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Reviews
Up in the Air (2009)
Up in the air - a fair summary of life in the 21st century!
Only George Clooney could make this movie work properly. A combination of his effortless charm, which would make anyone happy to be a part of his Career Transition plus the fact that he has truly eschewed the pipe and slippers and is still "living the dream".
But what is the "dream" really about? As Oscar Wilde says, there are only two certainties in life, death and taxes. In Bingham's case, you could substitute air-miles for taxes as Ryan's life is carefully tailored to maximise the former and minimise the latter. Living life in the fast lane doesn't change the destination, you just get there faster and miss out much of the interesting scenery along the way. Criss-crossing America just below the speed of sound whilst keeping Ryan looking as good as ever has still not moved him along through life's gateways.
Ryan's well rehearsed severance patter that keeps him at an emotional distance from those who are being let go is equally matched by the pre-formatted greetings he receives from the hotel frequent flyer priority check in desks. Ryan is at home in this world of the superficial where you can always expect a chocolate on your pillow before you go to sleep at night and a complete supply of miniature bottles of spirits in the mini-bar.
This lifestyle keeps Ryan "up in the air" and well on his way to reaching the mythical 10,000,000 mile club.
Meeting Alex upsets the equilibrium and the thought that he may have finally met "the one" is enough to bring Ryan back down to earth, appropriately enough going down not just to ground level but further still as he and Alex explore his roots.
Whilst this film can be seem by some as a little depressing, for those of us who are middle aged, it is a clear statement of life as we live it in the 21st century. We all remain "up in the air", despite all the apparent benefits of technological advances in our developed world. Instead, we have to live through the uncertainties generated by a world wide recession that mean that any of us could yet be subject to a visit by one of Ryan's colleagues. And yet, despite all this, it is clear that the main message of the film is that the essence of human life is contained in our connections with our humans, no matter how heavy they make our back pack. This is what makes truly worth living, even if the seven ages of man can sometimes seem to pass by in the blink of an eye.
Doctor Who (2005)
Even better than the original
Russell T Davies has been tasked with re-creating a slice of my childhood: hiding behind the sofa, watching scary monsters battle with Dr Who. He, and his crew, are clearly all true devotees of the original series.
In much the same way as the Star Trek movies used their budget to make the Gene Rodenberry's original concept far more believable, Russell T Davies has both money and the advantages of excellent CGI to create the best monsters ever. I am sure that this series was made with a budget that anticipated both export and DVD sales and it really feels as if no expense was spared.
The accompanying series Dr Who Confidential shows the work that goes into each episode which is a really useful behind the scenes insight. Interviews with the cast and writers help retell the story from each characters perspective and are far more useful than simply watching the whole programme over again.
How does David Tenant rank in the pantheon of his illustrious predecessors? Time will tell but tonight, seeing Billie Piper play alongside Elisabeth Sladen, who was the Doctor's companion in the 1970's confirm that she has both the acting ability, screen presence and script to be the No. 1.
The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper (2005)
The spirit of Bilko lives on!
The three main characters of the film Madagascar are fairly stereotyped and have one-hit wonder stamped all over them. The penguins, one the other hand, have true potential as they make reference so many classics of the past e.g. Bilko. The short film demonstrates some of this potential and was a very welcome bonus to the also excellent Curse of the Wererabbit. There were certainly echoes of Toy Story 2, as the old lady tests the penguin to see if he squeaks with a great "bottom gag" much appreciated by the children and a similar plot line which was very well executed. Above all, children appreciated the concept of looking after each other in a world dominated by grown ups and the penguins epitomise this ideal. Needless to say, the animation is excellent.