Director Spotlight: The Ladykillers

Despite the misconception there are really three Coens.  There’s the “playing it straight” Coens, the “quirky” Coens, and the “so freakishly bizarre that a word has not yet been invented to attribute to that style of film making” Coens.  I tend towards the latter, but the two former are just as good.  The Ladykillers, a remake of the 1955 comedy of the same name, is one of those rare treasures that manages to incorporate elements of all three, making for a well rounded flick.

Up in the Air (Lil Devil)

This is a tough time in America’s history. Recession means bankruptcy, and unemployment runs rampant as factories close and their roles are filled overseas. Unlike anyone else in the country, for Ryan Bingham, these are the glory days. His job is traveling to and fro between just about every city or town on the map, and giving loyal workers the professional boot. Many stories concern those who walk “the road less traveled”; Bingham takes that road, along with several thousand more. He doesn’t relish this task; he’s like the garbageman, only the garbage asks him how he sleeps at night. What he does relish is the act of flying itself, as he feels more at home in the airport terminal than the address on his driver’s license (which I suspect he doesn’t have or need). This is a one-of-a-kind character, in a one-of-a-kind movie. The movie is Up in the Air, directed by Jason Reitman and starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, and it’s one trip well worth undertaking.