Up with the End of Summer

With the start of classes on Monday, summer officially came to an end. And with that end, I'd like to give my review of the summer in terms of movies (hey, I was a film studies major!). I'd like to say I saw all the big blockbusters released, but the film snob inside of me just wouldn't allow me to see Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen (I finally watched the first one a few weeks ago and thought it was awful) or G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra. And you know what, I don't feel any sadness about not seeing them.

Lest you think me a complete film snob, though, let me tell you that I saw Star Trek, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Terminator: Salvation, Angels and Demons, The Proposal, The Time Traveler's Wife, The Brothers Bloom (for indie cred), and Julie and Julia. I enjoyed (most) of them, but the one that takes the cake is Up.

This movie is the reason why I enjoy going to a movie theater, plopping down my hard-earned dough, sitting in sometimes uncomfortable seats and dealing with people that won't stop talking for two hours. I watched this movie, that I cried three separate times in, and felt like I was experiencing everything. I wasn't in a darkened movie theater, I was in a house floating by balloons. I wasn't lost in my own problems, but feeling those of Carl and Russell. I wasn't living in Utah, but instead in Paradise Falls, Venezuela. I'm hard pressed to find a film that is better at portraying marriage than this one, or the joy of spending your life with those you love than this one, or the importance of recognizing the positive influence you can be in other peoples lives than this one.

So if you haven't seen it yet, I urge you to get some balloons and make your way to the movie theater for an experience you will love.