Picture this:  your goal in life is to rack up frequent flier miles, namely 10 million, and you’re nearly there.  You travel 300+ days a year helping corporations downsize, which is a PC way of saying that you fire people.  Also, you don’t believe in love or marriage.

This is the premise of the new Jason Reitman film, ‘Up in the Air’, starring George Clooney, which is set for release on Christmas Day.

I saw a sneak preview at Atlantic Station about two weeks ago.  It was really good, and, don’t worry, it had plenty of bright spots despite the cool premise.  It also has some good life lessons.

Here are a few take-aways:

1)  Big bucks, fancy suits and intense travel don’t equal happiness.  On the outside these things sound great, but check out Clooney’s pad in the movie, and you’ll quickly realize what a facade it  can all be!

2)  Your first job out of college won’t always work out, and that’s OK.  Clooney’s company hires a new associate fresh out of grad school (Anna Kendrick).  I won’t tell you how the movie ends for her character, but let’s just say that people do get more than one chance.  So don’t panic if your first job out of Tech doesn’t turn out to be your dream job.

3)  Throughout the film there are scenes with people being fired.  These are real people from St. Louis or Detroit who lost their job in the recession. Life can sometimes be unfair and just plain hard.

4) You will have highs and lows in your career.  When you hit the low moments, remember just that.  It’s a moment, and it too will pass.

Juno (2008) es la segunda película de Jason Reitman. La primera fue la sátira anti consumista Thank you for smoking (2005), sobre un vocero tabacalero (Aaron Eckhart) que instaba a la gente a fumar y defendía con argumentos bizarros pero contundentes el consumo del cigarrillo.

Juno, bautizada en nuestro medio con el obvio título de Embarazada por accidente (pero es el de la televisión pagada que la exhibe como Juno: Crecer, correr y tropezar) viene con algunos premios internacionales a cuestas (incluyendo el del Oscar al mejor guión original para Diablo Cody), a más de cientos de artículos a favor y en contra del tema del aborto.

Hay que decirlo de entrada: Juno McGuff (llamada así porque Juno es la diosa de la maternidad en la mitología romana) es una chica que tiene un embarazo no planificado y que en la antesala del aborto decide tener a su crío. Coincidencialmente se encuentra con un par de padres infértiles (Jason Bateman y Jennifer Garner) que deciden “comprarle el producto” que lleva en sus entrañas.

El filme toca en clave de comedia negra (Juno es uno de los personajes adolescentes más sarcásticos que ha dado la historia del cine gringo) el tema de la madre subrogante o si quieren una variación inteligente del vientre de alquiler (casi pongo “del arquitecto”).

La actriz canadiense Ellen Paige es el espectáculo más grande de este pequeño filme. Esta adolescente —a quien vimos previamente en Hard candy (2005) como la chica que tortura a un acosador sexual de adolesentes— realmente vale la nominación que la Academia le endosara en el año 2008. Con solo veinte años y dos filmes a cuestas ya se perfila como una de las actrices más promisorias de su promoción. Y no lo digo yo. Lo dice Roger Ebert, el pontífice de la crítica norteamericana del Chicago Sun. El personaje de Juno es una adolescente ingeniosa, de mentalidad rápida, asertiva, poco convencional, excéntrica, socarrona y con una panza muy grande.

La segunda persona responsable de la calidad de Juno (aunque debería ser la primera) es Diablo Cody (seudónimo de Brook Busey), ex stripper, ex operadora de una línea caliente (1-800-SEX). Gracias a Diablo (vaya nombrecito) tenemos un guión celestial (oscarizado) en el que el humor fluye de manera natural, primero como una teenage movie (película de adolescentes) y termina como una deformada screwball comedy (el futuro padre subrogante se enrola sentimentalmente con Juno).

Otro responsable de la frescura de este relato poco convencional de un tema tan manido es su director. Hijo de Ivan Reitman (director de Cazafantasmas, Un detective en el kínder, Gemelos, Junior y Seis días y siete noches), Jason fue un privilegiado que creció en el mundo de la producción cinematográfica. Siempre estuvo en el set de los filmes de su padre e incluso de niño apareció fugazmente en Cazafantasmas. Después de graduarse en la Universidad de Southern California como director de cine (¿de qué más se va a graduar sino de cineasta?), se lanzó a hacer cortometrajes para finalmente debutar con Thank you for smoking.

Escenas memorables: la forma en que la joven le cuenta a sus padres que va a tener un hijo. El momento en que descubre que está embarazada. Y el giro final tan súbito e imprevisto.

Es lo menos que se puede decir sobre esta pequeña película.

If you read this blog regularly, you know I’ve been reviewing a string of movies that, though well-crafted, are so depressing you need to down a fistful of Xanax after watching. Imagine my relief, then, when I got to see Jason Reitman’s wonderful Up in the Air (opening Dec. 4), which is moving and thought-provoking but also entertaining in the purest sense of the word.

George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a man who flies all over the country to fire people when in-house managers don’t have the stones to do it themselves. Theoretically, this third-party method also protects company personnel from retaliation by pink-slipped employees. (Be sure and read my notes below from the Q & A; Reitman told amazing stories about using non-actors who’d really lost their jobs.)

© DW Studs./Cold Spring Pics./Dale Robinette

It’s a tough line of work but Bingham loves it. He’s got his firing technique honed to a science, has no problem staying disconnected from people’s emotional reactions, and is more comfortable on the road than in his apartment, which looks less homey than his hotel rooms. He also has Alex (Vera Farmiga), a fellow frequent flyer and bed partner whenever they’re in the same city. No strings, no responsibilities— just the way Bingham likes it.

© DW Studs./Cold Spring Pics./Dale Robinette

His existence is threatened when his boss (Jason Bateman) hires a precocious upstart, Natalie (Anna Kendrick), who suggests that firings can be done via teleconference to save travel costs. When Bingham protests, his boss tells him to take her on the road to see which method is better. Though high-strung and ambitious, Natalie helps Bingham realize that being grounded, literally and emotionally, might be a good thing.

Clooney’s performance here is his most vulnerable yet. There are times when Bingham is looking at Alex and Clooney just strips his face naked—eyes softened, completely defenseless—making you think, if you didn’t know better, that you’re watching him fall in love with Farmiga right there on screen. Sometimes his gaze is so intimate, I felt like a perv stealing his private moments.

© DW Studs./Cold Spring Pics./Dale Robinette

Farmiga matches Clooney note for note and the heat between them is potent. She’s been consistently strong in little-seen films like Down to the Bone and Breaking and Entering; here’s hoping Air will take her career higher.

Kendrick is having a moment right now with this movie and New Moon, in which she plays Bella’s friend Jessica. She deserves the attention; her work here is infused with maturity and smarts. (Can’t comment on her Moon performance since I probably won’t see it.)

© DW Studs./Cold Spring Pics./Dale Robinette

As for director, producer and co-writer Reitman (the movie is based on a novel by Walter Kirn), he’s proven beyond a doubt he’s no Tori Spelling. I’ll go further to say this movie is better than anything his father, Ivan, ever directed. Jason includes social commentary and emotional resonance with the humor; I can’t say the same for Meatballs, Twins or Kindergarten Cop. (OK, Ghostbusters was good but not Oscar material.) When Air is up for Best Picture—I think it has an excellent chance of winning —you’ll root for it, not roll your eyes like you do at elitist films that leave you wondering, “What the hell?”

After the Variety screening I attended, Reitman, Farmiga and Kendrick participated in a Q & A. Interesting tidbits revealed:

• The film’s St. Louis casting director, Joni Tackette, placed an ad looking for people who had recently lost their jobs and were willing to share their experiences on camera. Though actors (J.K. Simmons and Zach Galifianakis among them) play some of the laid-off workers, twenty-two respondents ended up in the firing sequences, using their own words. Reitman said they talked about things he’d never think to write, in a way he’d never think to direct them. [This made for incredibly affecting scenes. When I was watching them, I kept thinking, "Who are all these actors? They're so real."]
• After a speaking engagement in St. Louis, Reitman was approached by a 50-year-old man named Kevin with a cassette tape. On it, Kevin explained he’d just lost his job and had written a song about what it means to try and find purpose in the world. Reitman said “what follows isn’t the most beautiful song but [it's] incredibly authentic.” He put it over the end credits, complete with Kevin’s intro about his situation.
• The movie was mostly shot in St. Louis and Detroit, which were among the cities hardest hit by the recession. Cast and crew filmed in office buildings that were cleared out and abandoned like they were supposed to be in the movie.
• Alex and Natalie aren’t in the book. Reitman wrote those roles specifically for Farmiga and Kendrick.
• Farmiga said she confided in Clooney that if she could cuddle up to any cinematic character, she’d choose Karl from Sling Blade. This made Clooney repeatedly do Karl imitations between takes.
• Clooney never goes to his trailer and never wears any makeup. Ever.

Nerd verdict: Up in the Air is first-class

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Today, I present not only a new item on the Spielblog, but an all-time first in cinematic criticism: a review of a film that I have admittedly, even brazenly, not seen. It has been too long, people, that simply ‘not seeing’ a film has disqualified critics from saying what they think of it. Take for instance UP IN THE AIR, not in theaters until Christmas day, but already a top contender for my least favorite film of 2009. Though I can’t quantify it exactly, something about this film, its je ne sais quoi, makes me want to kill. Or at least blog. Everything about it irks me, starting with the title. (I mean, if you’re gonna judge a book, why not start with its cover?) UP IN THE AIR. Do you get it? Do you?! Good. Now let’s all groan in unison, shall we? This title is exactly as clever as the underlying modern-transit-as-existential-flux metaphor that’s obviously at play here. (Again, haven’t seen, still hate.) Please, watch this, the springboard for my advance loathing. If you’re anything like me, you may want to bite down on a wooden spoon while you do.

Hey, do you like this shot? Thanks, I stole it from PUNCHDRUNK LOVE.

All his frequent-flyer miles. But what do they add up to, really? Don’t you see? God it’s so rich… This interminable extended TV trailer, it would follow, is a pretty accurate display of the slick pop humanism at work here. And I might not even be rubbed wrong if all this weren’t accompanied by the most outrageous bombast upwind of Glenn Beck: “Jason Reitman represents the hope of the cinema,” says the Chicago Sun-Times. Tell you what, while we’re wildly leaping to unfounded conclusions, let’s give Jason Reitman the Irving Thalberg Award for lifetime achievement and get it over with. Sorry no, Jason Reitman represents a guy with fine taste (except for that whole JUNO screenplay thing,) and the means (read: ‘dad’) to pick and purchase source material of a decent caliber. Young Jason is perhaps the hope of the Canadian cinema, (Socialism, all of it!) but not the American. Furthermore, are you kidding me JUNO was an abomination.

Not that I need to justify my flagrantly uninformed opinions, but I feel that this ad has pushed me to prejudge the film as a whole. Admittedly, after JUNO, my smug detector’s primed whenever Jason Reitman’s name appears, but somehow, this ad crosses a line – an arbitrary line, but a line – between merely obnoxious, as the vast majority of ads are, and boastful. Take that last beat, where Danny McBride’s character actually compliments George Clooney on how witty he’s being. OK, now imagine Jason Reitman and co-writer Sheldon Turner writing that line. And chuckling. And giving each other high fives. Absolutely infuriating, no? I literally haven’t been able to sleep since seeing this ad. This scenario just replays itself in my head until the cock crows. YES I own a rooster, people. And while we’re talking navel-gazing, let’s not ignore this Reitman tidbit, about how the young director’s currently documenting his own press junket, because selling yourself is so much fun, you see. Choice quote: “It’s really not a promotional tool,” Reitman, 32, said of his project. “It’s really for my own enjoyment.” But of course it is, Jason.

THE AIR UP THERE starring Kevin Bacon, shown here for obvious reasons.

First impressions aside, who knows, Reitman’s new movie may turn out tolerable. Perhaps it won’t be so horrifically self-satisfied and faux-profound as it appears. (‘Prauxfound.’ Coining it. Bam.) Another Clooney triumph, MICHAEL CLAYTON, had a notably ‘meh’ trailer. But if the invitation to this party is on par with the fest itself, then consider this my RSVP. To whom it may concern, I’m afraid I won’t be attending UP IN THE AIR, sincerely, S. Spielblog.

For the second time in the quarter, all “Sneak Preview” students will get to see another George Clooney film.

Tonight, November 18th, UCLA Extension is screening, “Up in the Air“.

The guest speaker will be:  Jason Reitman (Writer/Director)

running time: 109 minutes

The end of the year draws ever so near and with the turn of the calender comes a brand new slate of movies.

2009 hasn’t quite lived up to past year’s expectations, but there have been some really, really good movies. Some surprises, some stinkers, as usual. But with oh, 47 days left in the year, here at the 5 films, in order, I’m most looking forward to:

1. The Lovely Bones – why? Peter Jackson. Simply incredible book. Amazing young actress. Great cast. Riveting story.

2. Brothers – why? Two fantastic lead actors. Heart-wrenching storyline. Incredible trailer. Great director.

3. Up In the Air – why? Clooney in a perfect role. Director who hasn’t let down yet. Massive positive hype. Trailer.

4. Avatar – why? Decade in the making. Special effects like nothing before. Have to trust Cameron.

5. The Fantastic Mr. Fox – Amazing early reviews. Creative director with a creative cast. Looks inventive and hilarious.

I can honestly say I’m more excited for these 5 films than any other 5 films this entire year. Bring it on!

O novo filme do diretor Jason Reitman (Juno e Obrigado por Fumar), Amor sem Escalas (Up in the Air) ganhou o seu segundo e engraçado trailer. George Clooney protagoniza o filme e é o grande destaque do vídeo, além de outras excelentes piadas: Veja o trailer abaixo:

Vídeo do usuário moviegoodsposters do youtube

O filme é uma adaptação do livro do escritor Walter Kim, autor também de outro livro que foi adaptado para o cinema, Impulsividade de 2005. Na história Goerge Clooney é Ryan Bingham, um Conselheiro de Transições de Carreira, seu trabalho consiste em demitir pessoas. Ryan voa de uma cidade para outra, para usar seu talento em diversas empresas.

Não perco esse filme, Reitman é um excelente diretor, com uma visão diferente dos outros chatos diretores de Hollywood. Sobre o autor Walter Kim, não conheço seus livros, mas assisti Impulsividade e gostei muito.

Além de Clooney, o elenco conta com Jason Bateman, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Chris Lowel, Danny McBride e Tamala Jones.

Amor sem Escalas estreia neste fim de semana nos EUA e no Brasil somente em 5 de fevereiro.

HQ Trailer #1If you are one of the people who saw Jason Reitman’s film, Thank You For Smoking, then you already know what a great director he is. You may have also seen a little film he had a hand in called Juno, I’ll forgive him for that one. His new film Up In The Air however looks like it should be his breakout hit. A stellar cast, beautiful cinematography and Reitman’s witty writing, yep this is gonna be good.

Previsto su estreno en Estados Unidos para el 4 de diciembre y en Argentina para el 4 de febrero (bajo el lamentable título de “Amor Sin Escalas”), la película Up In The Air aparece como una de las propuestas más interesantes de la temporada.

El director Jason Reitman ya se lució en sus dos anteriores films, Thank You For Smoking y Juno, por lo que las expectativas están más que justificadas. ¿Los protagonistas? George Clooney, Jason Bateman, Vera Farmiga y Anna Kendrick.

Las primeras críticas que recibió Up In The Air fueron sumamente positivas (100% en Rotten Tomatoes) y además el film cosechó aplausos en los festivales donde fue exhibido.

Los dejamos con el primer trailer que se dio a conocer hace algunas semanas…

It’s easy to mock celebrities, actors in particular, who stress to the public how difficult and important their lives are and how much fame belabors those facts. Especially when we see them living such pampered and extravagant lives. I’m here to discuss five men in Hollywood who actually DO live rather industrious existanses and yet fail to ever complain about them. In fact, most are as hard-working as they are do to their love for what they do, and wouldn’t have it any other way. Now, check all your false pretenses at the door, this list takes NO monetary statistics into account to tabulate this list. I’m simply conducting an opinionated grouping of five actors who I feel have taken on more than most men can handle in the show biz…biz, and I’m compiling this list in relation to this point in time, Autumn of 2009. Yes, Seth Rogen has appeared in MULTITUDES of films over the last five years, but after Funny People and Observe and Report of this year, the guy has been laying pretty low. This list tabulates the mainstreamers who have been racking up leading role credits in muliple expansive flicks. So, without further ado…

5. Johnny Depp

To say that I respect this man would be an intense understatement. His acting prowess is some of the best of our time, so it makes me EXTREMELY happy to see him inundated with work. If you’ve been living under the sea (visions of The Little Mermaid just popped into my head. Walt Disney prevails) for the past year then you probably haven’t heard of Depp’s numerous forays into film he has recently undertaken. Public Enemies was the only work he appeared in that was released in ‘09, however, he has been fast at work on massive cinematic staples of the 2010 movie-going season that will almost-assuredly dominate the market. The first being Tim Burton’s reiteration of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Depp plays The Mad Hatter in Burton’s CGI-laden could-be-wonderful-could-be-terrible still up-in-the-air retelling of the classic story. Headlining next to Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Matt Lucas, and Alan Rickman, the film has all the makings of a complete cinematic win, the screenshots and trailers, however, leave doubt in my mind, as CGI-laden, as I said before, is putting it nicely. Time will tell. Depp also was involved in Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, filling one of the three roles created after lead actor Heath Ledger’s passing. Depp, along with Colin Farrell and Jude Law, will stand in for Ledger as alternate versions of Ledger’s character, to help the stroy along despite the events that took place prior to the film’s completion. The next chapter in the Hunter S. Thompson chronicles, The Rum Diary, is also in post, in which Depp will reprise his role as the gonzo-journalist.
In addition to these films that Depp has finished, the newest film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is slated for a 2011 release date and is currently in the earliest stages of pre-production. Sin City 3, which Depp has been rumored to be involved with basically from its inception, is also geared up for a 2012 release (funny considering Sin City 2 is still stuck in developmental hell).
And here’s the kicker. IMDB lists Depp as in development with FOURTEEN new titles, as well. Among them, a Dali biopic and The Lone Ranger. Wow, simply wow. While these developmental deals can fall through at any time, they can also usually indicate desire and co-involvement between the parties of the actors and the producers. It will be interesting to see where Depp’s career goes looking towards these titles.

4. Brad Pitt

Here’s another guy with developmental deals in spades. The ‘ole rusty, trusty IMDB has Pitt pegged with sixteen deals, the most I could find. In addition to being attached to The sequel to Downey Jrs Sherlock Holmes vehicle, Pitt is also listed with World War Z and a Steve McQueen biopic. Goo.
Pitt tore up the screen in Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds this summer, and has currently been attached to the fledgling project Moneyball, which is listed as being in the earliest stages of production, despite the fact that it has no director. Pitt is further attached to The Tree of Life and The Lost City of Z, as well as providing a voice to the upcoming animated flick Oobermind. He’s also rumored to be apart of 2012’s upcoming The Odyssey and The Sparrow.

3. George Clooney

The former Sexiest Man in America has never slowed down since his rocket-propelled rise to fame in the mid-to-late 90’s as well. Clooney most recently has released The Men Who Stare at Ghosts, a loosely based adaptation of the book of the same name which regards a 1970’s to 1980’s military experiment that documented telepathic phenomena. In addition to this recent film, though, Clooney finished up providing voice work for the titular role in Wes Anderson’s upcoming The Fantastic Mr. Fox, alongside Bill Murray, Meryl Streep, and Jason Schwartzman, as well as polishing off his role in the Jason Reitman-helmed Up in the Air, which is also currently in post. These are merely his acting credits for 2009, though, the man also executive produced the Matt Damon vehicle The Informant! and Playground, a movie I honestly couldn’t find too much on. As far as his queue list goes, IMDB has him cited with ten in-development deals.

2. Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey is a man of many faces. The actor became famous for his rubber-faced persona that landed him a slew of comedic work in the mid-to-late 90’s and a career launching pad that ANY actor would be proud of. By the turn of the century, however, Carrey was becoming far more versatile as an actor. Already dabbling in the dramatic with The Truman Show, Liar Liar,, and the INCREDAMAZING Andy Kaufman biopic, Man on the Moon. Carrey then went on to tackle the serious side of life full-tilt in Charlie Kaufman’s magnificent Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, opposite Kate Winslet, The Majestic, and the box office blunder The Number 23. He has returned to comedy in recent years, however, and, as always, has fully immersed himself in his roles. Recently released is the Zemeckis-penned adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in which Carrey provided the movements and voices to Scrooge at all ages of life AND the three spirits that visit him! Encompassing multiple accents, multiple ages of life, and multiple SPIRITUAL BEINGS, Carrey tackled the project head-on while keeping busy with multiple other projects, such as I Love You, Philip Morris, the tale of an escaped homosexual convict who goes on a quest to find his lover that was released from prison before he was. The film has been receiving stellar reviews and co-stars Ewan McGregor opposite Carrey in this bold and self-titled dark comedy. All the while that these two flicks have been in post, Carrey has both been bulking up and studying up to play Curly Howard in the upcoming Three Stooges revamp with Paul Giamatti and possibly Benecio Del Toro. This was all considered fact for the longest time and was referenced multiple times by Carrey’s apparent weight gain in the tabloids and public citings, but, as of late, Carrey has been described as withdrawing from the project. It doesn’t negate the fact that the man was taking on multiple roles immediately after finishing his previously mentioned two. Further, IMBD.com has Carrey listed in FOUR different upcoming development deals. Which may seem normal for a star of his status, but when you consider the work load he will indefinitely take on with these upcoming roles, it makes a profound statement on his desire to never be bored.
In addition to his films and the launch of a fully-functioning personal website that has actually made the rounds and received a warm/geeky reception from the film/internet blogosphere, Carrey and his wife Jenny McCarthy have consistantly maintained their involvement in the charity Generation Rescue, which strives to find alternative ways to treat autism in children. Not bad for a man who was talking with his butt a little over 10 years ago.

1. Nicolas Cage

Go ahead and laugh (you’ve earned it) but the man has yet to produce a dull movie (I said ‘dull’ not ‘bad’) and his work output is something for ANY actor to admire, regardless of how badly he phones roles in. Before I continue, most of you know, but for those who don’t, everything I joke about Nicolas Cage comes from a place of sincere reverance. Yes, the man takes part in AWFUL movies (which, given his current economic situation could just be to keep the lights on) but in each film he’s in he is always FULLY committed to the story being told. And I’m sorry, but I’d rather watch Cage run around in a Bear suit any day FULLY EMBRACING THE ROLE than see Tom Hanks win ANOTHER Oscar for appearing in some adaptation of a story set in the 1940’s. ALL TANGENTS ASIDE, Cage has kept himself QUITE stacked as of late. In early 2009 the CGI-Fest known as G-Force dropped with Cage providing a voice as well as Cage’s vehicle Knowing, in which he played the lead. Throughout the remainder of the year he has worked on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass, Season of the Witch, and Werner FOOKING Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Did I mention the voice that he provided for Astro Boy? No? Well, lump that in there as well.
IMDB has him attached to 4 deals in development, one of which being (GET READY!!!) Ghost Rider 2! Which creators have said will distance itself from the original as a revamp, not a sequel. Yet, it still stars Cage as the lead. Oh, how I LOVE this man! It simply amazes me what Hollywood will greenlight.

And speaking of hard working, (and by hard-working, I mean shameless self-promotion!) visit my sketch troupe’s Youtube or Facebook and comment/subscribe/hate/love/befriend/never talk to us again/enjoy our attempts at making you laugh!

Hot Fuzz… Shaun of the Dead… Spaced… Ring a bell? Edgar Wright is one of the best and freshest directors in Hollywood. Hot Fuzz is personally one of my favorite movies. His newest project is promising to top them all.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World stars Michael Cera, is about a boy who falls in love with a girl (he’s never done that before in a movie), and must defeat her seven boyfriends. Including Jason Schwartzman, Kieran Culkin, Brandon Routh, and many other enticing actors, the buzz on this movie could not be better.

PLUS!!!! Edgar Wright is good friends with Jason Reitman (aka: director of Juno). Edgar shared the first 30 minutes of Scott Pilgrim with Jason, and Jason flew through the roof.

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“In London, @edgarwright showed me 30min of Scott Pilgrim. While sworn to secrecy (so much, surprised blood wasn’t demanded) I will say this: It is a game changer for Edgar and the genre. It moves the speed of light and carries more unadulterated joy than Ive seen in recent cinema. I’m in awe of the sheer control in the filmmaking. It feels like a “Matrix” for love and how willing we are to fight for it. If I had a movie coming out next year, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near it. Hats off my friend. Can’t get it out of my head.

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If Jason Reitman is ecstatic, I am at least excited! So, for my 2010 check list, this film is on the top.

Jason Schwartzman gave an amazing interview about this film with Collider.com

The other day I was listening to Doll Parts and Violet off of Hole’s 1994 debut album, Live Through This. I hadn’t played those songs in a while and it was nice hearing them again. As I’m listening, I can’t help but hear Nirvana’s influence all over that album. Or to be more precise, Kurt Cobain’s. There was a lot of talk when the album came out that Kurt Cobain wrote the entire thing. Live Through This is riddled with Nirvana trademarks. But Kurt Cobain died four days before the album was released, so there is no way of knowing if this exactly true. Personally, I feel like Courtney Love wrote the lyrics and that Cobain helped write the music. The reason I believe this is I once read an article in Rolling Stone talking about Cobain’s and Love’s relationship and that when he was writing Heart Shaped Box, she wanted that song. He told her absolutely not, and locked himself in a closet to finish it. I’m sure this happened all the time and Live Through This may be a testament to that. His fingerprints seem to be all over that album. But, maybe she was just influenced by his music. They lived in the same house, did drugs together, and were raising a family. How could his style not have rubbed off on her? Their relationship was obviously toxic and it comes across in the music and the lyrics. I definitely believe she was tortured enough to write:

I want to be the girl with the most cake.

He only loves those things because he loves to see them break.

I fake it so real, I am beyond fake

And someday, you will ache like I ache.

Anyway, I think you can make a strong argument that she wrote everything, and was just influenced by his style. That got me thinking about influence as a whole. We’re influenced by things everyday. Writers, Directors, Parents, Musicians, Actors, Business people and Inventors make great strides in their work because of something that arrived on the scene before them. The great ones use that influence to create something new, or at least something interesting. Without Martin Scorcese’s Goodfellas, there is no Paul Thomas Anderson’s, Boogie Nights. Both great films, with similar, yet distinctive styles. Without David Sedaris, there is no Chuck Klosterman. I prefer Klosterman. He writes about music and sports. That’s right in my wheelhouse. Without Dave Matthews, there is no John Mayer. Remind me to kick Dave Matthews’ ass for that. If I have to hear one more of John Mayer’s soft rock styling’s, I’m going to go on a three state killing spree. Mayer is the case of influence gone bad. I believe Courtney Love was a case of good. Hole’s next album, Celebrity Skin was also very strong. It wasn’t as hard core as Live Through This, but it showed she has talent. It may get lost in a sea of crazy from time to time, but it’s in there.

I have lots of influences in my life. As someone who likes to write, I’m influenced by Chuck Klosterman, Nick Hornby, Cameron Crowe, William Goldman, Diablo Cody, Harold Ramis, John Irving, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Bill Simmons, Thomas Boswell,

Cameron Crowe

Steve Martin, Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David and the work of Nelson Demille in the 80’s and 90’s. I also love the song lyrics from Pete Yorn, Aimee Mann, Bono, Eddie Vedder, Sheryl Crow, Michael Stipe, Joe Jackson, and the Gap Band. Yes, the Gap Band. When I boarded their Party Train, they Dropped A Bomb On Me. Yes, they most certainly did.

If I directed a movie, I’m sure I’d be influenced by Cameron Crowe, John Hughes, Ted Demme, and Jason Reitman. Their movies are funny, dramatic, and they all use music as a character. All things I would try and do.

And if I were a father, my parents wouldn’t just influence me; I would full on steal their whole repertoire. They really couldn’t have done a better job. Sure, I’m strange, but it’s not their fault. They were awesome. My crazy is all self generated.

Influence is a powerful thing and it surrounds us no matter where we go. Courtney Love is a living example. My life is richer from being exposed to positive influences. Some would say that I got lucky with my parents, but that all their good work was for nothing because television, music, movies, and books ruined me. They say that Pop Culture rotted my brain. I totally disagree. I say that people who haven’t watched television in a long time are missing the boat. This isn’t fifteen years ago when there were only a few good shows and the rest was mind numbing trash. Television has changed. Movies have changed. Music Videos have changed. They’re more sophisticated now, and it’s a pleasure to witness the renaissance. It doesn’t really matter if you disagree with me and you think that Pop Culture is harmful. I think you’re wrong. My life is better under the influence.

The St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) is in its 18th inauguration (11/12-22). The locations this year are the Tivoli Theatre, Plaza Frontenac Cinema, the St. Louis Art Museum, Hi-Pointe Theatre, Webster University and at the Brown Hall Auditorium at Washington University. Headlining the event will be the new Jason Reitman (Juno) film, “Up in the Air”, starring George Clooney, which was shot in St. Louis. Preview —>

Tra le nuvole (Up in the Air) è un film del 2009 diretto da Jason Reitman e co-sceneggiato dallo stesso Reitman con Sheldon Turner, basandosi sull’omonimo romanzo che Walter Kirn ha scritto nel 2001.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Commedia | Drammatico | Jason Reitman | Anna Kendrick | George Clooney | Jason Bateman

You should’ve gone to China, you know, ’cause I hear they give away babies like free iPods. You know, they pretty much just put them in those t-shirt guns and shoot them out at sporting events.

– Juno MacGuff

I haven’t seen Juno since it was in theaters during the Oscar hoopla in 2007. There has been considerable backlash with this movie like any other movie that receives a lot of buzz that it could give you a migraine. Re-visting this movie again, I still think it’s a sweet story that has a lot of heart over the off-putting dialogue.

Juno MacGruff (Ellen Page) is sixteen-year-old pseudo-intellectual hipster Minnesota girl that finds out that she is pregnant with her Tic-Tac popping best friend, Paulie Bleecker’s (Michael Cera) baby. Freaked out by the news, she wants to have a quick abortion, but she decides to have the baby.

She tells her synergistic cheerleader best girl friend, Leah (Olivia Thirlby) who thinks that she has a food baby. (A Diablo Cody-ism). When she tells Paulie, he was surprised that she was preggers, since they had sex when they were bored.

Deciding to give the baby away, Leah and Juno look for prospective adoptive parents in the local “Penny Saver”. They come across an ad with a huge picture of the perfect married couple, Vanessa and Mark Loring (Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman). Juno thinks that they could be the ones to take care of her baby.

Before meeting the adoptive parents, Juno has to drop the news to her father, Mac (J.K. Simmons) and stepmother, Bren (Allison Janney). When she does, they thought that she was drug addict or a big sloppy drunk. The news was worse then they imagined.

Mac and Juno drive up to St. Cloud where the Lorings live. Juno gathers that Vanessa is a prim and proper, uptight woman who just wants to be a mother. Other the other hand, Mark is a laidback jingle writer that is more of man-child, someone that she could vibe with about retro slasher films, Les Paul guitars and vintage rock ‘n roll.

Should the film been nominated for Best Picture? Of course not. The only reason that the movie was, because of the buzz that surrounded the movie; Fox Searchlight can put on an Oscar campaign like Harvey Weinstein. It was easily accessible.

Universally the dialogue has been a problem for people. Sometimes it could be too right on the nose or you wonder the fuck did they just say. I think the performances saved the movie for sucking big time. As much as I don’t like Michael Cera, he was less Cera-like, because he had a supporting role in this film.

Judgment: If you could get past the first third of this film, then you will enjoy this film.

Rating: ****

servizio di LUCA SVIZZERETTO

(tratto da Nuovi Oggi di sabato 23 ottobre 2009) – In una serata di gran gala sono stati consegnati i premi per l’edizione 2009 del Roma Film Fest. Serata presentata da un’emozionatissima Vanessa Incontrada, che più volte è incappata in qualche comprensibile ‘papera’ e di cui è diventato presto mattatore uno scatenatissimo Carlo Verdone. Specie quando si è trattato di consegnare il Marc’Aurelio d’Oro alla Carriera a Meryl Streep. Sulle note di ‘Mamma Mia” e mentre tutti applaudono e urlano, mentre sfilano le immagini dei suoi cult movie, e tutti ballano e battono a ritmo le mani, Meryl Streep sale sul palco, introdotta da un pensiero di Vanessa Incontrada: “Un’attrice che dal primo film ti entra negli occhi e nel cuore”. Lei corre sui tacchi e accenna un passo di danza, bacia il presidente della giuria Milos Forman (grande regista). “Ohhh” sospira e giu’ la sala con le urla. Prova a parlare italiano, poi si scusa per non riuscirci come Helen Mirren (che nel ricevere il premio come miglior attrice si era preparata tutto un foglio da leggere in italiano ringraziando le grandi attrici del nostro cinema), ma dice rivolgendosi a Helen: “Non dimenticare Giulietta Masina e Silvana Mangano e la Madonna delle attrici, Eleonora Duse”. “Dopo 30 anni e aver restituito tutti i prestiti a quelli che mi avevano dato i soldi, provo grande gratitudine perche’ un attore non e’ nulla se non qualcuno che ascolta e parla. Abbiamo bisogno di sceneggiatori registi giovani e produttori per fare film e un attore ha bisogno di altri attori, quindi non sono sola qui sul palco”. Per lei il premio arriva da Giuseppe Tornatore. “So di dare un grande dolore a Carlo Verdone – dice Tornatore – Meryl e’ la sua attrice preferita, e vorrebbe essere al mio posto”, allora Meryl si avvicina a bordo palco e Verdone irrompe in piena cerimonia e corre da lei per stringerle e baciarle le mani. Tutti a ridere e ad applaudire. “Attrice che non smette di stupirci e di insegnarci tante cose”, dice Tornatore. Tutti in piedi per lei.
Con la Streep sul palco, il suo vestito ricco di lustrini ed i flash impazziti dei fotografi per un attimo si è pensato di essere alla Notte degli Oscar. Solo per un attimo però sia chiaro.
La Streep ieri in mattinata ha anche ricevuto dalle mani del sindaco di Roma, Gianni Alemanno, la ‘Lupa Capitolina’, riconoscimento che viene consegnato a tutti i più grandi ospiti della città.
“Sono molto soddisfatto dell’edizione di quest’anno del Festival del cinema. Rispetto all’anno scorso abbiamo avuto una crescita da tutti i punti di vista: afflusso di pubblico, stampa, qualità della rassegna”. Il primo cittadino ha sottolineato come il Festival del cinema, sul quale l’amministrazione comunale ha intenzione di continuare a investire, “serva non solo come immagine, ma anche come modo di far crescere la nostra città”.
Nell’ordine quindi ecco i vincitori: Marc’Aurelio d’Oro al miglior film scelto dal pubblico a ‘L’uomo che verrà di Giorgio Diritti’; Marc’Aurelio d’Oro al miglior film scelto dalla giuria a ‘Brotherhood’; Marc’Aurelio d’Argento al film scelto dalla giuria a ‘L’uomo che verrà’ di Giorgio Diritti; Marc’Aurelio d’Argento della Giuria alla migliore attrice a Helen Mirren per ‘The Last Station’; Marc’Aurelio d’Argento della Giuria al migliore attore a Sergio Castellitto per ‘Alza la Testa’; Marc’Aurelio d’Argento Alice nella città sotto i 12 anni a ‘Last Ride’ di Glendyn Ivin; Marc’Aurelio d’Argento Alice nella città sopra i 12 anni a’ Oorlogswinter Winter in Wartime’ di Martin Koolhoven; Marc’Aurelio d’argento al miglior documentario per la Sezione L’Altro Cinema Extra a ‘Sons of Cuba’ di Andrew Lang.
Non ci allunghiamo troppo nei commenti ma senz’altro restiamo dubbiosi nel vedere che Reitman con Clooney non hanno conquistato neppure un riconoscimento quando a giudizio di molti ‘Up in the air’ era probabilmente la miglior pellicola in concorso.
Prima della premiazione ufficiale, svoltasi ieri in serata nella Sala Sinopoli (la più capiente dell’Auditorium), al mattino sono stati assegnati i premi collaterali
Premio “La meglio gioventù” del ministero della Gioventù per il miglior film in concorso legato al mondo dei giovani e dedicato ai temi educativi e civili assegnato a: “L’uomo che verrà” di Giorgio Diritti;  Premio Libera Associazione Rappresentanza di Artisti (L.a.r.a.) alla migliore interprete italiana a: Anita Kravos per “Alza la testa” di Alessandro Angelini; Premio Enel Cuore al miglior film sociale (sezione L’Altro Cinema | Extra) a: “H.o.t. – Human Organ Traffic” di Roberto Orazi; Premio Farfalla d’oro (Agiscuola) a: “Brotherskab” di Nicolò Donato;  Premio al Miglior progetto europeo (La Fabbrica dei Progetti) – Levi’s a: “No one’s child” di Stefan Arsenijevic;  Premio Ikea a: “The Cove” di Louie Psihoyos; Premio Hag a “Latta e cafe” di Riccardo Dalisi;  Premio speciale “10eLotto” a: Alba Rohrwacher.
Negli incontri di rito con la stampa i primi a parlare sono stati gli organizzatori, in testa Gianluigi Rondi e Piera Detassis.
Anteprime mondiali e anteprime europee, film gia’ passati ad altri festival d’oltreoceano e poi sbarcati a Roma. Puntuali le polemiche di fine festival hanno eceggiato ieri all’Auditorium sulla scelta dei film: “Roma e’ un  festival che si rivolge al grande pubblico – ha dichiarato il direttore artistico Piera Detassis nel corso della conferenza stampa – perche’ privarlo di film straordinari come ‘Up in the Air’ con Clooney solo perche’ e’ stato gia’ presentato al festival di Toronto, dove mi sembra vadano solo tre giornalisti italiani. Nei nostri sogni c’e’ indubbiamente quello di avere anteprime mondiali, ma poi se ci riserviamo delle anteprime europee come da regolamento, si scatena puntuale questo malinteso che ricicliamo film da altre parti. Noi siamo l’unico festival cui viene rimproverato questo, quando il livello del regolamento del festival prevede anteprime europee o anteprime mondiali. ‘Up in the air’ e’ andato a Toronto, ma io me lo porto a Roma”. Ha aggiunto il presidente Gian Luigi Rondi: “L’idea di non avere un film solo perche’ presentato a Toronto mi sembrava davvero un peccato. Questo di Roma e’ un festival altro, seguiamo un percorso nostro e personale, e in questo modo vogliamo andare avanti,senza voler fare concorrenza a nessun altro, perchè sul fronte dei festival siamo tutti amici. Stasera per esempio viene Marco Muller direttore di Venezia per salutare il nostro festival”.   Qualcuno in sala, ha chiesto provocatorio alla Detassis quant’e’ costata Meryl Streep, lei ha replicato: “E’ venuta con l’aereo di linea, nessuna star c’e costata niente. C’e’ da chiedersi quanto ci costerebbe un’anteprima mondiale e perche’ l’anteprima mondiale non arriva. La nostra linea e’ non pagar per avere le star, le ospitiamo in albergo per tre giorni”.
I registi vincitori, quindi Nicolo Donato e Giorgio Diritti a precisa domanda hanno risposto che al momento non stanno lavorando. Il primo studia un progetto di cui non può ancora parlare mentre il secondo è in attesa di vagliare diverse ipotesi. Non sembrano felici della nostra scomoda domanda ma la realtà è che chi vince solitamente lavora se per loro non è così c’è da riflettere.
Donato infine ringrazia il sindaco Alemanno che aveva espresso poco prima in una nota soddisfazione per questa assegnazione “in un momento in cui c’è bisogno di educare alla tolleranza”.
Siamo giunti alla fine e sono già definite la date per le prossime edizioni del Festival internazionale del Film di Roma. Il prossimo anno, la kermesse sara’ dal 29 ottobre al 6 novembre, in base a date gia’ concordate, firmate e stabilita in accordo con l’Accademia di Santa Cecilia. Lo annunciano in conferenza stampa oggi all’Auditorium il direttore generale Francesca Via. Per il 2011 si confermano sempre a fine mese ottobre, con inizio tra 27 e 29 ottobre. “Abbiamo gia’ avvisato il Festival di Torino, con cui andiamo a ridosso – avverte Francesca Via – Ma nel 2011 si concludera’ il triennio di programmazione siglato lo scorso anno. Dopo dal 2012 torneremo ad aprire la manifestazione a meta’ ottobre, tra il 13 e il 15. Abbiamo gia’ fissato le tre date del triennio successivo e si attesta al 15 ottobre. Abbiamo voluto fare una programmazioni su periodo lungo”. Doppio appuntamento per il Festival perche’ il mandato di Gian Luigi Rondi da presidente della Fondazione Cinema per Roma scade nel 2012.
Termina anche il nostro diario quotidiano e speriamo in un’edizione 2010 ricca di pellicole di valore e che sappia premiare tutti coloro che lo meritano davvero. Se George Clooney ci leggesse ci strizzerebbe l’occhio.

EN CINES A PARTIR DEL 5 DE FEBRERO DE 2010

De Jason Reitman, director nominado al Óscar por Juno, llega Up inthe air, la oportuna historia de Ryan Bingham (el ganador de un Óscar GEORGE CLOONEY), un especialista en recortes financieros y consumado viajante de negocios moderno que, después de pasar años tan ricamente en el aire, de repente se encuentra preparado para hacer una conexión auténtica.

Ryan lleva mucho tiempo contento con su despreocupado estilo de vida, viviendo por toda Norteamérica en aeropuertos, hoteles y coches de alquiler. Puede llevar todo lo que necesita en una maleta con ruedas. Es un miembro mimado y de élite de todos los programas de fidelización de viajeros que existen. Y le falta poco para alcanzar el objetivo de su vida: 10 millones de millas de viajero habitual.

Cuando menos se lo espera comienza a sentirse atraído por una simpática compañera de viaje (VERA FARMIGA). El jefe de Ryan (JASON BATEMAN), animado por una joven y advenediza experta en eficiencia (ANNA KENDRICK), amenaza con llamarle permanentemente desde la carretera. Enfrentado a la perspectiva, a la vez terrorífica e hilarante, de ser destinado a un puesto fijo, Ryan empieza a meditar sobre lo que puede llegar a significar el tener un hogar de verdad.

We walked on a red carpet on Monday. I felt like an interloper, especially clad in hobo jacket, Converse, and Green Lantern T-Shirt, but it was still a weirdly thrilling moment. Getting tickets to the first UK performance of Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant! (oh, that infuriating exclamation point…) was an accident of timing, not an attempt to rubberneck at a glamour collision, but it’s fine. The London Film Festival seems to be pretty casual. Only Soderbergh, writer Scott Z. Burns and producer Gregory Jacobs were dressed to the nines, and even then they seemed relaxed. Seeing Soderbergh delighted daisyhellcakes, who has had terrible luck spotting celebrities in the past (so far she’s seen Johnny Vegas, Bill Bailey, Jeffrey Archer and Queen Nigella), but refused to take a picture of the great man, stating that it would be gauche. As I’d seen the Enter The Void audience eagerly snapping away at Gaspar Noé last week, I figured it would be okay, but after taking this blurry picture…

…I convinced myself that the final stutter in Soderbergh’s short speech was caused by him spotting me and thinking, “Dude, that’s totes gauche.” For the record, I’m sorry Mr. Soderbergh. I liked Solaris, if that’s any consolation.

The lack of a distribution deal for Enter The Void is making me unbelievably sad. Attending that screening was something I did on a whim after seeing Drew McWeeny become so enthusiastic, and now I realise that if I hadn’t gone I might never have had the chance to see it on the big screen. Just yesterday Edgar Wright was tweeting his frustration at having missed it, and it threw my good fortune into perspective. Is there any way to start a campaign to save it from oblivion on DVD, when the only distribution deal it has seems to be getting a release in Finland next April? As the version I saw was seemingly different from those at Cannes and Toronto, perhaps it’s still being fine-tuned, and then it will be put on the market again. Certainly there are longueurs at about the 100 minute mark, but I’m not sure what could be removed without ruining the flow.

The one thought I had would be for the Prince Charles Cinema to stump up for their very own print. Despite its punishing length, this is the perfect midnight-screening cult movie in waiting, with massive appeal to counter-cultural audiences and cinephiles who can understand what Noé is trying to achieve (a group that excludes J. Hoberman and Variety’s Rob Nelson, who completely missed the point of the movie). It would take time for them to get their money back, as the buzz on this film has yet to grow properly, but it would be a wise investment. Unless it did suddenly get a distribution deal and the film turned up elsewhere, but still, right now, it’s not looking too good.

Sadness over the fate of that one movie aside, the festival has been extremely enjoyable so far. Even the one movie I’ve not liked — Jason Reitman’s disappointing Up In The Air, which I hope to write about soon — has its pleasures, especially the terrific performances from George Clooney and Anna Kendrick. For the most part audiences have been great too, with enthusiastic responses to The Men Who Stare At Goats and The Informant! reminding me why seeing movies at the cinema can be a rewarding experience, though Mr. Honking McOverlaugh who sat behind us during The Informant! was a bit of a trial. Yes yes, it’s a very funny film, but Mr. Soderbergh is sitting at the back of the room and even your guffaws cannot reach that far, especially when my eardrums are absorbing 90% of the sound energy.

It’s not all roses, though. If you’re a new reader visiting this site after searching for info about London Film Festival screenings, please can I beg you to do the right thing and arrive at the screenings with plenty of time to spare? If you’ve not already picked up your tickets, there can be terrible queues, and that’s after navigating the barriers, security guards, and photographers blocking the pedestrianised roads of Leicester Square. The movies have tended to start a few minutes late, but there are no trailers or adverts, so if a film is supposed to start at, say, 16:15, the film will be on the screen at around 16:20, and arriving at 16:30 is going to piss a lot of people off. Oh, and the tickets have allocated seat numbers on them FOR A REASON. This message is directed at the numerous people who seem to love sitting wherever they want, and then look put out when they are evicted from their seats by ushers not long after the film has already started. I’m looking at you, selfish idiots who figured sitting by me was the thing to do and then ruined the start of Enter The Void and White Material, with extra bonus fuck you’s to the couple who turned up late at White Material and then left their phones on. Assholes.

I’ve had fun with the odd connections between the movies I’ve seen so far. The Informant! and Claire Denis’ White Material are centred by main characters (played with great skill by Matt Damon and the incredible Isabelle Huppert respectively) whose inability to see the dire consequences of their behaviour dooms them. In Soderbergh’s movie Mark Whitacre’s insanity is played for laughs for the most part, though those laughs run out by the end as you realise the man is so deeply embedded in his fantasy life that he doesn’t even seem capable of keeping track of it. Maria Vial — the protagonist of White Material — is in just as much denial, but perhaps even to the extent of not recognising her own cultural and ethnic background. Her ambiguous actions in the final moments of the film could be the product of derangement or berserk revenge, but whatever their origin, they were enough to deeply upset the lady sitting next to me. She seemed traumatised, poor dear.

Other connections abound. Jason Bateman teams up with Jason Reitman again for Up In The Air, and also features in Extract, which I’m hoping to see tomorrow. Melanie Lynskey appears in Up In The Air and The Informant!, and is similarly weak in each movie. Clooney appears in The Men Who Stare At Goats and Up In The Air, and co-produced The Informant! Up In The Air and Up (which I saw again on Sunday, though it was not part of the festival) is about men who find escape in flying, and learn to connect with others. The protagonists of White Material and Enter The Void are often filmed from behind: in White Material as a representation of how Maria is hiding her true face from herself and others, and in Enter The Void as a consequence of the PoV conceit. Enter The Void and The Men Who Stare At Goats features talk of esoteric beliefs, as well as the use of hallucinogens.

That was one of the things that annoyed me most about Goats. While Enter The Void took the use of hallucinogenic compounds seriously, Goats used it as a stupid punchline, with characters acting as if they were drunk and high-lariously falling over a lot and talking about how hungry they are. Goats was a lot of fun, but the relentlessly silly tone made it hard for the film to shift gears in the final act when we see the negative consequences of letting a bunch of insecure New Age dipsticks into the army. What was, in Jon Ronson’s excellent book, a sobering portrait of US psy-ops torture techniques gone weird is here transformed into a slapstick romp with one minute of “Oh noes, war is bad” added to give the protagonists something to fight for. The book still manages to be funny, but Ronson’s a skillful enough writer to juxtapose the wacky with the awful. Here it’s shoehorned in, and seemingly only to give a dramatic edge to the Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey) character arc that suddenly appears midway through the movie. Writer Peter Straughan does some good work in translating the oddness of Ronson’s book into movie form, and keeps the funniest material mostly intact, but the artificial three-act structure and neatness of the final few minutes smack of laziness. Still, it remains very entertaining, and what it gets right it really gets right. Jeff Bridges — as New Earth Army leader Bill Django — perfectly channels the craziness of First Earth Battalion leader Jim Channon…

…and first-time director Grant Heslov is good enough to recreate the pictures shown in Channon’s manifesto: a lovely touch. It feels like the film will touch on all aspects of the insanity of war in a similar way to Clooney’s previous Gulf War film Three Kings, but even with the addition of warring Blackwater-esque security forces and asides showing Clooney and Ewan McGregor wandering through Iraq getting into scrapes, it never fully takes off. I’d still recommend it, though. As with Up In The Air, Clooney does miracle work holding everything together. It’s easy to forget what a great film star he is. He does comedy and drama equally well, and now he’s removed almost all of his tics, he can excel at both over-the-top dopey comedy or subtle and moving character work. We’re lucky he’s around.

My recommendation for The Informant! is much stronger. Though we were exhausted while watching, and were sitting in the Odeon West End which — unlike the Vue West End which is showing the majority of films — is not air-conditioned, it turned out to be almost as good as we had hoped. Spoilery trailers and press releases have given away the delusional nature of Mark Whitacre, but Soderbergh and ace writer Burns hide the depth of his craziness until a wonderful final act where everyone involved in the Lysine price-fixing investigation is shocked by his slowly unravelling web of lies. The cast doesn’t have a single weak link, with an unexpectedly complex performance from Matt Damon at the heart of the movie, but I have to give special props to Scott Bakula, who is particularly affecting as the enthusiastic FBI agent whose career goes awry thanks to Whitacre’s deceptions. His increasingly heartbroken face adds a bittersweet note to the zany proceedings. Props also to Joel McHale in his first dramatic role: weird seeing the snarky Soup host playing straight man to Damon.

I also heartily recommend White Material, but I’m still processing that one, so I won’t go on about it too much, except to say that a) Claire Denis has a mastery of pace and atmosphere that would shame other directors, but then you probably already knew that, and b) Christopher Lambert was good enough to make me partially forgive him for his dire performance in Richard Kelly’s Southland Tales. I can lay the blame that on Kelly, I guess. He doesn’t really know what he’s doing, after all.

Six Stars out of Ten Stars (******/**********)

Jason Reitman directs. Oh Christ I hated Juno! George Clooney stars. Oh mother, I’m not a fan of that silver fox. The trailer has crass motivational speaking as its centre-piece. Bugger. If I wanted a crass motivational talking-to I could have one in under five minutes with Baz Lurhman’s Free To Wear Sunscreen. (I don’t, by the way). Anna Kendrick gives a very nice breakout supporting turn. Oh bloody fudge, look at her ODD FACE. Vera Farmiga is the female lead. Okay, finally something I’m on-board with!

In a nutshell those are the thoughts I had when approaching Reitman’s follow-up to Juno, Up In The Air. The film stars Clooney as a man who travels the United States, drafted in by large companies to fire people. He spends as little time as possible at home, and avoids meaningful human relationships at all costs. That is until fresh-faced Anna Kendrick pops up, and accompanies him in his travels, as the new colleague and overt threat to his working life. Clooney strikes up a relationship with Vera Farmiga in tandem with the arrival of young Kendrick, and the combination of this and his upcoming sister’s wedding prompts some changes in his behaviour, and eventually his outlook on life. This is all very well and good of course, and the set-up elicits quite a few touching scenes between Clooney and the very capable ensemble. But I have beef. I just didn’t believe the change in the Clooney character. I just didn’t see it. It was too sudden, too explicitly rendered.

Therein, for me, was the great problem with the film. It never quite hooked me in. Because I didn’t believe in that Clooney character. And if I’m honest I think that was because of Clooney. He is just TOO George Clooney in everything he does, and it jars me. Vera Farmiga was, as expected, very lovely though.

Saying all that, this film is supremely watchable, good-humoured and enjoyable. I smiled throughout. I laughed occasionally. And I can’t deny it was all executed with a lot of passion and savvy. I just wish, when all was said and done, it had been something of a little more substance.