By Clarence Yu

IT was a cool Saturday evening as people of all ages and all walks of life wandered together, almost telepathically, to see Pixar Studios’ latest offering, Up. What is so great about this movie that drew a full crowd–something I haven’t seen in quite a while?

For one, the film is a Pixar movie, which is always an event in itself. Pixar has always been known to create high quality animated pictures, from Toy Story to their most recent entry WALL-E, which was released last year. Up is the tenth full-length film from the studio since–a run that began with Toy Story in 1995–and all the films in between have been critical and commercial successes.

Up doesn’t feature any robots or talking cars, no Buzz Lightyear or a rat who wants to be a cook, but it does have a grumpy old man who has just lost his wife and an over-eager young Asian-American wilderness explorer. That brings us to the movie’s main strengths: the simple yet resounding plot that connects emotionally with adults and the great animation work to which children can easily respond.

Up tells the tale of aging Carl Fredericksen (voiced by Ed Asner, known for his role in the ’70s TV sitcom, Mary Tyler Moore), a widower who is relegated to living out his years in his simple home. Times are changing around him, but his memories are firmly fixed on the life he led with his beloved wife Ellie, and their one unfulfilled dream:to travel to Paradise Falls in South America.

His self-imposed hibernation is disturbed in the form of young Russell (voiced by newcomer Jordan Nagai), a “wilderness explorer” (think Boy Scout) who needs a badge for “assisting the elderly” to complete his training. Carl and Russell then embark on the adventure of their lives–for Carl, to fulfill his promise to his beloved, and for Russell, to fulfill his training. Carl is the father that Russell rarely sees, while Russell is the son that Carl never had.

Without giving away too many plot details, the movie sends out a basic message: it’s never too late to follow your dreams. While this may seem corny, Pixar’s animation is so evocative that it is able to deliver this timeless message without live action. One of the great moments in the movie is a silent montage that tells the love story of Carl and Ellie, which will bring tears to your eyes.

In these complicated times filled with complicated films, Up is a straightforward, uncomplicated, and heartfelt movie that will refresh and uplift, as evidenced by the ovation it received from the audience I watched it with as the credits rolled. See this with the love of your life, your family, or even by yourself.

By Clarence Yu

BEN Stiller returns with the usual suspects in this enjoyable second installment of the Night at the Museum series. The film’s basic strength is its appeal to both adults and children and the ensemble cast of terrific character actors.

The plot is quite simple–the museum characters face extinction, and Stiller’s mission is to save them. Stiller’s strength has always been to play the regular guy caught up in an irregular situation, and he demonstrates this again in the movie.

The film’s main surprise is Amy Adams, who plays Amelia Earhart. She lights up the screen with a confidence evocative of the “can do” woman, and plays the main foil to Stiller’s everyday man.

However, this film just does not stand up as well as the first one. While the first had a more balanced blend of appeal to both children and adults and had more time for character development, Battle of the Smithsonian seems to focus more on toilet comedy and quick laughs.

It also suffers from trying to squeeze in the talents of Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Owen Wilson, and Christopher Guest, among others, in less than two hours. Focusing on one specific character is quite hard to do without diluting the others, and this happens when most of the attention is focused on the talented Azaria.

Also, much missed are the talents of Carla Gugino, whose character disappears without any notice. Sorely underused are the funny Ricky Gervais and the always dependable Owen Wilson.

One thing can be said about the Night at the Museum series thus far: While it may be a poor attempt to educate viewers about history, it can serve as a good starting point for kids to arouse their interest in it.

History buffs and purists may disagree, but in this day and age of Nintendo and Playstation holding the attention of children of all ages the world over, this movie is a boon. Hopefully, the kids who watch this film will get interested in, say, the real Amelia Earhart, by the great on-screen portrayal of Amy Adams, or try to find out more about the real Napoleon Bonaparte or what Ivan the Terrible really did.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian stands up better compared to the overly pretentious “re-boots” currently in release. Kids of all ages will still get laughs and kicks out of this one. Take your family with you when you can.

Izah Morales
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—“What path should I follow?”

This seems to be the recurring theme in the latest episode of “Star Trek: The Future Begins,” which tells the stories of each young crew of USS Kelvin Enterprise.

We see a young Spock (Zachary Quinto)–who is confused about his half-human, half-Vulcan roots–taking a path that would later shape his life as an adult.

Spock joins James Kirk (Chris Pine), Uhura (Zo Saldana), McCoy (Karl Urban), Sulu (John Cho) and Chekov (Anton Yelchin) in a maiden voyage to stop Romulan Nero’s vengeful attack on the United Federation of Planets. In the process, the “battle” also takes place among the crew whose friendships and leaderships are tested.

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By Clarence Yu

17 Again tells the story of Mike O’Donnell (Matthew Perry/Zac Efron) who, at the age of 37, finds himself regretting the choices he made when he was in High School. He is unhappy with the way his life has turned out and is in the middle of a divorce with his once beloved wife.

Wishing that he were back in high school again, Mike soon finds himself transformed back to his young self, however, it is still the present day, and he has not gone back in time. What follows next is a predictable storyline that sets the stage for a series of events that makes Mike realize that he should have been happy with what he had.

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By Clarence Yu
Contributor

DIRECTOR Ron Howard has once again proven his mettle with his latest Academy-nominated effort, Frost/Nixon. Based on the London and Broadway plays of the same name, Michael Sheen (The Queen) and Frank Langella (Dave) reprise their roles as David Frost and Richard M. Nixon.

While not as seriously dramatic as Oliver Stone’s Nixon, the film is a great and successful attempt at educating and entertaining audiences on a particular piece of celluloid history that has become the stuff of legend for political junkies, the infamous Nixon interviews that took place in 1977.

Michael Sheen plays David Frost as the talk show/television host who yearns for more credibility and fame, and Frank Langella gives a powerhouse performance as the disgraced President Nixon who, well, wants his credibility and fame restored.

It is the comedy of it all that makes the film work. Witness the film’s first hour or so and you will find that the film does not attempt to be serious political drama but rather a behind-the-scenes look at how Frost tries to set up an interview with Nixon. A passionate James Reston, Jr. played by Sam Rockwell, livens up the comedy even more.

Kevin Bacon surprisingly brings in a watered down performance as Nixon’s chief of staff Jack Brennan as he doesn’t really bring anything refreshing to the film.

The film notably highlights Richard Nixon’s political skill and the ethics of checkbook journalism. Small details such as several surprised looks on Frost’s face and the irresistible personal charm of Frank Langella’s Nixon are exploded onto the screen with such vividness that I could not help but laugh at it all. Whether this is intended or not, these help propel the film from a mere political film to something really worth watching. I haven’t seen the play but I think that Ron Howard has been successful in this transposition from stage to screen.

The youth of today are encouraged to see this film to get a glimpse of how it was back then before reality TV and how deeply America was scarred by the only resignation of a President in office. Hopefully one day, Bill Clinton’s scandals can be rightfully made into a film in the same vein.

A word of caution however–all must be taken in context. David Frost went on to become somewhat of a more serious journalist, finally earning a knighthood, and Richard M. Nixon became a somewhat respected elder statesman in his later years before finally passing away in 1994.

Finally, Frank Langella’s performance as Nixon rightfully deserves its Oscar nomination. He doesn’t look anything like Nixon, but by the end of this highly entertaining movie, you are convinced. Anything but boring, this movie is a must see.