Juno Movie Review

Juno: Witty, comical, sincere, and profound…..this little indie flick brings a lot to the table. The movie opens with 16 year old Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) discovering she is pregnant. The father of the child is the corky, yet cool Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera – cast perfectly). Juno’s first thought is to have an abortion. However, after a trip to the clinic she decides to go through with the pregnancy and look into giving the child up for adoption. She finds what appears to be the perfect couple in the “wanted” section of the local paper. What follows is a “peeling away” of all the characters involved in Juno’s decision. The film's success or failure rests on the shoulders of Ellen Page. She was not just good, but I would go as far as saying that she gave the best performance that I have seen this year! She is funny and candid throughout. More impressive however, is how she slowly shows us Juno’s vulnerability and at the same time her immense maturity. This is a case of the right actor being cast for the role and that can actually be said for the whole cast of Juno. Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman are perfect as the couple looking for a baby to love. Juno’s parents (played by Allison Janney & J.K. Simmons) fit perfectly into the quirky “Juno world” and at the same time bring seriousness to the subject matter. I did feel the first 15 minutes of the movie tried a little too hard. I thought the witty dialogue being flung around was over-the-top. Fortunately, the script (written by newcomer – Diablo Cody) did settle down to give us one of the better stories of the year. Juno blends clever humor and thoughtfulness with a subject matter that is normally difficult to discuss……the outcome is one of 2007’s best films!
* * * * or Grade: A-

If this movie had parents they would be: Little Miss Sunshine & Rushmore

With a runtime of 92 minutes
This film is rated PG-13

Sweeney Todd Review

Sweeney Todd: The newest Tim Burton movie guarantees only one thing…..a new Johnny Depp movie. Their sixth collaboration – Sweeney Todd, is based on the popular musical. The story is dark and sinister with some twisted humor, what else would you expect from Burton/Depp. Set in Victorian London, Sweeney Todd, once a family man and a barber was wrongfully imprisoned by a menacing judge who was enamored by Todd's beautiful wife. After Todd is released from prison he resurfaces in London. He befriends Mrs. Lovett who serves “meat pies” in a café below his newly opened barber shop. Together they come up with a heinous plan to not only get revenge, but to use their victims in a creative…..um… “tasty” way. Burton did a great job of translating this musical for the big screen. I give huge thumbs up to the look of the film – from the sets and lighting to the costumes and the make-up. Similar to recent Tarantino and Rodriguez films, Burton does not shy away from using mass amounts of fake blood which often sprays from the jugular of Todd's victims. The songs are a little different than most other musicals as there are no sweeping memorable songs, but rather very edgy/humorous lyrics that move the plot along. In my mind Helena Bonham Carter (Mrs. Lovett) steals the show. She has the funniest lines, but she also plays the part so perfectly that it would be hard to envision anyone else playing Mrs. Lovett. Sacha Baron Cohen pops up as a rival barber and is hilarious during his small time on screen. Where I thought the film failed was the story itself. It may make a great musical, but I did not feel there was enough substance to span the almost two hour runtime. This is a movie to have fun with….well, at least for the sick minded people out there.
* * * or Grade: B-
If This Movie had Parents They would be: Barbershop & Kill Bill

With a runtime of 116 minutes
This film is rated R

Atonement Review

Atonement: What would the Oscar movie season be without a sweeping love story that is disrupted by World War II. Keira Knightley and James McAvoy (The Last King of Scotland) star as the two young lovers. Knightley plays Cecilia Tallis, the daughter of a very wealthy British family. McAvoy plays Robbie, the son of the Tallis family’s servants. The Tallis family puts Robbie through university at Cambridge, thus putting him on the cusp of joining the “upper class”. Cecilia and Robbie discover their love for one another however, not everyone in the Tallis family sees their relationship as “true love”. After having a couple of days to let this film soak in my mind, I can’t help but be mad at it. It did so much right - starting with the powerful story and the perspective in which it was told. The cinematography was absolutely beautiful and the score of the film was exceptional – I thought the use of the typewriter sound at key points was brilliant. I even treasured the scope of the film which captured an interesting viewpoint of WWII. All that said, the movie’s biggest fault was that it did not give us enough time with the two main characters before the conflict. How emotionally vested can we be when only 10 minutes of screen time is devoted to their affection for one another? This is one of the few times a movie could have truly been enhanced had the runtime been 20 minutes LONGER. To the film’s credit, I was still very much moved by the conclusion. This is a case of a “Good” movie that could have been.....and should have been -“Great”.
* * * or Grade: B

If this movie had Parents they would be: The English Patient & The Notebook

With a runtime of 120 minutes – too short
This film is rated R

Enchanted Review

Enchanted: Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey star in Disney’s latest fairytale. The idea for the movie is extremely imaginative. The film starts out in animation “Snow White style” – Giselle, a young princess falls in love with a young prince. This angers the prince’s mother/evil queen, so she sends Giselle (Amy Adams) to another dimension where there is “no such thing as real love” – modern day Manhattan. Once in Manhattan, Adams is transformed into a human girl although her ideals remain the same and she continues to break out into song at any given moment. She meets a divorce lawyer (Dempsey) who tries to help her find her way home while at the same time learns from the naive Giselle that love can be everything it is cracked up to be in the fairytales. The film is full of charm, as more characters from the fairytale world enter the real world carrying on exactly as if they were still animated. The idea was pulled off perfectly up until the last act of the film. It was if the writers did not know how to end it so they went for some big spectacle which was not needed. I cannot say enough good things about Amy Adams’s performance. I would not be surprised at all if she gets nominated come Oscar time for this role. Enchanted also does a good job of paying homage to many of the past Disney fairytales, ie Cinderella, Snow White, The Little Mermaid, and Sleeping Beauty. The film succeeds in being entertaining for both adults and kids which is just wonderful for the holiday season.
* * * and ½ or Grade: B+
If this movie had parents they would be: Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Princess Bride.

With a runtime of 105 minutes
This film is rated PG

Beowulf: Please allow me to sound like a 13 year old for a minute – “Beowulf in 3-D is REALLY cool.” Robert Zemeckis, the man who brought us Forrest Gump and more recently The Polar Express is behind this innovative film. The entire movie is brought to life using computer animation. All of the CG characters are reproductions if you will, of living actors (Think Polar Express). Among the cast are John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Anthony Hopkins, and Angelina Jolie. What we see on screen could only be done using CG, as the battles are epic, astonishing, and gruesome all at the same time. I would say the script only “loosely” follows the ancient poem, as the screenwriters added much more to the story than I ever remember. The tale begins when the monster Grendel annihilates King Hrothgar’s village. Beowulf steps up to the challenge of hunting down and killing Grendel. However, Grendel is only the first beast he will have to face on this deadly test. Clearly, it is the amazing visuals that make this movie so exciting. I was bewildered with the 3-D presentation – I will go as far as to say “industry changing”. A few years back we would only be able to read and imagine such actions, now thanks to technology we can actually see it on the big screen. Beowulf 3-D is a very exuberant theater experience, so put the glasses over your eyes and enjoy!!!

The movie itself is only: * * and ½, but seeing it in 3D brings it to: * * * and ½ or Grade: B

If this movie had parents they would be: Polar Express & Clash of the Titans

With a runtime of 120 minutes

This film is rated PG-13