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From Worst To Best: Ranking The Pixar Movies

  • By Drew Taylor
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  • June 19, 2013 2:50 PM
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  • 16 Comments
Pixar Feature
Features
This weekend Pixar's latest digital marvel, "Monsters University," roars into theaters (you can read our review here). Few studios can claim the kind of quality that Pixar often does – for a while there it was the most critically and commercially adored studio in the history of cinema (though they are not without their faults). And for good reason. It seemed like year after year they would commit a new classic, an endlessly re-watchable delight full of characters that will be beloved by children the world over for decades to come. In fact, the amount of excellence made ranking the films a blurry and burdensome proposition. But in hindsight (and after a couple of shoddy 3D conversions), it becomes clearer which movies are truly more special than others. This is what we've attempted to do, with our worst-to-best Pixar retrospective.
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More: Features, Pixar, Toy Story 3, Brave, Monsters Inc., Monsters University, Up, Wall E, Cars 2, Feature

Review: Disney/Pixar's 'Monsters University'

  • By Drew Taylor
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  • June 17, 2013 10:56 AM
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  • 2 Comments
Reviews
When Disney/Pixar’s “Monsters Inc” was released way back in the fall of 2001, it was easily the studio’s warmest and endearingly heart-tugging feature. But “Monsters Inc,” in its vision of a monstrous universe that derives its power from children’s screams, was also the studio’s most self-contained feature; it was so emotionally fulfilling that it didn’t beg for further installments. Which is what makes “Monsters University,” the new “Monsters Inc” prequel, so baffling. Did anyone really stop to think, gee I wonder what Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sulley (John Goodman) were like in monster college? The answer, of course, is no. The great, totally welcome shock, however, is how vibrant, hilarious and emotionally resonant “Monsters University” is. It might be wholly unnecessary, but you can’t help but love it anyway.
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More: Reviews, Review, Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Monsters University, Pixar, Monsters Inc.

What Are You Seeing This Weekend? 'This Is 40' & 'Jack Reacher' Are 'On The Road' At 'Zero Dark Thirty'

  • By Emma Bernstein
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  • December 21, 2012 5:21 PM
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  • 6 Comments
News
Well folks, today is the Mayan Apocalypse, the official end of the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar -- which doesn't sound so bad -- and, possibly, the world as we know it, which sounds pretty terrible. If we're all still here tomorrow (or tonight, for that matter), there is a delectable spread of filmic morsels on this weekend's menu. The latest Judd Apatow feature, Tom Cruise's new moody thriller, the first direct cinematic adaptation of Jack Kerouac's most famous work, and Kathryn Bigelow's second venture into modern warfare will grace the nation's silver screens, and we would encourage you to indulge where possible. So, toast the end of planet Earth while you tell us what you hope you'll be seeing in the comments section below. It probably wouldn't hurt to knock on wood or rub a rabbit's foot too. No, seriously: we really want to see "Gangster Squad" next year.
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More: This Is 40, Jack Reacher, The Guilt Trip, Zero Dark Thirty, The Impossible, On The Road, Barbara, Not Fade Away, No Rest For The Wicked, Amour, Django, Monsters Inc.

Review: 'Monsters, Inc.' In 3D Is Just As Much Fun As It Was The First Time Around

  • By Drew Taylor
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  • December 21, 2012 10:20 AM
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  • 1 Comment
Reviews
"Monsters, Inc." represented a lot of firsts for the Pixar animation studio. Released in the fall of 2001, it was the first film without the direct supervision of John Lasseter, who had directed the three previous films for the studio and remains its chief creative force. It was also the first of their films to not be set entirely in "our" world (instead it was located in a distinctly monstrous alternate universe); the first one to feature a human character in the lead, too (the young girl Boo). And it would be the last to be wed to the patented Pixar buddy movie formula, although subsequent films have incorporated that element to varying degrees. But it's easy to forget about all the groundbreaking qualities when watching "Monsters, Inc," in a newly 3D-ified version, on the big screen this week, and just get lost in all the crazy fun (again).
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More: Monsters Inc., Review

Watch: Trailer For 3D Re-Release Of Pixar's 'Monsters Inc.'

  • By Drew Taylor
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  • September 6, 2012 1:45 PM
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  • 2 Comments
News
The 3D-ization train rolls on! After last year's 3D re-release of "The Lion King," initially a limited engagement gimmick meant to promote the Blu-ray release, brought in almost $100 million for the Mouse House, the floodgates opened. This month sees the release of a 3D version of Pixar's aquatic fable "Finding Nemo," (which we saw yesterday, and admit was pretty cool). And come December, "Monsters Inc." will be reissued in a newly stereoscopic format, the poster and trailer for which have just arrived.
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More: Monsters Inc., Monsters University, Pixar

Warner Bros. Considers Moving 'Gangster Squad' To January 11, 2013

  • By Cain Rodriguez
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  • July 25, 2012 8:36 AM
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  • 14 Comments
News
In the wake of the awful tragedy in Aurora, Colorado, it was revealed earlier this week that Warner Bros. had decided to remove a sequence from the Ruben Fleischer film “Gangster Squad” that featured gangsters shooting through a movie screen toward an audience and that the studio was already planning reshoots in order to make the then-locked-in September 7th release date.
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More: Gangster Squad, The Conjuring, Monsters Inc.

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