I cannot even express how much I enjoyed this film. It tugged my heart strings (almost to the point of crying) after only twenty minutes, and I actually cried about 3/4 of the way in. And in between, I laughed A LOT. Extremely well done. Completely appropriate/enjoyable for both kids & adults. In fact, we had a group of little ones sitting right behind us when we saw it, and you know, I think it actually added somewhat to the experience.
Up is now one of my new favorite movies. And I don’t say that all too often. (Have I said it once on this blog? I think not.) Definitely one of the top Disney/Pixar productions—right up there with Finding Nemo. Possibly even better than Finding Nemo…. Will I get hunted down for suggesting that?
And trust me; Disney Digital 3-D is most certainly the way to go. It’s a really colorful and adventurous film, which really lends itself to the 3-D atmosphere. Now I’m not sure if I’m totally on the badwagon with Disney showing EVERYTHING in 3-D from now on, but this one was totally worth it.
[[NOTE: I bought Ratatouille on DVD the other day at Target, and I got a coupon with it for up to $7.50 off a ticket to Up at participating theaters (which does not include AMC theaters). Apparently it's just a Target promotion though. So if you're planning to buy a Disney DVD in the near future and haven't seen Up yet, look for that little coupon on the front of the DVD packaging. Really saved me a good bit of the ticket price---even in 3-D.]]
The two main characters (Mr. Fredricksen & Russell) are both completely relatable. It’s interesting how the film brought out my inner child as well as my inner elder. Ha! But no matter what, it will bring out your inner adventurer. “Adventure is out there!”
And the dog….. adorable. You might remember my Anticipation post for Up in which I commented on the potential of this particular movie pup. Even so, Dug the dog entirely exceeded my expectations. I won’t ruin any of his marvelous quotes from the film, but I assure you that they are not to be missed.
[[This guy wasn't particularly impressed by Dug in the previews, but here's a nice featurette on the wonderful talking dog.]]
In any case, as I walked out of the theater, I couldn’t keep myself from talking about how the movie made my entire day. It really was so endearing and charming and lovable and a complete emotional roller coaster. I’ve heard it called “the robot test,” implying that if you are not moved, then you are an emotional robot. I may not go that far, but I would be surprised if it didn’t touch you at all.
Go see it with the family. In 3-D. It’s sure to brighten your day.
Yes friends, I have become lax in my updating recently. AND I have now missed TWO weeks of Trivia Tuesdays. Tsk tsk. If it makes you feel better, I am quite embarrassed about it.
But since I have been caught up in my post-graduate transition, I have decided to give you FIFTEEN (yes 15) pieces of trivia today, rather than only the ten bits of trivia I have forsaken these past two weeks. And since it is the stress of being a recent college graduation now unemployed citizen of America which has caused the decline in updates, all of the trivia today will come from films that deal with college, moving, jobs or really any major life transition which one might undergo while growing up.
Get excited.
Animal House: The President of the University of Oregon only allowed this movie to be filmed on that campus because he decided he did not know how to judge screenplays. In 1967 he had received the screenplay for a movie but had denied it permission to film there. That movie was The Graduate, and he liked that movie so much that he decided he didn’t want to miss another opportunity. So he allowed Animal House to be filmed on the University of Oregon campus. But he insisted that the college’s name not be listed in the film’s credits.
Accepted: Since the school/college’s name is “South Harmon Institute of Technology (S.H.I.T.), the “s-word” is the most frequently used word, being used 62 times throughout the entire movie.
With Honors: When the movie was filmed in the winter of 1993-1994, there was already at least a meter of snow on the ground in Harvard Square and in all of Boston. However, because the actual snow did not look “real” enough to be filmed, it was all cleared away and replaced with artificial snow.
Dead Man on Campus: “Professor Durkheim” is presumably named after the French sociologist Emile Durkheim, who was the first academic to study suicide extensively.
Real Genius: When Hollyfeld sends in a large number of entries to the Frito-Lay contest, he is mirroring the actions of Caltech students Steve Klein, Dave Novikoff and Barry Megdal, who, in 1974, used a similar strategy to win a McDonald’s sweepstakes. Their entries came to roughly 1/5th of the total entries and won them a station wagon, $3,000 and $1,500 in food gift certificates.
Van Wilder: Michael Olowokandi, Darius Miles, Quentin Richardson, and Lamar Odom, who were all players on Coolidge’s basketball team, were real life teammates at the time in the NBA on the Los Angeles Clippers.
Office Space: Gary Cole’s character wears a large, gold class ring of the style that are common for graduates from military academies. This ring was originally a prop produced for the short-lived science fiction series “Crusade”, on which Cole played captain Matthew Gideon. The ring was worn in every episode, and was supposed to show that Gideon was a graduate of Earthforce Military Academy. “Office Space” was the first project Cole worked on following the cancellation of “Crusade” and wore the ring as an in-joke, referring to his previous job.
In Good Company: When Alex (Scarlett Johansson) is moving in to the NYU dorm, she and Dan (Dennis Quaid) walk past a poster in the dorm hallway. The poster shows an enormous marijuana leaf and reads “Marijuana. Because Your Friends Just Aren’t Very Funny.”
Waiting: The “foreign” guests at the bar speak German with Austrian accent and the guy says, “Did you see the blonde girl? That’s unbelievable, her breasts are incredible!”
The Graduate: Robert Redford screen-tested with Candice Bergen for the part of Benjamin Braddock but was finally rejected by director Mike Nichols because Nichols did not believe Redford could persuasively project the underdog qualities necessary to the role. When he told this to Redford, the actor asked Nichols what he meant. “Well, let’s put it this way,” said Nichols, “Have you ever struck out with a girl?” “What do you mean?” asked Redford. “That’s precisely my point,” said Nichols.
Garden State: The movie was released on Wednesday, 28 July 2004, to eight theaters: three in Los Angeles, four in New York City, and the Maplewood Theatre in Maplewood, New Jersey. This was the home theater of Zach Braff (who is from the adjacent town of South Orange). He attended the Maplewood premiere, and his father, who still lives in the area, was at the theater for the film’s first Friday and Saturday.
Juno: All of the phone numbers begin with 55501 (which are the only numbers now reserved for movie/TV use) except for the number Juno dials early in the movie, which begins with 5555.
The Age of Stupid is a 90-minute film about climate change, set in the future, which had its world premiere in London on March 15th. Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?
The Guardian of London called it “the first successful dramatization of climate change to hit the big screen.”
This has got to be one of the coolest things I’ve seen lately. For Empire Magazine’s 20th birthday, they created this “Cryptic Canvas.” There are 50 movies hidden in clues within this painting, generally in a quite literal fashion.
It’s just a lot of fun. It’s been taking up my time for the past few nights. And by entering your e-mail address, it will save your progress in case you don’t have the stamina to finish the puzzle in one sitting. Quite a nice feature.
I haven’t managed to work the whole way through it yet (much to my chagrin), but I vow to finish soon!
Good luck!
(Post suggestion courtesy of Brett “Tooties” Lacy)
Yes, it’s true. Announced a few days ago, it would appear that one of my favorites, the hilarious Neil Patrick Harris, will be our next host for the 63rd Tony Awards on June 7.
Here’s what NPH (being quite PC) said about it:
“The discipline of live theatre — doing the same perfect thing night after night, eight times a week — never ceases to amaze me. I’m truly honored to have been chosen as the Master of Ceremonies for this year’s Tony Awards, and I hope to help provide a first-class evening for all.”
I’ve enjoyed watching Hugh Jackman host the Tony’s recently (and I didn’t see Whoopi Goldberg last year), but NPH… well, he’s just going to blow it out of the park.
One can only hope it will be as hilarious as the opening to the TV Land Awards he hosted recently…
A buddy of mine bought this film for me as a graduation gift, despite the fact that I’d never seen it. : ]
It’s a little indie film about an Irish street musician and a quirky Czech girl who runs into him one day (and also turns out to be quite the pianist). It’s one of those fabulous love stories in which the “lovers” never even kiss or embrace. Very subtle. Reminds me of Before Sunset.
The two leads are a couple of musicians you’ve never heard of: Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová. Apparently they were somewhat of an item back when the film first came out in 2006 but have since parted ways romantically. Interestingly, you never learn their character names in the film. They are billed only as “Guy” and “Girl.”
I went into it thinking they were married and that the film was loosely based on their life together. False. (Thanks, Caryn.) It kind of ruined the magic a bit when I finally realized they were just acting together, so don’t have any illusions when you watch.
The true story is this:
The plot is only loosely autobiographical of Director John Carney, who lived in Dublin while maintaining a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend in London—somewhat like the plot of the film. So not quite as magical, but it still makes for quite a nice film.
Anyway. That was quite the tangent.
The idea behind Once, and the origin of the title was derived from the many artists known to Carney, who made excuses for putting off their career saying they’d get started “once” this or that was taken care of, only to find then that it was too late. It’s a very relatable idea even to those of us not so musically inclined. As the back of the DVD case reads, “You only have once chance to follow your dreams.” That may not be entirely accurate, but it’s certainly a good reminder to not let opportunities pass you by.
Now that I’ve provided far too much back-story… let me go ahead and tell you I loved the film. It’s very realistic in its approach to love, which can be refreshing in cinema sometimes. They obviously have an intense connection, but there are just these obstacles of responsibility and practicality that cement their separation.
Some people might call this a spoiler, but I don’t think it would interfere with the power of the film upon first watching. BUT, proceed at your own risk. At one point just after we find out (though it’s been fairly obvious for a while) that the girl is married, the guys asks if she loves her husband. Her response is in Czech without subtitles, and its meaning is never revealed in the film. If you care to know it’s meaning, you may mouse-over the following line: “Ne, miluji te.”
I just find it all the more impressive when a storyteller can convey the power of love between two people without showing any physicality whatsoever. (Okay, well she does rest her head on his shoulder once, but still…)
And the music… ahhhhh the music! They call it a “modern day musical,” and although I wouldn’t really classify it as a musical, the featured songs are really something to savor. It didn’t surprise me at all that the film won “Best Original Song” in the 2008 Academy Awards for the song, “Falling Slowly.” It’s an incredibly passionate number, and their voices blend so beautifully. Mm. Incredible.
I also like how low-budget and tightly-knit the film is. The entirety of filming was done in 17 days, and Director John Carney was previously a member of Glen Hansard’s band, The Frames. It’s obvious that this was a love project done by close friends. And that’s just nice to see.
And I just don’t think I’ll ever get over that image of her dragging her vacuum cleaner down the street like a dog on a leash. Hilarious and wonderful.
With the Cannes Film Festival ending in a couple days, I thought it was interesting to look through this blog post, which chronicles famous photographs from the festival in years past.
Some great images (especially if you’re in to old-time movie stars) and a nice little history for anyone who doesn’t know too much about the Cannes festival.
I got quite a nice e-mail from the folks over at www.imaginariumofdrparnassus.com the other day. It’s a Web site comprised of other sites, fans and general movie lovers devoted to promoting the film and seeing it reach a wider world audience. Haven’t researched it too thoroughly myself, but if you have further questions regarding the film, it’s probably not a bad place to start.
What I like best is its forum set-up, encouraging visitors to interact and have discussions about topics related to the film.
Anyway, just a good resource I was alerted to. Hope it’s helpful to you Dr. Parnassus fans.
[[And if all this Parnassus talk is getting you confused, learn a bit more about the film in my previous Dr. Parnassus post.]]
