On the previous topic, Up in the Air, starring George Clooney, a new film by director Jason Reitman, is a masterpiece. Consequently, it is in line for many awards: nominated, for example, for Best Picture, Actor, and Supporting Actress (twice!), Acting Ensemble, Director, and Editing in tonight’s Golden Globe awards. And it is tipped to sweep the board at the Oscars.

This will be no surprise to fans of Reitman’s previous work, Juno and Thank You for Smoking. In all these films, he uses a sharp wit to strip the glamour from uncomfortable subjects. In Juno his target was teenage pregnancy, in Thank You for Smoking it was the tobacco lobby, and in Up in the Air it is downsizing consultants (with sideswipes at air travel and motivational speakers).