Up in the Air - 2009

Director: Jason Reitman

Writers: Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner

Starring: George Clooney, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga

"All the things you probably hate about traveling...are warm reminders that I'm home." The third film by Jason Reitman (and second he adapted for the screen) finds Ryan Bingham (Clooney), a man whose job it is to travel the country and fire people so they don't take revenge on their actual bosses, about to be grounded from the life he loves because Natalie Keener (Kendrick) has created a technological system and fire people via webcam. However, Keener lacks the knack for personal interaction that Bingham has built up over the years, so she becomes his unwanted protege.

I'm thinking I need to either invest in a thesaurus, read some legit movie reviews, or see bad movies for a change, because I feel like I just repeat myself every time I gush about my latest trip to the cinema. I could find no fault with this film (except for perhaps the fact that it has people getting further past security than they're allowed in the post-9/11 world); it's obvious why this film is leading the pack in Golden Globes nominations. While some elements of the plot are predictable, one thing near the end threw me for a loop. What really impressed me with this film, though, was a decision made by Reitman et al. From IMDB:

• With the exception of the famous actors (Zach Galifianakis and J.K. Simmons), every person we see fired in the film is not an actor but a real life recently laid off person. The filmmakers put out ads in St. Louis and Detroit posing as a documentary crew looking to document the effect of the recession. When people showed up, they were instructed to treat the camera like the person who fired them and respond as they did or use the opportunity to say what they wished they had.

A masterstroke that catapults the film above what it would have been otherwise.

My updated Top 10 Films of 2009:

10. Inglorious Basterds

9. Zombieland/Sherlock Holmes/Star Trek

8. Brothers Bloom

7. Whip It

6. Up

5. Up in the Air

4. (500) Days of Summer

3. Moon/District 9

2. Where the Wild Things Are

1. Fantastic Mr. Fox

Sherlock Holmes - 2009

Director: Guy Ritchie

Writers: Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, Simon Kinberg

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams

"Data, data, data--I cannot make bricks without clay." In the latest onscreen adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved supersleuth, Holmes (Downey) and Watson (Law) must solve two cases: one of a missing short man and another involving the entirely reanimated corpse of a supposedly deceased lord.

Everyone involved with this film KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK. Guy Ritchie sticks to his "British guys kicking butt and taking names" formula that's worked so well in the past (Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels; Snatch), the writers have made Holmes et al both interesting and authentic to Doyle's work, the actors....Robert. Downey. Jr. Do I really need to say more? Holmes and Watson bicker like an old married couple; McAdams's portrayal of the surprisingly American character Irene Adler is a Catwoman-esque foil to Holmes's Batman...oh, and the final summation of the mysterious events by Holmes will blow your mind about five times in rapid succession. See this movie, and any future sequels (the film's ending would make the lack of one an extreme disappointment).

Higher Learning - 1995

Director: John Singleton

Writer: John Singleton

Starring: Omar Epps, Kristy Swanson, Michael Rapaport, Jennifer Connelly, Ice Cube, Tyra Banks, Laurence Fishburne

"Without struggle, there is no progress." This film from noted director John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood, Shaft) follows a year in the lives of three college freshmen from very different walks of life: Kristen (Swanson), Malik (Epps), and Remy (Rapaport). Kristen, shy and naive, gets raped by a frat boy and juggles two relationships--one with a guy and the other with newfound lesbian friend Taryn (Connelly). Malik, a financially struggling track star, is constantly at odds with his place in society as an African-American male. Remy, a loner from Idaho, can't seem to find his place in any social clique, and proceeds to fall in with the worst one possible.

Obvious statement one: I'm a white guy. Obvious statement two: John Singleton is African-American. As such, we have very different outlooks on society, and they become apparent in our actions. The majority of white characters in Higher Learning run the gamut from your average jerk to rapists and Neo-Nazis. I don't know if the director's intention is to deal in films meant to make the white masses feel bad for sins of oppression and hate committed by past generations, but it certainly works at times. In terms of the performances and technical aspects, though, this is a good film, and Singleton deserves every ounce of acclaim he gets and then some.

Top 10 of 2009

Having recently seen two films I wouldn't recommend to anyone (although for very different reasons), I suppose I should make some sense out of the long list of films I watched over the past year. Here you have my top ten of 2009 (as best I can order them), although I have a suspicious feeling that Up in the Air may end up on this list once I see it.

10. Inglorious Basterds: Say what you will about Tarantino, he hasn't let me down yet.

9. Star Trek: It opened up one of the nerdiest franchises to the masses.

8. Brothers Bloom: Part heist movie, part romance, part comedy, all skillfully handled by the involved parties.

7. Whip It: No movie has ever made me want to be athletic, especially one that's not about guys' sports.

6. Up: Pixar. Nuff said.

5. Zombieland: This one demonstrated the zombie genre isn't going to die anytime soon, and that horror/comedies can excel when done properly.

4. 500 Days of Summer: What took so long to come up with a love story involving a girl who doesn't believe in love?

3. Moon/District 9: I had a hard time taking one of these off the list, and they're both here for essentially the same reason--taking everything we know about sci-fi and turning it on its head. (Yeah, James Cameron, I said it, and I don't care how much Avatar made this weekend; I'd rather watch these.)

2. Fantastic Mr. Fox: Wes Anderson's finesse transferred seamlessly into the world of stop-motion.

1. Where the Wild Things Are: It proved movies for adults could be made based on children's books.

And if you'd like to know the bottom five (at least, out of the 39 I've seen this year:

5. Extract

4. Paranormal Activity

3. Angels & Demons

2. My Bloody Valentine 3D

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

For the curious, I've seen Brothers and The Road over the last few days. I advise against Brothers due to Tobey Maguire's inability to act angry, as well as the film's deceptive advertising; The Road, despite having a stellar cast, is two solid hours of hopeless bleak despair.

Golden Globes 2010

Awards season is upon us, folks, and the nominees for the first set (that people actually care about) have been announced. My predictions (in the larger categories) are as follows:

BEST MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA

• Avatar
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglourious Basterds
• Precious
• Up in the Air

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA

• Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria
• Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
• Helen Mirren, The Last Station
• Carey Mulligan, An Education
• Gabourey Sidibe, Precious

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA

• Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
• George Clooney, Up in the Air
• Colin Firth, A Single Man
• Morgan Freeman, Invictus
• Tobey Maguire, Brothers

BEST MOTION PICTURE, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

• (500) Days of Summer
• The Hangover
• It's Complicated
• Julie & Julia
• Nine

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

• Sandra Bullock, The Proposal
• Marion Cotillard, Nine
• Julia Roberts, Duplicity
• Meryl Streep, It's Complicated
• Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

• Matt Damon, The Informant!
• Daniel Day-Lewis, Nine
• Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer
• Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

• Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
• Coraline
• Fantastic Mr. Fox
• The Princess and the Frog
• Up

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

• Penélope Cruz, Nine
• Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
• Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
• Mo'Nique, Precious
• Julianne Moore, A Single Man

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

• Matt Damon, Invictus
• Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
• Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
• Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
• Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

BEST DIRECTOR

• Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
• James Cameron, Avatar
• Clint Eastwood, Invictus
• Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
• Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

BEST SCREENPLAY

• Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, District 9
• Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
• Nancy Meyers, It's Complicated
• Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
• Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

BEST TELEVISION SERIES, DRAMA

• Big Love
• Dexter
• House
• Mad Men
• True Blood

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES, DRAMA

• Glenn Close, Damages
• January Jones, Mad Men
• Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
• Anna Paquin, True Blood
• Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES, DRAMA

• Simon Baker, The Mentalist
• Michael C. Hall, Dexter
• Jon Hamm, Mad Men
• Hugh Laurie, House
• Bill Paxton, Big Love

BEST TELEVISION SERIES, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

• 30 Rock
• Entourage
• Glee
• Modern Family
• The Office

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

• Toni Collette, United States of Tara
• Courteney Cox, Cougar Town
• Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
• Tina Fey, 30 Rock
• Lea Michele, Glee

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

• Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
• Steve Carell, The Office
• David Duchovny, Californication
• Thomas Jane, Hung
• Matthew Morrison, Glee

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

• Jane Adams, Hung
• Rose Byrne, Damages
• Jane Lynch, Glee
• Janet McTeer, Into the Storm
• Chloë Sevigny, Big Love

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

• Michael Emerson, Lost
• Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
• William Hurt, Damages
• John Lithgow, Dexter
• Jeremy Piven, Entourage

A caveat: I haven't seen a few of the movies, and I watch very little TV, so don't take my word as gospel. In fact, if you'd like to set up a little wager against me, be my guest. Also, remember that these are my predictions, not necessarily who I'd LIKE to see win.

37 (in a row?)

Thanks to a wonderful link provided by Kevin Smith on Twitter (@ThatKevinSmith), I tallied up all the 2009 releases that I've seen so far. There's 37 of them. Here we go:

My Bloody Valentine 3D

Coraline

Fanboys

Watchmen

The Great Buck Howard

Monsters vs Aliens

Adventureland

The Soloist

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Star Trek

Angels & Demons

Brothers Bloom

Up

Moon

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

HP & the Half-Blood Prince

(500) Days of Summer

Funny People

Julie & Julia

District 9

Inglorious Basterds

Taking Woodstock

Extract

9

Informant

Jennifer’s Body

Paranormal Activity

Capitalism: A Love Story

Invention of Lying

Whip It

Zombieland

Good Hair

Where the Wild Things Are

Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day

Box

Men Who Stare At Goats

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Out of those, I'd recommend all but four; care to guess which? I plan to see at least three more (The Road, Sherlock Holmes, and Up in the Air) before the year ends, for a nice round 40. In 2010, I want to shoot for an average of one a week, so let's hope we get 52 decent movies in my neck of the woods.

Fantastic Mr. Fox - 2009

Director: Wes Anderson

Writers: Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach

Starring: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe

"Everyone's different, him especially...but there's something kind of fantastic about that, isn't there?" Part talking-animal movie and part heist flick, the sixth feature from auteur (and personal idol) Wes Anderson tells the tale of the titular character (Clooney) who returns to his old life of chicken and cider thievery after promising his wife such behavior would end upon finding out she was pregnant.

Truth be told, I was a little worried about this film. Could the normally R-rated, live-action Anderson's style and quality translate to a PG stop-motion film? Thankfully, my fears were unfounded. There's loads of swearing in the film, but instead of anything inappropriate for little ears, they use the word "cuss" itself ("Are you cussing with me," etc). And despite the arguably hands-off directorial approach that Anderson took on the film (acting out the scenes himself in Paris and sending the video to his American animators), his attention to detail still rings through. Shockingly, the adult casting choices for child characters work well, and the animation itself has improved by leaps and bounds in the 50 years since the Rankin-Bass Christmas specials we all know and love. Above all else, Anderson and Baumbach were able to write a script encompassing Roald Dahl's original story, yet also including additional elements in the film's first and third acts to enhance the end product. This movie was a heartwarming, remarkable feat. Calling it "fantastic" might even be an understatement.