Cars
by Brian
Cars falls somewhere on the low end of a list of Pixar films, right around A Bug’s Life and Monsters, Inc. Which is not, of course, to say that it’s a bad film – far from it.
We’ve come to expect nothing less than the best from Pixar in terms of craft and story, and while Cars certainly doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the former, it does lag a bit on the story front. It lacks the depth of The Incredibles and Finding Nemo or the wit of Toy Story 2. In short, it feels like more of a kids’ movie than the other Pixar offerings, even with a two-hour run time.
But even with a nearly two-hour run time, it never feels slow or boring, and that’s because, unsurprisingly, it’s expertly crafted and the animation is occasionally downright stunning. The race that opens the film is especially amazing, and like the best of other Pixar films looks like a weird kind of photo-real animation, while at the same time being a masterfully shot and edited action scene.
One thing that pleasantly surprised me was Larry the Cable Guy as Mater, the tow truck. Like everyone else I know, I can’t stand normally stand the guy, but he’s really great here. It’s a Tom Arnold-in-True-Lies kind of role, where he shows the world that he can be ingratiating, after all. We’ll see if, unlike Arnold, he ever does it again.
And, as always, the end credits are downright inspired.
We’ve come to expect nothing less than the best from Pixar in terms of craft and story, and while Cars certainly doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the former, it does lag a bit on the story front. It lacks the depth of The Incredibles and Finding Nemo or the wit of Toy Story 2. In short, it feels like more of a kids’ movie than the other Pixar offerings, even with a two-hour run time.
But even with a nearly two-hour run time, it never feels slow or boring, and that’s because, unsurprisingly, it’s expertly crafted and the animation is occasionally downright stunning. The race that opens the film is especially amazing, and like the best of other Pixar films looks like a weird kind of photo-real animation, while at the same time being a masterfully shot and edited action scene.
One thing that pleasantly surprised me was Larry the Cable Guy as Mater, the tow truck. Like everyone else I know, I can’t stand normally stand the guy, but he’s really great here. It’s a Tom Arnold-in-True-Lies kind of role, where he shows the world that he can be ingratiating, after all. We’ll see if, unlike Arnold, he ever does it again.
And, as always, the end credits are downright inspired.
|Link|3:04 PM
6 Comments:
I agree. Except I would say that Pixar has no low end of films (though this is my least favorite).
No review of "One Man Band"? Has PIXAR ever had a "talkie" short before a film?
Well, when I say "low end" I mean only in terms of other Pixars. I hope that was clear because I liked the movie overall.
I thought "One Man Band" was amusing but I wouldn't take it any further than that. The only pre-movie short that I really loved was "Boundin'", which was not exactly a talkie, but was narrated.
I liked Knick Knack, a Pixar short which played in front of a lot of movies back in the late eighties. (It's the one about the snowman in the snow globe) Although, on it's "re-release" the mermaid's rack was severely diminished. Damn Disney's wholesome influence!
Hey! Monsters Inc. is one of their best, if not THE best of the Pixar ouvres so far.
And sorry, still working long shifts, still no computer. Latter might be remedied soon. We'll see.
Monsters Inc. is one of their best, if not THE best of the Pixar ouvres so far
Hmm, maybe Billy Crystal's funnier in Sweden than he is here.
I love Mike Wazowski....and he was funny as a monster car as well...
And Brian, I understood your standing on the movie. I just wanted to say that I have loved all the films....Boundin' got better with each viewing. I need to go back and see Geri's Game again. I only saw that on the VHS release of A Bug's Life.....
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