Up

You may be like me. Some of your most favorite movies some from Pixar, but other Pixar offerings leave you cold.

So even though Pixar doesn't need one more recommendation to fuel its giant juggernaut, let me offer a recommendation to those of you who, like me, don't always feel the Pixar love.

I love Wall-E. Finding Nemo just kind of alternately bores and irritates me. I thinks Monsters Inc is genius, but the trailers for Cars actually turn me off. So what about Up?

Up is a giant heaping pile of awesome. Like Wall-E, the movie that was promoted is only the first third of the film, and like Wall-E, that third is genius all by itself. But then, once you throw in South America and talking dogs and giant exotic birds and some breath-taking chase sequences, it moves into the realm of hilarious adventure.

There is a strange dreamlike quality to Up, an odd bending of time and space that is notable even in a movie about a man who travels in a house suspended from balloons, and some may find that particular quality distracting. I did not. All of the characters have learned Chaplin's business of wrapping the Funny around a somber center of real human sadness, and some people may find that distracting (if you have anyone in your house who is even sort of a cryer, tears will be shed during this movie). I just found that it gave the wild fantasy a solid root in emotional reality.

And after the lead-faced animatronics of films like Beowulf and the new Christmas Carol, it's particular stunning to see how well these cgi characters act. Unlike other studios that insist that all information be delivered by script, Pixar is once again unafraid to let their characters' acting tell the tale.

Many folks have been scared off this film because of the repeated critic references to its emotional heft. Don't worry about that. This is a funny, funny film-- wildly original and unexpected in many good ways. You will quote it for weeks afterwards ("I was hiding under your porch, because I love you") and re-view it many times. Highly recommended!

Josie and the Pussycats

Yes, seriously. This movie is way smarter and considerably funnier than it has any right to be.

There is insanely over-the-top product placement. The boy band Du Jour (played by the uncredited Seth Green, Breckin Meyer, and Donald Faison) is a mini-Spinal Tap for turn-of-century pop music.

The plot is pure comic book (pop music is being used to turn American teens into consuming drones) but played with such drive and fun that it works.

And the music itself is as good as anything that was around at the time. The Pussycats are somewhere in Avril Levigne territory, but without the ridiculous self-importance.

Silly, smart, fun, and energetic-- better than a live-action cartoon and with a subtly sharp satirical edge for good measure.

Seriously, watch this.