Senior Spotlighted on Screen in ‘Up’

New Disney/Pixar Animated Release

Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios’ latest animated release, Up, which opens nationwide Friday, May 29, is sure to be yet another enjoyable ride – an adventurous balloon ride, that is.

As the 10th film in Pixar’s history, Up, presented in Disney Digital 3DTM, follows the life of curmudgeonly 78-year-old retired balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen. After losing the love of his life and nearly losing his home too, Carl chooses to fulfill his life-long dream by tying balloons to his house and heading to the jungles of South America. But along the way, Carl must come to terms with a stowaway: 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer Russell. Through wild and funny adventures and the ups-and-downs of this relationship with the clueless young boy, Carl learns to live again and open up his heart to love.

The film’s director, Pete Docter, who made his directorial debut with Monsters, Inc., talked to the press recently about this fun-filled adventure and where he got this idea to cast a senior citizen as the main hero, a decision that goes against the grain of the typical ‘youth sells’ Hollywood mentality.

Chill Out with ‘New in Town’

Out now on DVD!

Just released on DVD and Blu-ray this week, New in Town is sure to thaw your spirits, warm your heart… and maybe even make you want tapioca pudding!

When the corporate branch of Munck Foods in Miami decides to implement major changes at its New Ulm, Minnesota, plant, power-hungry businesswoman Lucy Hill (Renée Zellweger) is on the next plane to the frozen little town to cut losses – and inevitably jobs.

But no sooner has Lucy settled into town than she has a complete change of heart. Lucy begins to warm up to the quirky, but good-hearted blue-collar town – and her new love interest, the plaid-shirt-wearing union rep., Ted Mitchell (Harry Connick, Jr.). But then she hears the bad news that corporate wants to shut the plant down completely.

‘What About Bob?’: Fun Memorial Day Flick

What About Bob?

OK, I know. This one is an oldie. But you’ve worked hard, so it’s time to laugh! And what better way to do that than with a silly comedy from the ’80s?

The movie I am recommending is called What About Bob? This tale follows harmless hypochondriac Bob Wiley (Bill Murray) as he seeks to gain personal psychiatric help from the doctor he idolizes, Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss). But Bob soon becomes a pest as he seeks to gain the attentions of Dr. Marvin while the psychiatrist is trying to enjoy a much-needed vacation with family. Soon Bob isn’t the only one who seems to be suffering from mental problems. Dr. Marvin seems to be going through his own personal breakdown. Crazy fun takes on new meaning in this classic. Hilarious one-liners and unforgettable Bill Murray humor.

Watch a clip about “Baby Steps” from YouTube:

Audio Review:

This is audio commentary between me and Positive Hit Radio The Current FM’s radio host Liz Lane about What About Bob? This version is not the original that aired on the radio; it has been edited for this blog.

— Laura J. Bagby

‘Star Trek’: Beaming Up This Generation

Star Trek

We haven’t seen a Trek film since 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis. This film marks the 11th Trek film to hit the silver screen.

It’s another sci-fi flick that is returning to origins. We saw it years ago in Star Wars Episode I, then Batman Begins, and even in last week’s opening of Wolverine. And now J. J. Abrams is doing the same thing by getting back to the beginning of Trek lore.

‘Angels & Demons’: A Better Dan Brown Adaptation

Angels & Demons

The newly released Angels & Demons effectively beat out Star Trek, bringing in 48 million in box office revenue its first weekend. The film marks the second of Dan Brown’s novels to make it to the silver screen. The first was 2006’s smash hit the Da Vinci Code.

Now, with Angels & Demons, we see Tom Hanks again in his role as Harvard symbolist Robert Langdon. This time he is headed to the Vatican. The pope has died and the Cardinals must prepare a conclave to choose the next successor. When the Illuminati capture the top four potential candidates – or Preferatti – and threaten to kill each man at a certain time and locale across Rome, Dr. Langdon teams up with physicist Vittoria Vetra from Switzerland to solve the clues and end the violence, effectively saving all of Rome from destruction and allowing the Vatican to pick the right man to lead the Catholic church at large.