I just saw Cars.

[jobycom]

Nice flick. A bit corny (it's for kids) and it takes a while to draw you in, but it's got a decent though typical Disney message, combined with an Americana vision of Route 66. I thought it was well done. Paul Newman is cool. Owen Wilson doesn't sound like Owen Wilson very much. Larry the Cable Guy--you either tolerate him or you don't, I guess, but he worked for me. John Ratzenberger is hilarious, though not present enough.

All in all, I really liked it. I had doubts that I would. I expected this to be Pixar's first failure. It isn't a failure. It isn't Nemo or The Incredibles or Toy Story. Probably more like Monsters, Inc. level. An average Pixar film beats most films any day.

One more caveat--I grew up in Mississippi and live in Austin. Small town, simple life themes work for me. May not work for everybody. Also, there's a touch of NASCAR, and if you know nothing of NASCAR the race scenes might not thrill you. IOW, your mileage may vary. These are just my impressions. In case anyone wanted to know.

[helderheid]

1. Thanks - I was planning on taking the kids after Quaker meeting on Sunday

while all the Mormons are in Church so it shouldn't be TOO busy! Glad to hear it's worth it!

[KitchenWitch]

2. If the weather cooperates

we are taking the wee one to see this at the Drive In tomorrow.

[jobycom]

3. Drive-in should be a hoot, and very appropriate, though

where in the world do they have drive-ins?

[KitchenWitch]

4. We have two just outside the Twin Cities

Here is a link that has listings of them

http://www.driveintheater.com/index.htm

[niallmac]

5. Guess I'm un American. I walked out of 'Cars'

Talk about 'the world is a Tuxedo and I'm a pair of brown shoes. Me, my wife and two kids ages 10 and 6 happily fled the theater about ten minutes
into the movie.
Our main complaint and one that must faze others not at all was the NOISE level. OMG!
Let me explain also that we are weirdos in that we have lived overseas for just over a decade and got un plugged from the
Americana hype thing a little.
We went to our favorite ice cream shop and then to a used book store.
Enjoy 'Cars'. I think it's just us.

[jobycom]

6. Actually,

I thought it was a slow start. They were trying to recreate the noise level of a NASCAR race (though of course not actually doing it) at the beginning, as a contrast to what the rest of the film was about. It wasn't a typical American film (especially not a typical kid film) in that it didn't try to grab you all at once. It developed, so it takes a while to hook you.

As for the Americana hype--I don't know, I think it focused on some of the better aspects of America. It seemed like a criticism of materialism and corporatism.

Well, hope your eardums heal! :)

[niallmac]

8. I'm sure it got better I just caved too soon. Thanks. n/t

[gollygee]

7. We're going to see this in a couple of hours

My daughter should like it anyway. And I have pretty low expectations of animated films so I'm not worried about what I think.

[draft]

9. Monsters, Inc was a great analogy to our ME Foreign Policy

where we make'm scream in pain, horror & death via our SHOCK-n-AWE, to power our way of life.

i was very impressed, can't wait to see this one.

:hi:

[jobycom]

10. Never thought of it that way. I'm convinced that Pixar and Disney

are run by liberals, at least since Eisner took over Disney. They have a lot of anti-war and anti-corporate messages, and not the type of "anti-corporate" messages that are designed to make people feel happy about being slaves to the money. The Incredibles was brutal on insurance companies, for instance.

[draft]

11. Pixar definitely

most artists are libs, and i love the anti-corporatist msg from Blue Sky Studios 'Robots'


i'm a big fan of the feature length 3d flicks for kids that are popular these days, usually more creative and original than the recycling of hits from the past from the classics to king kong.

:hi:

[jobycom]

12. I agree on the computer animations. Hollywood is like a bad joke these day

They get a few decent films, but the people who run the movie industry are about as creative as Nashville music execs these days. I know the talent and the ideas have to be out there, but all they see are formulaic money-maker flicks that are becoming less interesting by the release.

I don't much like Indy films, either. Some of them are good, but not many.

Animation is the most creative field right now. And that includes Miyazaki, who to my mind is the best moviemaker in the world right now. Usually when I want to watch a film from my DVDs, I watch either Pixar or Miyazaki. Or Sideways, but that's just a personal favorite.

[draft]

13. Miyazaki is brilliant also Isao Takahata's Graveyard of the Fireflies

it truely is a must see...
http://www.animetempy.com/reviews/DEFG/grave_of_the_fireflies.htm

[jobycom]

14. THAT is the sole film on my "I never want to watch it again" list

That was the hardest film I've ever seen. I didn't know what it was about when I watched it, so I wasn't prepared. It still affects me. Brilliant film.

[draft]

15. i think every american should watch that film

we never get the perspective of what it is like to suffer under our bombs, especially the children :cry:

of course they will never give us that perspective because only a tiny minority would ever support their wars again.