Up

I love Pixar movies.  That probably doesn't surprise you. If you listen to the show, you already know that I am a Disney buff.  I think Pixar has released the most creative and unique family movies of the last 15 years.  I actually know in what order I would rank each of the movies...Okay, here we go.

1. The Incredibles
2. Ratatouille
3. Finding Nemo
4. Wall*E
5. Toy Story
6. A Bug's Life
7. Monster's Inc.
8. Cars
9. Toy Story 2

So how does the company's latest, Up, compare to its predecessors? 

I was very impressed.  Pixar has always been great at the technical side of things.  The animation is breath taking. The detail is stunning.  The other aspects seem to get better each time out.  Pixar movies have gotten funnier.  The stories have gotten better with each time release and Up is no exception.  

Storywise, this might be Pixar's most creative effort.  Carl Fredrickson is an old man that has lost his wife and is dealing with the prospect of losing his home.  He decides to give up on the world around him and follow his and his wife's dream of traveling to Paradise Falls in Venezuela by attaching helium filled balloons to his house.  Minutes into his journey he discovers Russell, a pudgy little stow away.

It's a Disney movie, so I don't need to tell you that the two become friends and learn from one another.  Up isn't about the destination though.  The movie is all about the journey.  After all, early on we're introduced to explorer Charles Muntz, Carl's boyhood idol whose motto is "Adventure is out there."

The film is filled with great characters - a giant bird named Kevin 

a talking dog named Doug 

and even an older, sinister version of Muntz.  

These characters all have stories that tug at your heart strings.  Even the evil Muntz draws some sympathy.

That's what I liked about Up.  The year's other big animated hit, Monsters vs. Aliens 3D, was all about cheap 3D tricks and showing off what could be done in the 3D medium.  What was the result?  A loud, annoying, painfully unfunny movie.  Up is Pixar's first venture in 3D and rather than show off what they could do visually, the company turned a quality, deep script into a great movie.  It's funny.  It's uplifting (no pun intended).  It's even a little sad at times.

So what does my Pixar ranking look like now that film number ten has been delivered?  It's gonna take some time for me to be sure, but my initial impression has it looking like this.

1. The Incredibles
2. Ratatouille
3. Finding Nemo
4. Wall*E
5. Up
6. Toy Story
7. A Bug's Life
8. Monsters, Inc.
9. Cars
10. Toy Story 2

Top half.  Not bad when you're talking about a company that has put out as many great movies as Pixar has. 

The Greek gives it an A-.

Star Trek

HOLY CRAP THIS MOVIE WAS AWESOME!

J.J. Abram's reboot of the classic sci fi franchise was even better than I expected and I expected a lot!  How could I not?  Every trailer has made this look like the greatest action movie ever made.  Star Trek didn't disappoint.  Every actor fit into their role nicely.  The movie is a perfect blend of familiar characters, sets and catchphrases thrown into a great new story.  Star Trek is really everything that a franchise reboot should be.

The casting is spot on.  Chris Pine, who honest to God I had never heard of, is great as the young James T. Kirk.  His performance combined with a strong script really make William Shattner's older Kirk seem a little more human.  Captain Kirk was a rugged, arrogant jerk on the original TV show.  Pine plays Kirk as kind of a dumb kid.  A "too big for his britches" type that gets smacked down over and over before he gets the strength and knowledge to back up his bravado. 

Zoe Saldana is a pleasant surprise.  She is barely in the movie (which is weird considering the amount of press photos and Burger King glasses she is on), but her Uhura comes across like a female version of the young Kirk.  It's easy to see why she and the Captain butt heads and why she and Spock work so well as a couple.

Speaking of Spock, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman took a real chance writing a part in for Leonard Nimoy when they had already cast Zach Quinto to play the young Spock.  The two Spocks work.  The script keeps them apart for long enough to make their meeting something we look forward to rather than something we know has to happen, but expect will suck.

Oh and speaking of Zach Quinto, how perfect is he to play Spock?  We know from watching Heroes that he is a master of the emotionless, deadpan delivery.  And it's creepy how much he looks like a young Leonard Nimoy.

And by the way, Leonard Nimoy looks like hell these days.

Star Trek is the perfect summer movie.  You really don't get new, original scripts these days.  The summer movie slate has become littered with sequels, reboots, and superheroes.  Star Trek is good enough to turn haters into fans and casual fans to Trekkies.  

There's plenty of humor in the script.  Look, it would be ridiculous to make a Star Trek movie and not acknowledge how campy the original series seems now.  That's what Tim Burton did with his first Batman film.  Like that movie, J.J. Abrams has created a movie that is funny enough for people that can take a joke, but not derogatory in a way that pisses off the hardcore fans.

The summer of 2009 is off to a good start.  I liked X-Men Origins: Wolverine and I loved Star Trek.  We're two weeks in and I have already seen as many blockbusters that I like at this point as I did all of last summer.  

The Greek gives it an A+.