The Trouble with Quibbles: Brave

Brave is Pixar’s first fairy tale. It takes place in Olde Scotland. Princess Merida (voiced by Trainspotting‘s Kelly MacDonald) is a tomboy. Her mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), is grooming her to be married off to appease the four clans. The two reach an impasse when Merida encounters a witch in a mysterious forest who eventually changes her fate.

2012 Oscar Checklist – Part 6: Animated Shorts

Let’s just dive right in. Here are reviews for all 5 nominees for Best Animated Short.

Top Twenty of the Decade #14

Mike: Now put that thing back where it came from or so help me…

14. Monsters, Inc. (2001) – Dir. Pete Docter

For me, Pixar films fall into two categories, there’s Cars and A Bug’s Life, good, solid, but not great, then there’s everything else. Everything else is so good, so funny and so overwhelmingly better than almost anything else out there (especially animated films), that it becomes very hard to quantify.

An Open Letter to the Movie Studios

Hi, it’s me, Nathan Ayling. You don’t know me, which is probably a good thing because if I met any of you, I’d probably rip off my Empire Strikes Back t-shirt and stuff it down your delusional fucking throats. You’re having a bad summer, eh? No shit. I could have told you that. I could have told you that a year ago. “What’s wrong,” you ask. Well, here is the hard truth: I, Nathan Ayling, have seen three new movies this year, and when Nathan Ayling doesn’t go to the movies it’s a bad, bad thing.

Review: Toy Story 3

The reviews have been staggeringly positive, and it seems everyone and their mother already went to see PIXAR‘s latest animated feature over the weekend.  I find myself wondering what more I can add about this wonderful sequel that hasn’t already been dissected and placed high up on a pedestal.

I’ll start by saying I don’t think it is better than Toy Story 2.  I don’t think it is better than PIXAR’s last 3 achievements (UP, Wall·E, Ratatouille), but I do find it on par with Toy Story and I believe over time its many charms will only grow on me with each repeat viewing.  There is simply too much going on to soak every last detail in a single viewing.