The Snobs Think It's Good To Be Up In The Air

Brandon: It's kind of embarrassing to be reviewing this movie so long after it has been out of the theater, after awards season, and long into its DVD career. But, now that we've finally had a chance to check out the much-hyped flick, we just had to tell the world how much we loved Up In The Air!

Jenni: Agreed. Sure, just about any movie with gorgeous George Clooney in it is going to get my support - heck, I'll even forgive him for Leatherheads. But, beyond his awesome looks and incredible performance, this was a good movie all-around.

Brandon: As professional amateur movie critics, we're sadly way behind the times in keeping up with what's out there. Now that we're finally able to get caught up on some of the movies that received Academy Award nominations (this one received 6 different Oscar nods), so far this has been my favorite film that was nominated for best movie 2009.

Jenni: The plot was engaging, the characters were all endearing in their own ways, and, although we totally should have seen it coming sooner, the ending was even somewhat surprising. Overall, it was a great viewing experience, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one to my friends.

Brandon: Agreed. The Snobs heartily support George Clooney and this great film. And with that, the Snobs are out. Peace!

You can watch the trailer for Up In The Air here.

Fantastic Mr. Fox Is Quite Fantastic

Brandon: Among movie snobs, the topic of "Wes Anderson movies" often inspires heated debate. As a filmmaker, his movies inspire a very strong love/hate reaction in viewers. In a couple of our past posts, I've mentioned how much I enjoy Wes Anderson movies. I love the way he frames a scene, his excellent use of music and wardrobe to set a tone, and his world of quirky, yet completely sincere characters. I think he's a great storyteller.

Jenni: I'll agree with you to a point. Sure, I enjoyed The Royal Tenenbaums, I loved The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, but then with The Darjeeling Limited I found myself realizing something a little unpleasant - I had seen that movie before. In fact, I realized that all of Wes Anderson's movies are pretty much the same plot and storyline, just set in different exotic locales. All of his movies have these selfish, entitled characters that struggle relating to each other until some tragedy strikes the group, which then brings the characters together and recognizing their dependence on each other.

Brandon: You speak the truth, and I feel sadly disillusioned. Oh, how the great have fallen in my eyes!

Jenni: Don't let my words take away from the movie of the week, though. Sure, I went into Fantastic Mr. Fox expecting the worst, but I came away completely surprised. Yes, the movie actually follows the same plot of all of Wes Anderson's other movies, but the stop-motion animation was fascinating! I really think that if Wes Anderson were to continue making his future movies in this same manner, I would totally forgive him for being stuck in such a storytelling rut.

Brandon: Yes, Anderson found redemption in my eyes too. Just as I pointed out all of the reasons that I loved Wes Anderson movies before, his stop-motion animation employed in this movie only served to emphasize all of his movie-making strengths. This movie was whimsical and funny and brilliant. I absolutely loved this flick.

Jenni: So even if you're a life-long Wes Anderson hater, you should give this movie a chance. With that, the snobs are out. Peace!

You can watch the Fantastic Mr. Fox trailer here.