Jon Negroni 
Disney’s Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (yes, that is the full title) gives us a lot to chew on with its latest trailer. While the earlier teasers focused on the general conceit of a Disney-fied internet, this second official trailer introduces a fully baked story and some actual…ideas.
Go on…The New Wreck-It Ralph 2 Trailer Finally Gives Us A Plot
Franchise, franchise, franchise! The Predator aims to be a revival of the late 80s action franchise continued by a direct sequel, two spin-off crossovers, and a previous attempt at reigniting the hunt. Directed and co-written by Shane Black (who appeared in the first Predator), this latest imagining of the alien horrors is an action horror…comedy? On Cinemaholics this week, I discuss how that works with Will Ashton of Cinemablend and Maveryke Hines, our sound producer.
Mini reviews this week include A Simple Favor, Bojack Horseman Season 5, White Boy Rick, The Nun, Peppermint, Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4, Iron Fist Season 2, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Season 1, and The Dragon Prince Season 1.
Next week: Should we review The House with a Clock in its Walls or Life Itself? Let us know which you’d prefer in the comments!
We also have a big announcement…
“Why the president of Pixar doesn’t believe in mission statements” – from Simone Stolzoff at Quartz:
Mission statements get plastered on office walls and then forgotten about, which is why Ed Catmull, the president of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, doesn’t believe in them.
At messaging company Slack’s annual summit last week, Catmull told the crowd that Pixar, which he cofounded, doesn’t have a mission statement. “When you come up with a mission statement, you come up with an answer,” Catmull said. “And an answer is the wrong place to start a discussion.”
If you’ve been following the recent controversies surrounding Pixar and its treatment of employees, you have cause to be worried about the future of the animation studio. But the above is a good point for Catmull to make. He explains that any “mission statement” for a business should be an “ongoing dialogue among employees,” as Stolzoff describes it.
Pixar movies aren’t really known for having great plot twists. But there are still a few good ones here and there that we can appreciate.
So which Pixar “plot twist” is the best? This isn’t an easy question to answer, and obviously Pixar fans will spar and disagree over the top 5, let alone the very best. That said, I’ve devised my own rating system for each of Pixar’s most relevant plot twists, and to answer this question for myself, I’m breaking down the Pixar filmography movie by movie to assign these ratings and form my own conclusion accordingly.
But first, let’s define what a plot twist really is as best we can. To keep things simple, I consider a plot twist to be a radical shift in the expected outcome of the plot. Normally, we would only consider these to be plot twists if they happen closer to the end of the story, but I think a great plot twist can be revealed as early as the second act.
(Warning, this post contains spoilers for every single Pixar movie!)
Let’s begin with Pixar’s first feature-length film: Toy Story.
We have an exciting film season ahead of us, so as voted by the listeners, here’s our full preview of what you should be watching this fall. From Damien Chazelle’s Neil Armstrong biopic and Barry Jenkins’s adaptation of the classic James Baldwin novel, to the horror remake antics of Halloween and Suspiria, there’s something for just about everyone to enjoy over the next three months.
Effects Artist Jason Johnston on the process behind Jack Jack’s powers:
“We met with the Art Director, Ralph Eggleston, and he was very specific in that Jack-Jack is the source of the fire, he’s not on fire,” Johnston added. “And what that means is that there’ll be no smoke and no embers ever coming off of him, but things that he has lit on fire can have them.”
Another crucial element: “We also don’t want it to be scary.”
Go on…How Pixar Brought Jack Jack’s Powers To Life In Incredibles 2
Yesterday on Twitter, Incredibles 2 director Brad Bird teased the release of a new short film that will reveal what took place the night Edna Mode babysat Jack Jack.
Fans of the movie should remember about midway through the film, a weary Mr. Incredible handed Jack Jack off to an unassuming Edna Mode for a night off, only to find both characters in transformed spirits the morning after. So…what happened?
Go on…This New ‘Incredibles 2’ Short Film Is About Edna and Jack Jack