UP

This weekend was the first time I'd been to a movie in over 6 months, probably longer, I can't even remember what the last film was to be honest. While I do still enjoy the movie-going experience on some levels, for the most part I much prefer to see a flick from the comfort of my own couch. There have been films I've wanted to see, and there is a long list of summer flicks I tell myself I will attempt to go see in the theater but the truth of the matter is I will probably be lucky if I see even one or two more before the baby comes. 

All that said, I was definitely not disappointed by my movie selection for the first theater excursion in so many months. UP was yet another beautifully written and amazingly executed film from Pixar, I mean seriously, can they do no wrong? I laughed, I cried, I was thoroughly entertained and inspired, but I was also quite surprised by the incredibly risky choice of a main protagonist in a family film. From a purely business-of-filmmaking standpoint having a 70 something year-old man as the main character of a film targeted towards children and families is quite unusual. To date I think this is Pixar's most adult film both character-wise and thematically, although I don't necessarily consider that a criticism, obviously it works --the theater was packed and adults and children alike seemed to enjoy the film on many levels-- in fact I think if anything its a testament to what great filmmakers and innovators Pixar has, that they could make a film about a lonely old man seem interesting to an 8 year-old.