Cars.
Luigi the Car has posted an audio review (MP3, 1:40, 690K) of the new Pixar movie “Cars.”
(An explanation of this nonsense continues inside.)
I took my lovely niece to see “Cars” this afternoon. (Her second viewing, my first.) It vastly exceeded my expectations, which had been set quite low by all the grumbling reviews looking for the next “The Incredibles.” (To be sure, Pixar has set the bar pretty high there.) By the time I had an opportunity to see the film (read: Erin out of town), I had it in my head to look for a set-driven (rather than plot- or character-driven) film, and in that mindset the movie is second to none. It got me all nostalgic for the road trips Erin and I have taken across the US (part of our move from Cali back to TX was on I-40).
Isabel liked it, too. She thought Mater driving backwards was hilarious.
On the way home, she cajoled me into performing as many voices from the movie as I could. (We spent the drive to the movie trying to cover other famous Disney intonations; I nearly went hoarse with Donald.) It turns out I do a passable Owen Wilson, a lousy Paul Newman, and a so-so Larry the Cable Guy. (Note to self: stop accidentally calling Wilson’s character “Steve McQueen,” because Isabel will correct you, with barely-masked irritation.)
The big winner (as judged by Isabel’s squeals of delight, followed by an earnest, “You’re funny, Uncle Dan”) was my version of Tony Shalhoub’s character, Luigi (a tire salescar modeled after the Fiat 500, according to Wikipedia’s entry for the film. Note to IMDb: You are officially obsolete.)
So when I got home, I used E’s MacBook mic (further away from the hard disk whine than the mic on my PBG4) to try to capture some of what made Isabel laugh so hard. I hope someone else out there laughs even half as much.