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  • Cars

    We took the girls to see Pixar's latest release, "Cars," and rest assured NASCAR fans around the world will get a kick out of it.
    I'm not a NASCAR fan, but there are rumors that a gadazilliogoogleplex of them are out there.
    The movie almost lost me but the little star gets dumped in the desert and finds himself in Radiator Springs soon enough. The characters are endearing, the voices familiar, and the fleeting references to other Pixar endeavors cute but a little self congratulatory.
    Still, it's those references that remind us what a leader Pixar is in modern day animation. Our group gives "Cars" four thumbs up for its looks, appeal to all ages, plot line, musical incorporation, and just enough sophistication to keep you in your seat.
    By all means, DON'T miss the credits, which are hilarious in and of themselves.

    I see the new short that is introduced before the movie is available online, "One Man Band." I think the characters are a little spooky, but the shorts are always kinda weird (Bird on a Wire," "Bound & Rebound," etc.)

    Take the kids, take a date, take a NASCAR enthusiast, heck there's even a funny section of souped up cars with neon-lit undercarriages that will appeal to the "I'm too dumb to move out of my mom's house so instead of saving my money and finishing college to get a real job, I'm going to take this Honda or Acura she's paying for and race it" set.
    Aloha from Lavagal

  • #2
    Re: Cars

    Haw! Yes, yes! Excellent movie. Enjoyed all of it! Like LavaGal said, all the way. Love the little Volkswagen "bugs" and hundreds of little, interesting things to keep your eyes and mind busy for the 2.5 hours.

    Two thumbs up from Blaine and Alex! (Mom stayed home and took a nap!)

    Blaine
    Make trouble, have fun, do good stuffs.

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    • #3
      Re: Cars

      I took the family to see "Cars" opening day, one of the late-morning showings at Ward. I absolutely loved it.

      I was curious as to how "Cars" would come together, given that it's about... well, cars. I mean, "Toy Story" had a lot of heart, even though CGI was relatively basic then, but technology advanced to the point where you could get fluffy creatures in "Monsters, Inc." and realistic underwater scenes in "Finding Nemo." Since "Cars" was originally going to be the swan song for the Disney/Pixar partnership (though they eventually got back together in a big way), I was worried that it was only going to be a half-hearted attempt.

      And even my daughter got the impression that "Cars" was a "boy's movie." I mean, it's about cars. And there's only one main female character.

      Fortunately, once again otherwise inanimate objects were given real soul, and we all enjoyed it -- boys, girls, kids, grown-ups.

      As Lavagal hinted, very little time is spent emphasizing Lightning McQueen's "before" character (purposely unlikable), and he ends up in ol' Radiator Springs pretty quickly, where the real characters and real setting (I was pleasantly surprized at how little took place on a race track) are found. He's resentful, then resigned, then curious, and soon enough affectionate.

      Technologically, Pixar wonderfully balanced jaw-dropping photorealistic landscapes and surfaces (the opening shot of Lightning was great) to simpler, but more fluid scenes of car faces and the like. When things needed to be basic, they kept it basic -- no gratuitious show-off shots of top-notch rendering (like in, say, "Into the Wild"). It made me wonder just what Pixar could have done with "Toy Story" if they had the tools they have today.

      The humor was spot-on, too. More automotive puns than you could shake a transaxle at, great visual gags (like the beetles Blaine mentioned), Pixar cameos (the birds from "For The Birds"), random references ("Freebird!") and a couple of eyebrow-raisers ("It's the Piston Cup!" "He did what in his cup?").

      Story wise, it was another Pixar winner. Pretty straightforward characters and motives that small kids could understand, but enough nuance to not bore the grown-ups. The only thing that might not make for the smoothest ride for some folks is the "social commentary" on car culture, and interstates vs. small towns. I could've been content without that stuff, especially with the way car culture and gas prices are so politicized these days... but I personally thought it was a nice touch.

      And since the movie was about a race car, you knew there was going to be a "big race." I was convinced going in that the climax just had to be more than a "big win," and the way "Cars" handled it was just right.

      There was the traditional closing-credit gag reel, which was fun (though I think it kind of robbed the film of a real denouement) and featured more gags (a Hummer with spinners afraid to go off road) and inside jokes (John Ratzenberger on celebrity voices in cartoons). Oh, and the traditional Pixar animated short that opened the film ("One Man Band") was great, too.

      Definitely ten thumbs up from our family. Sure we're going to get totally sucked into the vortex of merchandising (we've already several "Cars" cars in the house!), but since I actually like the movie and the characters, I don't mind.
      Last edited by pzarquon; June 12, 2006, 08:47 AM.

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      • #4
        Re: Cars

        I hate giving away fun things in a movie, but I would like to say that hearing the voices of Click & Clack as the Rust-Eeze sponsors was a real kick. Let's just say it DROVE home the fun one can have when it comes to Cars.

        I'd see it again. You can bet we'll be buying this one...and my kids dig being able to pry out the "extra stuff" the Cars DVD will likely have.
        Aloha from Lavagal

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        • #5
          Re: Cars

          My grandchildren LOVED the movie. (and so did I)!!!

          RECOMMENDED!

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          • #6
            Re: Cars

            "Don't drive like my brother!" I just knew they had to slip that in there...

            By the way, if you've got iTunes, you might want to check out the Cars Video Podcast (iTunes link). A dozen featurettes about three minutes long each. A way to have some "Cars" around during the long, long wait for the DVD!

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            • #7
              Re: Cars

              Fuunny todays mail... I got an offer from the Saab Dealership today in the mail that said if I came down with this piece of paper next week and previewed cars (at there dealership) I would get Two passes to go see the Movie Cars!!!

              The things that car dealers will do to get you in the door these days.

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              • #8
                Re: Cars

                Very good movie. My favorite characters are the Italian guys. Those guys were funny!!!

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                • #9
                  Re: Cars

                  I really liked the fact that Pixar did some research and made the character of The King Strip Weathers a 1970 Plymouth Superbird. I'm sure this was not lost on the NASCAR set.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Cars

                    Thanks for the reviews. I'm planning to see it tomorrow with my dad on father's day. I was a little worried it might be too childish but not anymore!

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                    • #11
                      Re: Cars

                      We liked this movie so much, I took the whole family back to the theater today (and added my mom). I can't remember the last time my wife and I enjoyed a film enough to do that (probably Memento).

                      Not surprisingly, there was a lot to catch that we missed the first time. Kilinahe paid more attention to the animation -- particularly of the natural environment and lighting -- and I found myself relishing the excellent sound design. And a few more visual puns and jokes that slipped past us earlier. "It'll rust your bolts and freeze your..."

                      I've got that Rascal Flatt's cover of "Life is a Highway" stuck in my head...

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                      • #12
                        Re: Cars

                        Since my son is too young... I'm keeping him away from the theaters in fear of the "crying baby" in the theater syndrome...

                        However from HT's reviews of this...I'll be sure to p/u a copy for my son to watch in the future!

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                        • #13
                          Re: Cars

                          Crying babies were in no short supply in either showing of "Cars" that we went to. Our own little one made a couple of brief announcements as well. In a kids' movie, you're going to have a little more noise than your average sexy spy thriller.

                          I'm sure someday I'll miss pacing back and forth as part of the small herd of mommies and daddies that inevitably collect in the exit aisles with fussy or restless babies over their shoulders... but that day's not today. The other benefit of going to "Cars" a second time was seeing the parts I missed when I was chasing my son around out in the hall.

                          I'd probably sneak out for an 11 p.m. showing if I really wanted to escape most pint-size distractions... though there are always more than a few grown ups being a nuisance, anyway. (Not to mention the occasional toddler being dragged out of the house way too late!) But hey, hearing the kids lauging along with the adults is part of the fun.

                          Our youngest is 20 months old, but he was generally mesmerized and had a giggle or too (even if it was just because his siblings were giggling). So if you want to treat yourself and your boy, go ahead. Hey, it's Father's Day!

                          So help me, I just bought the "Cars" soundtrack on iTunes. I think the first time country music has been purchased in this household by anyone besides Kilinahe!

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