 1995 and I remember having some of the best times of my life in a movie theater. It was a different time then and I recall getting dropped off at the theater at lunchtime with $20 and getting picked back up at 5 o’clock or so having binged on popcorn and soda and soaked in the flickering light of the cinema for two full films. 

I remember sitting in the theater as the lights dimmed for Toy Story, Jumanji, GoldenEye, Hackers, Batman Forever, Mortal Kombat, and A Goofy Movie. I remember sneaking into the theater for Se7en, Bad Boys, and Die Hard with a Vengeance. But my greatest memory in the theater was actually on the opening weekend of 1995’s Clueless.

My Greatest Theater Memory

I think it was my brother that took me to the theater when he was going to see Species or something like that. I got my favorite seat in those days which was literally front and center. I wanted my entire range of vision to be absorbed by the experience of the film. The house was packed and I had a group of what I can only describe as colorfully dressed punk rockers and skaters sitting there on the front row with me. The theater was a Regal Cinemas (as it still is to this day) and if you don’t know, Regal has a great intro video before all movies that make you feel like you are on a roller coaster zooming through popcorn showers and past waterfalls of Coca-Cola.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6o6ZlefvOo

As the roller coaster came on the screen, I raised my hands to signify that I was ready for the ride with the confidence that only a 12 year old can muster. As I sat waiting for the coaster to pull out of the station, I looked around and it seemed to my 12 year old eyes that everyone was joining with me in this fanciful charade and we collectively swayed and gasped and screamed as if the coaster was 100% real. It was amazing. I shared a “gimme some skin” kind of handshake with the dude sitting next to me and we launched into Amy Heckerling’s wonderful teenage adventure. Even though I was just 12, I feel like that is the day I became a man, my cinematic bar-mitzvah. 

Best Movie of 1995

As I press on to determine the best film of each year to fill out my Best Movie Bracket, it’s very hard to separate my nostalgic feelings towards some of these films from my critical thinking. I have such great memories of watching my VHS copies of Powder, Braveheart, and Mortal Kombat, but while they may be a lot of fun, they are definitely not the best of the year. That honor belongs to… 

Win: Toy Story

Did you realize that there have been over 250 computer animated films released since Toy Story hit theaters back in 1995? What a way to start. If I look at Pixar’s canon of films, it is hard for me to count this gem out of the running for their greatest. It isn’t because the animation looks super realistic. I’m very glad they decided to go with toys because everything in this film feels plastic. However, the emotions that are conveyed certainly aren’t. 

Toy Story presents us with a buddy cop comedy featuring two leads vying for the attention of their boss. It also feels like a real-life situation for a kid who might feel as though they are being upstaged by a little brother or sister. The emotions of jealousy and anger and fear are well displayed on their plasticine faces, and it touches way down into the hearts of the viewers whether they are 8 or 80.  

Place: Se7en

David Fincher has made 9 feature films, ten if you count Alien 3 (Which I don’t). His experience with that film was so bad that he went back to directing music videos for 3 years and wasn’t sure if he would ever direct a movie again. When he did decide to come back, he created what is probably the most gritty and disturbing crime drama that you will ever see. Everyone asks what’s in the box, but there is so much going on outside of it.

Morgan Freeman is awesome as usual, this is the film that rocketed Brad Pitt into the stratosphere, and Kevin Spacey is a natural at playing the creepy sociopath. In fact, he gets to do it twice in the same year. The second was a better performance (if only because of screen time) but the movie itself fell just short of this one.

Show: The Usual Suspects

The director (Bryan Singer) and the lead actor (Kevin Spacey) may have shown their true colors as filthy scumbags, but that can’t keep me from loving the heck out of this movie. It has one of those twist endings that rivals The Sixth Sense, Soylent Green, and Fight Club, but this film has somehow flown under the radar to the point that you can actually find people who have not sullied their opinion of the film with spoilers. I’m certainly not going to spoil anything here, but Spacey is great as mild mannered Verbal Kint who serves as our narrator as we explore the crime ring led by the iconic Keyser Soze. 

What is your most memorable or transformative movie moment? What 1995 film is your favorite? What movies did 12 year-old you watch and love? Let me know in the comments!

2010s, Article, Computer, Review, Syndicated

Looking Closer – Are Bob, Helen, Dash, Violet, and Jack-Jack still Incredible?

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Jeffrey Overstreet hits the nail on the head in his assessment of the latest from one of my all-time favorite action directors, Brad Bird. Incredibles 2 has made its box office splash and it was an enjoyable film but there was something that was nagging at me during the final act. When I read his review, he unveiled that sense of uneasiness. 

The Screenslaver’s convictions about what happens when citizens give up their agency, failing to use their democratic powers against evil, and sit around waiting for “heroes” to save the day, remain relevant to the story and worth discussing after the movie. It’s not a con, meant to distract us from the villain’s real concern. It’s just that the villain’s big secret is predictable and anticlimactic, and that speech — with its persuasively valid concerns — gets swamped by third-act action and mayhem. At the end, I’m struggling to reconstruct what the movie’s really all about.

http://www.lookingcloser.org/blog/2018/06/24/are-bob-helen-dash-violet-and-jack-jack-still-incredible/

2010s, Animation, Article, Comedy, Coming Soon, Family, Lists, Romance, True Story

Fall 2017 Movie Preview: Comedy/Family

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This is a hard category because unlike Horror/Thriller where you can be fairly certain that all of the films are meant to be seen by adult eyes and ears, this category blends a bit of both worlds. We can have a family friendly animated film right next to a raunchy comedy. For that reason, I am going to include the MPAA rating after the synopsis. It should be fairly obvious which is which, but I didn’t want to waste time making two posts when these go together nicely.

September

Home Again – 9/8

Recently separated from her husband (Michael Sheen), Alice (Reese Witherspoon) decides to start over by moving back to her hometown of Los Angeles with her two young daughters. During a night out on her 40th birthday, Alice meets three aspiring filmmakers who happen to be in need of a place to live. Alice agrees to let the guys stay in her guest house temporarily, but the arrangement ends up unfolding in unexpected ways. Alice’s unlikely new family and new romance comes to a crashing halt when her ex-husband shows up, suitcase in hand. – PG-13

I’m not much of a romantic comedy fan, but this looks pretty good. I could see it being a fun date night or enjoyable flick for a group of ladies to watch. The guys all competing for her attention will make for some funny situations, but I predict that Michael Sheen as her ex-husband will be the best. Do you think she’ll get back together with her husband, or embrace the single life?

Lego: Ninjago – 9/22

The battle for Ninjago City calls to action young Master Builder Lloyd, along with his friends, who are all secret ninja warriors. Led by Master Wu, as wise-cracking as he is wise, they must defeat evil warlord Garmadon, The Worst Guy Ever, who also happens to be Lloyd’s dad. Pitting mech against mech and father against son, the epic showdown will test this fierce but undisciplined team of modern-day ninjas who must learn to check their egos and pull together to unleash their inner power of Spinjitzu. – PG

The folks behind the Lego Movie and the Lego Batman movie are hilarious. Here they have once again collected an extremely talented cast (Dave Franco, Justin Theroux, Jackie Chan, Olivia Munn, etc.), although most of them are less well known than in the previous films. I don’t think this one will fare quite as well since Ninjago is not as well known or loved as Batman and that might hurt it. But it should be funny and enjoyable for the family.

October

My Little Pony – 10/6

A dark force threatens Ponyville, and the Mane 6 embark on an unforgettable journey beyond Equestria where they meet new friends and exciting challenges on a quest to use the magic of friendship to save their home.

I have a 12 year-old little girl. I will likely be front and center for this movie. I have to admit, while I’m not quite a bronie (look it up if you don’t know what that is), I do appreciate the humor and message of the show. Friendship is indeed magic. All of the glitter and sparkles of the Trolls movie with a heartwarming message at its core.

Goodbye Christopher Robin – 10/13

Goodbye Christoper Robin gives a rare glimpse into the relationship between beloved children’s author A. A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) and his son Christopher Robin (Will Tilston), whose toys inspired the magical world of Winnie the Pooh. Along with his mother Daphne (Margot Robbie), and his nanny Olive (Kelly Macdonald), Christopher Robin and his family are swept up in the international success of the books; the enchanting tales bringing hope and comfort to England after the First World War. But with the eyes of the world on Christopher Robin, what will the cost be to the family? – PG

This one will be a nice film to take the kids to. It sounds delightful as a true story and kind of reminds me of Saving Mr. Banks. I think Domhnall Gleason is a fantastic actor. His work in Ex Machina was inspired. Plus I get to hear Kelly MacDonald’s beautiful Scottish accent as the nanny.

Killing Gunther – 10/20

A group of eccentric assassins are fed up with Gunther, the world’s greatest hitman, and decide to kill him, but their plan turns into a series of bungled encounters as Gunther seems to always be one step ahead. – R

Do yourself a favor and watch the trailer for this! I had not even heard of it. It feels like it has a Taika Waititi vibe, but that could just be the mock-umentary style. It reminds me of What we Do in the Shadows with the dark humor and shaky cam style. I hope that is a good sign. I know next to nothing about Taran Killiam beside the fact that he’s on Saturday Night Live and he’s married to Colbie Smoulders.  Most Saturday Night Live movies are awful, but they tend to take a skit and blow it up into a movie, this looks like a different concept and Schwarzenegger as the greatest hitman Gunther seems inspired. I guess all we can do is wait to see how it is.

November

Wonder – 11/17

Based on the New York Times bestseller, WONDER tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of August (Augie) Pullman, a boy with facial deformities who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time. – PG

Steven Chbosky is one of my favorite writers. I hope this is a good adaptation. The trailer looks inspiring. This kind of film is so nice to see and I hope it gets good reviews and people go to see it. We all know how cruel kids can be, but will they use their ability to look beyond the physical to connect with this amazing young man. He’s being played by Jacob Tremblay (Room) and I can barely recognize him.

Coco – 11/22

Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history. – PG

I’m excited that Pixar is jumping into a film like this that feels much more provincial than their most culturally specific film to date, Brave. I hope it pays off for them and that people come out in droves to see this. It reminds me a little bit of Book of Life and Kubo and the Two Strings. It should be a great film for the whole family.

December

Disaster Artist – 12/1

A behind the scenes look at the making of the best bad movie of all time. Based on the book of the same title by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell. Starring James Franco as Tommy Wiseau who wrote, produced, directed, and starred in 2003’s The Room.

I’m a big nerd about film making as well as movies in general. If you’ve never seen the trainwreck that is Tommy Wiseau’s The Room, do yourself a favor and watch it… for science. It is awful! How it could have possibly been made is beyond me. Why didn’t someone tell this man that he had no business making a movie? There has to be a story here, and there is. This won’t be for everyone and many will hate it because by the trailers it seems like James Franco’s Wiseau is spot on.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle – 12/20

Four teenagers discover an old video game console and are literally drawn into the game’s jungle setting becoming the adult avatars they choose. – PG-13

For a remake / re-imagining it looks like they are doing things right. I loved the gender and role reversals we got in the trailer. it looks like it is going to be funny. I still don’t think that we need a new Jumanji, but if we’re going to get one, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack, Black, and Karen Gillan should be able to provide an awesome one.

Downsizing – 12/22

When scientists discover how to shrink humans to five inches tall as a solution to over-population, Paul (Matt Damon) and his wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) decide to abandon their stressed lives in order to get small and move to a new downsized community — a choice that triggers life-changing adventures. – R

From the director that brought us Sideways, About Schmidt, and Election (Alexander Payne) comes another dramady starring Matt Damon. We don’t know a ton about the plot, but it sounds like it involves some sci-fi element and probably relates to social commentary about feeling small in this great big world. I personally am excited. What do you think?

Others to Watch:

A Bad Mom’s Christmas coming on November 3rd. The three moms from the original struggle to cope when their respective mothers visit for the holidays.

Daddy’s Home 2 coming on November 10th. Brad and Dusty must deal with their intrusive fathers during the holidays. The first one was over the top, but funny. This one looks like it could be hilarious with John Lithgow joining the cast as Will Ferrell’s dad and Mel Gibson showing up for the holidays as Mark Whalberg’s father.

Ferdinand coming on December 15th. Animated and based on the classic children’s book by Munro Leaf. After Ferdinand, a bull with a big heart, is mistaken for a dangerous beast, he is captured and torn from his home. Determined to return to his family, he rallies a misfit team on the ultimate adventure.

Pitch Perfect 3 coming on December 22nd. Following their win at the world championship, the now separated Bellas reunite for one last singing competition at an overseas USO tour, but face a group who uses both instruments and voices. Clearly, this is a bold faced attempt at an Oscar from Anna Kendrick… not. I love her as an actress, but this is one franchise I never got into. Acapella music is cool and everything, I think I even downloaded Cups, but it’s just not my cup of tea.

So which of these light-hearted films are you looking most forward to? Please leave me a comment in the section below or on social media! If you want to read the rest of my Fall preview, you can find the other sections here: Action/Adventure, Horror/Thriller, Drama Sept-Oct, and Drama Nov-Dec.

2010s, Best Movie Bracket, Biopic, Computer, Drama, Family, Trailers, True Story, white-collar

2010 Best Movie Bracket

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There were a tremendous number of innovative and well crafted movies in 2010. This made it very hard for me to decide on my top movie for this year. A lot of the the critics that I really respect pick a ton of independent films that only 20% of film-goers have even really had the opportunity to see. I tend to watch more populist films or independent films that get a fair amount of press. As I have already expressed, I am only picking from movies that I have seen, so I had to pass over films like Never Let Me Go, or A Prophet.

Even without those films, and not counting the three that I finally chose, we still had Inception, Black Swan, Exit Through The Gift Shop, Dogtooth, True Grit, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Meek’s Cutoff, and Winter’s Bone. Yes, you heard that correctly, I am not including Inception in my top three. It is certainly a good film and I would consider it part of my top 10 of the year, but it had some big problems that I couldn’t get past. Christopher Nolan wants us to see this as his greatest achievement, and while it is gorgeous and very intricately crafted I wish he didn’t feel the need to explain everything so explicitly and the fact that we don’t get much character development.

As far as the box office for the year, it looks like this year is lining up to be very similar to 2010. Five of the top ten highest grossing films of the year were animated, six if you include Alice in Wonderland, and many of them were very good, but I think that as we march backwards through time we will see the chasm between a film’s financial success and visionary prowess shrink. So let’s see the three films that I put on the top of the heap.

3rd – The King’s Speech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzI4D6dyp_o

Tom Hooper’s historical feature The King’s Speech was the big winner at the Oscars celebrating the films of 2010. It won 4 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Colin Firth who gave a fantastic central performance as a man with a crippling handicap who just happened to be Britain’s King George VI. The central relationship between Firth and Geoffrey Rush who plays his unorthodox speech therapist is filled with a wry and self-effacing sense of humor.

It’s a pleasure to watch Firth bring a heavy tension and frustration to his role as a man who cannot find his voice who has been thrust into the role of the voice of all of England. Firth begins the film by stepping up to a microphone as if he is stepping into a hangman’s noose. After a series of failed attempts with vocal coaches, his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) pairs him with the unconventional Rush who insists on calling the budding monarch “Bertie” and treating him as an equal. Eventually, Firth unbends under Rush’s calm, unforgiving style and unwavering good humor. Firth’s agony and this rich relationship makes this one a good candidate for the best of the year.

2nd – Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3 was the top grossing film of the year coming in almost $100 million above Alice in Wonderland. I often think about the reason why these animated films do so well at the box office. I think a huge part of it is because kids can’t go to the movies by themselves. So with every group of happy children there is at least one adult along for the ride. It is like a buy one get one deal in reverse where the theaters sell one ticket and get one more at full price for good measure. However, I think that with Toy Story 3, there may have been times when the kids were being dragged in by the parents who were hoping to catch a glimpse of the magic they saw years before.

In this third and what we thought would be final Toy Story movie, we see a bunch of toys desperately trying to force an 18-year-old to play with them the way he did a decade ago. Coming to the realization that he has moved on, they mourn and debate about their place as Andy’s toys. The Toy Story movies have always been about the joy of play, but never before has it seemed like such a drag to be a toy. The fate of most toys is probably a horror story if we think about it. Essentially, they are immortal beings whose only pleasure comes from entertaining fickle children who will quickly grow up to forget them, leaving them to be broken and discarded.

There were few grimmer movie moments in 2010 than the point where the toys face their deaths, and few more uplifting sequences than the film’s ending. It’s strange to speak of a kids’ film as challenging, moving, and heartfelt, but Pixar’s movies continue to be some of the most sophisticated and entertaining films that we see all year, bar none. They did it again this year with Finding Dory though maybe not to the extent of Toy Story 3.

1st – The Social Network

Writer Aaron Sorkin (West Wing, A Few Good Men) and director David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac) make a movie about the contentious beginnings of Facebook, scored by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from metal band Nine Inch Nails. While that certainly sounds interesting and potentially exciting, it also sounds like it could be a bit of a mess. I remember thinking when I heard about the plans for this film that it had everything it needed to be great it just had to find a way to put all those things into one box.

That is what makes this movie is so audaciously impressive. Sorkin is famous for his extremely verbal dialogue. How could that exist alongside the visual stylings of a guy like Fincher? And what business do these guys have working on a Facebook biopic since their specialties seemed to be government corruption and cover-ups, murder, scandal, and social unrest? They made it work to amazing effect. Using the deposition recordings of two separate lawsuits against Facebook head Mark Zuckerberg  as an ingenious framing device,The Social Network traces the site’s origin in all its agonizing complexity.

Speaking of Zuckerberg, if you have seen this movie, the picture that you get in your head probably looks a good bit more like actor Jesse Eisenberg than the actual founder. Eisenberg was able to capture the innovation and youthful energy of Zuckerberg while also detailing his all too human flaws. We completely forget that this is a movie about recent events in the unfolding of the technological world and we are enthralled in this compelling story of a genius who is often petty and puerile but is also driven pathologically by the same thing that drives the 500 billion users of Facebook… the need to belong.

What do you think? Did I get it right? I’m actually going to put an asterisk on this one because I would like to potentially come back and add Toy Story 3 if I don’t use my four ties before the end.

2010s, Adventure, Computer, Family, What did you think?

Finding Dory – So What Did You Think?

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It’s been out for a week now and I know that a lot of you have seen it, so tell me what you thought.

Disney has released the latest Pixar movie, Finding Dory, the long-awaited sequel to Finding Nemo. The animated adventure brings back the blue tang named Dory, and her two clownfish friends Nemo and Marlin, for another trip across the ocean. The voice cast features Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Hayden Rolence, Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton, and Eugene Levy.

findingdory3

So how is it? As good as Finding Nemo, or better? Did it make you cry? Once you’ve seen it, leave a comment with your own thoughts on Pixar’s Finding Dory.

Spoiler Warning: We strongly urge everyone to actually see the film before reading ahead, as there may be spoilers below. We also encourage all commenters to keep major spoilers from the film to a minimum, if possible. However, this is an open discussion from this point on! Beware of spoilers!

findingdory2

To get the ball rolling… I loved Finding Dory. It’s entertaining, it’s inspiring, it’s emotional, and it has stunning animation. I totally loved Hank the Octopus, voiced by Ed O’Neill. His character was kind of amazing, at times the villain, others time the hero, and yet totally unique and such an integral part of the story. I could definitely see him getting his own septopod spinoff. I thought the final truck flip moment was the best in the movie. It all paid off perfectly and made me so happy because it was perfect. Another Pixar movie that I’m in love with.

Alright then… What did you think of Disney-Pixar’s Finding Dory movie? One of their best or not that good?