An Uplifting TaleI must give a congratulations to Pixar. But at this point, who isn't. It's amazing to see this company that started out with very little emerge as one of the biggest film studios in the country (my best friend thinks they'll end up owning their parent company, Disney). Film after film, I've continued to be amazed at the quality that comes out of this studio, and the simple reason is because their employees not only make the animation appear bright and vibrant, but also make sure that the stories are enough to carry the film all the way through, which is a lesson Dreamworks has yet to incorporate. For their tenth feature film, I wouldn't say that it is their absolute best, but I will say that it is another sparkling gem in the Pixar crown.
The studio, which normally has taken a keen interest in non-human subjects, tries the human route one more time here with the central story revolving around Carl Fredrickson, voiced by the always delightful Ed Asner and drawn, at least to me, to look like an old Spencer Tracy. Carl is a 78-year-old retired balloon salesman who is mourning the recent loss of his wife and impending demolishment of his loving home. Before he is forcibly shipped off to the retirement home, he equips his house with hundreds of multi-colored balloons and heads off for Paradise Falls in South America, unaware he has recently picked up a companion: Russell, an enthusiastic boy scout trying to obtain his last merit badge.
When they finally arrive in South America, they come face to face with an enormous endangered bird that Russell names Kevin, a dog with a monitor around his neck that enables him to talk named Dug, and Charles Muntz, a famous explorer looking for that giant bird and becomes the film's villain when he believes Carl and Russell mean to capture the bird for their own glory instead of realising their actual plan to return it to its family.
As people say time and time again (and as I just said in my introduction), what sets the Pixar films above many others are their incredible stories, and this film is no different. Pete Docter and his co-writer Bob Peterson create a vastly rich world with very intriguing characters, made all the better by their wondrous comedic timing. The other interesting note is how mature the world has become, especially during a serious montage between Carl and his wife that implies very heavy themes for an animated film. That was a side of the film that was very interesting and innovative. Unfortunately, it doesn't last long, and a good amount of the film is instead devoted to Carl's adventure that ultimately just includes moving his house from one rock to another.
The characters the film includes also tend to vary from really engaging to rather odd. I think separately, Carl and Russell would seem like characters who are one dimensional and couldn't carry an entire film. Together, they create a great comic duo with a relationship that never feels forced. The additions of Dug and Kevin would seem like cheap comedic tricks, but even they add to the warmth of the story and become a lovable part. However, Charles Muntz, voiced by Christopher Plummer, is an odd villain. He starts out as a lovable old explorer who is Carl's childhood hero to insanely cruel baddie with no stop in between. I would also say that the film's passe approach to Muntz's involvement with child endangerment were moments that made me wince a little.
In the end, I'm still going to highly recommend the film, and I think it is vastly superior to Docter's last Pixar film Monsters, Inc. There are warm characters and an engaging story, even if it isn't all engaging, and really noteworthy scenery particularly in the gorgeous 3-D format. This once small studio is no longer that way anymore, and if their future holds films of this caliber or higher, then we have nothing to worry about. ***1/2 / ****; GRADE: B+
To Hell and BackI'll give a word of warning to this film. If you go in expecting a serious, hard core horror film complete with the outrageous sequences of violent gore, tasteless nudity, gargantuan drug and alcohol usage, and people shouting profanities profusely, then you're going to be disappointed. Not only that, you are going to be probably fiddling in your seat and getting a bit annoyed with many sequences that dance around a scare or two before delivering a sequence so over the top that you can't help but break out laughing. If your intention is not to laugh but be scared all the time, then this isn't the movie for you. However, if you are familiar with director Sam Raimi's film career, and I'm obviously not talking about the Spider-Man series, then you'll recognize where the film's horror elements truly make this film: a wonderful horror-comedy. In fact, I might say a great one.
Alison Lohman plays Christine Brown, a bank loan officer who appears to have that ideal life, especially when she is dating her college professor boyfriend (Justin Long). In order to receive an extra push to receive a promotion, she makes the tough call to deny a mortgage extension to an elderly gypsy woman (wonderfully camped up by Lorna Rover). In a fierce retaliation, the woman places a curse on Christine in which she will be haunted by a demon for three days until it will eventually take her, body and soul, to Hell.
Many Raimi fans will appreciate his return to horror, and the advertisements even claim it is "pure horror". I wouldn't say that's necessarily true, and that is a great positive. There are many over the top gags that Raimi incorporates, but it is usually for the affect of rattling his audience intentionally or delivering a laugh. Yes, Raimi uses some of the genre's cheap shots, particularly from Christopher Young's very effective score, but even those moves are calculated. Raimi knows exactly what he's doing, and whenever a moment needs it, he knows exactly how to make it scary, funny, or many times both simultaneously.
What Raimi, and his brother Ivan, have also done well is their characters within the story. The story itself isn't of so much consequence, but the characters within them are of great value. Christine is the greatest asset, who in any other movie should have been the sweet, completely innocent victim. She's not a completely nice person here, and her faults bring credibility to her plight and even a feeling that the events that are happening may be justified. Not totally, of course, but the idea is a refreshing one.
Any other character outside of her can be labeled as over the top and hokey, but it is in the best interest of the film. Supporting players like David Paymer as the bank manager, Dileep Rao as the trusted fortune teller, and Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza as a medium who encountered the spirit before (in a really great prologue to the film) all deliver great moments from their roles and add much to the film. Lohman also delivers well on her character's many levels and is a welcomed bit in the film, and for anyone doubting Justin Long in this movie will find redemption in the very last look his gives in the film.
If you want a serious movie, then I'd advise you to look elsewhere. But if you are aware that this will be as much as a comedy as it will be a horror film (sometimes more so), then you'll have a really great time. Yes, there are moments when the genre cliches are thrown in, but the film is relishing in those moments and not taking them seriously. This is a great effort from a director who still proves he's got what it takes to succeed, whether he's directing Spider-Man's escape or dousing a victim in blood and flames. **** / ****; GRADE: A
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