- Short word on Partly Cloudy, the short played before the film: cute! Longer words: absolutely adorable! Overuse of exclamation points! I much enjoyed the fabulously gruesome “babies” that poor grey cloud was producing and the poor pathetic stork’s dedication to Team Not So Cute. Love it.
- I seriously think this might have been the saddest movie I’ve ever seen (which should be saying a lot given my love for Holocaust films) because it’s just completely heartbreaking from start to finish. I’ve been accused in the past of not being able to open my heart to “poignant” stories on film and while I fully admit that it’s very difficult for me to buy into attempts to elicit intense emotional reaction from the audience, I’m not completely soulless. If your story is a poignant one and you tell it with deft sensitivity and nuance, it’s actually quite easy for me to open my heart to a movie. This movie is kind of like The Wrestler for me: emotionally crippled but decent characters filling personal hollows and finding connections with one another in an honest to goodness basic, human way. [But without the spandex and staple guns.] This movie touched on so many serious subjects (infertility, divorce, geriatric autonomy, emotional neglect and parental absenteeism, etc.) that I was kind of shocked it also managed to be so funny. As per usual, this is the usual balance I find in any movie I truly enjoy.
- Also, I’ll probably be the only person to compare this to The Wrestler.
- My absolute favourite, gut-bustingly hilarious moment was when Russell had to go to the bathroom and the house was dragging him face first through the dirt as he whined. When he rolled over, pointed to a badge and said “ZOOLOGY!” I completely lost it. OMG.
- I really loved how Ellie was like “HEY KID!” when she first met Carl.
- I also loved when Dug said “I hid under your porch because I love you.” HAHAHA. Dogs are the best.
- I want them to ditch the stupid Best Animated Feature category at the Oscars so this can get nominated for Best Picture and win. I am hoping it would go up against a World War II film of some kind as well as a biopic and at least one if not two movies about bored suburbanites.
- My father has this theory that massive expansion to the south and the south west in the NHL has severely hurt the sport because it dilutes the quality of the game. More players needed to fill rosters means that less talented people are getting chances they wouldn’t normally have, etc. I think Pixar proves similar in the movie world: if you only have one film you’re releasing in a given year, it’s probably going to be the most spectacular thing you could produce because you’re putting all your money and effort into it. Pixar plays like an Original Six team. The rest of these godforsaken studios play like the Phoenix Coyotes. Christ on a cracker. They really need to stop releasing so many movies.
- Everything about this movie was great and I can’t even articulate it because I’m actually still really upset about it. I tried to assuage my sadness by going to Indigo and looking at sewing books, but they all only have like one project you’d ever want to make and thus there’s no point in buying them. Fail.
Up
Things that are not attractive: openly weeping in public for ninety-six minutes.
IMDB Plot Synopsis By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.
They can choose to submit it to best picture if they want to, like stupid Michael Moore did with Fahrenheit 911 instead of putting it into best documentary or whatev. But they obviously will not choose to do this. But Up is definitely the best movie I have seen this year.
I just YouTubed Partly Cloudy and I am close to tears. My heart has been sufficiently warmed. I didn’t see Up because my friends are not cool and don’t like cartoons, but I’m totally going to get it now.