It is now entirely possible that, for the first time since the inception of the Oscars, fully FIVE FILMS could stand for Best Animated Feature.
There have never been this many eligible nominees, thus it’s entirely possible that the field could be expanded to be commensurate with the availability of entrants.
Folks, the field is positively MAMMOTH. There are fully twenty eligible films. I’ve seen several of them, and heard of most of the rest. There are some really obscure pieces there, and worse, there are some that never should have been nominated to begin with. For instance, Up, Coraline and Astro Boy are on the list, and those are indeed sweet titles. We reviewed them right here.
But Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel? That’s just an insult. And surely we can all do better than “Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure”. Wasn’t that direct to video? Or did it actually play in L.A. for a while?
Still though, a great big field goes into play soon–good luck to the nominees, whoever they may be.
As long as it’s not Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Disney has released one minute of Pixar’s newest short film, Dug’s Special Mission. The short will be released with the UpDVD/Blu-ray on November 10, 2009. It’s a brandnew five minute short film that is a prequel to Up, following “the good-hearted dog, Dug as he is sent on a series of quests by his mean canine bosses.” Truthfully, it looks like Dug’s canine bosses are trying to get rid of him.
Popularity: unranked [?]
The trades are telling me that it’s rare that the number one and number two movies switch positions once official weekend numbers are reported on Monday. But that is what happened this weekend with The Hangover and Up.
The trades reported that Up soared over Hangover for the number one spot at the box office. I even posted the tally yesterday. But Sunday proved to be a very busy day at the box office even with the NBA playoffs in the wings. Thus, the final numbers changed.
The final numbers for both films indicate Hangover grossed $45 million while Up grossed $44.3 million, meaning Hangover barely squeaked past Up, winning the weekend office score.
Popularity: unranked [?]
| Up |
$44,244,000 |
|
| The Hangover |
$43,275,000 |
|
| Land of the Lost |
$19,524,000 |
|
| Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian |
$14,650,000 |
|
| Star Trek |
$8,400,000 |
|
| Terminator Salvation |
$8,175,000 |
|
| Drag Me to Hell |
$7,342,000 |
|
| Angels and Demons |
$6,500,000 |
|
| My Life in Ruins |
$3,200,000 |
|
| Dance Flick |
$2,000,000 |
If Up had popped a couple more balloons The Hangover would have beaten the Disney/Pixar film. The race was that close. As it is, Up is the number one film, again. I am not surprise, the film is pure adventure, laughter and a wonderful story for the whole family.
Popularity: unranked [?]
| 1. Up |
$93,072,435 |
$93,072,435 |
||
| 2. Night At The Museum: Battle Smithsonian |
$32,894,800 |
$112,691,200 |
||
| 3. Terminator Salvation |
$22,803,062 |
$97,319,621 |
||
| 4. Drag Me To Hell |
$21,192,680 |
$21,192,680 |
||
| 5. Star Trek |
$17,701,538 |
$214,401,695 |
||
| 6. Angels & Demons |
$16,064,550 |
$109,624,649 |
||
| 7. Dance Flick |
$6,325,737 |
$20,667,008 |
||
| 8. X-Men Origins: Wolverine |
$5,449,955 |
$172,420,290 |
||
| 9. Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past, The |
$2,876,573 |
$50,986,951 |
||
| 10. Obsessed |
$930,455 |
$67,773,935 |
Up stayed high at the box office with Night at the Museum: Battle Smithsonian hanging in the balloons shadows. Two Family films at the top definitely tells us the movies we want to see.
Popularity: unranked [?]
| Up |
$68,200,000 |
|
| Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian |
$25,500,000 |
|
| Drag Me to Hell |
$16,628,000 |
|
| Terminator Salvation |
$16,140,000 |
|
| Star Trek |
$12,800,000 |
|
| Angels and Demons |
$11,200,000 |
|
| Dance Flick |
$4,900,000 |
|
| X-Men Origins: Wolverine |
$3,900,000 |
|
| Ghosts of Girlfriends Past |
$1,905,000 |
|
| Obsessed |
$665,000 |
Up is in the clouds winning the number one spot at the box office this weekend. The Disney/Pixar film scored an estimated $68.2 million.
Popularity: unranked [?]
| 1. Up |
$ 21.4 |
|
| 2. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian |
$ 7.4 |
|
| 3. Drag Me to Hell |
$ 6.4 |
|
| 4. Terminator Salvation |
$ 5.1 |
|
| 5. Star Trek |
$ 3.6 |
Up ranks high with its cousins: Wall-E, Incredibles and Finding Nemo, hitting the 21 million mark.
Popularity: 1% [?]
|
1. Night At The Museum: Battle Smithsonian |
$79,796,400 |
$79,796,400 |
||
|
2. Terminator Salvation |
$61,144,068 |
$74,516,559 |
||
|
3. Star Trek |
$35,066,138 |
$196,700,157 |
||
|
4. Angels & Demons |
$33,449,473 |
$93,560,099 |
||
|
5. Dance Flick |
$14,341,271 |
$14,341,271 |
||
|
6. X-Men Origins: Wolverine |
$11,716,598 |
$166,970,335 |
||
|
7. Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past, The |
$5,972,033 |
$48,110,378 |
||
|
8. Obsessed |
$2,935,126 |
$66,843,480 |
||
|
9. Monsters vs. Aliens |
$2,455,960 |
$194,101,824 |
||
|
10. 17 Again |
$1,585,420 |
$60,894,341 |
I am writing about this weeks box office standings; but I am thinking about the movie Up. It’s a classic in my heart, already. I saw it today with five of my daughter’s friends, not one of her friends didn’t like it. Clearly, Up is one of the best stories I have seen in the movie theaters in a long time. Pixar sets a fine example of how to tell a visual story while placing the appropriate wit and humor here and there.
Back to the Weekly Box Office, Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian is the top movie because it’s a family movie and hits a broader audience. I was surprised to see Terminator Salvation above Star Trek with Angels & Demons following close behind.
This weekend it’s Up all the way. If you have seen the trailers for Up, they don’t do the film justice.
Popularity: unranked [?]
There’s one thing you can always say for a Pixar movie. It WILL be a box office smash. Seriously—considering the performance of like the last eight, about the only way a Pixar movie won’t have an eight-figure opening weekend is in the event of a nationwide power outage. Though I admit, going into this one I was a bit concerned about a possible new direction as set by the previous Pixar smash, Wall-E.
So what was new release Up going to be? An action smash comedy in the vein of its earlier hits? Or would I get yet another preachy monstrosity this time exhorting me to honor the elderly and be a friend to the environment (like Wall-E) and maybe even get plenty of exercise (again like Wall-E).
The answer, I’m happy to announce that the answer is the FIRST one—action smash comedy uber alles, baby.
This time around, we join Carl Frederickson, a quiet young man who falls in love with Ellie, a young firebrand dedicated to the pursuit of adventure, both of which share a common love of the tales of industrialist adventurer Charles Muntz. They marry, to Ellie’s family’s intense shotgun-firing joy and Carl’s family’s…moderate interest. The two grow old together, sharing a common dream of one day moving the abandoned house in which they met (which they subsequently bought, fixed up, and lived in) to Paradise Falls in the same fashion as their hero Muntz. Fast forward to the future, Carl, now a widower, finds himself in a position to realize his and his late wife’s dream…but it won’t be anywhere near as simple as he imagines.
This begins a tale of adventure and laughs that’ll easily rank Up among Pixar’s best.
That’s the tough thing about writing about Pixar movies. You go into them expecting them to be good. Pixar movies are like pizza—even when they’re bad (A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo, Wall-E, I’m looking at you) they’re still pretty good. You wind up saying much the same things about each: they look spectacular, they sound great, the voice acting is top-notch and even the plots are generally at the very least solid. Not because you can’t think of anything else to say, mind you, but because it’s true. Pixar movies are a standard of quality all their own.
That having been said, for a Pixar movie to distinguish itself it must do something unusual. For instance, my current personal favorite, The Incredibles, went above and beyond in the action department. It still brought the funny, of course, but it was an action movie unlike anything else. Up, meanwhile, will distinguish itself too…in comedy.
I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much at a movie, even at a Pixar movie. The fact that I can laugh this much at a movie means they’ve got a superabundance of fresh, unique jokes that can’t help but provoke laughs. In much the same way as The Incredibles, sure, Up brought the action, but it was a comedy movie unlike anything else. Truly, this was a movie to love, and now leaves me with an unsettling question as to just which is my FAVORITE Pixar movie.
In summary, folks…you need to see this movie. It’s too good to miss. There are too many laughs and too much action and too many carefully tugged heartstrings and too much sheer fun to avoid this.
Up is one movie that provides EXACTLY what it says on the box. It is happy in a box. It is a mood elevator like no other, and a downright chronic Up.
Popularity: 1% [?]
UGO posted an exclusive behind-the-scenes clip from Pixar’s ‘Up.’ Pete Doctor and John Lasseter talk about Dug, the dog who wears a collar that translates his thoughts into speech.
It’s a fun and entertaining clip that gives Pixar fans an inside scoop on the making of this highly anticipated cartoon coming out May 29, 2009.
Popularity: 1% [?]