Up in the Air, 2009

Director: Jason Reitman
Awards: lots of nominations--not yet determined
Starring: George Clooney; Vera Farmiga; Anna Kendrick
IMDB Link:  Up in the Air

sez says: I just love watching George Clooney (me along with all the women I know) so can I be critical of his movies...probably not.  But he chooses good stories -- uplifting questions about human behavior, and values, and he does not insist on being the hero of the story (like John Wayne and his ilk are reported to have done).  This is a case in point.  He plays a man who believes--and who promotes--that all belongings and all relationships are nothing but a drag on an individual-- and that you should relieve yourself of anything that weighs you down. All you have to do is see his apartment--a sterile empty place--to get an idea of what his philosophy leads to. So, you can guess that the story is about his coming to face the consequences of his philosophy. Not profound, but entertaining. The photography of cities and countryside taken from the air are really wonderful --you'll want to see these in a real movie theater.  GRADE B-

mjc says:  what's not to like about this one; I guess I just like to sit and enjoy a well told story with smooth acting paving the way.  It is hard to surprise me in a movie, not because I am so intuitive, but because I've seen so many, so the plot stuff went as expected, but Clooney is so good at letting you into the scene and making you comfortable in your suspension of disbelief that it is pure pleasure.   GRADE B-