Up's Logo. ©Pixar

I don’t get out often. I have some rewards program where I can watch movies free on Tuesdays, but I haven’t gotten the opportunity to use it. Last night I had a teleconference, and usually during the Spring/Fall I’m covering Dancing with the Stars. Anywho, I finally got out of the house to watch Up in 3D. There’s that mysterious charm that Up has that continues the Pixar legacy. A lot of recent Disney movies don’t have that charm anymore (probably Enchanted was the last one that had that charm). I had mostly praise for the movie after getting out. I felt invigorated and moved; something a movie hasn’t done in a while.

One thing that I love is that Up gives you the whole premise in the first fifteen minutes. After watching Key Largo (Oh Boogie and Bacall), I noticed that a lot of old movies will give you text to read and then jump right into the storyline. Up goes the other route and gives a vignette of Carl’s life all the way up until present. His life is like many: sometimes you can’t catch a break… or when it rains, it pours.

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Visually, the movie was stunning. I thought that the blue-ness of sky was going to be a challenge, but the depiction of sky in this movie continues the trend of Pixar films like Wall-E and Finding Nemo (both conquered space and underwater beautifully) The colors are bright and the movie is beautiful in 3D. The biggest thing about the 3D that I loved was that the movie didn’t resort to silly 3D tricks. The movie basically created depth perception, making the viewer feel immersed in the environment.

I thought that all the characters were developed well. I adore Carl and was afraid that he was going to be like Wall-E where he only made grunts and didn’t actually talk, but when he did it showed character and connection. As for Russell, I think I have a soft spot for the little fat Asian kid. Dug and Kevin are also really well fleshed out, especially since they are animals. The one thing I think I grazed over was the fact that the house itself was a character. It’s probably the most important thing about the movie.

I must be desensitized; I didn’t even realize that Up was a PG movie. As a twenty-something, I thought the movie fit both for children and adults. In retrospect, it probably became PG because of the use of guns and the occasional beaten dog. If any parent was worried about the violence level, they shouldn’t be.

The biggest thing that I was surprised about was how well the opening short, Partly Cloudy, matched with Up. As much as I liked both Presto and Lifted, neither continued the themes from Wall-E and Ratatouille. The short paralleled both the evolution of friendship and the beautiful imagery of the sky. Somehow Gus won me over because he reminded me of Eric’s father who makes some occasional avant-garde pieces.

In the end I loved Up, I felt like the pacing went well (maybe a tad bit rushed) and although we never get an explanation as to why Dug doesn’t have a greek letter name (IE Delta), most of the plotline was solved by the end. I guess I’m biased towards things Disney/Pixar, but you can’t argue the high quality level of these things.

My score: 97%

I’ve been thinking of what exactly I want to get accomplished for next year. Here are a few that I can think of.

Build a Computer – My Dell is about to die. I know it. I’ve read some articles on how to build a computer and I’m confident that I can assemble something good…and I need a new printer I am toying around with the whole new Windows Operating System, but I fear for another Windows ME. I’ll continue reading reviews on how 7 is turning out. I will slowly purchase some items as the year goes along, starting with my memory card slot and possibly a floppy drive. I guess it’s all about self-trust and belief. Deadline: September.

Lose some weight – I’m convinced I could drop 10-15 pounds by May. Why is that? I think that if I actually do some exercise, I could lose the weight. Sitting around in winter isn’t helping. I will continue using my Wii Fit, as well as that other Wii fitness game by that one trainer from The Biggest Loser. I would consider doing some weights and adjusting a little bit of the food intake. We’ll see what happens. Deadline: 10-15 Pounds by April; maintain it until the end of the year.

Finish Christmas Shopping Early – I finished my Christmas shopping early and it was wonderful. Not too many lines and on Black Friday I had the ability to shop for myself. I will get everything done before Thanksgiving. Deadline: The Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Actually use the Disney Wallpaper Blog – I made the damn thing to practice photoshop. Then I got a little lazy. I need to get off my ass and continue practicing photoshop. I may not upload a lot of photos, but instead more artsy ones. More creative ones. It’s all about quality than quantity. Assignment: Two a month.

Actually use Dishwasher – We use the dishwasher more as storage than a dishwasher. I’ll actually use it once in a while to make sure that a) the stagnant water goes away and b) the dishes are all good. Assignment: Once a month.

Blog more often – I forget that I have this thing sometimes. I want to blog, but then I get bogged down. I will put some time to actually blog. Assignment: Once a week. At least.

Use my Music MySpace – I don’t like MySpace that much. But I do like making music. Before my computer fully dies I will get two songs written and “produced” for my Music MySpace. There are lyrics and beats in my head and it will happen. Assignment: Four songs, one each quarter. So I’m gonna aim for February, April, July, and November.

Fix website – The design of the website will stay the same, but there are a few things that are missing. I will fix my about me page and the rest, followed by the banner being fixed (it’s not in the right proportions). Don’t worry, I’ll continue to Twitter and everything. Deadline: half by January, the rest by February.

It’s funny, I have a positive view on 2009. I really do. Some mysterious glass half full feeling. Things will get accomplished. It will be good. I will go back to this post next year and see how well I did.