Pixar - Jeffrey Overstreet

Reconsidering Basterds, and Catching Up with Rightwing Film Geek

Is it wise for me to tell you that my opinion of Inglourious Basterds has changed dramatically over the past few weeks? I don't have a review yet to back up that claim. I keep starting to write one, and then my thoughts and feelings continue to evolve.

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Good news from Pixar

Box office is no indication of quality, but it's a joy to see great work that achieves success. Lee Unkrich at Pixar is on Twitter, and he just posted this: I'm thrilled that the two Pixar films that had the lowest pre-release expectations have become our

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With email like this, who needs reviews?

An email from my dear friend Bryan Rust (CAUTION: "Mild" spoilers.) : Hi Jeffrey:Jane and I finally made it to see Up! My only regret is that I forgot to bring Kleenex. This is, after all, a Pixar movie, and I should always anticipate that There Will Be

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Congratulations to Tyler Petty, Winner of the "Up" Review Contest!

It was a tough decision. I liked certain aspects of all three reviews that were submitted, but after some arguing with myself, I decided that Tyler Petty's review scored the most points with me. I liked his focus on how the film measures up to other family films;

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An Elevating Contest: Looking Closer Readers Review "Up"

Okay, I'm going to pick the poster-winner on Wednesday. But these are the three considerations of Up that came in. I present them warts and all!I'd love to hear from readers about which reviewer has earned the Up poster. If you pick a favorite, please

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Review contest: A Poster is "Up" for Grabs

Review contest! Send me your 600- to 1200-word review of Pixar's Up. My favorite entry wins an Up poster & publication here at Looking Closer. (I may publish more than one if I get some good ones.) Email joverstreet at gmail.com. Deadline: Monday at noon, Seattle time.

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Yes, You Should See It

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Up, Up... and a Rave!

Hey, guess what! Looks like this new Pixar movie might be worth seeing! Yep, the latest film from the most consistently impressive filmmaking team at work in the world today is almost here. I'm so thrilled to be reviewing movies in the age of Pixar. What a joy

Looking Elsewhere

Browser: ArtsandFaith.com, Pixar Wine, Nick Cave's Gladiator 2, St. Vincent... and Love.

I'm sorry that things have been slow on the blog lately. I've just wrapped up an essay for an upcoming issue of Image, and I'm burning the midnight oil as I revise Raven's Ladder for an early 2010 publication. But I'

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Pixar's "Up" at Cannes; Pete Docter Talks Faith and Filmmaking

I'm happy to see Pixar's new film opening on the kind of platform that the studio deserves. Up is opening the Cannes Film Festival with a presentation in Disney Digital 3-D on Wednesday May 13th, 2009. That marks the first time an animated film has opened

Looking Elsewhere

Browser - "Snowpocalypse" edition: Over the Rhine, U2, WALL-E, Sam Phillips

Merry Christmas, everybody! I've just returned from Cincinnati, where I joined about 2,500 friends to celebrate Over the Rhine's 20th anniversary. We enjoyed three days of concerts, the reunion of Over the Rhine's original lineup, and music spanning their whole career. I'

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The Los Angeles Film Critics: "WALL-E is the Best Movie of 2008"

Something is happening. Among American film critics, WALL-E is emerging as a favorite for the year's Best Picture. The L.A. Film Critics just joined TIME's Richard Corliss and The New Yorker's Anthony Lane, heralding Pixar's movie as the Best Film of

Oscars

Make your case: Why We Love WALL-E.

It's the most joyous time of the year. Yes, I'm talking about Oscar season. Okay, maybe "joyous" is too strong a word, but I do love this season, because critics start celebrating and championing their favorite films, albums, books, etc. And after a season

Film Reviews

Ratatouille (2007)

This review was originally published in June 2007 at Christianity Today. • Attention, parents, kids, anybody who appreciates good movies and great food! Ratatouille is a feast so fantastic you'll go running back for seconds. And if you pay close attention, you'll also see that it'

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Up! Up! And away we go in a... a balloonhouse.

Buckle up. Pixar's going to lift your spirits.

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WALL-E magic. Also: "Wit" and "Passion" and Painful Movies

No, they caaaaan't take that awayyyy from me.... I'm loving the raves for WALL-E. The first and the second time I saw the film, I came away saying, "I can't review this movie. Not yet. Because I can't explain the power

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Browser, 6/23: One-scene Wonders; N.T. Wright on The Colbert Report; Four Novels for Summer Reading; Sixpence's Christmas; Enough with the Pixar-bashing; Back to Blade Runner

The Browser: News & links to raise your eyebrows & furrow your brow. Small wonders At The Onion AV Club (via Cinematical), they're counting down their favorite one-scene wonders. What's you're favorite? Personally, I cannot argue with their pick for #1. But what about

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When Will a Pixar Movie Win Best Picture?

Watch this, think back to the lasting excellence of Pixar's productions, and ask... what will it take for one of their films to be treated with the kind of respect Juno's receiving? [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TKiurxbWTk&rel=1&border=1]

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Pixar Fun: Spot the In-Joke!

Jim Hill has just posted a fantastic guide to all of the ways in which one Pixar movie has been referenced in another Pixar movie. Did you know Nemo appears in Monsters Inc.? Did you know that Tin Toy appears in Lifted? Have you noticed the rubber ball that has

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Don't Underestimate the Rat in the Kitchen

Before Pixar's Ratatouille opened, the grumbling began in the industry, saying that it was too smart for kids, too sophisticated to be another Pixar smash-hit. And when it failed to break records immediately, it was quickly a subject of scandal. Was Pixar slipping? Was their focus on storytelling

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Coming to Save the Summer: Remy the Rat

I saw Ratatouille today. Finally... a summer movie that delivers. That enchants. That makes you glad to be a moviegoer. And how could you have expected anything less? It's a movie from the mind of Brad Bird and the animation wizards at Pixar. Of course it's

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Stock (Plot) Car Racing?

Does "Cars" maintain Pixar's string of smashingly great films? Personally, I don't subscribe to the popular opinion that all of Pixar's films have been four-star classics. A Bug's Life, as colorful as it was, never did much for me, and

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Want to Buy a Pixar? Sorry. Sold Out.

Scott Cunningham reveals the evidence pointing to Disney's purchase of Pixar. Shazbot. And I'd been saving for so long... Oh well, at least I can afford one more peppermint mocha at Starbucks before the season's over. Wait... the season's over??! I concur

Looking Elsewhere

Today's specials: Richard Thompson. Fagin. Harry Potter. Pixar. And more.

Today's specials: * Richard Thompson's first solo album in ages, Front Parlour Ballads, is earning a bunch of raves and a few surprisingly contrary complaints. * Ho hum... here it comes. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ... the new international trailer. Hmmm. Some very nice effects on

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A tragic loss: Head of Pixar story department dies in crash.

The single most distinguishing strength of Pixar is its unparalleled storytelling. For all of its breakthroughs in digital animation, each and every one of Pixar's films is exemplary in character development, plotting, comedy, drama, and note-perfect climaxes. The stories are rich with moral lessons without being preachy. These