November 11, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 27
Best animated picture of 2009 now available
going to take the trip to Paradise Falls in a unique form of transportation. The imagery in “Up” is breathtaking. It is exhilarating to see the house soaring aloft with multicolored balloons its only fuel. When Carl encounters a world-famous adventurer he and Ellie revered when they were kids, a gigantic dirigible takes the spotlight in a dazzling series of sequences. The character of Carl, voiced by Ed Asner, has a square face, complemented by square-rimmed glasses and a shock of white hair: almost a ringer for the older Spencer Tracy. Carl uses a walker, but manages to have it double as a defense device and life saver, as needed. Other voice talents are provided by Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, John Ratzenberger, and Bob Peterson. “Up” looks just great on this release. As with recent Disney Blu-ray releases, extras are abundant in this four-disc set. Bonuses include the short film “Dug’s Special Mission,” the theatrical short “Partly Cloudy,” a making-of featurette, alternate scenes, more information about Carl and Ellie, and eight new documentaries. The set includes the Blu-ray, DVD, and digital versions of the movie. “Spread” (Anchor Bay Entertainment) focuses on Nikki (Ashton Kutcher), an unemployed Los Angeles pretty boy with a talent for pleasing women. Exchanging his sexual favors with wealthy women for
‘Up’ features an amazing journey onboard a house suspended by thousands of helium-filled balloons.
by Dennis Seuling “Up” (Walt Disney Home Entertainment), from Disney’s Pixar division, is the best animated feature of the year. It departs from formula, and is not merely a series of jokes tied together by a flimsy plot. It takes time to establish characters, provide their background, and allow viewers to care about them. In a montage that opens the film, viewers meet Carl and Ellie, two kids enamored of far-off lands, exotic adventures, and heroic explorers. Ellie, a girl who never stops talking, is the antithesis of Carl, a shy boy dazzled by her enthusiasm. Carl becomes a balloon vendor, and he and Ellie
marry. Their dream is a trip to Paradise Falls in South America, but the money they save for their journey is always needed for some immediate emergency. Time passes, and they grow old without taking their dream adventure. Now a widower, Carl lives alone in the house he shared with Ellie. Surrounded by high-rise apartment building construction, he has refused repeated offers to sell. An altercation with the construction foreman brings Carl to court. When his future seems to point to a retirement home, Carl takes action. He attaches hundreds of heliumfilled balloons to the house, causing it to rip away from its foundations. He is finally
a rich lifestyle is his game, and he is good at it. Currently, he is shacked up with sexy, middle-aged attorney Samantha (Anne Heche). When Samantha heads off to New York on business for a few days, Nikki decides to have a party to peddle his wares to other wealthy women. The film is reminiscent of the much better “Shampoo” and “American Gigolo,” which had more accomplished actors in Warren Beatty and Richard Gere, respectively. Kutcher is pleasant in light comedy, but he is way over his head here when the hedonistic scenes give way to more introspective, darker moments. The screenplay never reveals why Nikki is the way he is. Director David Mackenzie has crafted a voyeuristic picture as shallow as its central character. Extras include “Behind the Scenes with Ashton Kutcher,” and audio commentary with Kutcher and Heche. “Natalee Holloway” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) is the real life story of a mother’s tireless search for truth and justice after her teenage daughter’s disappearance. During a high school graduation trip to Aruba, a carefree vacation turns tragic when teenager Natalee Holloway fails to show up for her return flight to Alabama. With no physical trace of her daughter, Beth Holloway Twitty (Tracy Pollan) embarks on an extensive search that lasts more than four years and becomes a media (continued on Crossword page)
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