The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[Steve46]

90. Up in the Air (2009)
Drama, Romance, 109 minutes
Directed by Jason Reitman
Starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick



Jason Reitman has directed four full-length films and I love them all. Thank You for Smoking and Young Adult are very good, while Juno and Up in the Air are close to perfect. All are a combination of drama and comedy, but Up in the Air has more dramatic elements than the other three.

Ryan Bingham (Clooney) spends most of his life traveling. He flies from one city to another to fire people on behalf of companies who don't want to perform the task. We are told that he spent 322 days on the road the previous year. Although that kind of life would be detested by most people, Bingham likes it. He lives in hotels and his apartment is just an extension of that environment.

The rest of Bingham's time is taken up by giving motivational speeches. His philosophy states that our lives are filled with meaningless possessions, so he asks us to imagine starting over. He also believes that people are weighed down by the relationships in their lives. Whether it's friends, work colleagues, family members or romantic partners, they can be the most significant burdens we face. As a result, Bingham doesn't allow himself to get close to anybody in any type of relationship.

Does that sound depressing? Many of the people who dislike the film cite that as the main reason. I find it poignant, charming, intelligent and very funny.

Bingham's existence is threatened when a potential innovation is considered by his company. Instead of sending representatives all over America, the company may switch to firing people remotely using an Internet connection. The scheme is suggested by Natalie (Kendrick), who is young, eager and ambitious. Bingham insists that she doesn't have a clue about the reality of his job and he's given the task of showing her how it works.



The other major character is Alex (Farmiga). Bingham meets her by chance at an airport terminal and the two discover that they have a lot in common. Their initial meeting is very amusing.



The main strength of the film is its script. Reitman injects humor into serious situations and lightens the mood. I do appreciate that losing your job can be a traumatic event, but Up in the Air doesn't take itself entirely seriously. Another strength is the acting. Clooney is magnificent at delivering humorous lines in dramatic situations and Farmiga gives the best performance of her career to date as Alex.

My favorite scene - and there are many candidates - is probably the first meeting between Bingham, Alex and Natalie. The dialogue is fast-paced and witty and it's here that I know I'm in for an enjoyable ride. The way Natalie is completely oblivious to the fact that she's insulting Alex and Bingham makes me laugh every time. All three actors were nominated for their performances and I can see why.

One of the best moments perfectly blends drama, humor and reality. Bingham shows Natalie how to fire people and one of the unlucky candidates is Bob (J. K. Simmons). Although he's only on the screen for a few minutes, Simmons delivers a memorable performance. He's initially unconvinced by Bingham's words and Natalie's attempts to intervene, but Bingham says something that reaches him. It's such a believable exchange. A potentially explosive situation is avoided and Bob walks away feeling positive about his future.



I won't reveal any more of the plot, but I look forward to every scene when I watch Up in the Air. Bingham is the most intriguing character and it's interesting to see how his relationships and philosophy evolve during the film.

I'm sure that people like Bingham exist. Many have observed that Up in the Air reflects the times in which we live. It focuses on loyalty and the uncertainty present in today's economy. I don't particularly care about its relevance. I watch it every few weeks because I love visiting that world. The final shot takes us into the air once more and there's a moment of silence. It's a perfect way to end the story and suggests peace and solitude. That's exactly what Bingham likes about his job when we first meet him.

If you like Up in the Air:

I heartily recommend all of Jason Reitman's other films; Juno, Thank You for Smoking and Young Adult. Clooney's performance was Oscar-worthy, but he missed out. The same happened this year for The Descendants. The two performances are similar in some ways and benefit from Clooney's ability to deliver comedic lines in dramatic situations. I never thought I would say it, but Clooney's performance in The Descendants may be even better than his excellent work in Up in the Air.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I probably fall in the first camp; I enjoyed the last film. But, I'm still not motivated enough to see it on the big screen.

Sadly there isn't even enough spectacle to warrant seeing on the screen, so you're probably making a good choice and waiting until the BD.

Originally Posted by Foggy

Yikes, really didn't like the first one, so there is no way I'll waste my time on this one. I AM A MAN!

The girl with me asked what she needed to know from the first movie, my response was, "See that guy? He's a man"

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Diesel

The girl with me asked what she needed to know from the first movie, my response was, "See that guy? He's a man"

See I always got Sam Worthington mixed up as a Man who wanted to be a blue alien, not a god, but wounded up as a Terminator who thought he was a man

[Show spoiler]...ON A LEDGE

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Sadly there isn't even enough spectacle to warrant seeing on the screen, so you're probably making a good choice and waiting until the BD.

That's a bummer. The trailer made it look exciting enough.

Yep, I'll wait.

Originally Posted by Diesel

The girl with me asked what she needed to know from the first movie, my response was, "See that guy? He's a man"

[jvince]

Well, something must be wrong with me because I enjoyed Wrath of the Titans...

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Foggy

See I always got Sam Worthington mixed up as a Man who wanted to be a blue alien, not a god, but wounded up as a Terminator who thought he was a man

[Show spoiler]...ON A LEDGE

Good post.

[Caesar Will Rise]

Originally Posted by jvince

Well, something must be wrong with me because I enjoyed Wrath of the Titans...

Cool. Because I'm looking forward to it. I'm easy to please in most ways. Just give me a fun 90 minutes to 2 hours and I am on board with you.

On topic now. I just watched Seabiscuit last night for the first time since 2003 or 2004, whenever the last time I watched it was. I remember very well my experience with it in the theater on a night with a big thunderstorm rolling through my area. It was amazing then and it is amazing now. I have never been a sports person. The only races I like are Mario Kart and Star Wars Pod-racing. Yes. Yet, this movie still hits me like a ton of bricks when all is said and done. The cumulative impact of it is staggering. In short, Seabiscuit rocks! 10/10.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Foggy

See I always got Sam Worthington mixed up as a Man who wanted to be a blue alien, not a god, but wounded up as a Terminator who thought he was a man

[Show spoiler]...ON A LEDGE

The whole post got a smirk...but the spoiler got an actual out loud laugh

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

That's a bummer. The trailer made it look exciting enough.

Yep, I'll wait.

The trailer made it look like it would bring all the awesome that the first film didn't.

Originally Posted by jvince

Well, something must be wrong with me because I enjoyed Wrath of the Titans...

[Show spoiler]

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Wrath of the Titans

If you really enjoyed the first one, check it out.

If you moderately enjoyed it or didn't like it, stay far away.

I came away with three positives:

1) Some pretty good looking effects (though not all)
2) Liam Neeson is in it
3) Bill Nighy is in it.

Rating - 1/5

That's all I need to know. It'll work for me then when it comes out on Blu-ray.

[Steve46]

Into the nervous 90s:

91. Vertigo (1958)
Mystery, Romance, Thriller, 128 minutes
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring James Stewart, Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes



If you ask movie fans to name their favorite Hitchcock titles, you'll get a lot of different answers. Some would mention Psycho or Rear Window, while others might mention Dial M for Murder, The Birds, Notorious or The 39 Steps. There are probably at least 20 strong candidates. My own favorite is Vertigo because the mystery element appeals to me and James Stewart is involved.

Mulholland Dr. is my favorite film and David Lynch has mentioned how much he likes Vertigo and Rear Window because of the mood each creates. I can see why. Vertigo's mood never reaches the darker depths that Lynch's work inhabits, but there are similarities.

Vertigo begins with a rooftop chase in which Scottie Ferguson is left clinging to the guttering. When a cop tries to save him, Ferguson sees him slip and fall to his death. The traumatic experience leaves Ferguson mentally scarred and he quits his job as a detective. He's hired as a private detective by Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore), who claims that his wife, Madeleine (Novak), wanders off at random and doesn't remember where she's been. He thinks she might be possessed.

While that sounds unlikely, Hitchcock gives us reason to think that Madeleine really might be possessed as her husband suggests. Ferguson follows her all day. She takes flowers to a gravestone and stares at it as if she is somewhere else. The name on the grave is Carlotta Valdes. Madeleine also spends time in an art gallery staring at a picture, Portrait of Carlotta. The woman in the painting wears the same necklace and has the same hairstyle as Madeleine.

The following day, Ferguson follows Madeleine again. This time she drives to the Golden Gate Bridge and jumps into the bay. Ferguson manages to save her and ask her about her behavior. She doesn't even remember jumping into the bay. We find out that she's the same age Carlotta was when the woman committed suicide. Is the spirit of Carlotta making Madeleine do these things? Is it safe to leave her on her own?

That's the setup and I hope that I've managed to describe the unsettling atmosphere that Hitchcock creates. The plot is more complex than most of his films. Some of the twists are so surprising that I can't bring myself to reveal them here. If you haven't seen Vertigo, you deserve to discover those things for yourself.

The film uses a lot of red and green filters and you'll see the color green featured throughout. Whether it's Madeleine's dress, her car, or a neon sign, you won't be permitted to forget that color. There's an impressive effect created every time Ferguson looks down from a great height. It was achieved by zooming in and moving the camera away from the image at the same time.

Vertigo is sometimes criticized for being boring. I understand why some people might think that, but it's not a view I share. Ferguson spends a lot of time following Madeleine and most of those scenes require us to watch the events unfolding without the use of dialogue. Yes, this is a film that allows you to form your own opinion about what you are seeing. That said, the resolution reveals all of the mysteries. You won't be left to figure out what just happened. The beauty of the film is the way in which the revelations make sense of all the events which preceded them.

I'm always impressed when I look at the list of actors that Hitchcock worked with. James Stewart teamed up with Hitchcock in Rope, Rear Window and The Man Who Knew Too Much and all of those are worth your time. Stewart was very effective as Ferguson, particularly in the final 30 minutes of the film when he confronted his fear and obsession. Kim Novak also did a good job in a demanding role.

I've mentioned David Lynch, Madeleine and Ferguson in this review. I finally understand why Lynch named a character Maddy Ferguson in Twin Peaks.

The film was restored in 1996. Now all we need is a good Blu-ray release and we can see it at its best. If you like mysteries or any Hitchcock film, Vertigo is a must-see.

If you like Vertigo:

Two of Hitchcock's best films were omitted from this 100 movies series. Not because they weren't worthy of inclusion, but because I wanted to avoid listing films that were too similar to others. I would urge any fan of Vertigo or Hitchcock to make a point of seeing Rear Window and Dial M for Murder. The tension slowly builds throughout both films and the payoff is worth it.

[surfdude12]

Midnight In Paris

Film: 5/5
-loved it!! meets the surreal/dream/etc test that all of my favorite films fall into (2001, Mulholland Dr, Tree of Life, Eyes Wide Shut, Memento, Last Year Marienbad, The Shining, The Fountain, Dark City, Double Life Veronique, etc).
-Owen Wilson was PERFECTLY CAST - nobody else could have pulled off his role as well
-LOVED the "grass is always greener" theme (i.e., even if you could be in your "perfect" time period, you would quickly feel unfulfilled and want to be in a "new perfect" time period that is earlier, etc etc = mirrors how we all want something (new time period, new house, new car, etc) but once we get it, we'll quickly feel unfulfilled until we get the "new, new" thing , which is nice to realize NOW so that we can just recognize that we don't need anything NOW

PQ and AQ awesome. Definitely picking this up!

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Midnight In Paris

Film: 5/5
-loved it!! meets the surreal/dream/etc test that all of my favorite films fall into (2001, Mulholland Dr, Tree of Life, Eyes Wide Shut, Memento, Last Year Marienbad, The Shining, The Fountain, Dark City, Double Life Veronique, etc).
-Owen Wilson was PERFECTLY CAST - nobody else could have pulled off his role as well
-LOVED the "grass is always greener" theme (i.e., even if you could be in your "perfect" time period, you would quickly feel unfulfilled and want to be in a "new perfect" time period that is earlier, etc etc = mirrors how we all want something (new time period, new house, new car, etc) but once we get it, we'll quickly feel unfulfilled until we get the "new, new" thing , which is nice to realize NOW so that we can just recognize that we don't need anything NOW

PQ and AQ awesome. Definitely picking this up!

Yay, me too

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Midnight In Paris

Film: 5/5
-loved it!! meets the surreal/dream/etc test that all of my favorite films fall into (2001, Mulholland Dr, Tree of Life, Eyes Wide Shut, Memento, Last Year Marienbad, The Shining, The Fountain, Dark City, Double Life Veronique, etc).
-Owen Wilson was PERFECTLY CAST - nobody else could have pulled off his role as well
-LOVED the "grass is always greener" theme (i.e., even if you could be in your "perfect" time period, you would quickly feel unfulfilled and want to be in a "new perfect" time period that is earlier, etc etc = mirrors how we all want something (new time period, new house, new car, etc) but once we get it, we'll quickly feel unfulfilled until we get the "new, new" thing , which is nice to realize NOW so that we can just recognize that we don't need anything NOW

PQ and AQ awesome. Definitely picking this up!

Originally Posted by Steve46

Yay, me too

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Midnight-in-...item19cf49130b

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Steve46

Into the nervous 90s:

91. Vertigo (1958)
Mystery, Romance, Thriller, 128 minutes
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring James Stewart, Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes

[Show spoiler]
If you ask movie fans to name their favorite Hitchcock titles, you'll get a lot of different answers. Some would mention Psycho or Rear Window, while others might mention Dial M for Murder, The Birds, Notorious or The 39 Steps. There are probably at least 20 strong candidates. My own favorite is Vertigo because the mystery element appeals to me and James Stewart is involved.

Mulholland Dr. is my favorite film and David Lynch has mentioned how much he likes Vertigo and Rear Window because of the mood each creates. I can see why. Vertigo's mood never reaches the darker depths that Lynch's work inhabits, but there are similarities.

Vertigo begins with a rooftop chase in which Scottie Ferguson is left clinging to the guttering. When a cop tries to save him, Ferguson sees him slip and fall to his death. The traumatic experience leaves Ferguson mentally scarred and he quits his job as a detective. He's hired as a private detective by Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore), who claims that his wife, Madeleine (Novak), wanders off at random and doesn't remember where she's been. He thinks she might be possessed.

While that sounds unlikely, Hitchcock gives us reason to think that Madeleine really might be possessed as her husband suggests. Ferguson follows her all day. She takes flowers to a gravestone and stares at it as if she is somewhere else. The name on the grave is Carlotta Valdes. Madeleine also spends time in an art gallery staring at a picture, Portrait of Carlotta. The woman in the painting wears the same necklace and has the same hairstyle as Madeleine.

The following day, Ferguson follows Madeleine again. This time she drives to the Golden Gate Bridge and jumps into the bay. Ferguson manages to save her and ask her about her behavior. She doesn't even remember jumping into the bay. We find out that she's the same age Carlotta was when the woman committed suicide. Is the spirit of Carlotta making Madeleine do these things? Is it safe to leave her on her own?

That's the setup and I hope that I've managed to describe the unsettling atmosphere that Hitchcock creates. The plot is more complex than most of his films. Some of the twists are so surprising that I can't bring myself to reveal them here. If you haven't seen Vertigo, you deserve to discover those things for yourself.

The film uses a lot of red and green filters and you'll see the color green featured throughout. Whether it's Madeleine's dress, her car, or a neon sign, you won't be permitted to forget that color. There's an impressive effect created every time Ferguson looks down from a great height. It was achieved by zooming in and moving the camera away from the image at the same time.

Vertigo is sometimes criticized for being boring. I understand why some people might think that, but it's not a view I share. Ferguson spends a lot of time following Madeleine and most of those scenes require us to watch the events unfolding without the use of dialogue. Yes, this is a film that allows you to form your own opinion about what you are seeing. That said, the resolution reveals all of the mysteries. You won't be left to figure out what just happened. The beauty of the film is the way in which the revelations make sense of all the events which preceded them.

I'm always impressed when I look at the list of actors that Hitchcock worked with. James Stewart teamed up with Hitchcock in Rope, Rear Window and The Man Who Knew Too Much and all of those are worth your time. Stewart was very effective as Ferguson, particularly in the final 30 minutes of the film when he confronted his fear and obsession. Kim Novak also did a good job in a demanding role.

I've mentioned David Lynch, Madeleine and Ferguson in this review. I finally understand why Lynch named a character Maddy Ferguson in Twin Peaks.

The film was restored in 1996. Now all we need is a good Blu-ray release and we can see it at its best. If you like mysteries or any Hitchcock film, Vertigo is a must-see.

If you like Vertigo:

Two of Hitchcock's best films were omitted from this 100 movies series. Not because they weren't worthy of inclusion, but because I wanted to avoid listing films that were too similar to others. I would urge any fan of Vertigo or Hitchcock to make a point of seeing Rear Window and Dial M for Murder. The tension slowly builds throughout both films and the payoff is worth it.

I'm sure it will at some point, but this needs to come out on Blu-ray. Since I'm just getting into Hitchcock movies, I want to eventually get more after I watch To Catch a Thief. This would be an obvious choice.

[Steve46]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

I'm sure it will at some point, but this needs to come out on Blu-ray. Since I'm just getting into Hitchcock movies, I want to eventually get more after I watch To Catch a Thief. This would be an obvious choice.

It's definitely in my top 5 Hitchcock movies and probably No. 1.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Steve46

It's definitely in my top 5 Hitchcock movies and probably No. 1.

You already said it was No. 1.

I've made it a goal to blind buy a lot of older films this year, so it should be interesting.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

I'm sure it will at some point, but this needs to come out on Blu-ray. Since I'm just getting into Hitchcock movies, I want to eventually get more after I watch To Catch a Thief. This would be an obvious choice.

what if you hate To Catch A Thief? way to jump the gun there

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

what if you hate To Catch A Thief? way to jump the gun there

It's a similar style to Charade to my knowledge, which I loved, so there's virtually no chance of that happening. I don't just blind buy based on shiny covers.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by KilloWertz

It's a similar style to Charade to my knowledge, which I loved, so there's virtually no chance of that happening. I don't just blind buy based on shiny covers.

certainly seems that way sometimes though!

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

certainly seems that way sometimes though!

That would be you, not me.