Up In The Air

I have of late had time to catch up with a couple of relatively recent films that have been sitting on my digital shelf for a period of time. The  films I saw in  recent days were : " There Will Be Blood"  and " Up In The Air "   I will give a few words to the first and write mainly of  the latter.


" There Will Be Blood" is in the end disappointing.  The penultimate scene and finale ruins all the craftsmanship come before it. I haven't seen such a pompous self indulgent ending to a film since the master of self importance Quentin  Tarantino's" Kill Bill 2". While Daniel Day Lewis and the supporting cast are, in part, excellent, they can not salvage the last stages of the film. Did we really need to be hit over the head with the rocks being chipped away at, at the beginning of the film ?


"Up in The Air" was referred to as "slight" in some reviews. I strongly disagree! Keeping in mind I have only seen " It's A Wonderful Life"; The director,Reitman,  strikes me as a modern day Capra. Gone are those optimistic days of the past but not the heart. The emphasis is placed on those who matter. As Clooney's character  delivers the bad news to the human baggage  being jettisoned by greedy corporations  the camera lingers on the saddest moments of all. Clooney's  performance is so  nuanced as to be effectively "real".  Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga would be tremendously under valued to be described as support. ( And I'll watch ANYTHING with  Melanie Lynskey, who plays an important part.)   A quick browse of IMDB or Rotten tomatoes will show the synopsis. It is a must see: hollywood with the smallest of aitches.