That is the whole point. I didn’t see ‘Cars’ because the concept was so out of touch with what I would see at the theater. If you remember, Disney stock got slaughtered due the enormous expecatations of the film. When the goals of the film, which did well by most films standards, failed to meet the wild hype surrounding the stock tanked.

My point is that Pixar isn’t making films for just your average every day movie-goer anymore. And I think that is going to hurt the company unless they come up with something like ‘The Incredibles’ (which caters as much to Adults as kids) or else they will turn into just another movie studio and not the “unique” entity it once was..

Frank, I have no idea what you are talking about. “The Incredibles” was significantly more niche than “Cars” and by being a fairly tough PG vs. safer G meant it was even more likely to miss out on the target audience that you speak of, namely the “average” viewer. Granted, The Incredibles was an awesome movie, not only my favorite Pixar but one of my all time favorites of all films. Cars was not, but was still a very good movie that I enjoyed as much as my 6 year old did.

But you will never win a “quality” argument using box-office returns. Some of my favorite movies didn’t make much money. Movies that are horrible sometimes make a lot of money. But to say Pixar is losing it because they didn’t reach the high water mark of Incredibles or Nemo is silly. I actually do watch movies that I don’t necessarily like or think I will like and can speak about it a bit more than you can. And I can safely say that Pixar hasn’t done crap like Over the Hedge, Shrek 3, Madagascar, etc. Their material will outlast all of those because to watch a Pixar movie you don’t need to know who the current bands/celebrities/movies of the day are to enjoy them. Timeless classics, all. I think Ratatouille, by the same guys who made Incredibles, has a good chance of being as good as their other material. Maybe not Incredibles or Nemo but certainly not the crap the other CG studios put out each year.

But Matt is right…if you want to call yourself “The Movie Guy” and not “Heard about a Movie Guy” then you really ought to watch the movies you review. If you want more people to read you and take you seriously, that is.

Well, I was dragged to a Ratatoullie early preview by a friend yesterday. I say “dragged” because the last two Pixar films left me empty. The Incredibles was overrated. I found the secondary characters, Edna and Frozone way more interesting and dynamic than any of the leads who were your basic stock characters. Cars….”Life is a highway”…..yeah…I was cringing throughout the movie. So, you could see why I wouldn’t want to see the new Pixar film.

But I watched it and it was brilliant. The Pixar people did their homework and I left this film craving really good food. The characters were fully fleshed out whether they were human or rat. The plot was very creative. Yes, there was a cliche romance but luckily, that wasn’t one of the main plot points. And, my word, the rats were cute. Throughout the film you could hear girls squealing, “So, cute!” The voice acting was top notch. The animation was amazing. Paris in the hands of Pixar looked magical. Peter O’Toole practically stole the film as a grim food critic who looked like he stepped out The Triplettes de Belleville.
And the music! No bad pop songs instead we got a soundtrack filled with Parisian cafe music. It was lovely.

So, give it a try. I want to see it again.

I have to agree with you Frank. What could be more unpalatable than a movie about a rat cooking in a kitchen? I saw the trailer and thought “what was Pixar thinking?” The kids with me were not impressed with the trailer either.

Frank’s “haven’t seen it, but I don’t like it anyway” attitude reminds me of the religious groups in years past (and to come) who, as a matter of kneejerk reflex, slammed countless good movies with religious themes for being offensive, blasphemous, whatever, before the movie even made it to the theaters. “Last Temptation of Christ,” “Dogma,” and even “DaVinci Code” were all recipients of this mindset. See the movie then give us your opinion. Otherwise, add a disclaimer that specifies that you are basing your critique on a preview or series of previews and NOT the actual movie. Tell me something about how your mind works - do you see every black person you’re about to encounter on the street as a potential gang member out to bust a cap in your ass?

mekki, it’s about Frank’s mindset - basing his “insights” on immediate first impressions - because he didn’t like the last one, he assumes he won’t like the next one, just on appearances alone.

Thanks for coming to my defense, mekki. I think that was a bit harsh myself.