I guess it's not surprising that a movie franchise that relies on Randy Newman for its theme music would discover rave culture a couple of decades late. Then again, this Pixar Toy Story short is about a dinosaur. Partysaurus Rex finds the Wallace Shawn-voiced dinosaur Rex discovering a whole new group of wet and wild hipster friends when, after being deemed "Party-Pooper Rex" by the old gang, he's spirited off for some tub play by Andy. more »
Attached to prints of Disney-Pixar's Finding Nemo 3-D re-release next month will be a new Toy Story Toon spin-off short starring the voice of Wallace Shawn as the adorably naive dino Rex, who goes from Debbie Downer to the titular Partysaurus Rex at bathtime. Cute enough, no? Watch a clip after the jump and tell us if the law of diminishing returns applies to stories built around second- and third-tier Toy Story characters.
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When it comes to frightening cinematic villains, this list will likely seem tame to hardcore horror film fanatics — those who revel in phantasmagoria. But to my mind, horror films are very rarely scary, usually hovering somewhere between slapstick and melodrama. What makes for a really scary character to me has little to do with those qualities most often found with the horror film ghoul, being a penchant for brutality, a supposedly fraught psychological profile, or any underpinning mysticism. Jason Voorhees of the Friday the 13th films, for instance, can boast all three. Yet, despite this, his appeal translates similarly to that of a clown: He proceeds with a certain inevitable performative gravity. Just as everyone knows that a clown will take a pratfall, we all know that Jason will make his kill. The fun is in just how the ax falls, if you’re into that sort of thing.
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