Up (spoiler alert!)

I watched the movie "Up" yesterday.  I went into the theater with little to no expectations.  

I learned from the past, because I remember anticipating Wall-E months before its release and being inevitably disappointed.  I really wanted to like it... I really did.  I love robots.  I loved Short Circuit, I like R2D2, I visit/read Giant Robot,  I used to listen to Ima Robot, I like Kid Robot.   My favorite character from Futurama is Bender (He looks like Homer, but... a robot!). And despite it's 96% rating on Rottentomatoes.com,  I remember feeling like there was something missing in the film... yeah it was beautifully made and had a strong eco and socially conscious message, but there was no emotional attachment.  Call me a sentimentalist, but I felt no pull towards the characters.  I thought Eve was freaking annoying.   And I kind of didn't like the instructive/preachy feel of the movie... c'mon lets keep it simple with the lessons on friendship and love.  I enjoyed the first half of the movie (when Wall-E was just by himself living his little quiet life) a lot more than the second portion where the movie turned too grand and noble.  

And I guess Up did try to be a bit preachy too about endangered species (couldn't stand Kevin and her scary eyes... they should've ditched her when they had the chance) or whatnot, but the overpowering theme of loss and moving on really warmed my heart.  I think I cried 3 times throughout the whole film (not that the amount of tears should measure the quality of the movie), but that's how connected I felt to it.   Or maybe I felt more connected just because Russell was ambiguously Asian... he had to be Asian, no? (Those neglectful Asian dads always out making money and not having time to attend his son's boy scout activities)!  

Also, why is it so much sadder to me when grandmas pass away and leave their husbands behind than vice versa?  I read this children's picture book at the bookstore once and the story was centered on this man and him dealing with his wife passing away (I forgot the name of the book but there was a piece of red string that was used with the illustration on every page... I suppose it was a metaphor of life or something), and I was pretty much bawling by the end of it.   Someone suggested that it's because women have larger social circles and are more dependent on their families & friends, so they won't be as lonely if they are left behind.  I think this is partially true.  To expand on that, I think that men are more "romantics" at heart in the sense that they only have/allow a limited capacity to love, while women are more freely giving of their love to many different people.  Therefore, because we give so much, we fill more fulfilled and less lonely.  Okay, these are my crazy generalizations once again.  But watch "Up."