It was fairly obvious that co-directors John Lasseter and Brad Lewis decided that their follow-up to the original “Cars” (2006) — which Lasseter also-co-directed — needed to broaden its scope beyond the small town of Radiator Springs. While I found the original as touching and charming as anything else Pixar has done,  many found the original subpar, and my guess is that was at least in part due to the  provincial nature of the story. Much of Pixar’s magic comes from their wondrous ability to create a world and then take us on a dazzling tour throughout it. The world of “Cars” was indeed small, but the good news is that by contrast, the world of “Cars 2″ is as exotic and worldly as any James Bond film.

And I say that because “Cars 2” opens like a James Bond film, and this is quite intentional. The story as a whole can be summed up with the word “spy-jinx,” and the opener involving Sir Michael Caine as a sleek, British super agent is pure 007 in tone, style, and the way in which it sets up a diabolical conspiracy involving Big Oil’s willingness to kill in order to strangle in the crib a promising alternative fuel.

From there we are sent back to Radiator Springs, where Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) has returned home from a successful tour of the racing circuit for some relaxation  and to hang out with his best friend Tow Mater (a superb Larry the Cable Guy). One thing leads to another, most of it due to Mater’s buffoonery, and before you know it, Mater and Lightning are touring Europe for a World Grand Prix and Mater has been mistaken for an undercover secret agent who holds the key to the Big Oil conspiracy.

The story itself is disappointing, far below Pixar’s usual imaginative and emotional standards, which is a disappointment. The emotional wallop is lacking due to a weak, predictable subplot involving the friendship between Lightning and Mater. Laziest of all is the Big Oil bad guy. You might have been able to forgive the preachier moments if there was any imagination at work.  Big Oil, really? I dislike big business almost as much as big government, but what I really dislike is lazy storytelling.

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It’s difficult to dislike a Pixar movie because the studio is well-known for telling great stories with wonderful animation. After all, this is the studio that released the “Toy Story” trilogy and the heart-warming “Up.” “Cars 2,” the newest Pixar film to hit theaters, continues the studio’s tradition of great animation but its story falls short and fails to capture the wonderment of some of the studio’s earlier films.

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The flaws in “Cars 2” are especially evident because the feature-length story is preceded by a short “Toy Story” film.  The short film displays the creativity and imagination that is sorely lacking in “Cars 2.” Despite the fact that the “Toy Story” crew has already been featured in three films, the new story about Ken and Barbie missing out on a Hawaiian vacation is inventive and extremely funny. The feature film that follows can’t hold a candle to it.

In “Cars 2,“ Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is challenged by European opponent Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro) to compete in the World Grand Prix, an international racing competition. After prodding from girlfriend Sally (Bonnie Hunt), McQueen decides to bring his friend Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) along with him. Mater, who acts like he’s never been on a vacation before, quickly begins embarrassing his friend overseas. Mater also becomes mixed up in a spy plot that involves two secret agents, voiced by Emily Mortimer and Michael Caine respectively.

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The original “Cars” is considered something of a redheaded stepchild in the Pixar world, and I think I understand why. The scope of the picture isn’t like the others. The story’s mostly set in a very small town as opposed to other Pixar classics that tend to expand their concepts on to a much bigger and wider canvas. Having only seen “Cars” at home as opposed to the theatre, I actually found that the smaller, toned-down scale was one of the film’s many charms. And when you consider the culture we live in today, where Hollywood frequently sneers at small town America and its values, it was refreshing to see a sympathetic portrayal of  that world.

Obviously, if the trailer is any indication, “Cars 2″ intends to blow open its scope in a major way, which is probably a good idea. Someone told me the reason Pixar was so eager to make a “Cars” sequel was due to the merchandising. The film itself might not have done “Toy Story 3″ business, but the “Cars” merchandise was through the roof.

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Like the everyday pizza it so closely resembles, the new Fast Five offers one thing and one thing only. Forget fancy toppings and artisanal crusts; sometimes you just want something round and reddish. This movie is that pie. And like Domino’s, it delivers.

If you remember The Fast and the Furious, the first entry in this 10-year-old franchise, you’ve already seen this picture. Like the four previous installments, Fast Five gives only the most minimal of nods to plot and characters, concentrating instead on high-end hot rods, screaming tires, and general vehicular mayhem. The stars, once again, are Vin Diesel, playing ex-con street racer Dominic Toretto, and Paul Walker, as ex-lawman street racer Brian O’Conner. Also on hand one more time is Jordana Brewster as Mia, who is both Dom’s sister and Paul’s girlfriend and, when pressed, a pretty fair wheel-girl, too.

This time out, the three leads have gone to ground in Rio de Janeiro, on the lam following the barrage of action that opens the movie. Their attention is soon drawn to a local crime lord named Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), who disdains banks and instead keeps his ill-gotten multimillions in safe houses around the city. Dom and Brian want this money. To rip it off, Dom puts out a call to several actors who’ve been resting up from various earlier films, and soon we’re joined by a team of heist specialists that includes Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, and onetime Miss Israel Gal Gadot (whose prize-winning butt plays a key role in the proceedings). To reveal that this crew ultimately manages to separate Reyes from his money spoils, I’m sure, nothing.

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There is a long history of cultural exchange between British and American television. Sometimes the American results are better than the British versions, like Sanford and Son. Some are wildly successful without making major changes, like American Idol. Some are carefully adapted, taking into account the cultural differences of two countries separated, as Winston Churchill said, by a common language, like Law and Order: UK. Others are humiliating failures because the producers didn’t have a clue what made the original great. All three American versions of Fawlty Towers would fall into this category.

Unfortunately for the Americanized version of the long running BBC hit Top Gear, it is trending into the third category. The show is lacking three elements: originality, chemistry among the hosts, and humor. That’s a shame because it has a lot going for it. The best asset of the show, after the cars, is comedian Adam Ferrara. I will readily admit that I have a bias towards my fellow comics doing well but the problem is that the producers of the show seem to lack the humor gene. In the six episodes I have seen thus far they haven’t let Adam loose. The closest they came was when he got a ticket for speeding on the causeway to Key West.  After watching the rest of the episode I wasn’t sure if this was an actual event or staged for the camera.

More on that in just a few minutes. Let me back up and admit I am a huge fan of the British version or the show. The three “presenters,” as they are called in the U.K., seem to have a real friendship and mutual respect even though they constantly “slag” on each other.  I realize that relationship has been built over the years but even when I go back and look at older seasons of Top Gear on DVD that chemistry is still there. The two other hosts of the American show, Tanner Foust and Rutledge Wood, seem to be a little out of their element as hosts, despite the fact that Mr. Wood has experience as a reporter for NASCAR and Speed Network.  I don’t want to be too negative about Mr. Wood. He has a “good old boy” hominess that I think could work to his and the show’s advantage, but it seems that the producers haven’t figured that out just yet.  Secondly the British version is anchored by Jeremy Clarkson; though one of  three hosts, he’s obviously the boss and the center of the show.  I believe having a “boss” on screen would help give the American show some definition and Mr. Ferrara would be a natural fit. (more…)

[Ed. Note: Since this appreciation piece is what gave me the idea for the We Love Pixar series, I asked Christian to kick things off for us. Much, much more to come.]

You never forget your first Pixar film. For me, it was the 1999 smash “Toy Story 2,” a movie I had no interest in at the time. My new roommate had invited me to see it at the local movie house, probably as a way for us to bond. Men don’t order up a round of Appletinis and talk about our feelings. We watch movies.

I gulped hard and said, “sure,” less than eager to offend. In the back of my mind I thought, “why does my roommate want to see a children’s film?”

Sometimes it’s best to trust your roommate and ignore preconceived notions. In my defense most animated films at the time were meant for children. Pixar changed all that.

“Toy Story 2” left me enthralled, plain and simple. It wasn’t the computer animation that got me hooked. Yes, the visuals were fascinating, especially for someone weaned on old-school cel animation. But the storytelling proved superior to anything I had seen at the movies in months, if not years. Buzz, Woody and the gang were like old friends, given life by actors who understood the stakes at play. That meant appealing not to just the audience’s inner child, but their fully adult selves, too. (more…)

So last week I was reading up on the “Cash for Clunkers” program – which just got approved by the Senate – hoping to talk about it on the show. I gave up, however, because it didn’t make any sense to me.

Then it dawned on me. It didn’t have to make sense! It’s a government program. As long as it’s paved with good intentions, it doesn’t matter if it’s a road to nowhere.

So let me try to make sense of this for you (believe me, it’s not easy).

The goal here is to get gas-guzzlers off the roads. So the government is offering a voucher worth anywhere between $3500 to $4500 for your guzzler, which must then be used to buy a new car. How do you qualify? (more…)

Jeffrey Katzenberg and Dreamworks Animation have definitively proven that Digital 3-D is a blockbuster format. Not only has Monsters vs. Aliens seized a monstrous $58.2M in opening weekend ticket sales, Real-D (the technology provider) and Dreamworks have revealed that $25M or so of that gross was generated specifically from 3-D and IMAX 3-D. Fox is reporting that fully 43% of the total take was from the estimated 2,218 Digital 3-D screens.

MONSTERS VS. ALIENS tore up the box office this weekend - especially in 3-D

That means that the Per Screen Average for the movie in 3-D was about $11,700, while the 4,800 or so traditional 35MM 2-D engagements had a Per Theatre of just an estimated $4,780. Exhibitors who figured out a way to overcome the credit crunch and pay the estimated $100,000 to convert a traditional theatre into one that can show Digital 3-D made a killing this weekend.

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This CNN video shows us that in these tough economic times, there is only one place to turn for tips on how to live well–Communism.

Watching this report from Havana, it almost seems fun living under totalitarian rule–Cubans are certainly “free” to work long hours on their cars. Communism also teaches you to make do with less, helping you to be more creative and resourceful, and affording you the opportunity to tool around in a classic Chevy or Caddy. Just look at that grill–living in Cuba is like being in the movie “Grease!”

CNN forgot to mention the other way that Cubans love to tinker with their vehicles.