Film Review : Up In The Air

Jason Reitman has made quite a name for himself with his first two films as director, Thank You For Smoking and Juno. Whilst he's worked with actors of some substance, he's now moved into the big time with this movie which boasts George Clooney in the lead part.

Clooney's character plays Ryan Bingham who works for a company who are hired to pass on the unwanted news to people that they are being made redundant. As such, he's pretty much perpetually on the move and as a man with absolutely no commitment genes he's able to live a life to his total satisfaction almost perpetually on the road and utterly in control.

His world is shaken as his company employ a bright, young thing called Natalie Keener played by Anna Kendrick who convinces the management that this type of thing would best be done remotely with the consultants stuck in the office and carrying out their interviews over a web connection. Needless to say this does not go down well with Bingham but, as the company's top man, he is asked to show Natalie the ropes of the business.

At the same time, Bingham has made an acquaintance of Alex (played by Vera Farmiga) who seems to share a similar commitment-free lifestyle and engage in a relationship which seems ideally suited to their preferences.

Needless to say, this confluence of circumstance develops as you might expect with Bingham discovering that he's not as commitment free as he thought, and the halt to his travelling lifestyle also means that he makes a connection to his family which has until now largely ignored.

Whilst reasonably gentle in tone, this still has a decent kick to it. Clooney and Farmiga have real on-screen chemistry, and Natalie Keener is excellent as the smart cookie who has to learn some tough lessons along the way. Although it sounds very much like the proverbial chick-flick there is much more to it than that.

Clooney has been one of the early front-runners for Oscar glory but, whilst he is good, I'm not convinced that he's doing enough here to make him rise to the top of that particular pile. In any event, after the first couple of rounds of awards, it's beginning to look like the cognoscenti have decided that it's Jeff Bridge's turn. The Dude deserves it too!

Bingham ends the film living life as he has become accustomed, except that some things will never quite be the same again.

Film Review : Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll

What more can you want from life? It is, after all, all your brain and body need. Ian Dury's iconic debut single for Stiff Records is the title of this biopic of the disabled singer who stormed the charts along with his superb backing band The Blockheads some (whisper it) thirty years ago.

Andy Serkis continues to build on his reputation with an excellent performance as the unlikely star who was disabled as a result of a polio attach at the age of seven. Truly gifted, manipulative and often lacking in self-confidence (despite all appearances to the contrary) Dury could be a complete and utter bastard to friends, family and anyone else who caught him at the wrong moment but who was nevertheless loved by all of them in equal measure.

Massively charismatic whilst, seemingly paradoxically, not wanting to be seen as a second class citizen as a result of his disability whilst using that self-same disability as a means to get his own way Dury's legacy has stood the test of time albeit this is based largely on a couple of singles with perhaps New Boots And Panties being his only truly satisfying album.

This film is less about the music and more about the man. Based largely in the period between the latter days of Kilburn And The High Roads and the return of Chaz Jankel (which makes it 1981 and the Lord Upminster album), it depicts Dury's rise to stardom and his fall from grace which was largely self-inflicted by his conflicted desire for fame and his bad reaction to achieving it. There are flashbacks to his earlier life bringing into play the influence of his father (played by Ray Winstone and as mythologised in the song "My Old Man") and his time in an institutions with other children with polio. Both had a significant impact on Dury the adult although he was largely brought up by his mother and two sisters in a loving environment.

The film does well to depict the complexities that made up this man including his manipulative relationships with the women in his life. The centrepiece of the movie focuses around his relationship with his son Baxter who is famously depicted on the cover of New Boots And Panties alongside his father.

Although there are a number of strong performances from the rest of the cast, the movie undoubtedly belongs to Andy Serkis. It's not very long into the movie before you fully believe that it is the late singer that you are watching on screen. He also does all of the singing backed by The Blockheads and does an equally remarkable job.

For those of you who liked or loved Ian Dury this is a film you will want to see. For the rest of you, I can only say that my wife couldn't stand Ian Dury but was impressed by Serkis' performance in the trailer and thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I think that's what you call high praise indeed!

Film Review : The Road

Following the success of translating Cormac McCarthy's No Country For Old Men by the Coen Brothers, director John Hillcoat was given the task of doing the same for The Road, McCarthy's post-apocalyptic tale of father and son trying to survive in the grimmest of circumstances.

Those who saw Hillcoat's last movie The Proposition will be aware that he has all the credentials to turn McCarthy's bleak tale into a gripping movie. And the good news is that he has succeeded, although it's not something to be going to if you're looking for some light entertainment.

Unlike many post-apocalyptic tales there is no attempt to provide any alternative to the fact that life for those that remain will be anything but difficult, challenging and plain grim. There is added power to the narrative by never revealing what has happened to create such devastation in the world - we probably all have our preferred end of the world phobias and each will fit nicely into this tale which will help to increase your empathy for the characters.

The plot is simple and revolves around the travels of a father and son as they head for the coast in the hope that they might find something more hopeful for the future. Viggo Mortenson plays the determined but pessimistic father trying both to protect his son and also to prepare him to try and survive in an unforgiving world where those that remain are largely hostile in their own determination to survive.

The bleak outlook of the father are offset by some flashback sequences before the apocalyptic event with his wife, played by Charlize Theron. It allows you to judge the cost that's etched on the father's face during their journey to the coast.

The son, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee was brought up in a post-apocalyptic world but retains some optimism about his fellow man. This is not shared by the father who is suspicious of everyone and, in a harrowing scene attempts to teach his son how to shoot himself should he find himself out of other options.

The father carries a gun but it's soon clear that this is intended for use on himself and his son should that prove necessary rather than to shoot others. But his whole being is devoted to the protection of his son, and the intensity of Mortenson's performance is remarkable in conveying this as the journey progresses and the pair have to deal with a number of incidents along the way.

Supported by some fine cameo performances by Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce, the film concludes with the vaguest glimmer of hope. But perhaps that entirely relative given the struggle of the pair through a bleak, devastated landscape.