I watched Up In The Air with very different eyes than most of the audience. I watched it with the eyes of someone who lost their job in 2009. Due to this, the events of the film affected me in a very different way, ways I didn’t expect at all.
I cried.
I am not someone that cries at movies, and I in no way want you to think that because I cried that I did not enjoy Up In The Air or think it was a great movie. It was perfection, beautiful, magical perfection on screen. Since leaving this film I get choked up every time I think about it. I think the fact that this movie has moved me so deeply is a testament to its skill and impact; this is not just a great film, an award worthy film – it’s art.
Great art is meant to make you think, but even more it’s meant to stir up emotions in you, emotions that are unique to you whether that be passion, joy or in my case a year of pent up anxiety, stress, grief & confusion. In the end a catharsis should be achieved somehow Up In The Air stirred up all of those emotions I’ve been denying and perhaps even began my catharsis.
I sincerely love Up In The Air on it’s merits as a funny, touching, engaging film and I think this is a film that will be enjoyed by those who haven’t lost their jobs this year. However, I already think this film is going to become a part of my makeup as an artist because Reitman and co. managed to tell the story of the last year of my life, even as I am still processing the year that was.
I thank Jason Reitman for that on a level I’m not sure he can understand as I am a complete stranger to him.
Director: Jason Reitman
Writers: Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
Ryan Bingham: George Clooney
Alex: Vera Farmiga
Natalie: Anna Kendrick
Craig Gregory: Jason Bateman
Kara Bingham: Amy Morton
Julie Bingham: Melanie Lynskey
Bob: JK Simmons
Jim Miller: Danny McBride
Ryan: Never get behind old people. Their bodies are littered with hidden metal and they never seem to appreciate how little time they have left. Bingo, Asians. They pack light, travel efficiently, and they have a thing for slip on shoes. Gotta love 'em.
Natalie: That's racist.
Ryan: I'm like my mother, I stereotype. It's faster.
Showing posts with label JK Simmons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JK Simmons. Show all posts
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Extract
Joel owns his own company making extract and is bored with life; he and his wife have lost the flame of their relationship, he’s tired of owning his business, and he hates his neighbors. All of this changes when there is an accident on the factory floor and the factor gets a new temp, Cindy who is looking for a way to cash in on the award the accident victim will be getting. Joel and all of his male employees and friends are soon obsessed with Cindy and Joel is even convinced by his best friend Dean to pay someone to have an affair with his wife so that he can have a guilt-free affair with Cindy. As in any Mike Judge comedy, nothing goes as planned.
I have to admit that I am one of the many people that went out and saw Extract because I adore Office Space. I did enjoy Extract but not nearly as much as I enjoyed Office Space; what I am trying to figure out now is if I adore Office Space so much because of how many times I’ve seen it or because it’s a better movie. It is quite possible that with more viewings all the nuances of Extract will be just as funny to me as all the quirks of Office Space are.
Perhaps it’s my stage of life, but while I enjoyed all the characters in Extract, I just couldn’t relate to any one of them. Their lives are nothing like mine yet, and though this normally wouldn’t keep me out of enjoying a movie, Judge makes the kind of comedy that tries to be an exaggerated slice of life and this was in no way my life. I’m not married, a stoner, a scam artist or a business owner. I however am single, an office employee and a former member of the retail world so I totally understand Office Space.
What I did adore about Office Space was Ben Affleck. Yes, heckle me all you wish but I am a fan of Affleck – I think he’s highly underrated and needs to be used more, especially in comedy. Affleck plays Dean, a bartender, minor drug dealer, and wannabe pimp. He was one of the funniest things about Extract and I would have loved to see him on screen more.
I also have to give props to Jason Bateman. Bateman is the current king of subtle comedic acting and he excels at deadpan humor and “mundane” characters. I want to see Bateman do more as every role I see him in is memorable and entertaining, right down to his character in State of Play.
While I was not immediately desiring to add Extract to my DVD collection, it is a fine film that will undoubtedly become a favorite with Judge fans and the audience that will slowly discover it more and more when it comes to DVD.
Director & Writer: Mike Judge
Joel: Jason Bateman
Cindy: Mila Kunis
Suzie: Kristen Wiig
Dean: Ben Affleck
Brian: JK Simmons
I have to admit that I am one of the many people that went out and saw Extract because I adore Office Space. I did enjoy Extract but not nearly as much as I enjoyed Office Space; what I am trying to figure out now is if I adore Office Space so much because of how many times I’ve seen it or because it’s a better movie. It is quite possible that with more viewings all the nuances of Extract will be just as funny to me as all the quirks of Office Space are.
Perhaps it’s my stage of life, but while I enjoyed all the characters in Extract, I just couldn’t relate to any one of them. Their lives are nothing like mine yet, and though this normally wouldn’t keep me out of enjoying a movie, Judge makes the kind of comedy that tries to be an exaggerated slice of life and this was in no way my life. I’m not married, a stoner, a scam artist or a business owner. I however am single, an office employee and a former member of the retail world so I totally understand Office Space.
What I did adore about Office Space was Ben Affleck. Yes, heckle me all you wish but I am a fan of Affleck – I think he’s highly underrated and needs to be used more, especially in comedy. Affleck plays Dean, a bartender, minor drug dealer, and wannabe pimp. He was one of the funniest things about Extract and I would have loved to see him on screen more.
I also have to give props to Jason Bateman. Bateman is the current king of subtle comedic acting and he excels at deadpan humor and “mundane” characters. I want to see Bateman do more as every role I see him in is memorable and entertaining, right down to his character in State of Play.
While I was not immediately desiring to add Extract to my DVD collection, it is a fine film that will undoubtedly become a favorite with Judge fans and the audience that will slowly discover it more and more when it comes to DVD.
Director & Writer: Mike Judge
Joel: Jason Bateman
Cindy: Mila Kunis
Suzie: Kristen Wiig
Dean: Ben Affleck
Brian: JK Simmons
Monday, March 23, 2009
I Love You, Man
Peter is a girlfriend guy; he doesn’t have many male friends and everyone knows it, he just gets along with females more than the average dude and he never thinks anything of it. When Peter gets engaged to his girlfriend Zooey he overhears she and her friends discussing his lack of male friends and decides to rectify this. Peter takes uses his brother, the internet and any kind of interaction he can to start meeting guys in an effort to find his best man. In the perfect example of opposites attract Peter finally meets Sydney who is a dude’s dude to his very core. However, what Peter doesn’t count on is the fact that by finding a best man he’s added a third person into the relationship he has with his fiancée.I can’t believe I Love You, Man was as unique and original as it is; I can’t believe it hasn’t been made before. I Love You, Man is the flip side of Swingers - it’s the men a little further along in their lives as they become friends, rather than watching the hijinks of the men who already are each others lives.
What is really unique and fun about I Love You, Man is the sheer representations of “man” that are in the movie; each is unique, complete and you clearly know each of the types. Peter is the man who hasn’t accepted his manhood, Sydney is the man that is too much of a man for his own good, Barry is the man’s man who wants poker nights and a sexy wife, Robbie is the straightest gay man you know, Tevin is the cheesy, too-primped man slut who wants to prove his superiority, and Lou Ferrigno is the Hulk – the types go on. Each of these characters represent a personality and a relationship not just a joke and a punch line which is what makes this comedy original and funny.
The jokes in this movie are just as fun as the trailer promises. Jon Favreau’s Barry is the funniest prick in film and one of the funniest yet most disgusting scenes deals with a drinking game between he and Peter. I also love the jokes that you get in the film because Robbie is gay. I feel like I can’t talk about the best parts of the movie because this is a new release and I don’t want to spoil the comedy for those that are going to see it.
To sum up I Love You, Man I’d have to say that it’s a “chick flick” for men. The standard formula of boy-meets-girl applies, but it’s guy-meets-guy – in a not gay way.
Director: John Hamburg
Writers: John Hamburg & Larry Levin
Peter Klaven: Paul Rudd
Zooey: Rashida Jones
Hailey: Sarah Burns
Denise: Jamie Pressly
Barry: Jon Favreau
Joyce Klaven: Jane Curtin
Oswald Klaven: J.K. Simmons
Robbie Klaven: Andy Samberg
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Burn After Reading
Burn After Reading is the latest in the long line or quirky and original films made by the Coen brothers, and hot off their Oscar win for No Country for Old Men. To call Burn After Reading a spy movie does not properly define it, but to call the film simply a comedy undersells it. Like most of the Coen brothers movies there is no simple way to categorize Burn After Reading.
The film begins with Osbourne, a CIA analyst who is told he is being demoted and therefore quits, his wife Katie reacts adversely to this news and chalks up another reason for divorce. Meanwhile, Harry is a ladies’ man who hides his many girlfriends from his wife, and is a paranoid US Marshall who thinks he is being watched. In another section of Washington D.C. Linda and Chad work at Hard Bodies gym; Linda is obsessed with changing her life by getting plastic surgery to change her body, and Chad is blissfully Chad. At the gym one day Chad & Linda stumble on a CD of Osbourne’s memoirs and financial info and make the mistaken assumption that it is “secret intelligence shit” and decide to offer it up to Osbourne thinking that they will get a good Samaritan reward. However, this backfires and they instead try blackmailing Osbourne which is where the plot gets even more complex than it already was.
Hands down the best thing about this movie is Chad played by Brad Pitt. He steals the show. Chad is just so blissfully Chad that is almost beyond description, he exists in his own world. I really can’t describe him to justice – just go see the movie.
However, some of the best lines in the film are given to a more minor character, the CIA supervisor played by JK Simmons. At at least two points in the movie Osbourne’s former boss must go to the supervisor to report on the oddities they’ve noticed since Osbourne quit – namely that Linda and Chad contacted Osbourne and then went to the Russian embassy. No one at the CIA can figure out what is going on or how this random group of people is involved and JK is the voice of that confusion.
If some of the Coen’s audience is new and jumped into their movies at No Country for Old Men they will be surprised by Burn After Reading, this movie is the old school, traditional Coen’s where the Oscar winning film is the mature side of the Coen’s. However, no matter how different their films may be they are all worth watching.
Director’s & Writer’s: Joel & Ethan Coen
Harry: George Clooney
Linda: Frances McDormand
Chad: Brad Pitt
Osbourne: John Malkovitch
Katie: Tilda Swinton
CIA Supervisor: JK Simmons
CIA Superior: What did we learn?
CIA Officer: Uh...
CIA Superior: Not to do it again. I don't know what the fuck it is we *did*, but...
The film begins with Osbourne, a CIA analyst who is told he is being demoted and therefore quits, his wife Katie reacts adversely to this news and chalks up another reason for divorce. Meanwhile, Harry is a ladies’ man who hides his many girlfriends from his wife, and is a paranoid US Marshall who thinks he is being watched. In another section of Washington D.C. Linda and Chad work at Hard Bodies gym; Linda is obsessed with changing her life by getting plastic surgery to change her body, and Chad is blissfully Chad. At the gym one day Chad & Linda stumble on a CD of Osbourne’s memoirs and financial info and make the mistaken assumption that it is “secret intelligence shit” and decide to offer it up to Osbourne thinking that they will get a good Samaritan reward. However, this backfires and they instead try blackmailing Osbourne which is where the plot gets even more complex than it already was.
Hands down the best thing about this movie is Chad played by Brad Pitt. He steals the show. Chad is just so blissfully Chad that is almost beyond description, he exists in his own world. I really can’t describe him to justice – just go see the movie.
However, some of the best lines in the film are given to a more minor character, the CIA supervisor played by JK Simmons. At at least two points in the movie Osbourne’s former boss must go to the supervisor to report on the oddities they’ve noticed since Osbourne quit – namely that Linda and Chad contacted Osbourne and then went to the Russian embassy. No one at the CIA can figure out what is going on or how this random group of people is involved and JK is the voice of that confusion.
If some of the Coen’s audience is new and jumped into their movies at No Country for Old Men they will be surprised by Burn After Reading, this movie is the old school, traditional Coen’s where the Oscar winning film is the mature side of the Coen’s. However, no matter how different their films may be they are all worth watching.
Director’s & Writer’s: Joel & Ethan Coen
Harry: George Clooney
Linda: Frances McDormand
Chad: Brad Pitt
Osbourne: John Malkovitch
Katie: Tilda Swinton
CIA Supervisor: JK Simmons
CIA Superior: What did we learn?
CIA Officer: Uh...
CIA Superior: Not to do it again. I don't know what the fuck it is we *did*, but...
Monday, May 19, 2008
Juno
I am not afraid of Juno causing a rise in teen pregnancy; don’t think that I am starting with this statement out of left field. There have been plenty of critics of the film that have said dumb things like Juno being the impetus to teens having more sex. To me this statement proves that these people have not seen the film. Juno is a film about teen pregnancy; but more than anything it is about a teen that knows she made a mistake and decides to take responsibility afterwards by not aborting the baby or keeping it to raise, but making sure to give it a family that she knows will proved it a life she cannot achieve for the baby.
Perhaps my favorite part of Juno is not just the acerbic wit of the lead character (named after Zeus’ wife not the city) but the supporting characters around her: Leah the best friend, Mac her father, Bren her stepmother and Bleeker the father. Each of these characters is realistic in the way they respond to Juno’s plight and offer the support and love that I would hope any of my friends would get if they were in Juno’s situation.
When Juno comes running straight from the abortion clinic to Leah’s house and announces that she’s going to “stay pregnant” Leah quickly moves from freaking out about how this will change Juno’s life to suggesting to Juno how to find a quality adoptive couple for the baby. Throughout the rest of the film she is by Juno’s side through thick and thin when Juno tells her parents about her situation to the actual delivery itself.
Just as important are Bren and Mac Juno’s parents. When Juno tells them that she is pregnant they don’t tell though visibly upset, instead they step in to help Juno take her pregnancy seriously; Mac stays by Juno’s side through the adoption process right until after the delivery when he consoles her by saying someday she’ll have a baby when she’s ready to have one. After finding out Juno is pregnant Bren immediately jumps in to the mother role to her stepdaughter by taking her to the doctor, protecting her from the condescension of the ultra-sound tech and even screaming at the doctors to give Juno “the damn spinal tap” when she is in labor.
Then there is Bleeker, the father of Juno’s baby and the last person anyone expected to be able to get a girl pregnant. Bleeker is a relatively calm character who tries to stay by Juno’s side even when she pushes him away. To Bleeker Juno is still the only girl in the world and he doesn’t understand why she can’t see that. However, slow and steady wins the race and by the end of Juno’s journey she has realized that Bleeker is the best thing that could have happened to her.
Finally, we have Juno herself. While this character is an irresponsible teenage girl she proves more than capable of “dealing with things way beyond [her] maturity level”. She moves with absolute resolution from deciding to abort the pregnancy to staying pregnant and giving up the baby for adoption. Her wit and sarcasm are her greatest weapons that arm her to deal with the skeptics around her, and she seeks out not just a better life for the baby, but to find out her ultimate goal – who she truly is.
Juno is a quirky film that balances a peculiar sense of humor with a dramatic subject, but it is the heart of the movie that makes it truly shine. If Jason Reitman was able to make a “joyful movie about lung cancer” in Thank You for Smoking, then with Diablo Cody’s script he makes a warm-hearted film about teen pregnancy.
Director: Jason Reitman
Writer: Diablo Cody
Juno: Ellen page
Bleeker: Michael Cera
Vanessa: Jennifer Garner
Mark: Jason Bateman
Bren: Allison Janney
Mac: J.K. Simmons
Leah: Olivia Thirlby
Vanessa Loring: Your parents are probably wondering where you are.
Juno MacGuff: Nah... I mean, I'm already pregnant, so what other kind of shenanigans could I get into?
Perhaps my favorite part of Juno is not just the acerbic wit of the lead character (named after Zeus’ wife not the city) but the supporting characters around her: Leah the best friend, Mac her father, Bren her stepmother and Bleeker the father. Each of these characters is realistic in the way they respond to Juno’s plight and offer the support and love that I would hope any of my friends would get if they were in Juno’s situation.
When Juno comes running straight from the abortion clinic to Leah’s house and announces that she’s going to “stay pregnant” Leah quickly moves from freaking out about how this will change Juno’s life to suggesting to Juno how to find a quality adoptive couple for the baby. Throughout the rest of the film she is by Juno’s side through thick and thin when Juno tells her parents about her situation to the actual delivery itself.
Just as important are Bren and Mac Juno’s parents. When Juno tells them that she is pregnant they don’t tell though visibly upset, instead they step in to help Juno take her pregnancy seriously; Mac stays by Juno’s side through the adoption process right until after the delivery when he consoles her by saying someday she’ll have a baby when she’s ready to have one. After finding out Juno is pregnant Bren immediately jumps in to the mother role to her stepdaughter by taking her to the doctor, protecting her from the condescension of the ultra-sound tech and even screaming at the doctors to give Juno “the damn spinal tap” when she is in labor.
Then there is Bleeker, the father of Juno’s baby and the last person anyone expected to be able to get a girl pregnant. Bleeker is a relatively calm character who tries to stay by Juno’s side even when she pushes him away. To Bleeker Juno is still the only girl in the world and he doesn’t understand why she can’t see that. However, slow and steady wins the race and by the end of Juno’s journey she has realized that Bleeker is the best thing that could have happened to her.
Finally, we have Juno herself. While this character is an irresponsible teenage girl she proves more than capable of “dealing with things way beyond [her] maturity level”. She moves with absolute resolution from deciding to abort the pregnancy to staying pregnant and giving up the baby for adoption. Her wit and sarcasm are her greatest weapons that arm her to deal with the skeptics around her, and she seeks out not just a better life for the baby, but to find out her ultimate goal – who she truly is.
Juno is a quirky film that balances a peculiar sense of humor with a dramatic subject, but it is the heart of the movie that makes it truly shine. If Jason Reitman was able to make a “joyful movie about lung cancer” in Thank You for Smoking, then with Diablo Cody’s script he makes a warm-hearted film about teen pregnancy.
Director: Jason Reitman
Writer: Diablo Cody
Juno: Ellen page
Bleeker: Michael Cera
Vanessa: Jennifer Garner
Mark: Jason Bateman
Bren: Allison Janney
Mac: J.K. Simmons
Leah: Olivia Thirlby
Vanessa Loring: Your parents are probably wondering where you are.
Juno MacGuff: Nah... I mean, I'm already pregnant, so what other kind of shenanigans could I get into?
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