Up In The Air

Up In The Air

A tale of shallow physical affairs and finding the values behind the meaning of life, Up in the Air demonstrates the hardship of being made redundant, whilst retaining the qualities that can make and break a relationship.

George Clooney plays the man with the routine, Ryan Bingham; employed by a corporate human resources department, his career consists of flying around the USA and informing people that they are no longer in work. When he finally meets a woman who seems to share his values and casual interests, he sees behind the callous nature of his work and believes his purpose in life has taken new meaning and that settling down is the only way to guarantee ultimate happiness.

For all of Clooney’s charm and elegant grace on screen, his performance here offers more ambiguity. His initial casual relationship with Alex reinforces the very shell of his work; he is emotionally detached and clinical in separating his sexual path with the cold and unnerving task and job terminator. But it is his ability to detour from his usual uninspiring Romeo archetypal character which opens the audience’s eye. Where he lectures of the importance of removing all baggage (physical and emotional) in order to make one’s career more efficient and easier to manage, he realises how isolated he has become from forming any genuine relationships, including that of his family.

Meeting Alex along the way, a fellow workaholic and unattached traveller, Ryan believes he has met the woman of his dreams. Mature, attractive and seemingly committed to no-strings sex, it appears to be the perfect woman. However, all is not as it seems, as he discovers that she has kept true to her word, keeping her personal life separate from her work much to Ryan’s shock and bemusement.

Whilst Up in the Air tells a poignant tale, the values and beliefs it delivers are straightforward and pack a punch. The acting across the board is decent, especially from Jason Batemen (playing Bingham’s boss) and Clooney himself as the lone traveller. The only real criticism is that of the film’s final few scenes, which lack any real inquisition from Bingham and if nothing else, drive home the sense of detachment that his life brings with it.

A thoroughly enjoyable albeit sombre fare, tightened up by fine acting and a solid structure.

8/10

Extract

From the creator of King of the Hill, Office Space and 'Beavis and Butthead', Mike Judge, Extract is the story of a successful married man whose life is shaken up when he finds his company in jeopardy following a lawsuit initiated by a new-in-town femme fatale.

Starring Jason Bateman (Smokin' Aces, Hancock, Arrested Development) as the lead and Mila Kunis (Family Guy) as the forbidden fruit, Extract presents a set of scenarios which not only seem to defy logic but also any realism.

The premise presented to us by Mike Judge, known for his immature but altogether brilliant observations of different aspects of everyday society, is that of a husband who in order to sleep with the new girl, must incriminate his wife by having her seduced by a gigolo fronting as a pool boy. Should she, Suzie (Kristen Wiig), resist the temptations, their marriage is solid and he has no reason to be worried. However, should she take up the offer of extramarital sex, Joel (Bateman) has no reason to feel guilty for coming onto his new employee, unaware that her sexual advances hold an ulterior motive; she wants his money.

This in itself is a storyline that is hard to consume. Not only is Kunis in reality almost half the age of Bateman, bringing into the fray an uncomfortable age-gap but the very premise set out presents many unrealistic complications in a film which doesn't seem to be of a set genre. The core plotpoint involving a lawsuit brought about through an employee losing half a testicle effectively demonstrates the ludicrous nature of the film. The real problem is the poor standard of acting from Wiig, better known as a comedian. Her lines lack any sincerity and she simply doesn't play the role of a bored housewife convincingly. That aside, Bateman is once again solid as the concerned and bewildered authority figure at a loss as to how he should tackle the various obstacles facing him in his normally unspectacular job, as owner of an extract factory.

Extract is a hard film to judge, for it isn't a terrible film nor does it do anything especially well. Acting for the mostpart is par for the course, and whilst it won't be winning any awards, there are colourful exchanges which brighten up otherwise dull and largely unspectacular scenes. Destined to be missed by mainstream audiences everywhere.

6/10

The Invention of Lying

The Invention of Lying

Ricky Gervais’ second effort at filmmaking comes in the form of The Invention of Lying, a largely average affair which does nothing but prove that the chubby comedian is far better suited to podcasts and television.

The premise is that of which in a world based upon the foundation of blunt truths and a lack of belief systems, Mark Bellison (Gervais) utters a single lie which causes the whole world around him to change, for everything he says is taken as gospel. Bellison soon becomes a makeshift Messiah, millions hang onto his ‘commandments’ and in an attempt to find true love, he realises that no one’s life can be perfect.

There are problems, contradictions and sheer cock-ups in this flop; what is essentially an extension of Gervais’ largely undeserved ego. The lie which changes the course of the film is hopelessly unrealistic (apparently a bank clerk would believe a customer over its own accountancy system with no questions asked), and simply sets the standard for the rest of the farce. Gervais’ quips, sampled from The Office and Extras come across as tired and predictable, and the standard of acting across the board is embarrassing, with extras seemingly plucked from the streets given their enthusiasm and shockingly unbelievable performances.

Gervais’ take on the belief system will likely shock many Christians, his belief that the omnipresent figure who controls the (though he never refers directly to him as God) is a prick, and his unsubtle reference to himself being God – a phase in which he is clearly portrayed as a lazy layabout – place Gervais in a very bad light.

Ego aside, the film is badly contrived, presents few moments of emotional involvement, and the lead characters are too archetypal and bland to truly care about. Perhaps the icing on the cake – and not in a positive sense - is Stephen Merchant and Shaun Williamson’s cameos in a poor flashback effort, a scene which not only exudes low budget and tongue-in-cheek poor acting, but also adds a layer of pointlessly tacky additions to what is already an unnecessary and woefully below-average production.

3/10

90 Minutes of Bliss

500 Days of Summer

Launching an Indie twist on the rom-com genre, 500 Days of Summer examines the concept of fate in modern day America. Its lead stars Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt of Third Rock from the Sun fame) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel, Yes Man) come together whilst working together, seemingly meant to be, despite Summer’s reminders that their relationship is anything but; a casual get together which inevitably leads to wandering feelings and someone getting hurt along the way.

Another new-age Indie-style film from Fox Searchlight Pictures, 500 Days takes a non-traditional approach to the ideals of love, fate and long-term relationships, delivering a refreshing but oftimes depressing tale of how sometimes love just isn’t meant to be with some couples. Told in non-chronological order as a means of clearly presenting the opposing emotions experiences by Tom, the format is instantly accessible. Narration provides the audience with the details required, the quirky side-friends allow an insight into Tom’s personality and his take on relationships; the film never takes itself too seriously nor does it patronise the viewer by shoving the message in their face.

Deschanel is as stunningly beautiful as in Yes Man, whilst Gordeon-Levitt brings life, charisma and charm to his role, and couple exude chemistry and a natural aura whenever they’re together. Despite – or perhaps as a result of – the downturn in Tom’s fortunes, he finds his happiness elsewhere. Some say it’s fate.

A wonderfully quirky film - which doesn’t always take the standard storytelling route - but manages to deliver from start to finish.

8/10

Elementary, Dear Watson!

The latest in a long line of Sherlock Holmes PC titles, this entry is the first to appear as a port on the Xbox 360 and boy, does it show. The developer Frogwares provides a different approach to the infamous serial killer 'Jack The Ripper' who terrorised London in 1888, mutilating prostitutes. Without forensics and with little to no information made available to the Metropolitan Police, the killer was never found and no one was convicted for the brutal murders.

Sherlock Holmes vs Jack The Ripper, however, puts forth the dominant theory on the matter; that the killer was Jacob Levy, an Aldgate-based butcher who, it is explained in the game, had several motives for committing such atrocities.

The game itself is a clear port; seen early on through the poor visuals, constant slowdown and terrible voice-acting. Dialogue is executed with little conviction, the voice work is mostly wooden and to make matters worse, there are gaping pauses in long dialogue sequences, removing any intrigue or sense of drama. Characters present a mix of shambolic Cockney efforts; exaggerated American voiceovers and an unusual mix of the two are combined in the case of the street children called upon by Holmes to aid him in his investigation. The poor souls don't seem to know where they're from, flittering between differing accents at will.

Aside from the aforementioned flaws, the game does well to provide useful information on the events though with no one knowing what actually happened, the game provides its own version of how the murders were carried out. Naturally, in order to create suspense and intrigue, the game has twist the truth somewhat in order to create a link to suspects otherwise it would peter out to a non-event.

Those looking for replay value will be sorely disappointed; there is only one 'mode' and unless you've missed out on achievements the first time round and you feel like putting yourself through another ordeal in order to sweep up some vital points, there's no reason to touch the game again. The game lasts on average 10-12 hours, meaning masses of dialogue text-branches, endless loading screens and plentiful gaps in cut scene animations.

However, for those with an interest in the subject matter, the game offers a rare console experience into the point and click history sub-genre, and whilst it is far from being a technical colossus, it meets its purpose. Just don't expect a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

6/10

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Having been recommended the show by a friend, I decided to give the It's Always Sunny pilot a go, assuming it was an immature sex-driven sitcom which would focus on purile comedy at best whilst adding nothing to the world of comedy nor of intelligently-written live-action shows.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the pilot offered something no other sitcom had provided me with. The show possessed a jagged, raw edge which allowed for the possibility of pretty much anything happening within the show's universe.

The show's basic premise is that of a group of four single young adults; Charlie, Dennis, Mac and Dee. Danny DeVito completes the gang and whilst his actions have major implications on the others, his character doesn't warrant the focus the rest deserve for they carry the show without him. On a day to day basis, the gang run the Paddy's Bar in Philadelphia, only for random and normally nonsensical events to interfere in their banal everyday lives, usually resulting in one of them having sex with another's relative along the way. Dennis and Mac provide the machismo, Charlie plays the idiot of the group and Dee the naive and foolish third wheel role. DeVito, who plays Frank - Dee and Dennis' estranged father - is the troublemaker, investing in half-planned schemes, investments and does his best to ruin everyone else's lives whether he means to or not.

What It's Always Sunny brings to the already full-to-the-brim comedy arena is a sense of raw, unpredictable and thoroughly entertaining dialogue. Charlie, Mac and Dennis provide the canon in this respect, churning out lines which at first appear to be off the cuff ad-libbed lines simply because they're delivered with such simplicity and nonchalance. The nature of the show is relaxed, genuinely fun and each episode guarantees fantastic one-liners; values set in place for the stars of the show also created it and provide the script, meaning no more tired readings nor turgid to-and-fros.

Whilst there are certainly more intelligent comedies out there; Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm and arguably The American Office, It's Always offers a refreshing take on the very idea of the sitcom genre, delivering genuine laughs in a laid-back take on an ancient formula.