UP (2009)

Yes folks, I actually saw two movies in a movie theater while on a trip to Minneapolis. Sisterfilms makes sure I'm not completely living in the past as far as films go, on the all-too-rare occasions that we're together.

UP (2009) was a charming and heartwarming movie that was also a Ripping Yarn. I normally steer clear of animated films of any kind, but I do occasionally enjoy them when pressed by Sisterfilms. She assured me that I would prefer computer animation to cartoons and I really did enjoy the animation and colors (we did NOT see the 3-D version, which was just as well given the numerous scenes of people dangling from great heights!) It's really an animated feature for adults, with themes of youthful dreams, what life does to them, and fulfilling those dreams in a different way in old age. Older children might enjoy it. Younger kids would, in most cases, be problematic especially during the opening section where there is a montage of dialogue-free scenes that older people would understand instantly, but little kids might need explained -- better to wait for the DVD if you can't get out of the house without the 8 and under set, in my opinion. By the way, anyone who has a dog or knows dogs will laugh a lot. I'd like to watch this film again sometime to see how many more cultural references I can identify -- we spotted a visual quote from The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton and also the iconic picture of dogs playing poker. I suspect there were quite a few more; it's that kind of movie. Highly recommended.

Catching Up: The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines

A spell of gainful employment and a week at the beach have prevented me from blogging my viewing for a while, so I have about a month's worth of film to catch up on. I've watched some serious films, some classic comedies, and some ripping yarns, so here goes.

The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines is the second in a series of made-for-TV movies starring Noah Wyle of ER fame. They are similar in many ways to the Nicolas Cage National Treasure movies -- ripping yarns all. The premise of the Librarian movies is that on the top floor of the New York Public Library there is a special, nearly inaccessible room with all the legendary treasures of history and myth -- Excalibur, for example. Noah Wyle's character, supposedly a nerdy, mild-mannered librarian with more graduate degrees than anyone should have, is actually the latest in a series of guardians of these treasures, and ends up going on adventures to save the treasures, and the world, from various villains. This type of movie doesn't bear too close examination. One must just suspend disbelief, enjoy the exciting adventures, cheer the hero, hiss the villain, and marvel at the great stunt work and special effects. They're a great way to relax and I'll be watching the third in the series one of these days soon.