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General => Reviews => Topic started by: Space Invader on July 22, 2009, 09:56:00 PM
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With Setra clearly having control of video game reviews, I thought I'd both add a little variety to the review thread and indulge my own personal need to be a critic and start reviewing movies. And what a better place to start than with one of the summer's blockbusters, Up. As some of you might know, Up is the latest film by Pixar, a company that specialises in animated features that kick the shit out of most mainstream movies in nearly every catagory. I personally grew up on a diet of Toy Story, and have seen every other Pixar movie at least once. I love Pixar movies, so I had high hopes for Up. So, is is another smash hit or a lead balloon?
I'll just go right out and say it: Up is a freaking fabulous movie and EVERYONE should go see it. I could leave it at that, but I hope I have more integrity, so I'll elaborate on why Up is so special.
Up is the tale of Carl Fredrickson, an aging balloon salesman whose dreams of a South American adventure with his wife are smashed by her untimely death. Unable to accept her loss and move on, Carl hatches up a scheme to fly his house to Paradise Falls and live out his days in his wifes fantasy. Using hundreds of balloons, Carl sets off, picking up a stow away, Wilderness Scout Russel, along the way. Once they arrive in South America, Carl and Russel have the adventure that Carl has always wanted.
I won't give anything more away, but needless to say that the story is both endearing and charming enough to please even my cynical tastes.
Part of what makes Up so great is it takes risks that can't be done to the same effect in live action. The opening sequence, which depicts Carl and his wife growing old together, uses no voices and little sound, with only music to accompany the visuals. And yet, this sequence is some of the hardest hitting, emotionally rich and brilliant pieces of cinema in years. It's great to see a studio that really cares about it's characters in the way Pixar does.
Of course, the visuals are stunning, living up to Pixars ridiculously high standards. Stellar sound and voice acting round out the films spot on script to perfections point.
For all my ravings though, the film is not withought faults. The ending bits turn to the action side, which isn't super entertaining and the talking dogs (whoops) are a little to stupid to take seriously. But, you know what, I can forgive up for these flaws, because what it does it pulls of with such ease and joy that you barely notice.
For audiences of all ages, I highly recomend Up. I wish I could go into more detail, but Up is something you need to experience and can't be described or ruined. Just go see it, and be glad you did.
4.5/5
PS. Mad love to Pixar for the animated shorts are the start. Again, it rocks the house.
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Up was terrific. It's the reason people go to see movies in the first place.
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Word.
Pixar rules the animated films, and still kicks the ass of most mainstream films.
Good review, buddy.
So I guess this means I have full control over video game reviews?
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Yup.
I was going to try and be the movie guy, but I guess I've started something (2 other movie "reviews" up now)
Best of luck with your next games.
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I loved the dogs. My one friend was sad about the colourblind jokes though, because he's colourblind too.
Up is by far the best movie I've seen this year.
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I loved the dogs. My one friend was sad about the colourblind jokes though, because he's colourblind too.
Up is by far the best movie I've seen this year.
Strange, I'm colourblind, and it didn't bother me at all. Oh well, maybe some people are more sensitive to those topics.
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Did you hear about the girl that was on her deathbed with some disease and her death was with to see up. The company sent her a private copy of UP for her to watch in her bedroom! :hefdaddy *to Pixar*
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I found UP to be mediocre at best.
Def doesn't live up to films like Antz, Incredibles , Toy Story to name a few, yet this is rated and praised generally above these films.
2.5/5
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I found UP to be mediocre at best.
Def doesn't live up to films like Antz, Incredibles , Toy Story to name a few, yet this is rated and praised generally above these films.
I didn't say it was better, just very good.
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Great, great film. My only minor nitpicks is that I found the villain somewhat boring (though during that dinner scene he was scary as hell), and the dogs didn't make for the most interesting of hench-thugs. That said, the main four were perfectly realized, and the film worked equally well as a heart-wrenching drama as it did a comedy.
Shameless plug: I just got back from visiting Pixar studios in Berkeley today, and it was fucking awesome. They were having this fundraiser (they normally don't have any kind of open-house type things ever), and they had all this concept art from Up all over the building. We weren't allowed to take any pictures of it, but it was so fucking cool to see the process behind the movie.
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POINT
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I found UP to be mediocre at best.
Def doesn't live up to films like Antz, Incredibles , Toy Story to name a few, yet this is rated and praised generally above these films.
2.5/5
Well, first of, i havenīt watched UP yet so Iīm not gonna comment specifically on it, but your point reminded me of something...I think UP can be very good, but I hardly believe that successess like Toy Story, Bugīs Life or Nemo (oh, good times) will repeat again. Why? Because that was the beggining of computer graphics, to see those 3d characters having so much life was something so impactant and "unrealistic-realistic" that i think anyone from any age would have been enchanted with the movie. Creative-wise i think lots of movies will do very well, but Iīm not expecting any reaction like those ones...even if the media tries to "force us", like in Ratatoiulle. Nevertheless, I donīt want to sound pessimistic, i personally love these animations and I canīt wait to see UP.
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I found UP to be mediocre at best.
Def doesn't live up to films like Antz, Incredibles , Toy Story to name a few, yet this is rated and praised generally above these films.
2.5/5
Well, first of, i havenīt watched UP yet so Iīm not gonna comment specifically on it, but your point reminded me of something...I think UP can be very good, but I hardly believe that successess like Toy Story, Bugīs Life or Nemo (oh, good times) will repeat again. Why? Because that was the beggining of computer graphics, to see those 3d characters having so much life was something so impactant and "unrealistic-realistic" that i think anyone from any age would have been enchanted with the movie. Creative-wise i think lots of movies will do very well, but Iīm not expecting any reaction like those ones...even if the media tries to "force us", like in Ratatoiulle. Nevertheless, I donīt want to sound pessimistic, i personally love these animations and I canīt wait to see UP.
I don't see anything different now from when Pixar made Toy Story. Same amazing everything - it's why all of their films are rated so highly apart from Cars.
Toy Story 1995 100%
A Bug's Life 1998 91%
Toy Story 2 1999 100%
Monsters, Inc. 2001 95%
Finding Nemo 2003 98%
The Incredibles 2004 97%
Cars 2006 75%
Ratatouille 2007 96%
WALL-E 2008 96%
Up 2009 98%
Interesting to know that Lasseter directed Toy Story 1/2 and Cars. So their best and worst rated.
What's bad is that Cars 2 is confirmed. Why make a sequel of your worst film?
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I'm not sure if you made up or got these ratings from Rotten Tomatoes or something, but you are correct. Cars is the weakest
For me:
Toy Story 1995 100%
A Bug's Life 1998 93%
Toy Story 2 1999 98%
Monsters, Inc. 2001 95%
Finding Nemo 2003 91%
The Incredibles 2004 99%
Cars 2006 80%
Ratatouille 2007 97%
WALL-E 2008 110%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Up 2009 90%
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Sorry yes, they were the RT aggregated scores.
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I've never seen a problem with Cars, it's really funny and places and really sweet in others, exactly what you'd expect from Pixar. It's only downside is being a little too obvious with nothing to really standout.
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I've never seen a problem with Cars, it's really funny and places and really sweet in others, exactly what you'd expect from Pixar. It's only downside is being a little too obvious with nothing to really standout.
I guess that's why it got 'very good' rather than 'almost perfect' ;)
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The movie really got to my wife and I since we cannot have children so it hit us very hard. We were silently balling together in the movie. It's amazing how well Pixar's writers are for their movies.