Up in the Air

Ryan Bingham is not Juno MacGuff. Don't see this movie just because the guy who did Juno did this too. If you have that mindset, it will disappoint. Juno is a character who starts out aimless and finds a more defined path for her life. Ryan starts out with a defined path for his life but winds up aimless by the end. The effect is unsettling and even unsatisfying if you're looking for a more traditional comedy.

What is great about Jason Reitman is that he shoots for the edit in this film. Every shot is carefully planned for both comedic and dramatic purposes. One scene in particular could be used to study directing and editing. It simply has Bingham going through a security check at an airport, but every little step involved with that procedure is shot and cut in rapid, harmonious succession with sound effects that make those blunt gray containers seem like weapons. Bingham is a warrior.

Several scenes include large American Airline posters in the background that read: "We Value your Loyalty." This underlines the defining concept of the film. Loyalty is a limited resource. Everyone has it invested in something, but what's going to provide the most return? There is much to be said about relationships, with characters that are loyal, disloyal and even indifferent, and the need "to make a connection" (as the tagline so cleverly tells us). This is a timeless story centered around the American Dream but yet is a snapshot of our time and the result of the current economy. People need to see this. It will reach out to them.

It is clear now that Juno was what it was because of Reitman. He brings a certain level of humanity to everything he does. Up in the Air deserves the title of Best Picture. It's the most all-around complete film of the year.

Oscar nominations for Picture, Director, Actor (Clooney), Supporting Actress (Kendrick and Farmiga), Adapted Screenplay and Film Editing. Reitman will pick up the first Oscar of his career for the screenplay. Kendrick will finish as the runner-up for Best Supporting Actress. The lone barrier between her and the statuette: Mo'Nique.

The Princess and the Frog

Not until the final month do we get this decade's first truly satisfying feature length animated musical from Disney (although there's only been a handful of attempts). This is a rebirth of Disney filmmaking in the traditional sense. To watch this movie is to watch something magical that hasn't happened in nearly a dozen years.

There are a variety of opinions concerning which Disney films of the Disney Renaissance era are better than others, but I'm going to take it upon myself to say that the last great traditional animated film was The Lion King in 1994. Good films still came out and Alan Menken continued to put together some wonderful soundtracks for the remainder of the decade, but the new millennium has not shown much promise.

What really sells The Princess and the Frog is that it tells a story worth telling (take note Dreamworks) and tells it well. As the second American protagonist (after Pocahantas), Tiana stands apart from many of the other Disney princesses as being the first to seek the American Dream. She aspires to own her own restaurant and works two jobs to save up enough money for the down payment. Unlike Ariel, Belle and Jasmine, she does not dream of an escape from her current lifestyle. She is satisfied until she hits a roadblock with her plans which then cues our inciting incident.

Along the way she learns to place family and relationships above her personal dreams. A very modern message to say the least. There is a particularly powerful moment when the villain tempts her with a virtual tour of the restaurant she desires to have and a flashback with her father.

Two years ago, Enchanted reminded us of what we were missing out on. For those of us whose childhood took place during the Renaissance era, it was a refreshing and extremely nostalgic experience to see Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz at work again. The filmmakers for that movie knew it too. The way in which the sequence for the catchy number "That's How You Know" plays out was... well, enchanting. My only disappointment with "The Princess and the Frog" is that it lacks a really moving score from Randy Newman and while the musical numbers are fun and energetic, what's missing is the one song that encompasses the emotions of the film the way "Beauty and the Beast" did for Beauty and the Beast or "A Whole New World" did for Aladdin. There is a song called "Almost There" that comes close, but for the life of me I couldn't seem to recall the tune after the film.

Alan Menken will fortunately be back with 2010's Repunzel. However, that movie will involve CGI with the "intention to look and feel like traditional hand-drawn animation" (a curious description indeed). Time will tell if Disney can get any momentum going off the wake of The Princess and the Frog, a film that deserves to take its place amongst the studio's numerous animated greats.

An Education

When you see this film (and you should) don't expect it to impress you on a superficial level. It won't satisfy the senses, the story-line won't necessarily leave you in awe, and the characters don't seem to go through the motions of intense dramatic moments that you would maybe expect to propel a character-driven piece (for example, I would say Rachel Getting Married undoubtedly had moments with intense drama). This is an internal story of a girl who wants to discover the world and when given the opportunity, lunges at it. Now, when put bluntly like that, you can probably guess that consequences resulting from her naivety will result. But this is life and it happens to us all.

Carey Mulligan will win a Golden Globe and (God bless her) ultimately go head-to-head against Meryl Streep for the Lead Actress Oscar. Her performance as Jenny doesn't make this character memorable for being a rarity, but rather she embodies all of us during our teenage years in the sense that her character is ready to commence adulthood and will do anything to get the process going. She is warm and charming, giddy and anxious, but yet she exerts as much caution as she knows how. What is most memorable is her laugh. You'll be happy and excited for her when she's happy and excited and you'll feel deeply for her when her world comes crashing down.

Gradually, Jenny begins to compromise herself and even though you know disaster lurks around the corner, it all seems rather acceptable while you're along for the ride. Her parents seem to fall into this same trap. As Jenny's father, Alfred Molina gives a superb take as a man who comes off as having plenty of confidence but finds himself torn down when his daughter is discovered to have been taken advantage of.

My lone complaint is that very little running time (in fact, probably only a handful of minutes) is devoted to Jenny's eventual redemption at the end of the film to really give the sense that something significant was accomplished. Nevertheless, when you see this movie you will see yourself in some way or another. You will watch something that you have either experienced or will experience and it will make you ponder what your "education" in life has consisted of.

Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress (Carey Mulligan), Supporting Actor (Alfred Molina), and Adapted Screenplay. Although Molina is a wild card. If he doesn't land a nomination, he'll be in the non-existent 6th or 7th slot.