Juno

The very first thing needs to be said about this film is that it has got a brilliant soundtrack. I’m not just saying it features my favourite Belle and Sebastian song. I don’t think many people would disagree anyway.

The film itself was an Oscar winner, not best picture, but best original script. It is funny because I personally don’t think much of it. It is no doubt a good one – the characterization especially, see the married couple for example. Obviously, a lot of thought had been put into it. I don’t like Juno as a character, but I don’t think the original idea was to make her all that likeable. She is not a victim – She screwed up, she has to take responsibility. To me this makes perfect sense.

My personal favourite was Paulie of course – every girl says that.

As for the film, I like it. It has a few funny moments, accompanied with a lot of decent to excellent music. Also, the general idea of loving someone who loves you as you are is nice – though very old and overused by now. At least they represented the idea with a lovely duet instead of a helicopter ride. I’m better suited to this kind of romance. :P The only thing I do not like is how Juno just seems to want to get rid of the baby and have nothing to do with it.

Overall tone of the film is very optimistic, you almost always get a second chance if something goes wrong. If you compare it with the Romanian film “4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days”, which depicts how unforgivable things can be in a similar situation in a different setting, you will see what I mean. Juno is certainly a feel good movie, if you neglect everything that is going to happen after it. But why think about those when you are sitting in a comfy seat in a theatre, and just being happily entertained?

Little Miss Sunshine

First question, what was the 40 year old virgin doing in an oscar worthy film?

About 5 minutes later, that didn’t bother me any more. I was looking for something light-hearted after the gory No Country For Old Men. This was looking good, we simply have a dysfunctional family going on a road trip as the little girl needs to be in California for a beauty pageant.

It is an extraordinary situation. We know in the end this family will have learnt a lot from the trip, but we don’t know what’s in store for us. “There are two kinds of people in this world, winners and losers.” This is a story about the losers. However, it is impossible not to love them. The cast is very strong as a whole, none of them disappointed. Despite my personal liking towards Steve Carell, Alan Arkin (Grandpa) was the most outstanding. My favourite moment is when Olive asks him if she is beautiful, his answer was both warm and very funny.

Although I like every bit of the film, the ending is worth a mention. It is extremely funny but raises a very serious question – we don’t want to lose, but what does winning in this world take? Do you really want to be among the winners? It makes us slightly uncomfortable, but that feeling would not last too long because the overall tone of the film is an encouraging one.

Watching Little Miss Sunshine, people smile and sometimes, laugh. At the same time, it is also very dark and tragic with moments of sweetness and absurdity.

Michael, watch this and discuss this with me before I forget! :D

No Country For Old Men

I love the shock factor of the opening 10 minutes. When you’ve no idea what a film is going to be about, nobody ever expects such brutality. There is hardly any music (if any at all?) and very little dialogue. What little conversing there is seems real and is straight to the point, yet subtly contemplative. The landscape is beautiful, and every scene of violence is extremely vivid and gritty. Despite the subject, it is oddly believable. Like many good movies, the story is not obvious from the very beginning.

The best part is definitely the assassin. His voice, his unwavering posture and occasional hints of humanity. He is basically more like a robotic killing machine and as a viewer, you can feel the fear that the characters might – the nearly mythic, indestructible, cold nature of the man. His interactions with victims prior to their savage murders is priceless! He is beyond dark and ghostly.

I think it looses its way a bit in the final quarter. However, the end, where The Sheriff is pondering his life and relays a random dream to his wife before saying “and then I woke up” is masterful!

There are deeper meanings here but I will have to watch again.