Some good stuff the last week or so – starting with the movie I enjoyed most.

Up – This movie proves I am not a robot. While the waterworks weren’t crazy, there are three tear-enducing moments throughout the movie. I can’t say enough how great this movie was. The script was rock-solid, visuals were beautiful (though I have yet to see it in HD), and the characters were loveable. All Pixar scripts are pretty much master classes in screenwriting – with air-tight plotting, clear and distinct voices, and relatable themes. While a movie like Wall*E suffered being a bit too preachy towards the end, Up had something for everyone.

Although, I’m not sure where kids would rank Up among the Pixar filmography. There’s a certain maturity about this film. And while it does feature a kid and animals as supporting characters, it’s an interesting choice to not have the animals speak through their mouths. In Up, the dog speaks to humans through a collar that translantes dog to English. The creators could’ve easily made the dog talk directly to humans, but this device suggests they were going more for realism, over fantasy.

Up resonates with me because I’ve been around the block a few times – I am very aware of how valuable relationships are to me. And as the protagonist Carl Hendricks is stripped of the most important relationship of his life, I see him cope with the loss – and the tough decisions he has to make. It’s heartbreaking and heartfelt all at the same time.

This film should be nominated for Best Picture. And if the Academy does not promote this film from the Best Animated Film category (where it would most certainly win) to play with the big boys, I doubt they ever will.

The Hangover – Todd Phillips is back! This movie is just fun. Apatow is a solid comedy option as always, but man, this was DAMN funny. Nothing really to discuss from a “cinema” standpoint, but Todd Phillips sure knows how to work with ensemble casts – as evidenced by Road Trip and Old School, which were superior to his other films  Starsky & Hutch and School for Scoundrels.

Away We Go – A mature coming of age road movie starring Jim Halpert and Maya Rudolph directed by Sam Mendes. Watching this was a no-brainer. Most would probably say this is a typical indie character piece with great moments, but I probably liked it more than those people. The script was good and the acting was solid. Some of the smaller characters may have stole some scenes (Maggie Gyllenhaal was off the hizzy) but since the intent was to contrast the personalities to those of the protagonists’, it was a good device.

I would be interested to see interviews or behind-the-scenes footage of the director-actor process on this film. With Mendes’ theater and studio film experience and Krasinski and Rudolph’s TV experience, I’d love to hear how they worked out scenes. Maybe on the DVD.

So my summer movie viewing has been positive so far. We’ll see how it goes in the next few weeks!