oltimerbillyslater
Anteater
Ladies and gentlemen, the Thirty-Year-Old White Moses of Soul!
Posts: 17
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Post by oltimerbillyslater on Jul 14, 2006 3:46:13 GMT -5
I'd see "Cars" again--in a heartbeat. I'm in the minority here who thought "The Incredibles" was overproduced, overlong and just too much of everything.
"Cars" brings the Pixar heart and cute sentiment back on the big screen. Plus, it pays wonderful reverence to Route 66, a road with a special place in my heart. The best movie I've seen this summer.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 14, 2006 11:15:34 GMT -5
I took my 3-year-old son to see it on Wednesday. He's a typical boy in that he loves cars and trucks.
He got bored in the middle, but he loved the races.
I thought it was the weakest of all of the Pixar films.
The plot devices were more cliched than normal. I also wasn't that keen on the soundtrack. Using contemporary songs is one of the (many) reasons Shrek was so bad, so I was surprised to hear a bastardized version of "Life is a Highway" in the middle of a Pixar film.
Additionally, I'm not into NASCAR. At all. So the shout-outs to that fan base were totally lost on me. Yes, I do know who Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are, but it was like the Disney-ripping inside jokes of Shrek. I get it, but I don't care.
Aside from those times when it reminded me of Shrek (did I mention I hate Shrek?), it was a great way to spend 2 hours of father-son time. It wasn't too scary for him or too boring for me. So we're both winners!
And, like all Pixar films, the best parts were the side characters & voices. Tony Shalhoub as the Ferrari-loving, Italian tire salesman was hilarious. Ditto Cheech Marin and George Carlin.
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Post by Donna SadCat Lady on Jul 14, 2006 23:58:26 GMT -5
Tony Shalhoub was the little tire salesman guy?! Dang, I love Tony Shalhoub but I didn't know he, or rather his voice, was in this movie. Mr. A, I had the same problem with all the NASCAR refs. I mean, I know nothing about NASCAR. So it sure seemed that a lot was going on that went right over my head. If you're going to have pop-culture references (in a kids' movie, especially), they ought to work on two levels. And I agree with you as well on the use of contemporary songs in the soundtrack. It was sort of jarring in a Pixar film. Makes it seem kind of cheap, somehow.
Another thing about Pixar movies that I usually appreciate, but didn't feel Cars had, is the use of a theme that actually has relevance to kids (and parents). So darn many stinkin' family movies have some pallid attempt at a theme like "you should be true to yourself" or "real friends will like you for who you really are." Anyhow, something which no doubt resonates with Hollywood studio execs. But most kids under 10, not so much. Pixar normally gets it right. Yet Cars was disappointing in that respect. So what did Lightning learn? That he... couldn't do it all by himself, that everybody needs friends, that friends are more important than personal glory, or something like that? How is that a big issue for pre-teens? Par for the course for most family movies, but a bit of a letdown coming from Pixar.
Last but not least, I hate Shrek too.
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Post by Afgncaap5 on Jul 15, 2006 8:51:01 GMT -5
I didn't even notice any Nascar references outside of the racing theme in general, so my lack of understanding them didn't keep me from enjoying the film.
I think what Lightning learned was that winning wasn't everything. That's what I got out of it.
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