Tag Archives: Billy Crystal

Animation, Disney, Movies, My Favorite Scene

My Favorite Scene: Monsters, Inc. (2001) “The Door Chase”

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Pete Docter has emerged, over the years, to be the best director to come out of the Pixar brain trust that brought the original Toy Story to screens in 1995.  Monsters, Inc. was Docter’s first solo effort and, like Up and Inside Out after it, it’s very concept is an imagination coup in a company known for mind-blowing feats of imagination.  Unlike Up and Inside Out, Monsters never entirely lives up to its central idea (and the less said about the sequel the better), but the film is still an extremely solid entry in Pixar’s very competitive library of classics.


All kids have a feeling that there’s a monster somewhere in their bedrooms.  Docter uses this idea to form an entire society of monsters that live benignly off of the power generated by the screams of children.  It’s such a fantastic idea, and no scene realizes it better than the climatic chase between Mike & Sully and Randall as they race to try to get Boo back to her bedroom door.  The planet and reality hopping chase shows the full warehouse of doors and provides for the film’s best action (and some of its funniest moments). Monsters Inc. Poster

Movies, My Favorite Scene

My Favorite Scene: City Slickers (1991) – “One Thing”

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When Billy Crystal’s career is all said and done, he’ll most likely be remembered as the pre-eminent Oscar host of the modern age.  There’s no doubting that Crystal is talented and funny, but that has rarely translated to a good screen vehicle.  City Slickers is the best vehicle he’s had to showcase his wit and dramatic chops, playing one of three friends suffering a collective midlife crisis on a dude ranch vacation.  City Slickers deserves permanent props, if for nothing else, than it provided Jack Palance with his Oscar and one of the best Oscar moments of all-time.


Billy Crystal and Jack Palance in "City Slickers."Photo by Bruce McBroom

 

TV

2014 Emmys – Winners and Billy Crystal’s Tribute to Robin Williams

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The Emmys have a long history of making me throw things even more than the Oscars do, so I normally do not watch them, but since this was Breaking Bad’s last year, I caught the show.  Seth Meyers did a nice job hosting.  Matthew McConaughey took no end of abuse for encroaching on television.  The night’s highlight, though, which I’ve included above, was Billy Crystal’s moving tribute to his friend Robin Williams.

Modern Family won Best Comedy for the FIFTH straight year and Breaking Bad dominated the night, as it should, winning Best Drama, Actor, Writing and Supporting Actress.  Full list of the awards handed out at the ceremony below courtesy of the AP. Continue reading 2014 Emmys – Winners and Billy Crystal’s Tribute to Robin Williams →

Movies

Monsters University Easter Eggs

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Monsters University, Mike, Disney, Pixar

Pixar loves to throw little nods to past projects into their films and have going back to old short film references in the original Toy Story.  If you’ve seen Monsters University, did you catch these?

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

A113
This number refers to the classroom where John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Pete Docter, and Andrew Stanton studied at CalArts.


MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

Pizza Planet Delivery Truck
 The delivery truck in the drive away is the same one that carried Buzz and Woody to the now iconic pizza restaurant.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

Luxo
The ball with a star on it made it’s first appearance in a groundbreaking short produced in the early days of the studio.


Monsters University, Sully, Mike, Pixar, Disney

Movies, Review

Movie Review: Monsters University (2013)

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Monsters University, Mike, Disney, PixarIt’s not Cars 2.  Relax.  Peace out (drops the mic and walks off the keyboard).

More?  So needy, you people.  Pixar delivers a solid double with it’s 14th animated effort.  For any other studio this is incredibly, but it’s lumped in the middle pack of really good movies, below the classics, above the abomination.  It’s a fun expansion of the Monster world, clever, cute and fun for kids of all ages.


The film tells how Mike and Sully met at Monsters University roughly 10 years before the events of Monsters Inc.  Rather than destroy any affection you had for the characters like Cars 2 did, MU enhances the world in which they inhabit and give insight and depth to characters (especially Randall Boggs).

The animation is just astounding.  When you think Pixar could not possibly make something more gorgeous, they turn around and up themselves.  The vibrancy and diversity of the literally hundreds of monsters populating the screen at some points is incredible.  When you look at Boo in Monsters Inc and compare her to the kids in this film, the strides in complexity are night and day.


No Pixar film is complete without a short film (usually worth the price of admission alone) and MU’s is called The Blue Umbrella.  It takes its place amongst the other wonderful shorts, but I would be remiss if I didn’t say that this is THE best computer animation I have ever seen anywhere.  It’s astounding.  I could not believe it wasn’t live action.

Pixar is beginning to erase my ire (and as a notorious grudge holder that’s saying something) over Cars 2 with two fun outings in Brave and Monsters University.  Next year is The Good Dinosaur and 2015 will have both Pete Docter‘s Inside Out and Finding Dory, so the future looks bright once more for the best name in family entertainment.
8.25/10
Monsters University, Sully, Mike, Pixar, Disney