Julie and Julia and Up

In my quest to see all (or as many as possible) nominated films, I've checked two more off the list: "Julie and Julia" and "Up".

As someone who just started blogging (in earnest) I found Julie and Julia... interesting. It inspired to be a bit more creative with blogging (don't expect that here... I'm on a mission just to see this "Oscar" thread through.) I thought La Streep was perfection, as usual. I like Amy Adams, too. Stanley Tucci is much overlooked for his subtle, yet high quality, work. I would liked a bit more around the relationship between Julie and her husband. I might have wanted to know more about Julia's struggle with being childless and less about her interactions with her co-authors. I enjoyed it, nonetheless.

I did not enjoy "Up". It started off with a melancholy tone that I found unique in a mainstream animated film, but it soon just felt maudlin. Come on, Pixar... let's not shoot for cartoons exploring loss and aging... and I wouldn't have minded if a saccharine song, or two, was thrown in the mix. I didn't love it. I'm not sure I get why it's nominated.

And, as La Streep's character in "The Devil Wears Prada" would breathily say, "That's all."