UPs and Downs

Today has been a crazy day. Productive morning at work followed by a Friday afternoon slump. Larry and I planned a movie date night for tonight, so I bought tickets to see UP. I booked a fantastic hotel for a conference I’m going to at the end of June; I was nervous using Hotwire but ended up getting a really swanky hotel room for only $79/night and just 2 blocks from the Convention Center.

At about 4:30, my dad calls me to let me know that my mom had a mild heart attack yesterday. I knew she was hospitalized yesterday for crazy high blood pressure, but her b/w today revealed some elevated cardiac enzymes indicating she actually had a heart attack. She’s stable and doing otherwise well. She has a cathederization procedure scheduled for Monday that she’s terrified for; I am too. She has some other issues like diabetes on top of it all, and this whole thing is just nuts. Larry and I are headed to NJ to keep my dad company this weekend.

It’s official: I am writing off 2009 entirely. B/c when it rains, it fucking pours, apparently.

Please keep my mom and family in your thoughts this weekend, especially Monday.

. . .

So, I knew UP was going to feature some IF-related imagery and storytelling in the opening sequence, as first noted by Coming2Terms here and also by Mel over at LFCA under “Movie Warning.” I knew it was going to be in the film, and Larry also read that UP has some generally emotional scenes (but didn’t know one was IF-related) and it still just wrenches your heart to watch it on screen.

The film is really quite poignant and sensitive to the devastating nature of pregnancy loss, but to see it in a PG-rated animated film is jarring just the same. The first 4 minutes of the film are an emotional rollercoaster that paints the picture of IF so clearly, and the theme is reiterated throughout the film: sometimes, life just doesn’t work out as planned. The beginning of the film tells the story of Carl and Ellie, how they meet, fall in love, get married, find out they can’t have children and/or suffer a devastating pregnancy loss (it’s not exactly explained in depth, but it’s crystal clear), and move on with their lives, living childfree into their old age. And while you’re still left reeling from the OB/GYN office scene, BAM! Ellie’s funeral. Yeah, first four minutes of the movie. I was a wreck. (To be fair, so were a large portion of adults in the audience, too.) It’s beautiful, touching, and the storytelling is just so well crafted. The rest of the film concentrates on Carl in his old age for one last big adventure. Hilarity and poignancy ensues.

There’s some pretty heavy-hitting themes throughout the film: love, death/loss, dealing with old age, living childfree or parentless, destruction of childhood hero figures… it’s got the works. If any of you are on any kind of hormonal treatment and plan to see this… seriously bring tissues, b/c if you’re not waterworks in the beginning, you will be quite unexpectedly later on in the film.

I particularly liked, in the 4-minute life story montage, when Carl and Ellie are watching the clouds, and Carl points out one that looks like a baby, to which Ellie agrees. Then ALL the clouds look like babies. Why I like it: 1) That it was the husband that seems to want a child first and that 2) When you are clucky and want a baby, it’s all you see and can think about. Really, really well done Pixar. I seriously think UP should win Best Picture next year, it’s that good.

. . .

Saturday, June 6th, 12:30pm – In NJ. Going to see my mom in a bit. Seems to be in good condition with a good prognosis, according to my dad. It feels good to be home again.