Pixar

Brave

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Brave
  • IMDB: link

brave-posterIt’s taken Pixar nearly two decades, and a dozen films, for the animation studio to give us their first attempt at a feature film centered around a female character. Merida (Kelly Macdonald), the fiery tomboyish Scottish princess certainly fits into Disney’s Princess franchise, but Pixar one-ups the house that Mickey built by giving us a story centered around a troubled, but loving, mother-daughter relationship (something Disney hasn’t been able to achieve in far longer than two decades).

Although I think Brave has a little too much of an American sensibility for an old world fairy tale (another first for Pixar), the film is gorgeous to behold. The story of a young girl attempting to change her fate may not rank near the top of Pixar’s best, but it’s definitely worth a long look and should find quite fanbase in both young and older female viewers who have been waiting patiently for the studio to deliver a character like Merida.

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The Best Movies of 2010

/ / Top Tens & Lists

This wasn’t a year to wow you. 2010 may have been somewhat of an off year for movies, but there are several quality films that hit theaters this year which are worth noting. A couple things struck me as I was putting together this list. First, how actresses stepped up huge this year. Whether in lead or supporting roles, it was a year dominated by the performances of the fairer sex. And second, 2010 was a year of raw emotion, almost visceral, brought to screen. You might argue that one or two of my choices didn’t have elaborate plots, but each delivered on an emotional level.

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Toy Story 3

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Toy Story 3
  • IMDB: link

With Toy Story 3 Pixar moves into uncharted territory. The studio has shied away from movie franchises and, other than Toy Story 2, has even stayed away from sequels. It’s been 15 years since the original Toy Story hit theaters and an entire generation has grown up with these characters. So the question is: Does the third film do the franchise proud?

The answer, thankfully, is yes.

As the third film opens Andy (John Morris) is no longer so young. Over the past decade-and-a-half the young boy who played with Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the rest of the toys has grown up. About to leave for college Andy is forced to make decisions on what vestiges of his youth to keep.

Without giving too much away, through a series of misadventures the toys find themselves packed away to a local daycare. The situation divides the group as to whether they should return to Andy or make new lives for themselves with the young children eager to play with them.

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Up

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Up
  • IMDB: link

up-posterPixar’s latest, Up, tells the story of a grump old widower (Ed Asner) befriended by a young kid (Jordan Nagai) who sets off on a wild adventure.

What could easily have been a paint-by-numbers tale is given the Pixar treatment. This isn’t Gran Torino; it’s so much more. In fact it’s arguably the most grown-up story the company has done, and quite possibly the best flick Pixar has ever made.

The film begins by giving us a brief history of Carl Fredricksen (Asner). Rather than simply giving us a grumpy old man the plot takes the time to let us get to know him and see how he became the person he is as the main story begins. This may seem like a small thing, and some may find it too much backstory, but it’s just one example of how Pixar goes the extra mile in terms of character, animation, and story. Could the movie still work without these scenes? Yes. Would it be as good a movie? No.

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