Reel Critics:

Disney and Pixar have combined forces again to create an instant classic that takes animation to another level. Their new film “Up” offers equal measures of laughter, joy, tension and sweet tears. The story reaches out to touch the real emotions we all share on life’s journey with those we love.

The movie centers on a grumpy old man who reluctantly befriends a chubby Boy Scout. A wonderful montage at the beginning of the movie shows the heartfelt progression of the old man’s life. He meets the delightful tomboy Ellie when they are both children in the 1930s. They grow up, fall in love, marry and have a full range of life experience. He ends up a widower hoping to finally live out the dreams they both shared but never fulfilled.

What follows is a tale of outrageous travel and adventure. The old man connects his house to thousands of balloons that raise him and his young companion high into the sky. They float to South America where they encounter exotic creatures, talking dogs and mythical birds. The ensuing human intrigue unfolds with great wit and whimsy. But the tale is grounded in the hope and courage the heroes bring to the situation. This is a marvelous family film that will definitely earn Oscar attention.

Recession-proof women found in these flicks

“Easy Virtue” is a diverting bit of fluff set in 1920s England and based on a Noel Coward play.

Kristin Scott Thomas is wonderfully haughty as Veronica Whittaker, whose son has had the effrontery to marry a beautiful, slightly older woman who drives race cars and doesn’t seem to give a fig what anyone thinks. Oh yes, and she’s American.

Jessica Biel plays the not-so-blushing bride Larita and wears fabulous clothes well, if not her character. She finds a kindred spirit in Veronica’s husband, Jim (Colin Firth, excellent as usual), a changed man since he came back from the war.

The movie is lovely to look at but lingers on the brain only as far as the parking lot.

On the flip side of virtue, “The Girlfriend Experience” is a tale of a young woman whose soul has long been sold for her fabulous high-fashion lifestyle. Steven Soderbergh has made a fascinating study of Chelsea (coolly capable Sasha Grey), a high-class Manhattan escort whose clients are showing signs of stress at the start of the current recession.

It’s a pointed look at how everybody hustles on some level, whether it’s Chelsea’s boyfriend (Chris Santos) touting the benefits of buying pre-paid personal training sessions, or customers seeking personal and professional reassurance and pretending it’s love.

Even Chelsea finds herself chasing the dream of a “boyfriend experience” with one of her clients.

JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator for the Orange County public defender’s office. SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant for a financial services company.