Up: Floating

‘Up’ is the latest movie from the Pixar stables.

Mr. Frederickson, an aging widower, fulfils his lifelong promise to his wife of flying to South America by attaching helium balloons to his house and taking off, after his home is in danger of being torn down. His adventures in the Amazon constitute the story of ‘Up’.

It’s a refreshing plot about one’s dreams, but there is one jarring note. Why is Mr. Frederickson’s idol shown to be the bad guy? He’s not trying anything illegal. That note, and the subsequent storyline that stems from it, took away the charm for me.

The visuals of the movie were refreshing. The wide, flowing waterfalls; the wildlife of the Amazon, it all contributes to the larger-than-usual canvas of ‘Up’.

The voice acting by the cast is extremely good. The dogs, the eagerness in the kid, the sinisterness in Mr. Frederickson’s idol’s voice comes out beautifully.

Final Verdict: ‘Up’ is an interesting concept handled very well. The jarring note about the idol aside, the movie keeps you engrossed thoroughly. 3.5 out of 5.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: Tasty!

‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ was a popular children’s book in the 1970’s. It has been adapted to the big screen in this animation feature.

Swallow Falls, a small island in the Atlantic has only one thing to boast of: Sardines. With time, exports die out, people get bored of eating sardines all day long and despair settles on the town.

Enter Flint Lockwood, a regular nerd with big dreams in his eyes, who has been trying to invent something useful since his childhood. He finally succeeds, inventing a machine that starts raining food from the sky. What happens afterwards forms the crux of the story.
The screenplay continues on the innovative theme in the story and bombards us with delectable food items falling from the sky, until greed settles in. How Flint resolves the situation that arises from this is handled pretty funnily.

The visuals of ‘Cloudy...’ are different, unlike what we normally see in a Pixar movie. The food looks delicious, but that’s just about it. The cast, led by Bill Hader and Anna Faris, does a good job. James Caan as Flint’s father, and Bruce Campbell as the mayor are excellent.

Final Verdict: ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ is a simple movie, uncomplicated by the regular ‘deeper meaning of life’ fundas of Pixar. Good for a home viewing. 3 out of  5.