In theaters: “Up in the Air” a sure catch
January 27, 2010
Let’s make your choice or rejection of in-theaters Up in the Air a simple one: if you’re expecting belly-roll laughter or Fight Club nihilism, you’re probably better off with another movie. However, if you like Clooney – who is in full force, albeit in type-cast fashion – and you are the kind of moviegoer who likes to sit back and enjoy the journey, then Air is right for you.
There’s nothing terribly funny about it, though there are a few really good laughs. It’s somewhat predictable, evidenced by my theater’s Nancy Drew wannabe who guessed the result of every scene mere seconds before it played out (much to the annoyance of, well, everyone but him). And yet, Air just works. It’s entertaining, true to life, with solid acting and fun, relatable characters (particularly young Anna Kendrick, who hasn’t exactly been allowed to shine in the Twilight series as Bella’s annoying friend Jessica).
The plot is one I think we’ll see more and more if fans show an interest, and that’s the middle class guy who fears there’s nothing much to him other than his job. Since Clooney’s character fires people for a living, the contemporary element of a fickle and heartless workplace permeates the film, though your heart is with Clooney – safe in work so long as there are others who aren’t safe.
If you hadn’t guessed it already, though, this isn’t a film for people under, say, 25 years old. Call me an agist, but I doubt that viewers younger than that can appreciate the film’s subtlety and message, even if they get a chuckle or two from some crafty cameos.
So, while you could save a few bucks and wait ’til Up in the Air comes on DVD, you’d do well to see it on the big screen if you’ve already seen Avatar. Regardless, check it out at some point down the road; you won’t be disappointed.
Having recently seen the original Last House on the Left, I thought it right to check out the new version that’s just come out on DVD. With a strong cast, I thought it likely that at least the acting would prove solid, and the new Last House doesn’t disappoint. But what about the horror? Is it as disturbing as the original? In two words: Not really. But the new Last House has its own virtues that are worth noting.
This week’s new-to-DVD review received a tepid reception in theaters, which was largely why I waited for The International with Clive Owen and Naomi Watts to hit DVD. The gist is that Interpol and the New York City DA’s office seek to bring down an international bank involved in small-arms deals in the middle east.
Who wouldn’t want to see Gerard Butler getting really pissed and wreaking havoc like Leonidas in 300? So I felt a little predisposed to enjoy in-theaters Law Abiding Citizen, and a solid 7.3 out of 10 stars on
I went into in-theaters Paranormal Activity with pretty high expectations. I’d heard “it’s the scariest movie ever” and the 7.6 rating (which was 8.2 a couple of days ago) didn’t hurt matters, either.
This throwback flick hits all of the staples of great ’80s action cinema. There’s the salty cop who treats gunshot wounds as a minor annoyance when “bagging his man” instead of as a medical emergency. There’s fast cars driven by coked-out yuppies with the sleeves of their jackets pushed to the elbow. There’s a strip club scene, with background hoot and hollers from nowhere (seemingly the equivalent to the laugh track in strip club scenes).
When Robert Heinlein wrote Starship Troopers, critics went so far as to call him a fascist for his societal representations in the book. There were no prisons: administrative punishment was whipping in the public square. Heinlein conveyed the ideology behind this by comparing punishing people to training a dog. Not something most people react well to when the idea is presented.
I watched new-to-DVD Drag Me To Hell without knowing that the director (Sam Raimi) also did the Evil Dead trilogy. So here’s what I saw:
With a name like Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead, you know good and well what’s to follow. You’re probably saying: “I didn’t even know there was a Wrong Turn 2!”
The Business of Being Born offers a unique look at how Americans are born, and how that compares to other countries of the developed world (hint: it doesn’t look too hot). Spearheaded by tv’s Ricki Lake, the film follows midwives, OBs, doulas, and mothers-to-be and reveals the enormous discrepency between what happens in the OB department of most hospitals and what is best for the mother and baby.