Mini-Reviews

I went and had myself a good ol' fashioned movie day this week (thank you very much Heather) and saw two films I had been dying to see for over a month (Juno and Atonement), but which the cruel hierarchy had consistently denied me. There has got to be a better system for getting the movies to the people, some kind of due process, cause both of these movies were supposed to be out in early December, only to finally trickle down to the lowly Eugene theaters last weekend. What the hell! I think limited release is such a cop out - why make me suffer and send me trolling through the internet for spoilers, so desperate am I to just see your movie!!! Why make it so difficult for me, eh? I also saw Across the Universe, a film I already saw back in September, but wanted to refresh my memory and get the big screen treatment one more time - big, brash musicals always look better in a theater.

• Across the Universe: This was easily one of the more divisive films of the year, spawning unadulterated hate in most critics, and yet garnering fierce affection from my critical hero, Roger Ebert, who even placed the film on his top 10 list. Truthfully, while I personally love the movie, I completely understand why so many loathe its very existence. Julie Taymor's ambitious musical is an ode to all things Beatle-esque, from the musical numbers and the time period they were written about, to character names and throwaway lines. The plot follows the adventures of Liverpool native Jude (Jim Sturgess), his true-love Lucy (Evan-Rachel Wood), her brother Max (Joe Anderson) and a few other '60's characters as they negotiate their way through flower power, Vietnam, psychedelics and social rebellion. None of the storylines are very original, but when filtered through the right song, I found the character emotions and situations more fulfilling than they would have been otherwise. I also discovered The Beatles music resonating in a way I had not grasped before; the passion they must have felt when they wrote such classic songs was suddenly more palpable than it had ever been. My favorite numbers included an emotional rendition of "If I Fell," the stylized graphics of "Strawberry Fields Forever," the energy behind "I've Just Seen A Face," and of course the slower, softer version of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," which is usually an up-tempo number, but in this film surprises you with its tender sadness. Sturgess and Wood are fresh faces, well-suited to the material and with strong, sweet voices to match. Ultimately, I love the film for what it does right, but find myself wanting to write an essay on how it could be made better and more accessible to the audience. It's elemental mistake is its excess; it's too long by half an hour, one too many psychedelic sequences, an unnecessary character and too many Beatles references crammed in. I enjoy it, but I don't think anyone who reads my blog will - you have to wholly give in to its literal cheesiness if you have any hope of savoring this film.

• Juno: Certainly one of the more charming and easily likable films of the year, Juno has the most solid cast, a group of people equal to performing - with conviction - highly stylized and often ridiculous dialogue. That isn't to say I didn't enjoy the way Diablo Cody wrote her script, but it does smack of self-indulgence every now and then. (But who am I to criticize or complain when the droll speech is so entertaining?) Sixteen year-old Juno (Ellen Page, in a staggeringly accomplished performance) finds herself pregnant after jumping her best friend Paulie Bleeker's (Michael Cera) bones. Unable to have an abortion (although one is considered) she decides to find adoptive parents in the local penny-saver, leading to the hilarious exclamation, "Desperately Seeking Spawn!" Juno settles on yuppie couple Mark and Vanessa (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner), lauding their picture-perfect lifestyle, even as her presence begins to expose cracks. Juno's relationship with Mark veers into sweet, but disturbing territory, and in wake of the self-imposed stagnancy of her relationship with Bleeker, she finds herself questioning the ability of relationships to provide sustenance. I appreciated the good-humored approach to her dad and step-mom, played by the incomparable character actors J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney, and I was bowled over by the subtlety and humor Jason Bateman brought to such a complex role. The heart of the film belongs to both Michael Cera and Jennifer Garner: Bleeker as he stands aside, willing Juno to appreciate his unceasing devotion, and Vanessa, the type-A personality who fervently wishes for a child of her own. Garner has a scene with Juno and her belly that brought unexpected tears to my eyes. And at the center is Ellen Page, steadily navigating the quirks of her character, but never losing grasp of Juno's heart.
  

• Atonement: Thirteen year-old Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) is a writer. Just on the cusp of entering the adult world, her imaginative mind spins wildly dramatic stories, desperate to be congratulated by her family and peers. Unfortunately, one hot, summer day in 1935, Briony witnesses an odd encounter between her older sister, Cecelia (Keira Knightly) and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), the son of their housekeeper. Over the course of the day, a series of misunderstandings and tragic coincidences lead her to believe Robbie is a sex maniac, dangerously close to attacking her beloved Cecelia. What her young mind is unable to grasp is that Cecelia and Robbie are in the early stages of young love, and the nuances and contradictions apparent in their behavior are beyond Briony's understanding. When her visiting cousin Lola is attacked and raped, Briony, as the only witness, and blinded by her misguided intimations, accuses Robbie of the crime. The consequences of this untruth determine the rest of the film. Joe Wright's brilliant Atonement, meditates not only on the destruction flung upon these three people, but also on what it means to atone for one's sin. As the film finds our characters immersed in WWII, Keira Knightly and James McAvoy have heartbreaking scenes as they attempt to put right the relationship they had almost begun on that fateful night. And Briony, consumed by guilt, makes attempts to understand her crime and seek forgiveness. The complexities of the narrative are endlessly fascinating, as they not only tell an involving story, but ruminate on the nature of what it is to be a writer and the whether the ability to fix such a tragic mistake exists. The cinematography in this film is gorgeous, most notably the continuous, uncut scene on the beaches of Dunkirk during the war. The score is inventive, utilizing the sound of a typewriter, re-enforcing the concept of Briony's imagination as "creator" of our narrative, both literally and figuratively. And the film culminates in a scene of such power that it causes you to rethink everything you have just seen. What an elaborate and beautiful film. James McAvoy, steadily rivaling my love for Leonardo DiCaprio, gives a finely-layered performance, rich in emotional detail. Keira Knightly does subtle, refined work, again proving she has skills far surpassing the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Saoirse Ronan, as young Briony, is in full control of her clipped voice, intense gaze and rigid body - just look at the way Briony walks! This is a performance of great maturity and talent. The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name, written by Ian McEwan. The novel is intricate and offers greater internal insight to our characters, but Christopher Hampton has done an admirable job of adapting such a visually complicated narrative. This is one of my favorite films of the year.