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Cheap DVDs: Up in the Air, American Gangster, Sex and the City

Anet Hovhanesian — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 19:01:29 +0000

It is that time of the week again, when we bring you some great deals on DVDs and Blu-RAY. These deals are so great, they will have you wondering why you ever paid the full $20+ for movies before. We have some that are fairly recent (Up in the Air, Iron Man) and some that are older classics (Rambo, Apollo 13). Buying movies has never been easier and prices have never been better.

Check out the bargain deals on Amazon today:

Under $10

Sex and the City | $6.99
Apollo 13 | $9.49
Blow | $8.99
A Beautiful Mind | $7.99

Pick of the Week: Sex and the City

This was a tough one since all four movies were good but with the sequel coming out next month, it is only right that you make sure you have seen the original Sex and the City film. Michael Patrick King brought the lives of America’s favorite (at least for women in America) HBO show to the big screen. It’s emotional, it’s fun to watch, it’s something all women should see at least once.

$10+

Up in the Air | $14.99
Iron Man | $13.49
Schindler’s List | $13.49
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past | $11.99

Pick of the Week: Up in the Air

George Clooney can do no wrong as he proved with Up in the Air also starring Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. The Jason Reitman drama shows Clooney’s range in acting as he plays a man who works for a company that sends him around the country to fire people. The film was nominated for six Oscars. You will not be disappointed by buying it.

Blu-RAY

American Gangster | $14.99
Rambo | $11.99
The Fifth Element | $13.49
The Quick and the Dead | $12.99
Mr. and Mrs. Smith | $13.99

Pick of the Week: American Gangster

The crime drama featuring the talented Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe shows the other side of the American dream. It is set in 1970′s America and tells the story of a detective trying to bring down a drug empire. Ridley Scott directs the film that is made for a more mature audience with all of its violence, drug content and language but definitely worth seeing.

Which film is you pick of the week from this week’s list of DVD’s and Blu-RAY?

Up in The Air – DVD Review

Krystal Clark — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:26:29 +0000

Up in the Air was one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2009. It was nominated for 6 Academy Awards (didn’t win any), had a great screenplay, and a talented cast led modern Cary Grant incarnate George Clooney. With so many good things to offer Up in the Air seems like a logical and wise selection to add to anyone’s DVD collection.

The Players:

Director: Jason Reitman
Writer: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Walter Kirn (novel)
Cast: George Clooney, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman, Danny McBride, Amy Morton, Melanie Lynskey

The Plot:

Up in the Air follows Ryan Bingham, a man who fires people for a living. He travels the majority of the year and has an estranged relationship with his family because of it. As one of his company’s top employees he’s asked to mentor a recent college graduate named Natalie, but he’s reluctant to do so. The duo are polar opposites and aren’t very fond of each other. Throughout their trip across the country they learn multiple things from one another that end up changing their lives forever. Natalie shows Ryan that love and family isn’t such a bad thing, and he shows her how to live a little.

The Good:

Opening Montage: The editing, the music, and the visuals used for the opening sequence in the film gets you in the mindset of the journey you’re about to take with the characters. It establishes the setting in an entertaining way that sticks with you even after the movie has ended.
ShadowPlay: Before the Story: In the special features section of the DVD there’s a short featurette highlighting the company who did the opening credit sequence for the film. They’re called Shadowplay and they’ve worked on the openings for all three of Reitman’s movies (Thank You For Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air).
Screenplay: This story is unpredictable. The majority of the film you think it’s going in one direction and it turns and becomes something else. It’s rooted in reality, where things don’t always go according to plan. That random action is what makes the screenplay so refreshing.
Commentary: Jason Reitman, Eric Steelberg (Director of Photography), and Jason Blumenfeld (First Assistant Director) give the listening/viewing audience plenty of background info on how they shot certain scenes. It’s one of the best commentary’s we’ve ever heard. They make you feel like you’re sitting in on a production meeting with them.

The Bad:

Deleted Scenes: There are five extra scenes under the special features and after watching them you realize that they were cut for a reason. One of them included a spacesuit montage that ended up online shortly after the DVD’s release. There was nothing particularly amazing about any of them.

Overall:

The Up in the Air DVD is definitely worth your money because not only do you get a great film but the commentary is hilarious and informative. Other than that, the extras are pretty standard and don’t include anything groundbreaking. The major selling point here is the film itself.

Rating: 9/10

Up in the Air is on sale now at Amazon.com.

Photos:

Trailer:

Are you going to pick up a copy of Up in the Air?

Deleted Scene of George Clooney in a Spacesuit in Up In the Air

Mali Elfman — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:21:40 +0000

With the release of the DVD and Blu-Ray for the Academy Award nominated film Up in the Air, comes a sneak peek of a few of the deleted scenes from the film, one of which includes George Clooney as Ryan Bingham walking through an airport in a spacesuit. Watch the clip at People now.

Something about this little snippet just seems too crazy in comparison with the rest of the movie. Although it’s fun it takes away from the fine line between comedy and drama that the film walks to well and makes it just goofy. So although it’s a fun scene, it was a good decision to cut it. I wonder what Reitman has to say about it? I guess I’ll have to buy the DVD to find out.

Check out what else is on the DVD and Blu-Ray…

UP IN THE AIR DVD & Blu-ray

Commentary by writer/director Jason Reitman, director of photography Eric Steelberg and first assistant director
Jason Blumenfeld
Shadowplay: Before The Story
Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Jason Reitman

To Know Me Is To Fly With Me
Real People Firing and Irate Employee
Thumper and Extended Boat Scene
Omaha Montage
Spacesuit

Trailers

The Blu-ray includes all of the above in high definition, plus:

Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Jason Reitman (HD)

Do You Live At The Hilton?
Nosey Neighbor
Natalie In Restroom
Natalie Vid-Chats
Angry Ryan Checks In
Goalquest Invite
Maynard Finch Commercial/Kara Calls Ryan
Barely Squeaking By/Natalie Calls

“Help Yourself” music video by Sad Brad (HD)
Storyboards (HD)
American Airlines Prank (HD)

The critically acclaimed soundtrack to UP IN THE AIR is available now from Rhino and includes the riveting “Help Yourself” from Sad Brad Smith as well as tracks from Elliot Smith, Dan Auerbach, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Check out our DVD Releases for more movies that have come out today!

ScreenCrave’s Top 15 Films of 2009

Mali Elfman — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:00:53 +0000

Everyone always complains that there are not enough good movies out there. I always hear, “This year has been especially bad.” If you’re saying that, you’re not opening your eyes, from big blockbusters, to horror films, animations, and independent films, there have been plenty of quality films released this year. Yes there were also the Wolverine‘s and All About Steve‘s trying to to pull you down, but don’t say you weren’t warned!

As I was creating my list, there were so many great films this year that I had to expand my Top 10 to a Top 15 with 15 more honorable mentions. Without further ago here they are…

15. District 9

The cheapest and best blockbuster made this year, with the help of Peter Jackson, Neill Blomkamp and Sharlto Copley surprised everyone with this creative, action packed film that was the perfect mix of brains and brons, and special effects and story.

Interviews: Neill Blomkamp Part 1 and Part 2 | Sharlto Copley Video Interview | Comic-Con: Peter Jackson, Blomkamp, Copley

Director: Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley
Writer: Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell

14. The Hurt Locker

Kathryn Bigelow proves that women can do an action/war film better than any man. Jeremy Renner excels as the lead character in the film and from the locations to the script it succeeds in every way. Definitely one of the most powerful and bad-ass films of the year.

Interviews: Jeremy Renner | Kathryn Bigelow

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty, with special appearances by Guy Pearce, Ralph Feinnes, David Morse, and Evangeline Lilly
Writer: Mark Boal

13. Fantastic Mr. Fox

Aside from the fact that this is probably the most perfect role for George Clooney, Wes Anderson (and others) took an old school style and revived it in this amazing film. Not only is it fun to watch, but it’s also fun to look at from the rich texture to the amazing costumes. It’s clever without being condescending and a great film from start to finish.

Interviews: Wes Anderson, George Clooney, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Eric Anderson, Jarvis Cocker and Wallace Wolodarsky

Director: Wes Anderson
Actors: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman,
Writers: Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach (screenplay), based on a novel by Roald Dahl

12. In the Loop

Probably one of the smartest, funniest, most underrated films of the year. It’s very much a comedy of errors dealing with the US and the UK governments trying to “deal” with war. Somehow it managed to slide under the radar, but I assure you, buy it on DVD and you will not be disappointed.

Director: Armando Iannucci
Actors: Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, Gina McKee, James Gandolfini, Chris Addison, Anna Chlumsky, Enzo Cilenti, Paul Higgins, Mimi Kennedy
Writers: Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Ian Martin, Tony Roche

11. An Education

A simple story, told extremely well. It’s smart, intriguing, and extremely well acted and directed. It’s hard to believe, but for all the buzz this film is getting, it lives up to expectations.

Interviews: Carey Mulligan | Peter Sarsgaard and Dominic Cooper

Director: Lone Scherfig
Actors: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Olivia Williams and Emma Thompson
Writers: Lynn Barber (memoir) and Nick Hornby (screenplay)

10. The Messenger

Stunningly well acted, one of the best scripts I’ve seen all year, and overall one of the most important and relevant films you can watch. Sadly, it hasn’t received much attention but not because it doesn’t deserve it.

Interviews: Ben Foster | Oren Moverman Video Interview

Director: Oren Moverman
Actors: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton
Writers: Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman

9. Thirst

This was the only vampire film that you really needed to see this year. It’s absolutely beautiful and has a story for more than just 13 year-old girls. Ok-bin Kim gives one of my favorite female performances of the year.

Interview: Chan-Wook Park

Director: Chan-Wook Park
Actors: Kang-ho Song and Ok-bin Kim
Writers: Seo-Gyeong Jeong and Chan-wook Park

8. 500 Days of Summer

Finally a romantic comedy for people with brains. Fun, quirky, and will have you strutting out of the theater with Hall & Oates in your head.

Interview: Joseph Gordon-Levitt | 1:1 with Marc Webb

Director: Marc Webb
Actors: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel
Writer: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber

7. Up

As if you haven’t heard enough about this film already. It lived up to the hype and if Carl didn’t make you cry and Dug didn’t make you laugh, you have no heart. It’s damn near perfect.

Interviews: Pete Docter

Director: Pete Docter and co-director Bob Peterson
Actors: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai and Bob Peterson
Writer: Bob Peterson and Pete Docter, story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson and Thomas McCarthy

6. The Cove

Beautiful to watch, important, and down right amazing. As I said before in my review “If you don’t see this film you’re a bad person.” Not only is it entertaining to watch but it will move you to do something better with your life. How many films can you say that about?

Interviews: 1:1 with Louie Psihoyos

Director: Louie Psihoyos
Appearances By: Richard O’Barry, Charles Hambleton, Joe Chisholm, Mandy-Rae Cruikshank, Louie Psihoyos
Writer: Mark Monroe

5. Inglourious Basterds

The first 20 minutes of this movie are as close to perfection as it gets. The rest of the film is pretty fucking amazing too (you have to swear when writing anything to do with Tarantino – sorry, it’s the rules!) and Christoph Waltz gives the best performance of the year. Overall the film is a complete triumph, the script is amazing, the acting was phenomenal and they got to kill Hitler!

Interviews: Quentin Tarantino, B.J. Novak, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Melanie Laurent, and Christoph Waltz.

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Actors: Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Melanie Laurent, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth and B.J. Novak
Writer: Quentin Tarantino

4. Drag Me to Hell

Finally a horror film that will make you laugh and scream simultaneously. Simple, effective and down right entertaining. This is probably the best “film experience” you could have had in a theater all year.

Interview: Sam Raimi

Director: Sam Raimi
Actors: Alison Lohman, Justin Long and Lorna Raver
Writer: Sam Raimi and Ivan Raimi

3. Up in the Air

Deals with an honest, realistic and depressing subject matter in an uplifting way which actually makes you feel good walking out of the theater without a cheesy “everything will be fine” message. Damn impressive!

Interviews: Jason Reitman | Anna Kendrick | Vera Farmiga | London Film Festival Press Conference

Director: Jason Reitman
Actors: George Clooney, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga
Writers: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Walter Kirn (novel)

2. Moon

Definitely could be my #1 pick. Director Duncan Jones is a genius and despite it’s minuscule budget, he created one of the best sci-fi films seen since 2001. Sam Rockwell was the perfect man for the job, he’s one of the only actors who you can watch for 90 minutes straight and still find interesting and intriguing.

Interviews: 1:1 with Duncan Jones Part 1 and Part 2

Director: Duncan Jones
Actors: Sam Rockwell and Sam Rockwell, with Kevin Spacey
Writer: Duncan Jones (original story), Nathan Parker (screenplay)

1. Mary and Max

The one none of you have heard of but should have. Sadly it never made it to theaters but you can find it on some movie channels on your TV, on DVD, or maybe (if all goes well) in theaters at some point. It opened the Sundance Film Festival and for good reason, it’s dark, funny, and the most oddly inspiring, intelligent and beautiful film of the year.

Interviews: 1:1 with Adam Elliot

Director: Adam Elliot
Actors: Toni Collette, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Eric Bana
Writer: Adam Elliot

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

Pirate Radio | Movie Review | Nick Frost Video Interview | Talulah Riley Interview | Tom Sturridge Interview
Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | Movie Review | Terry Gilliam Interview
Zombieland | Movie Review | Zombieland Press Conference | Zombieland at Comic-Con
The Informant! | Movie Review
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs | Movie Review | Anna Faris Interview | Bill Hader Interview
Taking Woodstock | Movie Review
Branson | Movie Review | Interview with Brent Meeske and Jackson Cash
Julie and Julia | Movie Review
Away We Go | Movie Review | 1:1 with Sam Mendes | John Krasinki | Maya Rudolph
The Hangover | Movie Review
Star Trek | Movie Review | Press Conference 1: Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Leonard Nimoy and Zachery Quinto | Press Conference 2: JJ Abrams | Press Conference 3: Chris Pine, Eric Bana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin and Clifton Collins
Is Anybody There? | Movie Review
Adventureland | Movie Review | Greg Mottola Interview
The Damned United | Movie Review
Where the Wild Things Are | Movie Review | Spike Jonze and Max Records | Creative Team Video Interview

Disagree with me? Have another film you think should have been on the list? Leave a comment and let me know!

Will Kathryn Bigelow Make Oscar History?

Krystal Clark — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:37:27 +0000

All year Up in the Air has been a festival and critics darling thanks to the great script and direction of Jason Reitman. The only thing that may keep it from gaining Oscar gold is the dark horse, The Hurt Locker. The Kathryn Bigelow drama has been running neck and neck with Reitman’s latest, and is on it’s way to making Academy Awards history. If Bigelow gets a nomination and a win, she’ll be the first woman to ever receive a Best Director Oscar. But in order for her to break that barrier she has to take Reitman and his flick out of contention, which won’t be an easy feat.

For the Golden Globes, Up in the Air led the pack with 6 nominations, which included the major categories of Best Picture, Director, Actor, Screenplay, and Supporting Actress. The Hurt Locker went on to receive recognition in all the same areas except for acting. The snub of Jeremy Renner was one of the biggest surprises but when the Screen Actors Guild gave their two cents, his performance was noted with a Best Actor nomination. Now he’s going head to head with Up in the Air’s George Clooney as well as a slew of other talented actors.

Up in the Air won Best Picture from the Southeastern and Washington DC Film Critics, while The Hurt Locker took the honor from The New York Film Critics Circle and The Boston Society of Critics. This is one of the few times that a female directed film has garned so much critical attention. Locker‘s Kathryn Bigelow has single handedly swept most of the directing categories this year, which means an Oscar could be in her reach.

Throughout history only three women have been nominated for the coveted prize with the last one being Sofia Coppola for her work on Lost in Translation. Even though Reitman has been noted as the early frontrunner, Bigelow’s work on The Hurt Locker can’t be ignored. She helmed a brutally honest war film, with strong performances and a great screenplay. She’s proven that female directors don’t have to stick to romantic comedies to have a successful career.

With the exception of Lee Daniels and Precious, the big Oscar showdown will be between Reitman and Bigelow. If Reitman wins he’ll be one of the youngest, second generation directors to take home the award. But if Bigelow wins she’ll be the first woman to ever do so, which will make this year’s ceremony truly history in the making.

Who do you think should win Best Picture and Director at the Oscars?

Up In The Air: Movie Review

Krystal Clark — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:30:52 +0000

Jason Reitman once again tackles comedy and drama with his latest film entitled, Up in the Air. The film stars Oscar winner George Clooney and features Twilight co-star Anna Kendrick as his naive young sidekick. Up in the Air is a refreshing look at a career driven man and his inability to connect with those around him. The film offers a humorous yet relevant take on how technology effects people’s ability to have healthy, normal relationships.

Check out our review below…

The Players:

Director: Jason Reitman
Writer: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Walter Kirn (novel)
Cast: George Clooney, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman, Danny McBride, Amy Morton, Melanie Lynskey

The Plot:

The Good:

Vera Farmiga: Farmiga has always been a great actress, and as Alex she pulls off a level of confidence that not many women could. She’s very strong but laid back, and in opposition to Clooney almost comes off as the alpha male in their relationship.
Screenplay: This story is unpredictable. The majority of the film you think it’s going in one direction and it turns and becomes something else. It’s rooted in reality, where things don’t always go according to plan. That random action is what makes the screenplay so refreshing.
Opening Montage: The editing, the music, and the visuals used for the opening sequence in the film gets you in the mindset of the journey you’re about to take with the characters. It establishes the setting in an entertaining way that sticks with you even after the movie has ended.
Direction: Reitman did an excellent job at shooting a film that’s supposed to take place in multiple cities and airports around the country. You get a feeling for each location and identify with them even though their only covered for a short period of time.
Anna Kendrick: At first glance you may see this actress as someone who could get eaten up by the persona of Clooney, but she holds her own. She stays strong in some very intense scenes, yet manages to show vulnerability at the same time.

The Bad:

Nothing: It was that good.

Overall:

Up in the Air can easily fall in line with Jason Reitman’s previous work, yet it can also stand on its own merit. The story is amazing, the performances are outstanding, and the direction is beautiful. The film gives a subtle social commentary about people using their careers, the internet, or even cell phones to fill a void that can only be satisfied with human connection.

Up in the Air hits theaters in limited release on December 4th and wide on December 25th.

Rating: 10/10

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Anna Kendrick’s Breakthrough is Up in The Air

Krystal Clark — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:30:59 +0000

Anna Kendrick will get her chance to shine this weekend when her latest film Up in the Air hits theaters in limited release. It’s a dramedy that’s written and directed by Jason Reitman, and co-stars George Clooney and Vera Farmiga. As a Hollywood newbie, the past two years have been a whirlwind of success for the actress. She landed a part in the vampire phenomenon that is The Twilight Saga, as well as a starring role opposite Clooney, what more could a girl ask for?

We recently spoke to Kendrick about her part in Up in the Air and she discussed the differences between working on a teen centered franchise like Twilight and an adult themed indie drama. With a background in musical theater the young actress from Maine reveals to us how working on Up in the Air gave her the chance to play at “the grown ups table.”

Check out our interview below…

Even before Kendrick got her big break starring as vapid Jessica in Twilight she was a theatrical pro. She’s the second youngest actress to be nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in the play High Society, and we wanted to know if it was difficult making the transition from a successful stage actress to working in film.

I actually got really lucky there, the first film I ever did was a film called Camp, which happened to be about kids in musical theater. The director came from the Broadway world and all the actors came from a theater background. We were all non-union so every single person was showing up to set with the same kind of ‘What does that do? Why do I have to stand here? Why do I have to look there?’ That made it a really safe environment to kind of ask questions and figure out what the hell was going on.

On how she landed her gig in Up in the Air…

I just got the script from my agency and was told to go in and read for it and I fell in love with the script, it’s so beautiful. I went in and read for Jason [Reitman] and I was in the room for about 10 minutes, and I thought I blew it. Then I got offered the job after one audition, which confused the hell out of me. Jason told me that he had started writing Natalie with me in mind after seeing Rocket Science, which is a film I did a couple of years ago.

Coming from such a humble beginning, you’d thing it would be a shock to have so much face time with George Clooney in a feature film. Kendrick tried to keep a cool head when word spread that the Oscar winning actor might be her future co-worker.

Jason was telling me all about how excited George was to do it and I was, you know, trying to play it really cool. Like, ‘Of course I’m going to be working with George Clooney everyday, why wouldn’t I?”

Up in the Air and Twilight are based on novels of the same name. In Kendrick’s case she decided to stay away from the source material, which ended up helping her portrayal of both characters.

[Regarding Up in the Air] I’m not in the book at all. I totally realize that you would have basically spent an entire movie watching George Clooney’s face with his inner monologue. In a way I kind of act as something that’s forcing him to explain himself and explain his philosophy of life. I just tried to challenge him as much as I could in order to kind of justify that.

As for her role as Jessica in Twilight…

With Twilight I didn’t read the books until after I was cast and I was kind of glad that I didn’t because Jessica’s so traditionally catty in the novels. When I auditioned I just kind of figured the only believable way for somebody like me to be pretending that she’s the most popular girl, or she’s the queen bee is to play up how needy that is, and how desperate that actually is. I think that’s what they liked about it, and what made it funny. I’m glad that I didn’t read the novels beforehand.

It must be an interesting dynamic to jump from one end of the movie spectrum to another. Not just in terms of genre, but the entire filmmaking style of Jason Reitman strongly contrasts with anything you’d find on the set of Twilight. The actress actually enjoyed the differences between the two projects, which she filmed simultaneously.

I feel like I have the best of both worlds. I’m a part of this thing that is such a big deal to a lot of people but then I completely recognize that I don’t play a very instrumental part of. Then I got to go and play at the grown ups table, and act as though I wasn’t completely out of my league. It was nice to even shoot them at the same time, people have asked if that was challenging but I liked shooting them at the same time because it meant that I kind of got to leave the rigid Natalie world and play this incredibly vacuous high school girl for a couple of days and then go back into Natalie mode.

Speaking of her Natalie mode, the character is somewhat of a control freak and has a plan for everything. We wanted to know if Kendrick shared any of the same goals or theories about life that her alter ego does.

I’m sure that I have a lot of silly and unrealistic expectations for lots of things but love is not one of those things. I certainly never expected to be married with a baby at 23, and I don’t have those really specific ideas about love but there’s something about Natalie’s specificity that I really love. [I] sort of cherish that she knows what she wants and she’s almost embarrassingly unapologetic about it.

Up in the Air hits theaters on December 4, 2009 in limited release and December 25th nationwide.

***Be sure to check out our interviews with director Jason Reitman as well as co-star Vera Farmiga.***

Jason Reitman On Adapting Up in the Air

Krystal Clark — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:08:41 +0000

Oscar nominated director Jason Reitman is definitely a step ahead of most filmmakers in his generation. He’s a talented visionary who knows how to mix comedy and drama in a unique and non-contrived way. His latest feature, Up in the Air stars George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick in a tale about self imposed isolation. The film sounds like a downer but is the exact opposite.

The screenplay for Up in the Air was adapted from the novel of the same name by Walter Kirn. Even though the basic premise is there, Reitman and his writing partner Sheldon Turner were able to incorporate certain elements from the book, while adding new plot points for cinematic flare. When we spoke to the director he gave us the inside scoop on how he added his own twist to the story, while still staying true to the source material.

Check out our interview below…

Like most human beings, the writing process for Reitman starts on the page. After reading the novel Up in the Air he knew right away what he wanted to keep, what he wanted to add, and what he wanted to get rid off. He clued us in on the method to his screenwriting madness.

I pick up a book and almost immediately while I’m reading it I realize, OK this is something I’m going to want to adapt. As I’m reading it, it just kind of opens up to me like chess moves. It’s like ‘Oh I’m going to use this, or I’m not going to use this, I’m going to use this earlier, I’m going to switch this, I’m going to make this scene about someone else instead.’ Then I go through the book a second time and I put a Post It on every page I know I need something, and I write on the Post It, “use this for this.” Then I just use that as kind of a toolbox and use whatever I want.

A lot of authors are extremely sensitive when their material is tampered with for the sake of a film, but Reitman believes that honesty is the best policy when it comes to dealing with other writers.

There’s no question of faithfulness. I think there’s something in that book that responded to a question that I already wanted to ask. I use the book for everything it has and not the stuff that doesn’t fit my mold. And I reach out, I talk to the author and I say ‘Look, I love your book, but I’m making a movie not a book and I think I’m going to capture its inherent voice and there will be differences,’ and I’ve had a good relationship with everyone I’ve worked with so far.

In the case of Up in the Air, the director/screenwriter took a lot of creative license when it came to adding certain scenes and characters. After seeing the film, it’s fair to say that his many additions did work for the better of the story, and weren’t just thrown in for kicks. Everything has a legitimate purpose.

For this movie I added Alex (Farmiga), I added Natalie (Kendrick), I added firing online, I added the wedding sequence, I added the backpack speech, I added the cardboard cut-out thing that he takes on the road with him, so there was a lot of stuff. I mean there was a lot of plot that I added but I centered on a core idea from the book, which was a man who fires people for a living, who collects air miles religiously, who believes philosophically that life would somehow be better alone and with nothing.

Reitman was adamant about keeping the general premise of the film as the focal point of the story. He shared what his interpretation of the film is and asks that you come up with our own.

This is a movie about an epiphany not a decision. It’s a movie about a guy realizing the value of human connection. That doesn’t mean he needs to decide on human connection, he can easily go and live the rest of his life living as he has or he could go settle down somewhere and find somebody. Both answers are right, there’s nothing that makes one any morally right than the other.

I end the movie where I do because I don’t want you to think about where he’s going as much as I want to turn it on you. The movie ends on clouds, on this kind of strange meditative moment where you just listen to wind and it’s hopefully a moment for you the audience to think, what do you want in your life? Who do you want in your life? What connections do you have that you cherish? If you were standing in that airport what would you do?

As a second generation filmmaker (his dad is Ivan), Reitman is secure enough to know how to present a story to the public. He understands that comparisons will always be made between his father’s work and his own, so he’s come up with a theory to explain their different directing styles.

The best way I can explain the difference between my father and I is… imagine for a second that my father and I were musicians. My father wants to take a song that you love and play it better than you’ve ever heard before. I want to take a song you hate, and play it so well that you learn to like it.

Up in the Air hits theaters in limited release on December 4, 2009 and nationwide on December 25th.

***Be sure to also check out our interview with Vera Farmiga who plays Alex in the film***

Up in the Air’s Vera Farmiga Thrives in a Man’s World

Krystal Clark — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:19:52 +0000

This weekend the talented Vera Farmiga will star opposite George Clooney in director Jason Reitman‘s latest film, Up in the Air. In the movie she plays Alex Goran, a successful and confident woman who complicates Clooney’s life in more ways than one. She’s a love interest who plays by her own rules, and makes men follow her and not the other way around.

She’s the latest in a string of female characters written by Reitman who thrives in what’s considered a “man’s world.” We recently spoke to Farmiga about playing such an alpha female, and she gave an interesting take on how she views the flawed yet human characteristics of Alex.

Check out more below…

Vera had the rare opportunity to play a female character who was in control of her romantic situation. Reitman is known for writing powerful female characters, and Up in the Air’s Alex is no different. Farmiga liked her tone and attitude and saw her flaws as strengths instead of a weaknesses.

I thought it was a really interesting portrayal of female desire that you don’t often get to see. Usually when a female character is so demanding in her sexuality and unapologetic she usually lacks some dignity. It was cool to see someone who’s completely self-possessed, had class, had depth and yet was operating in a very masculine way. From the start she set up her parameters and said these are the rules come in for the enjoyment of it and just think of me as yourself.

Alex isn’t your run of the mill career driven woman. She has multiple layers that are revealed to the audience in due time during the film.

This is a woman, complicated, complex has needs, and has certain desires. [I didn't want] to judge her actions but just embody her and make her as full bodied as possible and human. That’s what’s so incredible about Jason’s characters in all of his films thus far, you don’t necessarily like them or condone their behavior but they are utterly human, [with their] eccentricities and deficiencies and everything that makes us imperfect.

Even though so much can be said about the male-female dynamic in Up in the Air, Farmiga was actually attracted to an old fashioned convention that the movie has to offer.

I was initially attracted to the romance, I’m a sucker for a good old fashioned romance, and this one came disguised as a modern relationship. That’s what I was looking for, that twist and turn–I love twists and turns in films anyway as an audience member, when I look at it I can see them coming a mile away and I love being surprised. I love when characters and story lines take unexpected turns and that has to do with Jason being adamant about untidy resolutions and not making some sweeping statement, but asking questions.

In order to pull off the relationship between Alex and Ryan (George Clooney) the chemistry had to be there. It’s easy to think that any woman, dead or alive would be able to click with Clooney, and luckily the two actors hit it off from the very beginning.

I think it’s something you know immediately. I’m not sure what it has to do with, but it’s just the principle of adding baking soda and moisture and an acidic and then watching things explode when heat is added. It’s either there or it’s not and if it’s there you ride that wave. I know that Jason organized a table read and that’s when George and I met, and after that table read he canceled all further rehearsals and allowed us to just play it out on set.

Up in the Air hits theaters in limited release on December 4th, and wide on December 25th.

Up in the Air Extended TV Spot

Krystal Clark — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:33:18 +0000

If you’re a fan of the AMC hit drama Mad Men, you probably got a good look at the latest trailer for Jason Reitman‘s new film, Up in the Air. Paramount debuted the TV spot during the season finale for the series, which was more than a fitting place for it. Up in the Air features George Clooney in a role that many suspect will earn him another Oscar nod for his brutally honest performance.

Check out the latest trailer below…

Up in the Air is scheduled to hit theaters on December 4th, and co-stars Vera Farmiga and Twilight alum, Anna Kendrick. There are so many talented actors making appearances in this film, in ways that you’ve never seen them before. This movie looks too good to pass up.

Up in the Air centers on “a corporate downsizing expert who travels all over the US in pursuit of more opportunities to fire people. As he approaches the 10million* frequent flyer miles milestone and meets the frequent-flying woman of his dreams (Farmiga), his cherished lifestyle is threatened as his company wants to move him to headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska.”

What do you think of the latest trailer?

LFF: Up in the Air Press Conference – Reitman, Farminga, Kendrick

Mali Elfman — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:21:16 +0000

Director Jason Reitman is on a role! First with Thank You for Not Smoking, then Juno, and now Up in the Air, he’s proved that all three times can be a charm. If you liked either of his previous works, than you’re going to love his latest film, Up in the Air starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, with a number of amazing supporting roles by Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, Zach Galifianakis and more.

Sadly, at the press conference for for the film at The London Film Festival, Clooney was unable to show up because (as always) he was busy working away on another one of his many projects. But! We were graced by the extremely humble and hilarious, Jason Reitman who is just as charming and funny as his films, the gorgeous and talented Vera Farminga, and the adorable new-comer who will blow you away Anna Kendrick.

You can read my first response to the film or check out what they had to say about the film below in one of the most laid back and entertaining press conferences I’ve ever been to…

Up In The Air is based on a book. If I were to read the book, would I recognize it in the film?

Jason Reitman: Yes and No. The book is about a man who fires people for a living and is about a man who obsessively collects air miles, but if I had directed the book exactly as if was, these two lovely ladies next to me would not be here because their characters are not in the book. The way I use source material, I see it as a tool box. There’s a story that I want to tell, and I’m looking for the right words. I’ll read a book or i’ll read an article and suddenly it will just be the language that I’ve been looking for to say something that I mean to say, or ask something that I’ve been meaning to ask. At that point it just becomes a tool box of ideas that I can either follow literally or sometimes I take someones dialogue and give it to someone else, or in this case I really chose a main character that would ask the questions that I wanted to ask.

Jason, I read that you wrote the role with George Clooney in mind. Is that true?

Jason: Yeah, I wrote the role with him in mind and with Vera and Anna in mind as well. It’s easier for me to write when I know who I’m actually writing for. That’s often how I identify the voice of the character. I had met Vera before and I’d seen many of her films. I knew the things that she was able to do that no other actresses is capable of doing. It was because she was able to walk that very fine line of being aggressive and feminine at the same time that I was able to write balance for what I did. It was because I saw Anna in “Rocket Science” and knew the sparkle and brilliance of her mind and how fast she is that I was able to write Natalie the way I did. If you’re going to make a movie about a guy who fires people for a living and you still want to like him, that actor better be dam charming and I don’t think there’s a more charming actor alive than George Clooney. I was very lucky he said yes.

What if he’d say no?

Jason: I would probably just ended my career right there and then. The story is actually kind of funny. I had been writing it for six years and I told his agent, “Look I’m about a week away or a month away from finishing this screenplay. In the middle of that I’m going to Italy on vacation with my wife,” and he said, “Well if you’re going to go to Italy you should just go see him.” I said, “That sounds like an awful idea, I don’t want to go see him if he hates my screenplay,” and he’s like, “No, no. Just go, he’ll love to see it.” I told him that I would send him the screenplay and if (George) enjoyed it, I would drop by. So I get to Italy and I call his agent up and ask him if he liked it and he told me to go see him.

We drive there and get to his house in Como. One of the first things he asks me is, “So what are you working on these days?” It’s a screenplay, it’s called Up In the Air and he says, “Oh I got to find that, I got to read that.” I was just trying to prove that I was a man to George Clooney. I played basketball with him; I hand’t done that since 8th grade. I never drink; I tried drinking with George Clooney. He opened four bottles of wine and I don’t know how I didn’t die of alcohol poisoning. Finally, around the end of the second day, he disappeared for a while and we walk into a room and he said, “I just read it, it’s great. I’m in.” Those are the words that changed my life and one of the greatest moments I’ll ever remember from my career.

Where the interviewers in the film authentic fired people?

Jason: When I started writing the screenplay seven years ago, the economy in America was very different. We were basically at the table end of an economic boom and I decided to write a corporate satire of a man who fired people for a living and wrote comedic scenes in which people lost their jobs. By the time it came to shoot this film, it just wasn’t funny anymore. I couldn’t go about shooting these scenes as written. We were scouting in St. Louis and Detroit, and the idea just came that we should try to use real people.

So we put an add out in the help wanted section saying, “We’re making a documentary about job loss and we’re looking for people who would go on camera and talk about their experience.” We got an overwhelming amount of response and we brought in 100 people. 25 are in the finished film, so the outside the people you recognize like J.K. Simmons, Zach Galifianakis, and Tamala Jones, everyone else who loses their job in this movie is a real person who came in and sat down at the table with an interviewer and for about 10 minutes answered questions about what it’s like to lose your job in an economy where really there is nothing available and you have to consider some very dire decisions.

After then we would fire them and asked them to respond the way they did the day they lost their job, or whatever they wished they had said. This would turn into improv scenes in which they would pelt our interviewer with all sorts of questions that he did not know the answer to. Their severance about why they lost their jobs instead of Jeff and they just went on. Some people were really angry. Some people got emotional and cried. Some people were really funny and I’m so grateful for their participation in the film. I could of never written the type of things that they said.

Jason you have a history of writing strong female characters. Do you think there’s a shortage of those in Hollywood right now?

Jason: Yes. I like to write original films and many of the men stories have been told and so many of the women stories haven’t. I’ve fallen in love with many really smart women over the course of my life. The most recent and personally the last one being my wife. I enjoy spending time with my wife, talking about these things. The best scene I’ve ever written and I only wrote half of it and that’s the scene in this movie where Vera and Anna talk about what they look for in a man at each of their ages. The only way I could write that is I asked my wife to have a conversation with herself at 18-years-old about what she looked for in a man. Everything they say is true to her, which breaks my heart every time she watches an audience because they laugh at her for five minutes. I enjoy writing for women and I enjoy working with actresses and I’ve just very fortunate. I’ve made three movies now and throughout all of them from Maria Bello on Thank You for Smoking and then with Ellen Page and Jennifer Garner on Juno and then not only Anna and Vera, but also Amy Morton, Melanie Lynskey — I’ve just been surrounded by great actresses. I just hope I can work for more and more.

Vera, how did you access your character when you first read them?

Vera Farminga: I didn’t have the luxury of reading the script without knowing what happens in the end. It was challenging to play a woman who is very much like a man. Often times when a women behaves this was it can be interpreted as — it was difficult for me to — it was a fine line, I found, to thread to have the softness and yet take control of her sexuality. I really like the male perspective of heartbreak.

In the nude scene, was that really you?

Vera: I had about six pounds more chunk on badonka donk. I was pregnant. And I did do the scene. I think my bottom half had become too large. I did attempt to do nudity. I got to choose my body-double and I thought that Jason did a good job in selecting someone that was pretty accurate.

Jason: [Joking] I studied her films to make sure that it was the exact representation. I’m a very specific director, both actresses will tell you that.

Anna, what in particular appealed to you about your character?

Anna Kendrick: First it’s that sort of rare thing. This girl who is so intelligent and complicated and her character does not revolve around a romantic story line. That was enough to make it fascinating in itself because it just doesn’t happen, you don’t read scripts like that. I was normally so timid in real life that I’m really excited my character is someone who gets to tell people off and I’m telling off George Clooney, which is pretty awesome.

Anna, how did you feel when you got this role?

Anna: I was shocked beyond belief because I thought Jason hated me. My audition was very plain and I think Jason was trying to suck me out by showing any kind of enthusiasm, but I thought he hated me. When I got the job I was so shocked and I thought he we just like that, he’s just going to be a time rack on set. But he’s very, very nice. I was surprised. I was thrilled beyond words. the script is so beautiful. And I didn’t think that George was doing it, for whatever reason I just assumed it was just too good to be true for a script to be this good and to be working with George Clooney, I just thought it was one of those things were it was rumored. And then Jason told me the Italy story and I got really excited. That was one of the funnest parts, seeing him, eating lunch with him, trying to act like, “Oh right, of course, you knew me,” because I’d do that kind of thing.

Why did Anna think you hated her Jason?

Jason: Well look, one, I’m a mean guy (laughs), but two — I wrote the role for Anna and Anna auditioned against thirty of the best actresses of her generation and I needed to know that she could actually do it. I basically saw her in one movie, and she’s great, but I needed to see her actually read the lines. When she walked in, I didn’t want her to get psyched out by saying, “Hey, I wrote this role for you,” because then she would probably freak out because it would become hers to lose. Since I’m a horrible actor myself, in trying not to show that I was already a huge fan of hers, I probably wasn’t as nice as could have been. It’s like when you meet a pretty girl and you don’t want to show her that you think she’s pretty so you’re trying to act as discreet as possible, and not yourself, and pretty soon you’re acting like a jerk.

The Up In The Air script was 7 years in the making. How did your timeline work?

Jason: The time line is that no one would make Thank You for Smoking. So I started looking for something else to write and direct. I found this book, fell in love with it, and I started writing it. Then out of nowhere, a millionaire, one of the creators of PayPal, who had sold PayPal to Ebay for $1.5 billion with his partners decided he wanted to make movies. He read my script, he got it form a friend, and called my agent and said, “Hey, I’d love to make this movie.” He wrote a check for $6.5 million and made Thank You For Smoking and all of a sudden I wasn’t writing Up In The Air anymore.

I made Thank you For Smoking, went back to writing Up In The Air and then Juno came into my life and it was this irresistible screenplay that I knew if I didn’t direct, I would regret for the rest of my life. The interesting thing was that I basically finished the screenplay after Juno, out five years into it, I basically got to the end of the script having never gone back and reread what I’ve been writing and as I read from start to finish, I watched myself grow up.

Over the course of the six years that I wrote the script, I became a professional director, I bought a home, I got married, I became a father. In the first act, we have a cynical guy in his 20s who’s really just a satirist and over the six years I became a bit more sophisticated as a writer, but I also realized that this was important in my own life and that really changed Ryan’s journey as I continued to write.

What was your experience having to do emotional scenes in the middls of airports?

Anna: Well actually it was a hotel lobby and it was a little uncomfortable. It was still just the space and the extras and even though their a part of the film, you don’t know them. It’s still sort of embarrassing. On that particular day, it was less about other people, it was more about the space.

Vera: What was most amusing for me was the fanaticism that George attracts and that was overwhelming and so odd. For me, no one ever knows who I am, they always think I’m a producer of the film. But watching George have to deal with that and having just to simply open the door and close it and there’s a standing ovation that goes lost, and he’s so gallant and gracious and takes his bow.

What was the overall experience like shooting in so many public places?

Jason: It’s a total pain in the ass. Shooting in airports is very difficult. We shot in four international airports. There was actually a fair amount of access and because American Airlines partnered in this film basically our trade was that they were our airline and hay gave us access to all their checking gates, as well as their departure gates. But still all the actors had to go through security, everyday, on the way to the set. They would put George through as much security as they possibly could. We had to bring in our own electricity and the wire from our generators through an airport. It was really tricky. We are the first film to actually shoot the TSA — it’s this thing of going through security — usually if you see that in a movie, you’re looking at metal detectors that were thrown at a convention center hallway or something. This is the real thing and all of the people on camera were real TSA security people who volunteered their time.

Anna: They were really picky about what they did and didn’t want to do onscreen. You had to talk this woman into crossing off the name and then stamping the thing. She was like, I don’t wear gloves. Her supervisor had to come over and tell her it was okay.

Is this the first time you and your father have worked together? How was it?

Jason: This is the first film that my father and I have actually worked on together. I avoided doing it in the first movies. I wanted to make a name for myself. And once I made a couple films, there’s nothing that made me more proud. My father wrote one line in this movie and that line is, “Oh that’s like firing people on line.” It’s a monster line. It’s a really proud moment for me it’s as if we were in a baseball game and he just showed up and was like, “Oh you want me to hit one? Sure.” [Home-run expression]

How to you get distinguished actors to do such small roles, how much explanation do they need?

Jason: Once I give a great role like the ones I gave to Vera and Anna, I presume that on the next film, they’ll come in for free and offer four lines of dialogue each. I’ve begged all of them to come in and do those roles and they’ve all been very gracious. I try to keep a strong relationship with them so that when I ask to come back and do these roles. When I started my career, my thing in school was I wanted to be a director that actors want to work with. Actors make movies, not only fiscally, but they make them work and I knew that the only way I would ever be a successful director in the way that I want to be a filmmaker would be if good actors actually wanted to work with me. I’m slowly trying to work my way towards that. And I look at people like Sam Elliot, who show up for a day, and that makes me more proud than anything.

Jason can you talk about your choice in your films?

Jason: I start putting together my Itunes library while I’m writing a screenplay and I’m very specific about music and it’s a very personal thing for me. I originally thought that this movie was going to be done to Hank Williams music and then I got into the edit and realized I was wrong and started moving into folk music. But it’s very personal for me.

The film balances between the darkness of everybody getting fired and the optimism of these people finding new jobs and the cherry on top of that was the song that came in at the end of the credits. How did that come about?

Jason: That was dumb luck. After Juno, I’d gotten use to teenagers sending these songs. The idea of them appearing in one of my films, but I’d happen to be speaking in a college in St. Louis, where we were shooting, and a man in his mid-50s came to me with this song and that was unusual. He handed me a cassette tape. So first off I had to find a please to actually listen to this. We find a car and sat back and I was ready for something ridiculous and instead along came this voice, which is in the credits now, and he introduced himself, explained how he had lost his job. He was now in the middle of his life trying to figure out the purpose of his life. He started to singing a song that had never been written, but it’s an authentic song.

I guess my feeling was that we’re in the middle of one of the worst recessions on record in America and about a million people have lost their jobs in the last year. But we really don’t experience who these people are, they’re often just numbers on newspapers, percentages. And he was a guy who was able to sing very authentically about how he felt and I thought what a better tribute than to end the movie. And I new halfway through listening that it was going to be in the credits.

The film will be hitting theaters December 25th.

Up In the Air Five Meals Clip

Krystal Clark — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:42:53 +0000

A new clip has been released from the Jason Reitman film Up in the Air that’s headlined by Oscar winner George Clooney, and the lovely Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. In the latest promo video, we have a scene from the film that features Clooney and Kendrick at dinner. He’s explaining to the trainee the joys of dining on the companies’ dime.

Check out the clip from Up in the Air…

After watching that clip, Clooney’s character really seems like a bitter tight wad doesn’t he? With the release of the video comes some news about the film’s distribution. Previously it was stated that Up in the Air would open on November 13th for a limited release, and November 25th for wide. Those dates have since been changed. Now, there will be a limited release on December 4th, expanded release on December 11th, and wide on December 25th. Yeesh, how many films are opening on Christmas this year?!

What do you think about the latest clip from Up in the Air?

ScreenCrave.com » up in the air

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