Up in the air

Up in the air is a movie that tells the story of Ryan (George Clooney) who lives to crisscross the country and fire people as humanly as possible if their bosses are too chicken to do it themselves. He spends more time in airplanes than at home, is a special customer with hotel chains like the Hilton and perceives the 40 odd days a year that he actually has to live in his own apartment as miserable. Ryan has brought flying to perfection, packs super efficiently, knows which check-in lines take the longest and collects miles as an end in itself.

But in fact, it is a movie about a man whose motto in life is to travel light. No commitments, no strings, no faux sentiments or deep feelings. Possessions weigh you down, people hold you back.

It is also the story of Natalie (Anna Kendrick) who turned down her dream job in San Francisco to follow a man who might have been "the one" to Omaha where she turns Ryan's routine upside down by introducing a system that allows to fire people per video conference.

And then there is Alex (Vera Farmiga), apparent business woman on the outside, frequent flier just like Ryan. She is a lady with whom he spends pleasant moments - no strings attached - and who gets him thinking about his life as it is. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone besides you? Is life maybe better when you have company?

In the end, Ryan is back to square one. It turns out that his philosophy of life with the self-imposed rules of aloofness and distance is the best one, certainly for him. Natalie leaves the company after a lady she had to fire killed herself, and applies for the job of her dreams. The video system is dismissed. Ryan keeps living his life and Alex hers. Everybody wins - or almost.

About Last Night (not quite a film review)

It is 1986 in Chicago, 20 something Danny meets Debbie, same age, at a baseball game, looks are exchanged between the two. Afterwards he walks up to her, they get to talk and finally end up in bed that very night. And then again. And again.

So far so simple but Debbie has an affair with her boss and Danny believes a bit too much in his friend and colleague Bernie's advice ('You called her three times? Never call a broad more than twice a week!').

Debbie and Danny start falling in love, she breaks up with her boss, and in the morning of one night, Danny offers Debbie "a drawer". Next thing we see is Debbie informing her long-term friend and room mate Joan that she's moving in with Danny. Joan couldn't be less thrilled.

Shortly after they move in together, the problems start. Danny feels that Debbie('s stuff) is taking over the place, that there are too many changes. Debbie can see that he has had an awful day at work but to her question if everything is alright, he replies 'yes'. She feels forced to snoop around in order to find out anything about Danny at all that will help her to get closer to him. He won't open up, claiming that he just doesn't want to make her unhappy. Under tears she tells him that she is not unhappy.

The rest is not surprising. Both feel hemmed in by the relationship and so they decide to seperate even though they still love each other. Long story short: Things end well, and yay, we get a happy ending.

So far so cliché but as this is an 80s movie (part of my movie watching project), I asked myself a couple of questions while watching it: Did people move in faster? Were they more naive, more trusting or was it not that big a deal? Today, we are thinking and considering and reconsidering and weighing our options - was that different back then? And: Did people, especially men, generally avoid talking about their feelings, bottling them inside themselves until one day they would explode? If so, then I know at least one guy who would very well fit into that decade ;-)

Anyway, it was a nice film, one of the Brat Pack movies, nothing spectacular but entertaining, directed by Edward Zwick and with beautiful actors like Demi Moore as Debbie and Rob Lowe (*drool*) as Danny.

Oh, and if you think this review is too long - keep it to yourself - or the movie too old - that's what they call a classic.

The Breakfast Club

How do you review the movie that you like the most? How do you transfer the calmly burning enthusiasm without giving away too much? Without repeating the contents of every other critique? I have no idea but I know I must try.
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... The Breakfast Club has been released in the United States of 1985 and was directed by John Hughes, Jr. It is a movie full of music. The theme song, Simple Minds' 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' is the motive of the whole film. The movie is minimalistic, the setting for the biggest part of it is the library of a high school in a Chicago suburb. None of the dialogues is redundant, there are no lengths and the ending is as positive as it is poignant.

... Five high school students who couldn't be more diverse from one another have to spend a whole precious Saturday in detention. They are referred to as "a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, a criminal" and that's how they initially see themselves. "We were brainwashed."

... Indifference, dislike, loyalty facing the authoritarian frustrated principal, rejection, interest, honesty, recognition and attraction - those are the stages these five youths are going through within nine hours of their life.

... There is Brian, an A student, coming from the perfect family, having the perfect GPA, living the perfect life his parents expect him to.
... Andrew, wrestler in the school team, aiming for a sports scholarship, who does whatever to impress his dad.
... Allison, who does everything to get attention and disappears behind a self-erected protective wall of hair and hood.
... Claire, the princess, so unbelievably popular, who feels crushed between her parents' endless fights and her friends' constant pressure.
... And John, unadapted rebel, criminal, born agent provocateur who won't let anyone scratch the surface.

Nine hours are a long time.
... A time to impress ("So, what's your poison? What do you drink?" - "Vodka!" - "Vodka? When do you drink Vodka?" - "Whenever." - "A lot?" - "Tonsss."),
... to threaten ("I don't wanna get into this with you, man." - "Why not?" - "Because I'd kill you."),
... to provoke ("What's that?" - "Sushi." - "Sushi?" - "Rice, raw fish and seaweed." - "You won't accept a guy's tongue in your mouth, but you eat that?"),
... to hit ("Just you and me. Two hits. Me hitting you, you hitting the floor."),
... to run ("Being bad feels pretty good, huh?"),
... to protect ("We're dead." - "No. Just me."),
... to laugh ("Was it a hand gun?" - "No, it was a flare gun. It went off in my locker." - "Really?" [laughter] "That's not funny! ... Okay, it is." [grins]),
... to feel and talk ("We're all weird. Some of us just hide it better."),
... to care ("Why are you so nice to me?" - "Because you're letting me."),
... to open up ("Were you or were you not motioning to Claire? - "Yeah, but .. it was only ... because I didn't want her to know that I was a virgin.")
... and to love ("Why did you do that?" - "Because I knew you wouldn't.").

... One thing remains: this Saturday doesn't transform them into better people. It is uncertain whether their friendship will survive the weekend but something will definitely last - the realisation that they have more in common than they would have guessed.

"Don't You Forget About Me
Don't Don't Don't Don't
Don't You Forget About Me

Will you recognise me?
Call my name or walk on by
Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling
Down, down, down, down"