UP IN THE AIR: 4 ½ STARS

“Up in the Air,” the third film from director Jason Reitman, takes the best elements from his first two films, “Juno” and “Thank You for Smoking” and molds them into one seamless package.

George Clooney is Ryan Bingham, a high flying “termination engineer” who fires people for a living. Hired by independent companies, he flies from city to city doing the dirty work when it comes to mass lay offs. He’s perfectly suited to the job and with the recent global economic downturn, cousin, business is a boomin’. He’s a road warrior who loves the perks of the job, the air miles—his goal is to hit the 10,000,000 mile mark—the status cards and life in airports. On the road 322 days a year (“That leaves 43 miserable days at home,” he says.) he says all the stuff that people hate about traveling—the recycled air, the artificial light and warm sushi—are the things that remind him that he is home. Other than his job he’s commitment free, other than the odd woman he meets in an airport or hotel bar, like Alex (Vera Farmiga), a fellow road warrior who gets “turned on by Elite status.” His carefully constructed life may come crashing down, however, when his boos (Jason Bateman) hires Nathalie (Anna Kendrick), a know-it-all IT expert who has an idea that may ground him permanently.

It’s possible that George Clooney is the only actor working today who could make Ryan Bingham likeable. He uses every ounce of his considerable charm to make this man who treats commitment like a disease and fires people for a living bearable, much less likeable but he does. If he didn’t the movie wouldn’t work on the level it does, it would simply be a smug (and timely) social satire on how some people have found ways to benefit from the recent economic downturn. Instead it’s a heartfelt portrait of a man who tries his best to isolate himself from the pain and hurt of real life (and his job). Clooney, in what may be his strongest outing yet, combines bravado and vulnerability in one very appealing package.

Jason Reitman has found a balance in style between the heartfelt clarity of “Juno” and the biting satire of “Thank You for Smoking. He’s pitch perfect with the tone, mixing cynical with witty, creating one of the nerviest movies of the year. Opening a comedy about firing people when job market is on red alert takes some stones, but Reitman wisely attacks the subject head on, using vignettes of recently terminated people as a sad comment on the times we live in. Those scenes add some profound emotional heft to the story while Clooney and leading lady Vera Farmiga do the rest with a wonderfully acted relationship between two sharks that leads Bingham to an existential epiphany.

Clooney and Farmiga aren’t the only high fliers in the cast; Anna Kendrick, a young actress best known for her role in Twilight shines as the overly meticulous IT expert who has a thing or two to learn about people.   

It’s hard to believe that “Up in the Air” is only Reitman’s third film. It’s the feel bad feel good movie of the year, so self assured, so strong in style and performance that it should get much notice at awards time.   

THE UGLY TRUTH: 1 STAR

Kathryn Heigl is gorgeous. She’s a blonde bombshell in the tradition of Jean Harlow, a collection of curves, fiery lips and bundled blonde hair that looks as though she just slithered out of a 1950s film noir. She’s also smart, produces her own films and is out spoken about all the right causes. She should be the total package, but the trouble is, on screen, I find her cold. She emanates ice, and not in the classic Alfred Hitchcock cool blonde way. That coldness could work for her in some roles but it is a little hard to swallow in the rom coms she makes between seasons of Grey’s Anatomy.

Her new film, The Ugly Truth, feels like an updated Doris Day / Rock Hudson battle of the sexes; a look at how men and women perceive one another. Heigl is Abby Richter, the terminally single producer of a morning television show. In an effort to boost sagging ratings the station manager hires controversial correspondent Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler). “He is everything that is wrong with television and society,” says Abby. His proudly male chauvinist schtick about how women don’t understand what men want—he’s equal parts Dr. Ruth, Dr. Phil and Hugh Hefner—despite Abbey’s disdain, connects with her audience. They are, in the grand tradition of romantic comedies, oil and water, but despite their differences Abby turns to Mike for hints on how to connect with Colin (Eric Winter), the proverbial good looking doctor next door. Maybe, just maybe, though, love is closer than either of them think…

Movies like The Ugly Truth live or die based on the charm of their stars. Butler can pull off the charismatic rogue role but Heigl grates. It would have been interesting to see Reese Witherspoon or maybe a 1980s vintage Meg Ryan in the same role to judge whether their appeal could rescue this otherwise sad excuse for a rom com.

It’s not just that it is predictable. Originality isn’t a trademark of the genre, so the set up and pay off are expected before the opening credits roll. This one has a few more four letter words than usual but plays out pretty much how you might imagine.

So, if it isn’t the inevitable happy ever after story line that drags The Ugly Truth down, what is it? Well, how about the Three’s Company level dialogue? The lame jokes, writing style and battle of the sexes subject seem to harken back to a different time. Like when Jack, Janet and Crissy were still roommates and bell bottoms were considered cool at the disco. The jokes have been given a makeover but the underlying themes seem twenty years or more of date.  

There are a few laughs sprinkled throughout however—the women in the audience I saw this with seemed to find some of Mike’s observations like “For men self improvement stops with toilet training,” hilarious—but if there were any fewer laughs this would simply be a romance, not a romantic comedy. Another scene involving vibrating underwear and a restaurant got some laughs but I thought it was funnier the first time I saw it in When Harry Met Sally.

The Ugly Truth is neither ugly—Heigl and Butler see to that—or truthful—the hackneyed take on relationships sees to that.

UP: 4 ½ STARS

The phrase “golden age of animation” conjures up images of Mickey Mouse in a sorcerer’s costume, Snow White and Bugs Bunny. The words remind us of a long ago time before jaggedly illustrated television cartoons like Rocket Robin Hood or The Flintstones replaced elegant hand drawn art. As fuzzy and nostalgic as my memories of those cartoons are, though, I’d argue that we’re in a new golden age right now, a gilded era of fantastic animation spearheaded by a group of picture wizards based not in Hollywood, but the out-of-the-way city of Emeryville, California. In each of their ten feature films Pixar has raised the bar so high few—live action or animated—have been able to match their skill with imagery or story. Their latest, Up, is a crowning achievement and the first animated film chosen to open the Cannes Film Festival.

The movie is a touching comedy adventure involving 78-year-old retired balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen (voice of Ed Asner). After the passing of his wife Ellie and the impending destruction of the home he shared with her, Carl decides to belatedly make their dream of exploring South America a reality. He ties 10,000 balloons to the house in an attempt to float to Paradise Falls, a place he’s only ever seen on a map. Once in flight Carl discovers he has a stow-a-way, an eight-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell (Jordan Nagai). Reluctantly Carl brings Russell along for the ride and together they share adventures in the Venezuelan jungle.

Finding Nemo screenwriter Bob Peterson has crafted an epic but personal story about rediscovering humanity, dealing with the loss of a loved one and finding a sense of purpose. It’s a subtly complicated story that gently introduces adult themes into an art form generally aimed at kids. Binding together elements of everything from A Christmas Carol to The Wizard of Oz and Fitzccarraldo, Up manages to be somewhat familiar and yet startlingly original all at the same time.

By mixing high tech state of the art computer generated images with the most old fashioned form of communication—superior storytelling—Pixar has created a film filled with that certain something generally missing from lesser animated efforts like Aliens vs. Monsters—a sense of wonder. The screen is filled with imagination, something that should appeal to all members of the family.

It’s also by turns hilariously funny and achingly tender.  

Up is probably the most emotionally manipulative movie Pixar has ever made. Near the beginning Carl and Ellie’s life together is played out in a tour de force sequence that will bring a tear or two to your eye. When was the last time a cartoon made you cry?

Add to all that great voice work from old pros Ed Asner and Christopher Plummer and some good, deep genuine laughs and you’ve got the best movie of the year so far.

UNTRACEABLE: 2 ½ STARS

Today technology touches people’s lives in ways unimaginable even twenty years ago. Cell phones keep us connected. Blackberrys make it possible to send and receive e-mails twenty four hours a day. X Boxes increase reaction skills and you can get almost anything you want on the internet from rare books to lawnmowers to jewelry and even, as a new techno thriller called Untraceable suggests, murder.

Diane Lane stars as agent Jennifer Marsh of the FBI's Cyber Crimes unit. She is investigating a twisted cyber terrorist who rigs up elaborate death traps involving sulfuric acid, heat lamps and nasty chemicals to off his victims and plays streaming video of their suffering on a site called www.killwithme.com. The more people visit the site the faster the victims die.

Think of it as Saw with an url or Se7en in Cyber Space. It may also make you never want to go on-line again.

Untraceable is a well enough constructed thriller. Directed by Fracture’s Gregory Hoblit (whose father was an FBI agent) it’s certainly better than many of the women-in-peril films we’ve seen lately but is sometimes done in by clichéd dialogue and implausible situations. Why, for instance, would an FBI computer expert allow her 8 year-old daughter to download games on her work computer?

More interesting than the movie’s predictable twists and turns is the suggestion that the internet is the Wild West, a place where people feel no responsibility for their actions. Untraceable points the finger of guilt directly at users who anonymously and impassively sit at home watching the snuff site, feeling no remorse, even though they are hastening the victim’s death. The suggestion is that the internet, while powerful, has created a community of voyeurs desensitized to real life who can even view murder as entertainment. The idea isn’t developed well enough, Hoblit chooses to stick with the thriller elements of the story rather than the social commentary, but for those willing to dig a bit deeper it raises good questions about how we use the internet.

Despite the missed opportunities for social comment, Untraceable is a good attempt at blending old school thriller techniques with a high tech premise.

UNDERCOVER BROTHER

A parody of the spy genre in general and blaxploitation movies specifically, Undercover Brother should have been way funnier that it actually is. I’ve come to expect a lot from Eddie Griffin, I think he’s very amusing in an over-the-top-I-have-no-fear kind of way, although in this movie despite some flashes of inspiration he falls kind of flat. His rougher funnier edges have been smoothed, when the director Malcolm D. Lee (Spike’s cousin) should have been trying to push the limits of outrageousness. There are some nice moments, but save your 13.50 at the box office, this one is definitely a rental.

UNFAITHFUL

An affair by a bored housewife has consequences for her family that she never imagined. Diane Lane is utterly convincing as Connie Sumner, a beautiful forty-something who chances upon a young sexy French man (Oliver Martinez) in a wind storm. She begins an affair with him, keeping it a secret from her husband Edward (Richard Gere). To tell you more would give away too much of the plot, but just be aware that there are dire consequences for everyone involved. Diane Lane carries this movie with a strong, appealing performance that makes me wonder why we don’t see more of her on the big screen. Adrian Lyne paces the movie nicely as it changes from an illicit romance to a thriller. Only the very end seems false. Lyne has a perfect out twenty minutes before the end, but inexplicitly chooses to drag things out.

UNACCOMPANIED MINORS: ½ STAR

I can imagine the pitch session for Unaccompanied Minors—“It’s Home Alone at the airport!”—which essentially it is, except without the charm, the belly laughs or the inventiveness.

Here we have five stereotypy kids—the forlorn rich kid, the nerdy Urkel clone, the overweight boy, angry girl and disheartened teen with daddy issues—who get stranded at an airport during a blizzard and must use their wits to battle against an evil airport supervisor played by The Daily Show’s Lewis Black. They learn about family, the importance of teamwork, and the holidays while trashing the airport, hiding in suitcases and outsmarting all the adults around them. The odd laugh manages to sneak in, but, I suspect, becomes very lonely and leaves quickly wondering where all his giggly friends are.

Worse than “heartwarming” holiday movies are holiday hi-jinks movies like Unaccompanied Minors featuring kids. Do yourself a favor avoid this one and rent A Christmas Story instead. 

UNITED 93: 4 STARS

United 93, a re-enactment of the events leading up to the crash, in a Pennsylvania field, of United Airlines flight 93 on the morning of 9/11 captures both the calm and the chaos of that historic day.

The opening minutes of the film focus on the events just before flight 93 became airborne. We see the terrorists rising for Morning Prayer and carefree passengers and crew going about their day-to-day business. Once in the air the film cuts between the plane’s occupants and military personnel at the Northeast Air Defense Sector and air traffic controllers in New York and Boston. Director Paul Greengrass unfolds the story in real time for the duration of the 91-minute flight.

Greengrass has pieced together his version of events using recordings of cell phone calls made to loved ones in the final moments of the hijacked flight.  

Shot in a quasi-documentary style United 93 is harrowing. Because we know the story and the tragic outcome, a sense of dread builds from the opening moments of the film, even before the first of the planes is hijacked. As the events of the day unfurl a sense of confusion develops as the people on the ground try to make sense of what has happened. Scrambling to prevent any more loss of life the military and air traffic controllers struggle to open a clear line of communication that will enable them to work together. Greengrass effectively illustrates the confusion, without pointing fingers or assigning blame for the slow response time.

The actual hijacking of flight 93 doesn’t happen for almost an hour into the film, but when it does Greengrass places the viewer directly in the action. Shot with jittery cameras, it feels as though you are aboard the plane as the chaos and violence of the day erupts.

The intimate shooting style, coupled with Greengrass’ decision not to name any of the on-board characters—your cabin mates on planes are usually anonymous—lends an air of realism to the film. These are average people in extraordinary circumstances and all are treated respectfully as they heroically try to thwart the hijackers plan. Greengrass doesn’t emotionally exploit the situation, he simply presents it in a way that is gut-wrenching, but not manipulative.   

With his handling of this material director Paul Greengrass proves himself to be one of the great directors currently making movies. This is a film not simply to be seen, but to be experienced.

THE UPSIDE OF ANGER

The Upside of Anger is a domestic drama about a woman who, after suddenly finding herself single, begins affairs with the bottle and a broken down baseball player, respectively. Directed by Mike Binder, best known for writing and starring in The Mind of the Married Man, this movie mixes dark humor with real emotion and can be occasionally uncomfortable to watch, but Binder juggles both expertly. A tense scene diffused by Joan Allen imagining one of the character’s head exploding exemplifies the bold strokes of a film that manages to be both hilarious and haunting.

Joan Allen in the lead role of Terry the spurned domestic diva turned boozehound should be nominated for an Academy Award next year. But the whopper surprise is Kevin Costner, back at the top of his game after years of coasting. He digs into the role of Denny, a retired baseball star turned stoned radio DJ who offers Terry a famous shoulder to lean on.

If you liked American Beauty from a few years ago, you’ll like The Upside of Anger.