Movies for this week.
UP
After spending a busy life full of adventures with his wife, 78 year old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner) sets out for one more journey– a trip to paradise falls he had promised to take his recently deceased wife on but never got the chance. In an 11th hour fury to make good on his promise Carl attaches thousands of balloons to his house creating a variation on the hot air balloon concept. All appears to be going well until Carl realizes he has a stowaway named Russell (Jordan Nagai) on board his flying house. Together Carl and Russell make it to Paradise Falls only to discover an elusive and rare type of bird. The very bird that the great explorer Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer) has been searching for all his life. With Muntz and a pack of trained dogs hot on their trail Carl and Russell must save the bird and get back home safely, but can they do it? A heavy and moving plot, almost sure to elicit tears. Pixar has created a gem of a plot that touches many difficult and real life themes. Yet, despite the heaviness, everything is so perfectly handled with kid gloves, the end result is a richness that can be appreciated on multiple levels of intellect and humor. This is a must see film for the summer. Available in 3D in some theatres, UP is rated PG.
Drag Me to Hell
Director of Evil Dead and Army of Darkness, and…uh….oh yeah Spider Man, Sam Rami returns to his horror roots in this latest tale of malevolent witchery. Christine Brown (Alison Lohman), a banker/loan officer, is looking to move up in the business but is facing stiff competition for a management position. When an old Gypsy woman comes to the bank in need of an extension on her mortgage Christine must make the tough decision to grant the extension or not. Opting not to grant the extension the Gypsy curses Christine who now has 3 days to lift the curse, impress the parents of her boyfriend Clay (Justin Long), and get the management position she’s dreamed of. Can she pull it off, or will Christine be dragged to hell? A very back to basics film for Rami in many regards, but with more money. Full of gore and scare plus the campy humor one expects of a script written by Rami and his brother Ivan. Creativity in the cinematography department adds to the experience as well. Fans of the Evil Dead series will also enjoy a few nods and a wink to the franchise. Destined to become another cult classic, fans of the genre need to see this film. Drag Me to Hell is rated PG-13.