'Cars 2' starts its engines

By Sarah Sluis

Pixar's summer animated movies have become draws for kids and adults alike, but adults won't find a crowd-pleaser like Up in Cars 2 (4,115 theatres). The sequel to the 2006 hit is more of a kids' movie, centering on talking cars with stereotypical characters (redneck, arrogant Italian, British spy, sultry secret agent). "That's not the Pixar adults know and cherish," critic Kevin Lally notes, but the visuals remain on the cutting edge, especially "the travelogue aspects," which Lally dubbed a "knockout, from the blazing neon colors of its Tokyo, to a Les Halles spare-parts bazaar in Paris, to an eye-poppingly beautiful Italian Mediterranean city called Porto Corsa."

Cars 2, made post-Disney/Pixar merger, also shows what happens once a movie becomes just a launching pad for everything else. Advertisements (Mater sings the State Farm jingle, a paid endorsement), both in the film and out, will make a lot of money for Disney/Pixar. In fact, the first film generated $10 billion in merchandise sales. Disney will also use its expertise to create a straight-to-video spinoff "Planes," and an attraction at its California theme park. The international locales, besides just being a story element, will also help market these films to worldwide audiences. Is it a coincidence that the blandest Pixar movie is also the best platform for tie-ins and spin-offs? Tracking suggests the animated film will bring in $50-60 million, less than the original. With 3D suffering, many eyes will be trained on the performance of 3D and IMAX screens.

R-rated counterprogramming comes in the form of Cameron Diaz as a Bad Teacher (3,049 theatres). I thought the comedy was hilarious, though not everyone warmed to the "foul-mouthed, intemperate, conniving babe," as Diaz's character was described by critic Rex Roberts. He dismisses the comedy as a "series of skits hung on an implausible plotline," but isn't that the basis of most comedies that aim for more than a laugh a minute? I found the eye-rolling stupidity of Diaz's plot to be part of the fun, but if you're not laughing in the first fifteen minutes, it might be a good time to walk out.

If late-night TV lovers can wrest themselves off the couch, they can catch stand-up comedy documentary Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (25 theatres), which has been receiving mainly positive reviews but did not find a fan with critic David Noh. He wasn't that sympathetic for the whining millionaire, concluding that "Behind the scenes, a lot of comics ain't that comic." Paul Weitz directs a pet project about the struggles of illegal immigrants in A Better Life (4 theatres). The overwrought title of Turtle: The Incredible Journey (20 theatres) says it all in this nature documentary, which somehow manages to turn the plight of turtles into an "intrusive melodrama," according to Noh.

On Monday, we'll post the rank of Cars 2 after its first lap, and see if audiences sparked to the misdeeds of Bad Teacher.