Up

UP (2009) - May 30, 2009
How? Seriously, how? How do Pixar manage to maintain such a mind-bogglingly high standard of quality? What are they doing that every other studio isn't? About the adventure that ensues when an old man decides to fly his house to South America, with a precocious kid tagging along, it shouldn't come as a surprise at all that this is an amazing film. One of the things that's so great about this movie is how good of a job it does of developing Carl Fredricksen, the central character; the film opens with a brief recap of his entire relationship with his recently passed wife, which is completely brilliant on so many levels -- aside from how moving it is, it does a perfect job of getting the audience into the character's head, and allowing us to really empathize with him. The kid is another really memorable character, and serves as a perfect foil for the somewhat curmudgeonly Carl. The film pretty much nails everything -- it's exciting and funny, it's poignant with great characters, and it's just plain fun. And it looks so good, too. Anyone who doesn't like this film is a monster. ****