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HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: Up

#31
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11/5/09 at 6:00am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Borst View Post

And as I was watching the complete end credits for the first time (I never do that at the theater, there's always a couple of people waiting to start cleaning up)

You paid for admission to the movie, so why shouldn't they be the ones to accommodate you?  As long as there was something on the screen that I wanted to see, I wouldn't allow the theater employees pressure me into misssing out on content that I paid good money to see.

Carl Fink
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#32
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11/5/09 at 6:18am
  • Joined: October 2001
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cafink View Post

You paid for admission to the movie, so why shouldn't they be the ones to accommodate you?  As long as there was something on the screen that I wanted to see, I wouldn't allow the theater employees pressure me into misssing out on content that I paid good money to see.

Especially when there is still viable content--pertaining to the storyline--being offered.  And, after all, aren't the credits viable content?   

My family knows that I'm not about to move out of my seat until the final credit has rolled. 

Pixar films always have great closing credits.  And, think of all the films recently that have little surprises at the end (after the credits).  Iron Man is the one that comes to mind first.  The Producers is another. 




There's Jessie the yodeling cowgirl. Bullseye, he's Woody's horse. Pete the old prospector. And, Woody, the man himself. Of course, it's time for Woody's RoundUp. He's the very best! He's the rootinest, tootinest cowboy in the wild, wild west!

Top Ten Ways to Find Good Deals on DVDs and Blu-ray...
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#33
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11/6/09 at 9:36pm
  • Joined: December 1999
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“Adventure Is Out There” is a fascinating 22 ¼-minute documentary detailing the fact-finding expedition many of the production team took to Venezuela with tour guide Adrian Warren as they explored the mountains of the region for visual ideas for the film"

This mini doc was great too.

I never heard of this part of the world before and seeing these mountains and learning about them was amazing to me.

wife and I watched the movie last night and really loved it
She usually isn;t very moved or impressed by many movies but she gave this 4.5 out of 5.
I loved it too.
The montage was about as good as anything I have seen before and it was heartbreaking.
The second act or middle of the movie was a little lacking for me and the dogs who could cook and fly airplanes seemed a bit more for the tots then the older ones.

I didn;t like it as much as last years Pixar but it still a great movie.
 
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#34
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11/8/09 at 12:21pm
  • Joined: May 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cafink View Post



You paid for admission to the movie, so why shouldn't they be the ones to accommodate you?  As long as there was something on the screen that I wanted to see, I wouldn't allow the theater employees pressure me into misssing out on content that I paid good money to see.

I know you're right, but somehow the people in the theaters give me the exact opposite feeling. It doesn't really help that the credits are mainly seen as 'redundant' anyway, even though I always watch them.

Never go out with anyone who thinks Fellini is a type of cheese

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#35
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11/8/09 at 4:33pm
  • Joined: September 2000
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Can't wait to spin this one!
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#36
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11/10/09 at 8:27pm
  • Joined: September 1999
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 Just watched it for the first time.  My wife and I really enjoyed it.  I was crushed with sadness at the montage.  Seriously.  A big tough guy just sniffling and tears rolling down my face watching that.  I was not ready for such a sad bit.  Really took me out of the next 20 min of the movie.  
The dogs were funny, but "Bolt" gave me more laughs.  

4/5
Scott A. McGillivray
Vancouver, B.C.

Struggling Actor and Movie Nut!
(Check out my profile on IMDB!)http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1425496/
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#37
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11/10/09 at 11:17pm
  • Joined: October 2001
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cafink View Post



You paid for admission to the movie, so why shouldn't they be the ones to accommodate you?  As long as there was something on the screen that I wanted to see, I wouldn't allow the theater employees pressure me into misssing out on content that I paid good money to see.

They should, but I can't believe they waited.   Most of the time here the employess just come in and start cleaning up, flipping seats, calling across to the other guy, throwing things at the can, even to the point of not only walking in front of me but actually stopped in my line of sight.    More than once I've muttered 'out loud' sometimes more than muttered along with a nasty glare and occasionally with a positive effect, but that time I lost it on the poor 17yo dweeb and dragged the Manager into the theater for a 'conference' though honestly I was the only speaking.  Got a not so sincere apology and free ticket, but when I used the freebie, sure enough the cleaning crew started up as soon as the credits began. 

Spoke with the same manager the next, showed them the email I sent to the Studio and to the chain's main HQ addressed to the VP and CEO (OK no way it made it that far), pulled up my Quicken Report showing how much (I + Family) used to spend there -- actually pretty impressive for a group of 4.   I haven't been back despite 4 freebie in my pocket.

"I sit in my cube with my headphones on and try to let my competence hold back the tide for as long as possible, then move on when the flood of stupidity breaches the levee. I'm a refugee from Hurricane Stupid."

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#38
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11/11/09 at 3:44pm
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If anyone was curious, Monster, Inc. has a $10 off coupon in-store when you buy both. I got the SteelBook edition, and will post pics when I can. What a fantastic movie!

\"My opinion is that (a) anyone who actually works in a video store and does not understand letterboxing has given up on life, and (b) any customer who prefers to have the sides of a movie hacked off should not be licensed to operate a video player.\"-- Roger Ebert

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#39
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11/11/09 at 4:23pm
  • Joined: November 1998
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Can't wait.  Best film of the year.

Every man is my superior, in that I may learn from him.

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#40
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11/11/09 at 4:38pm
  • Joined: July 1997
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Have mixed feelings about UP now having watched it for
the first time.

On the plus side, it's another milestone for PIXAR who
can't seem to do anything wrong.  Their films have become
more perfected with each release.

Count me in as one of those that were pulled by the
emotional strings.  A real testament to what great animation
can do with no dialogue to support it.

This is by far the epitome of Blu-ray presentations.  I was
stunned by how beautiful this transfer looks.  It is the very
reason why people who don't have Blu-ray are missing out
on something special. Just a marvel to look at.

I also kind of like the fact that Disney does this whole 

NOW PLAYING IN THEATERS and COMING SOON TO

BLU-RAY trailer play.  You don't see this much on Blu-ray and
I enjoy the aspect of having trailers playing prior to the 
Feature Presentation --- as long as you can skip through
them (which was no problem here if one wished to).


Disney did a wonderful job with their packaging and offering
a DVD copy in the mix without robbing our wallets in
the process.  It was a really nice Amazon deal to snag
this and MONSTERS INC. for under $20 each.  Seems you
can get great deals on Disney titles these days and all of
us are appreciative of the great value the studio is giving 
to consumers.

...but back to the film....

The problem I had was entirely with the feature itself.  I just
didn't get into the movie as much as I had hoped.  The
talking dogs took me out of the story and that kid was so
annoying that I wanted to give him a merit badge for being
a royal "PITA."

I'm making it all seem fare worse than it is.  On a whole,
this is a marvel of a film to behold.  I just wish it was a bit
more fun and a lot less talking dogs.  

This is one to own!
Ronald J Epstein
Home Theater Forum co-owner
Email me at: repstein@hometheaterforum.com 
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#41
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11/11/09 at 5:12pm
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Agreed about the dogs. Really forced humor there. And the "Squirrel!" bit was funny the first time, in the trailer.

I've seen the movie four times now (once on BD), and it's still a great movie, but the middle drags (for me) to a far worse degree than any other Pixar film I've seen. I never start thinking about the time while watching a Pixar . . . except this one. Every time.

I'd really like to see them tackle a completely silent movie. The first 30 minutes of Wall-E and the few montages in Up are brilliant filmmaking.

Oh, and I love Giacchino's score. Between this, Star Trek, Speed Racer, Ratatouille, The Incredibles, and the original score for LOST, we have quite the virtuoso composer on our hands.

 

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#42
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11/11/09 at 6:00pm
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Giacchino's score really is the icing on the cake with this film. I doubt the Carl & Ellie montage would pack the emotional wallop it does without the deceptively simplistic leitmotif playing underneath. It is definitely a film that rewards with repeat viewings. I agree that the ADD-mimicking "Squirrel!" moment was overused, but the ridiculous dialogue fits the dogs perfectly.

\"My opinion is that (a) anyone who actually works in a video store and does not understand letterboxing has given up on life, and (b) any customer who prefers to have the sides of a movie hacked off should not be licensed to operate a video player.\"-- Roger Ebert

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#43
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11/12/09 at 7:43am
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Regardless of how you feel about the film, here's a story about the film and Pixar that really shows how phenomenal the company is:

Quote:
Colby Curtin got her final wish.

The 10-year-old girl desperately wanted to see the new Disney-Pixar movie, "Up." But the cancer-stricken girl was too sick to go to a theater.

Thanks to a family friend who got in touch with the movie studio Pixar, an employee of the Emeryville-based company arrived at Colby's home with a DVD copy of the movie, The Orange County Register reported Friday. The girl died later that night.

Colby's mother, Lisa, said she had asked her daughter if she could hang on until the movie arrived.

"I'm ready (to die), but I'm going to wait for the movie," she said her daughter replied.

"Up" is the animated tale of a grumpy old man who, after his wife's death, tries to fulfill their joint dream of visiting South America by tying thousands of balloons to his house and floating away.

"When I watched it, I had really no idea about the content of the theme of the movie," Colby's mother told the Register. "I just know that word 'Up' and all of the balloons and I swear to you, for me it meant that (Colby) was going to go up. Up to heaven."

Colby, who was diagnosed with vascular cancer in 2005, saw previews for the film in April.

"It was from then on, she said, 'I have to see that movie. It is so cool,"' family friend Carole Lynch said.

But the girl's health began to deteriorate. On June 4, Curtin asked a hospice company to bring a wheelchair so that her daughter could go to a movie theater but the chair was not delivered over the weekend, Curtin said.

By June 9, Colby was too sick to go anywhere.

Another family friend, Terrell Orum, called both Pixar and Disney, which owns the animation studio. The message was received by Pixar officials, who agreed to send someone to Colby's house the next day with a copy of "Up" for a private screening, Orum said.

The employee arrived with the DVD, stuffed animals of characters and other movie memorabilia.

Colby was unable to open her eyes to see the movie so her mother described the scenes. When her mother asked if she enjoyed it, the girl nodded, Curtin said.

The Pixar employee left after the movie, taking the DVD, which has not been released. Lynch, who was with the family during the screening, said the employee's "eyes were just welled up."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/19/national/main5098924.shtml

When I first started hearing this, I thought it was an urban legend, because cynical bastard that I am I figured this is the kind of thing any other company would be blaring from the rooftops.  But when I found out that not only was it true, but that Pixar had done it with zero fanfare, that floored me.  That's the kind of subtle dedication to your audience that shows that they're one of the few studios not in it to puke out franchises--*cough*Shrek*cough*--to keep kids and parents buying tchotckes.  In fact, I've read interviews with Pixar employees that said they will go out of their way to create product-unfriendly films (such as Ratatouille) because they'd rather make a good movie than sell a billion Happy Meals.  Maybe Disney still makes Happy Meal tie-ins happen, but that being far distant to the quality of the film itself puts Pixar at the very top of my studio preferences.

FWIW, I thought Up was great, but not their best.  As a fan of dogs, I loved any scene with them, and the opening sequences in particular were brilliant.  The kid and bird storylines were a little schmaltzy (especially compared to the opening), and the Muntz character had no real time to develop, but pretty much everything else was extremely well-done.  If I was pressed, I'd say it tied for my 3rd favorite Pixar film (with Ratatouille), after Wall-E and The Incredibles.  I don't know what it is about Brad Bird, but he's really helped kick Pixar's films into high gear even when he's not involved.  Here's to hoping that a Blu-ray of The Iron Giant isn't too far away.
"Would I rather be feared or loved? Um...easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me."
--Michael Scott, The Office

"When I get sad I just stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story."
--Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother
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#44
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11/12/09 at 9:16am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jesse Blacklow View Post

As a fan of dogs, I loved any scene with them...
 


Maybe I just like dumb jokes but I could watch an entire movie of dogs flying biplanes. Also, the shot of them playing poker amuses me to no end.
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#45
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11/12/09 at 10:08am
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Watched this with my girlfriend and another couple (age range 25-35) and we all enjoyed the movie. Had no problems with the dogs whatsoever. Actually parts of the film were so heavy and emotional, everyone remarked how heavy it was (and especially so for kids) that the comic relief was not only welcome, but necessary.

As for the disc quality: another reference disc by Pixar in terms of A/V excellence as well as extras. Couple that with the $33 deal for this and Monsters Inc from Amazon (with some able to get it for $10 less than that) and I think this is the Blu-Ray bargain of 2010!
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#46
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11/14/09 at 11:55am
  • Joined: September 2000
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Watching this tonight. I may be in the minority but I did not like wall-e AT ALL. I still don't own it and have no plans. Hoping this is 5 steps better...
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