UP
UP
January 12 2009, DVD, home, from Netflix
The first film I actually got from Netflix was THE YOUNG LIONS, but as I didn't watch it all the way through, no review. (From what I saw, both Brando and Clift were excellent in it, but that fucker is almost 3 hours long, and war is hell.)
UP is the second, and yes, I watched it all the way through. It's delightful, of course; the whole concept is brilliant, the characters are fantastic, and it looks like a million bucks. It didn't blow me away as much as most other Pixar films I've seen, though; it lacks a certain originality of scenes, or else I've just seen similar things enough times that I just wasn't blown away. (It is hard to top the door sequence in MONSTERS, INC., the aching sadness of Sally's song in TOY STORY 2, the joyous rococco of RATATOUILLE, the sheer gorgeousness of A BUG'S LIFE...) Still - gorgeously imaginative, achingly sad, intermittently hilarious. The characters - most centrally Carl, our cranky old man who suddenly gets the endurance of a mule when adventure calls - are marvelous and beautifully depicted, and even if their griefs and traumas are drawn with pretty broad strokes, it still works. Tears were jerked. I wish I'd seen it on the big screen (naturally); I'll try not to make that same mistake again with the next Pixar flick.
I'd happily own this movie, though I probably wouldn't watch it all that often. It's actually too sad. It's not really a kids' movie when it all comes down to it, even though kids should undoubtedly love it, and they damn well should watch it, if only to learn that old people are fuckin' cool. And also that dogs are like that.
January 12 2009, DVD, home, from Netflix
The first film I actually got from Netflix was THE YOUNG LIONS, but as I didn't watch it all the way through, no review. (From what I saw, both Brando and Clift were excellent in it, but that fucker is almost 3 hours long, and war is hell.)
UP is the second, and yes, I watched it all the way through. It's delightful, of course; the whole concept is brilliant, the characters are fantastic, and it looks like a million bucks. It didn't blow me away as much as most other Pixar films I've seen, though; it lacks a certain originality of scenes, or else I've just seen similar things enough times that I just wasn't blown away. (It is hard to top the door sequence in MONSTERS, INC., the aching sadness of Sally's song in TOY STORY 2, the joyous rococco of RATATOUILLE, the sheer gorgeousness of A BUG'S LIFE...) Still - gorgeously imaginative, achingly sad, intermittently hilarious. The characters - most centrally Carl, our cranky old man who suddenly gets the endurance of a mule when adventure calls - are marvelous and beautifully depicted, and even if their griefs and traumas are drawn with pretty broad strokes, it still works. Tears were jerked. I wish I'd seen it on the big screen (naturally); I'll try not to make that same mistake again with the next Pixar flick.
I'd happily own this movie, though I probably wouldn't watch it all that often. It's actually too sad. It's not really a kids' movie when it all comes down to it, even though kids should undoubtedly love it, and they damn well should watch it, if only to learn that old people are fuckin' cool. And also that dogs are like that.