I love Jason Reitman.
Or, more specifically, the movies he directs.
He first caught my attention in 2005 with Thank You for Not Smoking. Then along came Juno, its oh-so-unique voice the brainchild of writer Diablo Cody. And in 2009, Reitman brought us the brilliant George Clooney vehicle Up in the Air, my choice for Best Picture Oscar.
Sadly, the Academy was more impressed by tales of the war abroad than at home. Whatever.
Reitman and Cody have teamed up once again to bring us Young Adult, starring Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt.
This film has none of Juno’s quirky teen speak; Theron’s character is way past that. This golden girl blew out of her one-horse town years ago and is living large in the big city, a successful writer of youth literature.
Or that’s what it looks like from back home. Her reality — and the lives of the people she left behind – are very different than they appear on the surface.
I love this film. I love the performances that Reitman pulled out of his actors. I love that he didn’t feel the need to ‘nicen up’ Theron’s character as she continues her path of destruction.
And I especially love the possibility that Oswalt — Patton Oswalt, the chubby standup comedian — might get an Oscar nomination.
Jason Reitman did that.








From page to screen
I can’t believe it.
After slogging through that relentless tome of a book, believe you me, it’s nothing short of a miracle.
Several factors have come together to make me want to be one of the first folks in the theater.
1. Whereas most books are better than their on-screen interpretations, the Tattoo movie can’t miss. The English translation of Stieg Larsson’s bestseller was front-loaded with the most mind-numbing tedium imaginable before getting to the action that propelled readers through the rest of the book. Stieg even found a way to make the ending slow.
Based on director David Fincher’s reputation and the killer trailers I’ve seen to date, I think it’s safe to say he hasn’t adopted the author’s penchant for pokey pacing.
I’m also psyched to hear Tattoo’s musical score is the work of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who penned the brilliant, Oscar-winning score for The Social Network. In fact, the score for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has already been nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Of course, Tattoo has a great cast. And I’ve already mentioned the intense trailers. Some critics have even applauded the film for sticking closer to the book’s original plot line than the Swedish version did.
Closer to the book? I don’t want to know!
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Posted in Books, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Movies
Tagged Academy Award, action genre, Atticus Ross, author, books, commentary, English translation, entertainment, Golden Globe, Humor, life, movie director, movie premiere, movie theater, movie trailer, Movies, musical score, Oscar, Stieg Larrson, tedium, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network, tome, Trent Reznor