I always knew I’d end up revisiting the essay I wrote on Pixar and gender roles in 2009; it was always a matter of time. Their projected 2012 release, at the time titled The Bear and the Bow before the lauded studio cut the name down to Brave for those of us who appreciate brevity, caused something of … Continue reading →
For all of its moving excellence, The Illusionist may be almost as enrapturing for the turmoil surrounding its creation as it is for its artistry. Two arguments, one originating from writer Jacques Tatischeff (from here on out referred to affectionately as “Tati”) family and the other from director Sylvain Chomest (of 2003’s The Triplets of … Continue reading →
What happens when Pixar– animation giant, champions of quality kids’ movies, purveyors of heartfelt entertainment– releases a sequel to a film other than Toy Story? Apparently, and depending on who you talk to, an outcry across the Internet. Virtual rioting. Armageddon. Ragnarok. Götterdämmerung. Forty years of darkness, the dead rising from the grave, dogs and … Continue reading →
Part 2 of my 2011 preview commences…now! (Part 1 can be perused here, at your leisure.) X-Men: First Class— By happy coincidence, the first trailer for Matthew Vaughn’s period prequel to the X-Men franchise hit just last week, and guess what? It looks really good. Focusing specifically on the relationship between Erik Lehnsherr, the man … Continue reading →
It’s that time of year (hey, at least it’s closer to that time of year than I was last January)– time for me to pontificate about which films released in 2010 tickled my fancy enough to be worthy of placement on my top ten list. I had a rough time with this year, personally; I’m … Continue reading →
Dreamworks’ 2010 resembles something of a roller coaster, climbing to the peak of ascension in March with the outstanding How to Train Your Dragon before racing back down the rails with May’s Shrek Forever After. This November, the studio has risen back up to the middle with their original (if one can call it that … Continue reading →
Note to Pixar: Start seriously sizing up your competition. Toy Story 3 proved a monster at the box office and immediately became a favorite amongst critics for certain, but 2010 clearly shows that even when you’ve been at the top of your industry for almost two decades it’s never a good idea to rest on … Continue reading →
Now THAT’S how you close out a series. Or not. Animation giant Pixar’s requisite annual release, Toy Story 3, ends with a final sequence that potentially gives the company the option of producing a fourth entry in their flagship franchise– let’s face it, no characters in the Pixar family are more iconic and immediately recognized … Continue reading →
Are we there yet? 2010’s fourth and hopefully final entry in DreamWorks’ Shrek franchise, ominously titled Forever After, simultaneously feels tired and haphazardly energetic. The story almost doesn’t matter as the film barrels through scene after scene without stopping to breathe, a spastic child on a destructive sugar high. Did I expect more? Not quite, … Continue reading →
Pixar’s 2009 3D animated feature, the truly excellent Up, follows an old man’s bid to see out his deceased wife’s wish of living atop a hidden valley located somewhere in South America; accompanying him on his journey is a Wilderness Scout seven decades his junior. Eventually, they meet a talking dog, a highly intelligent and … Continue reading →
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