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2009 | 2008 | 2007

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Directors of the Decade: Brad Bird

21 November 2009 7:34 AM, PST | FilmExperience | See recent FilmExperience news »

Robert here. My initial thought for my series on the directors who shaped the past decade was to combine the Pixar guys into one big entry. Five minutes later I was filled with great shame. How dare I think that just because these men make animated films, they don’t deserve their own entries. It was ghettoization all over again! Sure, Pixar films all tend to have similar themes but that doesn’t mean that the great Pixar directors are interchangeable. Over the next few weeks we’ll take a look at them and see what makes them the same and different. First up: Brad Bird.

Number of Films: Two.

Modern Masterpieces: One. With my apologies to The Incredibles, which is an incredible film, the masterpiece is Ratatouille.

Total Disasters: Not even close.

Better than you remember: If you think either of these could be better, you should probably just stop reading now. »

- Robert

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Blu-Ray Review: Pixar’s HD Collection Continues With ‘Monsters, Inc.’

19 November 2009 2:49 PM, PST | HollywoodChicago.com | See recent HollywoodChicago.com news »

Chicago – As Disney/Pixar continues to release new films on Blu-Ray, they often “piggy-back” one title with another from their catalog, choosing to release Pete Docter’s first directorial effort for the company, “Monsters, Inc.” in HD on the same day that they release his new film, “Up”. In a beautiful 4-disc combo pack that includes Blu-Ray, DVD, and digital copies of the film, “Monsters, Inc.” continues the Pixar Blu-Ray tradition.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

John Goodman and Billy Crystal star as the lovable-and-gigantic Sulley and his wisecracking sidekick Mike Wazowski, respectively. Sulley and Mike work for a scream-processing factory in Monstropolis known as “Monsters, Inc.” A little girl named Boo finds her way into the world, scaring the monsters in return, and it’s up to Sulley and Mike to restore order and get the wee one back home where she belongs.

Monsters, Inc. was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 10th, »

- adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)

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Blu-Ray Review: Pixar’s Beloved ‘Up’ Continues HD Dominance

17 November 2009 9:21 PM, PST | HollywoodChicago.com | See recent HollywoodChicago.com news »

Chicago – One of the most beloved films of the year and a likely contender for the Oscar for Best Picture now that the category has expanded to ten nominees, Pixar’s “Up” was recently released on Blu-Ray in yet another lovingly produced set from a company that has been a pioneer in the next-gen format. “Up” doesn’t exceed expectations but also doesn’t falter from the critically-acclaimed pattern.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

Pixar has built a reputation by taking unexpected character models and turning them into movie magic. Whether it be toys that come to life, a refined rat, a family of superheroes, or a lovable robot, one never can judge a Pixar character by its cover. Such is the case with Carl Fredericksen (Ed Asner), the delightful hero of “Up” who just happens to be a crotchety old man.

Up was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 10th, 2009.

Photo »

- adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)

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[DVD Review] Monsters, Inc.

17 November 2009 3:02 PM, PST | JustPressPlay.net | See recent JustPressPlay news »

Monsters, Inc. has everything a Pixar movie should: an interesting take on a common story, fantastic animation, top-shelf acting and a sense of child-like wonder. Oh, and John Ratzenberger. Flipping the monster in the closet paradigm on its head, Monsters, Inc. takes the traditional idea and asks a question few consider “Why do they scare?” Many horror films waste countless frames of celluloid attempting to give a brief background or origin story to their ghoulies, but Monsters, Inc. upped the ante. Instead of a mere glimpse, they completely dive into the world of monsters and tell us a story about avarice and business ethics while still providing a film most kids will go ga-ga for.

James P. “Sulley” Sullivan (John Goodman) holds the record in Monstropolis for the most energy generated by scaring children. Contrary to the really simple conceptualization of monster-lives-in-closet, the monsters of Monstropolis have a genuinely genius method for reaching their targets. »

- Lex Walker

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Director Pete Docter Q&A and More Hidden Facts About ‘Up’

10 November 2009 3:20 PM, PST | FilmSchoolRejects.com | See recent FilmSchoolRejects news »

Earlier today in honor of the Blu-ray and DVD release of Pixar's Up, I published a special edition of This Week in Blu-ray as well as a very cool article entitled 10 Fun Facts About Pixar's Up. And now I'm back with more fun stuff to celebrate this major release, including additional facts about the film -- as well as an international Q&A with director Pete Docter (who also directed Monsters, Inc., another Pixar flick hitting Blu-ray today). First, more hidden facts about Up: In the sequence where Carl’s house first lifts up, the Luxo Jr. ball can be seen in the girl’s bedroom as the house goes by her window. The Pizza Planet Truck, which first made an appearance in Toy Story, has made a cameo in nearly every Pixar film. In Up, the Pizza Planet truck can be seen at an intersection when Carl's house flies over the town. The »

- Neil Miller

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Blu-ray Review: Up (3-Disc Special Edition)

10 November 2009 1:47 AM, PST | Rope of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news »

It would appear another Pixar film has grown on me after seeing it in theaters. Previously Ratatouille disappointed me in theaters only to become one of my favorite Pixar films along with Wall-e and Finding Nemo. Wall-e is probably the only Pixar film to truly knock me out in theaters as the hyperbole surrounding the famed animation studio's films is so over-bearing I tend to find myself falling for these films once the waters die down, and it appears the same has happened with Pixar's tenth feature film, Up.

Of course, I already gave the film a "B+" in my theatrical review and listed it in the fifth spot on my list ranking the first ten Pixar films. So, to say the film has grown on me doesn't give it much more room to go, but there it is, and once again Pixar and Disney have put together an impressive »

- Brad Brevet

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Little known facts from Disney Pixar’s ‘Up’

6 November 2009 12:52 PM, PST | ReelLoop.com | See recent Reel Loop news »

In anticipation of Disney Pixar’s November 10th release of Up on DVD and Blu-ray, here are some little know facts from the movie.

* In the sequence where Carl’s house first lifts up, the Luxo Jr. ball can be seen in the girl’s bedroom as the house goes by her window.

* The Pizza Planet Truck, which first made an appearance in Toy Story, has made a cameo in nearly every Pixar film.  In Up, the Pizza Planet truck can be seen at an intersection when Carl’s house flies over the town. The truck makes as second appearance in the Fentons Creamery parking lot at the end of the film.

* The number A113, which refers to Brad Bird and John Lasseter’s former classroom at CalArts, makes an appearance in every Pixar film.  A113 is the courtroom number when Carl makes an appearance to plead his case.

* Fentons »

- Reel Loop News Staff

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DreamWorks Acquires Wicked

23 October 2009 4:14 AM, PDT | movies.about.com | See recent movies.about.com news »

DreamWorks has picked up the film rights to Wicked and tapped screenwriters Aaron and Matthew Benay to adapt. No, not the musical about the 'true' story of the Wicked Witch of the West. The studio's acquired the rights to the young adult book series Wicked written by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié.

In a press release issued DreamWorks, Co-President of Production Mark Sourian said, "Wicked has all the elements for a great movie--adventure, mystery, star-crossed lovers, bitter enemies, and the supernatural. Aaron and Matthew came in with an intriguing take on the books and a story that we feel will really speak to all audiences."

The five-book series follows the adventures of Holly, a bright young girl whose parents are killed in an accident. Sent to Seattle to live with her aunt and two cousins, Holly soon discovers she has unusual powers and that she's a descendant of powerful witches. »

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I See Gay People: “Whip It,” “Hannah Montana,” and Metaphors for Homosexuality

12 October 2009 10:17 PM, PDT | AfterEllen.com | See recent AfterEllen.com news »

My affection for fictional characters knows no sexual orientation — but I do have a queer sixth sense when I watch TV and movies: I see gay people.

It was no surprise, then, that Drew Barrymore's grrrl-powered roller derby flick, Whip It, played itself out on two levels in my mind when I saw it last weekend. The first was Bliss Cavendar's (Ellen Page) coming-of-age story. The second was Bliss Cavendar's subversively sexual coming out story.

What is surprising is that Jeremy Clyman, a columnist at Psychology Today, agrees with me. He wrote an article about Whip It on Psychology Today's Side Reel blog entitled "Lesbian Fantasy, Disguised."

In it he says:

[Whip It] purports to be the story of a small town adolescent who rebels and finds her genuine identity as roller derby star athlete. But I think this film is also a secret communication to closeted lesbians living in hostile »

- stuntdouble

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Plot Details of 'Cars 2' Laid Bare

10 September 2009 8:21 PM, PDT | Aceshowbiz | See recent Aceshowbiz news »

Details on what Lightning McQueen and his automobile friends will be dealing with in "Cars 2" have been unraveled. Empire reported that producer John Lasseter has shared the plot details of the "Cars" sequel at Disney presentation in London's Leicester Square on Thursday morning, September 10, revealing that the movie will also revolve heavily on McQueen's friend, Mater.

In this animated movie, McQueen along with his pit team and new pit boss Mater will travel around the globe for the Race of Champions. The race takes place in five different countries, Tokyo, Italy, Germany, Monte Carlo, Paris and London, and involves the champions of different disciplines like Formula One and rally driving.

During this race, McQueen's buddy Mater will provide this animated comedy movie with an action adventure twist. The intellectually-challenged tow truck will get involved in a "Hitchcockian" case of mistaken identity, save the life of a British secret agent called Finn McMissile, »

- AceShowbiz.com

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"Cars 2" Plot Revealed! There's a Whole Lot of Mater!

10 September 2009 11:42 AM, PDT | Manny the Movie Guy | See recent Manny the Movie Guy news »

There are lots of Disney news this morning because John Lasseter was in London's Leicester Square giving details of upcoming Disney/Pixar productions. One of them is "Cars 2" set to open summer of 2011.

The sequel will focus on Larry the Cable Guy's Mater.

Empireonline is saying:

The story sees Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), his pit team and new pit boss Mater head around the world for the Race of Champions, to take place in five different countries and involve the champions of different disciplines like Formula One and rally driving. First up is a race in Tokyo, starting at Mount Fuji and heading downtown; then there's a German race through the Black Forest; then "Porto Corsa" in Italy, which is based partly on the Monte Carlo Grand Prix; then a 24-hour race around Paris (so somewhat like Le Mans then) and finally a thrilling climax in London, approaching »

- Manny

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Disney Details on Cars 2, Toy Story 3, Rapunzel

10 September 2009 9:09 AM, PDT | newsinfilm.com | See recent newsinfilm news »

Disney’s D23 Expo gets underway today in Anaheim featuring all things Mouse House for three straight days.  This year is of special interest because of the recent acquisition of Marvel, plus possible details on Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Tron Legacy, and of course more family-friendly cartoons.

The official plot synopsis for Cars 2 is available from Empire Magazine: The story sees Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), his pit team and new pit boss Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) head around the world for the Race of Champions, to take place in five different countries and involve the champions of different disciplines like Formula One and rally driving. The races will take place in Tokyo, Germany, Italy, Paris (a 24-hour race), and a “thrilling climax” in London.

Mater will be more heavily involved in the plot this time.  He gets wrapped up in a “Hitchcockian” case of mistaken identity, saves the »

- Jeff Leins

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'Big Fan' review (4/5). Yeah, sports is big business.

10 September 2009 8:06 AM, PDT | Movie Jungle | See recent Movie Jungle news »

Yeah, sports is big business. But somehow, between just two movies, Robert Siegel has made a film career out of examining the little man of the industry. Yeah, this is the guy who gave Mickey Rourke his career back, the guy who wrote last year's "The Wrestler." Now he's back, directing his own screenplay, "Big Fan." Patton Oswalt, best known for being an angry, young-looking man and for voicing the foodie rat in "Ratatouille," is New York Giants fan Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt). Paul is 35, lives with his mother (Marcia Jean Kurtz), and works as a parking lot attendant. No, it's not a glam life, but Paul has one thing going for him—he's a nightly superstar on a call-in sports show. Yes, Paul spends his time in the little box writing his rants, and his day's high point comes late at night, when he defends his Giants and his favorite player, »

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Disney Buying Marvel Has Readers Feeling Disappointed, Cautious

8 September 2009 8:39 AM, PDT | MTV Splash Page | See recent MTV Splash Page news »

It was the biggest story last week—and some are calling it the biggest story of the decade. The Walt Disney Company's purchase of Marvel Entertainment had both the comics world and the mainstream media buzzing, so it was only natural that we dedicate the weekly poll to getting readers' thoughts on the news.

While response to this week's poll was slightly down from last week's "Best Batman" query, there was still a healthy amount of responses—and the majority of those responding weren't very happy about the Disney/Marvel merger. Lest you think everyone was down on the deal, though, only a few votes separated the negative from, well... the undecided.

In the end, 36 percent of voters indicated that the Disney/Marvel deal was a sign of bad things to come, while 34 percent took a "wait and see" approach to the news. Additionally, 19 percent said they don't expect anything »

- Rick Marshall

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Description of 'Toy Story 3' Clip at Venice Film Festival

7 September 2009 9:19 PM, PDT | Aceshowbiz | See recent Aceshowbiz news »

First footage from "Toy Story 3" has been presented in front of audience at 2009 Venice Film Festival on Sunday, September 6 when director/producer John Lasseter and the team of Pixar directors were awarded with Golden Lion's Honorary Award. While the footage has yet to come out online, Slash Film has made available the written description of what has been shown during Pixar's presentation.

The footage begins with a shot of the all-grown-up Andy. With him preparing to go to college, his mom tells him to sort his room to place in the attic or be thrown into trash. After he finds Buzz and Woody in a box, he decides to take Woody with him and put the others in a black plastic bag for the attic. When he opens the ladder to the attic, his sister shows up. Andy then leaves the plastic bag on the floor to help her. »

- AceShowbiz.com

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Pixar Team Honored at Venice Film Festival

7 September 2009 11:41 AM, PDT | Manny the Movie Guy | See recent Manny the Movie Guy news »

For the first time ever, an entire studio has been given career recognition at the Venice Film Festival! And that honor goes to Pixar.

The home of Nemo, Woody, and Wall-e received the lifetime achievement award! And it's truly deserving!

The award was given to five Pixar directors including John Lasseter (the first two "Toy Story" films and "Cars"), Brad Bird ("Ratatouille" and "The Incredibles"), Pete Docter ("Up" and "Monsters Inc."), Andrew Stanton ("Finding Nemo" and "Wall-e"), and Lee Unkrich ("Toy Story 3").

Pixar, founded in 1986, has made 10 feature films to date. 4 of those movies have won Oscars!

To make the joyous occasion, the festival premiered 3-D versions of "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2." Both 3-D versions will be shown in the fall.

Pixar merged with Disney three years ago, and the audience was also treated to a few minutes of "The Princess and the Frog." Lasseter, chief creative for both Pixar and Disney animation, »

- Manny

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News: Pixar Win Lifetime Achievement Award

7 September 2009 11:27 AM, PDT | HeyUGuys.co.uk | See recent HeyUGuys news »

Pixar started life in 1979 as the graphics group, part of the computer division of Lucasfilm before it was bought by Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs in 1986. The Walt Disney Company then bought Pixar in 2006 for $26m. Pixar first graced our cinema screens with Toy Story back in 1995 and I can't believe it's that long ago that we saw the likes of such brilliance. Since that time, they have brought us more 9 more feature films which include The Incredibles, Monster's Inc, A Bugs Life, Finding Nemo and more recently Cars and Wall-e.

Pixar are, in my opinion pure genius. They have wonderful creative minds, brilliant graphics artists, a knack for inventing brilliant new original characters and a desire to always be better. It therefore comes as no surprise that today, John Lasseter (Director of Toy Story and now CEO of Disney's animation department) picked up The Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of »

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Exclusive Video: Patton Oswalt Is a Big Fan

6 September 2009 9:47 PM, PDT | MovieWeb | See recent MovieWeb news »

Patton Oswalt has been making us laugh for years, whether it be from his long-running stint on the hit comedy The King of Queens or his hilarious stand-up comedy special or his roles in films like Reno 911!: Miami, Balls of Fury or his voice role as the culinary rat Remy in the Pixar hit Ratatouille. As funny as the man is, we get to see a whole new side of his acting chops as the lead character Paul Aufiero in Big Fan, which will be released on August 28 in New York City and will expand to Los Angeles and other markets on Septemeber 11. We were able to speak exclusively with Oswalt about his new film (and a few tidbits about The Informant!) as well, so click below on our exclusive video interview to see what Oswalt has to say.

Big Fan stars Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan, Michael Rapaport, Marcia Jean Kurtz »

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Interview: Big Fan's Patton Oswalt And Robert Siegel

28 August 2009 1:56 PM, PDT | cinemablend.com | See recent Cinema Blend news »

If you've read either my review of Big Fan or my interview with director Robert Siegel, you know that Big Fan is a smart, well-made movie that's worth your time. And even though it stars comedian Patton Oswalt, it's not necessarily funny-- that's what we call a stretch. But here's the nice thing about interviewing a comedian-- even if his movie is serious, he doesn't have to be! So enjoy reading below my roundtable interview with both Siegel and Oswalt, as they talk about the fine line between sports fans and movie geeks, whether or not they're like Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski, and how kids feel when they meet the voice of the rat in Ratatouille. Big Fan opens today. How did you get the rights to the Giants logos? Or did you just do it anyway? Siegel: You're allowed to do it. There are certain things you're not »

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The Future’s Bright, The Future’s Pixar!

28 August 2009 1:49 AM, PDT | FilmShaft.com | See recent FilmShaft.com news »

The Internet is buzzing at the prospect of information regarding a new Pixar project. It seems that during a featurette for Up while Greg Dykstra shows off one of his many character models for the film there happens to be some very interesting concept art which has gotten all the fans all in a flutter!

The concept art in question consists of a young boy and a dinosaur.

The image was first spotted by the eagle eyed folks at Pixar Planet. Rumours started flying around and questions have been asked as to what it can be for. One thing is for sure, it’s not for Toy Story 3 as Ronnie Del Carmen confirmed via Twitter when he was asked if he knew what the mysterious art was for.

“I do but not telling. Nothing to do with anything Toy Story, tell you that”

Ronnie Del Carmen was a storyboard »

- Alex Wagner

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2009 | 2008 | 2007

1-20 of 83 articles from 2009   « Prev | Next »

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