From 1995 to 2010, all they did was crank out hits — both from a box-office perspective and a critical one. Until Cars 2's lukewarm reception by fans and critics alike, you couldn't point to a single one of their movies that could be qualified as a clunker.
In Hollywood, 15 years is a lifetime. Pixar survived for longer than many would have ever imagined, and how they would respond to their first misstep — if we could even call it that — would bear watching.
Now they're trotting our Brave, which, to their credit, looks unlike anything they've ever tried before. Instead of worrying about reverting to any semblance of a "formula" or trotting out another sequel, the studio went in the complete other direction with a sprawling epic.
Maybe it will work out. Maybe it won't. In either case, bravo to them for taking the risk.
Brave
The trailers seem to be having a tough time describing what exactly is going on here. Somehow, we get from "I don't want to be a lady" to "I accidentally unleashed a bunch of bears on the village," and I think the complexity of the plot may be holding the marketing back.
Since this is such a departure from how previous Pixar movies have looked and felt, maybe the marketing team wasn't willing to stray from their "we're funny and serious" reputation. Or maybe the project turned out to be a little too ambitious after all.
Taken 2
Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
Taken was fantastic, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised that it spawned a series of spinoffs that basically could have been spin-offs. "Taken With Wolves." "Taken in Space." Finally, finally, we get an honest-to-goodness sequel and it looks like everything it should be.
Bad guys out for revenge? Check. Liam Neeson doing his "take-out-the-bad-guys-with-one-punch" routine? Check. This looks like everything it needs to be. Meaning, awesome.
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
OK Steve Carrell, we get it. You're sensitive. You are a legitimate actor and all that good stuff.
But you are also hilarious and you can only do so many of these Little Miss Sunshine-type movies before people forget that. Don't be afraid to go all-in on the funny every once in a while. Please?
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
I can't believe that this is happening, but I'm pretty sure this movie is going to be a hit. That's pretty absurd.
Like Snakes on a Plane before it, this silly idea of a movie has gained so much momentum through word of mouth that it's nearly a necessity to see this, just to know how much you should make fun of it.
Twlight: Breaking Dawn Part 2
Really? You needed two movies to cram everything into this that merited it? No. Just… no.
