film

Pixar’s ‘Sanjay’s Super Team’ Is Charming Everyone at Comic-Con

pixar sanjay

Say what you will about Pixar releasing two original films in one year, but you can’t deny how great it is that they’re also giving us two original shorts on top of those films.

Lava (the short attached to Inside Out) certainly struck a chord among audiences, but it’s looking like Sanjay’s Super Team will have an even stronger effect. The short film premiered back in June, but Pixar has given lucky Comic-Con attendees an early screening, and the response is excellent so far.

Go on…Pixar’s ‘Sanjay’s Super Team’ Is Charming Everyone at Comic-Con

Terminator Genisys Review, Should We Like Shia LaBeouf?

terminator genisys review

For the podcast this week, we all ignored our families to talk about a failed franchise about time travel and robots, as well as Channing Tatum’s abs. That’s right, we review Terminator Genisys and chat about Magic Mike XTRA XTRA LARGE.

We also cover a ton of entertainment news and new trailers that came out. I’m joined by Maria Garcia (who has a sore throat this week), Adonis Creed Gonzalez, Mike Overkill, and Kayla Savage.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Should we dislike Shia LaBeouf?

Go on…Terminator Genisys Review, Should We Like Shia LaBeouf?

Review: ‘Inside Out’ Is More Than Some Feelings

I’ve written a more comprehensive review for Inside Out elsewhere, but I thought it would be fitting to craft a shorter review for this site’s readers, many of them being longtime fans of Pixar Animation Studios.

Yes, Inside Out is the latest Pixar feature. It takes you inside the head of an 11-year old girl and tells you her story through her five emotions: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust.

Directed and produced by the team behind Up, this new story is all about the struggles of growing up. Its lessons aren’t cliche, however, in that the final message isn’t simply “do whatever makes you happy.” This is a staple of children movies that Inside Out rightfully tosses in favor of emotional truth.

inside out review

The movie doesn’t pull its heart-wrenching punches, but it’s also decisively clever and humorous. I haven’t laughed this much during a Pixar movie since Finding Nemo, which I consider Pixar’s funniest film ever. For that reason and others, I consider Inside Out Pixar’s overall best movie since Finding Nemo, and I’ve heard many say that the movie even surpasses that level of praise.

It’s easy to give Inside Out a little too much credit. Many of us have been yearning for an original Pixar feature of this caliber for years, and I’ll admit that I wanted this movie to be good. But I know myself, and I think I’m giving Inside Out the proper amount of praise based on both viewings I’ve had of the film so far.

Grade: A.

This is due to some minor nitpicks I have, including a missing antagonist for the movie and some of the film’s over-reliance on themes from other Pixar movies. If you’re curious about the score, then you can check out my full review on Moviepilot, where I discuss the film in detail.

Extra Credits

  • Yes, the movie will likely make you cry, so I suggest you pick a 3D showing that will hide your eyes.
  • Richard Kind voices Bing Bong, who has some of the film’s biggest laughs, next to…
  • Anger. Lewis Black killed it as my favorite emotion of the bunch.
  • I watched this movie in San Fransisco, which is where the movie takes place. This hyped up the setting for me, in that I recognized some of the locations they took right out of the map. I confirmed this with Ralph Eggleston, the art director, when I met him a few months back. Great guy.
  • LAVA is a fun short, especially if you love the ukulele as much as I do. For that reason, it’s a lot higher on my list of favorite shorts than some others, but I also didn’t love Blue Umbrella as much, so my opinion is weird.
  • Yes, this fits into the Pixar Theory. More on that later.

Inside Out was directed by Pete Docter and co-directed by Ronnie del Carmen. It was produced by Jonas Rivera and stars Amy Poehler (Joy), Phyllis Smith (Sadness), Mindy Kaling (Disgust), Lewis Black (Anger), Bill Hader (Fear), and Kaitlyn Dias (Riley).

PODCAST: Jurassic World, Movies That Defined Our Childhood

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This week on the podcast, we review Jurassic World, answer your feedback from last week, and then discuss the Top 5 movies that defined our childhood. Considering we’re all different ages, the results may vary.

Of course, we covered tons of movie news, trailers, and speculation you may have missed this week, and our Netflix Recommendation of the Week has been signed, sealed, and Adonis’ed.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What is the movie that defined YOUR childhood? Let us know in the comments or hit us up on Twitter: @NowConspiring

Go on…PODCAST: Jurassic World, Movies That Defined Our Childhood

Review: ‘Jurassic World’ Spared No Expense

Jurassic World mini review

Jurassic World is the fourth movie in the overall Jurassic Park franchise that kicked off 22 years ago. We’ve been waiting 14 years for a new movie, but does this return to Isla Nubar satisfy?

Turns out, it really does. Jurassic World is a ton of a fun, and I had a blast watching it. The enjoyment I gained from the movie even rivals the original Jurassic Park, which was a staple of my childhood (and yours, probably). But it’s a different movie with a different tone, and even some different things to say.

Go on…Review: ‘Jurassic World’ Spared No Expense

San Andreas, Aloha, Movie News This Week

san Andreas aloha movie news podcast

This week on the podcast, we talk about San Andreas (if 2012 was just in California basically) and Aloha (if Jerry Maguire  was just in Hawaii basically). But really, we spent most of our time trying to figure out which Beach Boys song is the best.

Go on…San Andreas, Aloha, Movie News This Week

‘Aloha’ Review — Jerry Maguire Goes Hawaii

aloha review

There’s a good, maybe even special, movie somewhere inside of Aloha, the latest Cameron Crowe offering that wants to recapture the magic of Crowe’s early, infectious work. Unfortunately, that hidden movie is quite exactly that: hidden. And it’s beneath a final product that feels harshly edited, despite being pretty confident.

Mounds of character-building scenes are replaced with conspicuous exposition and quick bits of dialogue that are meant to be “enough” for us to keep following along in this strange romantic story about a former-military privateer helping a billionaire launch a weaponized satellite. Or something. Oh, and there’s a quirky romance.

Go on…‘Aloha’ Review — Jerry Maguire Goes Hawaii