Cast: George Clooney (Ryan Bingham), Vera Farmiga (Alex Goran), Anna Kendrick (Natalie Keener), Jason Bateman (Craig Gregory)
For complete info, see the IMDb Up in the Air site.
I'd heard mixed reviews about Up in the Air and while I didn't need to see it in a movie theatre, I'm very glad I rented it. I think Up in the Air was very well done. The cast is amazing and the story is well thought out.
If you missed this in theatres, I definitely recommend renting it. The story isn't just about a guy who loves his jet setting lifestyle and is fighting to keep it. The movie is much more interesting than that.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2009, Anna Kendrick, drama, George Clooney, Jason Bateman, movie, romance, Vera Farmiga
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: George Clooney (Michael Clayton), Tom Wilkinson (Arthur Edens), Tilda Swinton (Karen Crowder), Sydney Pollack (Marty Bach)
For complete info, see IMDb's Michael Clayton page.
I didn't really know what to expect from Michael Clayton, since I don't watch reviews and I disliked No Country for Old Men, which beat it for best picture, so much. The fact that some of the people I know who had seen it really liked it did help, but I was a bit wary. I normally like George Clooney, but he has done a few in the last couple years that I didn't like very much.
This movie is described as a thriller, but I don't get that one. I'd say it's sometimes suspenseful, but it didn't have me on the edge of my seat or seriously worried about any of the characters at any point, so I would say thriller is stretching the definition quite a bit.
Michael Clayton is a very good dramatic movie and I definitely recommend renting it. The movie was interesting and reminded me of the John Grisham books and movies (the ones that were well done - The Firm, The Pelican Brief, etc.). If you like that kind of a movie, you should definitely rent Michael Clayton.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2007, crime, drama, George Clooney, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 6:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: George Clooney (Danny Ocean), Brad Pitt (Rusty Ryan), Matt Damon (Linus Caldwell/Lenny Pepperidge), Elliott Gould (Reuben Tishkoff)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Ocean's Thirteen page.
This is the movie they should have delivered last time. I definitely think that Ocean's Thirteen is worth seeing in a theatre, though the special effects weren't anything near those in Ocean's Eleven. The story in the third movie is much better than the second. Don't let Ocean's Twelve keep you from enjoying Ocean's Thirteen.
Definitely a fun summer action movie.
Grade: B
Labels: 2007, Al Pacino, Brad Pitt, comedy, crime, Don Cheadle, drama, George Clooney, Matt Damon, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 1:35 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: George Clooney (Bob Barnes), Kayvan Novak (Arash), Amr Waked (Mohammed Sheik Agiza), Christopher Plummer (Dean Whiting)
For complete info, see IMDb's Syriana page.
The cast is amazing. I'm not sure I understand why this got the awards it did, since the screenplay is a bit dull in points, but George Clooney definitely did a great job. Of course, the best way to win a best actor award is to gain or lose a ton of weight and hope no one else did it that year.
The story of Syriana is very interesting, though parts of it definitely seem to drag on. I think it could have been an amazing 1 hr. 40 min. movie, but at over 2 hours it was a bit long.
I still recommend the movie, since it was very interesting and some of the lines in it about government profitting from corruption (thriving on it, actually) are priceless. This is a movie I highly recommend if you're interested in the way our government deals with oil trade and other foreign matters. If you're not at all interested in that, you should probably skip this in spite of the amazing cast.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2005, drama, George Clooney, movie, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: David Strathairn (Edward R. Murrow), Robert Downey Jr. (Joe Wershba), Patricia Clarkson (Shirley Wershba), Jeff Daniels (Sig Mickelson), George Clooney (Fred Friendly)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Good Night, and Good Luck. page.
Perhaps I expected more from Good Night, and Good Luck., since it was nominated for best picture. Maybe if I'd seen it before I knew that, I would have been more impressed. Since I didn't, I only have my perceptions from after the nomination and I wasn't really that impressed. It was a good movie, but not one of my favorite 5 that I've seen from 2005 and I haven't seen Capote or Munich yet. I think Match Point was a much better movie. But, they never ask me...
I'd say Good Night, and Good Luck. is worth renting, but I'm glad I didn't bother to see it in a movie theater.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2005, drama, George Clooney, history, movie, Patricia Clarkson, Robert Downey Jr.
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: George Clooney (Danny Ocean), Brad Pitt (Rusty Ryan), Bernie Mac (Frank Catton)
For complete cast, see IMDb's Ocean's Twelve page.
I think this movie has gotten a very bad rap. In part, that's deserved, but it's not the worst sequel ever. No, it's not original. It's a sequel to Ocean's Eleven. But, it was an enjoyable movie, which is sometimes all I want. The heist wasn't nearly as interesting as the first one, but I still thought it was fun and definitely worth seeing. If you loved Ocean's Eleven and go into this realizing it can't be as good as the original remake was, you'll enjoy Ocean's Twelve. As long as you don't expect much, you can still enjoy the mid-level movie.
Grade: C+
Labels: 2004, Bernie Mac, Brad Pitt, comedy, crime, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, movie, remake
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: George Clooney (Danny Ocean), Brad Pitt (Rusty Ryan), Bernie Mac (Frank Catton)
For complete cast, see IMDb's Ocean's Eleven page.
I didn't see the original Ocean's Eleven movie, so I can't say how the updated version compares with the original. However, I can say that as a separate movie, the new Ocean's Eleven is a great one! It's great to watch how Danny and the gang figure out how to accomplish their task of the biggest heist in Las Vegas history.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2001, action, Bernie Mac, Brad Pitt, comedy, crime, George Clooney, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 1:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: George Clooney (Capt. Billy Tyne), Mark Wahlberg (Bobby Shatford), Diane Lane (Christina 'Chris' Cotter), John C. Reilly (Dale 'Murph' Murphy)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's The Perfect Storm page.
The book was pretty interesting. The movie of The Perfect Storm didn't intrigue me as much. It seemed that they decided to drop the intensity of the story and concentrate on the special effects. Perhaps if I'd been forced to sit really close to the front of the theatre it would have been more interesting (though my neck would have hurt).
The acting is good, but the story is lacking in the movie version of The Perfect Storm. An okay rental idea. Or, if you like to read, check out the book and think of skipping the movie.
Grade: C+
Labels: 2000, action, adventure, Diane Lane, drama, George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:45 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: George Clooney (Jack Foley), Jennifer Lopez (Karen Sisco), Ving Rhames (Buddy Bragg)
For complete cast, see IMDb's Out of Sight page.
The previews for Out of Sight seemed to show a fairly run of the mill action flick. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and definitely recommend it. George Clooney comes through again and Jennifer Lopez is very good in this, too. The story of a career bank robber breaking out of jail and ending up attracted to the US Marshall he's kidnapped is very entertaining.
If you missed this one when it was in theatres, give it a chance now.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1998, action, comedy, crime, drama, George Clooney, movie, romance, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 3:55 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: George Clooney (Lt. Col. Thomas Devoe), Nicole Kidman (Dr. Julia Kelly), Marcel Iures (Susan Gavrich)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's The Peacemaker page.
A US army colonel and a civilian woman (the nuclear expert for the White house) track down stolen Russian nuclear weapons before they're used by terrorists. I know the plot sounds tired, but this is a very well done action movie. George Clooney and Nicole Kidman work very well together and the movie was well constructed.
Grade: B
Labels: 1997, action, George Clooney, movie, Nicole Kidman, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 1:20 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer (Melanie Parker), George Clooney (Jack Taylor), Mae Whitman (Maggie Taylor), Alex D. Linz (Sam Parker)
For complete cast, see IMDb's One Fine Day page.
As a big fan of Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney, I wasn't very surprised that I enjoyed One Fine Day. However, the story really is very good and the soundtrack is amazing. Even if you don' t typically like romantic comedies, it might be worth it to see it for the music. Unlike many romantic comedies, One Fine Day isn't sickeningly sweet or too perfect. The characters in it are a bit more real. I definitely recommend renting this one if you missed it in theatres.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1996, comedy, drama, George Clooney, Michelle Pfeiffer, movie, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 6:50 PM show | 0 screams