Warning: Spoliers below the fold.
I saw these movies ages ago. Sigh. But it's still a ... George Clooney double feature!
First up, Fantastic Mr. Fox gives me hope that kids' movies won't simply revolve around poop jokes, or creepy CGI singing rodents.
I've never read Fantastic Mr. Fox (in fact, the only Roald Dahl book I've read is Matilda), but this movie was delightful and precious. It reminds me of spending a Sunday afternoon in someone's living room that has richly patterned wallpaper, drinking tea out of actual designated teacups while sharing stories that don't involve Twitter updates and Facebook status messages. The ladies are also probably wearing dresses; the men, slacks.
George Clooney and Meryl Streep's voices were pretty good for their characters, although I was overly aware that it was them; for children though, who probably couldn't put two and two together regarding actors & voices versus characters & voices, the voices really help bring out the spirit of the characters.
Jason Schwartzman though was PERFECT for Ash. His soft voice combined with Ash's angry facial expressions were so funny. I especially liked when he made his own bandit mask out of an athletic sock. And when he was referred to as "such a wet sandwich."
I loved the three heists, and I assumed those would make up the bulk of the movie. I was a bit disappointed when they were completed within the first 20-30 minutes, and I thought the middle portion (where the Fox family is trying to outfox [heh] Boggis, Bunce and Bean) lagged a bit. But the last 20-30 minutes were more fast-paced and featured the whole animal community, which was pretty fun.
Also, Joe and I cannot stop saying, "Why is your cousin such a wet sandwich?"
Next, Up In The Air. This is just George Clooney playing George Clooney, which is no doubt why he was so good at it. Anna Kendrick seemed over the top to me, but I love Vera Farmiga (Please see Orphan for reference. One of my favorite movies of 2009, NO LIE, SON.) even if she was a cheating adulteress. Also? Going to your travel fuck buddy's sister's wedding would convince me (if I was George Clooney) that I was more than just an "escape." Christ. I'm getting really fucking tired of the whole "BOO! It's adultery! And it's OKAY!" aspect of movies.
Joe and I had differing views on the movie, with Joe (I think) believing that by the end of the film, Clooney's Ryan realized how empty his life is and how he was practically delusional by thinking that, despite being a non-presence in everyone's life, he was actually important to them. And that he would change his ways (hence, giving the travel miles to his sister and Danny McBride). But I got the idea that Alex's rejection of him just knocked him off his self-realization pedestal, and the final shot of him at the big board indicates he's not ready to give up his empty backpack life just yet.
On a different note, I don't travel much, so I liked this movie for all the scenes in airports. They fascinate me.
In terms of the Reitman repertoire, I liked Thank You For Smoking better. And an Oscar nominated film that uses Zach Galifianakis for a two minute, straight-faced scene yet promotes him in a bulk of its trailers is pretty shady!
