FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: Up For Best Picture...

Pixar recently purchased the front cover of Variety for a full cover ad asking Academy members to nominate Up for Best Picture. Check out the ad below.

(Via Awards Daily)



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NEWS: Easter Eggs Found In Up...

One of the things that Pixar has done rather well is making their films seemingly fit in one world. While I will post me and my significant other's One World Theory about Pixar sometime next week, during many, if not all of Pixar's releases, there have been numerous Easter Eggs that point to this one world idea, or at least the fact that these films have connections to one another. Up is no different. Thanks to /Film for the heads up!

- Standard John Ratzenberger Cameo: Construction Foreman Tom

- A113: a reference to the classroom number that was used by Animation students like Lasseter and other Pixar crew, is found as the Courtroom number.

- Carl’s court summons features the number 94070, the Zip Code where Brad Lewis (Pixar Producer/Director) was once Mayor.

- Buy N Large logo on some of the Construction Workers hats

- The Generic Grape Soda from the Buzz Lightyear commercials is on Carl’s Hat.

- A stylized Pizza Planet truck is seen as the house lifts off and we get a view looking down at the street

- Lotso the Bear (Toy Story 3) is under the girl’s bed as the house and balloons float by, as well the Luxo Ball is on the floor of her room.

- Many Oakland landmarks and oddities make appearances.

Click here for even more!

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REVIEW: Up...

When it comes to Pixar, some films need to be held to different standards.

Up has set them for the aforementioned studio.

Since 1995, Pixar has graced us with 10 films, all of which (minus Cars), have set the standard by which other animated films are judged. With Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monster's Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, Wall-E, and now Up, Pixar has become not only the best animated studio, but arguably the best studio working in cinema today.

Up tells the story of the 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen, who since being a young child, has had an urge for adventure. However, instead of heading to a retirement home, he decides to feed these urges. By tying thousands of balloons to his colorful home, Carl sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to head out to Paradise Falls, in South America. He's not alone though. After liftoff, he discovers that Russell, a wilderness scout, has joined him for his journey filled with talking dogs, giant birds, and a poetic tale of love gained, love lost, and love reborn.

Throughout the history of Pixar, the biggest current running through their art, is the attempt of bringing the themes of their pieces to the forefront. Ranging from the idea of moving out of adolescence from the Toy Story films, to the environmentalist rant that was the brilliant Wall-E, they have strive to not only make an entertaining film, but one that allows people to chew on the themes a bit more.

Up is no different. The film is a beautiful and poetic look at what happens over the span of a persons life, and how love lost can drive someone to do more than they are expected. The opening 20 minutes of this film may be some of the most moving and artistically paced pieces of cinema I have seen in a long time. In what can be described as a 10-15 minute montage, you go from Carl's childhood to the current day, and you see everything in between. His love of adventure never changes, but the type of adventure he goes on for his first 78 years changes. It is real things that happen in the lives of people, and it is just that much more moving. There wasn't a dry eye in the theatre, and it kept moving for the entire 102 minutes.

Then there is the voice cast. Another phenomenal thing that Pixar has been able to do, is cast primarily unknown actors in perfect roles. Other than Toy Story, TS2 and Cars, instead of casting Bruce Willis as a raccoon, simply because he's Bruce Willis, the cast Sarah Vow, an author, in a role that she was perfect for.

If their was some sort of Oscar for Best Voice Actor, Ed Asner as Carl would be the hands down winner. It's a role that could have simply been played as a grumpy old man, but instead, he plays it as a man whose seen more than his fair share of joys and tragedies, but isn't shunning the world because of it. The world is changing around him (his house is in the middle of a construction zone just as an example), and while he's not willing to change, he knows it comes. There is also such a deep well of emotion within the character, that he mines complete gold out of it. He's comedic, sweet, and yes, a bit grumpy, but he wants to complete his dream, as well as the dream of his late wife (a point that I'm not going to discuss for fear of bringing down the wall of emotion you will run into when you see the film), that it's truly a tour de force performance. Sure, it's just a voice, but if live action actors were half as great, we would have a lot more phenomenal films running around.

Not to be totally outdone though was Jordan Nagai as Russell, the sweet Wilderness scout who joins the journey. He wants to get his last Wilderness Badge, and he meets Carl while trying to get his last one, Aiding the Elderly. He's inspired by the world around him, and yet has this childish sense of innocence, that really holds this film down in the world of reality. His character is a bit predictable, at least his character arch, but it's such a joy to watch him not only deal with his own personal problems (his father isn't really around and his parents aren't together), and still be so innocent and inspired by everything around him.

Christopher Plummer is solid as the bad guy, Charles Muntz, but it really isn't his story, and he isn't given a ton of screen time. He's menacing enough, but his character's reasoning behind his actions isn't really justified (it's basically a guy getting his much sought after doll getting taken away from him). His character is a bit cartoonish, but like I said, his lack of screen time makes it a non-issue.

The film is also beyond gorgeous to look at. Pete Docter and Bob Peterson (who also co-wrote the piece), allow their frames to be completely filled with Pixar's stunning animation, that it's such a wonder to look at. The textures are completely realistic, particularly the skin of the characters, that it's surprising to see such detail come from an animated film. Then again, it IS Pixar, so what should be expected.

The film is also insanely funny. Throughout their journey, Carl and Russell come across a few very special characters. First, there is the dog with a talking collar, Dug. A lot of the comedy comes from the interchanges between Dug and the two leads, along with their special bird buddy, a snipe, called Kevin (it's a female btw). The beauty of the comedy within the film is that it's not a film based around a set of jokes, but instead, it's jokes that seem to come organically out of this truly moving story.

However, all would be for naught, for me at least, if the character motivations were not their, and that leads back to the themes. The films main thematic drive is that everyone and everything strives for love and to be loved, or at least have their love be fulfilled. There is Carl who is striving to finish off his lost loves dream that they shared, Russell just wants to find some one who truly appreciates him in some fashion, Dug wants to find a master who loves him, and Kevin wants to find her family, who she has been separated from. It's a truly realistic and poetic look at love and life that has been left behind. Each of the characters have been somehow left behind or separated from their love(s), and this is a story of their hunt to bring the love back.

Really, this is a brilliant film and I'm running out of things to say about it. It's easily the best film of the year so far, and it may be a perfect film. Sure, it has a few flaws, but this is not a flawed film. It's a stunningly beautiful and emotionally moving look at life, and it's a must see. Pixar's best to date is also the best film so far of '09. GO SEE THIS FILM.

UP - 10/10

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PHOTOS: Inglourious Basterds, Up, and A New Toy Story Character?

Over the past 24 hours, new photos for a few of my most anticipated films have been released. Both Up and Inglourious Basterds photos have been released, and the Up ones may also have given us a glimpse at a new character for Pixar's much anticipated release, Toy Story 3.

First, here are the new Up photos, and they look GORGEOUS:




(5 more photos can be seen here)

Now, staying on Up, MTV has confirmed a rumor that has been floating around the web since the teaser trailer for the film was released.

Below is a photo of the newest member of the Toy Story crew, as shown as a special little easter egg (what's new, it IS Pixar after all) from the teaser for Up.



Awww, aint he so damn cute!

Here's the synopsis for what has been called the best film of the year, Up:

By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.

Pixar's Up is directed Pete Docter, one of the original Pixar members who directed Monsters, Inc previously and wrote the stories for Toy Story and Toy Story 2. The film is co-directed and written by Bob Peterson, who also wrote Finding Nemo. Disney will debut Up in theaters everywhere on May 29th this summer.

In other photo news, new pics from Quentin Tarantino's surefire hit, Inglourious Basterds have been released, and these shots look just as good as one should expect. Check out my favorite below, and click the link for more!



(See more here http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/05/13/check-these-out-great-new-inglourious-basterds-photos/)

I've said my peace about how brilliant this film is set to be, having read the script and seen a few videos from it, but for those of you under rocks, here's the films synopsis:

During World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "the Basterds" are chosen to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris that is targeted by soldiers.

Inglourious Basterds is both written and directed by the infamous Quentin Tarantino, of everything from Reservoir Dogs to Pulp Fiction to Kill Bill to Death Proof previously. The Weinstein Company and Universal have partnered to bring us Tarantino's WWII masterpiece in all of its brilliant glory. Inglourious Basterds will officially hit theaters worldwide on August 21st later this year after its world premiere at Cannes.

Come back later for more news and notes...

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NEWS: Early Reviews Of The Road and Up Put You On Oscar Watch...

A couple of films that I know I'm looking forward to have screened for critics, and both came out just fine.

Today is the start of the Cannes Film Festival, which means it will be the premiere of Disney/Pixar's Up. However, the film has shown for select critics, and many have called this film the Best Film Of The Year.

Variety: “Depending on what you think of “Cars,” Pixar makes it either 9½ out of 10 or 10 for 10 with “Up,” a captivating odd-couple adventure that becomes funnier and more exciting as it flies along.” … “proves disarming in its deep reserves of narrative imagination and surprise, as well as its poignant thematic balance of dreams deferred and dreams fulfilled.”

Time: “Though it’s not yet summer, we can declare that Up, like WALL-E, will prove to be one of the most satisfying movie experiences of its year.” … “Extending the patented Pixar mix of humor and heart, Up is the studio’s most deeply emotional and affecting work.”

Roger Ebert, THR, Emanuel Levy, and Screendaily also have glowing reviews of the new Disney/Pixar film, Up.

Another film that recently screened, was the much troubled adaptation of the Cormack McArthy novel, The Road.

Esquire had a chance to see the film at a screening over the weekend, and had this to say about the film.

“The Road is no tease. It is a brilliantly directed adaptation of a beloved novel, a delicate and anachronistically loving look at the immodest and brutish end of us all. You want them to get there, you want them to get there, you want them to get there — and yet you do not want it, any of it, to end.”


“A story without guarantees. In every moment — even the last one — you’ll want to know what happens next, even if you can hardly stand to look.” … “You have to see it. Really. You do. Not because it’s grim, not because it’s depressing, or even scary. The Road is all of those things, both acutely and chronically. But there was not a single stupid choice made in turning this book into this movie. No wrongheaded lyric tribute to the novel. No moment engineered simply to make you jump.”

The Road stars Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen, Academy Award winners Robert Duvall and Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce and 12-year-old Kodi Smit McPhee. The Road tells the story of a man (Mortensen) and his young son (Smit-McPhee) traveling through a desperate, post-apocalyptic world. The flap jacket on the book describes the setting as “burned America.”

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TRAILER: Pixar's Up...

There is a new trailer for the upcoming Disney*Pixar release, Up, and you can check it out below!



This is a much more lengthy trailer, that not only gives us a bit more action, but it shows us two new characters, the villain, and a talking dog named Doug, who has a thing for squirrels, and who will end up stealing the show. The squirrel gag works, and it looks like the interchanges between the two main characters will be really well done. What should we expect? This IS Pixar after all. Will they EVER make a bad film?

Come back later for more news and notes, and a trailer for the new Keira Knightley/Cillian Murphy film, Edge of Love...

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VIDEO: Pixar's UP...

Hey guys! So, I was online tonight, and came across this really cool little trailer...It's the newest teaser for Pixar's upcoming film, UP...



Here's a plot overview from /film...

From the Academy Award®-nominated team of director Pete Docter (“Monsters, Inc.”) and co-director Bob Peterson comes UP, a comedic adventure taking off (and lifting spirits) in summer 2009.

Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives him a new lease on life. UP takes audiences on a thrilling journey where the unlikely pair encounter wild terrain, unexpected villains and jungle creatures. When seeking adventure next summer—look UP.

Pixar’s Up hits theaters on May 29th 2009.

Pixar has yet to fail me, minus a lackluster outing in Cars, and are probably the best studio, live action or animation, working today. I can't wait for this film, and any film Pixar has coming up the pipe. What about you?

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