Just one year ago, the century-long tradition of watching new films in theaters appeared to be in seriously dangerous trouble. Half-measure attempts to reopen theaters amidst the ongoing surges in COVID-19 cases kept a lot of people at home during…
‘Lightyear’ review: Pixar is mocking us, aren’t they?
For the first time in the history of the Toy Story franchise, we get to see things from the perspective of Andy Davis (did you know Buzz and Woody’s owner had a last name this whole time?) and understand what…
Infinity over? ‘Lightyear’ doesn’t have 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, signaling end of Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios has produced some of the most celebrated animated films of all time, from A Bug’s Life and The Good Dinosaur to Cars 2 and Cars 3. But the Emeryville-based dream factory couldn’t have anticipated such a negative…
‘Turning Red’ review: Director Domee Shi crafts a charming coming-of-age story for Pixar
In Domee Shi’s vibrant and empathetic Turning Red, she’s crafted a film that, like last year’s Luca, best exemplifies the potential Pixar has to tell character-driven stories that huddle under a universal umbrella. In the first film solely directed by…
Best Movies of 2021 So Far
From superhero franchise comebacks to post-COVID escapism, here are the best movies of 2021, at least for now. Starting with a movie already winning awards. It’s hard to believe we’re already past the halfway point of 2021, a year that…
Here are the 10 best Pixar movies, at least so far
Ranking the Pixar films is a lot like trying to choose between different types of french fries. Sure, everyone has their favorite, and some are even quite passionate about what they like, dislike, or outright worship. But, ultimately, they’re all…
‘Luca’ review: even for Pixar, this small-scale tale is a breath of fresh air
One of the most noticeable paradoxes within many Pixar films is the balance between cutting-edge computer animation with stories that tend to be slavishly nostalgic for the childhoods of the people making them. The Toy Story movies often lean into…