Up: Blu-Ray and DVD Combo Pack (PG, 2009, Disney/Pixar)
Once Pixar knocked out a few cute character movies and got the computer animation ball rolling, it forged ahead to more complicated fare while everybody else flooded the market with more cute character stories. That journey comes fittingly full circle with "Up," which itself chronicles a journey devised by a boy and potentially realized ages later by a cranky old man who grew to fear the world he once promised to explore. "Up" raises the maturity bar yet again with its disarmingly ardent (but, in true Pixar show-don't-tell fashion, completely elegant) look at the dark side of mortality. But in the same space, and often without losing a beat, "Up" reaches back for familiar conventions - hilarious physical comedy, clever dialogue that works on multiple levels, a cute kid, some adorably personified animals - it mastered years ago in ways few studios have even now. Per usual, "Up" also looks magnificent down to the most minute texture or light source, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the relationship between the film's script and its visual style. Pixar's track record is dependable to the point of predictable by now, and "Up" has its share of arguable nitpicks, particularly with regard to a cluster of scenes in act three that go on a bit longer than is necessary. Overwhelmingly, though, it's a remarkable display of all the things that make film so great working in near-perfect harmony.
Extras: Two shorts ("Dug's Special Mission" and "Partly Cloudy," which opened for it during the theatrical run), alternate endings, nine behind-the-scenes features (eight are exclusive to the Blu-ray disc, but the 22-minute centerpiece is on the DVD), Blu-ray game, international trailer/promo collections, digital copy.
- Also available this week: "Monsters, Inc.: Blu-Ray and DVD Combo Pack" (G, 2001, Disney/Pixar): The Pixar classic makes its high-definition debut, and it hasn't aged a moment. Extras include the "For the Birds" and "Mike's New Car" shorts, a new filmmaker commentary and roundtable, a new behind-the-scenes feature, a new Blu-ray disc game, a Pixar factory tour, outtakes, a compilation of banished concepts and a digital copy.
Paraiso Travel (R, 2008, Phase 4 Films)
"Paraiso Travel" is the heartwarming story of how Marlon (Aldemar Correa) and Reina (Angelica Blandon) braved the odds, chased the American dream and scratched their way to a storybook ending in bustling New York City. Or rather, that's how the young lovers think it'll go when we flash back in time and find them hatching their migration plan in Columbia. "Travel" doesn't keep us in suspense about whether it's a fairy or cautionary tale: The unpleasant aftermath of the trip is laid bare in the film's very first scene, and the film jumps back and forth in time to tie fantasy and reality together before the storylines merge for the final act. Given the heat surrounding the subject matter - it's illegal immigration, perhaps you've heard about it recently - "Travel" can't escape whatever preconceived (and immovable) notions viewers might have about its characters. Fortunately, it doesn't try to, either, ducking the message movie route and emerging simply as a polished and honest story about two people doing what they've set out to do. All that time-traveling allows "Travel" to pile extraordinary amounts of history and dimension on its characters, and by the time the story reaches its conclusion, all those exterior notions have long faded out of view. John Leguizamo and Ana de la Reguera also star. The original Spanish theatrical cut is available with English subtitles, but an English dub also is included.
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