Friday, June 09, 2006

Seriously, Though, What's With the Title? Well, Not That This One's Any Better...

Okay, so for the second time, I sat down to update the What I’m Whatevering List, and the movie part got so lengthy that to continue with the rest of the list would just turn people off. So I’ll probably post the rest of it tomorrow, but right now:

The What I'm Whatevering List (Part One of Two)
because I know you care...

Last Movie I've Seen: Cars. Yeah, so, I saw it already, because I’m kind of a Pixar geek and got tickets to a pre-screening (can you say, “Score”?). And I suppose their diabolical scheme is working, because here I am, doing the word-of-mouth thing. Actually, though, this was the first time that I wasn’t completely sold on a Pixar movie from the moment I heard about it – that I was skeptical before going in. Like, “Cars,” really? But I’m happy to report that I’m just an idiot, as Pixar keeps up their 100% track record with this one (which is, you know, sort of amazing), and I’m not just saying that because of the aforementioned geekitude. Honestly, I don’t know why they couldn’t make a decent commercial out of this, because there’s just as much to like here as there is in every other Pixar movie (well, okay, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles were kind of perfect…oh, and Toy Story 2, but, I mean, all of their movies are so good that it’s kind of unfair to compare them to each other, as there’s not really a “worst” Pixar movie. So I won’t.)

Because I know what your thinking: “Yeah, but…you know, it’s about cars. And the trailer wasn’t that funny, and, like, is there even a plot? Because it looks like driving, mostly.” First off, it’s a testament to Pixar’s madd animation skillz that not only do you accept the fact the “cars as people” thing about a minute into the film, but that you also care about these things that have to, you know, back up just to turn their heads – I mean, there was rooting, as in actual mid-movie audience applause, the majority of which was coming from the grownups. What’s also cool is that the world they’ve created doesn’t make any sense – it’s not “What cars do when people aren’t watching.” It’s “the world is actually populated by cars, who cut each other off, watch other cars race, wait in line for car restrooms…” In anyone else’s hands, it would have sucked so bad. But in Pixar’s, it doesn’t. Oh, and it’s really, really nice to look at, too – once again proving that it’s more fun to watch a computer animated film that imitates art, rather than one that tries to imitate real life (i.e. just because you’re 3D-ish doesn’t mean you have to stop looking like a cartoon).

As far as the plot and the script – I figured, more than anything, that this would be more of a “kids’ movie” than their previous films, resigning myself to this “fact” before I saw it. But, once again, they’ve created an everyone movie, an actual “crowd pleaser,” and not one that succeeds by presenting pop culture references and innuendos for the adults could smirk at while their kids enjoy all the pretty colors. It’s all of the seemingly effortless, character-driven, ensemble-type humor that the geniuses at Pixar have earned themselves a reputation for. And, actually, there seems to me more going on – more visual gags (and not one coffee place that’s called “Carbucks,” which you know the folks at Dreamworks wouldn’t have been able to resist…um, well, you know if you’re a dork, at least), more throwaway lines (“We have too much surplus as it is!” Ha.), and just more to notice than there has been in most, and maybe any, of Pixar’s other movies. Again, there’s just so much great, Pixaresque stuff here that I don’t know why they couldn’t translate any of it into the trailers.

And I’ll keep it brief (I mean…from here on out), but there is an actual plot, and most of it doesn’t revolve around NASCAR stuff (and the parts that do involve NASCAR are more fun than actual NASCAR). Oh, and remember in Toy Story 2 when Jessie the cowgirl has that flashback with Sarah McLachlan playing in the background, and, depending on who you’re watching the movie with, it gets kind of awkward, like, “Uh, what’s going on? Start being cool again, movie!” Yeah, well there’s another brief slow-song interlude in this one, which…I mean, they’re alright, and they don’t not work, and it’s nice how these segments prove that the writers are taking their talking-toys-or-cars as seriously as other movies take their human characters. So, all I’m saying, I guess, is: Be warned. There’s a slow song. And…still not so brief, eh?

But, so as to not end on a negative note: Not only was Cars better than I expected, but it was actually good, and, with my confidence in Pixar back where it should be, all is once again right with the world (well, aside from most of what's going on in the middle east). Oh, and stay for the credits! So great!

Background Noise: Life Could Be a Dream. It’s that old ‘50s song, with the “sh-boom sh-booms” in it (which looks so lame, typed out like that, but it’s a good old song), you know the one. Anyway, it's far from "in regular rotation" on my iPod, but I randomly clicked on it on the way there, and then they played it in the movie, which was really weird.


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