After the unexpected wild-card success of Juno, a low budget movie that far exceeded all box office expectations, Jason Reitman is enjoying the massive buzz around his latest film, Up In The Air. It’s the third full-length film for the Canadian born, second generation Hollywood director, whose love of music almost matches his love of movies.
Though his filmmaking prowess is undeniable – Up In The Air is leading the pack at this year’s Golden Globes with a total of six nominations – Jason harbors some surprising, and as yet unfulfilled, aspirations in the career department. URB checked in with busy director to talk movies and music, and to find out who and what rocks his world.
URB: I know you grew up on movie sets but you seem to have a refreshingly un-jaded attitude toward the movie industry — especially for someone who’s a second generationer [Jason’s dad is Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman]. You seem genuinely excited about what’s going on around Up In The Air.
JR: Well I’m appreciative, and I think that’s what you’re picking up on. It’s not that I’m naïve. I think my appreciation comes from not being naïve. I have grown up around a filmmaker my entire life. I understand the highs, I understand the lows, I understand there is success, I understand there’s failure. That’s all part of it. And I’ve been very lucky. I have three films that I’ve made, and there’s people who don’t like one part of one or another, but for the most part all three have been well liked and I know that won’t continue forever. So right now I’m just really appreciative.
I wanted to be a filmmaker, I didn’t want to live in my father’s shadow, I wanted to be able to make personal films, and I wanted one day to be able to join the ranks of directors that I really admired. A lot of that is actually happening and I’m well aware of how easily it could not be happening, and because that is really exciting, I do try and soak it up as much as possible, and appreciate it and stop and take a moment. Juno happened so quickly — that right now, Up In The Air, even the recognition that it’s getting, I’m trying to take this one a little slower because I don’t know when it’ll happen again.
URB: This past week you’ve been doing the music blog at the LA Weekly, and I know that you did a guest DJ slot at KCRW. If you hadn’t have gone into film would you have wanted to do something in music?
JR: Yes. That was my passion. In high school I loved music and I suppose it would have been a life dream come true to produce some music. Like if I could produce hip-hop that would make me really happy but I guess I’m a better director.
URB: What would be the one hip-hop record that you would have loved to have produced?
JR: Certainly there are successful hip-hop records I could name, like, you know, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic or Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready To Die that are kind of seminal records, but honestly if I could be any hip-hop producer or hip-hop beat maker it’d probably be Madlib. If I could be on Stones Throw Records as a hip-hop DJ / producer that would be as exciting as being a film director.
URB: I think that Madlib would get a kick out of hearing that Jason Reitman would like to be him.
JR: Well if you’re buddies with him you should tell him. I’m a big fan. He may already know. I think he’s aware of my fan-man-ship. I think Madlib is kind of the most unusual and interesting hip-hop beat maker in that his songs can go anywhere, anytime. They always do something interesting and they’re badass cool beats.
If you listen to the Beat Conductor series, like I could do long drives and listen to those on loop. Because at first it’s the joy of not knowing where it’s going to go and it goes somewhere interesting, and all of sudden it turns into the joy of knowing each of his weird idiosyncratic moves, and then all the listening is is looking forward to and anticipating those strange moments that happen. I’m a big fan. I’ve never seen him live. I’d actually love to see him live.
I actually do this. I’m in a mash-up band called Bad Meaning Bad and we play every once in a while. And I’m friends with a DJ named Cut Chemist.
URB: Ah, ’cause in your LA Weekly music blog you referenced the Brainfreeze shows. Where you there?
JR: There was a benefit concert at the Mayan a couple of years ago, it was for the artist that did a lot of artwork for those hip-hop artists’ records, and it was an amazing show. The Beat Junkies were there and Hieroglyphics were there, and a bunch of great DJs performed. But most impressive was Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow brought back Brainfreeze and performed it live. I’m a big fan of Brainfreeze and Product Placement as records but I’d never seen them performed, and I never thought I would, and they re-rehearsed and brought it back out. I don’t think I blinked the entire show. I just kind of stared and watched and listened. I was in heaven.
[...] [here] to read the full piece. Up In The Air is in theaters [...]