Release: 2011
Runtime: 1 hour, 53 min
Genre: Family, Animation, Comedy, Adventure
Language: English
MPAA Rating: ?PG?
Starring: Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Michael Caine, Brent Musburger, Joe Mantegna, Darrell Waltrip

SYNOPSIS: Star race car Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race. But the road to the championship becomes rocky as Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.

Pixar’s Cars 2 opens tomorrow (June 24) across the nation. Although I was certain that I would hate the original, I found Cars to very good – it’s no Toy Story – but I enjoyed it. Therefore, I’m looking forward to viewing the sequel, Cars 2. In that light here is some of the hype leading up to its general release on Friday.

Trailers

Theatrical Trailer

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Trailer 2

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Trailer 3

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Reviews

User reviews on IMDB:

We all know that Pixar makes incredible movies, I personally have never disliked a Pixar film. The first “Cars” film, was a great movie, not a perfect film. It was one of the least better films, Pixar has made, but that’s like saying, Insomnia was one of Christopher Nolan’s worst films. I had high expectations when coming to see the film, like I always have before I see a Pixar film.

After my viewing of the film, I have to say Pixar never fails to produce a great, entertaining film. Although it doesn’t reach the heights of Wall-E, Toy Story 3, etc. It still stands by itself pretty high up there. The animation is extremely well done, the look of the film is amazing. The voice actors are great, I miss Paul Newman though. Although the film is not perfect. The movie is not perfect though, the story is not great, but not bad, the movie does not have the emotional as other Pixar films, but it is definitely not a heartless film. But the film is definitely entertaining and a great beginning to 2011 Summer movie season. Take your whole family to see this movie, it will probably not disappoint. It will not only satisfy kids, but also the adults, this film is for everyone. Fun for kids, but the adults can also connect with it and will have a great time watching this movie in theaters. It is quite an adventure and I will be glad to give it a second viewing.

Popularity: 2%

Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space, either sending objects (or in some cases just information) backwards in time to some moment before the present, or sending objects forward from the present to the future without the need to experience the intervening period (at least not at the normal rate). Although time travel has been a common plot device in fiction since the 19th century, and one-way travel into the future is arguably possible given the phenomenon of time dilation based on velocity in the theory of special relativity (exemplified by the twin paradox), as well as gravitational time dilation in the theory of general relativity, it is currently unknown whether the laws of physics would allow backwards time travel. Any technological device, whether fictional or hypothetical, that is used to achieve time travel is commonly known as a time machine.

Metromix Chicago recently presented their list of The best adventures through past, present and future. We think they missed a few: Here is their list and our additions. All summaries are provided by IMDb.
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Popularity: 24%

Gathered friends, listen again to our legend, of the Bionicle. In a time, before time, the Great Spirit, Mata Nui, fell from the heavens, carrying we, the ones called the Matoran. We were separate, and without purpose, so the Great Spirit illuminated us with the three virtues: Unity, Duty, and Destiny!
– Turaga Vakama, Bionicle: Mask of Light

As the father of two boys, I have just finished watching the four Bionicle movies with them. A strange experience to say the least; the Bionicle movies describe a world of heroic, living machines possessing a bizarre blended theology of polytheism and Eastern philosophy. Since I sat through all four, (some more than once) Goozlepipe presents the first of a four-part review.

When I was a child LEGOs were brightly colored, nearly indestructible plastic blocks that you could use to build anything your wanted… as long as it was roughly rectangular. But times have changed. Sleek and stylized, LEGO’s Bionicle (“biological” + “chronicle”) is a line of toys marketed primarily to 6 – 16 year-old boys.

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Popularity: 5%

I am a great tracker. My pack sent me on a special mission, all by myself. Have you seen a bird? I am going to find one, and I am on the scent. I am a great tracker; did I mention that?

Release: 2009
Runtime: 1 hour, 36 min
Genre: Family, Animation, Comedy, Adventure
Language: English
MPAA Rating: PG
Starring: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson, John Ratzenberger

Amazon Link: Pixar’s UP

SYNOPSIS: Young Carl Fredrickson meets an adventure-minded girl named Ellie. Both dream of moving to Paradise Falls, an isolated plateau in South America. Seventy years later, Ellie has died and Carl is determined to fulfill their dreams of moving to Paradise Falls. When Carl inadvertently hits a construction worker, he is sentenced to a retirement home. But before they can take him away, he and his house fly away, along with a stowaway: an eight-year-old boy named Russell. Together, they embark in an adventure, encountering talking dogs, and a lost hero turned villain, and a rare bird named Kevin.

Up to this point, I have enjoyed Pixar’s movies, with the exception of the revulsion-inducing, vermin-infested “Ratatouille.” Even “Cars,” which was a bit too NASCAR for me, had a great story and fabulous characters. “Up,” unfortunately, does not meet Pixar’s previously high standards for storytelling.

Up’s uninteresting story of the old widower and his stowaway is technically competent with moments of visual inspiration: Carl’s balloons are like translucent gumballs, sunlight shines through them midflight and suffuses a little girl’s room with color. But heavy-handed sentimentality and a goofy, uninteresting script trump those artistic points. (more…)

Popularity: 5%

Climbing Mount Everest is challenge that most of us can not even begin to fathom. Yet there are many people who are obsessed with the thought of this life-threatening challenge. In a single day of the 1996 climbing season (May 11, 1996) eight people died on Mount Everest during summit attempts. In the entire season, fifteen people died trying to reach the summit, making it the deadliest single year in Everest history. The disaster gained wide publicity and raised questions about the commercialization of Everest.

One weekend, we watched Into Thin Air (1997) on Netflix’ streaming service. During the movie, we sat shaking our head wondering why anyone would attempt the climb. Yet afterwards, I found myself drawn back to the events of the 1996 season, fascinated at the audacity of the climbers. As a topic, Everest has been the subject of numerous films and documentaries:

Into Thin Air: Death on Everest (1997) – An adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s best selling book, “Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster“. This movie attempts to re-create the disastrous events that took place during the Mount Everest climb on May 10, 1996. It also follows Jon Krakauer throughout the movie, and portrays what he was going through while climbing this mountain.

Everest: IMAX (1998) – An international team of climbers ascends Mt. Everest in the spring of 1996. The film depicts their lengthy preparations for the climb, their trek to the summit, and their successful return to Base Camp. It also shows many of the challenges the group faced, including avalanches, lack of oxygen, treacherous ice walls, and a deadly blizzard.

FRONTLINE: Storm over Everest (2008) – As darkness fell on May 10, 1996, a fast-moving storm of unimaginable ferocity trapped three climbing teams high on the slopes of Mount Everest. The exhausted climbers were soon lost far from the safety of High Camp at 26,000 feet. World-renowned climber and filmmaker David Breashears, who aided the rescue efforts back in 1996, now returns to Everest to shed new light on the worst climbing tragedy in Everest’s history.

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Popularity: 14%