Friday, July 20, 2012
Up (2009)
[a beautiful tale of romance & adventure]
Up (2009)IMDB- 8.3 (Top 250: #108)
RottenTomatoes- 98
RJG Rating- 100
A grumpy old man sets out on an adventure ,mistakenly taking along an enthusiastic kid.
Starring- Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai ,Bob Peterson
Director- Pete Docter
Up is Pixar's 10th movie and Pete Docter's 2nd after Monster's Inc.
In the animation department,Pixar tops it as always.Up gives a unique touch to their characters.And the amazing scenery and the colourful look of the movie are a sight to behold.
At the time of release, Up's various promos focused just on the floating house.But it was a big surprise to find out that it was just the first quarter of that movie and a whole new adventure lay before you.The whole experience of seeing Up is just fresh.But Pixar never stop at this,it puts in a lot of heart into what it makes.For example,the most memorable scene from Up is the opening scene featuring Carl & Ellie.It lasts for 8-10min ,but within this short time Pete Docter presents one of the most heart warming romantic montages of all time!That entire scene is supported by the equally soulful music by Michael Giacchino.This one scene powers the entire movie forward.
The story is a completely fresh tale.Its propelled by fantasy but makes an effort to be as realistic as possible.Up tells a story thats fun for all ages.It has deep thoughts embedded in the second half for the grown ups ,but it also manages to keep the kids engaged.
Direction from Pete is amazing.Up moves smoothly through romance ,comedy ,drama and adventure.It never dulls even for a second.Pete experiments with a much larger environment than previous Pixar endeavors.The skies and the natural landscape of South America is used beautifully.
On release ,Up like its predecessors was a critical & financial success and made $731million worldwide.Up was nominated for 5 Oscars and was the second animated movie (after Beauty & the Beast) to get nominated for Best Picture.Pixar nabbed its 3rd consecutive Best Animated Award with Up.
Overall ,Up joins the ranks of Pixar's classics and is a definite must watch.
Animation- 5/5
Story- 5/5
Direction- 5/5
Comedy- 5/5
Action- 5/5
Romance- 5/5
Drama- 5/5
Oscars
Nominated - 3
Best Picture
Best Sound Editing
Best Original Screenplay- Pete Docter, Tom McCarthy, Bob Peterson
Won - 2
Best Animated Film
Best Original Score- Michael Giacchino
The Dark Knight Trilogy Trailer
The Dark Knight Trilogy Trailer
A fascinating trailer showcasing the 3 classic movies.A must watch !
Spiderman 2 (2004)
[Lack of story hurts this sequel]
Spiderman 2 (2004)IMDB- 7.5
Rottentomatoes- 93
RJG Rating- 40
Spiderman deals with the downsides of being a superhero as a new villain creates havoc.
Starring- Tobey Maguire,Kirsten Dunst,Alfred Molina,James Franco
Director- Sam Raimi
Spiderman 2 is the sequel of the blockbuster 2002 version .The movie unites Sam Raimi and the original cast.
Tobey has definitely improved in Spiderman 2 ,but hes still imperfect as Peter Parker.Kirsten Dunst plays the usual damsel in distress and doesnt bring much on board.James Franco has a larger role and he does his best in such a limited role.Alfred Molina as Doc Ock does a great job.He is able to portray perfectly the split personalities of Doc Ock.
The story for Spiderman 2 is its most weakest point.Watching this felt like deja vu.The story is just a more polished version of the first part.For example:Green Goblin had a split personality,Doc Ock too has dual minds.While Mary Jane is the sole victim in trouble in Part 1 ,Aunt May is the sole victim in the 2nd.Both are rescued and given a swing tour around NewYork by Spidey.While Aunt May is injured by Goblin in Part 1 ,Mary Jane is kidnapped by Doc in Part2.In both these instances ,Parker is the main catalyst.And the list goes on and on.
Another issue with the story is the lack of any development in Peter Parker's personality.Even after 2 years ,hes still the nerdy kid who is still extremely shy.In any other movie,this may be acceptable ,but hes Spiderman in this one !
The story needlessly brings certain issues that is plain silly.Spiderman losing his powers for no apparent reason,Doc Ock creating a 'sun' etc.These could have been good plot points ,but the reasons they give are too vague and are left unexplained.
A superhero uses an alter ego to protect his real life family & friends.Peter Parker doesnt understand this concept.Villains hurt him and his family ,because almost EVERYONE knows that Parker meets with Spiderman and thus in both movies ,Parker is punished for being connected with Spiderman.
As i mentioned in my previous review of Spiderman ,Sam Raimi maintained a very careful balance between fun & cheesiness in the first part ,but he unfortunately tips the scales in part 2.Plenty of scenes are cheesy and forgettable.
The action scenes are very much improved and exciting.The best one is definitely the train fight.The visual effects are utilized better and gives Spider-Man the cool factor that made him a hit in the comics.
On release ,Spiderman 2 was a big hit among the critics but fell short of its record breaking predecessor in terms of box office collection.
Overall ,fans of Spiderman will be pleased but if you are looking for a continuation to where Spiderman let off youll be disappointed.
Acting- 3/5
Story- 1/5
Direction- 2.5/5
Action- 5/5
Romance- 3/5
Drama- 2/5
Oscars
Nominated--2
Best Sound Mixing
Won--1
Best Visual Effects
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