Up
→ in Movie Reviews
Reply to Topic
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.)
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.)
X
Favorite Movies
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.
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.
__________________
"Travis Bickle: Loneliness has followed me my whole life, everywhere. In bars, in cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There's no escape. I'm God's lonely man."
"Travis Bickle: Loneliness has followed me my whole life, everywhere. In bars, in cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There's no escape. I'm God's lonely man."
Ask me a question, any question: Grill a MoFo: Dill-Man
Last edited by Dill-man; 06-02-09 at 08:33 PM.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
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.
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.
__________________
We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...
We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...
X
Favorite Movies
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.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
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.
__________________
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
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?
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?
X
Favorite Movies
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.
?
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.
?
X
Favorite Movies
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.
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.
?
?
X
Favorite Movies
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.
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.
__________________
"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."
Suspect's Reviews
"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."
Suspect's Reviews
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
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.
X
Favorite Movies
Here's my take, which again, is better late than never. 
Up
(Pete Docter, 2009)
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.
[See my review thread for full review.]
(Pete Docter, 2009)
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.
[See my review thread for full review.]
__________________
"The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven."
John Milton, Paradise Lost
My Movie Review Thread | My Top 100
"The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven."
John Milton, Paradise Lost
My Movie Review Thread | My Top 100
Last edited by TheDOMINATOR; 06-08-09 at 02:41 AM.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
Im looking forward to seeing this, nice review Dom 
__________________
~In the event of a Zombie Uprising, remember to sever the head or destroy the brain!~
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
Saw it this morning, and I loved it:
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.
+
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.
+
X
User Lists
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.
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....
I don't know if anyone said this, but I thought this film had the worse villain of any of the movies.
X
Favorite Movies
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?
I don't know if anyone said this, but I thought this film had the worse villain of any of the movies.
X
Favorite Movies
I think I'd still give it to Buddy Pine/Syndrome, he was a pretty evil little p****.
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.
Of course, I think that goes back to how perfectly they created Carl's motivations and feelings.
X
Favorite Movies
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?
