MovieFest

10/10 You'll need to see this captivating movie twice to appreciate the scope of its visual wit and technological mastery. Oddly enough, this wasn't the only computer-animated movie about bugs to come out in the fall of 1998; Antz was released just a month before, and the difference between the two animated bug movies is epitomized by their lead characters. Antz has Z, voiced by Woody Allen as -- well -- Woody Allen, angst-ridden, in analysis, searching for individual identity in a world of conformity. A Bug's Life has Canadian actor/comedian Dave Foley providing his voice as Flik, an All-American ant-next-door type who is inventive, brave, and extremely loyal. Helped by outstanding voice talent, the rest of the movie's characters are quirky and endearing enough to make you forget they are computer-animated. Lending their voices are Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Phyllis Diller, Kevin Spacey, Richard Kind,...

There's not much to say about Toy Story that hasn't already been said, so I'm going to keep it short and sweet. There's plenty of cleverness throughout this film, and the story keeps moving at a great pace; there's truly never a dull moment in these toys' lives. This Pixar release was the first feature film animated entirely by computer. Although the dazzling technology is especially well suited to a story in which the major characters are made out of plastic, it's the unpretentious imagination and energy of the people behind the story and the outstanding vocal performances that make the movie an instant classic.

🌟 Pixar Week 🌟 Up 🌟 Review 🌟 10/10 🌟 Pixar brought to life a multi-generational odd couple in a film that's visually stunning, surprisingly touching, and unsurprisingly delightful. After nine films (at the time of it's release in 2009), Pixar's legend was and is still very well known; it's the only studio with a perfect record both commercially (each of its releases has grossed more than $150 million) and critically and that record is still going strong 8 year's later. Up is no exception on the latter front, and considering the demand for family entertainment that is getting more demanding as the years go by, is there any wonder as to why it was a big hit money-wise, too. The beginning of the film is an unexpected tearjerker following the entire marriage -- from first sight to widowhood -- of adventurous-at-heart Carl and Ellie Fredricksen. But he bulk of the story, as the trailer promises, is Carl and Russell's amazing skyward journey to Paradise Fa...

🌟 Pixar Week 🌟 The Incredibles 🌟 Review 🌟 10/10🌟 Probably my favourite Pixar movie ever, alongside 'Up'. So, as my Little Man Harvey should be arriving in the coming month, I thought this a perfect oppurtunity to re-watch as many Pixar movies as I possibly can this coming week and review them for you lovely people! Truthfully, it's just another excuse for me to watch them again! What is most "incredible" and most engaging about this film is how credible it is. Writer-director Brad Bird and the brainiacs at Pixar climbed the Mount Everest of animation back in 2004 and created human characters as vivid and believable and utterly endearing as any who have ever appeared on film -- animation, live-action, and everything in between. In a witty prologue, we see the superheroes being interviewed. As Mr. Incredible leans toward the TV camera, he gets slightly out of focus. It must have been tempting to take advantage of the endless precision of computer imag...