Cars Movie Outing
This past weekend, Tobey and I went to see the long-awaited new Pixar animated film – “Cars“.
I don’t know about you, but it felt like we’ve been seeing and hearing about this film for well over a year. Let’s just say that Pixar knows how to build up marketing hype – maybe it has a little something to do with Apple’s Steve Jobs being at the helm, another company that really knows how to market itself.
Just in case you aren’t on a first name basis with Pixar – just think of “Toy Story”, “Nemo”, “Monster’s, Inc.”, “The Incredibles”, and “a Bug’s Life”. They’ve basically raised the bar for animated movies for an entire generation of kids and grown ups.
“Cars” is their most visually stunning effort yet, and a fun movie. It receives “two thumbs up” – one from Tobey and one from myself. You get lovable characters, action, and an uplifting story – all trademarks of Pixar films. While cars as characters is a tougher sell than cute fish named “Nemo” or “Dori”, Pixar does a great job with bringing them to life, as Tobey was literally pumping his fist during the climactic scene to urge on the hero.
At two hours, this movie is a little longer than your typical animation, and a little tough on the attention span of an active three-year old, but it still won out. Tobey was frightened a bit during a scene mid-way thru where the main character – “Lightning McQueen” had to out-run a train on a dark and deserted road. But, after asking when the movie was going to be over a couple of times, and announcing that he was “thirsty” – he repeatedly resisted my efforts to take him out of the theatre for a short break. “After this scene” or “when its over” was all I got in response. We even stayed to watch a rather funny bit during the credits, as Tobey didn’t want to miss the bonus “episode”.
Without giving away any spoilers – the basic theme of the movie is that a hot-shot race car named “Lightning McQueen” (voiced by Owen Wilson) gets “stuck” in a small town called Radiator Springs just off the beaten path of Route 66. He wants nothing to do with this small town, and the folk there, but ends up learning some much needed lessons about life and himself before he can move on. There are a ton of fun characters, but Tow Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy) and Luigi (voiced by Tony Shalhoub) were two of my favorites. Tobey really liked Ramone (Cheech Marin) because his character was a colorful “low rider” who changed his car color in the movie as often as the Oscars host/hostess changes outfits.
We loved Cars!
Originally uploaded by aswitzer.
Grammy and Gramps joined us at the Pavillions Theatre that is located halfway between Englewood and Boulder. It is safe to say that we would recommend this film for nearly all generations. It also has a great soundtrack that we all enjoyed, and Gramps and I now own thanks to Father’s Day yesterday. (Thanks Carrie!)
So, go see this fun summer movie if you get the chance! If you miss it in the theatre, it’s definitely worth a DVD rental or purchase this Fall! Don’t worry, you definitely won’t miss it’s release if the marketing is anywhere near what it was for the movie! 
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Movies I've watched recently:
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Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
2009-06-30 16:10
Go into this summer action blockbuster with low expectations and be prepared to not look too closely at the plot that is filled with holes, and you can walk out afterwards having had a great time. It's incredible treat to the eyes in its many action sequences, but don't look or think too deeply whenever the "story" tries to make a point. Not as good as the first movie in my opinion, but a worthy sequel.
0.3 -
2009-06-24 16:30
Another visual treat from the land of Pixar. An entertaining and fun movie, but less dialog and more adult oriented themes make this somewhere closer to the middle of the pack at best for me when compared to the entire suite of Pixar films.
0.3 -
2009-06-21 14:09
Star Trek fans could not have asked for a better "reboot". Following the successful formula of other recent reboots, J.J. Abrams took the storyline back in time to the Starfleet Academy days of the original Enterprise crew and showed us how they all came together to boldly go where no man (or now "one") had gone before. These young actors, some even unknowns were all perfectly cast and gave convincing younger versions of the characters that we know and love. The story was sprinkled with plenty of fun references to the old characters catch phrases, and pulled it off without getting overly cheesy. Definitely my favorite movie of 2009 so far, hands down, and will be tough to top.
0.3 -
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
2009-01-08 20:10
The plot is very simple and has few twists, but it can still be a fun ride. If you miss it in the theatres, its at least worth putting on your NetFlix rotation or picking up at RedBox.
0.3 -
2008-11-20 18:50
A Bond film unlike any other in the series. You'll read many reviews that say it's not as good as Casino Royale, but Carrie and I thought it was better. It starts right where Casino Royale leaves off, and takes you on an action filled, but complex story that is deep, rich in storytelling texture, and fun.
0.3