Wall E

[clifp]

My car was in the shop to fix the AC. Sadly it didn't get fixed, and will be expensive.

The good news is I got a chance to catch the first two shows of Wall-E. The movie is so good it almost made up for the car troubles.

The best movie I've seen this year, probably in the last two years, and if not my favorite Pixar movie right up there with Finding Nemo and Ratoullie.

If you don't pay attention to movies and are generally content to watch them on video, make an exception for Wall E but look for a matinee if you are retired I think it will be very population.. Don't take my word for it check out the 130 and counting critics who also loved it here

 

[ERD50]

test test test - got errors earlier.

Anyway, good to hear you liked it, I have loved every Pixar production.

I think some of them (maybe all of them) will be classics in 30-40 years. Of course, the parents will be telling the kids your Grandpa said he played with little green army men just like that. Plastic molding lines up/down the sides, no lights, no sounds. That's what they had to play with back then, really....

Will def check Wall-E out, I don't want to read too much, but have heard there is 'deep' side to the story, but still fun for kids.

-ERD50

 

[JB]

My car was in the shop to fix the AC. Sadly it didn't get fixed, and will be expensive.

Last year the AC failed in my 10 year old car. I brought it to an AC shop and he pumped the refrigerant out and tested for leaks. He didn't find much leakage, and said that I needed a new evaporator and drier, and was going to be pricey. So I went to Wallmart and bought a few cans of refrigerant with sealant. The install was straightforward and the AC has been working fine ever since.

 

[clifp]

To late it needed a new compressor, of course it dies 5 months after the warranty expires!

 

[Nords]

Dang, I just filled out the paperwork to donate the '94 Ford Taurus to Goodwill and they'll get back to us in a week or two. Let me know if you guys want a short-term loaner on a beat-up 19 mpg vehicle with icy cold two-year-old A/C.

We drove island beaters for a decade around here without air conditioning, and we never knew what we were missing. Now we can't live without it...

I'm gonna have to see Wall-E. Our kid misses most of the allusions & homages, and I'm going to have to study up before she gets the NetFlix DVD.

 

[clifp]

Wow after $1300 for a new compressor, and a new coil (not sure what that is) two days in the shop, my AC lasted 25 minutes before dying again....

On a happier note after people see Wall-E

Check out this promotional site for the Uber Walmart of the future BuyNLarge. I so want Wande the Washbot that does your laundry and folds you clothes...

 

[samclem]

I've had very poor luck with automotive AC repairs. Very expensive, and normally we're back for more work within 2 years. If you take it to a new shop, they usually claim the previous guys didn't do a good job of cleaning the junk out of the lines before charging the new system. Apparently this "cleaning out" task is beyond the skills of any shop.

I suspect there's an element of truth in what they say (sloppy workmanship and contamination) and I suspect the replacement compressors and receiver/driers are not as good as the original equipment, despite the high price I have been charged.

 

[Marquette]

Going to go see Wall-E this weekend, I think. I love that a movie about a robot cleaning up trash is being launched with the requisite merchandising. Irony is not lost.

From Engadget: Disney, WowWee, and Thinkway Toys team up on cute killer bots for the ironic uprising - Engadget

Need some irony with your angst-battered diet this morning? Swell, try some of this. Disney and Pixar are set to release their latest animated blockbuster, WALL-E, this summer. The premise of the film finds WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter - Earth-Class) cleaning up the Earth's trash after rampant, unchecked consumerism made the planet uninhabitable. So how do they promote the film? You got it, they launch a new line of plastic WALL-E robots developed in partnership with Thinkway Toys which no child could possibly live without. Ultimate WALL-E will list for $190 when launched sometime this summer and feature 10 motors, a remote control, and plenty of sensors to avoid obstacles, respond to touch, and feel the mocking satire of its own existence. The bot will be joined by a $25 iDance WALL-E (think i-Species) and a $40 WowWee FlyTech Tinker Bell when they make their May 29th debut in San Mateo at the Maker Faire.

 

[samclem]

We just saw Wall-E. It had been awhile since we'd actually gone to the movies, and I was surprised by the prices for the tickets ($9.50) and popcorn ($6.95 for large).

The movie was good--the standard for Pixar, though heavy-handed in the environmental lecturism.

Denuded earth, apocalyptic undertones, humans in space needed to save the planet, and a small cubic robot. Is anyone else reminded of Silent Running?

 

[harley]

I guess I must be the only person who thinks Wall-E sux. Nice-ish animation, but the social commentary was as subtle as a baseball bat up-side the head. Bad WalMart...stoopid lazy americans. Pixar and Disney movies usually have a couple of plot levels going on, one for the 5 year olds and one for the adults. I only saw the former in this one. And they completely wasted the talents of Fred Willard, who usually cracks me up.

And before I get flamed too badly, I like cartoons. I think Nemo was great, and the Incredibles is one of my favorites. I just think Wall-E was a toss-off for a quick summer profit. I sure hope Hancock is better than it looks.

Harley

 

[socca]

Denuded earth, apocalyptic undertones, humans in space needed to save the planet, and a small cubic robot. Is anyone else reminded of Silent Running?

I've never heard of Silent Running: Silent Running Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes

Might be worth renting from Netflix.

My take on Wall-E is that the average American, like the average person anywhere, is desperately looking for a mirror in which they appear beautiful. By holding up a mirror in which we appear unattractive (to put it mildly), Wall-E will cause distinct discomfort in many folks committed to the over-consumption-based Western lifestyle. The movie is doing reasonably well at the box office, so I guess its unflattering portrayal of Americans - and the American lifestyle - isn't a fatal flaw.

 

[Leonidas]

I guess I must be the only person who thinks Wall-E sux. Nice-ish animation, but the social commentary was as subtle as a baseball bat up-side the head.

I won't say that it sucks, but it wasn't all that great. The animation was decent, but I thought the cartoon short before the film (magician battling with his rabbit) was better.

Four of us walked out of the theater and we all had to laugh because we all tried to make the same similar comment at the same time. Mine was: "we must fix the fat people", the Princess said "not too subtle", the youngest said "kind of propagandish", and the eldest (the film snob know-it-all college kid) said "I think Leni Riefenstahl should have received a mention in the credits".

 

[ERD50]

... the social commentary was as subtle as a baseball bat up-side the head. Bad WalMart...stoopid lazy americans.

Interesting (I haven't seen it yet, but I will) in light of the bashing that Apple gets on occasion from Greenpeace (Steve Jobs being associated with both Apple and Pixar). Some of the criticism of Apple is deserved I think, but most is overblown - I don't think they are any worse than other big companies, but certainly could do better. Even though they have a battery replacement program for iPods, I imagine that many trips to a landfill could have been avoided/delayed if the consumer could easily replace the battery. That's always bugged me.

-ERD50

 

[ziggy29]

I would venture to say that the critics (and the Oscars even) are likely to love this one *because* of the social commentary. They tend to disdain more "empty" films that don't hit you over the head with a 2x4 about "socially conscious" issues. That's why they usually pan animated films, I think, but may go ga-ga over this one.

 

[happy2bretired]

I won't say that it sucks, but it wasn't all that great. The animation was decent, but I thought the cartoon short before the film (magician battling with his rabbit) was better.

I was beginning to wonder if we were in the right theater.

My daughter and I liked Wall-E but my 84 year old mother-in-law kept dozing off while we were watching it. I have a feeling the deeper meanings of the movie just flew over the top of her head. She just said "what a cute movie" about the parts that she actually watched, in between naps.

The colors were so drab when the story was showing earth scenes and those colors really affected me...so drab and dreary...very depressing. Then so many colors and over stimulation of the senses while on the space station...pretty much like today on earth. When will we learn? I hope soon.

 

[Marquette]

Wall E was decent... about what I expected walking in. I told my mom that we went to see it, she said she liked it but thought it'd be more effective if they didn't have all of the merchandising tie-ins. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, irony is killing this movie.

We went to Hancock afterwards. Again, it was decent, about what I expected walking in. Don't expect a deep storyline or tons of action...but, on the other hand, the language was clean enough and the violence toned down enough that I think I'd feel comfortable taking a young teen. I don't have kids, though, so take that into account.

 

[clifp]

Silent Running vs Wall-E naw. I am big Sci Fan but that is comparing a garden variety end-of-the-world Sci Fi vs a very well done love story.

I can see how people might think the environmental message was a too preachy, but I believe that says more about your own prejudices than the movie.

The director in an interview said he wanted to do a movie about two robots falling in love, so to some extent the earth overrun by garbage is just a plot device to explain why Wall-E is so lonely.

I think the "acting" of Wall-E and EVE is way better than most of the silly romantic comedy I've seen in the last few years...

Speaking of irony, considering the bashing the forum does of our fellow North American for overconsumption.... I'd think the message would go over better.

 

[samclem]

Geez, it's just a movie. Kinda defensive, aren't we?

Keep it up and I'll consider it an invitation to weigh in with a technical critique of the movie. If we're going to start taking cartoons seriously, and if they are going to try to convey serious messages, then they should be technically accurate. This one had some glaring problems.

 

[Darryl]

I guess I must be the only person who thinks Wall-E sux. Nice-ish animation, but the social commentary was as subtle as a baseball bat up-side the head. Bad WalMart...stoopid lazy americans.

Harley

I was able tolerate it my 13 year old son walked out with a stupified WTF was that look as the thought they picked out a fun movie. I was certainly underwhelmed.

 

[ItDontMeanAThing]

The first half of the movie was as good as anything Pixar has done. The second half was propaganda aimed at children. The bunny / magician short was fabulous.

 

[OldGuy]

If P!xar's intent was to make me feel bad about myself, it failed. If it was to present an entertaining cartoon that carried a sledgehammer message, it was a C+. Visually it was very well done - I missed many of the elements by only watching it one time - but it just came up short.

The magician & rabbit short was a riot.

Saving grace? We saw Wall E, backed with Kung Fu Panda, in a two-screen drive-in with hang-on-the-window speakers (backed with low power FM sound), popcorn, sitting in chairs in front of the car, and all the things we remember about going to drive-ins back in the day. That was a A+.

 

[Nords]

... sitting in chairs in front of the car, and all the things we remember about going to drive-ins back in the day.

Chairs in front of the car would've been at least a misdemeanor for the things I remember about drive-ins back in the day!

 

[OldGuy]

Oh, back in THOSE days, ya mean...