Philo Trust

By Robert K. Johnston and Catherine M. Barsotti

Pixar’s tenth movie, Up, co-directed by Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc., Toy Story, WALL-E) and Bob Peterson (Ratatouille, Finding Nemo) continues this studio’s string of unlikely heroes. This time, a grumpy 78-year-old balloon salesman, Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner), who is filled with grief over the death of his soul mate and wife Ellie, is cast in the role. Certainly a strange lead character for a “children’s” movie – but then, Pixar’s animated movies have always been for the whole family. Here is an intergenerational film that can provoke great discussion.

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By Robert K. Johnston and Catherine M. Barsotti

Slumdog Millionaire combines a compelling story with winsome child actors, startling visuals and pulsing music composed by Bollywood’s (India’s) best, A.R. Rahman. As such, the movie captivates its audience and sends us from the theater singing, buoyed with hope and joy.

Slumdog Millionaire continues the wonderful narrative filmmaking of Danny Boyle, a Brit whose “G” rated film Millions was inspirational, and whose much grittier movie Trainspotting first gained him his much deserved reputation as one of this generation’s finest independent filmmakers. Boyle is typically interested in portraying the sublime, even (or particularly) in squalor, hardship and pain, and Slumdog Millionaire is no exception. As a reviewer writes, it is “one of the most upbeat stories about living in hell imaginable”!

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By Robert K. Johnston and Catherine M. Barsotti

Every year critics’ lists of the “best” films of the previous year roll out, only to be followed by one award show after another. While we mostly stay away from “best” lists, we thought we’d jump into the fray with some of our favourite films of 2008. They’re not in any order as they are all worth seeing.

Let us begin by mentioning two films which are on the top of our list: WALL-E, directed by Andrew Stanton, and Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle. The former is an animated film with both heart and a “message”, while the latter is a gritty film about hope even in the midst of the worst of human conditions. Both are film making at its best. Another animated film on our list that the whole family will enjoy is Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who, directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino. While Horton may be an animated elephant, he’s a hero who inspires us to compassion, humility, dedication and forgiveness. And speaking of heroes, Iron Man, directed by Jon Favreau, was our favourite summer superhero movie.

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