Wall E

I enjoy learning pretty much anything related to the wizardry that goes on at Pixar which is why I jumped at the chance to chat with director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Rivera at WonderCon all about Pixar's forthcoming film, Up.

We spoke directly after the two men previewed clips from the movie to a large and enthusiastic crowd and later that evening I watched a special screening of the first 45 minutes of the film. I don't want to give anything away because I know how much I enjoyed my first peek, but I'll say there is much more to this movie than the trailer implies.

The footage I viewed contains everything we've come to expect from Pixar: outstanding animation, charming characters, and big laughs. And like Wall-E, the movie touches on some adult concepts. In fact, the entire audience (including myself!) was crying within the first 15 minutes.

We talked about this sophisticated nature of Pixar's storytelling compared to other animated films and lots more during our roundtable with the guys. To check out the interview, read more

The Academy Awards air this Sunday past your lil one's bedtime, but that doesn't mean your family has to miss out on the fun! The Best Animated Feature Film nominees, Wall-E, Kung-Fu Panda and Bolt have all been released on DVD, so why not curl up on the couch with your family for a screening or two (or three!)? You may not have the time to replicate all of PartySugar's amazing Oscar Party suggestions and recipes, but consider infusing your celebratory cinema time with extra special effort.

• Turn Decorating Into an Art Project: Print out small pictures from the three movies (just do a Google image search and pick your favorites), and set up an art station with your printouts, construction paper, ribbons, glitter, and crayons. After your children decorate the pictures, turn them into a festive banner.
• Make Traditional Movie Snacks: PartySugar is serving up popcorn with truffle oil, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper. If your tots have finicky taste buds, make a few bowls of popcorn and sprinkle in a handful of chocolate covered raisins. More truffle oil for the adults!
• Theme Your Main Course: If you are watching Kung-Fu Panda order Chinese takeout or make stir-fry, if you are watching Bolt, which takes place in the US, cook up some burgers or comfort food, and if Wall-E is your game, make futuristic food using food coloring and creative shapes (time to whip out those cookie cutters!).
• Make a Kiddie Ballot: You can cast your vote for the winners on BuzzSugar for a chance to win a year of movies, but online voting may be a bit advanced for your tots. Print out a simple homemade ballot for your children and let them pick their favorite of the three films before the award show.

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I keep thinking about this great scene in The Wrestler between Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei's characters in a bar. I won't give it away for those who haven't seen the movie yet but it involves some funny dialogue between the two about the decade they agree was the best. It's a small, intimate moment rendered so perfectly that you completely forget you're watching two actors — it feels more like overhearing a conversation at your local dive bar.

Sometimes a movie contains a scene so well-done it has the power to stick around in our minds for years and years. Like one of the most romantic scenes in Wall-E: Eve and Wall-E's dance among the stars. So. Freaking. Cute. Not to mention beautiful. And Happy Go-Lucky contains an intense scene between the main character and her driving instructor that's so unsettling it will take me a long time to shake it off.

Sometimes I think there should be an Academy Award category for Best Scene! What do you think? Which scenes from this year's Oscar-nominated films stick out to you the most?

The Wrestler photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight, Wall-E image courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures, and Happy Go-Lucky photo courtesy of Miramax

It's only fitting that I'm reviewing Wall-E's Oscar worthy gadgets during the week before Valentine's Day, since enduring love is one of the film's main themes. And naturally, Wall-E was one of my top rated movies of last year, since a few of his costars are some of my favorite things: gadgets and robots. Nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Screenplay at this year's Oscars, Wall-E takes animation to new heights, and keeps the geeks happy at the same time.

From Bic lighters to light bulbs and VHS tapes, Wall-E finds tons of items on the toxic wasteland called Earth that are unknown to him, but are totally low-tech to us now. The song and dance routine he learns from his VHS and tube TV give him endless hours of fun, while his collection of calculators and kitchen whisks keep him entertained after his long, trash collecting days alone. Although Wall-E eventually ends up on a futuristic space ship (hello sci-fi!), and finds himself among gobs of new robots and humans that are living lives driven by computers, all he wants to do is find Eve and make a home with her back on Earth. Aww, my heart.

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• Wall-E's director says there's no sequel in the little robot's future. — MTV Movies Blog
• Here's video proof that Tori Spelling is filming 90210! — Watch with Kristin
• Check out this Watchmen update: Sequels, images, and new poster. — Cinematical
• Here's a lengthy, Chuck-centric Josh Schwartz interview. — HitFix
• I wish I'd had this House drinking game for last night's episode. — TV Filter
• The new video for Oasis's "Falling Down" is pretty interesting. I'm digging the song, too. — Stereogum
• Fair or ridiculous? The Arizona residents who saw porn during the Super Bowl are getting $10 from Comcast. — TV Squad
• I would totally dance to this remixed musical version of Christian Bale's verbal freakout. — GiggleSugar
• Now that Michael Cera is playing Scott Pilgrim, want to know what all the fuss is about? Here's an excerpt from book five of the comic, out tomorrow. — Vulture

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures