Up In The Air

It was with some excitement that I went to see 'Up In The Air' today. The reviews for this had been overwhelmingly positive and gushing in parts. The first thing to say is that this is a solid movie, well written with some clever and at times funny dialogue. The overall feel of the movie is that of a simple tale, a tale of the here and now. George Clooney in a dream casting plays the role of Ryan Bingham, a high flying frequent flyer whose job it is to inform a plethora of American employees that they have lost their job. The bosses of the companies who have employed his services clearly haven't the stomach for the task but Clooney approaches it with a calculating precision whilst still managing to convey a warmth and sincerity. He favours the personal touch, a personal touch that comes under threat with the arrival of Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) to the firm. She has built a system that will perform the firing by means of a video link up and all but ground Bingham's air miles. Flying all over the States and clocking up air miles he lives the live of a nomad, yet it's a life which is very agreeable to him. A sparse one bedroom apartment in Omaha and a sister he barely knows serve as evidence of his nomadic existence. The wide eyed Keener goes on the road with Bingham to try and soak up what it is he does whilst all the time trying to impart some life lessons on him. The Director Jason Reitman is clearly trying to speak to the audience about the values of relationships. The other main female casting is Vera Farmiga playing the role of Alex Goran, another frequent flying executive, who after a chance meeting with Clooney builds up a relationship of convenience. This is a relationship which slowly blossoms as the film develops but which concludes with a lesson on relationships and how they may appear.
Star turns from Clooney & Kendrick. The script is simple, at times funny and very relevant in a time of economic upheaval. It's another solid effort from Reitman on the back of Juno without ever being special.

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PMQ's

I had occasion to tune in the PMQ's at Westminster today. How refreshing it was to see a full parliament having a healthy debate infused with some light hearted banter and heated exchanges. It's a cornerstone of an effective parliament that debate is engaged by all parties whilst effectively engaging those to whom they represent.
This contrasts greatly to the staid and diluted offering we see in the Dail. The first contrast and most striking is the attendance in the Dail on most days. A sparsely populated Dail does nothing to satisfy members of the public that their representatives are engaged. It's little wonder than that most people seem thoroughly disengaged with politics in this country.

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Dole Stigma

The loss of ones job is a particularly difficult period, raising many questions and giving up few answers. In a year of unprecedented job losses I thought I had almost seen it out, yet late November yielded redundancy and the inevitable change it brings.
The first task was to sign on the dole and feed from the limp, lifeless department of social welfare. It's a dent to ones pride to have to lean on the state for a handout but then again I have been paying contributions for seven years straight so maybe I shouldn't feel so bad. The faces at the dole office come in many guises, the career spongers to the fish out of water wondering where it all went wrong. I was the latter and the order of the day was to keep the head down and get the business over with. Four hours later and I had officially signed on. The hope is that I won't have to come back to sign on for many months so a bit of luck is needed.
Accounting exams in mid December provided the immediate stimulus for the brain and then there was the Christmas holidays to enjoy. Early January is now here, however, and thought turn to securing a new job. The marketplace is thin and unyielding and also saturated with thousands like me. A good CV should give me a headstart but that good aul luck will be needed in healthy dollops!

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