Of Juno: the reviewers' reviews are very apt; the opening act involves line after line of precocious dialogue that, while clever and amusing, doesn't quite ring honest. (Not that I hated it, mind you. I like my share of clever dialogue.) But as the film began to open up, it deepened and became very satisfying. I cried - and not just because conception problems hits a nerve, but also because the several sweet and honest performances did.

Ellen Page, the titular pregnant teenager, gives a terrific portrayal of a cocksure (vulvasure?) youth whose know-it-all morphs into knows-it-less. Michael Cera is her confused best friend who impregnated her; he gives the sweetest delivery of my favorite line in quite awhile. J. Jonah Jameson and Allison Janney seem very much like real (and loving) parents. Jennifer Garner surprised me with a terrific ice-queen-melting performance as the potential adoptive mother, and Jason Bateman nails the role of her husband. It was like everyone knew exactly who their characters were and what they wanted and how they hurt and why.

The screenplay (by the much buzzed-about "stripper," Diablo Cody-- who, as I've gathered, has successfully invented herself in the way she imagines would be buzzworthy, since she started stripping AFTER she was already working in writing/advertising) other than the flaws I talked about earlier, is strong and took the story to places that I thought were kind of surprising (in their, you know, realness. This is Hollywood, after all, and who expects an emotion or a plot point to ring true?) The soundtrack is great and I'm planning to purchase it. The directing continues to show that the younger Reitman has real potential.

Of Atonement: I really regret not reading it first. I suspect it's the better of the two. Nevertheless, the first "movement" of the film completely involved me and was surprisingly funny. Performances very good all around, particularly those of the younger sister (Briony) at her various ages. Keira Knightley was as Keira Knightley is, but her scenes with James MacEvoy were quite good. I tend to think she (like Natalie Portman, her Star Wars doppelganger) reflects the talent around her, and when it's good, she is too. And James MacEvoy - he has absolute star quality and I look forward to seeing him performing for the rest of his life (and mine. I hope.) Side note, if you still haven't seen The Last King of Scotland, you're missing out.

The film lost me a little during the war years, as I'm sad to admit that "mid-film war periods" tend to do. (That, I think, is my personal problem, not the film's.) There was a hell of a tracking shot that swept me back in, though - and really gave a perspective on the soldiers' lives that I appreciated. The direction was strong, and I suspect it had a fair bit to do with the very, very interesting soundtrack (which is already on my iTunes.) The soundtrack, in retrospect, is a very clever nod to the plot. From what I have gathered, it's a hard novel to adapt, but I thought the use of time flow, repetition, and the concept of truth in storytelling, was quite good. Worth seeing, particularly for the very strong first act. But (though I haven't yet) I'd advise you to read the book first.

Sigh, I want to see both of those ^, but I'm never getting to the movies, let's face it. They'll have to wait for Netflix, along with Charlie Wilson's War, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, There Will Be Blood, and other current releases I can't think of at the moment, plus a ton of Fall releases that I missed with my busy schedule.

Alas, with my Bro-in-law now officially retired from the movie biz, the screeners will be fewer and fewer as the years go by. This year's crop is noticeably slim.


Of those, I watched In the Valley of Elah last night. Another enjoyable laconic performance from Tommy Lee Jones, with Susan Sarandon very effective in a small supporting role. It was gripping and sad, but a little hackneyed from a whodunit point of view, which is basically what the movie is. But since it's based on real events, and the whodunit is basically who-really-dunit, I can't complain much about the plot points.


Not great, but I'm glad I saw it.

We finally watched Rosemary's Baby. It's been one of those movies that's shown up via Netflix and sat for months. We actually had it for months once, and sent it back without viewing it. This time we actually kinda let all of our Netflix sit around for months and months.

But today was the day! Well, actually, we started watching it yesterday but got interrupted.

Turns out we were just waiting until after our trip to New York so we could visit The Dakota, site of John Lennon's assassination and the location for the exterior shots of the apartment building in the movie.

It's a fabulously shot movie, engaging throughout. The conception sequence was awesome. But the end was kinda anti-climactic.

OMG, John Lennon's assassination was 27 years and 6 days ago. Wow.




On a movie note ... saw something in theaters for a change, but not one of the many movies I'd been looking forward to. Surprisingly, I Am Legend did not disappoint. I really quite liked it.

Oh, and I was tres amused to find a LoT reference during I Am Legend.

$76 mil for I Am Legend. Holy crapping Jebus. That's really good!

Oddly, the 7pm Saturday night show we saw at the World Famous Gramaun's Chinese Theater in Hollywood USA was only half full.

Haw haw!
I'm watching The Simpsons Movie on DVD and you are not.
:D

I FINALLY saw The Women on Saturday Night (thanks to the wonderful GC). What a wonderful film with some sassy dialog. I want to watch it again in slo-mo so I can catch the dialog I missed! I adore films with quick and witty banter and this was faster paced than even His Girl Friday! Wheeee!

At least I understand the references to "Jungle Red" now. :)

Oh geeze. Is nothing sacred? It was an awful show when it was remade for TV in the 90s. It was horrible on Cox's Retro Saturday Morning. It was good in the early 80s.

When is MacGyver coming out?