One the gifts the kids received for Christmas was Cars 2 on blu-ray (and DVD.) In case you recently came out from living under a rock, Cars 2 is the sequel to the 2006 Pixar film Cars. I actually liked the original Cars in a way — it’s very similar to the 1991 film Doc Hollywood starring Michael J. Fox and Julie Warner. Again, FYI in case you were living under a rock in 2006 too. So what’s this sequel about? Lightning McQueen and tow truck Mater (who I need in small doses) head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. Where do you go from here? Why, an international espionage, of course! Michael Caine stars as Finn McMissile, a spy car. Lightning McQueen takes a backseat while this becomes nearly two hours of Mater and Larry the Cable Guy. If you like the Mater character, you’re in luck. If, like me, tire of the character quickly, be warned.

I thought this film was “okay.” I’m not a fan of Mater, so after a while, I went off to do the laundry while the kids sat entranced. The Mater character is the star attraction for 106 minutes. The story was okay, but I just didn’t care for all the wacky antics. On the other hand, the video and audio quality of the blu-ray was top-notch. It’s possible that John Lasseter and the rest of the Pixar folks got too involved with the technical detail, and got sidetracked on the quality of the story. So, apart from the story, the animation is crystal clear, eye-catching, and just looks amazing. Regarding the audio, you can never go wrong with DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1. The fronts were booming, the LFE shook the floor, and the surrounds were very active.

In summary, the story is so-so. If you want to plunk yourself down with the kids and enjoy the visuals and audio, be my guest.

Cars 2 (2011)

Sometime last summer, we were supposed to see Crazy Stupid Love in the theaters on one date night, and then also on a vacation day. Neither day worked out, and we ultimately missed the film while it was still playing in theaters. Ah well, what can you do. It took a few more months, but we waited patiently for Netflix to pick it up, and here we are. As is our annual New Year’s Eve tradition, we watched a film, and we went with Crazy Stupid Love this year.

As romantic comedies go, I thought this was pretty good. Here’s the synopsis, courtesey of the good folks at IMDB.com:

A middle-aged husband’s life changes dramatically when his wife asks him for a divorce. He seeks to rediscover his manhood with the help of a new-found friend Jacob, learning to pick up girls at bars.

The film has an all-star cast:

• Steve Carell
• Ryan Gosling
• Julianne Moore
• Emma Stone
• Marisa Tomei
• Kevin Bacon
• Beth Littleford
• John Carroll Lynch

I’m generally rather disappointed with romantic comedies — they’re never written well, and I find the plots to be trite. On the other hand, I thought Crazy Stupid Love was rather well-written. The plot had some well-travelled themes, but it went another level. The characters were good people and interesting. As a result, I found the whole film to be ultimately engaging.

Crazy Stupid Love (2011)