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Up in the Air

post #1 of 99
9/9/09 at 12:02pm
Thread Starter 
http://www.filmjunk.com/2009/09/09/f...eorge-clooney/

I liked his other two films, and this one looks\\sounds promising.

Quote:


The third feature film from Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking, Juno) premiered last weekend at the Telluride Film Festival to rave reviews and, believe it or not, even a little bit of Oscar buzz. Based on the book by Walter Kim, the movie stars George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a 35 year old divorced man who works as a consultant, flying around the country to fire people from other companies. His new goal in life: to get ten million frequent flyer miles before he loses his own job.
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post #2 of 99
9/10/09 at 12:14pm
Thread Starter 
Trailer posted, looks decent imo.

http://www.filmjunk.com/2009/09/09/j...e-air-trailer/
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post #3 of 99
1/26/10 at 11:04am
I caught this over the weekend and thought it was great. Kinda sad but quite funny throught.
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post #4 of 99
1/26/10 at 11:16pm
My review:

4.3/5
A solitary, middle aged man who enjoys his life of flying around terminating people from their employment, finds it difficult to accept the change of direction his company decides to take. A film, whose relevance to our current economical climate, is delivered to us with an excellent script. The story comes from a novel and is translated into a wonderful screenplay. The casting crew did a great job and the actors wonderfully interpret their characters onto the big screen. Jason Reitman directs this film with balance and keeps his title as one of Hollywood's most talented young directors. Although it is being overshadowed by the biggest film in history, it deserves a chance to be viewed and enjoyed. There is plenty humor, emotion and social commentary to entertain any fan of a quality film.
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post #5 of 99
1/27/10 at 5:35am
Thread Starter 
Ya, I cant wait for the Bluray.. still looks great!
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post #6 of 99
1/27/10 at 7:57am
I really enjoyed this movie, much more than I expected to. I went for my wife, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Clooney is superb, the movie keeps you interested, and he and the main female character play well off each other.

Very enjoyable.
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post #7 of 99
3/9/10 at 10:41pm
Up in the Air reminded me of Lost in Translation, but I thought it was a much better movie. The cinematography and directing were excellent, and one symptom of that is that one never noticed the camera work and directing, unlike many recent movies with way too much hand held camera work and pretentious directorial ploys. I don't think this was a great movie, but it had an intelligent script, good acting, and some meat on the bones and depth. Not really a comedy, not really a serious drama; I am not sure what it was, except interesting.
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post #8 of 99
3/10/10 at 12:38am
What a terrific movie this is!
A real joy.

Excellent acting, but more importantly: the writing is top-notch.
Extremely witty, written expressly for adults.
Many LOL moments.

Some have complained about the ending being a downer.
I beg to differ...I would call it realistic and grown-up.
The coda is tough, not formulaic.
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post #9 of 99
3/10/10 at 7:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by oink View Post

What a terrific movie this is!
A real joy.

Excellent acting, but more importantly: the writing is top-notch.
Extremely witty, written expressly for adults.
Many LOL moments.

Some have complained about the ending being a downer.
I beg to differ...I would call it realistic and grown-up.
The coda is tough, not formulaic.

Blind bought it yesterday, and after reading your post, I can't wait to watch it!
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post #10 of 99
3/10/10 at 7:33am
i liked it. great movie!
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post #11 of 99
3/10/10 at 6:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by oink View Post

What a terrific movie this is!
A real joy.

Excellent acting, but more importantly: the writing is top-notch.
Extremely witty, written expressly for adults.
Many LOL moments.

Some have complained about the ending being a downer.
I beg to differ...I would call it realistic and grown-up.
The coda is tough, not formulaic.

oink -- I agree that Up in the Air is a terrific movie, one that was written for adults. I saw it in the theater, thinking that it was simply another romantic comedy in the capable hands of George Clooney and Vera Farmiga. I was surprised when the film turned out to be as serious and kind of sad as it turned out to be. The more I thought about it, the higher it rose in my estimation.

I received the Up in the Air BD from NF yesterday and have been watching it tonight. I have liked it even better this time through than I did when I saw it in the theater. In addition to Clooney and Farmiga, I also loved Amy Morton as the new associate in the company Clooney worked for. Melanie Lynskey, as Clooney's sister was, as usual, funny and charming. I had never laid eyes on Danny McBride, who played the Lynskey character's fiance, but thought that he damn near stole the show.

Up in the Air is a surprisingly thoughtful film. It is often funny, sometimes sad, but, in the end, a thoroughly satisfying movie experience. I disagree that the movie ended with a downer. It presented us with a shocking surprise but, I thought, recovered nicely and ended on an optimistic note.
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post #12 of 99
3/10/10 at 11:24pm
^Isn't it great to get a film every once and awhile that is made for grown-ups (this coming from someone whose wife constantly tells him he is an 8 year old)?

Nothing the characters do in this film is unbelievable.
The characters act and react like real people do.
I was hooked immediately to what was happening on the screen.

Nearly all of the LOL moments (there are many) are the result of situations that ring true to me.

Without question one of the best movies of last year.

When price comes down on the BD, I'll buy it.
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post #13 of 99
3/11/10 at 5:42am
Thread Starter 
Just got it in from Netflix.. looking forward to watching it this weekend. Minus the overuse of faux-hip-lingo, I really enjoyed Juno.
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post #14 of 99
3/11/10 at 6:39am
Watched this last night and thought it was a great film
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post #15 of 99
3/11/10 at 7:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by oink View Post

What a terrific movie this is!
A real joy.

Excellent acting, but more importantly: the writing is top-notch.
Extremely witty, written expressly for adults.
Many LOL moments.

Some have complained about the ending being a downer.
I beg to differ...I would call it realistic and grown-up.
The coda is tough, not formulaic.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ABSOLUTnie View Post

i liked it. great movie!

Quote:
Originally Posted by gwsat View Post

oink -- I agree that Up in the Air is a terrific movie, one that was written for adults. I saw it in the theater, thinking that it was simply another romantic comedy in the capable hands of George Clooney and Vera Farmiga. I was surprised when the film turned out to be as serious and kind of sad as it turned out to be. The more I thought about it, the higher it rose in my estimation.

I received the Up in the Air BD from NF yesterday and have been watching it tonight. I have liked it even better this time through than I did when I saw it in the theater. In addition to Clooney and Farmiga, I also loved Amy Morton as the new associate in the company Clooney worked for. Melanie Lynskey, as Clooney's sister was, as usual, funny and charming. I had never laid eyes on Danny McBride, who played the Lynskey character's fiance, but thought that he damn near stole the show.

Up in the Air is a surprisingly thoughtful film. It is often funny, sometimes sad, but, in the end, a thoroughly satisfying movie experience. I disagree that the movie ended with a downer. It presented us with a shocking surprise but, I thought, recovered nicely and ended on an optimistic note.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Toe View Post

Watched this last night and thought it was a great film

Going by some of the reviews here im going to have to blind buy this.
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post #16 of 99
3/11/10 at 7:44am
I do want to see this movie, and would prefer the theater before it's gone. But in the group of four middle-aged men that I go see films with, I am the only one who for the moment is still employed. The other three include two who were laid off and one who voluntarily took early retirement.

The question is, would they be uncomfortable viewing this movie?
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post #17 of 99
3/11/10 at 8:51am
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Originally Posted by Franin View Post

Going by some of the reviews here im going to have to blind buy this.

Franin -- You won't regret buying this one. As noted in my last post, I loved it. Also, I failed to mention that I thought Vera Farmiga should have won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance. What a complex, interesting character she showed us. No wonder the Clooney character fell for her.
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post #18 of 99
3/11/10 at 9:18am
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Originally Posted by Gary McCoy View Post

I do want to see this movie, and would prefer the theater before it's gone. But in the group of four middle-aged men that I go see films with, I am the only one who for the moment is still employed. The other three include two who were laid off and one who voluntarily took early retirement.

The question is, would they be uncomfortable viewing this movie?

There definetely IS a possibility it could be uncomfortable and distracting for them during a lot of the movie.
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post #19 of 99
3/11/10 at 12:33pm
Definitely a movie for our times which is something that Hollywood has been avoiding as they did back in the 1930s by making cutesy comedies and horror films (escapism). I kept being reminded of the "Forbidden Hollywood" collection that was made before the Hayes Office was set up and some of those films dealt head on with the Depression.
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post #20 of 99
3/11/10 at 12:45pm
Thanks for the input. I'll put this in my NetFlix queue.
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post #21 of 99
3/11/10 at 1:05pm
I thought this was easily one of the best movies of the past year. I wouldn't have minded if they had reached for something a little more emotional in the third act though. I think that would have made this one a bigger winner all around. But then, I think strong third acts have been largely MIA in movies for a while now. Up in the Air had enough going for it in the first sections that the third act problem (to me) didn't hurt it as much as it usually does.
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post #22 of 99
3/11/10 at 2:29pm
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Originally Posted by hitchfan View Post

I thought this was easily one of the best movies of the past year. I wouldn't have minded if they had reached for something a little more emotional in the third act though. I think that would have made this one a bigger winner all around. But then, I think strong third acts have been largely MIA in movies for a while now. Up in the Air had enough going for it in the first sections that the third act problem (to me) didn't hurt it as much as it usually does.

The more I thought about it after I saw Up in the Air in the Theater, the more satisfied I became with the ending. When I watched it again last night, my opinion was buttressed.
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Spoiler  
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Although Ryan (Clooney) did get blindsided when he discovered to his shock and surprise that Alex (Farmiga), who had been happy enough to have a steamy affair with Ryan, had a husband and children. Alex didn't really mislead Ryan and I believe in the end Ryan thought so, too. Although it failed, the beauty of their relationship was that, apparently for the first time in his adult life, Ryan finally made a connection with his family and hoped to make one with Alex. Although his relationship with Alex failed, Ryan's relationship with his family improved exponentially. I thought the coda to that came when Ryan arranged to transfer a bunch of his frequent flyer miles to his newly married kid sister and her husband, sufficient for them to travel around the world. Ryan also went out of his way to write a nice letter of recommendation for his former associate, Natalie (Anna Kendrick). All of this left me with an optimistic feeling that Ryan was finally willing to develop real relationships with others instead of hiding out in airplanes and hotel rooms, and settling for the occasional one night stand.
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post #23 of 99
3/11/10 at 2:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary McCoy View Post

I do want to see this movie, and would prefer the theater before it's gone. But in the group of four middle-aged men that I go see films with, I am the only one who for the moment is still employed. The other three include two who were laid off and one who voluntarily took early retirement.

The question is, would they be uncomfortable viewing this movie?

I would have to say this isn't a movie for your group.
There is some brutally honest and realistic scenes to make someone in a bad place squirm.


Quote:
Originally Posted by gwsat View Post

Franin -- You won't regret buying this one. As noted in my last post, I loved it. Also, I failed to mention that I thought Vera Farmiga should have won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance. What a complex, interesting character she showed us. No wonder the Clooney character fell for her.

Well...who wouldn't?
She is way too sexy.


Quote:
Originally Posted by gwsat View Post

The more I thought about it after I saw Up in the Air in the Theater, the more satisfied I became with the ending. When I watched it again last night, my opinion was buttressed.
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Spoiler  
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Although Ryan (Clooney) did get blindsided when he discovered to his shock and surprise that Alex (Farmiga), who had been happy enough to have a steamy affair with Ryan, had a husband and children. Alex didn't really mislead Ryan and I believe in the end Ryan thought so, too. Although it failed, the beauty of their relationship was that, apparently for the first time in his adult life, Ryan finally made a connection with his family and hoped to make one with Alex. Although his relationship with Alex failed, Ryan's relationship with his family improved exponentially. I thought the coda to that came when Ryan arranged to transfer a bunch of his frequent flyer miles to his newly married kid sister and her husband, sufficient for them to travel around the world. Ryan also went out of his way to write a nice letter of recommendation for his former associate, Natalie (Anna Kendrick). All of this left me with an optimistic feeling that Ryan was finally willing to develop real relationships with others instead of hiding out in airplanes and hotel rooms, and settling for the occasional one night stand.

Well said.
Exactly how it hit me.
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post #24 of 99
3/11/10 at 6:15pm
Is it just me too or does clooney does the same act in every movie...not too mention the same sport jacket and/or tie he wears too. This one poster even goes as far as his Roseanne days:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1193138/...nest/158467627
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post #25 of 99
3/11/10 at 7:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zoey67 View Post

Is it just me too or does clooney does the same act in every movie...not too mention the same sport jacket and/or tie he wears too. This one poster even goes as far as his Roseanne days:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1193138/...nest/158467627

Clooney is a movie star. Big stars inevitably spend their careers playing versions of themselves. You could say the same thing you said about Clooney about a bunch of earlier stars such as Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, and a dozen or more others whose names I'm too lazy to type for this post. I think it's fair to say that all of those who I named did pretty good work.
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post #26 of 99
3/11/10 at 7:46pm
^ Method acting versus character acting. I like both and there are good and bad examples of both. Clooney is a method actor. Tom Hanks and Johnny Depp are examples of character actors.
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post #27 of 99
3/11/10 at 7:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gwsat View Post

Franin -- You won't regret buying this one. As noted in my last post, I loved it. Also, I failed to mention that I thought Vera Farmiga should have won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance. What a complex, interesting character she showed us. No wonder the Clooney character fell for her.

Thanks gwsat I'm definitley looking forward in watching this.
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post #28 of 99
3/11/10 at 9:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dbuudo07 View Post

^ Method acting versus character acting. I like both and there are good and bad examples of both. Clooney is a method actor. Tom Hanks and Johnny Depp are examples of character actors.

Great short post.

I really liked this movie, and i liked the subtlety of the 3rd act. Nothing really happens, but you know Bingham is a changed man.
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post #29 of 99
3/11/10 at 9:09pm
^ Thanks John. I agree. It is one of those films where the subtlety is its biggest selling point. I will say that my jaw dropped at the
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Spoiler  
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
end where he goes to her house.
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post #30 of 99
3/12/10 at 12:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dbuudo07 View Post

^ Thanks John. I agree. It is one of those films where the subtlety is its biggest selling point. I will say that my jaw dropped at the
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Spoiler  
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
end where he goes to her house.

Mine too.

To be honest, I didn't see it coming.
Of course, in hindsight, I should have.
Perfect change of direction, which brings the entire movie up another level and adds depth to the story.
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