A Hat-Trick of Movies End the Year

We saw three movies last weekend. We had a triple play of excellent movies. The third was George Clooney and Jason Reitman's top quality and not-to-be-missed Up in the Air. (Tomatometer: 90%; IMDB) This was the movie that came into the year-end season with the most positive buzz having been premiered earlier. Everyone was putting it on their best of the year list before it was even released. I can sure see why.

Clooney is at his best. Reitman keeps getting better and deeper. From the satire of Thanks for Smoking to the cuteness and challenge of keeping Juno from being too cute, Reitman has shown that he has top shelf directing chops in a comedy/drama with a serious message tempered by humor and characterization. I am amazed at Clooney. He never looks like he is acting. He is himself- or is he? The roller coaster his character rides in this movie is seen in his actions and reactions. He is never false. He grabs you.

So does Vera Farmiga as Clooney's love interest. She is the person you see. Or is she? You are never sure since she is a gender-different version of Clooney. She too pulls you in and grabs you. You are there with her. No spoilers here. Go see it.

Something you don't see as often in movies any more- an opening title sequence. This one was fun to watch as they used shots from the air as a plane traveled across the country. The theme was used throughout the movie in introducing each new landing of Clooney's character. It was a thread that tied the movie together and let you know that things were changing even as they seemed to remain the same.

In short, I was blown away by the movie. Reitman and Clooney show that you can make a major motion picture that is serious, Academy Award level and still be accessible. You don't need fancy computer graphics or even levels of violence to blow you away. People can do that simply by being people. Good actors, good scripts, good direction can knock you from your seat as much as a blue-world from someone's imagination.

Invictus shows you the power of humans in changing the world. Up In the Air is about people and what life can do to them. Both show that great movies can be found in the stuff of every day life. Go see them!