Tag Archives: UP

Lovable Oddballs

day1One thing I forgot to mention on my gushing rave review about Pixar’s Up was the new short animated film that played before the movie: Partly Cloudy. In case you didn’t catch it, here’s a video:

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In case that doesn’t load for you, or if you’re too lazy to watch (gasp! Don’t be!), here’s the story of Partly Cloudy (skip this part if you don’t want to read).  It’s about cloud people who creates babies, puppies, kittens and all kinds of nice and sweet baby stuff and the storks who deliver them. Out of all the cloud people, there’s a darker cloud named Gus, who creates the babies who are, well, less lovable. Like a baby crocodile, or a baby bighorn sheep, or a baby porcupine (thanks, Wikipedia). His delivery stork, Peck, gets stuck with all the deliveries and grows wary with every delivery, and seems envious with his fellow stork who gets to deliver the cuddly and safe babies. When Gus creates a baby shark, Peck flies away to another cloud, as if to leave Gus behind. Gus throws a fit, but then Peck returns with protective gear, proving that he won’t be abandoning Gus.

To be honest, this part of the short film almost made me cry. There was something so lovable about Gus, about how proud he was with every baby he makes. The way his eyes lights up with excitement with every baby, the way he seems to be genuinely happy in creating the little oddballs that other people would think is harmful or icky or scary.

And there’s also the way he hugs Peck, how his eyes widen with concern everytime Peck returns and looks distraught. I guess Gus must have known that he’s giving Peck a hard time with the deliveries, but he still can’t stop making the little oddballs he makes because that’s what he’s supposed to do.

I think it’s sweet. Peck’s return was the clincher in the short, like he’s saying, “I’m not leaving you, buddy.” Which he probably is, if he could speak. And even if what Gus handed him next still managed to hurt him, he was still there to stick by Gus, no matter what.

Ah, to have someone (or some people) who will stick by you, regardless of whatever odd things you do. If you have at least one person in your life like that, well, you’re very blessed. :)

Okay, someone’s being a bit too mushy, I think. It’s probably the hormones speaking now. :P But we could all learn a lot from Gus and Peck up there. :)

1/30.

Up (2009)

The Cast of Pixar's Up
The Cast of Pixar's Up

I watched Up earlier today with Gel and Cors (thanks again Gel, for earlier :D), and I asbolutely loved it. I’m a big fan of Pixar films, and most of my favorite movies are Pixar animated films — Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc, Cars, Wall-E to name a few. But Up just blew me away.

Up‘s trailer really does not do justice to the film. I was expecting something just simply comical, like what you see is what you get type after I saw the trailer and nothing really with the story. I was prepared to be amazed at the animation, and the funny moments and just that. But Up has a cute little story, and solid story arcs for each of the characters in the movie that it all just blends together beautifully. I can’t even decide which of the main characters is my favorite…but I’d have to say I’m partial to Dug the dog. Especially after you hear him say this after Carl drives him away by telling him he’s a bad dog:

I slept under your porch because I love you.

It makes me want to hug my pet dogs again. :)

It’s just simply wonderful, including the little background music they play everytime Carl remembers Ellie. :) Awww, to have a love that lasts like that. ♥

And this is probably the second Pixar film that made me tear up (first was Cars)! Not only once, but twice! It’s such a great movie, really, and I can’t wait to watch it again in 3D this weekend. :) If you haven’t watched it yet…well, what are you waiting for? Watch!

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Continue reading Up (2009)

On Graduation

I was browsing through LiveJournal and I got to this post via Katia‘s post: Kung Bakit Bad Trip ang Pagtatapos ((Rough Translation: Why graduating isn’t all it’s cracked up to be)). This is a speech given to the University of the Philippines, College of Arts and Letters graduates last April 21, 2007 by Mr. Ben Cabrera, National Artist for the Visual Arts. Reading this made me realize that it’s been a year that I have been out of school. My graduation was held on June 17, so I’m not an official college graduate for a year yet, but I finished school around late April last year.

I’ve mentioned this to some of my friends and also here but let me say it again: I miss college. People say high school is the best years of their life, but I beg to disagree: my college life rocked. It’s probably because college opened my doors to so many new people after being surrounded by people I have known for almost all of my life in elementary and high school. I lived for the change and challenge college brought me, as well as the chance to be a “regular” student and not an overachiever that I was.

Mr. Cabrera listed ten reasons why graduation isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and I’ll post them here (translated) with some comments of a 1-year graduate. :)

Continue reading On Graduation