HOLLYWOOD ELSEWHERE (jeffrey wells): The animated 3D Up (Disney/Pixar, 5.29) is a comic adventure fable of a very high order. Even by Pixar’s high standards it’s a notch or two above the norm. Visually luscious and spunky and intriguing at every turn, it’s an amusing (i.e., somewhat funny), sometimes touching, briskly paced film that’s about…well, pretty much everything that relatively healthy, forward-thinking middle-class people care about. (…) So what am I saying, boiled down? That it’s really quite well made and has an almost stoner sensibility in portions but may be a little too good for the lowbrows and at the same time isn’t really deep and resonant enough to penetrate with quality-cinema buffs? Something like that. I realize what I’m writing (and re-reading) may sound a bit contradictory but there it is. [+]
EMANUELLEVY.COM (emanuel levy): “Wall-E,” Pixar’s previous highlight, may be more brilliant technically and more original thematically than “Up,” though the two features share some similarities. However, when it comes to emotions, it’s safe to observe that the story of “Up” is more resonant and its characters, both young and old, more touching. Along with the humor, the picture exhibits a big, warm heart, exemplifying the motto of studio founder Walt Disney, who believed that, “For every laugh, there should be a tear.” [+]
VARIETY (todd mccarthy): Despite the sheer volume of incident and action required of any film that includes young kids as a major portion of its target audience, “Up” is an exceptionally refined picture; unlike so many animated films, it’s not all about sensory bombardment and volume. As Pixar’s process is increasingly analyzed, the more one appreciates the care that goes into the writing. The underlying carpentry here is so strong, it seems it would be hard to go too far wrong in the execution. Unsurprisingly, no one puts a foot wrong here. Vocal performances, most importantly from Asner, Plummer and nonpro Nagai, exude a warm enthusiasm, and tech specifications could not be better. Michael Giacchino’s full-bodied, traditional score is superlative, developing beautiful themes as it sweeps the action along on emotional waves. [+]
GUARDIAN (peter bradshaw): It really is a lovely film: smart, funny, high-spirited and sweet-natured, reviving memories of classic adventures from the pens of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Jules Verne, and movies like Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life and Albert Lamorisse’s The Red Balloon, though I sometimes felt that my heart was being warmed by tiny invisible laser-missiles fired from the screen and digitally guided directly into my thorax. [+]
FEATURE FILM JURY
Isabelle Huppert (president), actress, France
Asia Argento, actress, director, screenwriter, Italy
Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director, screenwriter, actor, Turkey
Lee Chang-dong, director, author, screenwriter, South Korea
James Gray, director, screenwriter, U.S.
Hanif Kureishi, author, screenwriter, U.K.
Shu Qi, actress, Taiwan
Robin Wright Penn, actress, U.S.
OPENING: May 13; CLOSES: May 24. [+]
OPENER
“Up” U.S., Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
CLOSER
“Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky” France, Jan Kounen
IN COMPETITION
“Bright Star” Australia-U.K.-France, Jane Campion
“Spring Fever” China-France, Lou Ye
“Antichrist” Denmark-Sweden-France-Italy, Lars von Trier
“Enter the Void” France, Gaspar Noe
“Face” France-Taiwan-Netherlands-Belgium, Tsai Ming-liang
“Les Herbes folles” France-Italy, Alain Resnais
“In the Beginning” France, Xavier Giannoli
“A Prophet” France, Jacques Audiard
“The White Ribbon” Germany-Austria-France, Michael Haneke
“Vengeance” Hong Kong-France-U.S., Johnnie To
“The Time That Remains” Israel-France-Belgium-Italy, Elia Suleiman
“Vincere” Italy-France, Marco Bellocchio
“Kinatay” Philippines, Brillante Mendoza
“Thirst” South Korea-U.S., Park Chan-wook
“Broken Embraces” Spain, Pedro Almodovar
“Map of the Sounds of Tokyo” Spain, Isabel Coixet
“Fish Tank” U.K.-Netherlands, Andrea Arnold
“Looking for Eric” U.K.-France-Belgium-Italy, Ken Loach
“Inglourious Basterds” U.S., Quentin Tarantino
“Taking Woodstock” U.S., Ang Lee
OUT OF COMPETITION
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” Canada-France, Terry Gilliam
“The Army of Crime,” France, Robert Guediguian
“Agora,” Spain, Alejandro Amenabar
MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
“A Town Called Panic,” Belgium, Stephane Aubier, Vincent Patar
“Ne te retourne pas,” France-Belgium-Luxembourg-Italy, Marina de Van
“Drag Me to Hell,” U.S., Sam Raimi
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
“Petition,” China, Zhao Liang
“L’epine dans le coeur,” France, Michel Gondry
“Min ye,” France-Mali, Souleyumane Cisse
“Jaffa,” Israel-France-Germany, Keren Yedaya
“Manila,” Philippines, Adolfo Aliz Jr., Raya Martin
“My Neighbor, My Killer,” U.S., Anne Aghion
UN CERTAIN REGARD
“Samson & Delilah” Australia, Warwick Thornton
“Adrift” Brazil, Heitor Dhalia
“The Wind Journeys” Colombia, Ciro Guerra
“Demain des l’aube” France, Denis Dercourt
“Irene” France, Alain Cavalier
“Independance” Philippines-France-Germany, Raya Martin
“Le Pere de mes enfants” France-Germany, Mia Hansen-Love
“Dogtooth” Greece, Yorgos Lanthimos
“Nobody Knows About the Persian Cats” Iran, Bahman Ghobadi
“Eyes Wide Open” Israel, Haim Tabakman
“Mother” South Korea, Bong Joon-ho
“The Silent Army” Netherlands, Jean van de Velde
“To Die Like a Man” Portugal, Joao Pedro Rodrigues
“Police, Adjective” Romania, Corneliu Porumboiu
“Tales from the Golden Age” Romania, Hanno Hofer, Razvan Marculescu, Cristian Mungiu, Constantin Popescu, Ioana Uricaru
“Tale in the Darkness” Russia, Nikolay Khomeriki
“Tzar” Russia-France, Pavel Lounguine
“Nymph” Thailand, Pen-ek Ratanaruang
“Precious” U.S., Lee Daniels
unofficial lineup:
LOS ABRAZOS ROTOS (pedro almodóvar)
ANTICHRIST (lars von trier)
BRIGHT STAR (jane campion)
DRAG ME TO HELL (sam raimi)
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS (terry gilliam)
INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (quentin tarantino)
TAKING WOODSTOCK (ang lee)
TETRO (francis ford coppola)
UP (pete docter)
…
the official lineup will be announced next week (april 23), but this one looks very cannes-ish to me.
previsões:
01. THE HUMAN FACTOR (warner)
clint eastwood + biopic.
02. SHUTTER ISLAND (paramount)
martin scorsese + serious film.
03. THE LOVELY BONES (paramount/dreamworks)
big drama + famous source.
04. NINE (weinstein co.)
musical + amazing cast.
05. AN EDUCATION (sony pictures classic)
indie + british.
contenders: AMELIA (fox searchlight), AWAY WE GO (focus), THE INFORMANT (warner), PUBLIC ENEMIES (universal), PRECIOUS (lionsgate), TAKING WOODSTOCK (focus), THE TREE OF LIFE (?),
previsões:
01. clint eastwood (THE HUMAN FACTOR)
clint + eastwood.
02. martin scorsese (SHUTTER ISLAND)
martin + scorsese.
03. peter jackson (THE LOVELY BONES)
previous winner + big drama.
04. rob marshall (NINE)
musical.
05. ang lee (TAKING WOODSTOCK)
respected director.
contenders: mira nair (AMELIA), pedro almodóvar (LOS ABRAZOS ROTOS), lone scherfig (AN EDUCATION), steven soderbergh (THE INFORMANT), michael mann (PUBLIC ENEMIES), lee daniels (PRECIOUS), terrence malick (THE TREE OF LIFE)…
previsões:
01. carey mulligan (AN EDUCATION)
breaktrough + british.
02. hillary swank (AMELIA)
unconditional love + biopic.
03. helen mirren (LOVE RANCH)
respected actress.
04. penélope cruz (LOS ABRAZOS ROTOS)
current favourite + almodovar.
05. saoirse ronan (THE LOVELY BONES)
child love.
contenders: maya rudolph (AWAY WE GO), michle pfeiffer (CHÉRI), audrey tatou (COCO AVANT CHANEL), jennifer connely (CREATION), meryl streep (JULIE & JULIA), emily blunt (THE YOUNG VICTORIA), evan rachel wood (WHATEVER WORKS)…
