Juno

Last year the Academy missed out on the real best actress but they get another chance with Jason Reitman’s Juno. Reitman, the director of Thank You For Smoking, could’ve probably slept his way through this movie with solid performances from Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janey , J.K. Simmons (J Jonah Jameson from the Spidey movies), and a surprisingly fresh and clever script from first-timer Diablo Cody. What made this really easy for Reitman, though, is Ellen Page pulling off another stunning role as a pregnant teenager figuring out what to do with her unborn child. The movie is not perfect. Early on you get the idea that Rob Gordon provided the soundtrack, and you will wonder if everyone in Juno’s world is as verbally clever as a Gilmore Girl but it doesn’t take too long for Reitman’s pacing to hit it’s full stride and sweep you away. I am probably not the first nor the last to say it: this is this year’s Little Miss Sunshine.

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Bonus! Here’s one of the wonderful Kimya Dawson (of the Moldy Peaches) songs from the movie.

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Stop Waving The 9/11 Flag

Are there any Bush supporters still out there? How about after the possibility that his denigration of civil liberties started before the 9/11 attacks.

From an article at MarketWatch:

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., is pressing the Bush administration on allegations by former Qwest Communications’ Chief Executive Joseph Nacchio that the administration began its warrantless wiretapping program long before Sept. 11, 2001.

The Go-Getter

Three of my favorite actresses — Jena Malone, Zooey Deschanel and Maura Tierney — grace the screen playing their roles to the best of their talent but The Go-Getter is ultimately a let-down. It may be that Martin Hynes was too close to his script to be able to let the story shine without getting in the way, or maybe Lou Taylor Pucci is destined to be an Indie-level actor and no more. (Is that harsh?) The story drags and the predictable journey leads nowhere important. Still, I would watch the movie again to see Jena Malone high on X in her bra and panties. <…did I say that out loud?>

Chicago 10

As pure documentary — one that represents a journalistic approach, without bias — Chicago 10 is a disappointment that overwhelms the truth of the story. As a documentary of emotion or an editorial documentary, Chicago 10 is a powerful statement about the peace movement and government strongarm-ing during the late 60s. The images and music are designed to put you in the headspace of the radical anti-war activists (with an obviously missing inclusion of drugs), but I don’t feel that a story this moving needs the propaganda tools the filmmaker employed. The landmark (in multiple ways) court case is a story that could be told on a blank stage by Abbie Hoffman with just a spotlight and most people would be intrigued, but I concede that the film’s colorful license can sweep the audience into a more empathic understanding of the moment.

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Austin Film Festival

After the BRUTALITY of Fantastic Fest, Becky and I are taking the Austin Film Festival fairly easy. We’re missing almost all the day slots and some late slots, and we weren’t bothered in the least to fly to Tucson for what turned out to be an awesome wedding. So, I’ll post a few reviews here and there but don’t expect anything as comprehensive as usual.

In Rainbows

It took about 20 minutes to purchase and download after lots of time outs and errors, but I am now enjoying the heck out of the new Radiohead album. I haven’t been able to rock out to it yet (they frown on that at the office), but after a first pass it’s a good mix of mood (“All I Need” is lovely) and mayhem (“Bodysnatchers” makes me want to aggressively bob up and down in place).

Best Review Ever

I know…I owe you updated reviews for all but the first day of Fantastic Fest. Well, suck on this from last week’s Onion while you wait.