Atomic Popcorn brings you yet another Top 10 list! This time we are bring you a list of some of the best on-screen duo’s there are! Below is a list of my top 10 on-screen duo’s of coarse you will have your own opinion. I promise to not use the word chemistry more than 4 times also!

If you all have any ideas for a top 10 list or want to see something specific send us an email at top10@atomicpopcorn.net and we will try and get it up here for you.

Without further ado, here is what I think are the top 10 on-screen duo’s of recent memory.

10. Ben Affleck & Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting- This unlikely duo of two kids from Boston making a movie based on something they wrote. Well the movie was a hit and the duo are still just that in Hollywood. Damon and Affleck both have a great career both behind and in front of them.

9. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys- who can see these guys without at least humming “Bad Boy Bad Boys, whatcha gonna do?” I know I can’t. A great on screen chemistry between these overly large men. The acting is on par with any action flick but these two bring to the table something special. I think they may be channeling a little something from another of our top 10 contenders for Top 10 Duo’s.

8. John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction – These extremely violent yet stupid criminals made a movie and a career for a certain Director. While these two came onto the scene quietly, they left with a very large bang after this film. Such chemistry and great writing lead these guy’s onto our Top 10 list.

7. Sam and Frodo in LOTR Trilogy – This unlikely duo has melted ring’s around the world. All jokes aside about being gay lovers, this on-screen duo shares a lifetime of pain and love throughout these films. This duo was something that I don’t we had seen on screen in a while. A true chemistry between two guys in the midst of uncertain times.

6. Brad Pitt and George Clooney in the Ocean’s franchise – two of Hollywood’s leading men, leading the charge for some awesome bank robbing. What more can you want from two Joe Cool’s. Great acting, great suave, these two ooze cool.

5. Tyler and The Narrator in Fight Club – Didn’t we just mention Joe Cool above this, well he is back along side Edward Norton as number 5 on our list. These two really gave us a run for our money in Fight Club. Writing aside, the acting between these two made the movie what it is today.

4. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon franchise – oh my, two entirely different people trapped with one another made these two real men of the 80′s. The boys of Lethal Weapon brought to the screen an on-screen chemistry that not many have or will match. The laughs, the tears, the fights, true brothers ended up on screen with these two crazies!

3. Woody and Buzz from the Toy Story franchise – Yes I am well aware that they are artistically enhanced characters. Yes I am also aware I have a animated feature as my number 3. Without a doubt you have to include Tom Hanks and Tim Allen on this list. Starting as fierce rivals for Andy’s love, they have grown into a duo among the best. The interaction and delivery from this duo brings to life what we only know as animated history!

2. Robert Redford and Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting – Suave and complete. The acting and everything that follows and it includes these guys had it and brought it to the screen. These movies are classics for two reason and the two reason are the men above and below this blurb. These guys we looked at the men of men and rightfully so.

1. Steve Martin and John Candy in Planes, Trains and Automobiles – the funny men of the 80′s paired together to bring to the screen one of the best on screen duo’s ever. With Candy gone we can only assume what could of been but this was and is still a great movie. Due in large, or in whole, to these two completely crazy comedians.

Ryan Bingham lives like a man in transition–he has no wife, no home, or familial trappings. His work consists of visiting employees at their workplace and firing them on behalf of their employer, a big firm who doesn’t want to handle the un-pleasantries.

In some sense, he’s a corporate ’sin eater’–carrying a mantle others would rather pass on, and becoming a kind of social pariah as a result. But Bingham flourishes at his work and and even gives inspirational speeches about how to thrive in the industry. He’s the heartbeat of Jason Reitman’s Up In The Air, a charming pic about a less than charming man that wants to position itself as the new ‘American movie’. It misses this mark, and ends up being simply a good film with a great cast and an ambitious director.

  Taking place largely in the confines of airports, hotel rooms, and the offices of the unlucky, Up In The Air chronicles the lifestyle of a new American breed, one whose survival is fixed upon living outside of intimate human connection.

The trick, of course, is that even those ’road warriors’ like Bingham and his sometimes lover Alex Goran, a luminous and vibrant Vera Farmiga, find themselves latching onto relationships to add meaning amidst the loneliness and isolation of their vagabond lifestyle. In addition, they are (seemingly) defining their life and choices by the work they do. Ryan believes he is fulfilling an important need and has discovered what he believes is his niche.

Clooney makes Bingham a complete character, even though he isn’t written that way, and Reitman doesn’t seem interested in developing him beyond the modest demands of the breezy romantic drama he’s got brewing at the film’s center. The scenes where he’s called on to fire people are supposed to be the film’s context but his interactions with Farmiga are what we really care about and they scream out here for a more ambitious frame and engine to drive them.

 Farmiga herself is Up In The Air’s secret weapon and if we are being honest, one of the primary reasons the film found itself so favorably fawned over by critics. She has always had a warm presence on film; as far back as Dummy I’ve found her to be an invigorating and welcoming performer.

Reitman, whose biggest gift to the movie is his knack for casting the right people in the right roles, has pitted her against Clooney and he singlehandedly saves his film by doing so. She’s got the banter and the verbal sparring down and later when she’s expected to unpack depths and secrets to the character we have barely guessed, she does so in a way that is true to  Alex’s sensibilities. She also holds her own with Clooney, and he’s inclined to shrink back a little, which also serves the film’s agenda of humbling Bingham bit by bit.

The other woman in Bingham’s life is Natalie Keener, a new girl he’s training at work. She’s played gamely by Anna Kendrick of the Twilight series. Keener is a neophyte with the firm who is now under Bingham’s wing and goes about her task with a certain chipper detachment. When she offers a new suggestion–firing people via i-chat– Bingham balks at the notion, and considers a life without the open road and parade of makeshift residences. Kendrick handles the role well and displays what could be described as acting chops. She’s lucky then, because what Reitman draws from her was certainly not present in either Twilight movie or last year’s Elsewhere. Her work here suggests we will see her again.

And what of Reitman? Well, I think it’s unfortunate that everyone is racing to label the young man a master and great American director only three films in. It’s probably going to backfire for him. In reality, Up In The Air marks a transition for him from modest mainstream comedies to a more cohesive and flexible drama. The script he has to work with is better here than the ones for Juno and Thank for You Smoking.

Bingham is a juicy character, and if given the proper Willy Loman treatment, could have been a performance for the ages. Instead, Reitman juggles a difficult book and a promising concept and delivers a movie better than the ones that came before. It isn’t perfect and in my opinion, but it is very good and deserves an audience who can come to it without the baggage of “best movie of the year’. Like Bingham, potential viewers should unpack their expectations before boarding this flight.

Blu-Ray Disc Features:

Audio Commentary: This feature is not exactly what I was expecting regarding a commentary. It covers the production well enough, with no lack of information as Reitman, cinematographer  Steelberg and first assistant director Blumenfeld chat up the film and their experience with it. The problem is that most of the time it’s like sitting on a sugar-addled fourth grade sleepover where all the participants have ADD. Reitman gets downright frantic a few times, and I think this gets in the way of having a real discussion of the film through the lens of hindsight. They still seem locked into “this is so great” mode.

“Shadowplay Studio: Before the Story” (2:27), A small feature on the production of the opening credit sequence of Up In The Air. Sort of a throw away bit.

Music Video (1:02) Sad Brad Smith’s ‘Help Yourself’. For whatever reason, I sort of dig the song.

 Storyboards (1:26), Not a long feature but an interesting one. It isn’t just the storyboards but rather a comparison between them and the finished shots from the actual movie. I’m always interested in seeing how this plays out for films that aren’t special effects heavy and it’s a nice, short insight.

 Deleted Scenes (23:16 total) Clooney as an astronaut? This is the best reason to get the disc for those who have already seen the movie previously. Reitman has a knack for cutting the right things but he often still has good material left over. It was true of Juno and it’s true here. Each of these scenes are quite good and help to establish a little bit more of Bingham’s character. I’m not sure I’d have left them in, but they are certainly welcome . At one point Bingham explains that the reason he keeps the personal address is that he doesn’t want to be labeled a ‘vagrant’ by the government. Bingham heading off to Omaha and his time there is a lengthy bit of the deleted scenes and also the most interesting. There’s stuff here that sheds more light and context on the events in the film. This is how you do a deleted clips reel. There’s optional commentary by Reitman too.

 “American Airlines Prank” (0:37) Between this and last week’s Wild Things prank clip, I’m really hoping that on-set pranks don’t start becoming a regular feature on DVD/blu-ray discs.

 The disc is rounded out with both trailers for the film.

In Closing:

Up In The Air is a refreshing and entertaining film that highlights the difficulty of the time we currently live in but it also has room for its characters, their motivations, dreams and regrets. Clooney, Farmiga and Kendrick do a wonderful job and Reitman is growing bit by bit with each new film. If it isn’t quite the masterpiece it was touted to be, it’s still a strong film with a great transfer and some solid special featurers including that great collection of deleted scenes. Fans of the film and newcomers should be well pleased with this release.

Blu-ray Rating:

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Pre-production has begun in Hawai’i for The Descendants, based on the book by Kaui Hart Hemmings. Academy Award®-winning writer/director Alexander Payne teams up with Clooney for the first time in what should have the audience saying “mahalo” by the time the end credits roll. The Descendants is Hawai’i native Hemmings’ first  novel; the production marks a return to the director’s chair for Payne, whose last full-length feature was 2004′s award winning Sideways. Payne has been busy, writing 2007′s I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and producing HBO’s Hung starring Thomas Jane. In theaters right now you can see Clooney starring in Jason Reitman’s Golden Globe-winning Up in the Air. It should be noted that The Descendants will have company in the 50th state, as Pirates of the Caribbean 4 will also be filming there. Anybody else curious as to whether Clooney and Johnny Depp will shoot hoops or rock out together while sharing the same chain of islands?

Seven out of ten times, I’m going to come out enjoying a film that operates on its own terms. It’s the first and best thing I can say about Michael Mann, which just adds to my fanboy nature when it comes to his work. As a more recent example, the Coen Brothers’ A Serious Man just acts as its own entity from beginning to end, and never makes any apologies for it. While not as brilliant or as great as that picture, The Men Who Stare at Goats is that kid we all knew in high school. You’re not really sure who he is or what he’s about, but you know that when you spend time with him, you’re going to be entertained.

So why won’t this appeal to the masses? Very simply because of the script, which goes off the rails midway through the picture. Screenwriter Peter Straughan has some interesting ideas at work here, he just doesn’t know where to end it. Nor does he know where to take these ideas to turn them into a coherent story. Straughan likely read the book by Jon Ronson and came away so super excited over the material he decided to use it to write a script. Somewhere along the way someone forgot to tell him to go back and rewrite the film. It strives to be satirical, and many times almost gets to that point.

Director Grant Heslov doesn’t fail in making sure the movie stays entertaining at least during its brief runtime. He’s aided by a goofy-as-can-be George Clooney who acts like a kid on a roller coaster ride. It’s unclear what his Lyn Cassidy was written as, but Clooney takes him for an overconfident buffoon who feels he’s superhuman. The result is pure comedy, and a performance that guides one through the picture when it begins to get too outlandish for its own good. Clooney’s counterbalanced by a moody and glum Ewan McGregor who does a fine job as Bob Wilton, and plays off of his mustached partner elegantly. McGregor needs a film like this to get him back out there and this is a good jumping point.

Both are supported by Jeff Bridges who’s coasting by on his ‘Dude’ persona from The Big Lebowski. Obviously, that’s not a bad thing as he’s particularly great at it but he doesn’t really do anything we haven’t seen before. Kevin Spacey’s Larry Hooper is in a battle with Cassidy but not because they’re rivals like the story tells us. Spacey seems to be trying to one-up Clooney for “Goofiest Person In A Film”. While the edge might go to Spacey by the end, it never feels like Verbal Kint takes it too far. Stephen Lang also pops up, although it’s never clear why he’s there… but no matter. Lang’s always a joy to watch, as is Glenn Morshower, who’s in Transformers mode here. Again, never a bad thing.

Heslov does deserve credit for keeping all of these elements reigned in. He’s daunted with the task of trying to tell a coherent story amongst all the chaos, and he just goes with it. Heslov doesn’t hold anything back and doesn’t let any of his actors feel restrained by their roles. Instead of taking the “how can I save this?” attitude that directors sometimes  leave on their pictures, Heslov’s attitude toward this material is laid-back and fun. He’s perfectly aware things have gone up in smoke once the third act has arrived and does nothing to stop it from doing so. Maybe he’s smiling and laughing along with Cassidy and Hooper as they run rampant through an outpost.

This is what The Men Who Stare At Goats asks you to do. It cares if you like it, but at the same time it’s not afraid to just gleefully throw everything it can at you. Truth is, you’re either with this film from the opening frame, and just accept it in spite of itself when the later acts come, or you’re weary and far gone by the time said acts arrive. With that said, this film is tough to recommend to those on the fence. People interested should definitely give it a try, but the film isn’t for everyone and knows it. And sometimes, we need films like this that play by their own rules and offer up mildly entertaining exploits.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

This is a great year for George Clooney. He’s got Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air on the horizon, as well as Grant Heslov’s The Men Who Stare At Goats. Both films look superb.

It could also be a great year for you, because you stand a chance at winning goodies from The Men Who Stare At Goats!

We’ve got a bunch of cool stuff for you. One lucky winner will receive a “No Goats. No Glory” T-shirt along with a copy of the book that the film is based on, written by Jon Ronson. From what I’ve heard, the book is spectacular, so this is your chance to pick it up at the price of free!

In case you haven’t heard, the film centers around a reporter (Ewan McGregor) who meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), a “former member of the U.S. Army’s First Earth Battalion, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions.” It’s also based on a true story, believe it or not.

To enter this contest, you must have a twitter account and be following @atomicpopcorn to enter. If you don’t have a twitter account please set one up here.  Please log into your twitter account and tweet the following:

Win an awesome The Men Who Stare at Goats prize package. Thanks to @atomicpopcorn I will be a winner!

Only do this ONCE! Duplicate entries will be removed from contention. This contest will run through November 8th The winners will be notified via Twitter. This is for Residents of the USA ONLY. Sorry, out-of-towners!

And while you’re at it, check out the film’s website at http://www.themenwhostareatgoatsmovie.com/.

Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air, which has gotten stunningly good festival reviews, finally has a release date. The film will go limited on December 4th.

Paramount Pictures intended for Up in the Air to be released in November, which would coincide with George Clooney’s other starring role in Grant Heslov’s The Men Who Stare At Goats. Now, Goats will be released wide on November 6th without a threat of audience overlap with UITA.

Expect the release of Up in the Air to spread into a wide release by the end of December. I cannot wait to see this film.

The first trailer to The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wes Anderson’s throwback to The Mouse and the Motorcycle-style stop motion animation starring George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and the rest of Anderson’s usual gang, was met with mixed reviews. Some loved the aesthetic, some found it distracting; personally, I loved it. He seems to have taken Ronald Dahl’s original story and married it to a style that’s completely distinct from anything we’ve seen on the big screen, perhaps ever.

If you were in that first crowd, you might not be fully convinced by this new trailer. However, you will realize that the movie seems prety darn funny — quite a bit funnier than the director’s last output, The Darjeeling Limited. And once again, Clooney proves he has a voice of the gods.

Click on the picture below to head over and watch the trailer at Apple.com. The Fantastic Mr. Fox will be released on November 13 of this year.

New Fantastic Mr. Fox Trailer from Apple Trailers

Academy Award winner and jack of all trades actor George Clooney is going back in front of the camera once again starring in Anton Corbijn’s “The American”. Focus Features’ most recent suspecnse thriller begins filming in Italy, which is actually based off of a novel called A Very Private Gentlemen.

Alone among assassins, Jack (played by Mr. Clooney) is a master craftsman. When a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, he vows to his contact Larry (Bruce Altman of this fall’s Peter and Vandy) that his next assignment will be his last. Jack reports to the Italian countryside, where he holes up in a small town and relishes being away from death for a spell. The assignment, as specified by a Belgian woman, Mathilde (Thekla Reuten of Focus’ award-winning In Bruges), is in the offing as a weapon is constructed. Surprising himself, Jack seeks out the friendship of local priest Father Benedetto (Italian screen and stage veteran Paolo Bonacelli) and pursues romance with local woman Clara (Italian leading lady Violante Placido). But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be tempting fate.

Focus senior vice president, production Kahli Small and creative executive Michael Pruss are supervising the project for president of production John Lyons. The latter feature’s cinematographer and editor, Martin Ruhe and Andrew Hulme, respectively, are rejoining Mr. Corbijn on The American; Mark Digby and Suttirat Larlarb, both of Slumdog Millionaire, are production designer and costume designer, respectively.

Mr. Schamus said, “The combination of a visionary artist of the stature of Anton Corbijn with the great George Clooney is, for all of us at Focus, a movie marriage made in heaven.”

Anton Corbijn has been on the scene for years, his most notable work involves his vast array of music videos more so the ones he did for bands like The Killers, Coldplay, U2 and Depeche Mode. The international director’s recent feature is the 2007 biopic Control, based off of the life of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis. No sold release date for this Clooney feature has been set, but keep on here for more news on this and everything happening in Hollywood here at Atomic Popcorn.