Car enthusiasts are asked a lot of questions. "What is your favorite car?" or, "what car do you recommend I buy?" A question that is less frequently asked is, "What kind of car do you have?" As connoisseurs of automobiles shouldn't it be expected that we own the best cars? Not necessarily. Sometimes fate and fortune put less than perfect cars into our possession. My car is a 2006 Chevy Malibu Maxx SS. I purchased it from a neighbor who was selling it before a move. He knew I needed a car and gave me a wonderful deal on it. I knew it was in excellent condition considering it was washed every weekend and sat on a mat inside my neighbor's garage. The car became mine on Halloween last year. Since then, it has become a valued travelling companion as I drive between home, work, and school.
The Malibu Maxx SS was introduced at a time when Chevrolet was proliferating its fabled Super Sport badge. Cobalts, HHRs, Impalas, Monte Carlos, and even Trailblazers were all getting the SS treatment. More than just a badge job, the SS transformation included an updated powertrain. At the heart of that is a 3.9 liter V6 engine making 240 horsepower. A three spoke leather wrapped steering wheel, sport cloth and leather seats, chrome trimmed instruments, twin exhaust pipes, 18 inch alloy wheels, a rear spoiler, side skirts, more aggressive front and rear clips and a honeycomb grill complete the visual differentiation from lesser models.
Performance and appearance is secondary to the best part of the Maxx body style, that being the second row seats. The seat backs recline in three positions and twin skylights with shades are much appreciated by occupants. Cargo capacity is a generous 23 cubic feet with the seats up and 41 cubic feet with the seats down.
The thing that I like the most about the Malibu Maxx SS is how exclusive it is. At best guess based on searching the Internet, only 2,899 were built in 2006 and 2,636 were sold. The car was only on sale for two years, so it can be estimated that no more than six thousand were ever built. Indeed I only ever recall seeing one other on the road. The driver of the other one gave me a friendly honk in acknowledgement as he drove past.
Everyone wants a flashy sports car to drive around in, but that is not always the most practical choice for certain climates. I am very happy with my car. It is a rare vehicle that I enjoy driving, and I hope it will serve me well for several more years.
Friday, October 30, 2015
Friday, October 9, 2015
Are Pixar's Glory Days Over?
When I was growing up, it appeared that Pixar Animation Studios was unstoppable. They churned out one smash hit after another on a regular basis. It was always refreshing to see a Pixar film, particularly when so many others are based on earlier films, or are adaptations from novels.
A character in Transformers: Age of Extinction accurately describes the movie industry nowadays as "sequels and remakes, bunch of crap." It's an inappropriate joke in a movie that is literally what this character is talking about, but I will cover my thoughts about Transformers at a later date. For now, let's talk about Pixar. Yesterday Pixar released a schedule of release dates for its upcoming films through 2019. After looking at the list of six films and noticing that four of them are sequels, I fear that Pixar is sliding away from innovative, thoughtful productions to making soulless money grabs meant to feed merchandising machines.
I have good reason to be concerned. Pixar is not exactly on a roll at the moment. I feel that the studio peaked with 2010's Toy Story 3. Up until then, almost every Pixar movie has received a Rotten Tomatoes ratings in the 90-100% range. After that, scores have been significantly lower. Brave and Monsters University each have a 78% rating, and Cars 2 has an abysmal 39% rating. Inside Out was a surprise at 98%, suggesting a return to form, but the future movies will determine whether the studio just got lucky this time around.
First up is Finding Dory, due on June 17, 2016. Of all the sequels, this is the one I have the highest hopes for. It's the only film that has potential to build upon its predecessor. Dory was a very likeable character in Finding Nemo despite not really getting her backstory explored in great detail. The sequel appears to go into that, and has the potential to make her into a more rounded character, while providing an opportunity to see how Marlin and Nemo have changed following the events of the first film. We were shown at the end of Finding Nemo that Marlin is less insecure about himself, and trusts Nemo's own judgment. It would be interesting to see if he maintains that characterization into the second film.
Next is Cars 3 for June 16, 2017. Unfortunately, I know exactly why this movie is being made. I believe that the first Cars was good. The use of cars to explain that life is more about the journey than the destination made sense. However, I believe one needed to be a bit of a car enthusiast and a NASCAR fan to get the most out of it. I, being just such an enthusiast, understood and appreciated all the cameos and Easter eggs scattered throughout the film. I have not seen Cars 2, but have no doubt it fully deserved its 39% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I have full confidence that Cars 3 will likewise do little to improve the narrative merits of the franchise. That being said, these films have been a merchandising dream come true. I see all kinds of toys and clothes featuring characters from the Cars universe. It is entirely possible that a new generation of enthusiasts will be introduced to cars and racing through Cars. Every new character is a new opportunity to make more money from merchandise sales. Don't get me wrong, I want Pixar to make money, but I want it to be on the merits of movies themselves rather than the accompanying product lines.
Two years later on June 18, 2018, Toy Story 4 will hit theaters. This is without question, a mistake. Toy Story is the groundbreaking CGI masterpiece that jump started Pixar back in 1995. It is extremely fortunate that Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 have lived up to the expectations of the original. Each film built upon an overall narrative that began with realizing that you are a toy, and going on to examine what it means to be a toy, in particular the possibility of being replaced. Woody, Buzz, and the gang have gone through that arc with the best possible result, beginning again with a new owner. I like what Pixar has done since by making short TV specials featuring the characters having adventures in their new home, but there is little more that can be done at a theatrical level. I've heard that Toy Story 4 will focus on a romantic relationship between Woody and Bo Peep. I cringe just thinking about it.
Lastly, June 21, 2019 will be the debut of The Incredibles 2. Brad Bird is going to have his work cut out for him to write a story at least as good as the original. What made The Incredibles special was that the superhero aspect was secondary to the dynamic relationships between the characters. We got to see Mr. Incredible overcome his longing for the glory days and appreciate his life now with his family. Without something like that, The Incredibles 2 will be just another superhero movie in a saturated market. In addition, The Incredibles 2 will inevitably face comparisons to last year's Big Hero 6, another film that managed to inject the superhero genre with some genuine emotion to go with the thrilling action.
As of now, all these movies are still in the development stage and it is too early to say for sure how they will turn out. As I said before, Inside Out was a return to form, and I am cautiously optimistic about this Thanksgivings' The Good Dinosaur. However, sequels have traditionally not been Pixar's strong point. It's as if they come up with a brilliant idea, make a movie about it, but don't know where to spin the story next. The Toy Story trilogy works, but no other follow ups have had the same success as their originals. If there is nothing more to add, don't tinker with something that isn't broken. Unfortunately, the lure of an easy buck puts thoughts of maintaining a franchise's integrity out of people's heads, and we end up with an industry that spits out unoriginal mediocre movies. I pray that Pixar doesn't screw everything up.
A character in Transformers: Age of Extinction accurately describes the movie industry nowadays as "sequels and remakes, bunch of crap." It's an inappropriate joke in a movie that is literally what this character is talking about, but I will cover my thoughts about Transformers at a later date. For now, let's talk about Pixar. Yesterday Pixar released a schedule of release dates for its upcoming films through 2019. After looking at the list of six films and noticing that four of them are sequels, I fear that Pixar is sliding away from innovative, thoughtful productions to making soulless money grabs meant to feed merchandising machines.
I have good reason to be concerned. Pixar is not exactly on a roll at the moment. I feel that the studio peaked with 2010's Toy Story 3. Up until then, almost every Pixar movie has received a Rotten Tomatoes ratings in the 90-100% range. After that, scores have been significantly lower. Brave and Monsters University each have a 78% rating, and Cars 2 has an abysmal 39% rating. Inside Out was a surprise at 98%, suggesting a return to form, but the future movies will determine whether the studio just got lucky this time around.
First up is Finding Dory, due on June 17, 2016. Of all the sequels, this is the one I have the highest hopes for. It's the only film that has potential to build upon its predecessor. Dory was a very likeable character in Finding Nemo despite not really getting her backstory explored in great detail. The sequel appears to go into that, and has the potential to make her into a more rounded character, while providing an opportunity to see how Marlin and Nemo have changed following the events of the first film. We were shown at the end of Finding Nemo that Marlin is less insecure about himself, and trusts Nemo's own judgment. It would be interesting to see if he maintains that characterization into the second film.
Next is Cars 3 for June 16, 2017. Unfortunately, I know exactly why this movie is being made. I believe that the first Cars was good. The use of cars to explain that life is more about the journey than the destination made sense. However, I believe one needed to be a bit of a car enthusiast and a NASCAR fan to get the most out of it. I, being just such an enthusiast, understood and appreciated all the cameos and Easter eggs scattered throughout the film. I have not seen Cars 2, but have no doubt it fully deserved its 39% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I have full confidence that Cars 3 will likewise do little to improve the narrative merits of the franchise. That being said, these films have been a merchandising dream come true. I see all kinds of toys and clothes featuring characters from the Cars universe. It is entirely possible that a new generation of enthusiasts will be introduced to cars and racing through Cars. Every new character is a new opportunity to make more money from merchandise sales. Don't get me wrong, I want Pixar to make money, but I want it to be on the merits of movies themselves rather than the accompanying product lines.
Two years later on June 18, 2018, Toy Story 4 will hit theaters. This is without question, a mistake. Toy Story is the groundbreaking CGI masterpiece that jump started Pixar back in 1995. It is extremely fortunate that Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 have lived up to the expectations of the original. Each film built upon an overall narrative that began with realizing that you are a toy, and going on to examine what it means to be a toy, in particular the possibility of being replaced. Woody, Buzz, and the gang have gone through that arc with the best possible result, beginning again with a new owner. I like what Pixar has done since by making short TV specials featuring the characters having adventures in their new home, but there is little more that can be done at a theatrical level. I've heard that Toy Story 4 will focus on a romantic relationship between Woody and Bo Peep. I cringe just thinking about it.
Lastly, June 21, 2019 will be the debut of The Incredibles 2. Brad Bird is going to have his work cut out for him to write a story at least as good as the original. What made The Incredibles special was that the superhero aspect was secondary to the dynamic relationships between the characters. We got to see Mr. Incredible overcome his longing for the glory days and appreciate his life now with his family. Without something like that, The Incredibles 2 will be just another superhero movie in a saturated market. In addition, The Incredibles 2 will inevitably face comparisons to last year's Big Hero 6, another film that managed to inject the superhero genre with some genuine emotion to go with the thrilling action.
As of now, all these movies are still in the development stage and it is too early to say for sure how they will turn out. As I said before, Inside Out was a return to form, and I am cautiously optimistic about this Thanksgivings' The Good Dinosaur. However, sequels have traditionally not been Pixar's strong point. It's as if they come up with a brilliant idea, make a movie about it, but don't know where to spin the story next. The Toy Story trilogy works, but no other follow ups have had the same success as their originals. If there is nothing more to add, don't tinker with something that isn't broken. Unfortunately, the lure of an easy buck puts thoughts of maintaining a franchise's integrity out of people's heads, and we end up with an industry that spits out unoriginal mediocre movies. I pray that Pixar doesn't screw everything up.
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