Juno (2007)

Directed by: Jason Reitman
Format: Theater
Starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman
Trailer

Pending a verdict on her book Candy Girl, Diablo Cody might just be my new hero. A former stripper, Cody (that’s a nom de plume), is a year younger than me and has already won an Academy Award. She rocked out on Oscar night, looking like a tattooed Cleopatra. IMDB quotes her as saying, “If this whole writing thing doesn't work out, I'll be getting right back on the pole.” I admire her attitude and I think that the backlash against her is undeserved, but inevitable. Bottom line – she seems particularly human for Hollywood.

Like recent many, I came to know of Diablo Cody because she wrote the screenplay for the movie Juno. Several trusted friends recommended the film to me and when I heard that it stars one of my favorite new actresses, Ellen Page, I had to check it out. I even went to a late showing during the middle of the week so that I wouldn’t have to put up with irritating crowds. The experience would have been perfect if it weren’t for the $9.25 admission. (I feel a savage rant coming on about the steady decline of the movie going experience, but I’ll get back to the subject at hand.)

Juno tells the story of the title character, a high school student who finds herself dealing with an unexpected pregnancy. After flirting briefly with the idea of abortion, she decides to carry the child to term and find a suitable couple to take over. When she visits the home of Vanessa and Mark Loring, Juno chooses the couple as the ideal candidates for surrogate parenthood. All that’s left for her to do is cope with being the only pregnant girl in school, deciding what she wants from her relationship with the father, and her shifting hormones. Easy, right?

Fortunately for her, Juno has the help of a good friend and the support of a wonderful father and step-mom. She’s also got a tough hide and a sarcastic attitude. I thought that Ellen Page did a wonderful job portraying the pregnant teenager. However, I noticed certain elements of her character in Hard Candy carried over to this film. Juno is like a snippet of Hayley Stark extended over a 96 minute time frame. Maybe that’s why she was chosen for the role or maybe Page has less range than I’d hoped. Regardless of the similarity, I enjoyed each character immensely. Second to Juno, I think my favorite character in this movie might have been her boyfriend Bleeker, played by Michael Cera. He’s a little bit of an awkward dork, but he’s so genuine and good-hearted that it’s hard not to be drawn to him.

In fact, the entire film is pleasantly quirky like that, from the soundtrack to the dialogue; something like a cross between Napoleon Dynamite and Little Miss Sunshine. I wonder if the people out there, who’ve criticized Juno for its lingo, have ever listened to a group of teenagers carry on a conversation. Judging from my experience as sister to a teenaged brother, Diablo Cody captured the demographic superbly in that regard. I just wish I could get that Moldy Peaches song out of my head!

It was nice to see a film about a topic that could have easily been a heavily dramatic one, treated with a lighter touch. It’s important to remember that Juno isn’t a movie about teen pregnancy. It’s a story about a girl and how that individual experiences being a pregnant teen. So, don’t look to the film to provide poignant social commentary or moral lessons. Don’t expect a lengthy examination of the abortion issue. Just relax and let yourself fall in love with the characters.

Overall Rating: 4
Hottie Rating: 3 (I'm hot for Bleeker)

Alternate Recommendation: Little Miss Sunshine
Official Site
IMDB Page
Austin Chronicle review

***Note: If you found this review via IMDB, please let us know by leaving a comment. Thanks!***

Evolution (2001)

Director: Ivan Reitman
Venue: DVD
DVD Features: audio, subtitles
Trailer

Ah, remember the hey-day of comedic alien action flicks? There was Men In Black, Mars Attacks, Starship Troopers and yes…Evolution. These days it seems to be all about remaking the classics, I, Robot (ok, not about aliens), War of the Worlds, Superman Returns (yes, he’s an alien). I say, let’s bring back the gun-totin’ wise-crackin’ green-blooded days of yore. What about a Ryan Reynolds and Linda Hamilton duo of everydayman fights the menace from Mars? You can’t tell me that Jeff Goldblum wouldn’t make a good astrophysicist trying to keep the military from vaporizing his specimens. Yes, I could conjure plot line after plot line on that topic, but that’s not what we’re here for, is it?

The alien invasion in Evolution arrives by way of meteor, carrying tiny spores of life. Dr. Block (Orlando Jones) and Ira Kane (David Duchovny) are two science teachers at a local community college. When they catch wind of the smoldering rock, they arrive on the scene and quickly collect samples. Back at the lab, they discover that the samples host a soup of single-celled organisms rapidly dividing and changing. In short order, the alien cells become flatworms and from that point, their “evolution” explodes. When our heroes trek back to the crash site, they see that, much to their chagrin, the military has taken over. What begins as a battle of legal rights to research studies, quickly grows into a battle for the human inhabitants of the city. Luckily, they’ve got Dr. Allison Reed (Julianne Moore) who crosses over from the military sector and Wayne Grey (Seann William Scott) a local wannabe fireman on their side. The plot is a good one. It stems initially, from Block’s and Ira’s hopes for fame, which is a departure from the usual fleet of flying saucers. The aliens don’t seem consciously bent on global conquest either. There are no spokes-creatures making demands or laser blasts from tripods. The creatures are seemingly interested only in adaptation and survival. I have to admit that I found myself sympathizing with the invaders.

Plot: 4 stars

Duchovny and Jones make a good comedy team. The movie also hosts a decent cast of established actors from Julianne Moore to Dan Aykroyd. The entire cast pulled together nicely and I can’t think of any glaring moments of loathing for any one character. It was easy to see Duchovny as an ex-military schoolteacher, who’s somewhat washed up. I could also see him befriending Dr. Block and humoring his lecherous after-school “tutoring”. I do think that Duchovney and Moore would have some sinfully ugly offspring though.

Acting: 3 ½ stars

Why is it that I enjoy a good mall thrashing so much? A movie always seems to gain points with me if there are shattering shop windows and screaming consumers scattered about. The first alien mutation to become tolerant to Earth’s atmosphere is a four-legged dragon-like creature. After witnessing it’s mucousey birth and subsequent liftoff, Ira and Block chase the beast to the local shopping complex. Once inside, our heroes smash open a sporting goods gun display and head off after their specimen and its shoplifter prey. It’s a fun scene with lots of ridiculous posing and manly postures. There are also massive detonations of napalm, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Action: 4 stars

Evolution is packed with CGI. At the time the movie was made, computer graphics hadn’t quite reached the point of glistening realism that they have today. Consequently, the visual effects aren’t that spectacular. But, since this is a comedy, and the audience isn’t expected to take anything seriously, it’s not such a crime that the monsters lack a certain polish. I think the ape creature – which was most likely a costume – was a neat design and the cave that becomes the creatures birthplace has a nicely creepy air, if somewhat Star Trekey (Old School, of course). My major gripe about the effects in this film is that none of the alien abominations seem very original at all. From flatworms, to slugs, to reptiles and then apes, all of the spawning creatures mimic Earth life much too closely.

Visual: 3 stars

At last some memorable, albeit not astounding, lines of dialogue from a film! In one scene, Ira is advising his friend not to hope for cooperation from the military. He alludes to some past experience with the government. Allow yourself, for a moment, to believe that he’s talking about The X-Files. The lamest moment of dialogue comes after the rescue of the shoplifter in the mall. I bet you can guess what she says from miles away. So not funny.

Dialogue: 3 ½ stars

I enjoyed Evolution quite a bit. If you asked my brother, he’d tell you that the movie went well with “the munchies”. The next time you want to go retro (read late 90’s to early 2000’s) with your movie choice, pick up Evolution and enjoy some relaxed laughs for a couple of hours.

Alternate viewing choice: Mars Attacks
IMDB site
Official site (none found)
Rotten Tomatoes review

***Note: If you found this review via IMDB, please let us know by leaving a comment. Thanks!***