George Clooney is an easy guy to like. First we liked him as a compassionate and charming doctor, then we liked him as a criminally calculating yet simultaneously charming casino robber. We even liked him as a crafty but (you guessed it) charming animated fox. But surely no one could bring themselves to like him as a corporate downsizer for hire who takes pleasure in his job amid the worst financial crisis for generations? Oh. Actually, we like him doing that too.
Up in the Air is the story of the white collar hatchet man Ryan Bingham. He doesn't have an office, he keeps his family distant and the skies are the closest thing he has to a home; and he loves it that way. His job takes him to cities all over the US, where he pitches up just long enough to tell people they've been made redundant. While Bingham doesn't exactly relish delivering the bad news, he takes pleasure in knowing he's good at it. But most importantly, the job allows him to travel. The executive drifter, dedicated bachelor and hoarder of air miles believes the perks of the road amount to greater luxury than any inflated salary or beachfront property ever could. He even has company when he wants it, in the delightful form of his fellow executive traveller Alex (Vera Farmiga). She is essentially a female equivalent of Bingham, happy to enter into a casual relationship that appears to suit the pair equally.
But it's not long before he hits turbulence. First, a promising college graduate (Anna Kendrick) proposes a way in which his company could carry on its work without sending its staff on the road. Then, a problematic family wedding brings him back down to earth with a bang. Finally, he realises that his intentionally noncommittal relationship with Alex may be missing something after all. Each of the film's three main actors deservedly received Oscar nominations for their performances, and while Kendrick is excellent as the highly strung Natalie, Clooney and Farmiga's upside-down romance is the most fascinating thing here. Not only is the chemistry between the pair thoroughly believable, but it also provides the film's most humorous and dramatic moments. There are a number of excellent cameo appearances, too, from the likes of Zach Galifianakis, JK Simmons and Jason Bateman.
Clooney's turn as the tomcatting Bingham might come naturally to the actor, but the atmosphere that is established around his lifestyle in the opening act makes fascinating viewing in today's post-recessionary world. It feels wholly original to present such a seemly shallow existence as highly attractive now, but that's why it's a little disappointing when the film reveals itself to be about something other than the joys of perpetual bachelorhood.
Unfortunately a large amount of the film's originality and humour is squandered in the final act, when Bingham attends the wedding of his young sister and her oafish fiancé and proceeds to look down upon everyday Earth dwellers from the top of a cloud. In fact, there are several moments when Up in the Air's moral compass appears to be pointing in the wrong direction. Somewhat like Clooney's character, the film ends up getting rather confused about what it wants be. But thankfully, it's charming enough that it doesn't matter.
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
What is 'Soft Power'?
Soft power was first mentioned in 1990 by former US Defence Secretary Joseph Nye.
He believed that there were alternative ways of cultivating support from other countries, instead of achieving goals using military strength.
Soft power is, at its root, the ability to convince other states to do what you want without force.
This is traditionally achieved by proving that you share morals and values.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
Zayed Sustainability Prize
BRAZIL SQUAD
Alisson (Liverpool), Daniel Fuzato (Roma), Ederson (Man City); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Emerson (Real Betis), Felipe (Atletico Madrid), Marquinhos (PSG), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG); Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Fabinho (Liverpool), Lucas Paqueta (AC Milan), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern Munich); David Neres (Ajax), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Richarlison (Everton), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Willian (Chelsea).
