Up - Movie Review

Rated PG (for action and peril). Comedy Starring Ed Asner, Jordan Nagai, Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger. Directed by Pete Docter

Ed Asner lends voice talent to the wistful and occasionally melancholy tale of an old man's efforts to float his home to a remote South American cliff on a bouquet of helium-filled party balloons. Along the way, he meets a young scout looking to earn the final good-deed badge on his uniform, a giant presumed-to-be-extinct bird, and a band of dogs with electronic speech-enabled collars that grant them the ability to speak to humans as well as to each other.

One of the most astonishing and accomplished characteristics of the film is its ability to swing from one emotional tone to the next. The film begins rather playfully, then becomes bittersweet, tragic, angry, then optimistic and adventurous, before cycling through various arrangements of these emotional chords again. Pixar, the creators of the film, and now affiliated with Disney, once again lend their keen story sense to a film that could have been a simple action/adventure film with little depth.

The film has been a smash hit, about to cross the $300 million mark in box office grosses, and was nominated for an Academy Award for best picture for 2009. It's truly a film for the whole family that feels like it's genuinely about something, not just giddy cartoon characters cracking jokes and going from one chase scene to another. The story focuses on such tough subjects as how to deal with the pain of mourning a loved one, and goes on to show how attitude is everything, and that the world often supports and favors those with crazy, ambitious ideas.

Grade: B+

B. Nathan enjoys great movies, and he also writes about Little Tikes Kitchens at http://littletikeskitchens.net/.

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Movie Review - Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge

First things first, here is a comedy that is not slapstick in nature with three good actors in a lead role. In fact all the three lead actors i.e. Paresh Rawal, Konkona Sen Sharma and Ajay Devgn have been honored with national awards. People who are bored of the recent slapstick comedies by Priyadarshan can find a refuge in Ashwani Dhir directed Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge. The film is based on a short story by a noted satirist called Sharad Joshi and tries to take a look into the Indian values among people living in metros.

The film begins on a light note with Puneet (Ajay Devgn) getting the role of a script writer for a big banner in film industry, although his script is gibberish (pun intended). His life changes when he confronts with Lambodar Chachaji (Paresh Rawal) who claims to be a relative of Puneet. This un-invited guest gives trouble to Puneet and his wife Munmun (Konkona Sen Sharma) who is an interior designer. The family who was longing for a guest is now on back foot as this guest wakes up early in the morning and gargles loudly and needs a meal that is equivalent to the whole family.

The first half of the movie is hilarious, with all three actors doing their work to perfection. Paresh Rawal as a guest who shows no sign of leaving the household is in command of his character. The couple does everything possible to turn the guest away but nothing works, not even hiring a goon for the task. From this point onwards, the movie becomes a lesson on moral values for the young couple. This happens to be a weak link in this tale as the director seems confused- whether to give a lesson or a dose of comedy. The switch happens rather instantly and doesn't look convincing enough. The film could have been edited further as we know it has been adapted from a short story, so limiting the length would have been a good idea here.

There are some really funny scenes here by the director including a hilarious Bhajan which has the tune of Beedi Jalaile. The first half has some nice moments like these before giving in to emotional melodrama in the second half. The dialogues are not efficient enough considering the ensemble cast. The director gives his best in the initial stages itself and doesn't have enough battery in the second half. The final monologue by Puneet on valuing guests and elders stands out.

The film can be watched for a nuanced performance by Paresh Rawal as an unwanted guest. He is a complete powerhouse and plays his character with utmost sincerity and conviction. His mannerisms are a treat to watch with an apt reaction to them by Konkona and Ajay. It is a good movie but could have been better.

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Flame and Citron (New DVD Review)

Flame and Citron (Ole Christian Madsen, 2009) - Flame and Citron is a story of Nazi-killing resistance fighters in Denmark and is based on actual events (unlike Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, despite advertisements to the contrary). World War II is on, and the Nazis have occupied Denmark. Flame and Citron are partners in a resistance organization who assassinate Danish collaborators, whom they consider to be the same as Nazis. They describe their enemies in ugly, dehumanizing terms - Denmark was "crawling" with Nazi "vermin" - that echoes the type of racist language one hears in films about Nazi treatment of Jews, or in any story of a majority oppressing an ethnic minority. This parallel complicates how we identify with the supposed heroes, a complexity that only deepens as the story unfolds. The jolt of the first two assassinations we witness is thrilling, setting up a plot that would explore the moral quandaries around fighting Nazis through the murder of civilians (the primary targets seem to be newspaper editors printing Nazi propaganda and civilian informants). It's a promising start that ultimately gets bungled through poor direction.

The resistance movement is organized in a hierarchical structure with many moving parts that the film never really articulates with clarity, despite multiple laborious efforts to do so. There is a reference to the "Special Forces" and multiple train rides to and from Sweden for posh organizational meetings (these supposedly "famous" assassins are free to travel abroad?). Apparently the group is receiving orders from the British. Exactly why a native Danish resistance movement should receive unquestioned direct orders from the British is a question left unanswered, which is a major flaw, as much of the plot turns on this fact. If these are heroes are routinely risking their lives by killing Nazi collaborators and becoming local legends as a result, why on earth would they be tied down by shady businessmen?

Eventually, it becomes revealed that some of their targets may have been selected for less-than-pure reasons. By the time Citron declares, "We will go after our own targets," I had been wondering for quite some time why they hadn't already been doing so. If life under the Nazis was so oppressive and horrible, wouldn't it be obvious to all those in the resistance who the targets for assassination should be? Wouldn't their desperation cause them to ignore protocol (from Great Britain, no less) and simply attack those that deserve it? They are referred to as idealistic dreamers frequently in the film, but I don't buy it. That kind of characterization, on which the film insists, just doesn't jive with the story.

While it insists on their unlikely purity, the film, to its credit, doesn't allow them to escape with their hands clean. It makes our protagonists the pawns of a complex entanglement of wartime money-grabs. It is certainly an unromantic expression of the Danish resistance overall. While the subject matter is intriguing, the sensibility adult, and the morality nicely complicated, the film fails to be convincing, as it suffers from very poor direction. I've never seen a film in which I so often felt the camera was in the wrong place. Director Madsen's sense of spatial congruency is far removed from reality, which makes several elements of the plot hard to understand. He also fails to build suspense in scenes that could probably be cranked to 11 on the suspense meter. The climactic battle is the worst example of these problems. It simply doesn't make any sense spatially, and fails to draw the viewer in with suspense.

Most egregiously, it makes absolutely no sense why these two "heroes" of the resistance are allowed to operate so openly, and can continue to walk among Nazi Germans without notice, even after leaving eyewitnesses alive and well at their crime scenes. Its as if the Nazis and resistance had an understanding, that as long as the resistance were allowed to satisfy their bloodlust, the Nazis would look the other way. That street went both ways, as the resistance for some reason is unwilling to assassinate actual German Nazis. This is all very fruitful material, but the film instead bogs us down with a lot of undramatic exposition, and never really follows through on these ideas. The result is a bit of a logical mess.

Maxwell Anderson is an avid film watcher and blogger. He is also a freelance assistant video editor in New York City. You can contact him through his blog Ecstatic Text: http://ecstatictext.blogspot.com

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Parisian Love by Google - Advice to Young Lovers

I watch the Super Bowl for the ads, which I suppose is kind of like saying I read Playboy for the articles, except that in the case of the Super Bowl ads, it's true. "Parisian Love" by Google was by far the best ad, and it was probably the first time I teared up watching someone else do a Google search. (I tear up plenty on my own searches... try Haiti and you'll know what I mean.) The Google ad (first TV ad ever for this advertising firm) tells the story of a romance helped along by a series of Google searches conducted by some guy who finds a new life after a plan to study abroad in Paris turns into love, marriage, and a need to know how to assemble a crib.

But as you can imagine, a guy who goes around the Web calling himself "Translation Guy" is going to obsess on the translation part. And that's where my suspension of disbelief got suspended âEURo just at the critical moment when boy meets girl. In a little café near the Louvre, that certain someone says to him, "tu es très mignon," which Google instantly translates into "you're very cute." Now, it's hard enough to find the perfect woman (even harder if you're looking for the perfect man), but how on earth are you ever going to find a lover who only speaks the kind of French that Google's exécrable translator can handle?

And at that critical moment, instead of holding that all-important gaze, this guy is texting the phrase into Google? And how do you key in l'accent aigu on an iPhone anyway? Does this mean they can only meet in places with WiFi? ("Please, not Starbucks again, mon chéri!") Doh! So don't try this at home, or in Paris. You are more likely to earn a coup de main à la Monty Python (une troupe de comiques britannique) than coup de coeur status. Reminds me of that farm-kid-only-chance-to-impress-the-Italian-supermodel in those language learning ads. Right. 'Only chance' as in 'not a chance in hell.'

Unlike most of my posts, I'm qualified to write about this. Now, it may not have been a café in Paris, but I met my future wife in the equally romantic confines of Osaka Station #3 Building. I won her heart with a couple of lines of poetry, no more than about 30 syllables, which took me three days to memorize, of which all I remember now is hada (skin) and sabishii (lonely). You get the idea...she did too.

A sweet memory, thanks to a sweet ad. I also remember how I busted my thumb putting that crib together, too. So my advice to you young lovers is the only advice I could ever get out of my Dad: "Patience, persistence, practice." Any other language-crossed love stories out there?

I'm the CEO of 1-800-Translate, a translation and localization firm offering a full suite of multilingual communications services to leading international businesses, growing our business one client (or more) at a time. Find and explore more of my content by visiting my blog, Translation Guy.

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5 Important Film Festivals For Moviemakers

Film festivals are a great way to showcase your work. They are filled with writers, directors, producers, distributors, and everyone else involved in the film industry that can help you with your future as a filmmaker.

Even smaller gatherings and competitions can get your movie out there -- and, more importantly, build buzz by getting people talking about it. Having your films seen can lead to everything from new writing and directing jobs, to finding an investor or distributor for your movie. The networking opportunities and contacts you make during these types of events will benefit you personally and professionally for years to come.

Here are the five most important film festivals for moviemakers:

1. Sundance

The Sundance Film Festival is held in the state of Utah in the United States. It is one of the biggest in the U.S., and features short films, feature length, and non-competitive showcases. Sundance attracts some of the biggest names in Hollywood, from actors to producers, and is definitely a great place to network with real industry insiders and get your film seen by people that can further your career.

2. Cannes

The Cannes Film Festival is held annually in France, and is one of the world's oldest and most highly regarded festivals. Like Sundance, Cannes attracts the top film industry players, and also adds the European market to the mix. If your film is more of an art house project, it is more likely to shine at Cannes, where it is more about artistic quality over commercially viable films.

3. Toronto

The Toronto International Film Festival has grown to become one of the most prestigious places to screen a movie in the world. What began as a showcase for other festival winners, Toronto has earned a lot of influence and is considered a top predictor of what will be successful in Hollywood. Some of the best movies made had their premiere in Toronto, which makes it a serious contender for any filmmaker who wants to have their work seen by the top players in the industry.

4. Tribeca

Tribeca is quickly growing to become the place to show for independent films. Started in 2002 by co-founder Robert DeNiro, Tribeca is held in New York. It attracts hundreds of thousands of people every year and brings independent filmmakers of all levels together. Like with other festivals on the list, Tribeca gets maximum exposure for you and your film with top U.S. industry leaders in attendance.

5. San Francisco

The San Francisco International Film Festival is the longest running film festival in the U.S. It runs for two weeks every year, and focuses on film and video productions that haven't yet received U.S. distribution. If you're a filmmaker in need of distribution, this is the best festival for you, and gives you a lot of opportunities to network with the people that have the power to get your film to the masses. Attracting over 80,000 people, the San Francisco Film Festival rounds out our list of top film festivals.

In addition to these five, there are many smaller festivals that take place throughout the year in cities all across the country. Though they may not have the same cache as the events listed above, they can be a stepping stone to bigger and better screening opportunities. And you have to remember it's not just about the awards, film festivals are a great place to network, make business deals, and rub elbows with studio executives. Of course, they're also a place to have fun, watch some new movies, find inspiration and see where the future of cinema is headed. Each year these events bring together movie lovers from all walks of life to socialize with like-minded people that share their passion for the silver screen.

Home to Balboa Movies Studios long before Hollywood came around, each year two Long Beach festivals attract filmmakers to show off their new works. The city is also popular as a filming location for TV shows and event venue ( http://www.everythinglongbeach.com/things-to-do/ ).

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