June 2009

There were 24 posts published in June 2009 (this is page 4 of 4).

Straight "Up" Delightful

Up

Well it seems we’re already pretty deep into summer movie season, and we’ve already had a few overblown unimaginative blockbusters, and I’m sure there are plenty more to expect in the coming months.  However, with Up, the consistently brilliant Pixar has created another wholly originally and completely satisfying piece of entertainment.

Up tells the story of Carl Fredrickson, a crusty 78-year-old balloon salesman who yearns to fulfill his deceased wife’s dream of living on top of a mountain in South America.  In danger of having his house evicted, he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away in search of his dream, only to find that he is stuck with an eight-year-old wilderness explorer named Russell.
The story definitely does seem a little strange for a movie that would appear to be targeted towards kids, considering it features an elderly main character as well as it’s villain.  But I think with Wall-E and once again this film, Pixar has been able to transcend the notion that animated movies are merely for kids.  And I also think that you could say that this film does a great job of not just giving us a mix of humor that kids will enjoy as well as jokes that only adults would understand, but humor that people of any age will enjoy.
Though Up is definitely one of the funniest Pixar films in a while, I’d also say it’s filled with just as much heart and awe-inspiring moments as any film in the Pixar canon.  It’s truly a beautiful film to look at, with some truly vibrant scenery while still focusing on a pretty emotional story. And a montage that begins the film, which walks us through Carl’s life with his dearly-departed wife is among the most poignant moments in any Pixar film.
One notable aspect of Up is that it’s the first Pixar movie to made in 3-D.  I didn’t manage to see it in 3-D, but I didn’t really mind, since for me 3-D seems more like a gimmick used to make weaker movies a little more entertaining.
Some people have already been ranking Up among Pixar’s best films if not the best so far.  I can’t say that I would regard it that highly, for me it’s hard to beat the first two Toy Story movies, but it’s certainly another fine addition to the Pixar catalog.  There really aren’t many studios putting out such original pieces of storytelling, and whether you’re eight or seventy-eight, I can’t see any reason someone wouldn’t enjoy Up.

E3’09: The Rest of Microsoft’s Conference

I’m not going to lie, I was pretty pleased with the rest of Microsoft’s pre-E3 press conference. In fact, I’m fairly excited. They showed off a bunch of games I’m looking forwards to, such as Crackdown 2 and Left 4 Dead 2, but I’m guessing most of you won’t care about that (except John, who will be happy to hear that a new 360-exclusive Metal Gear game is coming).

Oh, and then there’s that new Tony Hawk game. I’m not buying it. That giant skateboard peripheral just is not doing it for me. What do you do when you’re in the air? Or what if you do a trick and land switched? How does that work? I’m not in.

Outside of games, MS announced a lot of new 360 functionality. You’ll finally be able to add to your Netflix queue on the ‘Box, no PC involved. Plus, this fall you’ll be able to also use Last.FM, Facebook and Twitter, which is pretty sweet. I’m down for that.

Then there was the final part of the show: Project Natal. Natal is a camera/microphone peripheral that seems to take gaming finally into virtual reality. The device is able to register all your movements in 3D space, making you the controller, like people always dreamed. They showed off some basic games, and I guess I should be really skeptical, but I’m fairly stoked. MS said nothing about a release date, so I’m assuming late 2010.

Natal completely alters the way you can use the XBox 360. You speak to turn the console on, then walk in front of the device. It then recognizes you and loads up your avatar. Once logged in, you actually just wave in the air to move between the pages and choose what you want to do. They showed off people doing things like saying “play” to star watching The Dark Knight. Steven Spielberg came out at one point, he was about it.

Peter Molyneux seems to be the first developer tasked with developing for Natal, he showed off an AI called Milo. Milo interacted with some British lady, they had a conversation and did cool things. At one part, the lady drew a picture, then Milo was able to scan it in (instantly), hold it, and make comments about it. I have no idea how scripted that whole thing was, but it was fairly impressive. Props to that one guy taking a shot at the Wii.

I’m guessing a lot of gamers are going to be very anti-Natal. After all, Natal would bring gaming to more people, and we all know how much the hardcore hate that. Also, gaming with it would be physically demanding, something else that gamers are not about. But, at least for now, I’m liking what I see.

E3’09: Beatles Rock Band Looks Great

Microsoft’s E3 press conference is going on right now. They started out by showing The Beatles: Rock Band, with Danny Harrison, Olivia, Yoko, Ringo and Paul. They were kind of awkward, but the game looks really awesome. A great visual style, and the game oozes out Beatles style. When they release the trailer for the Internet later, I’ll edit this post so you all can see it.

But guess what? Harmonies confirmed. It looks like three person harmonies right now, with all three tracks on the same vocals scroller at the top of the screen. Awesome. They did it on stage with three vocalists, making the game six player. But I’m sure two people with instruments could sing too, if they were up to the challenge.

Ten songs have been confirmed. If I remember them correctly, it was:

  • “I Saw Her Standing There”
  • “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
  • “I Feel Fine”
  • “Day Tripper”
  • “Taxman”
  • “I am the Walrus”
  • “Back in the U.S.S.R.”
  • “Octopus’s Garden”
  • “Here Comes the Sun”
  • “Get Back”

They also announced DLC, with the complete Abbey Road up first. Yes! Also, “All You Need is Love” will be Xbox 360 exclusive DLC, with the proceeds going to Doctors without Borders. I’m pumped.

Tony Hawk is showing of the new skateboard-controllered Tony Hawk game. I’ll be back later with more later.