Juno

Juno has already featured on the 'top 10 movies on 2007' lists of nearly every reviewer. Ever. It's been given 5 stars, Golden Globe nominations and hailed as a brilliant comedy.

Despite all this, I saw it simply because it stars Michael Cera. And I am smitten.

However, the movie does feature some other significant reasons to see it.

Juno is the story of a 16 year old girl, Juno MacGuff, who discovers she is pregnant with her friend Bleekers child after an encounter in a chair. Sharp-tongued Juno decides to keep the baby - opting to adopt it out to a loving set of parents instead, the Lorings (brilliantly portrayed by Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner).

I suspect the word 'quirky' has been thrown around a lot in relation to this film, particularly following the success of similar low-budget films such as Little Miss Sunshine and Thankyou for Smoking. Of course, quirky is a word you could use - but this is one movie that hardly fits into a mould.

Juno is brilliantly portrayed by Ellen Page, who garnered similar rave-reviews after featuring in Hard Candy. In Juno, she demonstrates her all-mighty ability to bring a character to life with true charisma and charm. Her softness is perfectly timed to off-set any cringe-worthy moments throughout the film - a quality that is equally matched by the ever brilliant Michael Cera who plays her friend Bleeker. Both Page and Cera light up the screen whenever they walk on and the raport between the two sent both myself and my friend in to moments of true sighing.

The supporting cast are equally as strong, aided by a brilliant script from the exceptionally talented Cody Diablo (who is famous for her blog, I might add!) The flow of the movie is perfectly aided by an outstanding soundtrack which twists and winds throughout this off-beat comedy

It's not exactly your most traditional premise for a movie, and the comedy throughout will not appeal to everyones tastes, but the strong cast, superb acting and amazing script will draw you in and suck you dry.

Bobby (2006)

Written by Emilio Estevez, Bobby tells the story of the lives of 22 people who were in and around the Ambassador Hotel at the time of Robert Kennedy’s assassination. In its form, the film is similar to Crash or Babel, it tells a series of interconnected stories which draw together a particular American experience. It’s not a film about Robert Kennedy. It’s not a film about the political motivations of Sirhan Sirhan, nor even a campaign story.

Readers of the other blog I write (oh ho ho, one of many, etc) will know that I am slightly taken with Bobby Kennedy. To me, he embodied the potential of American politics during the 1960s, and was able to create a vision of the future which far surpassed that of his brother, JFK. Kennedy was a reluctant politician, committed to fulfilling the promise of his brother’s presidency, while holding progressive views which outstripped his more pragmatic sibling.

The vignettes within Bobby are real and full of pathos. Lindsay Lohan plays a teenage girl marrying a boy from her high school class so that he can avoid the draft. In conversation with her hair-stylist for the day (played by an almost unrecognizable Sharon Stone), Lohan’s character observes that she would marry any boy she could, if it would stop them from going to Vietnam. William H. Macy plays a philandering hotel manager who sacks his racist employee (Christian Slater) after discovering that Latino workers had been prevented from leaving the workplace to vote. Anthony Hopkins plays a retired doorman who continues to return to the hotel he worked at, his life defined by his persona there. The characters here find themselves at a cross-roads, making decisions which transcend the political process, but which are informed by the spirit of the times, while reminding us that a public optimism cannot change each and every life.

More practically, there are some things about this film that might bother some people. For a start, it’s not narrative driven. It seeks to create a sense of what it was like to be American (from a range of experiences) at that time in history. This makes some people crazy. Secondly, it’s highly political. There is no doubt that Estevez’s own activist background and that of his father, Martin Sheen, have played a strong role in both what this movie portrays but also how it looks and feels. Estevez met Kennedy when he was four years old and was just six when Kennedy was assassinated, and those with a more critical eye than me may argue that the picture he presents of Kennedy is uncritical and rose-coloured.

News reel footage is woven into the stories, showing Kennedy’s commitment to reversing environmental damage, improving the lives of poverty-stricken Americans, and advancing the cause of civil rights in the United States. Even as a long-time admirer of Kennedy’s political activism (I actually have a book of his interviews that I bought when I was 15…yes, I am that kind of nerd) I was surprised by the depth of his vision and the extent of his progressive views. One can only wonder how the world might have been….

This film scores one whole tissue box from me. I am not joking when I say that I sobbed almost uncontrollably for about twenty minutes after it finished. It may not have this effect on everyone, but for those who are passionate about the difference that principle, optimism and inclusion can make to our society – at the political level and well beyond, this is a moving and provocative film.

Repentance is pointless

Atonement is a hotly tipped to be an award winning movie which has been adapted from the Booker Prize short listed novel of the same name.

It tells a story of a frustrated love affair that is separated by lies, war, class and time. Keira Knightly stars in several slinky slips of silk that mostly show off her hot back and her lack of boobs. But she looks gorgeous and is made for the role. The starring man, who's name I can't remember, was also amazing. But even though most of the movie focuses on him and his trials and tribulations Keira holds centre stage with her expressive eyes and her amazing costumes.

I always find film adaptations of novels seem to lack something, and this one is no exception. While the scene is set through lavish sets and delightful costumes I didn't get the same sense of claustrophobic aristocracy and the unbearable torment of separation. But this doesn't' detract from the film which was fabulous and made me cry three times.

Definitely go and see the film at the big screen as I can't imagine that you would get the same sense of place and time on a tv at home. No matter how big your wide screen LCD is. But maybe I am wrong. I just want an widescreen LCD myself but I am holding out for the environment and the exorbitant cost.