Ok, the Awesomesauce is now boiling.
Very short one:
viewfromspc.blogspot.com/2008_06_08_archive.html
Friday, I saw a screening of Wall-E, Disney-Pixar’s next movie (comes out June 27th). To be competely honest I am not sure how I feel about the movie. There were a lot of laughs, some emotional moments and a pretty deep message… the movie definitely gets you thinking - not a classic kids movie.
Reviews from IMDB (don’t know if we can trust them):
imdb.com/title/tt0910970/usercomments
1. Review
[i]We went to the San Francisco Film Institute’s first public screening at their campus in Emeryville. Everyone’s sworn to secrecy, but for a film with little dialog, it carries more of an emotional punch and has a richer story than any live-action movie this year. The tone and style of the film is completely different for Pixar, and Disney haven’t tried to override the darker thematic elements at all, making the story surprisingly three-dimensional.
This will end up being the animated film of the year and I had the same ‘wow’ feeling as after seeing Ratatouille. Considering that animated films have always played second-fiddle to live-action, and have been aimed at kids, it’s ironic that once again Pixar produces a film that rivals any live action on every level. Bravo![/i]
More from the same reviewer:
[i]I was lucky enough to see the movie at Pixar Studios in Emeryville and I have to say…
It’s easily the best film in the last 1-2 years.
I’m not allowed to talk specifics, but I’d say:
- Lack of dialog is a good thing. It reminds me why we watch films in the first place.
- The change in Pixar’s style is total and amazing: you won’t believe how it looks.
- There’s a social commentary angle which is quite dark but very intriguing. I’m surprised Disney let it go, but I guess Pixar calls the shots these guys.
Anyway, go see it!:[/i]
Man, what a cool gift:
[i]My wife bought it for me as an anniversary gift. 
It was $100 a ticket via the San Francisco Film Institute and I’m amazed it wasn’t more packed. The buffet was great (drank tons of wine), and I got to tour the public part of the facility that had all the memorabilia and cells from their movies.
Everyone was very friendly, and there was a Q&A after the showing with Jim Morris and Ben Burtt which was really interesting…
- Ben showed everyone how to use a slinky to create a laser gun noise.
- Ben buys all his gadgets and toys on eBay, apparently.
- Jim said “they didn’t set out to make An Inconvenient Truth - The Cartoon” which everyone thought was funny.
Overall, a great evening, rounded out by the fact it was a great movie. Man I want a job at Pixar… if only I had any talent. [/i]
2. Review
[i]I just returned from an advanced benefit screening of WALL*E, and I want to be careful not to spill too much regarding the movie. I had the added privilege of watching the film at Pixar, which in and of itself, was amazing.
This picture is not a cartoon; it is a film. In fact, it even has the LOOK of film. One of my complaints of more recent 3-D/CG animated films (not from Pixar) is that they all seem to look the same… clean lines, crisp colors, and very “virtual”, for lack of a better term. WALLE transcends the typical look of CG animation, and has a true to life “grit.” The creators at Pixar are true artists, and are indeed masters of their craft. Not only are they masters of the technology, they are masters of telling a story. WALLE is no exception.
The best way to describe the film is as a science fiction, comedy, dramatic love story. WALL*E, as a character, has dimension, personality, and heart… pretty impressive given that he is essentially a trash compactor. It is true that there is little dialogue in this feature, but I personally did not feel it detracted from the story at all.
WALL*E is very much a different Pixar film from it’s previous features. I will be curious to see how it is received by others, but in my opinion, I think Pixar has stayed true to itself, demonstrating a commitment to telling great stories and pushing the edge of technology to leave your jaw dropping! My most sincere compliments to Andrew Stanton, Jim Morris, John Lasseter, Ben Burtt, and all the creative forces at Pixar. Can’t wait to see what the future brings…[/i]
One more to go:
botjunkie.com/2008/06/09/ver … ovie-ever/
[i]It’s official: Wall-E is the best robot movie ever.
Frequent readers of BotJunkie have probably noticed that I’ve gotten a little bit excited about Pixar’s latest animated feature. I was at the first non-internal screening of Wall-E this Saturday, and let me tell you, despite the near sub-orbital altitude of my expectations, the movie exceeded them. By a lot. I’m not going to spoil any of it for you (the Pixar people asked us nicely not to), but as you would expect from Pixar, pretty much the entire movie is spectacular in both visuals and plot. As you might expect, there are tons of delicious little robot in-jokes, as well as homages to sci-fi movies from the past. And although Wall-E and Eve both look, and act, like robots, they manage to seem more human than any of the humans in the movie. I’d love to just keep on gushing, but honestly, I feel like I need to see Wall-E at least twice more before I’ll be able to appreciate it full.
So, get yourself some tickets for opening night (June 27). If you have to stand in line, in the rain, and the snow, barefoot, uphill both ways, do it. You’ll love this movie, I promise.
Oh, and BTW… The customary Pixar short that precedes Wall-E is just about the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I nearly died laughing. It involves a bunny and a magic hat and that’s all I’m going to say about that.[/i]
Be strong, you’ll make it through this thread.
theincitingincident.blogspot.com … rfect.html
As it should have, the Pixar screening went well. Their studio is huge and amazing and wow. Very humbling to be there, seeing the first “civilian” screening of the film. It’s a great show, by the way. I recommend it on the idea of two robots in love, both with a five or six word vocabulary. But the entire story is in typical Pixar fashion; maybe “cute” is the right word? They do a neat job of pulling a story almost solely on characterization and sound effects. Speaking of sound, we got a demonstration from their foley artist (aka sound effects guy, he’s done most of Lucas’ works of late) and he imitated a lot of the robot noises, background sounds, laser effects (it’s so inventive, almost too obvious sometimes).
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