The Monsters, Inc. prequel takes us back to Sully and Mike Wazowski’s school days to learn how the duo first met, what lead them down the path to becoming complete sell outs, and since its college, all the hallucinogens they took and asses they tapped. Gotta say though, I’m a little jealous. I went to a small liberal arts college and the girls at Monster University are much less busted than the ones at my school.

Seven Days

Also known as The Seven Days of Retaliation, this Canadian thriller tells the story of Bruno Hamel, a father overcome with the thirst for revenge in the wake of his pre-teen daughter’s rape and murder. After outsmarting the police and capturing the man responsible with relative ease, Bruno enacts a plan to torture the killer for seven days, at the end of which he will turn himself into the proper authorities. Brutal and unflinching, Seven Days features extended scenes of gut-wrenching torture. But don’t be confused, this is not your typical “torture porn” affair. It’s a multilayered tale depicting the effects of violence on both the victim and the inflictor, and a fantastic piece of indie filmmaking.

Megan is Missing

If you were too watch the first hour or so of this Michael Goi directed, handheld style drama/thriller, you would likely think it was a pointless, plodding story of two teenage girls. And you wouldn’t be that far off. The first two acts of this one (if you can even call them that) amount to little more than a series of video diaries and chat sessions between a young coke whore and her stereotypically virginal friend. But the last 25 minutes, you guys, the last 25 minutes. It isn’t often that we see a found footage film switch perspective to that of the killer, but this film makes it work in the worst way possible. Parents, show this one to your kids if you want to scare them from using the Internet, like, ever again.

No word on whether he’s pro or anti Martian slavery, but he’s got a spotty track record. Also, there’s no explanation as to why they don’t believe in shirts on Mars.

John Carter is directed by Andrew Stanton and opens in theaters March 9th, 2012.

While the iPad isn’t intended solely as a video player, the ability to watch a film or television show anywhere there’s a WiFi connection would have been unheard of just a few years ago. Combined with streaming video technology, the device has radically altered the entertainment landscape, creating an appetite for instantaneous consumption of film and television shows, and challenging the need for set broadcast times and the theatrical release of films.

Final Cut Pro

No longer do you need to have film-editing equipment to make yourself a movie. All you need is a digital camera and a bootlegged copy of Final Cut Pro. The product revolutionized the world of film, making viral videos, webisodes, fan series and truly independent film in the reach of anyone who can point and shoot. Perhaps more than any other product in film history, Final Cut Pro leveled the playing field, democratizing the world of film.

Having previously served as the chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios, Jobs helped to radically redefine what an animated film can be. Breathtaking visuals weren’t enough. There needed to be heart as well. This ethic lead to the creation of several memorable characters and unforgettable films. Films that have impacted children and adults alike.

Jobs will be sorely missed but will live on as a symbol of invention and ingenuity. Our condolences to those who loved him and those he loved. This is sadder than the first ten minutes of Up.

The first one involves, of course, dinosaurs. Set for release on November 27, 2013 (Pixar is nothing if not prepared), the currently untitled project will be directed by Bob Peterson, who most recently co-directed Pixar’s Up. According to the panel the movie “centers around an alternate version of earth wherein the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs missed the planet entirely, so humans have evolved side-by-side with dinosaurs.” Some analysts have pointed out that this is weirdly similar to the premise of that live-action Mario Bros. movie, which might make this a good time to go ahead and admit that I haven’t seen the live-action Mario Bros. movie.

Girls Can Play Too In Pixar's 'Brave' Teaser

Watch as she journeys through the mystical Scottish Highlands (no sign of Christopher Lambert here) and runs through Woodland Sound FX Vol. One before encountering a fearsome, towering bear. Rather than shriek and recoil from danger like those other Disney princesses, she gets all gangsta and pulls back her bow to slay the beast. I hope that arrow was dipped in bear-repellent. At any rate, lookin’ good Pixar!

Cars 2 is about the world of international superspy cars. While Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is in a race, Mater (Larry the Cable Guy the Voice Actor) gets mistaken for an undercover spy. Finn McMissle (Michael Caine) and Holly Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) take Mater along on their mission assuming all the way that the dumb tow truck act is his cover.

New ‘Cars 2′ Trailer Ends With A Douche

Okay, bad creative decision #1: Making Cars a spy movie. The whole point of Cars 1 was to slow down and appreciate life. Now it’s a busy generic caper. Bad creative decision #2: Cars with guns. Something about this feels wrong to me. It’s not exciting, for one. Also once you put guns on cars, they’re not even really cars anymore. They’re toys and gadgets but less of a story, and much less of a movie.

Lightning becomes the B story to all this nonsense. You hardly see him race at all! Of course he doesn’t believe Mater’s spy stories so they argue and Lightning makes Mater feel bad and then Lightning feels bad for making Mater feel bad. They tack on this message of friendship but it’s got no heart.

3 photosI Wish 'Cars 2' Looked As Awesome As Its Poster Art

The plot that ties Lightning’s race to the spies is ridiculous too. Miles Axlerod (Eddie Izzard) is testing out his new alternative fuel via this international race. The villains are oil drillers who want to sabotage the clean alternative fuel. Bad creative decision #3: Political message in a Pixar movie. I know it’s all environmentally conscious to support alternative fuel, but come on. This is not the way to educate kids on driving a hybrid.

The pseudo-foreign locations look great, especially a Tokyo of cars. The Monte Carlo and London settings look nice too, though you lose so much color in the 3D version. Along with those artistic visions come immature cultural stereotypes too. Japan is full of fast talking anime characters on video screens.

Cars 2 is the most childish Pixar movie too. There are so many pee and poop jokes and car farts. It’s still lowbrow even if you call it leaking oil. Mater basically gets off in a Japanese bidet. It’s fine if kids like this but they’ll outgrow it. They like Toy Story and Up too but they keep watching them and buying the new special editions every time they re-release.

The short before the film is a Toy Story short, which is also silly but it has more inspired jokes than Cars 2. At least the “Toy Story Toon” helps me deal with Toy Story 3. I don’t have to accept that as the final word on Buzz and Woody, because we could always see them again in short form.

Director: John Lasseter & Brad Lewis

Cast: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy

Synopsis: All the world’s a racetrack as racing superstar Lightning McQueen zooms back into action, with his best friend Mater in tow, to take on the globe’s fastest and finest in this thrilling high-octane new installment of the “Cars” saga. Mater and McQueen will need their passports as they find themselves in a new world of intrigue, thrills and fast-paced comedic escapades around the globe.

Release Date: Jun 24, 2011

Details on Reboot Ralph are kept under lock and dungeon-opening gold key, but the word in Nintendoland is that the film is about an old school video game character like Pac-Man lost in the new, realistic-looking game landscape of The Halos and The Modern Warfares. “Back in my day, we had to make due with the few pixels we were given,” this Ralph character might say. “If you lost three pixels in a reset error, boom. There goes your damn arm cannon.”

Needless to say, as a gamer and a Pixar fan, I’m intrigued by the premise. But, like, get the free demo on XBOX Live intrigued, not spending points to actually buy the game intrigued. (The Playlist)

Scanlon is an internal draft after having worked in the art department on Cars and directing the short, Mater and the Ghostlight. Though this is Scanlon’s first feature, you have to trust that Pixar will produce another heartwarming, visually-stunning film. And if it isn’t, Scanlon will be run out of Emeryville, CA and banned from ever wearing a Hawaiian shirt again. (Coming Soon)

At CinemaCon, the true animation domination-ers at Pixar officially announced the Monsters Inc. sequel will be called Monster University. Monsters Inc. is my favorite Pixar movie, so I’m excited that we’ll get another outing with our favorite scream team, even in I am wary of Pixar sequels. Are you excited about Cars 2? Cause it can drive itself into a river for all I care.

The story is supposedly about how Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) began as college rivals at the University of Fear. Both actors are coming back, because besides sopping up our nostalgia for his Oscar hosting days, what else is Billy Crystal up to? The film has a release date scheduled for November 2^nd, 2012.

One thing that intrigues me is that the “college movie” genre is typically very loosely structured and gag based, which is very different from Pixar’s tightly crafted narratives and character arcs. My first guess is that this will probably not feel like a G-rated Animal House, Old School or Revenge of the Nerds. Then again, maybe the Pixar crew wants to cut loose and down a keg? Either way, I will pledge Pixar House. (Collider)

First up is Pixar’s Brave, a movie befallen by some turmoil recently, including the exit of its lead voice actress, Reese Witherspoon (she’ll be replaced by Kelly McDonald), and the firing of the company’s first female director, Brenda Chapman. Nevertheless, it looks lush, gorgeous, and unlike any Pixar film we’ve ever seen.

(EW)

Next up is an intriguing still from Martin Scorsese‘s Hugo Cabret, a kids film produced by Johnny Depp, who as this photo reveals, is also acting in the film as well. Depp will play Monsieur Rouleou, a painter who helps the young protagonist on his journey. Depp shot seven scenes for the film, and can be seen in the image below putting his famous goatee to use Hugo Cabret is in theaters this holiday season.

As for the trailer itself, it makes Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation appear pretty derivative by Pixar’s high standards. When did the writers use Brady Bunch plots as inspiration? The trailer focuses on Barbie and Ken, the two Shrek-iest chracters in the Toy Story universe. That Ken! Such a diva with his luggage and ambiguous sexuality! (Vulture)

Here’s the internet mashup that’ll make you cry. Well, it’ll make you cry if you remember watching the original Up, and I don’t think there was a dry pair of 3D glasses in the theater I was in after Ellie kicks the bucket.

From Ivan Guerrero, the maker of “Ghostbusters Trailer Recreated Using Old Movie Clips” and “Empire Strikes Back Trailer Recreated Using Old Movie Clips” comes, wait for it, “Up Trailer Recreated Using Old Movie Clips.” Spencer Tracy plays Carl Fredricksen, complete with giant hipster old person glasses, in this expertly-done “premake” of Pixar‘s story using live action film footage. They even managed to find a solid look-alike for Kevin the Freaky-Ass Looking Bird.

Next, someone will probably swede Guerrero’s remake trailers, and after that, the universe collapses in on itself. (Vulture)

Meant to mimic the way cars spin in car shows, I think anthropomorphizing the cars makes this YouTube outing feel a little creepy. Especially because they’re turning slowly and there’s no music. No distractions. Just you and the car. Imagine getting inside Holley Shiftwell, clutching her, driving her insane as you press firmly on her… brakes?

And not coincidentally, I’m putting the breaks on this line of thinking.

Cars 2 zooms into theaters June 24th and features the voices of Owen Wilson, Larry the Lovable Cable Guy and Michael Caine. (Collider)

Have you always had the perverted yet overwhelming desire to lick the backsides of your favorite Pixar characters? Well then, it looks like you’re in luck! The U.S. Postal Service is continuing their “Art of Disney” stamp line with images from several Pixar films.

The new set will feature a pane of twenty stamps with five designs from Pixar films: Lightning McQueen and Mater from “Cars”; Remy the rat and Linguini from “Ratatouille”; Buzz Lightyear and two of the green, three-eyed aliens from “Toy Story”; Carl Fredricksen and Dug from “Up”; and the robot WALL*E from “WALL*E.”

The stamps won’t be available until August 19th, so for now, it looks like you’ll have to be content with just licking the back of the DVD boxes. Hang in there, brother! I feel your pain. (IndieWire)

Despite the belief that they would clean their room and eat all of their vegetables like a good animation house, Pixar isn’t ready to put their toys away just yet. Toy Story 3‘s Ken and Barbie will return to the screen with a short film that we’ll see before next summer’s Cars 2. Animator Floyd Norman (who wins the award for having the most animator-y sounding name) tweeted:

“Ken and Barbie want to go to Hawaii. I don’t know what it’s gonna be attached to. Fun stuff, however.”

So, is it them wanting to go to Hawaii, or do they actually go to Hawaii? And if they do go, are they subject to TSA screenings? You just know that Ken’s got something stuffed inside of himself. I need more here, Floyd. (via Collider)

There are no plans to make another Toy Story sequel, but that won’t stop Woody and the gang from returning to the big screen. According to director Lee Unkrich, the iconic characters will be back in theaters for a series of animated shorts which will run before full-length Disney films, starting with this summer’s Cars 2.

“We don’t have any plans to make another Toy Story movie but we’re doing a series of short films with the Toy Story characters. We just finished the first one and it’s going to be on the front on Cars 2 when it opens next summer in theaters.”

That sounds like the perfect way to strike a balance between giving fans more of what they want without cheapening the quality of the original films. Perhaps the same idea can be applied to the Brendan Fraser classic, Furry Vengeance. I’d hate to see it jump the shark, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want more computer-generated talking raccoons!  (The Telegraph via Movie Line)

Pixar has dropped a teaser trailer for Cars 2 that gives away little to nothing. One thing is for certain: lasers could possibly be involved in the sequel. Mater and McQueen are traveling the world this time around, getting into intrigue, thrills, and lasers. John Lasseter is directing again with help from Ratatouille producer Brad Lewis.

Cars 2 races into theaters Jun 24, 2011

Check out the teaser and some concept art below.

(ComingSoon)

Good news for people who like things that are unbelievably awesome. Jason Segel and the team involved with the next Muppet movie recently met with the bigwigs at Pixar to discuss ways to make your head explode.

Some of the members of the so-called "Pixar Brain Trust" — filmmakers John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, Michael Arndt, Bob Peterson and president Ed Catmull — were there for the consultations. Docter is a particularly avid Muppets fan, so he almost certainly was one of the attendees. On the Disney side, Muppets director James Bobin and producers David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman were likely in the room along with Segel.

While plot details are hard to come by, as long as they don’t have Kermit and Fozzie experimenting with homosexuality and adopting African children, I’ll pay to see it twice. And even if they did go that route, with this kind of talent behind the film, it’s hard to imagine how it could end up sucking. In fact, I haven’t been this excited about a film’s prospects since I first heard that an unfettered George Lucas was working on a little film called Phantom Menace. (THR)

Toy Story 3 lea the box office this weekend, bringing in an estimated $109 million. It was the largest opening ever for a Pixar film and the third largest opening so far in 2010.

The success of Toy Story should come as no surprise to anyone who pays attention to movie trends. The box office numbers simply prove what we here at Screen Junkies have known for years: kids love Tim Allen.  (Coming Soon)

In this exclusive, behind the scenes look at Toy Story 3, Ned Beatty and Michael Keaton join an ensemble cast for the most powerful chapter to date in the beloved franchise.

When Andy heads off to college, adventure fanatic Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) takes his toy friends on a river-rafting trip into the dangerous American back-country. During a chance encounter with a group of locals, an offhand comment about moonshine by Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear (Beatty) leads to a violent sexual assault. The trip soon descends into a nightmare in which both nature and mankind conspire against the toys, putting their lives and perhaps even their souls at risk. (LatinoReview)

Watch Ned Beatty’s powerful performance in Toy Story 3 after the jump.

_{The toys happily welcome Pervert the Octopus to the group.}

Nothing makes me giddy like a Pixar trailer. Those (evil?) geniuses always knock it out of the park, and Toy Story 3 looks like no exception. All of our favorite toys are back, and they’re mixing it up with a new batch of playthings when they’re donated to a day care center. You’d think the rest of the movie would follow Woody and Buzz as tiny tots jam them into various orifices, but instead it appears they’re loving their new home. In The Closet Ken, voiced by Michael Keaton, convinces himself he has feelings for Barbie inspite of the new cowboy arrival, and Pervert the Octopus offers up massages (with happy endings, no doubt). 

Everything’s right as rain until the toys find out their abandoner, Andy, is looking for them. They decide to break out and go in search for the owner who cast them aside like yesterday’s garbage when he decided to go better himself at college. What a selfish prick. You don’t deserve these special toys, Andy! They’re too good for you! You hear me, Dad?! Oops… That’s an issue I need to take elsewhere.

Check out the trailer after the jump. Toy Story 3 hits theaters June 18th.

Toy Story 3 Trailer 2 – Watch more Funny Videos

Breaking Bad‘s meth cooking schoolteacher Bryan Cranston has joined the cast of Andrew Stanton’s foray into live-action, John Carter of Mars. Taylor Kitsch stars as the Civil War veteran John Carter, who is mysteriously transported to Mars and joins the Martian people in their own war. Cranston will play a Civil War colonel who comes into conflict with Carter.

Also on board for the Pixar film are Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong, and Thomas Haden Church. All are playing giant, green warrior-like aliens. I know. I know. You already want to compare this to Avatar. But that comparison really doesn’t hold up. First of all, this is based off a book series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Cameron stole his story from a novella. Plus, the Na’vi are blue not green. Do your research, guys. (THR)

The IESB has posted three behind-the-scenes clips from Disney-Pixar’s Up.  In total, it’s 15 minutes of straight up, fly-on-the-wall making-of goodness, with none of the gloss one might expect from a Disney promo. Yeah that’s right.  It’s 15-minutes of watching a dude sitting in front of a computer while it renders seven frames of the movie.  There’s also this part where Pete Docter orders a cheese sandwich from the cafeteria.

I kid, I kid.  It’s pretty cool.  Watch the other clips after the jump.