(Slightly) Offtopic: Up

Last night we went to see the new Pixar movie Up, in glorious 3D (or tres-day, as it's called here). Best thing about 3D movies? How cool you look in the special glasses!!!

Anyway, the movie was great, which for Pixar is unsurprising, but the surprise was in the emotional wallop it packed in the first twenty minutes. Who knew it would be such a serious tearjerker?



But after we wiped our eyes, the movie aimed for high adventure, and I couldn't help thinking how fantastically appropriate that was for this year, a year of adventures across the border and beyond. Last spring, the year adventurously kicked off with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and now, almost a year to the day later, comes the cinematic (and similarly South American themed!) bookend of Up.

Though I thoroughly enjoyed both movies, I couldn't help thinking of one particular contrast between them. While Indy 4 ends with a happily-ever-after wedding day, Up's wedding day begins the story. In other words, while Indy's adventuring days end - though happily - with his marriage, for Up's characters, wedding vows are only the prelude to a lifetime of great adventure. The adventure doesn't end at the altar. It begins there.

Of course, we know that well, having been lucky enough to experience so many adventures together already: in the stained-glass ivory towers at Valpo, in the country college town of Bloomington, amidst the concrete canyons of Chicago, and through the many Mexicos we've found south of the border. As one adventure comes to a close and another rises up on the horizon, we know well: Adventure is out there...

PS: Go see Up! :)