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Despicable Me

Cars 3 Needs Repair: Saving Radiator Springs

June 14, 2017 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Over the years, the Cars franchise has been widely viewed as the flat tire of the Pixar world.  Despite decent reviews, the first entry remains one of the lowest financial successes in their canon (not counting merchandise, of course).  When the utterly unforgivable second film was released, the franchise found itself left in a twisted wreck along the side of the road, better forgotten than salvaged.

And yet, here comes Cars 3.

It’s not a secret that, despite their poor showings at the box office, the Cars films have been motivated largely by merchandising.  (In fact, even though it was the lowest financial success in Pixar’s history at the time, the original Cars still brought in over a billion dollars in the toy store itself!)  Still, after the release of Cars 2, the franchise has been left with egg on its bumper and a stench from its tailpipe.

In light of that, much of the early marketing for the third entry into the franchise seems to be attempting to get return to its racing roots.  (In fact, even rumors of the return of Doc Hudson, long-deceased Paul Newman’s mentor to Lightning, suggests that Pixar is trying to reclaim the chemistry of the original film.

Still, with ‘race day’ upon us, I thought it might be wise to see what tinkering needs to happen in order for the world of Cars to cross the finish line at top speed.  With that in mind, let’s take a look under the hood…

BODY REPAIRS: Remember Who You Are

One of the most glaring issues with Cars 2 was simply the fact that they changed their tone so dramatically.  John Lasseter clearly cares about these characters but, in developing the sequel, abandoned them in favor of an action piece.  Excited about making his James Bond movie, Lasseter completely dropped any of the charm and character development of the first one for a fast-paced comedy with globe-trotting set pieces.  (Ironically, had they opted to create new characters, the film would likely have worked far better by freeing them up from the burden of characters and interactions they’d already established.)  The result was jarring and reeked of marketing opportunities.  To save the franchise, Cars 3 has to remember the characters that they began with and allow them to be themselves.

BRIGHTEN HEADLIGHTS: Focus your Story

It doesn’t take a road map to follow Lightning’s journey in the original Cars.  Whether or not you were a fan of the film, you can’t deny that the film had a specific goal in mind.  From the opening race, we had a clear understanding of what the film sought to do and where it wanted to go.  Lightning’s emotional journey was clearly going to be the central narrative arc with racing providing the central background.  By Cars 2 though, we were ‘treated’ to such misadventures as a race around the world, Mater’s mistaken identity, drummed up tension between Mater and Lightning, a bizarre plot about a villain who makes gas only to destroy it, AND a romantic subplot between Mater and Holly Shiftwell.  In other words… what was that movie about?  Even after watching it twice, I still have no idea.  For Cars 3 to succeed, it needs to offer a more streamlined story with a deeper focus on its primary characters.

WHEEL ALIGNMENT: Build on Lightning

Look, I get it.  Mater is highly marketable and, at times, steals the first movie from Lightning McQueen.  The temptation to focus on his adventures in the second film was incredibly high but, unfortunately, some characters don’t do well in the spotlight.  Like the Minions in the Despicable Me franchise, Mater’s role is best served in doses.  In Cars, he provided humble grounding to Lightning’s arrogance.  In Cars 2, that emotional grounding was all but stripped of him, emphasizing the fact that he simply didn’t belong in the larger world.  With a stronger confidence and a more interesting character arc, Lightning McQueen needs to be the foundation that the franchise builds itself around.  (Thankfully, based on all the early previews and trailers, it appears as though this mistake has been corrected through their emphasis on Lightning at every possible opportunity.)

ENGINE CHECK: Rediscover the Soul

One of the harshest criticisms leveled against the original Cars was the story’s emphasis on seemingly simplistic messages like ‘Slow down to enjoy life’ and ‘Friends first.’  To many, it was ‘hokey’.  To me, though, it was holistic.  In truth, the film’s messages are some of Pixar’s most counter-cultural in many ways.  While many other Pixar entries focus on common 21st Century cultural ideas as ‘be true to yourself’ or ‘never give up’, Cars actually introduces the idea of living a life of wholeness, rest and the value of the other over our own.  In a world that’s lost all sense of Sabbath repose, Cars is a reminder that there are greater things in life than what we’re being sold on a daily basis.  In many ways, it is a sensibility that remains at the deepest core of our spiritual longings.  However, in Cars 2, all of this is lost in favor of a poorly developed environmental theme.  (Don’t get me wrong.  I have no opposition at all to this line of thinking—in fact, it too is a deeply spiritual one—but the film offers no passion or heart behind it.  It offers nothing new to the viewers emotionally or spiritually.)

Cars 3 opens in theatres Friday, June 16th, 2017

Filed Under: Film Tagged With: Cars, Cars 2, Cars 3, Despicable Me, Despicable Me 3, Disney, Holly Shiftwell, Lightning McQueen, Mater, Minions, Pixar

Secret Life of Pets: One Furry Community

December 6, 2016 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

slop1In director Chris Renard’s (Despicable Me franchise) latest film, The Secret Life of Pets, a community of diverse and quirky animated animals unite to save the Jack Russell terrier Max (Louis C.K.) when Max’s territorial nature forces him into confrontation with his master’s new dog, the shaggy mongrel Duke (Eric Stonestreet). When Animal Control gets involved, Max and Duke find themselves fighting for their lives, even as separate groups of animals hunt for the two  as well.

The film ultimately proves the axiom/moral that we don’t really know someone until we’ve understood where they come from and what they’ve been through. We see how friendship and community matter, in a world that rejects us and struggles to accept us for who we are. Still, The Secret Life of Pets is best understood through its menagerie of animal personalities and the comedians who voice them.

slop3One of the biggest characters in personality if not size is Kevin Hart’s Snowball, a wild white rabbit who leads the revolution for animal freedom. We understand that he was once magical (a magician’s assistant that is) and lost his mind when his owner abandoned him. He wants to wreak havoc on humanity while seeking revenge, but he’s just… crazy.

slop2

Elsewhere, we meet Lake Bell’s Chloe, my personal favorite for a funny scene where a refrigerator gets cleaned out by her inability to stop eating. The animation of what the tabby cat is really thinking when her owner is away is just priceless, and certainly how cats really think! But this is truly and ensemble.

slop4Dana Carvey plays a wise old bassett hound who helps Gidget (Jenny Slate’s white Pomeranian) find her lost love – the unknowing Max. Max’s friends include the pug Mel (Bobby Moynihan) and the budgerigar Sweetpea (Tara Strong), but there’s a diversity in the other animals, from Albert Brooks’ red-tailed hawk Tiberius to the Himalayan cat Reginald (Steven Coogan). All of these actors (and comedians) provide ample entertainment value, but the animation by Illumination Entertainment literally makes the film memorable.

slop6

On Universal’s special features for the home media on Blu-ray and DVD, we hear from the actors about their characters in “Animals Can Talk” and learn more about the pets through “All About the Pets” with Hart, Stonestreet, and trainer Molly Mignon O’Neill, and “Hairstylist to the Dogs” with Stonestreet and groomer Jess Rona. “Hot Dog Sing-a-long” will help kids and adults join Duke and Max in singing in the sausage factory. Behind the scenes, fans can unpack “The Humans that Brought You Pets,” where producers Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, and directors Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney, share how they made the film.

slop5

Fans of the film will also appreciate the “Best of Snowball” feature, but the three new mini-movies will probably win everyone’s highest praise. (Only on the Blu-ray, fans can check out “How to Make an Animated Film” and the filmmakers’ “Anatomy of a Scene.”) While “Mower Minions” aired as a short prior to The Secret Life of Pets while in theaters, “Weenie” and “Norman Television” are additional bonuses.  There’s a special bonus on the making of those mini-movies as well, just for good measure.

A strong package that includes the clever, funny film and this many features, The Secret Life of Pets will entertain adults and kids – whether you like animals or not!

Filed Under: DVD, Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Chris Renard, Dana Carvey, Despicable Me, Eric Stonestreet, Illumination Entertainment, Kevin Hart, Louis C.K., Secret Life of Pets

Minions – Follow The Leader

December 8, 2015 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

minions

The widespread critical and commercial success of Despicable Me I & II guaranteed that the little yellow beings would get their own film. While the character of Gru (Steve Carrell) was their leader/master/boss in the original pair of films, the prequel, Minions, promised to fill us in on how Kevin, Stuart, and Bob ended up working in the lab and wreaking mischief everywhere.

While the beginning of the film provides a sort of ‘evolutionary tale’ of these single-celled organisms (complete with a T-Rex, Napoleon, and other bad guys) and their misadventures, the film’s narrative finds the Minions hitchhiking with the serial killing family, the Nelsons (Michael Keaton and Alison Janney). But when they fall in with Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock), they discover a whole new level of evil to follow, and their exploits continue.

If you enjoyed the first two films, you’ll enjoy seeing more of these likable deviants, but I’m not sure it’s quite as funny, mostly because of the absence of Carrell for most of the film. Bullock tries hard, and so does Jon Hamm as Scarlett’s husband, Herb. But while the Minions make for colorful additions, and stars of mini-movies like the ones included here in the 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Combo Pack, there isn’t enough story here to nail down a feature film. [Other exclusives include the Story of the Minions and an Interactive World Map.]

Still, there’s something to be said for the way that the Minions struggle to find a leader and then follow him/her. Realistically, we can be like that, too, can’t we? Whether it’s a spiritual leader or a world leader, we change our tunes, opinions, and ideas like the way the weather changes, blown about by the wind. Our ideas about what is true, what is right, and what is worthwhile can be bullied about by whoever we’ve heard from last, which is even more troubling in a world of constant news and opinion via social media, news, and public opinion. What does it mean to figure out what’s right? Will we know when we find it, or will we continue to wander hopelessly because we don’t even know what we’re looking for?

After several false starts, Minions figures out who or what it is, and locks in, just in time for the Despicable Me we know and love.

Filed Under: DVD, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Despicable Me, Minions, Sandra Bullock, Steve Carrell

Minions: Follow The Leader

July 13, 2015 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

minionsLet’s start with the basics: I find the two Despicable Me films to be laugh out loud funny. I think Steve Carell is great as Gru, and I think that there is comic genius in the idea of a villain fighting hard to be bad against the unassailable forces of three loving little girls.

The prequel to those two films, Minions, is not that kind of funny.

To be honest, the funniest portions probably take place when the minions stumble around early on trying to follow a T. Rex or Napoleon. When it gets into the bulk of the story, as three minions try to lead the way by finding Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock) at Villain-Con and then steal the Queen’s crown, it makes Despicable Me sense but it’s not Despicable Me funny.

But there’s one scene I’m telling everyone I know that they need to see. It’s in those crossroads, where the minion population has given up on the various villains they’ve tried to follow and are now hunkered down in a big, ice cave. They are numb, immobile, and joyless. They just don’t care about anything because there seems to be nothing to care about.

Then, Kevin (a minion) steps forward to lead them. No one wants to follow him… except Bob, a baby minion who he overlooks as being unimportant, and Stuart, a teenager who is accidentally appointed to his cause.

Kevin knows that sitting around, waiting for a leader, feeling the whole in their little minion hearts, is just the death of their ‘tribe.’ He knows they need a leader and they can’t find one sitting around in the same dark, cold cave they’ve been in for years. He knows they need to find and follow a true villainous leader. He knows they need a master.

Too often, we humans recognize that there’s a hole in our hearts but we try to fill it with stupid stuff. We try to fit material wealth, work, sex, money, relationships, church busy-ness into a God-sized hole. We try the same things people have been trying for thousands of years to numb the pain of purpose and calling. And we stay locked up in the same cycles, in the same dark prisons of doubt and insecurity.

We need someone to lead us out, to bring us out into the light, like Jesus brought Lazarus up out of the grave. We need Jesus to show us the way forward, to remind us that there’s so much better, so much greatness in store, if we would just follow the master, and be good disciples.

Filed Under: Featured, Film Tagged With: Despicable Me, Minions, Steve Carell

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