Posts Tagged ‘Up’

9 items.

REAL TEARS

by Tom on June 21st, 2010
23 votes, average: 7.78 out of 10
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REAL TEARS

What do you guys think of Tom and Cami's totally 70s kitchen wallpaper? Pimpin', right?

If you've been following me at all on Facebook the last couple of days, you'll know that I've been wrestling with a creative decision regarding the production of comics related to Toy Story 3. It seems no matter what I do, I keep thinking up jokes for this movie. Good jokes, too (or so I tell myself.) Jokes that I don't want to let go to waste. It's times like these that I lament making the decision to go to one comic a week.

Certainly nothing is iron-clad, though. I'm not purposefully restricting myself to one comic a week. If I have the time and the inclination, I have no problems throwing in a bonus comic or two.

The problem is that I don't have the time at the moment. I'm wrapping up one of my summer night classes and I'm going two times a week. I'm reading case studies, writing essays and putting the finishing touches on a group project. I pretty much have time for work, school and sleep right now. It sucks, but after next Tuesday, I will have completed this latest gauntlet.

A few people have stepped up and volunteered themselves to illustrate my scripts - which is very generous. But I've never collaborated like that before and I'm very protective of my ideas. It's hard to turn people down without sounding like a selfish jerk.

Some readers have told me to spread the comics out over the next three weeks. By their estimation. Toy Story 3 will still be the most popular movie in the country, so the jokes will still be timely. Looking ahead at the release schedule, maybe they're right. Knight and Day? Grown Ups? The Twilight Saga: Eclipse? The Last Airbender? None of these movies inspire me like Toy Story 3 does.

So let's talk about Toy Story 3 for a little bit, shall we?

Cami and I took Henry to the movie on Saturday and all of us had a blast. All three of us have been talking about it all weekend. Henry's investment in the film has been exacerbated by a toy purchase reflecting on of the characters in the film. But, by in large, all of us have remained captivated by the film.

It's been 11 years since Toy Story 2 and 15 years since the groundbreaking, original Toy Story. Despite a span of nearly two decades, the legacy and strength of Andy's band of misfit toys remains in tact.

Pixar shows great care and concern for their flagship characters by maintaining the time line of the original films. Andy is now 17 years-old and heading off to college and he doesn't have time for childish things. In a demonstration of both profound love and profound futility, his toys make a last-ditch effort to reconnect with their distant owner by hiding his cellphone in a dog pile beneath them in his toy chest. His disinterest signals the coming of their obsolescence.

The anxiety of these characters has always been something Pixar scribes have captured well on screen. The essence of the Toy Story movies have always been about the fear of abandonment and irrelevancy. In many ways, these toys reflect more about the human condition than any movie "aimed" at children has a right to. But it is because of these profound themes that audiences relate so well to Buzz, Woody and the rest of the gang. It's the same reason we are so sad to see them go. Many of us have grown up with these characters. Like Andy, we're being forced to say goodbye. But at the same time, we know we have to.

I won't bore you with the plot details of the movie. How, in a series of misunderstandings, the toys end up donated at a daycare center whose toy population is run with a benevolent-on-the-surface strawberry-scented teddy bear. I won't complicate my review by rehashing the Rube Goldberg-like escape plan hatched by Woody and his friends in the second act. I certainly won't reveal where Andy's toys finally end up. You need to experience all these things on your own because their staging and execution is absolutely brilliant. Especially the ending.

The ending of Toy Story 3 is note-perfect. It never talks down to us or makes us feel foolish for investing so much in these characters. It is a sublime love letter to fans of the Toy Story films that will leave you beaming while it breaks your heart.

Bring Kleenex.

21 Comments

KILL YOUR TELEVISION

by Tom on March 10th, 2010
32 votes, average: 8.16 out of 10
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KILL YOUR TELEVISION

Tom and Cami probably should have thrown that television out the window a decade ago. 2010 and they're still using rabbit ears? Get with the program!

I will admit that today's comic would have had more impact if it were paired with the Oscar recap that I penned on Monday. But you guys know the circumstances of why THAT didn't happen.

That said, I couldn't let the idea of this comic go. I still wanted to go forward with it rather than not leave a record within the comic's continuity that the 82nd Annual Academy Awards had happened.

Although, looking at the media landscape 3 days later, it almost feels like it didn't. I continue to be amazed by how fast the media and our culture synthesize and process these events. By now, Sunday night's broadcast is old, old, OLD news. I'm not seeing anyone talk about them now.

Maybe it's the media. Maybe it's the culture. Maybe it's just that there wasn't anything that memorable about the broadcast. Except that's not true when you consider that crazy lady with the bozo haircut that interrupted Best Documentary Short winner Roger Ross Williams.

People had their fun with it, I guess. The late night hosts ran a couple parodies that I saw. But they're not talking about it any more. I don't know. How could you expect them too and have them still be relevant?

Certainly something no one is talking about 3 days later is Katheryn Bigelow's win for Best Director. Considering she's the first woman to be recognized with the honor, you'd think it would be a bigger deal.

Remember when Denzel Washington and Halle Berry won Best Actor and Best Actress? It seems like we were talking about that for a while before the sturm and drang subsided. Maybe Bigelow doesn't want to make as big a deal about it. Maybe she's limiting her accessibility. Or maybe it's just not that big of a deal. It probably shouldn't be. More women should be nominated. More women should win. Heck, more women should be out there directing! Calling attention to the "First Female Director To Win An Oscar" probably makes the idea of the honor less commonplace than it should be.

All I know is that being sidelined with a migraine this week has thrown me off-pace from what I REALLY want to talk about - The new Iron Man 2 trailer.

Believe me - Come Friday, I will have A LOT to say about it. Be sure to be here for that!

Until then, danke schoen.

19 Comments

DVD REVIEW – UP

by Tom on November 11th, 2009
11 votes, average: 7.18 out of 10
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DVD REVIEW – UP

With 9 smash films and nearly 15 years of film making under their belts, one might assume that Pixar would celebrate in grand fashion with their 10th theatrical release. Instead, with Up, Pixar has delivered their most unconventional and absurdly layered film to date.

Carl Fredricksen, the 78 year-old widower at the heart of Up is an unusual protagonist. Arthritic, grumpy and boxed in by life, he is partnered by the youthful and exuberant “Wilderness Explorer” Russell as he sets off for adventure to South America.

Up hooked us with its visual signature of a tiny house being lofted into the air by tens of thousands of balloons. But the story takes an unusual left turn when Carl and Russell finally land in South America.

Surrounded by strange vistas and a lush, but harsh environment, the duo is greeted by the affable and endearing Dug, the talking dog. Things only get weirder from there as the pair encounters a 13 foot tall iridescent bird, a crazed long-forgotten explorer and dirigibles.

The unusual details of the story are what sets Up apart from previous Pixar films. But it’s the rich metaphors and subtext that make Up truly engaging.

At its core, Up is a movie about lost opportunities, obsession the struggle to “fix” the past ruins the opportunity to enjoy the present.

Each of the main characters deals with this in some way. Russell uses over achievement and collects Wilderness Explorer badges to attract the attention of his absent father. There is one small space left on his sash full of accomplishments - a badge for “Helping the Elderly” and it's missing directly over his heart.

Carl is trying to make up for lost time by going on the adventure his never got to go on with his wife. But since he can’t bear to leave behind his belongings and all of his memories, he takes them with him by setting the house aloft. The house becomes a symbol for his wife – something he has to learn to let go of by the end of the film.

Muntz, the story’s villain, is corrupted completely by his obsession to trap a rare bird in order to bring it to civilization and repair his damaged reputation. His relentless pursuit is ultimately what leads to his literal downfall.

These story elements are framed beautifully by the bevy of mini-documentaries among the Blu-ray’s bonus materials. The character studies for Carl and Russell are particularly insightful.

Carl, for example, is one of Pixar’s most stylized human characters and the decision to make him so was very deliberate.

Animators noted that, as a septuagenarian, Carl’s movements would very limited. His physical restrictions mirror his world view as every shot Carl appears in before going to South America he is placed inside some kind of box. He is either looking out of a window or the camera is looking at him through a door frame. He lives a very interior life. As a result, Carl himself became very square shaped, with hard-edged and inflexible features. A boxy character living in a boxed-in world.

Alternatively, the rotund Russell is almost egg-shaped. This reflects the nurturing he requires in the absence of his father. It becomes Carl’s instinct to take care of him.

Another fantastic bonus feature is the original story concept behind the 10 minute montage of “Married Life” – the emotional gut punch the starts the movie and leads Carl toward his adventure.

Assembled through animatics (animated storyboard concept drawings) and set against Michael Giacchino’s brilliant score, the alternate version of “Married Life” is just as emotional and affecting as what ended up in the movie – a testament to Pixar’s storytelling process.

It should be noted that there is also an excellent piece on Ciacchino’s contributions and how he transformed a simple, heart wrenching four-note melody into a glorious score.

Another great example of the lengths Pixar animators will go to capture their subject material is the engrossing :22 minute documentary “Adventure Is Out There,” which details how directors Pete Docter and Bob Peterson traveled with a team of animators to remote and nearly inaccessible tepius mountains of Venezuela.

Other features include audio commentary, the theatrical short “Partly Cloudly,” a second animated short called “Dug’s Special Mission” (that runs parallel to the main storyline in Up) and several other production features detailing the care, craft and precision Pixar executed to bring their unique vision to the screen.

The direct digital transfer to Blu-ray looks sumptuous as one might expect and the Blu-ray edition of the film comes with a digital copy and regular DVD copy as well (for your portable DVD player, I assume?)

Up may not be Pixar’s best film, but it is certainly one if it’s most ambitious. Despite its eccentricities, the emotional core of the story is potent – easily making it one of the best movies of the year.

6 Comments

DON’T GET CARRIED AWAY

by Tom on November 9th, 2009
33 votes, average: 8.39 out of 10
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DON’T GET CARRIED AWAY

I don't know that I have anything specific to say about Monday's comic except that there is a genuine level of excitement for Pixar releases that is mutual between Cami and I in our household. We look forward to them every year - both in the theaters and on DVD. We were fortunate enough to get an extra helping of Pixar a couple of weeks ago when Toy Story was back in theaters. It was kind of like Christmas in July at our house.

Up comes out on DVD and Blu-ray tomorrow and I'm excited to talk about it. I have to hold back, however, because I'm reviewing a copy sent to me last week that will be posted to the site on Tuesday.

Without getting too specific, the Blu-ray looks phenomenal and the bonus material is very insightful. I always felt like co-writers/directors Pete Docter and Bob Peterson had built layers into Up - some that were obvious and some that were not. So it's very interesting to watch the behind-the-scenes documentaries and the character development that occurred.

There is an excellent alternate scene/animatic called "Married Life" that plays out in great conceptual detail an altogether different montage events in the marriage between Carl Fredricksen and his beloved wife Ellie. That montage delivers an emotional sucker punch in the finished movie and I am pleased to report that even the alternate montage still packs a wallop.

I think it's a testament to the storytelling going on her that allows you to become so invested in these characters early on, without a word of dialogue spoken. Even when the details are changed, it's still fantastic.

We might talk a little bit about Up on tonight's The Triple Feature - I don't know.

I know Joe saw both A Christmas Carol and The Box, so hopefully he has some insights on those two movies that he'd like to share. Otherwise, it's a bit of a crapshoot!

I hope you'll join us as we record the show live, tonight at 9:00 PM over at Talkshoe. Fell free to submit any questions or suggestions for topics of discussion to group@thetriplefeature.com. You can also communicate with us through our Facebook page.

See you later!

7 Comments

JUST ADD MURPHY

by Tom on June 15th, 2009
20 votes, average: 8.40 out of 10
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JUST ADD MURPHY
Vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics

Today's incentive image is of Eddie Murphy's character from Up Yours taking a swig from a bottle. Vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics if you'd like to see it.

I was kind of at a loss for what to do about today's comic. I feel like last week we were in some kind of weird holding pattern in terms of interesting movies. Between The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 and Imagine That, a great case of "Meh" washed over me.

I guess I wasn't the only one. The Hangover and Up basically held their positions as the number 1 and number 2 movies at the box office this weekend. Most notable? The Hangover is the only movie so far this summer to hold on to the top spot two weekends in a row. That's maybe not an indicator of quality as much as fantastic word of mouth, but it's still a pretty amazing achievement - especially when you consider that there are no real "stars" in the movie. Familiar names, sure. But not an actor you would hang your movie off of.

I think what shocked me most is how far down the list Imagine That really was. 6th place. That's pretty bad considering that it has an A-list star with Eddie Murphy, is a family movie (which generally do great when the kids are out of school), an it's in it's first weekend.

To give you some further perspective, Imagine That did $4 million less than Land of the Lost did in it's second week. And Land of the Lost lost more than 50% of it's audience.

Need further perspective? Imagine That is Murphy's second worst performing film since The Adventures of Pluto Nash - a film SYNONYMOUS with Hollywood bombs. That movie earning roughly $1.3 million less despite inflation and the fact that The Hangover played on nearly 1,000 more screens.

$5.7 million is what Imagine That ended up taking home this weekend. Between the out and out failure of this movie and the robust success of The Hangover and it's strong "R" rating, you have to wonder if Murphy is reconsidering that hissy fit he threw after he didn't win Best Supporting Actor in Dreamgirls a few years ago.

Switching gears, I want to let people know that I think we're making some headway on the malware error message Safari and Chrome users are seeing. I got a tip from Phil Chan over at Martriculated as to what the problem might be. I'm just doing a little cross-referencing at the moment to make sure I don't delete something important by accident. But we're close to getting this thing resolved.

It's been tough for me to field e-mails and tweets the last few days from readers telling me about the malware errors. I feel like I've been letting people down by not addressing it sooner. It's not out of laziness. Just a general lack of availability. I was at my cousin's wedding in St. Paul over the weekend and that slowed things down a bit.

Not that I regret going to the wedding, of course! We had a blast! Oh, and if Paul and Jill are reading, congratulations again. You make a lovely couple and we can't wait to see you again in August!

Not much more to talk about right now except for a few links I wanted to point you to.

First, be sure and check out the list of Top 10 Sci-Fi movies over at Movie Make-Out that I contributed to. In case you didn't know, Movie Make-Out is a movie news and opinion site run by Gordon McAlpin of Multiplex. Gordon runs a tight ship and he has a few people writing for him as well, so you know he's taking it seriously. Check it out.

Also don't forget to listen to The Triple Feature podcast tonight at 9:00 PM CST over at TalkShoe.com. Not sure what we're going to talk about, but I'm sure The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 will be in the mix there somewhere. We might also be talking about our Top 10 Sci-Fi list, as well.

If not, I might be talking about Death Proof, which I plan on watching later today. We got a suggestion from someone over at The Triple Feature Facebook community that a DVD review from time to time might be a nice change of pace. I agree! So we might be adding that to the show soon!

By the way, we love answering listener questions on The Triple Feature. So if there's something you'd like to ask the group, feel free to send it to us by e-mail at group@thetriplefeature.com.

Joining our Facebook group is also a great way to submit questions. Plus, you get the added benefit of a quick reminder just before we record the show. That way, if you're at your computer, you can come and listen to us live!

If you're a fan of the show, listening live only enhances the experience. There's a chat field where you can interact with other listeners and ask the rest of us questions in real time! Give it a try and I know you'll be hooked. We see a lot of the same people in the chat field from week to week and I know they enjoy it.

Anyway, that's it for me. Have a great day!

10 Comments

OH, YEAH. THAT PODCAST I DO.

by Tom on June 1st, 2009
Posted In: Blog
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I was so wrapped up talking about, well, Up, that I completely forgot to remind you guys to check out The Triple Feature tonight.

In case you're unfamiliar, it's a podcast I host along with Joe Dunn from Joe Loves Crappy Movies and Gordon McAlpin from Multiplex.

We record every Monday night at 9:00 PM and you can listen to us record the show LIVE!

Not only that, but the show has a chat room where you can interact with other listeners or maybe even Joe or myself (when Gordon gets to ranting too much.)

Be sure to check us out this evening. We'll be discussing Up and Drag Me To Hell!

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TINY PLASTIC SPIES

by Tom on June 1st, 2009
45 votes, average: 8.22 out of 10
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TINY PLASTIC SPIES
Vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics

The first order of business today is a call to arms. Today is June 1. That means the ranking list over at Top Web Comics has been reset. If we're going to crack the Top 10, this is our best opportunity. So, please, for The Gipper... vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics right now.

For your trouble, you can see how Truman handles the Buzz and Woody uprising in his own inimitable style!

Today's comic calls back to something very specific in Theater Hopper's history. Back in 2005, Cami gave Tom an early Christmas present - Dewey, the havok-wrecking monkey. Truman and Dewey didn't get along with each other, which is expected when a new pet is brought into the home. But things came to a head after Tom snuck Dewey into a screening of King Kong. It fill him will all sorts of terrible ideas. Of course, Truman came to the rescue the only way you can possibly hope to stop a rampaging monkey... buy flying a biplane, guns blazing.

I don't know if you've seen Up yet, but if you've seen the trailer, you've probably seeing Dug the talking Dog. Dug is a member of a larger pack of talking dogs and, well, long story short... at one point, three of them fly biplanes.

YOU TOTALLY STOLE MY IDEA, PIXAR!

Please note my tongue placed firmly in cheek because I TOTALLY stole the dog-flying-a-bi-plane gag from Charles Schultz, to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude.

But, yeah... I have to admit it was my own comic that came to mind when I watched that scene in the movie.

Describing the dogs in biplanes scene makes me realize how completely odd Up is. Maybe even a little to idiosyncratic for its own good. But I don't care. I love, love, LOVED this movie. Despite its flourishes, Up is probably Pixar's most emotionally relevant film to date.

I never thought Pixar would be capable of making me care about their characters as much as they were able to hook me with Wall-E and Eve. If they can make you care about robots in love, they can do anything.

As we know, Up is the story of Carl Fredrickson, a widower who ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies it to South America. But what we don't know is where Carl got the idea.

In the film's first act, we're introduced to Carl's childhood sweetheart, Ellie - a girl who, in all likelihood, for who the term "moxie" was invented. It is her childhood dream to build a house next to Paradise Falls. In a stirring, wordless montage, we see the couple grow old together, scrimping and saving to fund their bold adventure into the jungle. Before long, Ellie succumbs to old age, leaving Carl to fend for himself. Punctuated by Michael Giacchino's brilliant score, both Cami and I were an emotional wreck after watching that scene. That's when Up got its hooks into us - deep. After that, you'll pretty much let a movie get away with anything - even a trio of talking talks flying biplanes.

I can't stress the value of Giacchino's score in this one, folks. Occasionally when Carl looks to the heavens and speaks to the ethereal Ellie, Giacchino's score returns to the first act and drags up those memories of a life spent together. Carl's pain becomes our pain as we remember alongside him. Absolutely fantastic work. That's why I was disappointed to learn that Disney is not releasing the Up original soundtrack as a physical CD, but in digital download only.

I think what I appreciate most about Up, is that even though it is pulling your heartstrings, it never feels manipulative. It feels completely organic to the story. Carl's quest to the Amazon is completely in service to his wife's wishes. Love that conquers continents. The romantic in me can't resist.

Additionally, Carl is joined by a young stowaway, Russell - a motormouth "Wilderness Explorer" seeking to collect his "Assisting the Elderly" badge so he can become a Senior Explorer. Rotund, yet hyperactive, Russell's backstory as a child of divorce is only alluded to. But it is a powerful representation of what he hopes his obsessive collection of badges will achieve - his father's attention and approval. Russell never says as much in such detail, but the animators make his despondency clear on his face. That's note-perfect storytelling, folks. If nothing else, Pete Docter's direction does a fantastic job of showing and not telling.

In addition to Up being Pixar's more emotionally affecting film, I will also go out on a limb and say it is it's funniest. Lots of rapid-fire jokes throughout, mainly courtesy of its animal cast introduced in the second act - Dug, the aforementioned talking dog and Kevin, an exotic 9 foot tall bird that joins them on their journey.

Things fall apart a little bit in the third act as Carl and Russell bump into the recluse adventurer Charles Muntz who has tucked himself away in the tabletop mountains seeking to capture one of Kevin's species to bring back to the civilized world. At this point, the film becomes more of a farce than an adventure and if I were to lob any criticism toward the film, it would land here.

But as I said earlier, these details are almost incidental to the primary plot device of seeing Carl through on his epic quest. His is almost a Quixotic folly, but you believe in the love for his wife and cheer him on.

Of course, what Carl discovers after the task is complete and the lesson learned that adventure can be found in your own backyard, become profound for their simplicity. Carl traversed the globe keeping everything familiar to him within arms reach. But in order to achieve peace, Carl has to let go of everything that was keeping him locked inside a widower's despondency. We witness his growth as a characters and as all his pain is lifted off his shoulders. It's an amazing transformation.

I can't recommend Up highly enough. It is far and away my favorite film of 2009.

What about you? Did you see Up this weekend? Did you succumb to it's emotional right hook or did the film's eccentricities get in the way? Leave your comments below!

18 Comments

NO PATIENCE FOR DICHOTOMY

by Tom on May 29th, 2009
38 votes, average: 8.08 out of 10
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NO PATIENCE FOR DICHOTOMY
Vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics

Continuing my exploration of all things Up, today's sketch is of Russell, of the Wilderness Adventurers. My version of Russ seems a little more awkward than what's presented in the movie (if that's possible). Consider this a version of Russell that's maybe a few years older than his on-screen counterpart. I tried to stay loose with the sketch, but didn't quite get the proportions right. To see the sketch, vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics.

Incidentally, Theater Hopper has been slipping down the list a little bit over at Top Web Comics and I'm wondering if it has any relation to the kind of sketches I'm doing.

In the past, I would draw sketches that were a continuation of the joke in the comic. Lately, I've been drawing more stand-alone pieces. Renderings of characters from movies. Is this a factor in your voting? Let me know in the comments below and be mindful of Monday, June 1 when the Top Web Comics counter resets. If we can get in the Top 10 early on, there's a greater likelihood we can stay there! I'm going to need everyone's help, so I'm putting the idea in your heads now.

As you know, both Up and Drag Me To Hell come out today. During Monday's recording of The Triple Feature, Joe pointed out that the family-friendly film in competition with director Sam Raimi's return to horror was great counter programming.

I felt like I was onto something when I commented that not only were the two movies at the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their content, but also in terms of the geography they explored. Up floating among the clouds and Drag Me To Hell lurking in the depths of the Underworld.

I shared my observation to Cami and she said it was "quite profound." She may have been humoring me, but it was enough for me to try and figure out a way I could work it into the comic.

As for the answer to Tom's quandary in today's comic, I don't think it would surprise anyone that I'm more interested in seeing Up. Cami and I are seeing it tonight. But my interest has been piqued by the strong reviews Drag Me To Hell has been getting. I guess Joe from Joe Loves Crappy Movies saw an early screening of it and was over the moon about it. Critical response has been strong, too. 95% positive at Rotten Tomatoes. I guess Raimi still has the old horror touch!

I'm not a big fan of horror, but I respect Raimi a great deal. It goes without saying how awesome the Evil Dead trilogy is. But those films have a low-tech charm. I don't know if I could stomach full-blown Raimi sitting in the middle of a booming surround-sound theater.

One thing Raimi is particularly adept at are "loud noises" scares - frightening reveals you can see a mile away, but punctuated by piercing musical shrieks. I HATE those kinds of scares. I do better with movies that employ this tactic when I'm at home and can control the volume.

I'm very curious to know what Raimi has up his sleeve, but I think this one is going to have to be a rental for me. I'm too much of a weenie otherwise.

What about you guys? Are you feeling up to the challenge of seeing Drag Me To Hell in a gigantic booming theater without peeing your pants? Or are you like me and going to chillax with Pixar and Up for two hours instead?

Leave your comments below!

21 Comments

PIXAR WAS BUILT ON A FIELD OF CLOVERS

by Tom on May 27th, 2009
39 votes, average: 8.36 out of 10
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PIXAR WAS BUILT ON A FIELD OF CLOVERS
Vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics

In honor of Pixar's Up coming out this Friday, today's incentive sketch is my own rendition of the movie's septuagenarian protagonist, Carl Fredricksen. To view it, simply vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics.

An additional bit of business before we get on with the blogging: Monday's comic was delayed by the Memorial Day holiday, but was posted on Tuesday. So if you were away from the site for whatever reason on Tuesday and want to view it, click here.

I don't know if today's comic captures the level of righteous indignation I normally express against Pixar-haters. If I wanted to, I could have really gone on a rant. I suppose that's what this blog is for!

This is something I've noticed when it comes to Pixar films: The first trailer comes out about a year to 8 months before the film hits theaters. There are people (like myself) who are immediately excited about it and then there are... others who want to pick it apart.

Now, far be it for me to say these people don't have a right to pick things apart. If I apply that logic, then that logic can be applied against me. Considering what I do here, picking things apart is my bread and butter. So I'm not saying these people don't have the right to a negative critical opinion.

What I *AM* saying is that these critics are on the losing side of history.

Since its inception, Pixar has been putting out quality film that not only push the boundaries of 3D animation, but achieve mass and critical acclaim for their emphasis on solidly constructed stories.

Why then, when the teaser trailers come out, do some people automatically poo-poo them? I've seen it done with nearly every movie the studio has produced since A Bug's Life and some people refuse to let it go.

Considering Pixar's unprecedented string of hits, I can only assume that these people want Pixar to fail.

Everyone has an axe to grind. I know this. One only need look at my baseless grudges against Ben Affleck and Shia LaBeouf for proof of this.

But whereas Affleck and LaBeouf have earned condemnation for their public antics and their sometimes questionable choices in movie rolls, Pixar has been turning out hit after hit after hit. 10 blockbusters, by my count. TEN classic films that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder to some of the most technically innovative and engrossing films in all of animation.

Is Pixar headed for a fall? The realist in me says "eventually." At some point they're going to trip over their own feet. Maybe it'll happen with Toy Story 3. Maybe it'll happen with Cars 2. Despite the fact that Toy Story 2 is probably one of only a handful of sequels better than the original, sequels are generally a bad idea. So who knows?

All I'm saying to the haters is stop anticipating it so readily. Because you know it and I know it... the minute that trailer for Up with the talking dog came out, you were all over this movie like white on rice. You're gonna see it and you're gonna love it, just like all the other Pixar films.

Please, leave the self-aggrandizing predictions to professionals like myself. ;D

Who else is excited about Up this weekend? Leave your comments below!

28 Comments