I love kids movies almost as much as I love kids books, and a real winner I saw for the first time a couple of days ago was Pixar's Up. I avoided this when it first came out because the previews didn't appeal to me. Wall-E had me inconspicuously wiping away my tears in the theatre, and Up just didn't seem to be on the same level. Well I finally did see it and am now a convert to its general brilliance - this is a great film with a fantastic concept and full of those heart-breaking but never naff moments that Pixar does so well.It is the subtle, little touches that get me every time - like Mr Fredricksen coming to stand in for Russell's father at the end, but not relinquishing his case of the grumps for even the most emotional of moments. And how he hands over his treasured soda-cap badge to Russell and how we are shown that the house, so devastatingly lost in previous scenes, ends up right where it was intended to be all along. The visual spectacles are fantastic, of course, but where they really boggle your mind is with the precious, subtle beauty and the emotion invested in each one. This is a film that is beautiful and wise and so lovingly crafted - a real winner.
Another teen film I just saw on DVD was Easy A, touted as the new Mean Girls, Clueless etc. This film is also a real winner - full of quirky, endearing characters so well acted, and genuine moments that had me rolling around on my bed with a severe case of the giggles. Emma Stone as the lead character doesn't put a foot wrong. This is smart, hilarious film-making and I had an absolute ball watching it.
