Monday Morning Quarterback Part I

By BOP Staff

June 23, 2015

I feel like there's a lot more crazy things than that running around in my head.

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David Mumpower: First of all, you people are out of your minds in criticizing Cars. It's flat out a better film that their biggest box office hits to date, Finding Nemo and Toy Story 3. I'll grant that Cars 2 is disappointing, but even as the second worst Pixar movie to date, it's still plenty entertaining. Sometimes, I think we expect too much of the Pixar brand, and it makes us harsher when products don't match our lofty level of anticipation. Their worst film thus far is A Bug's Life, which is a blueprint example of the sophomore slump. After Toy Story, they simply didn't have a fully formed thought for a second film, which makes DreamWorks' decision to rip it off with Antz all the more confusing.

As far as favorites, this is a company that has made a lot of masterpieces. I believe that with all my heart. So, when I exclude films like WALL-E and Ratatouille from the list, it almost pains me. Still, I know the Pixar movies I've watched the most, and that's The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc., and Up. Out of those three, The Incredibles is my favorite although Up is probably the best overall film in terms of quality. Parts of it are still a bit difficult for me to watch, and I hold that against it, perhaps unfairly.




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Inside Out would sadly fall toward the bottom of my list. It's a film that I admire more than I love, which makes me history's greatest monster according to the majority of the internet right now. I'm glad everyone else loves it, but I would have enjoyed it more if the advertising hadn't hinted that everyone would have their own set of emotions rather than focusing almost exclusively on the developmental process of a young girl. I love that Pixar has filled a niche here (and by niche, I mean the majority of the population) by telling a story that is the female equivalent of Where the Wild Things Are. I just found it a bit more interesting as an intellectual exercise than an entertaining movie. Basically, when Pixar appeals to more people than ever with their biggest blockbusters, those titles have a tendency to leave me a bit cold for some reason. It's happened three times now, whether that's coincidental or not.

Kim Hollis: Up and Monsters, Inc. go in my top two slots. From there, it's a lot trickier, because I genuinely love the majority of Pixar's filmography. I haven't decided where to slot Inside Out yet, mainly because I feel like it will gain something on repeat showings. But there's a chance that my three favorite films are all from Pete Docter, which is probably saying something about his creative mind matching my imaginative fancy. For now, though, I think I'll choose Ratatouille for that third spot. I love its message and I love that it was brave enough to tell the story of a rat.

As for least favorite, it's probably Cars 2, but I actually quite enjoyed it. Plus, it has Bruce Campbell in it.


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