Boom, Bang, Bust

I walked to the mall yesterday at 11am and got tickets to see Lightyear with J and the Kiddo for a 5pm showing.  Tickets in hand, I headed to the exit and on the way I saw a cookie stand in the mall for a place we’ve tried before when J brought home cookie treats from school one day.  Well, who doesn’t love cookie treats?  I figured Kiddo would be down, I am a connoisseur of Cookerous Fruit, and J will eat a good cookie from time to time, so why not get some treats.  And it was a buy 3 get 1, so a free cookie.  Well, maybe Beer would like a cookie.  So, I got cookie treats for the family.  Yeah, Beer is like family.  Just like Mabel was like family.  They care for and teach and help Kiddo grow, explore, and learn.  Of course they are in our circle of people we care for… and they always will be in that circle.

The movie was a surprise for Kiddo.  We didn’t want to promise and have the movie be sold out or only in the Thai language to open or something.  Coming home with cookies and movie tickets… Let’s just say our little jumping bean went full ping pong mode and literally leapt in place for a good 90 seconds solid.  Her level of energy and physical output in that one minute would equal my daily output.  She is just SO FULL of life and energy.

Heading out for the movie later in the day and again, Kiddo is in full excitement mode.  

We get there and we get popcorn and a soda and Kiddo is bursting at this point.  

We got to the theater and sat in our seats at 4:51pm and we are the first people in the movie.  Others start to trickle in over the next ten minutes.  When the movie started there were 17 people in the theater.  Guess pre buying was a bit of overkill.

I had reservations about Lightyear when I first heard about it.  In the first Toy Story movie, Buzz spent the majority of the movie believing he was a real Ranger with Woody constantly reminding him - “YOU ARE A TOY!”  How can a toy have a backstory?  They explained that away in the opening frame.  Oh, ok… clever and neat.  Good call back.  Nice.

It was a mess.  Kiddo was bored during it and switched between J’s lap and mine.  Looked at her feet for a while.  Cuddled and just laid on me for a bit.  Because the movie wasn’t a kid’s movie.  It was a fan service movie in a loved universe with a loved character with no real good plot, story, or set up.  None of what you saw in Buzz aligned with the Toy Story character as he lacked confidence.  He lacked swag.  Unless he didn’t.  And then he was a damned invincible super being, but we had no build up to that or insight that he could be that.  He just was… as the plot needed.  And I know…. I know…. It’s not about the character Buzz from Toy Story but a meta thing about the movie about the toy that was in Toy Story.  Blah blah blah.  Bad is bad.  Clunky and convoluted is clunky and convoluted.  

Pixar missed with this one.  A lot.  Maybe as a 12 part series on Disney+ at 33-38 minutes each, so you could dig into the story a bit would fit better, but as a movie.  Nope.  And it was too long.  At an hour forty minutes.  Kiddo can and has sat thru longer films.  But 1:40 felt long for this movie.  Too long.  

Maybe because Soul and Turning Red were both direct to streaming so Pixar used a name (Buzz Lightyear) to ensure that Disney would give them a theatrical release, but that’s a guess.  It’s the only reason I can see why this film was made and released.  I think it will hurt more than help Pixar in the long run.  Disney needs to either absorb Pixar and just make that style and animation their main hub for cartoons and animated films or they need to let it go and sell it off so they can make “Disney” animated films and Pixar can have independence and control once more and get back to it’s roots with Toy Story, Nemo, Monsters, Ratatouille, Up, and those stories that kids can enjoy but that tell a story, have a deep meaning and feeling to it.  Because this Disney release or control is hampering the studio, in my opinion.

I look at Coco and Inside/Out and think of how they crushed me emotionally and what amazing stories they told, both Monster films and the Toy Story films are about friendship, commitment to a cause and idea and how doing right and good, even in the face of long odds and sacrifice.  Wall-E was like a modern silent film.  Ratatouille had a bad guy that was obvious, but then it had the critic.  A multi-layered story about kindness, belief in self, friendship, family, but also doing your best, even if it means you will lose.  Lightyear was fan service, name recognition, and a character that did that “right” thing late in the film and for no other reason than to drive the plot.  He said something in complete conflict with the Home is where you make it message not 2 minutes before he needs to recognize it to move the plot and movie forward.  

I’ve read Candide, Don Quixote, Bartleby and The Confederacy of Dunces.  I didn’t need a movie with the same type coincidently everything just works out cuz reasons and the character is just some average cast about who seems to always have things work out in their favor.  Pixar is better than that; Or so I thought.

Credit where due however.  Sox the cat, as a character was great.  Again, convenient with its “powers” and involvement in the plot at times, but all in all, they made the character snarky, funny, and a good trope.  Part R2D2, part comic relief, part side kick…. I laughed or clapped to myself about a half dozen times for Sox.  The rest of the move, D-.

I’d love to see Pixar do something like The Bad Guys where they do a caper movie of sorts.  Or dig into Aboriginal legend set in The Outback.  That could be wild and cool.  Maybe even go back to the Bug’s Life world with a new story set in that universe.  Take something and give it heart.  Then make it smart.  Next comes some personality and a feeling.  Lastly, make it look good, but it’s Pixar and they have a look, feel, and style.  It could be done.  It should be done.  Fingers crossed they get back to it, because the next release looks to be 2023 and named Elemental.  I’ll wait for reviews and maybe just stream it.  <Sigh>

Before I go and since I’m babbling movies….

John Wick.  Brilliant movie.  The sequels are good.  Solid.   Good world building, but the action just starts getting ridiculous (re-dica-lus as Poley would say) and you just need to go in knowing that it’s an action flick.  It’s a Keanu film though.  I think if they ever changed Wick, ala James Bond, it would ruin it.  But, for now, you got Keanu.  Run with it.

However, a 4th is coming.  Set for end of March 2023.  

And after the cult like success of the 3rd Bill and Ted movie, I’d love to see Keanu bring in Alex Winters for a cameo in the film.

Have John need some weapon or thing.  The world is set up like that.  Tailors who do bulletproofing, Butchers who are knife suppliers, etc etc.  Have John need an item.  A man named Rufus could tell him about it.  He goes to a Circle K and walks in.  An older burn out type dude is working.  The door open and John walks in…

Clerk- Help ya, Dude?

JW- Ummmm…. Yeah.  Rufus sent me.

Clerk - EXCELLENT!

JW- For a package.

Clerk- No problem (air guitar for a quick second)… He did tell you the price, right?

JW- No, he didn’t mention.

Clerk- It’s 69 Dude!

JW just nods.  Fade.  See JW walking out with a package or item or weapon or whatever.

If the clerk was played by Alex Winters as a play on his Bill character…. I mean, it’s a quick one minute scene that would just be fun and could fit in the world of JW as a little Easter egg.  And if the producers of John Wick read this and want more ideas; Let me know, I’ll work for a flat rate.  A pricy one, but still, flat rate.  LOL

OK, time to weekend with the family.  I’ll be back tomorrow or next week at some point.  Everyone take care until then.