The One Where Bingham's Up in the Air.

The first time I saw the trailer for this film, I knew I had to see it. I had heard nothing but great things about it, it stars George Clooney, and the Golden Globes were coming up, and it was nominated for six. Plus, my parents were dying to see it also, so we all went together, and we all loved it.


Directed by: Jason Reitman
Screenplay by: Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner
Based on the novel by: Walter Kim

The film centers Ryan Bingham, a man whose job is to travel around America firing people. He led an empty, selfish life, until two women entered it, and changed Ryan and his life forever.

George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham. His job is lousy, no doubt, but he has become accustomed to it, therefore; he feels no pain in firing various helpless employees whatsoever. Because Ryan is always flying different places for his job; or always 'up in the air' and spending time at airports, he hardly ever goes home and consequently, calls the airport home. Ryan goes through a total personality change during the film; going from a carefree, non-caring man to the total opposite. I think of him as somewhat of a fascinating character, or maybe that's just me.
Clooney is amazing as always. I know people say that it was "George playing George, so he got it easy and there was no skill required to play Ryan". May I say that this is total crap! Of course the role required skill, and Clooney nailed it! He very much deserved his Academy Award nomination!

Vera Farmiga plays Alex Goran; a woman Ryan meets at the airport one day. Alex and Ryan form a casual sexual relationship and meet every few days. I really liked the character of Alex as well. I may not have liked her so much towards the end, I won't spoil it, I'll just say that her justifying was understandable.
I've only seen Vera Farmiga in one other film, but I think she is fantastic. She did an amazing job playing Alex. I'm really happy that she gained a Academy Award nomination for this. She was great!

Anna Kendrick plays Natalie Keener; a young woman who just started to work for Ryan's company and thinks she can change their whole system, which she does. Natalie is sweet, caring and very naive, just like any other young woman in a film. I liked her very much. I thought she was hilarious, especially in the scene where she gets drunk and lets loose, which reminded me somewhat of Sarah Jessica Parker's character in the Family Stone.
I must give many kudos to Kendrick. She went from a nobody to becoming famous because of the Twilight Series, then that gave her this role, then she was nominated for an Academy Award! My gosh, that is amazing! I think she deserves her success very much! I don't even know her, but I'm proud of her. She was really great in her role as Natalie.

This film is truly hilarious. There were many scenes where I was laughing out loud. These scenes included [And I must say; many of them involved Natalie]; Natalie crying, Natalie drunk, Ryan teaching Natalie how to live and, of course; all the scenes with or involving dialogue about Ryan's sister, Julie (Melanie Lynskey). I shall talk about these one by one, without talking about it too much to the point where I've recounted the entire film for you, and ultimately; ruin it :)
Natalie crying after her boyfriend dumps her is gold. She then latches on to Ryan for a comforting hug:

The way she cries is just hilarious! Alex then sees them, and comes over for a chat. Natalie is rambling, and says to Alex; "You're so pretty. You're exactly what I want to look like in fifteen years." The whole cinema, including my family and myself cracked up with laughter.

The scene where Natalie is drunk and singing karaoke is also hilarious:

At the airport, Ryan teaches Natalie a valuable lesson involving which line to stand in at airport security:
Ryan Bingham: Asians. They pack light, travel efficiently and they got a thing for slip-on shoes. God love 'em.
Natalie Keener: That's racist.
Ryan Bingham: I'm like my mother, I stereotype. It's faster.'

And finally; this:

Ryan's sister; Julie, wants Ryan to take this cardboard cut-out of her and her fiancé around America and take photos of it in front of various sites so they can show everybody 'where they've been' (but really haven't been). This is a running joke throughout the film which is pure gold. I loved this!

Although, there may be many hilarious scenes; this is a drama. Ryan's carefree, un-caring nature is frustrating to some, and people wish for him to make some sort of human connection. Ryan attempts to do just this and gain some sort of perspective. He is then able to connect with others, and teaches others to do the same, well just Julie's fiancé (as you can see in the trailer). That scene is truly beautiful. I personally, did not cry in this film, but many other people have and I can see why. But just because I did not cry, that doesn't mean that this film did not move me. It did.

The twists are brilliant in this film, and so is the ending! The twists left me absolutely breathless. If you haven't read any spoilers before seeing this film (which I hadn't), you'd be incredibly surprised regarding twists in this film. The ending is probably not what you expected either. I won't say any more because if I did, I will certainly ruin the film.

Overall, this film is magnificent. I loved the humor, characters, storyline, moving sentiment and surprises! Everything. I enjoyed it immensely! 2nd best film of 2009 - after Inglourious Basterds. It deserved every one of its Academy Award nominations, and it is a shame it didn't win any.
I give it 4 out of 4 stars.

Watch the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7k6FwXJhNk

Rating: R
Runtime: Canada:108 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Taysha. x

The One With Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

I was ecstatic when this was on television in January, because I've always wanted to see it. I've always heard great things about it, and I've always had a soft spot for Audrey Hepburn because of her sweetness, personality & charity work, but I had never seen any of her films. Now, I have, and I must say; I am officially a big Audrey Hepburn fan.

Directed by: Blake Edwards
Screenplay by: George Axelrod
Based on the novel by: Truman Capote

Struggling writer Paul Varjak (George Peppard), moves into a New York apartment building, and becomes interested in Holly Golighty (Audrey Hepburn), his new, quirky socialite neighbor. Her lifestyle is confusing to Paul, and this allows him to become fascinated by her.

Let me start off by saying that I love Holly Golightly! She may not be that sure of everything, and have some serious emotional issues, but she is still the definition of fabulous! Holly is indeed an intriguing character and I hung on to her every move throughout the entire film. She fascinated me.
And Audrey Hepburn...my gosh! She is so great as Holly! Although it isn't your typical Audrey role, and Hepburn was somewhat hesitant taking on the role, she nailed it anyway, and ironically; it became her most memorable. I cannot see nobody else in this role. Hepburn brought so much grace to the role, which I appreciated very much. She is amazing.

Ah, Fred...I mean Paul Varjak. He's so dreamy. He is such a sweet character that has clearly been in love with Holly since they met. Don't get me wrong, he's not sissy sweet. He puts Holly in her place when he needed to, but I will not spoil that any further, because it's great!
I had never heard of George Peppard until I saw this film. And since I've seen this, I've become quite fond of him, I'd be willing to see any of his other films. I think he is great.

Now, there has been much controversy about Mickey Rooney's character; Mr. Yunioshi. Yes, he plays an Asian man. Many people say that his character is offensive. I, personally, didn't have a problem with it, but I see why it may be offensive to some. But it really shouldn't ruin the film for anybody, because, really, Rooney only has a bit part.

The story was extremely intriguing, and I loved that. My dad; not so much. He hated it. There is much that happens in this film, and I really got into it. After seeing this, I would very much love to read Truman Capote's classic novel.
I will not spoil the ending; but it is the cutest one ever! It made me feel so happy afterward and I'm truly a sucker for that. I've read that the ending in the film is different to the one in the novel, but I loved it nonetheless, and I think that this ending did indeed work.
My favourite part of the film is when Holly and Paul share a romantic day together. This involves them visiting the shop (seen below), visiting the library and of course; spending some time at Tiffany's!

Also, I must mention "cat", who is Holly's cat. Pretty self explanatory. May I say, Cat; who is played by Orangey, is so beautiful. So beautiful in fact, that I actually named my cat after it. Obviously I'm not the only one who loved Orangey, because it won the Patsy award for its role as Cat. Mind you, the Patsy awards are the equivalent to the Academy Awards :)

This film is fabulous and intriguing. I could watch it again very soon!
I give it 3.5 out of 4 stars.

Watch the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urQVzgEO_w8

Rating: PG/PG-13 [sometimes not specified]
Runtime: 115 mins

Taysha. x

The One Where It's No Country for Old Men.

I watched No Country for Old Men (2007) on January the 13th this year, but I've waited to see it since it won four Academy Awards in 2008. For that reason, as well as the fact that I love Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones, I knew I had to see this! And I'm so glad I did. Everything about this film was amazing!

Directed by: Joel & Ethan Coen
Screenplay by: Joel & Ethan Coen
Based on the novel by: Cormac McCarthy

The film centers around Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) who accidentally stumbles across some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande. The problem is that the person hired to retrieve that money which Llewelyn has decided to keep, is a psychopathic killer (Javier Bardem), and he wants it back; and wants to make sure he obtains that money again by being hot on Llewelyn's trail. Meanwhile, the local police officers (one who is Tommy Lee Jones) are doubting that they can control the amount and level of crime that is occurring.

The acting is top-notch in this film, as well as the direction; just as we would all expect it to be.
Tommy Lee Jones plays Ed Tom Bell; a local police officer. I especially liked his narration at the beginning of the film, because it gave the audience great context. It set the tone of the film, as well as the overall vibe; which I always appreciate. I always love narration because I feel personally involved in the film, and I really get into it that way. I also think that Jones plays a fine sheriff :)

Josh Brolin plays the aforementioned Llewelyn Moss; who was a regular guy who lived a regular life, until he stumbled upon the fortune. This is why we feel so sorry for him for getting caught up in all the mess with the killer! He didn't deserve that; well, except for the fact that he indeed decided to keep the money; which illegal, but he was still innocent enough for the audience to feel sympathy towards him.
I know Brolin wasn't the Coens' first choice, but Brolin gives a great performance that was undeniably believable, as usual. I have to give many kudos to Brolin for acting in two of the greatest films of 2007; Planet Terror and, of course; this film.

Javier Bardem gives one of the greatest performances ever as Anton Chigurh. Anton is a truly fascinating character and one of the best and most memorable villains of all time in my opinion. This is because he is unusual; both mentally and physically [haircut], ruthless and just plain crazy!
Bardem never ceases to amaze me. His performance is just flawless, and I'm so glad he won the Academy Award for best supporting actor. He deserved it very much. I loved him, was terrified by him and ultimately; blown away. Kudos, Bardem; you're amazing! I just love him!

The intensity of this film is astounding, especially in the gas station scene; my favourite scene of the film. It involves Anton having a rather strange conversation with the gas station proprietor. Anton flips a coin and covers the result with his hand, and tells the proprietor to call it. Whether he calls heads or tails, will depend on his life. If the coin indeed reveals the side he called; he lives; if it doesn't; he dies. I won't tell you the outcome of this scene because that would be a spoiler. But I will say that this scene is remarkable, and that it was terrifying.

The silence in the film is an aspect that I appreciated also. I thought it was effective and proved that less is more. If it had some stupid songs in the background, I don't think it would have been as effective.
Many people don't particularly like the ending, but I really did. Personally, I thought it was very fitting. Again, I won't reveal spoilers.

Overall, I loved this film and would recommend it to anybody; except children. The performances were amazing, the direction was also great; of course. This is a Coen brothers masterpiece! It was suspenseful, climatic and just fantastic! I love it.
This is a thriller that you will never forget.
I give it 4 out of 4 stars.

Watch the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZpQqrImK80

Rating: R
Runtime: 122 mins

Taysha. x