Up Archives - The Playlist

‘Carl’s Date’ Trailer: Pixar’s Short Film ‘Up’ Sequel Finds Carl Preparing For A New Stage In His Life

Charles Barfield — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 18:29:03 +0000

Pixar has no shortage of films with iconic moments in cinema. But perhaps the most famous is none other than the opening scene of 2009’s “Up.” This is one of those scenes that you play for someone if you want to watch them turn into a heap of tears. Yet, it’s maybe one of the greatest moments in animated film history. So, with that in mind, it appears Pixar is ready to continue the story of “Up” with a new short film, “Carl’s Date.”

READ MORE: ‘The Flash’ Review: Barry Allen Is Barely The Lead In A Hollow Movie Overfilled With Fan Service

As seen in the trailer for “Carl’s Date,” the short film picks up after the events of “Up,” where we find Carl and his animal friend, Dug, working together to prepare for a date with a lady friend.

Continue reading ‘Carl’s Date’ Trailer: Pixar’s Short Film ‘Up’ Sequel Finds Carl Preparing For A New Stage In His Life at The Playlist.

The 50 Best Summer Blockbusters Of All Time

Oliver Lyttelton — Wed, 31 May 2017 16:25:20 +0000

June is nearly here, and we’re really in the thick of summer blockbuster season. “Pirates Of The Caribbean: Diminishing Returns” opened this past weekend, “Wonder Woman” is coming up, Tom Cruise battles “The Mummy” after that, then “Cars 3,” “Transformers: The Last Knight,” “Baby Driver,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “War For The Planet Of The Apes,” “Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets,” “Dunkirk” and “Atomic Blonde” are all on deck without a quiet week to be found.

Continue reading The 50 Best Summer Blockbusters Of All Time at The Playlist.

The 50 Best Animated Films Of The 21st Century So Far

Oliver Lyttelton — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 17:37:42 +0000

It’s sort of remarkable, the ways that animation on the big screen has changed in the past two decades or so. In the early ’90s, the game was pretty much entirely owned by Disney’s hand-drawn animated fairy tales, which were hugely successful but almost entirely seen as kids’ stuff, with the occasional Don Bluth or Ralph Bakshi effort winning some eyes but not really competing; and the beginning of an interesting scene in Japan that largely failed to crossover to mainstream audiences stateside.

Continue reading The 50 Best Animated Films Of The 21st Century So Far at The Playlist.

The 20 Best Summer Blockbusters Ever

The Playlist Staff — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 18:54:30 +0000

The 20 Best Summer Blockbusters Ever

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From Best To Worst: Ranking The Pixar Movies

The Playlist Staff — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:50:13 +0000

From Best To Worst: Ranking The Pixar Movies

Continue reading From Best To Worst: Ranking The Pixar Movies at The Playlist.

Oscars: 20 Potential Contenders Will Vie For Best Animated Feature (To Try & Mask The Fact That ‘Up’ Has Already Won)

Gabe Toro — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:23:00 +0000

The last few years have seen the Academy Awards only honor three nominees in the Best Animated Feature category, due to a minimal group of volunteers and worthy winners, but it’s also kept stuff like “Waltz With Bashir” from the master list. This year looks different, with the Academy releasing a list of twenty eligible films. If sixteen are submitted, which seems likely, the pool could increase to a five-nominee category, four of which will enjoy watching Pixar win again.

Continue reading Oscars: 20 Potential Contenders Will Vie For Best Animated Feature (To Try & Mask The Fact That ‘Up’ Has Already Won) at The Playlist.

Taking The Oscar Temperature Before TIFF; Mild Playlist Predix

Rodrigo Perez — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:59:00 +0000

Every September we do our early Oscar predictions piece and we stress, they are predictions of the right here and now. And let’s face it, we’re all guessing to some extent, even the bloggers who are specifically devoted to Oscar predictions. Also, these picks ALL change (or relatively) after TIFF. Doing Oscar predictions before you’ve actually seen all the movies is admittedly a little silly, but when in Rome we suppose, because it’s what everyone else does and yes, we’d jump off a cliff if you did.

Continue reading Taking The Oscar Temperature Before TIFF; Mild Playlist Predix at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office- On Patriotic Holiday, Americans Abuse Freedom, Opt For ‘Ice Age’, ‘Transformers’

Gabe Toro — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:13:00 +0000

That’s it, that’s enough. The founding fathers had it wrong. All men aren’t created equal. Some choose to spend their money on things that make them better. And some willingly pay for “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” The proudly ignorant rape of celluloid again tied for a position atop the box office, scoring $42.5 million for a domestic total of $293 million. Making money at a cartoonish rate, the film only needed a week and a half to surpass “Up” as the year’s highest grossing picture, as entertainment options for moviegoers proved slim, President Barack Obama apparently ordering all libraries, museums and video rental stores to be closed for the holiday weekend.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office- On Patriotic Holiday, Americans Abuse Freedom, Opt For ‘Ice Age’, ‘Transformers’ at The Playlist.

Who’s Laughing Last? ‘Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen’ Has Already Grossed $387 Million Worldwide

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:52:00 +0000

Apparently dumb and dumber does pay off. Umm, laugh all you want at Michael Bay and take apart the incomprehensible mess that is “Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen,” the film has already grossed $387 million worldwide making it the second highest grossing film around the world in 2009 (“Angels & Demons” is still #1 for now) and number three in the U.S., behind “Up” and “Star Trek,” (these numbers soon to be bested in a few short weeks no doubt).

Continue reading Who’s Laughing Last? ‘Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen’ Has Already Grossed $387 Million Worldwide at The Playlist.

Oscar Goes To 10: Ten Playlist Predix

Rodrigo Perez — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:14:00 +0000

Ok, so now that we’re slightly over the announcement that the Academy Awards has changed the Best Picture category to include 10 nominations — a cheap way to get ratings and to pander to populist thinking and those disappointed by the exclusive of not-really-worthy Best Picture films like, “The Dark Knight,” and “Wall-E,” — there is a positive side.

Well, possibly. The upside? More room for smart and worthy indies (or foreign films) with not gigantic Oscar campaign sized-wallets, i.e.

Continue reading Oscar Goes To 10: Ten Playlist Predix at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office- Audiences Accept ‘Proposal’ To Watch Damn Near Anything

Gabe Toro — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:55:00 +0000

In a weekend most consider the calm before the storm that is “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” audiences flocked to offseason rom-com “The Proposal,” which surprised many by taking in $34.1 million from desperately lonely people and couples bound to last because both participants are terrible people. It was the first movie in awhile to target the female marketplace, so the business isn’t totally out of left-field, though its worth noting that this is the biggest opening for Teflon-careered Sandra Bullock and the second hit this season for Ryan Reynolds, a guy who finally seems to be getting serious about his career as a leading man, if not creatively at least financially.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office- Audiences Accept ‘Proposal’ To Watch Damn Near Anything at The Playlist.

‘Antichrist’ Added To Edinburgh Film Festival, Michael Bay Apologizes To Korean ‘Transformers’ Fans For Tardiness

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:19:00 +0000

Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist” has been added to the The Edinburgh International Film Festival line-up. Joe Wright (“Atonement”) will head up the jury. The festival runs June 17-28. Too bad we don’t have correspondents in Scotland, hint hint if anyone is reading and wants to write in. [IndieWire]

Less than a month at the box-office, Peter Docter’s “Up” is charting high enough to probably become the second-highest-grossing Pixar title at the domestic box-office after “Finding Nemo.” Meaning the film, which has already grossed, $187.4 million in the U.S., could reach the numbers of “The Incredibles,” which raked in, $261.4 million in 2004.

Continue reading ‘Antichrist’ Added To Edinburgh Film Festival, Michael Bay Apologizes To Korean ‘Transformers’ Fans For Tardiness at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office- No Hangover For ‘The Hangover’

Gabe Toro — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:18:00 +0000

Sometimes a well-placed R-rated boys’ club comedy can do some serious damage in blockbuster land. Word of mouth has to be the culprit, explaining how “The Hangover” is somewhat mimicking recent frat-like R-rated fare like “The Wedding Crashers” with a second straight weekend at #1. Tracking-wise, the film is even crossing over to women, so with $105 million in the kitty after two weeks, it has to be considered a massive breakthrough for WB. Inches away from out grossing their other war horse “Terminator Salvation,” “The Hangover” recorded a $33.4 million gross, which is a audience loss of only 25%- that’s near-heroic.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office- No Hangover For ‘The Hangover’ at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office: ‘Up’ Is #1, While Bradley Cooper Has Just Happened

Gabe Toro — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 18:40:00 +0000

The box office story for “Up,” number one again, won’t be told in its second weekend, nor in its successful first, but rather in its fifth or sixth, when its weathered a number of box office contenders to have the staying power to earn as much as possible before July 4th brings “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.” That being said, with $44.2 million and a $137 million total in its second week of release, “Up” is ahead of the pace of past Pixar performers- while much of that is due to the increased cost of the 3D, there’s no question that investors’ fear of Pixar’s declining stock was for naught.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: ‘Up’ Is #1, While Bradley Cooper Has Just Happened at The Playlist.

‘Up’ Score Soars, Like the Film; Is Giacchino Our Greatest Living Film Composer?

samcmac — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:34:00 +0000

Like his superlative score for 2007’s “Ratatouille,” Michael Giacchino’s symphonic compositions for the latest Pixar animated feature, Pete Docter’s “Up,” make most others working in the field look bad by comparison. “This ain’t no John Williams,” a friend said to me as we exited the theater, and the general sentiment resonates – this isn’t something we’ve heard a million times before, played with the reliability and mechanical precision of a music box. This score is messy, distinctive and perhaps defiantly retro and classical.

Continue reading ‘Up’ Score Soars, Like the Film; Is Giacchino Our Greatest Living Film Composer? at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office: Pixar Cleans ‘Up’, ‘Terminator’ Slacks Off

Gabe Toro — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:52:00 +0000

Like clockwork, you can expect Pixar’s offerings to tower over the American animation competition. Fortunately for them, you can also count on them to tower over box office competition, as “Up”‘s debut is the highest for the studio since 2003’s “Finding Nemo” which scored $70 million in the opening frame and went on to be the studio’s most successful movie. The $68.2 million number was probably goosed by the IMAX 3D sales, boding well for future Disney Digital releases, and with word of mouth strong and little animation competition until July’s “Ice Age” installment, expect “Up” to be one of the studio’s biggest earners.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: Pixar Cleans ‘Up’, ‘Terminator’ Slacks Off at The Playlist.

Box-Office Options: May 29-31: ‘Up,’ ‘Drag Me To Hell’ & ‘Pontypool’

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:45:00 +0000

Your new box-office choices this weekend — if you’re a multiplex denizen only — seem pretty obvious (though remember you don’t have to just see what’s new). You have on one side, the populist, feel-good, by all accounts wonderful, Pixar 3D animated adventure, “Up,” and you have Sam Raimi’s goofball horror comedy, “Drag Me To Hell.”

We loved “Up” and hated “Drag Me To Hell,” but both have extremely good Rotten Tomatoes ratings.

Continue reading Box-Office Options: May 29-31: ‘Up,’ ‘Drag Me To Hell’ & ‘Pontypool’ at The Playlist.

“Up”: Pixar’s Latest is a Profoundly Affecting Comedic Fantasy

Rodrigo Perez — Thu, 28 May 2009 04:05:00 +0000

We saw 50 minutes of Pixar’s “Up” back at New York Comic Con this year, were intrigued and impressed but also slightly worried. That chunk of the Pete Docter movie was just so filled with stuff – a wordless prologue that set up the relationship between Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner) and the love of his life, Ellie, from childhood to old age; a house lifted high into the air by billions of balloons; a talking dog named Dug (co-director Bob Peterson); and a jungle landscape as alien as the moon, populated by a nine-foot-tall flightless bird.

Continue reading “Up”: Pixar’s Latest is a Profoundly Affecting Comedic Fantasy at The Playlist.

Pixar’s ‘Up’: A Total Slamdunk Winner?

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:53:00 +0000

Unless something went horribly wrong in that last half, having already seen the first 45 minutes of Pixar’s “Up,” it seemed incredibly apparent that the Pete Docter-directed animated picture was poised to be a winner.

Two trade reviews are in and it appears that Pixar has another slamdunk on their hands for tomorrow’s Cannes debut.

Variety suggests its almost perfect, “depending on what you think of ‘Cars,’ Pixar makes it either 9½ out of 10 or 10 for 10 with ‘Up,’ a captivating odd-couple adventure that becomes funnier and more exciting as it flies along.”

The Hollywood Reporter says the film is joyously buoyant and transcends any potential 3D gimmickry.

Continue reading Pixar’s ‘Up’: A Total Slamdunk Winner? at The Playlist.

2009 Cannes Film Fest Screening Schedule Is Up; ‘Inglorious Basterds’ World Premiere Is May 20, ‘Parnassus’ May 22

Rodrigo Perez — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:23:00 +0000

The screening schedule for the 2009 Cannes Film Festival is now online for those that are attending (we’ll be there part of the time).

Let’s just tackle the highlights for now.

In Competition/Out Of Competition:
– Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” premieres on Wednesday, May 20
– Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” plays near the end of the festival on Friday, May 22
– Ang Lee’s ’60s hippie rock-concert comedy, “Taking Woodstock” debuts on Saturday, May 16
– Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist” screens for the first time on Monday, May 18
– Pedro Almodovar’s “Broken Embraces” has its Cannes premiere (but not world, it’s already played in Spain) on Tuesday, May 19
– Michael Haneke’s “White Ribbon” plays Thursday, May 21
– Gaspar Noé’s “Enter The Void” screens first on Friday, May 22.

Continue reading 2009 Cannes Film Fest Screening Schedule Is Up; ‘Inglorious Basterds’ World Premiere Is May 20, ‘Parnassus’ May 22 at The Playlist.

The Playlist’s Summer Preview – 24 Films From MAY

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 01 May 2009 17:12:00 +0000

Summer’s upon us any moment now, which means temperatures rise, IQ levels drop and the worst of the worst (ok, admittedly not as bad as the January-Feb season), or at least the halfwit mainstream bullshit rises to the top. However, there’s always something to be enjoyed amongst the clutter and hell, maybe even an enjoyable tentpole film with a brain. Hey, don’t laugh, “Iron Man” and “The Dark Knight” pulled it off last year. Can Gavin Hood (no), Michael Bay, McG or J.J.

Continue reading The Playlist’s Summer Preview – 24 Films From MAY at The Playlist.

Father Of ‘Slumdog’ Star Reportedly Tries To Sell Her, Sam Raimi To Plead Kirsten Dunst To Sign For ‘Spidey 4’, Dolph Lundgren Talks ‘Expendables’

Simon Dang — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:24:00 +0000

The father of young “Slumdog Millionaire” star Rubina Ali has reportedly tried to sell her. There’s probably much more to this abhorrent-sounding story than that but of what has been reported feels rancid and the the type of execrable story the press can really mangle if not carefully handled. Nevertheless, investigations are taking place and it can only hope little Rubina’s interest are taken care of and that she comes out the other end of the ordeal alright.

Continue reading Father Of ‘Slumdog’ Star Reportedly Tries To Sell Her, Sam Raimi To Plead Kirsten Dunst To Sign For ‘Spidey 4’, Dolph Lundgren Talks ‘Expendables’ at The Playlist.

Pixar’s ‘Up’ Opening Cannes Film Festival

Spencer Martin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:38:00 +0000

Pixar’s animated feature “Up” is opening the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, which marks the first time in the history of the festival that an animated film will open it up. What is even more surprising, and impressive for “Up” is that no animated film since “Dumbo” has even made an appearance has ever opened up the festival before (other animated films that have been at Cannes include, “Waltz With Bashir,” “Fritz the cat,” “Shrek,” “Persepolis,” etc.).

Continue reading Pixar’s ‘Up’ Opening Cannes Film Festival at The Playlist.

New ‘Up’ Trailer Tells All

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:30:00 +0000

The new “Up” trailer is pretty great… and the exact opposite of all the teasers that came before it.

Previously, Disney/Pixar had been marketing the summer comedy based almost solely on the floating house imagery – it adorned early posters, television spots, and trailers. But this new trailer is pretty go-for-broke – showcased here are the talking dogs and bizarre, mythological bird that we saw in the nearly fifty minutes of footage at Comic Con.

Continue reading New ‘Up’ Trailer Tells All at The Playlist.

NYCC: ‘Terminator Salvation’ Sizzles With Action, But Fails To Impress

Gabe Toro — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:20:00 +0000

More New York Comic-Con: We’re still catching up.

On Saturday, Warner Bros. ended their panel with McG’s “Terminator Salvation” presentation. McG is a relentless huckster and bullshitter, and to get on the audience’s good side, he came out, pumped up about the OTHER movies presenting during the day, both “Watchmen” and “Avatar.”

“I can say firsthand that [James Cameron’s] ‘Avatar’ is going to be phenomenal. He’s reinvented the wheel technically and his story understanding is second to none so i would get your hopes really high for Avatar.”

He also did he best Hulkamania impression during almost every question.

Continue reading NYCC: ‘Terminator Salvation’ Sizzles With Action, But Fails To Impress at The Playlist.