Today, Pixar gives us Up, the studio’s new critically celebrated movie featuring an irascible old person (Carl Fredricksen) forced to fight back against the loss of his home. Also, in what’s clearly an attempt to piggyback on Up’s probable blockbuster-dom (as former Vulture Dan Kois points out in his review this morning), Universal releases Drag Me to Hell, the new critically celebrated Sam Raimi film featuring an irascible old person (Mrs. Ganush) forced to fight back against the loss of her home. How will moviegoers keep these elderly, credit-crunched heroes straight? It certainly won’t be easy.
 Carl Fredricksen |
 Mrs. Ganush |
|
| Played by | Ed Asner | Lorna Raver |
| Faces loss of home after... | He hits a contractor, resulting in a forced sale. | Her request for a mortgage extension is denied by a careerist loan officer (Alison Lohman). |
| How he/she copes | Ties 10,000 helium balloons to his house; flies to South America. | Places Lohman under deadly Gypsy curse. |
| Lovable sidekick helper | Russell, a morbidly obese Cub Scout. | Lamia, a hell-dwelling, child-murdering demon. |
| Angry phrase shouted at young person | "Take a bath, hippie!" | "You shame me." |
| Talking animals encountered | A team of dogs, given speaking abilities through magic collars. | A goat, given speaking abilities through demon possession. |
| House-pet collateral damage | Fighter-pilot dogs are forced to bail out of shot-down planes. | Lohman sacrifices a kitten in an attempt to break her curse. |
| Weapon(s) of choice | Walker with tennis-ball feet. | Phlegm, damnation. |
| Objects launched from mouth at enemies | Dentures. | Maggots, embalming fluid. |
A ‘Hell’ of a Good Time [WP]
Edelstein on Up [NYM]
Edelstein on Drag Me to Hell [NYM]
