PIXAR HAS NOW FOUND ITS REDNECK JAR-JAR BINKS. SUCH A PROUD MOMENT: The NYT's A.O. Scott did not so much care for Cars 2: "Perhaps after the exquisite silences in Wall-E and Up, the Pixar team wanted to open up the valves, kick up some dust and make some pop culture noise, leaving the poetry to someone else. Or maybe the company was tired of turning out one masterpiece after another and decided to coast for a while."
(So, hmm. Take the girls to see the Penguins instead tomorrow night?)
The worst Pixar film is still better than the best Jim Carrey family comedy. (Notice I said family)
ReplyDeleteKung Fu Panda 2? Didn't see it, but it had good reviews. Also, Judy Moody movie was snoozy but mostly inoffensive.
ReplyDeleteKung Fu Panda 2 was reasonably enjoyable--in particular, the background/setting animation is really lovely, even if the character animation is not on the level of Pixar's, especially with respect to things like hair/fur--there's a reason Dreamworks' most notably characters have been bald (Megamind, Shrek) or non-hairy (How To Train Your Dragon).
ReplyDeleteLucy has seen KFP2. Judy Moody is a possibility.
ReplyDeleteIn other disappointing movie review news, it looks like Bad Teacher is a dud. Alas. Maybe I'll finally get around to seeing Midnight in Paris this weekend. The cinephile in me feels an obligation to see The Tree of Life, even if I'm not a Malick fan. I also ralize that the cinephile in me makes me feel like I SHOULD be a Malick fan, but his movies just don't do it for me.
ReplyDeleteThe first Cars is easily my least favorite of all of the Disney/Pixar output, so it's not too surprising to hear the sequel isn't so great either.
ReplyDeleteThe boyfriend loves Kung Fu Panda, so we, of course, saw KF2, and were bitterly disappointed. With a few notable exceptions, we tend to find the Dreamworks movies to lack heart, and this one (unlike the original) definitely fell into that category for us.
ReplyDeleteWe watched "The Incredibles" the other night and that's still, well, pretty good. At least that movie didn't have a "State Farm" tie-in.
ReplyDeleteI LIKED THE FREAKIN PENGUIN MOVIE! Seriously - I'm willing to stand out on a cliff for this one - I thought it was cute and funny and heartwarming. It's by no means a Pixar movie, but it's Carrey's best in years. And - PENGUINS, people!
ReplyDelete... but now I see a positive Bad Teacher review from Stephanie Zacharek. And since she's one of those critics with whom I tend to agree more than not, Bad Teacher is likely now back on the schedule for the weekend.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen Penguins yet, but Cosmo Boy and Dad of KCosmo both enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI've heard very bad things about Cars 2, and was even warned away from a free screening of it. However, I've heard that KFP2 is very good, and Bad Teacher is entertaining enough. Also, I've been told that Tree of Life is VERY Malick-y, so if that's your thing, then, well, this might be your thing.I really loved The New World, but I don't think i've ever seen anything else he's done.
ReplyDeleteThe birthday spaceboy wants to see Cars 2, so that's where we'll be.
ReplyDeleteI actually thought the animation in KF2 was pretty amazing. In the parts I was awake for, at least.
I haven't seen the penguin movie, Bella, but I actually kind of wanted to see it from the trailer. Don't tell Isaac.
Ha! Maybe the paradigm goes "if you like Bachelor Pad, you'll LOVE Mr. Popper's Penguins." No?
ReplyDeleteEbert quite liked C2.
ReplyDeleteMy sons, 4 and 6, really enjoyed Mr. Popper's Penguins, and I really enjoyed their enjoyment. Plus, penguins. And Carla Gugino!