Goodbyes are at the forefront of Pixar’s tacked-on Toy Story 4, the studio’s fourth sequel in as many years and its flagship franchise’s first installment in almost a decade. There are parting glances throughout, the movie is book-ended by sendoffs, and one new character’s entire existence hinges on a gag in which he tries to…
Nature documentaries have recently come into a league of their own. With a combination of incredible new technology and scientific research, they are more able than ever to present us with the marvels of the natural world — and consequently, confront us with the realities of our environmental impact on these marvels. In this landscape,…
Sometimes gripping narratives detailing the familiar plight of teen girls do not necessarily have to be about the adversity of choice such as pregnancy, alcoholism, prostitution, domestic abuse, illiteracy or homelessness. There are youthful feminine coming-of-age stories that feel equally captivating in inspiration, determination and the spirit of competition and tradition. In filmmaker Otto Bell’s…
I am often chastised for expecting children’s film to be more than childish, but I think there are enough precedents to show that films which often appeal to younger crowds can also be pleasant for their parents (“Inside Out,” “Minions” and “Shaun the Sheep” come to mind in 2015 alone). That is certainly not my…
While not reaching the heights of the original (or other Pixar classics such as “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles,” or “Ratatouille,” among others), Monsters University, a prequel to “Monsters, Inc.,” is a more than decent entry into the lexicon and is certainly light year’s ahead of the last two studio productions, “Cars 2” and “Brave.” It…
You might recall Mike and Sulley from a nondescript movie some years ago, “Monsters, Inc.” Mike was a round green guy with one eye, Sulley was the big hairy blue guy and they were best of friends. They weren’t always the best of friends, though. In Disney/Pixar’s Monsters University, they’re actually rivals. Both of them…
“Most events are inexpressible, taking place in a realm which no word has ever entered, and more inexpressible than all else are works of art, mysterious existences, the life of which, while ours passes away, endures.” — Rainer Maria Rilke Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams is a fascinating journey back in time. In this…
