Just Getting the Movie to Start is a WAR
Added 11/23/2009
"Up" is a great movie, I highly recommend it, but wait for a better DVD Treatment.
Allow lots and lots and lots of time to get the movie started.
The DVD doesn't even play on some players, thanks to some DRM (Digital Restriction Mess-Up).
UOPs (User Operation Prohibition) are enabled on this DVD meaning that you cannot skip over many parts of the DVD and are FORCED to watch things you have no interest in.
While it is easy to purchse a DVD player that overrides UOPs, there are no Blu-ray players that do this YET.
Avoid this presentation of the movie. When a later one is released that is not hostile to the viewer, buy it only then.
0 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Entertaining but Odd Blend of Adventure Serials, Star Wars, Conrad & an Elderly Man.
Added 11/23/2009
"Up" is an oddly incongruous film from Pixar in that it has primarily adult themes but a relatively simple visual style and an over-the-top adventure plot. Carl Frederickson (Ed Asner) is an elderly widower who had always dreamed with his wife Ellie of far-flung adventures. In particular, they wanted to visit "Paradise Falls" in South America, where their childhood hero, an adventurer named Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer), made his name. Before he is forced into a retirement home, Carl takes one last shot at his dream. He attaches about 20,000 helium balloons to his house, hoists some sails, and sets the house aloft. But Carl has an unintended guest: an boy named Russell (Jordan Nagai), overeager to get his Wilderness Explorer "Helping the Elderly Badge", is on the porch.
Carl and Russell have only a few days to deposit the house atop Paradise Falls before the balloons deflate. The boy's idealism and enthusiasm clash with Carl's sense of urgency. Russell befriends a giant bird and a talking dog named Dug (Bob Petersen) but cannot understand Carl's increasing desperation. Carl is an old man who feels the pressure of very limited time to fulfill his life's dream, and at first he doesn't' have much patience with Russell's cheerful but easily distracted temperament. Now, this is entertaining to watch, but how much would a child understand or care about Carl's problem? "Up" does not limit its appeal to children, as "Finding Nemo" and "Cars" did, but I wonder if it has not done the opposite and taken on themes that are irrelevant to children.
I hope this will not spoil the movie for anyone, but I feel compelled to mention the strangest thing about this film: There is a man living in the jungle who is right out of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness". He is worshiped and served by a group of violent primitives (in this case domesticated dogs), and he collects the heads (in this case helmets) of those who have dared trespass his little fiefdom, whom we assume he has killed. He's an intelligent, accomplished man whose mind has gone `round the bend. He's Kurtz. Should I be surprised to see a Kurtz character in a "family film"? There is nothing graphic about "Up", and I don't think this guy is any scarier than a typical Pixar villain. "Up" is an entertaining film, though it lacks the visual interest and innovation that I've come to expect from Pixar (it was intended to be shown in 3D). I just wonder what children will make of it.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Another masterpiece from Pixar
Added 11/22/2009
There is probably no name I trust more today in film and television than Pixar (with the exception of Mutant Enemy). Both the quality of their productions and the excellence of their scripts stand out among animated films. I particularly loved this one because it shatters all previous templates for what a film is supposed to be about. The main protagonist is a 78-year-old man who bears a resemblance to to Spencer Tracy and his main traveling companion is a young, rotund Asian boy scout. Along the way they acquire a delightfully absurd and gigantic bird and a talking dog (while I saw this film I was reading Clifford D. Simak's CITY, which features several talking dogs, so for a while talking dogs were a motif in my cultural life). All of this while attempting to relocate a house carried by thousands of helium-filled balloons to a mythical spot in South America called Paradise Falls. And the entire affair was prefaced by a story within the story, of the story of Carl and Ellie's long life together.
I've yet to see a Pixar movie that wasn't a complete delight. And as for the appropriateness for small children, I would not hesitate to show it to one. I think a child will find it entertaining, moving, and inspiring. The messages in the film are good, positive ones and I not only think that children can see this film without harm, but should be encouraged to do so.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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A near-great movie
Added 11/22/2009
I enjoyed "Up" quite a bit, despite some slow stretches and a couple of obvious plot holes - if Carl is 78 years old, Muntz would be 100+. Production is superb, and the opening segment, showing us Carl's life with his beloved Ellie, is touching and true-to-life. Once the main story begins, however, things spin slightly out of control; as with all Pixar movies, there's a lot of action for action's sake, even if it doesn't always make sense. Nonetheless, this is a fun movie, suitable for ages 8 and up. I'd give it 4.5 stars if Amazon allowed half-stars.
1 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Caution! Not for very young children!
Added 11/22/2009
For whatever reason, Disney once again resorts to gun violence to keep older kids entertained. There are also frightening scenarios involving dogs. Certainly, there are moments of laughter, and the serious subjects of aging, life and death are handled with sensitivity and respect. However, I urge caution before allowing children under ages five to six to watch the film. This story is marketed by Disney as a fun-filled family romp. The ads conveniently leave out the violence!
0 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Just Getting the Movie to Start is a WAR
Added 11/23/2009
"Up" is a great movie, I highly recommend it, but wait for a better DVD Treatment.
Allow lots and lots and lots of time to get the movie started.
The DVD doesn't even play on some players, thanks to some DRM (Digital Restriction Mess-Up).
UOPs (User Operation Prohibition) are enabled on this DVD meaning that you cannot skip over many parts of the DVD and are FORCED to watch things you have no interest in.
While it is easy to purchse a DVD player that overrides UOPs, there are no Blu-ray players that do this YET.
Avoid this presentation of the movie. When a later one is released that is not hostile to the viewer, buy it only then.
0 out of 2 people found this helpful.
|
Entertaining but Odd Blend of Adventure Serials, Star Wars, Conrad & an Elderly Man.
Added 11/23/2009
"Up" is an oddly incongruous film from Pixar in that it has primarily adult themes but a relatively simple visual style and an over-the-top adventure plot. Carl Frederickson (Ed Asner) is an elderly widower who had always dreamed with his wife Ellie of far-flung adventures. In particular, they wanted to visit "Paradise Falls" in South America, where their childhood hero, an adventurer named Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer), made his name. Before he is forced into a retirement home, Carl takes one last shot at his dream. He attaches about 20,000 helium balloons to his house, hoists some sails, and sets the house aloft. But Carl has an unintended guest: an boy named Russell (Jordan Nagai), overeager to get his Wilderness Explorer "Helping the Elderly Badge", is on the porch.
Carl and Russell have only a few days to deposit the house atop Paradise Falls before the balloons deflate. The boy's idealism and enthusiasm clash with Carl's sense of urgency. Russell befriends a giant bird and a talking dog named Dug (Bob Petersen) but cannot understand Carl's increasing desperation. Carl is an old man who feels the pressure of very limited time to fulfill his life's dream, and at first he doesn't' have much patience with Russell's cheerful but easily distracted temperament. Now, this is entertaining to watch, but how much would a child understand or care about Carl's problem? "Up" does not limit its appeal to children, as "Finding Nemo" and "Cars" did, but I wonder if it has not done the opposite and taken on themes that are irrelevant to children.
I hope this will not spoil the movie for anyone, but I feel compelled to mention the strangest thing about this film: There is a man living in the jungle who is right out of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness". He is worshiped and served by a group of violent primitives (in this case domesticated dogs), and he collects the heads (in this case helmets) of those who have dared trespass his little fiefdom, whom we assume he has killed. He's an intelligent, accomplished man whose mind has gone `round the bend. He's Kurtz. Should I be surprised to see a Kurtz character in a "family film"? There is nothing graphic about "Up", and I don't think this guy is any scarier than a typical Pixar villain. "Up" is an entertaining film, though it lacks the visual interest and innovation that I've come to expect from Pixar (it was intended to be shown in 3D). I just wonder what children will make of it.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Another masterpiece from Pixar
Added 11/22/2009
There is probably no name I trust more today in film and television than Pixar (with the exception of Mutant Enemy). Both the quality of their productions and the excellence of their scripts stand out among animated films. I particularly loved this one because it shatters all previous templates for what a film is supposed to be about. The main protagonist is a 78-year-old man who bears a resemblance to to Spencer Tracy and his main traveling companion is a young, rotund Asian boy scout. Along the way they acquire a delightfully absurd and gigantic bird and a talking dog (while I saw this film I was reading Clifford D. Simak's CITY, which features several talking dogs, so for a while talking dogs were a motif in my cultural life). All of this while attempting to relocate a house carried by thousands of helium-filled balloons to a mythical spot in South America called Paradise Falls. And the entire affair was prefaced by a story within the story, of the story of Carl and Ellie's long life together.
I've yet to see a Pixar movie that wasn't a complete delight. And as for the appropriateness for small children, I would not hesitate to show it to one. I think a child will find it entertaining, moving, and inspiring. The messages in the film are good, positive ones and I not only think that children can see this film without harm, but should be encouraged to do so.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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