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Author Topic: Inside Out (2015) Carol May Film Handler Posts: 48 From: los angeles, ca, usa Registered: Nov 2006 posted 06-07-2015 12:20 PM                     I saw Inside Out at a screening at the Academy last night. What a bizarre story, of interest to child psychologists and existential philosophers, but I'm not sure what part of the general public will be attracted to it. It's certainly not a kiddie movie. The animation is very, very colorful. The main character Joy is Tinkerbell-esque in her shape and movements. Sadness has the most human qualities, I think. She tugs on her turtleneck collar, and even though she mostly says Sorry over and over, it worked, it was realistic. Richard Kind as a cotton candy pink elephant was also good. His bowler hat made me think of Zero Mostel. The movie is mostly a character piece, there isn't much action. Joy and Sadness get separated from the rest of the emotions, and it's about their making their way back to home base. No songs, no product tie-ins.  |  IP: Logged Jonathan Goeldner Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1360 From: Washington, District of Columbia Registered: Jun 2008 posted 06-08-2015 12:09 AM                     unlike Toy Story 2's "When She loved Me" Pixar doesn't really rely on songs to carry emotion  |  IP: Logged Sam Graham AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues. Posts: 1431 From: Waukee, IA Registered: Dec 2004 posted 06-20-2015 09:32 PM                        CINEMA: Broken Arrow Warren, Broken Arrow, OK AUDITORIUM: 8 PRESENTATION: Warren Grand Infinity Deep Curve Screen of Death 4K Digital from Freaking Laser Beams Dolby Atmos THX Andy Summers Incinerator Splurge Boogiepants PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: Why the hell are all these kids here? RATING: Three stars (out of four) THE PLOT: The inner workings of a child's mind get lost. Wackiness ensues. This is Pixar's "characters get lost and have to find their way back" formula. When done well, you get "Finding Nemo" and any of the "Toy Story" movies. This one is done well too, with a touching ending, and really seems to work for kids and girls. I'm not ready to trumpet it as a classic in the esteem of the movies previously noted, but it's still pretty great. The kids were ridiculously well behaved. It was like I was in Utah or something.  |  IP: Logged Jonathan Goeldner Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1360 From: Washington, District of Columbia Registered: Jun 2008 posted 06-20-2015 11:51 PM                     I had read somewhere that no one under the age of 6 would 'get' this movie - is this true?  |  IP: Logged Sam Graham AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues. Posts: 1431 From: Waukee, IA Registered: Dec 2004 posted 06-21-2015 08:45 PM                        If the ones at this show didn't, they didn't seem to care.  |  IP: Logged Jonathan Goeldner Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1360 From: Washington, District of Columbia Registered: Jun 2008 posted 06-27-2015 12:41 AM                     apparently when I was talking with my 11 year old nephew he wasn't wow'ed with this movie either - although he did like the characters of Anger and Sadness I saw it earlier in the week and was quite impressed with it. Amy Poehler as Joy was perfect. The 3D was great and the Atmos, the first I've heard for a Pixar movie, exemplified how much attention and detail is given to the overall sound mix.  |  IP: Logged Stu Jamieson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 524 From: Buccan, Qld, Australia Registered: Jan 2008 posted 06-27-2015 06:36 PM                     Pete Docter is a star of Pixar. He doesn't have the social profile of John Lasseter or even Brad Bird but as a story writer for Toy Story 1 and 2 and as the writer/director for two of Pixar's best efforts, Monster's Inc. and Up, he is clearly a serious talent worthy of greater recognition. His next project is Inside Out and it is a more than worthy addition to his already remarkable canon. It's no surprise that Disney is promoting Inside Out on the back of Up as (aside from the directorial connection) this is the Pixar film which it is most like to date. Both films employ very adult themes packaged in an easily digestible kiddie format. The film beautifully visualises the thought processes and memory structures of the human mind, distilling human emotions to five fundamentals - joy, sadness, anger, disgust and fear - and represents these as little people conflicting inside our heads, battling for control of any given situation. It all feels very true to tone and our ability to relate to these conflicting emotions crucially beguiles us to the films protagonist: 11 year old girl, Riley. When Riley's family is uprooted from from Minnesota to San Francisco, her difficulty in coping with this change creates internal emotional conflicts. With Joy and Sadness missing in action, Riley is left to negotiate her new circumstance with only Fear, Anger and Disgust at her disposal. Predictably, this doesn't go well, and we follow the adventures of Joy and Sadness as they attempt to return to Riley's "control room" and stabilise her emotional rollercoaster. The style of the visuals and storytelling is heavily flavoured by the likes of Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz and some sequences are suitably downright trippy and dreamlike. But despite all the cutesy animation and funny hijinks, as an adult viewer, there's no escaping the major theme here of an 11 year old girl whose bout of sadness thrusts her into depression and potential homelessness. It's a heady theme indeed, especially for a kids film, but fear not, a happy ending awaits you at the film's conclusion so you do get to go home feeling good about it. Thankfully the kids just go along for the funny ride and are spared the emotional trauma suffered by mum and dad. Inside Out is set to stake out a very special place in children's literature. It's a film squarely targeted at kids but it doesn't shy away from the hard realities of life. It shares the shelf with Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are and Shaun Tan's The Lost Thing as stories which will mature in a child's eyes as they grow older. This is no small achievement and as such Pixar have created something very rare indeed. I very much look forward to seeing my 8 year old watch this movie in the decades to come and to experience her gradual realisation as to what this story is really about. I hope (and expect) it mirrors my own experience with Sendak's masterwork. 10 out of 10 As a side note, the preceding short, Lava, is one of Pixar's lesser efforts - it's kind of creepy, actually, though I expect it's rooted in polynesian mythology - but thankfully this is in no way forecasts the quality of the following feature.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-27-2015 08:43 PM                        So far, I've only had the chance to see the short, which I thought was quite lovely. The feature, just from the audio tidbits I've been hearing from the office, sound like the movie should have been called "Leslie Knope Has a Weird Dream (featuring your favorite stars from 'The Office')." I was not a big fan of Up (except the first 15 minutes, which were outstanding) and I also was disappointed in Monsters Inc. because I was hoping it'd be as good as Toy Story and it wasn't. So I guess my expectations for this one have been lowered somewhat, but I'm looking forward to watching it in the next couple days.  |  IP: Logged Jonathan Goeldner Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1360 From: Washington, District of Columbia Registered: Jun 2008 posted 06-28-2015 01:13 AM                     oh and a little shout out to the short that's before the feature, 'Lava' fun, and really makes great use of the bass.  |  IP: Logged Stu Jamieson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 524 From: Buccan, Qld, Australia Registered: Jan 2008 posted 06-28-2015 06:14 AM                     Mike, you are the antiStu.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-28-2015 09:04 PM                        Sometimes, but I'm still reserving judgement until I actually get a chance to watch the movie. Maybe I also came off like I'm not a fan of Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) and the cast of The Office, but that's not the case -- those two TV shows were both awesome. I do have to definitely disagree with you about "Lava" though - I thought it was really cool and (as noted above) made great use of the bass as well.  |  IP: Logged Stu Jamieson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 524 From: Buccan, Qld, Australia Registered: Jan 2008 posted 06-28-2015 10:26 PM                     The trouble I have with Lava is the notion of the old guy taking the "just born" girl as a wife. I find that a little creepy. And the singers voice doesn't sit with that which you would expect from a lump of talking rock, so that's a bit off putting as well. And I also find the song a bit twee for my liking too. The short reminds me of Boundin' which I find intolerable.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-28-2015 11:09 PM                        Well there you go - I really liked Boundin' (maybe because Bud Luckey is a Montana guy and I could kind of relate to it). My wife and I still use the phrase, "Well that gets a nope!" once in a while. quote: Stu Jamieson The trouble I have with Lava is the notion of the old guy taking the "just born" girl as a wife. Don't think of him as the old guy -- he's been reborn, so he has a new life ahead. Besides, the pickings are pretty slim!  |  IP: Logged Geoff Jones Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 579 From: Broomfield, CO, USA Registered: Feb 2006 posted 06-28-2015 11:34 PM                        Oh please, Stu. Name a better musical volcano romance. Just one.  |  IP: Logged Stu Jamieson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 524 From: Buccan, Qld, Australia Registered: Jan 2008 posted 06-28-2015 11:44 PM                     Okay, you got me.  |  IP: Logged

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