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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 3:21 pm
by Zahveed
It definitely triumphs over Atonement and Michael Clayton, and I enjoy it more than No Country for Old Men - though the latter is more technically proficient. There Will Be Blood would have been my vote, followed by Juno simply because I figure everyone's brother will vote for No Country. Juno beats it by a laugh and a half.
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:57 pm
by Damien
Zahveed wrote:It's been a while since a good comedy has won top prize. I wouldn't mind it, but I wouldn't vote for it myself.
I haven't seen No Country For Old Men or There Will Be Blood, but I think Juno is superior to the other two nominees.
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:13 pm
by Zahveed
It's been a while since a good comedy has won top prize. I wouldn't mind it, but I wouldn't vote for it myself.
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:05 pm
by cam
But this film is nothing like Tammy and The Bachelor, and no, I cannot imagine that film ever being up for an Oscar, or her for that matter( she should have been nominated for Mother)
I have been reading Oscar sites where Juno is predicted to win. Some here have said that There Will be Blood and No Country exemplify today's hard callous world, but I think that, Juno, a kinder, gentler film may be the one to attract the voter. I haven't seen anyone, but a few cynics here-- but the cynics here disagree on whether the sun rose this morning or not.
Edited By cam on 1202843318
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:17 pm
by Big Magilla
Juno is a solid three star movie.
Fifty years ago they made nice little movies about quirky, perky girls and called them Tammy and the Bachelor and everyone enjoyed them, but no one seriously considered them for an Oscar, except maybe for best song. Can you imagine Debbie Reynolds being nominated for Tammy and people seriously debating whether she could overtake Joanne Woodard in The Three Faces of Eve and Deborah Kerr in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison? Oh, the mind boggles!
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:58 am
by Damien
Sonic Youth wrote:What, exactly, is this tiny wisp doing in a Best Picture slot? And with a box office total of nearly $120 million? How did such a thing happen??? Putting aside personal opinions, no, Juno is NOT like Little Miss Sunshine.
I think what people like so much about Juno is that it is both very endearing -- particularly in how the title character (helped immeasurably by Ellen Page's lovely performance) is equal parts cynical wise-ass and a still-innocent child, which makes her both very real and difficult to pigeon-hole -- and moves in unexpected ways. It just flows in such a natural manner, which makes audiences able to see their own lives in the character's actions and situations. And to me, makes it the opposite of Little Miss Sunshine, which I found completely contrived and schematic. The relationship between Page and Michael Cera is not quite like any other I've seen in a movie -- the natural easiness they have with each other, as more than friends but not quite lovers, is sweet and touching but, above all, authentic. Juno has flaws, as I pointed out before, but it seems to breathe real life, and I think that's why itis one of the 5 finalists this year.
Edited By Damien on 1202799703
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 11:11 pm
by Akash
Juno is superior to Little Miss Sunshine in every single way. And most certainly because of the absence of one very annoying child.
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 10:53 pm
by Sonic Youth
Damien wrote:Juno would never listen to Moldy Peaches so the soundtrack, likable as it is, is misbegotten.
Oh, I don't know. Since she's into the 70s CBGB scene, she'd probably never get around to them. But I think Juno would like Kimya Dawson. And more importantly, Juno IS like Kimya Dawson, and so's the film, full of childlike insouciance, mischief, confidence and play.
What, exactly, is this tiny wisp doing in a Best Picture slot? And with a box office total of nearly $120 million? How did such a thing happen??? Putting aside personal opinions, no, Juno is NOT like Little Miss Sunshine. It's more like... I dunno... Ed's Next Move, or any other shoestring indie from the mid-to-late 90s. Dry, very gently nuanced, embracing its own slightness. No 'significance', no gravitas. Neither a conventional story arc nor a challenging one. It just leans against the wall with its hands in its pockets, thumbs dangling out, waiting for the bus. What is going on here?!?
Well, shit. My SPACE key has nearly bit the dust. 
I'll pick up from here tomorrow or Wednesday.
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 10:45 am
by Reza
I'm sorry but I just don't understand why this film is up for best picture. Is it because the lead character mouths sassy dialogue? The story is incredibly stale (yes it may be topical) but it seems as if it is one of those films shown on Lifetime channel. And I don't think it was funny at all. Ellen Page deserves her nod but winning the award would be really a crime.
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 10:44 am
by Mister Tee
I think your last point is the most sanguine, Sabin (though "People liked it more than the others" is a subset of the gross). The result at BAFTA suggests Cotillard still has her solid support, and two not-widely-seen art house entries could (here comes that phrase we love) split constituencies. (I didn't say "split the vote" or that Page's win would therefore be illegitimate, so get off my back; I merely think the other two help open a path for Page, the way the Romney/Huckabee divide has helped John McCain drive forward without anything like majority support)
Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 5:27 am
by Sabin
She totally could. I'm still completely undecided on whether she or Julie Christie could win. There is absolutely no reason in the world why Ellen Page won't. "Because it's a comedy?..." doesn't work. It's a beloved comedy. "Because she's too young?..." doesn't matter. She's the kind of young that voters clearly respect. "Because her movie got more nominations than any other in her category?..." I see that. "Because she's potentially the least eccentric nominee of the bunch and at 20 that's saying something?..." "Because her movie made more money than anybody else's combined?..." Yeah, good point.
Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:51 pm
by The Original BJ
Oh god. Roger Ebert predicts Ellen Page will win Best Actress.
I feel like I've been here before... ???
Edited By The Original BJ on 1202705510
Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 11:57 am
by Sabin
Very funny movie. I'll go to ***1/2 even though it's a film of substantial limitations. It's solid throughout, consistently funny, makes great use of its ensemble. All "Lil' Movie That Could"s should live up to the hype this much.
Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 10:45 pm
by Eric
Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:24 pm
by Damien
Caught up with Juno today and I liked it -- it is so sweet and charming and is actually quite funny.
It has shortcomings: sometimes the dialogue is over-written, straining to be clever and artificial (would a 16-year-old girl even know who Soupy Sales is, let alone use him in a sentence?) Jason Bateman's is not one of the more believable characters I've seen on screen this past year. Juno would never listen to Moldy Peaches so the soundtrack, likable as it is, is misbegotten. And Juno's pregnancy never seems anything more than a minor inconvenience (and at times never even that), so clearly we're in fantasyland here.
But Ellen Page has a wonderful screen presence, and her character seemed so real -- neither too hip, too outre, too nice but rather a highly believable amalgam of these characteristics. Plus I love that for her outward cynicism and premature world-weariness, Page never lets go of the fact that Juno is still a kid. And the scenes with her and Michael Cera are so nicely understated -- there is such quiet tenderness between them.
As quirky teenage girl comedies go, I somewhat prefer Ghost World and Mean Girls, but the ghastley Little Miss Sunshine should not even be mentioned in the same sentence as Juno.
I'll pick up from here tomorrow or Wednesday.