Spoiler-free review: UP
Thanks to the fine guys at Aint It Cool News, I got to go see an advance screening of the new Disney/Pixar movie, UP. (Plus the short before it, Partly Cloudy). We even saw it in 3D; apparently we were one of the first audiences to see it in that format in a theater (after the folks at Cannes.)
It was very, very good. And I say that from the stance of someone who generally dislikes most 'kids movies'. That said, I like the very good ones, and UP definitely qualifies.
As far as the 3D goes, they aren't using the old red/green lenses - it's done via glasses that look like a mostly transparent set of Ray-Bans. And since they were integrating the 3D from the beginning of concept, it is _extremely_ unobtrusive. An hour after the fact, I can't recall a single shot of the "ZOOOOM SOMETHING IS THRUST AT THE SCREEN" variety.
Instead, the 3D is used to simply accentuate the depth and to heighten some really huge wide vistas in the scenery - there's a bunch of shots that are definitely much more visually impressive because of how 3D looks for panoramas etc.
But you could easily see it without the 3D; the use of it is designed to enhance the shots, not be the shots (again, unlike the ZOOOOM stuff in cruddy 3D films.)
The short before it was a pretty comedic one, and got lots of laughs; it's a worthy companion (and also makes good use of the 3D effects.)
So, highly recommended.
It was very, very good. And I say that from the stance of someone who generally dislikes most 'kids movies'. That said, I like the very good ones, and UP definitely qualifies.
As far as the 3D goes, they aren't using the old red/green lenses - it's done via glasses that look like a mostly transparent set of Ray-Bans. And since they were integrating the 3D from the beginning of concept, it is _extremely_ unobtrusive. An hour after the fact, I can't recall a single shot of the "ZOOOOM SOMETHING IS THRUST AT THE SCREEN" variety.
Instead, the 3D is used to simply accentuate the depth and to heighten some really huge wide vistas in the scenery - there's a bunch of shots that are definitely much more visually impressive because of how 3D looks for panoramas etc.
But you could easily see it without the 3D; the use of it is designed to enhance the shots, not be the shots (again, unlike the ZOOOOM stuff in cruddy 3D films.)
The short before it was a pretty comedic one, and got lots of laughs; it's a worthy companion (and also makes good use of the 3D effects.)
So, highly recommended.