Up

[meatwadsprite]

I gotta wait until tomorrow to catch this one , but so far it's the most positively received film this year. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this one ...

http://www.fanboy.com/archive-images/pixar-up-poster.jpg

[n3wt]

Im also looking forward to this one :yup:

[Sir Dahm]

I hope it's good, it looks kinda boring compared to the previous Wall-E, but I'll give it a chance.

[meatwadsprite]

Saw it last night thought I could dodge the family/kid crowd by seeing it at 8:55 but there was still a considerable amount of kids in the audience - once the movie started up though it grew considerably quiet which I thought was great because the opening is really serious.


An honestly heartfelt uplifting action/adventure film with the eye opening visuals you expect from "New Pixar". They've struck gold three times straight and best of luck to them in continuing their streak , but you already know about what qualities to expect from them - what about this movie ?

You probably won't be expecting the brutally depressing situation the main character is positioned in before he sets off on his adventure. We're introduced to two kids looking for fun and excitement - they end up marrying each other through a very emotional montage and their marriage succeeds many years as the two kids become two old geezers. Tragically and naturally Carl's wife passes away and with no family left his existence becomes repetition. As the years go on Carl's cozy life in his house is jeopardized when construction awaits to destroy his house and build more.

It doesn't take long for the house to leave soil , eventually Carl and his young stowaway drift to South America where their original endeavor becomes something else entirely. An old man with a mission stumbles upon a newfound purpose and this is where their adventure stems from.

Visually it's obvious greatness even though there are a foul number of close-up shots which I felt detracted from the overall wide feel of the movie. It's definitely up to standards of their past two films (Ratatouille , Wall-E) , the main attraction being the flying house of course.

One of the best of the year so far , get to seeing this one !

4.5

[Powdered Water]

Thanks meaty, I will.

[tramp]

Nice review, Meat.

If I may, a mini-review, or rather, a personal reflection. After seeing this film last night, I've been thinking about it all day....


The minds at Pixar seem to be writing their films for me. As in whatever story they decide to tell, it seems to match perfectly with my life. First, they told a story about toys at the time when I was raising my first son, Michael, from infancy to toddlerhood. My memory of watching Toy Story was thinking that the world they created was my child’s world. It was perfect.

Later, when my second son, Matt, was into his toddler years, I had just about given up on having my son be able to sit through an entire animated film. We had struggled through all sorts of attempts – Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules-- only to fail. Usually, if we were ambitious and tried to see a film in the theatre, I was the one who abandoned Michael and his dad for the video games in the lobby. Matt just couldn’t make it otherwise. So, when Pixar came along with A Bug’s Life, and Matt was not only able to make it through the entire film but he sat transfixed, totally immersed, I was eternally grateful. It was as if Pixar knew just what ingredients were necessary to entertain the hyperactive child. It was perfect.

Then, they made Finding Nemo. At this point, Pixar’s genius was about to explode into me: my children were growing and turning into young people, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before they were asking for the car keys or wanting a ride to a dance. I would have to let go, learn the magic of being calm when they were late on a Saturday night. In the dark of the theatre, I started to cry. I cried because I knew Pixar knew what it was to love someone so much you wanted to watch their every move, carry them wherever they needed to go, touch them whenever they felt sad. They also knew I wouldn’t always be there to watch, carry, or touch. They understood and gently advised me to get ready to let go. It was perfect.

And now, Pixar has made UP. UP -- at a time in my life when things are different and difficult. UP tells the story of Mr. Fredricksen near the end of his life and at the end of his wife’s life. He goes off on the adventure he always thought he should have and finds his childhood hero to be not much of one. It’s a story about life and dreams and appreciation. How life gives us many paths, how dreams aren’t always what we think them to be, and appreciation is forgotten in the choices we have made. These themes are told magically through a house that rises into the air attached to the largest bouquet of balloons you have ever seen. I cannot remember another moment in a film where I felt as elevated as that house rising into the air; the feeling was incredibly strong and Pixar had brilliantly set it up. To be honest, the rest of film is delightful, funny, and entertaining but it was that one little moment which I will never forget. My life is full of troubles now and I, too, would like to tie a million balloons to my house and fly away.

In the end, though, Pixar once again proved how much they know me. While the soaring house’s image is imprinted forever, the movie isn’t really about that. It’s about how the adventures we seek are really in our own back yard. How there isn’t any place like home. How the adventure is actually living our lives. Mr. Fredericksen knows the adventure he sought his whole life was the life he actually lived.

It’s no secret that I once watched another movie with a similar theme. A movie about a little girl and her dog. However, many years have gone by since then. Maybe Pixar thought I needed reminding.

It was perfect.

[Sleezy]

Nice reviews, both of you. :yup:

[TheUsualSuspect]

Up



After living in his home for most of his life, Carl is suddenly surrounded by skyscrapers and construction. They want to buy his house so they can tear it down and build a retirement home. He will have none of this and decides to use thousands of balloons to literally lift his house 'up' and soar to a place he's been dreaming of going since a kid.

There's a bit more to the plot, but I don't want to divulge that information. Going into the film not knowing about it might have a stronger impact on you. Up, which is yet another fascinating film from the geniuses at Pixar is vibrant with colour, full of laughs, tugs on the heart strings and is an adventure for both kids and adults. I never thought a film that had to really old characters in the lead roles would appeal to the young ones, but Up surprised me. In fact, it really surprised me, hearing about the concept I thought that Pixar finally had a dud on their hands. Nope, not this time.

Up is one of my favourite Pixar films, up their with last years Wall-E and The Incredibles. The film is unique and inspiring. I doubt you'll find such quality film making from any other animated film, Pixar has set the bar time and time again. Up, while not visually stunning or powerful as last years Wall-E takes a different route and uses vibrant colours to draw attention to itself. The characters are cartoonish and the story itself could never be based on any reality and for a film about an old guy in a house with balloons, it's mighty adventurous.

Every Pixar film has a message that their cleverly slip into the excitement and Up is no different. We go on this journey with Carl and the young boy scout Russell, Carl at first does not like Russell, nor does he want him around. These two characters are at opposite ends of each other, one old and quite, the other young and talkative. Of course by the end of the flick they bond. Also along for the ride are two side characters, Kevin the colourful native bird of Paradise Falls (they place Carl wants to finally see) and Dug, a dog who can mysteriously talk. Dug is not the only dog who can talk though, the place is full of them, all trained to open doors and fly planes. They all heel to their master Charles Muntz, who has spent his life trying to capture Kevin.

Up is not only funny, fun and exciting, it packs a few emotional scenes too. Some people might want to bring some tissues, while it's not a sob story it is one of the few Pixar films that have moved me. What happens to Carl happens to everyone, so you can relate to him. You are immediately grabbed by him and his story and the film has more emotional punch in ten minutes of dialogue free montage then most dramas or romance films today can say for themselves.

There are a lot of words to describe Up: Delightful, endearing and whimsical are a few, but one I will choose to employ is heart. Along with Wall-E, Up has the most heart out of every other Pixar film I've seen. The film has a PG rating though, only other Pixar film to have this is The Incredibles. The Russell kid is shot at and people die, at times I was thinking would kids be scared of this? I don't think so, nothing horrible ever happens that could traumatize a young one in my opinion.

I did not bother to see this film in 3-D, I've heard it doesn't give enough 'pop' to warrant the additional money on the ticket. Seeing it at a regular theatre will not hinder your viewing at all. All the voice acting is top-notch and perfect casting with Plummer and Asner. See Up in theatres while you can, it is one of the year's best.

4.5

[Yoda]

Saw Up on Sunday. I adore this film. It got to me. I was crying 10 minutes in, and again later on, and even felt a twinge while writing parts of this review. It's beautiful in every sense of the word, and I can't recommend it enough.

It's not quite as exciting as most of their recent efforts, but I'd say this is their funniest film since Finding Nemo, and possibly since Toy Story 2.

Those of you who know me or read my reviews know I don't hand out perfect ratings very often, but Up deserves it. Here's an excerpt, with a link to the rest:

Up (http://www.movieforums.com/reviews/up.html)

http://www.movieforums.com/images/main/up_main.png (http://www.movieforums.com/images/main/up_main.png)

Up doesn't contain the kind of show-stopping excitement of, say, the door-riding scene in Monsters, Inc., the race through the ship in WALL-E, or any of the action sequences in The Incredibles, but it's far funnier than anything they've done in years ...READ MORE

5

[Sexy Celebrity]

I was crying 10 minutes in, and again later on, and even felt a twinge while writing parts of this review.

10 minutes in?! I can't picture you just a'crying away. What is this? I never see men crying. I wouldn't be caught dead crying over a movie. Maybe sensitive MoFo Support Group creating me is really just a big old hard stone statue.

BTW, what goes UP must come down.

[Yoda]

Well, I wasn't bawling, and I was certainly fighting them back, but yeah, I think it would have to qualify as crying. Even reading about it seems to require that I steel myself a bit. It's a beautiful film.

[spudracer]

Nice reviews, everyone!

[Sexy Celebrity]

Go on. Let it out.

http://www.socalbubble.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/baby_crying_closeup.jpg

[Sedai]

I cry at films all the time. In fact, I was just blubbering away at The Wrestler last night!

[Yoda]

I used to cry at films fairly often -- I think I found them a bit more immersive when I was younger. These days it's pretty rare.

[Sexy Celebrity]

I cry at films all the time. In fact, I was just blubbering away at The Wrestler last night!

Now THAT is understandable...

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05052008/entertainment/05052008_sexiest_film_duos/photo01.jpg
Before

http://images.hollywoodgrind.com:9000/images/2008/3/mickey-rourke.jpg
After...

[mark f]

Yep, it's Yoda's.

[Sexy Celebrity]

It is above his review.

Saw Up on Sunday. I adore this film. It got to me. I was crying 10 minutes in, and again later on, and even felt a twinge while writing parts of this review. It's beautiful in every sense of the word, and I can't recommend it enough.

[Sedai]

Wow - I deleted my post immediately, but still got two replies. I noticed the comment in the above post, and not in the review right after I posted that. I seriously deleted it almost instantaneously, but the site asked me to log in again, which i missed for a couple of minutes while on another browser tab....

[Yoda]

If we could stop talking about me crying, that'd be awesome.

[Sexy Celebrity]

Yeah, let's stop talking about it, before he cries again! :D

[tramp]

I'm reminded of a story about a Dad who was caught crying at the end of Finding Nemo. That film is the one tat resonates the most with me, but this one isn't far behind.

Very nice review, Yoda. I wish I could quote a few things you said... loved the paragraph about the dogs. When we all got home Saturday night, my mini-dachshund was running around in circles with a toy in her mouth, and we started talking like Dug and imagining what she would be saying...

"you're home, master, yea... I'm so happy...." lol

I don't know, I happen to think this is the funniest Pixar or tied with Nemo, so I'm agreeing there, too. There were so many laugh out loud moments and lines to quote. "Kevin" is a favorite in our house.

I really loved the short, and I liked the way Yoda said something like, "give them five minutes and they'll make something to care about" (or words to that effect.)

Many of the critics talk about that first five minutes... it really was amazing. When it was done, you could have heard a pin drop in the theatre. Stunning.

Great movie. I didn't give it a rating in my review (I have trouble with the popcorn) but if someone wanted to put it there.... 5 out 5. Perfection. :)

Very nice reviews in this thread -- all of them. If you haven't seen this film, see it. It's such a fun time at the threatre (while also making grown men cry.)

[Dill-man]

I can't say much more than Yoda said, he perfectly sums up what I thought about the movie. The movie set out and executed exactly what it aimed to do. I'm 17 and I saw this with about 8+ of my friends, most of them boys, and we all admited we all cried or got close to crying, and we're mostly semi-jocky types. That is pretty amazing in itself.

Dug I thought was genius, probably because I talk for my dog all the time (as I'm sure most owners do).

Another thing I found amazing is that in the movie theather were mostly familes, and I was worried about noise and such. Yet, I never found myself distracted which is a testament to the power of the movie. During the early 5 minute sequence, there was NO noise. I couldn't believe it. It was powerful and at a little discomforting being with so many people watching such a serious and sad moment with complete silence.

The thing that makes this movie so great is that it is so human. I can't think of another way to describe it. It taps into the things that make humans so great: their imagination, their compassion, and their ability to find happiness just by living.

5

[Powdered Water]

Caught this the other day and really enjoyed it for the most part. I, uh, am a little concerned however that it seems like Disney is beginning to seep into Pixar a bit.


I know it worked for this flick because that was essentially what the whole movie was based on but I sure hope it doesn't continue. As my wife was crying after the opening scenes she says to me : "This must be a f****** Disney flick!" and she was dead on to a certain extent.

What is their fascination with death? And why do they always have to have some kind of tear jerking scene in their movies based around it? I admit that this doesn't always fall flat and UP is a good example of this but a lot of times it is just so contrived. I wish they would knock it off to be totally honest.

Anyway, good movie. Not on the same level as The Incredibles or Wall*E or even Ratatouille but a very nice addition the Pixar library. 3.5

[Yoda]

Interesting. Do you not like the inclusion of death in the film, or is it more a problem you have outside of each individual film, with the company as a whole? Sort of a meta-criticism? Because I thought in Up, it was obviously a crucial part of the story and very well done. Not always the case with Disney films, of course.

[meatwadsprite]

Yeah the opening was my favorite part of the whole thing , I thought it really set up the rest of the movie in this dead-serious tone and really it's completely crazy and funny the rest of the time.

[Powdered Water]

Oh no, it obviously wouldn't be a movie if it didn't have it. And like I said it really worked here. Credit probably should go to the Pixar boys and girls once again because I think they actually know how to pull that off.

Disney does at times but just not enough for me to think they should try and pull it out in almost every single movie they put out you know?

[tramp]

Are you saying Pixar is now including deaths in their movies now?

Seems to me that the opening of UP was very different from the Pixar movies before it. Where are these death scenes?

Sorry, PW, I just don't see what you're saying... I think it is grossly unfair to compare the Pixar films to the Disney ones. Whereas Disney has a certain sentimentality to them that feels contrived, Pixar's films do not. That opening sequence was emotional, for sure, but I see no fixation with death in any of the previous movies.

?

[Powdered Water]

Are you saying Pixar is now including deaths in their movies now?

Well sure. It did in fact have a death in it yes? Its what the whole movie was predicated on really. And the fact that Disney now owns Pixar may or may not have something to do with this. I think I gave Pixar all of the credit up thread for pulling it off, I just said I am concerned a little for Pixar's future projects.



Seems to me that the opening of UP was very different from the Pixar movies before it.


See, and I agree with you. In fact I think UP as a whole was a good deal different than most of their other films. And I'm not saying it was a bad thing. I'm just concerned is all. I get that the movie was very personal to you, I'm not trying to persuade anyone that this was a bad film.



Sorry, PW, I just don't see what you're saying... I think it is grossly unfair to compare the Pixar films to the Disney ones. Whereas Disney has a certain sentimentality to them that feels contrived, Pixar's films do not. That opening sequence was emotional, for sure, but I see no fixation with death in any of the previous movies.

?

Well, I never said anything about Pixar's other flicks. Please go back and read what I actually wrote. Maybe that's what's causing your confusion.

[TheUsualSuspect]

With this being the tenth smash hit for Pixar, I doubt Disney would try to jeopardize that by forcing them to do things their way. I don't see any problems with it, as long as it is not a simple play on the viewer's emotions. I don't think Pixar is guilty of this, nor really will be in future projects.

The two films that have had death as an impact on the rest of the film are Up and Finding Nemo. Ratatouille has a death as well, but it's played in a different tone then the others.

What Disney movies dish out death though? Off the top of my head I get Bambi, The Lion King....I'm not trying to include the deaths of villains in this list because that is different.

Spoilers, I guess.

[Powdered Water]

A better question would probably be which Disney flicks don't have a death in them. And I'm not just referring to their animated flicks.

[TheUsualSuspect]

I was, considering this is also animation.

[TheDOMINATOR]

Here's my take, which again, is better late than never. :cool:

Up
(Pete Docter, 2009)

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/8805/disneypixarupmovieposte.jpg

A wondrous tale of adventure, friendship, and undying love, Up has climbed its way up to a position among my favorite animated/CGI films of all time. This delightful, yet dismally despondent at times, Pixar picture speaks on so many levels, in so many volumes, ranging from displaying tragic sequences that leave me on the verge of tears to vibrant scenes of relentlessly fun action which imprint huge smiles upon my face as they progress. Up touches on a vast constituent of the spectrum of human emotion, and plays with those emotions expertly, working them into the film and its story without a hitch, and as to where it never feels forced or contrived.

4

[See my review thread for full review.] (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=17916)

[n3wt]

Im looking forward to seeing this, nice review Dom :up::up:

[MovieMan8877445]

Saw it this morning, and I loved it:

http://i39.tinypic.com/2vvn7zp.jpg http://i41.tinypic.com/30hvjnp.jpg http://i39.tinypic.com/1687qit.jpg

Up (Pete Doctor and Bob Peterson, 2009)

After loving Wall-E so much, I knew I would have to see this one eventually. I’ve actually never missed seeing a Pixar movie in theaters, even though I did take me a little bit longer to finally get around to seeing this one. I didn’t think I would like this one as much, though, because the trailer didn’t have me all that interested. Don’t get me wrong, it looked interesting, but too childish for me. As it turns out, it ended up being one of Pixar’s deepest movies so far. I’ve noticed that recently with Pixar anyways, as they’ve been getting more-and-more serious with each new movie from them. I sort of hope that doesn’t happen with Toy Story 3 next year, though, because the Toy Story movies were never really meant to be all that serious. Up explores with a lot of deeper and more mature themes than you would usually expect from a Pixar film, with death being the main one.

Even though this one is pretty serious and does focus on more mature themes, of course it wouldn’t a Pixar film without some great laughs thrown in there as well. The dog Dug and the bird Kevin being the main things from the movie that delivered most of the laughs, at least to me. The laughs never really get to the point of being too childish, either, because I’m not a child and I laughed quite a bit throughout the movie. I don’t laugh at a lot of the kiddy potty humor jokes, either. Of course the main thing that shines for this is its amazing visuals of course. Pixar’s animation just keeps improving with each new film they push out. I think the animation in this one just barely passes that of Wall-E’s. Like any of Pixar’s other films, though, the main thing that helps drive their films is the story behind the movie. The wonderful imagination from the writers at Pixar is really what makes their films special.

I loved how they added Carl’s back-story into the first 10 or 15 minutes of the movie, because it really helps you love and feel sad for his character. During his back-story is when the death theme gets kicked into, too. This is probably Pixar’s most adventurous film yet, though. As soon as Carl’s house sets out with Russell the adventure doesn’t stop at all, until the credits hit. The entire movie leads up to an incredibly pleasing climax that I was hoping to for the entire movie. I already knew who the villain was going to be from the first 5 minutes of the movie, though. I thought it was pretty obvious, even though you didn’t actually find out who it was until right before the climax. I love how the real meaning of the movie kicks in at the end of the movie: that Carl’s adventure had already happened, it wasn’t his trip in Paradise Falls, but instead the live he lived. His entire live he got to spend with Ellie was his true adventure.

I ended up walking out of the theater very pleased that I got a chance to see this before it left theaters, because had I missed it, I would’ve been very disappointed. As far as ranking it against other of Pixar’s films, I’d put it right behind The Incredible and tied for second with Wall-E. I also heard that the short movie before Up, Partly Cloudy, wasn’t as great as some of the short movies before Pixar’s previous films, but I enjoyed it. I laughed through it the entire 5 minutes, and it got pretty sad at times during it, too. I’d recommend trying to catch this one before it leaves theaters, because I’m sure that you won’t be disappointed. I think Pixar always seems to create a movie that I feel almost anyone can enjoy.

4+

[tramp]

Well, I never said anything about Pixar's other flicks. Please go back and read what I actually wrote. Maybe that's what's causing your confusion.

Ooops, sorry, that's what I thought your point was. I guess I misread.

Are you concerned their films will become more and more serious?

I think there's something to the idea that as Pixar continues to move forward with this reputation of making excellent films that appeal to the child and adult in us, they might become victims of their own success. Can they make movies in the future that might seem more shallow?

Nice reviews here. What was so cool to me about UP was that, while it had that serious opening, I thought it the funniest Pixar since Finding Nemo. I can't look at my dog the same way anymore....:laugh:

I don't know if anyone said this, but I thought this film had the worse villain of any of the movies.

[Powdered Water]

Are you concerned their films will become more and more serious?

You know, not really I guess. I probably spend too much time obsessing over things that don't happen anyway. It was really just a thought I've had over the years about Disney as a whole. And now that they own Pixar it was really just me waxing a little about something that was running through my head. Hopefully, there's nothing to it. If Disney is smart they'll just leave well enough alone.



I think there's something to the idea that as Pixar continues to move forward with this reputation of making excellent films that appeal to the child and adult in us, they might become victims of their own success. Can they make movies in the future that might seem more shallow? Yeah, I could definitely see that couldn't you? They've made so many great films it is going to be tough to keep that up forever. Another reason for Disney to leave well enough alone, methinks.



I don't know if anyone said this, but I thought this film had the worse villain of any of the movies.

I think I'd still give it to Buddy Pine/Syndrome, he was a pretty evil little p****.

[tramp]

I think I'd still give it to Buddy Pine/Syndrome, he was a pretty evil little p****.

That was The Incredibles, right? I never really felt any hatred for him, though, it was like he was just another super hero villain. He was kind a fun. ;)

With this villain (can't remember his name... ugh... I'm getting old), I hated him. Like really hated him. Like I was watching a live action movie and feeling incredibly intense toward a character. I even turned to my son and said, "good riddance" when he ah... met his fate. :D

Of course, I think that goes back to how perfectly they created Carl's motivations and feelings.

[scribblelikeme]

Nice, MovieMan. Still haven't seen it... which is kinda weird for a Pixar fanatic like me. Is it my imagination or did this movie not get near as much hype as most other Pixar films?

[Veronica_888]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3501/3861866218_8e6278cb83.jpg

It's one of those movies where you wish that you were a kid again.. Disney Pixar has once again proved their superiority in these animated films. Great visuals. Great story. What more could you ask for? :)

[Bubbles578]

Saw Up! 3 weeks ago. In 3D with my 3 best friends and if I do say so myself, I thought it would suck as Disney is slowly getting more and more ridiculous on some of their recent films. C'mon Toy Story 3 .... Drop it ... Now. Please.. Anyways, through the movie it started to relate to some of the things in life right now, losing family and moving on. Ignoring children like all people do when not wanting to be bother. I think PIXAR/Disney did an amazing job conjuring up the idea to make a family comedy about the imaginable things you could think about as you were a kid. It put the saying What goes Up must come down, go into a fun reality for everyone of all ages. Amazing Job!