UP IN THE AIR
Directed by Jason Reitman. Starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons.
THE PLOT: Clooney plays high-flying employment hitman Ryan Bingham, living most of his life in airport lounges as he moves from business to business to help with their downsizing. Which basically means a staff cull. Lumbered with a stiff young recruit (Kendrick), and confronted with a one-night-stand that turns into an unexpected long-distance relationship (Farmiga), Ryan begins to question his lonely life in eternal limbo. All the while, he's chasing that millionth air mile that will grant him the ultimate membership card.
THE VERDICT: With the likes of Leatherheads and The Good German flopping disastrously, it was beginning to look like George Clooney was a star who just didn't have hits. Thank heavens then for Up In The Air, a $25m movie that's already taken $50m in the US. And with awards season blowing plenty of kisses Clooney's way right now, that number should keep on rising.
Think Lost In Transportation. Led by De Niro's Neil McCauley from Heat. Without the killing. Or the karaoke.
RATING: ****
ALL ABOUT STEVE
Directed by Phil Traill. Starring Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper, Thomas Haden Church, Ken Jeong, DJ Qualls.
THE PLOT: Bullock plays dedicated loner Mary Horowitz, happy to stay at her parents as the dust continues to settle in her fumigated apartment, and keeping busy, busy, busy compiling her crosswords for a local paper until blind date Steve (a terrified looking Bradley Cooper, possibly not acting) turns up on her door. Then Mary becomes a stalker. But a harmless one.
THE VERDICT:
The film that almost derailed Bullock's comeback year, the overly-wacky comedy All About Steve scored 6% on rottentomatoes, and made just $33m at the US box-office. A better title would have been There's Something Really Frickin' Unsettling About Mary, Bullock's kooky stalker chick just a tad too crazy for comfort. Or humour. Think Travis Bickle. Meets Nacho Libre.
RATING: *
THE BOOK OF ELI
The Book Of Eli is being released into Irish cinemas without a press screening. Maybe it's so good that they just don't want anyone to know about it?
Rating : ?
HARDER, BETTER, STRONGER, FASTER?
The new and improved Irish Film Institute opened its door earlier this month, a third screen added and some major Feng Shui reshuffle on the ground floor. All very swanky (Alan Partridge would love the new toilets!), and inviting, and, of course, very welcome.
As part of the launch, the IFI introduced a new programme for 2010, including an IFI Open Day on Feb 6th (boasting free screenings throughout the venue for all ages); Archive At Lunchtime, which involves a twice-weekly free lunchtime screening from the Irish Film Archive; supporting your local sheriffs, with major retrospectives planned for both Jim Sheridan and Roddy Doyle; IFI Family and Teen Screen being two monthly opportunities to give young film fans a chance to catch up on their subtitles. Check out www.ifi.ie for full details.
THOROLD DICKINSON SEASON
Kicking off this afternoon with The Arsenal Stadium Mystery and Gaslight (screening today and tomorrow at 1pm), the IFI pay tribute to the British filmmaker Thorold Dickinson with a short season of his films.
Having shot nine features from 1937 to 1955, Dickinson has languished in relative obscurity for the last few decades, a sorry state of affairs the IFI are helping to rectify.
After this weekend's double-bill, the Anton Walbrook and Edith Evans-led 1949 Scorsese favourite The Queen Of Spades will be screening on Jan 29th and 31st at 2pm, and Jan 30th at 2.10pm. Full details on www.ifi.ie
Words - Paul Byrne