Thursday, January 07, 2010

My Week of Movie Watching

Up in the Air – Liked this a lot. George Clooney is good as a corporate hit man – A man who fires people for a living. I really like what they did with this character. Despite his flaws and his aversion to emotional closeness, Clooney’s Ryan Bingham draws our sympathy – He actually does want to do what’s best for the poor saps he has to terminate. This is truly a movie for its time. I have to give a shout-out for Vera Farmiga as Clooney’s love interest and alter ego. She’s terrific, and sexy in a really smart, grown-up way.

La Femme Infidele – First time seeing this one. Claude Chabrol is a great favorite of mine, and this film reminded me of why that is. Despite how his films are so often about sex and murder, there’s never an instance where he takes the easy way out. This one is about a love triangle that leads to a murder. Sex and murder, right? The thing is, there isn’t a whiff of lust in this film, and except for one brief flash, none of the rage that should accompany a murder. Chabrol draws the story out, and never cues you as to what his characters are thinking. Highly recommended.

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