Movie Review

My review of Up:

Ok, so I went with my wife and son to see this today, and i just don’t know where to start.  I guess I’ll start with the look of the picture itself.  I was fortunate enough to be able to go to a theater that was showing it in Disney Digital 3D.  I must say WOW!!  This theater has the DLP projectors so I have noticed a difference in seeing films at this location over the theaters that are closer to my house, but this digital 3D is AMAZING!  The depth that it adds to the film is simply spectacular.  There are no old school 3D gages, so it isn’t like Jaws or some other old movie that was done in 3D.  The new generation of 3D is simply a way to give the picture depth, and better feel, as far as I am concerned.  My wife wasn’t thrilled with it, and I think that she was looking more for the images coming out of the screen making you feel like you can reach out and touch it kind of effect.

Now, as far as the movie is concerned, I am going to try to stay as spoiler free as I can, but I might have a moment or two here, that I divulge a little info, to better explain my feelings about it.  I will do my best to limit this though, and I will also make sure that before I mention anything, I will again preface it with a warning.

I went to this film, expecting some quirky adventure based on the previews that they show.  Yes, Carl (the old guy) does dream his entire life about adventure, BUT, they leave out a major piece of the information in the preview.  Now, I am sure that this was intentional, and I will say that the piece they left out, makes this story hit home like no other Pixar movie I have EVER seen before.  The emotional roller coaster that this movie takes you on, to me, is like no other storyline that Pixar has even attempted before.  Yes, there are moments of joy and laughter, and yes, there are moments of sadness and tears.  Never, in all the previous movies from Pixar have I ever felt the tug at the heart strings the way I did within the first 20 minutes of this film.  It opens like no other Disney movie i have ever seen or can even recall.  I am sure that someone out there will disagree with me, but that’s ok.

Doug, the dog, is definitely brought into this movie to aide in the comic relief of the film.  Initially, I was a little skeptical about the storyline including a talking dog, but I gotta tell you that I think Pixar hit this one out of the park.  It is, in a lot of ways, (IMHO) comedic genius, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

This film, as far as I am concerned is probably Pixar’s best to date.  they have truly outdone themselves, and in my opinion, everyone should go and see this on the big screen, in 3D if you can.  Today’s 3D glasses are more like those that we are wearing in the theme parks for the 4D attractions like the Muppets in Disney’s Hollywood Studio’s or Bugs Life in Animal Kingdom.  Gone are the days of the green and red glasses.

I hope that this has convinced some of you to go and see the movie, and for those that it hasn’t, GO SEE IT ANYWAY!  I think that you will all enjoy it.  If anyone wants to discuss this further, please feel free to drop me a comment here, and I will get back to you.  Thanks for reading.

UP Movie Poster

Earth Review

Well, where to begin. I guess I can start with the fact that I am a BIG Planet Earth fan, so much so that I have it on Blue Ray. So, when I saw some of the same footage, or what VERY closely appears to be the same footage, I was a little disappointed. I know that Disney was involved in working on this with the same people that made Planet Earth, but I was hoping for more. Disney touts this as a film that follows the lives of 3 animal families. I felt that it was only really two families that they repeatedly mention or go back to, and even that was not enough to set it apart from the one that came first, Planet Earth. This movie spans the regions of the earth as they go through their climate change, and speaks of the diversity of the life that lives in each. It does show the circle of life in a way that isn’t graphic. Actually other than the chase and a piece of the catch, there is nothing gloomy or terrible about this film. The shots of the Great White breaching the water surface appeared to me to have come from Discovery Channel’s Shark Week as the sharks catch appeared to be nothing more than a dummy dragged behind th boat. I guess what I was hopping for was what they described it as. Follow a polar bear, a hump back whale and whatever else it was they were following, and discuss their plight in the world. Show the climate changes that are affecting them, or what a few months time was like in each of their lives. I would have been so much more satisfied, and my son would have at least sat still throughout the entire movie. There were times where he was completely bored with it, and I wasn’t far behind.

I see that the preview for Oceans was shown during this, and it is the next release from the DisneyNature group. I hope that this is a little more than what this was, because if not, then again we have already seen this by watching the Discovery Channel, yet again.

I can and will say that the video footage of the scenery and the animals is absolutely spectacular. This film is another one of those that needs to be seen on the big screen so that you can appreciate the enormity of it all. Otherwise, I feel that some of it will be lost when you watch it on TV.

Well, I hope that I haven’t scared anyone off from going to see this, and if you have I would like to know what you think. Thanks for stopping by, chat again soon.

Final Update on the Date

Well, I had the movie wrong, BUT it was wonderful.  Tonight we had a chance to see a screening of The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.  This movie is a romantic comedy (translation for the guys reading this Chick Flick).  I know, I know I willingly went to a chick flick.  I was just looking at it as a chance to see a movie for free, and to spend some time with my wife.  Boy was it worth it.  This movie should be reclassified as a Comedy romantic, because it is mostly comedy with a little romance thrown in for good measure.  There is no gratuitous lovey dovey stuff in this movie, but the romantic tension between the two main characters is perfect.  I don’t want to say too much about the movie at this point, because it was a screening and I am not sure what they are going to cut or add.  I do want to say this, the movie is set in Alaska for the most part, and in order to fully appreciate the splendor of it, you NEED to see it on the big screen of a movie theater.  That’s about all I think I should say at this point.  It is scheduled to come out in the theaters on June 19th.

The other thing I can say is that Walt Disney Pictures is putting this film out, and there was a gentleman there with a polo shirt on that had the studio name embroidered on it.  Since I was with my wife and her work colleagues, I did not get into a conversation with him, but he was definitely from the studio.  I overheard someone else ask him that very question.