Tag Archives: Pixar

2020 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2020 Oscar Predictions — Best Animated Short Film

January 26, 2020 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

The short film categories can be somewhat frustrating in terms of availability. ShortsTV generally puts out a limited theatrical run the week before the Oscars, but even then it can be difficult to find depending on your area. As such, I must do my annual obligatory apology for not seeing every film. Daughter is the missing link this year, but it is not favored to win. So I will talk around the issue.

As for the others: Hair Love is on YouTube, Kitbull is on Disney+ and YouTube, Sister is on director Siki Song’s website, and Memorable is on Vimeo.

The Nominees:

Continue reading 2020 Oscar Predictions — Best Animated Short Film →

2020 Academy Awards, All Movie Reviews, Animation, Like It

2020 Oscar Nominated Animated Short Film Reviews – Hair Love, Kitbull, Sister

January 15, 2020 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

The Oscar nominations have dropped. Among them are a number of great short films. Three of the contenders for Best Animated Short Film are currently available to view online: Hair Love, Kitbull, and Sister. And they’re all worth seeking out.

Hair Love

Hair Love is my favorite short film of 2019. Released through Sony Pictures Animation and playing before the inferior The Angry Birds Movie 2, Matthew A. Cherry’s film is Continue reading 2020 Oscar Nominated Animated Short Film Reviews – Hair Love, Kitbull, Sister →

All Movie Reviews, Animation, Like It, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

Toy Story 4 (2019) Movie Review

June 26, 2019 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Note: I don’t spoil any major plot points in this review, but I hint at aspects of Toy Story 4 that could be construed as spoilers. So let’s just call this a spoiler review.

Walking into Pixar’s Toy Story 4, I thought the pertinent question would be: was a fourth installment necessary? Given how most Pixar sequels have not lived up to their predecessors (Toy Story 2 being the most notable exception) and how Toy Story 3 presents an adequate ending to the then trilogy, it made little sense for a fourth film to exist beyond the want for money.

Sitting through the first act of Josh Cooley’s film, however, this questioning starts to disappear. Toy Story 4 may not wind up being Continue reading Toy Story 4 (2019) Movie Review →

All Movie Reviews, Quickie Reviews (<400 Words), Short Films

2019 Academy Awards Best Animated Short Film Shortlist Reviews

December 29, 2018 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

The 2019 Oscar nominations will be announced on January 23, 2019. But the Academy has already narrowed down its candidates in many categories. For Best Animated Short Film, that list is down to 10. Of those 10 shortlisted short films, I have reviews for nine.

Shall we?

Age of Sail

In 1900, a lonely sailor (Ian McShane) sets himself adrift on his lowly sailboat, sharing the seas with huge ships. Having lost Continue reading 2019 Academy Awards Best Animated Short Film Shortlist Reviews →

All Movie Reviews, Animation, Comedy, Like It, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

Incredibles 2 (2018) Movie Review

June 16, 2018 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Brad Bird’s first contribution to Pixar animation, 2004’s The Incredibles, was a rather prescient film. Using 1960s Silver Age superhero comics as inspiration, The Incredibles foresaw a future of superhero films and cheekily toyed with the tropes before they were firmly established (the modern era of the genre, led by Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy and the formation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was a few years away).

It commented on a lack of female representation in the world of caped crusaders. Its plot involved complications around fear and distrust over supers, long before Captain America: Civil War and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. And how many modern silver screen superheros still Continue reading Incredibles 2 (2018) Movie Review →

All Movie Reviews, Animation, Like It, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

Coco (2017) Movie Review

November 27, 2017 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Pixar films often run on a formula of a handful of sure-fire tropes. A protagonist with dreams bigger than the present situation, prevented from acting on those dreams by external forces. A sidekick character who either doesn’t talk or has way too much to say. A supporting character who turns out to be evil at the third act break. The hero’s journey, all in pursuit of a theme that revolves around family and/or finding oneself.

Coco does not deviate wildly from this formula, certainly not as much as Continue reading Coco (2017) Movie Review →

Box Office Predictions, Movie News

Weekend Box Office Predictions: June 23 – June 25

June 20, 2017 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

All roads have been cleared for Transformers: The Last Knight this weekend. The only new wide release film domestically, The Last Knight will open in 3,900 screens.

This doesn’t mean that other films aren’t around to put up competition, but will any of them be able to topple the box office behemoth that is Transformers?

Box Office Predictions: Weekend of 6/23

Continue reading Weekend Box Office Predictions: June 23 – June 25 →

All Movie Reviews, Animation, Like It, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

Cars 3 (2017) Movie Review

June 15, 2017 Alex Brannan 1 Comment

Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) isn’t the youthful race car he once was. In fact, Cars 3 makes it a point to reiterate again and again that McQueen is quite old. Given the age of sentient cars is an abstract, hard-to-track concept, I guess this is acceptable.

Technology has advanced (somehow…who builds these cars?) to the point where new rookie racers are optimized for high percentage wins (then again, if antagonist Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer) is the next big thing, wouldn’t all the new cars optimize to the same level of racing, thus making all races even again? And if McQueen can be given those advancements as well, what exactly is stopping him from Continue reading Cars 3 (2017) Movie Review →

Box Office Predictions, Movie News

Weekend Box Office Predictions: June 16 – June 18

June 13, 2017 Alex Brannan Leave a comment

Mid-June 2017 sees the release of four new wide release films at the domestic box office, all in various genres. The Tupac biopic All Eyez on Me, releasing in 2,400 theaters, will look to bank off of the success of 2015’s similar Straight Outta Compton. Shark thriller 47 Meters Down—3,500 theaters—will look to bank off of the minor success of last year’s The Shallows.

Then there is Disney-Pixar’s Summer effort Cars 3. The first sequel in the series made about $50 million less than the original, which itself is only the 10th highest grossing film in the Pixar family.

Along with these new films, potential flops like The Mummy and runaway successes like Wonder Woman continue their box office runs this weekend.

With all of these films competing, let’s try to maneuver a box office top five for this weekend. Shall we?

Box Office Predictions: Weekend of 6/16

Continue reading Weekend Box Office Predictions: June 16 – June 18 →

All Movie Reviews, Animation, Love It, Short Films

Piper (2016) Short Film Review

June 16, 2016 Alex Brannan 1 Comment

Piper is the latest in a long line of pre-feature Pixar short films. This particular animated short debuted ahead of Finding Dory, and, while Finding Dory is an all right time at the movies, Piper may blow it out of the water (apologies for the pun).