Toy Story 4 isn’t bad. This is, already, a huge achievement, for there was every reason in the world for it to be bad: Pixar Animation Studios has a fairly unimpressive track record with sequels and is nowhere near the regular level of absolute brilliance they were when the last film in this series, Toy Story 3, came out in 2010. Not to mention that the same Toy Story 3 […]
So the summer that time forgot marches on, having finally produced one single truly worthwhile film, which is not hardly enough to redeem everything else sucking the air out of movie theaters across America. July looks like it might be bringing another; but God only knows, at this point. (By the way, to everyone who noted that I missed Eclipse last month: yes, but only out of the intense hope […]
Ho-hum. Another summer, another Pixar feature, another masterpiece. This time, though, the stakes were higher for the studio than they ever have been: for not only was there the pressure of continuing the run of magnificent CGI cartoons that have left Pixar arguably the most consistently excellent filmmaking body in history, there was also the pressure of paying due respect to what is probably the most beloved movie franchise of […]
A full review is, obviously, forthcoming, but I must just say this about Toy Story 3. Not very long ago, I had to this to say about the film: “I am more excited about Toy Story 3 than anything else in the next six months; I am dreading Toy Story 3 more than anything else in the next six months, as well.” Let me say only this at present: Pixar, […]
The story goes that the Disney execs, flush with the excitement of direct-to-video sequels (a hellish new revenue stream they first discovered with 1994’s bland but inoffensive The Return of Jafar, though the Pandora’s box of inanity was really opened with 1997’s Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas), commanded John Lasseter and his Pixar minions to produce a DTV continuation of Toy Story, and Lasseter was unable to disagree. […]
It’s almost hard to remember, but in 1995, Disney Animation Studios was still a pretty well-regarded brand name. They were fresh off the run of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King that had resulted in some of the biggest box office receipts and most glowing critical acclaim of the company’s nearly 70-year history, and while the summer of ’95 did bear witness to Pocahontas – in hindsight, […]
Did Mister Rogers swim every day? Was he a vegetarian? Did he play the piano with his wife? Did fans sing to him on the subway? Was there really a journalist won over by his kindly nature? I’m breaking down what was fact vs. fiction in the new Mister Rogers movie. What is the true story of the trip down memory lane for so many of us? As always in […]
A review requested by Rebecca S, with thanks for contributing to the Second Quinquennial Antagony & Ecstasy ACS Fundraiser. Toys is one of the best examples I can think of why “kill your babies” is held to be important artistic advice. It is also one of the best examples of why I’m always privately happy when artists leave their babies alive, even if – especially if – they’re malformed and […]
“Every movie’s a circus”, in the words of a song from the proudly mediocre Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Sunset Blvd. But we’re going to be a little bit more selective than that. At the request of Patreon supporter Carl Beasley, this episode focuses on on our top 5 circus movies: movies celebrating the wonderful entertainment form that has made such a rich pageant out of exploiting people with unusual bodies, […]
Thanks to those who have offered suggestions for future columns. I will begin fulfilling requests on a “first come, first serve” basis starting in January 2024. As always, I am open to suggestions for future topics. Feel free to leave a comment below or on Discord! “The religions of ancient Greece and Rome are extinct. The so-called divinities of Olympus have not a single worshipper among living men.” So writes […]
Lightyear, the 26th feature film produced by Pixar Animation studios and easily the worst one that has no talking cars in it, opens with two title cards relaying the following information: “In 1995, a boy named Andy got a Buzz Lightyear toy for his birthday. It was from his favorite movie. This is that movie.” It’s almost subtly done; Toy Story is never mentioned by name, and while these cards […]
With Lightyear having come out this weekend, bearing the baffling premise that it’s the Star Wars-style movie that inspired the cartoon character that inspired the toy that Andy loves in Toy Story (we think?), Tim, Carrie, and Brennan (subbing in this week for Rob) have decided to discuss their childhood favorites! Brennan Top 5: The Little Mermaid X2: X-Men United Airplane! Bartok the Magnificent Big Fat Liar Carrie Top 5: […]
