Juno

STARRING: Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 12/05/2007 (limited) DATE SCREENED: 11/08/2007 The Verdict OK - Wait for the DVD

I thought Juno was just the name of an email service. Now I know it’s the name of a city in Alaska, which was then used as the basis for the name of the title character of the film Juno. 20- year old actress Ellen Page, who wowed me in the film Hard Candy, stars as the 16- year old Juno, a quirky high school student who could never be a part of the “in crowd”. She ends up pregnant, thanks to one night with her nerdy classmate Bleeker (Michael Cera), and is forced to start making the tough decisions about what to do next.

A confident Juno walks into an abortion clinic, but walks out without being able to go through with the procedure. As a classmate protesting outside the building reminds her, the baby does have nails already. She can’t get that thought out of her mind.

Juno decides to put the baby up for adoption, meaning she must tell everyone about the pregnancy. Juno’s parents, played by J.K. Simmons & Allison Janney, are shocked but decide to support Juno in her decision. Bleeker doesn’t seem to care one way or the other. Juno scours advertisement for people looking for babies. After Juno and her father visit Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner), Juno is sure they have found the right couple. Mark is a musician stuck writing commercial jingles, who has similar tastes in music to Juno. Vanessa comes off as a bit too conservative, but also someone with a lot of love she is just waiting to give to a baby.

Juno is forced to grow up as we follow her along in this pregnancy. Mark and Vanessa begin to have marital problems, and Juno must face the realization that she might have to take care of this baby herself. She also has to figure out if Bleeker can be anything more than just a sperm donor.

Juno was probably the most popular film at the Toronto film festival. It reportedly received a standing ovation after one screening. I can understand why, as Juno is such a likeable, quick-witted, character right from the start. Ellen Page is sure to receive some Oscar consideration. The film’s offbeat humor is the type of humor that appeals to the majority of the film festival crowd. And all of the characters seem slightly different than what you would expect. But I personally did not find it funny. It’s just not my kind of humor. The humor doesn’t seem to cross over racial lines. I saw the film at a screening for college students. I was one of the few black people there, and the other black students were seated near me. They were bored to death while the rest of the audience seemed to enjoy it. Ellen Page did wow me for the 2nd time, but I still can’t recommend that people see this one in the theater. Wait for the DVD.

Beowulf

STARRING: Angelina Jolie, Ray Winstone View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 11/16/2007 DATE SCREENED: 11/13/2007 The Verdict GREAT - See it opening weekend in 3-D

Beowulf has been adapted for the big screen numerous times over the years, but 2007 brings us the first Beowulf movie to be animated in IMAX 3-D. Cast members were filmed on a motion capture stage, and the rest of the movie was animated based on their likeness and movements. Like it or not, this is going to be a big part of moviemaking in the future. How soon we get to that future depends on the success of Beowulf.

Beowulf tells the story of a warrior who travels across the sea to help rid a town of an evil monster named Grendel. But ridding the town of Grendel only serves to incur the wrath of his mother, an animated version of Angelina Jolie. Beowulf is seduced into making a deal with Grendel’s mother in order to save the town, but returns with stories of how he killed her. Beowulf is made king, and the town is peaceful for years. At least it’s peaceful as far as not being attacked by monsters. The town becomes a more warlike society with a man like Beowulf as their leader. The pact with Grendel’s mother doesn’t last forever, as years later she sends an evil dragon to attack the town. Beowulf must step down from his throne and fight for the town once again. It’s a simple story, but what more can you expect from a movie based on what is basically a long poem?

The stars of this film are the animators. The animation is amazing. Most of the time I forgot I was watching an animated movie. Even a woman’s breasts have a natural bounce to them. There is still work to be done on the hands and some of the facial expressions, but it’s only a matter of time before that is perfected. If you have an IMAX theater near you, you must see this in IMAX 3-D. It’s like you are right there as the story unfolds. It takes you underwater, surrounds you with rain or snow, and has you jumping and dodging things in the action sequences. Birds fly over your head, and horses seem to come from behind you. You will have never experienced action sequences like those in Beowulf. The fights are not kids stuff, but brutal and bloody battles taking place right in front of you. The final attack by the dragon is so spectacular and breathtaking that I won’t even try to describe it. You will not fully experience this film in a regular theater. Even if you can’t get to an IMAX theater, get to a theater with a digital 3-D projector. It was meant to be experienced in 3-D. If you saw the 3-D ending of Harry Potter and were not impressed, don’t worry. The 3-D in Harry Potter is not even in the same league with Beowulf. I feel like I’ve taken a peek into the future of the movie going experience and that future can’t get here fast enough for me. I can’t wait to see what comes out next in IMAX 3-D. A Transformers movie would be my pick.

Love In The Time Of Cholera

STARRING: Javier Bardem, Giovanna Mezzogiorno View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 11/16/2007 DATE SCREENED: 11/12/2007 The Verdict OK - Wait for the DVD

Enshrinement into Oprah’s Book Club is like a license to print money. Love in the Time of Cholera has now made the leap from book club to the silver screen. A love story endorsed by Oprah is not something that I would generally look forward to, but I did want to see how Javier Bardem would handle the lead in this type of film, right after giving such a chilling performance as the psychopathic killer in “No Country for Old Men”.

Set in Columbia in the time of Cholera (a severe disease prevalent in Columbia in the late 19th – early 20th century) Javier plays Florentino, a man who ends up spending his entire life chasing the beautiful Fermina (Giovanna Mezzogiorno). He falls in love with her while still a teenager, working as a telegraph operator. Although they aren’t allowed to see each other too often, they share letters constantly in which they declare their love for each other. Florentino declares his devotion to Fermina by asking for her hand in marriage. She says yes, but her father (John Leguizamo) will not allow it. He wants his daughter to marry a rich man. When his threats fail to derail Florentino from his mission, he packs up the family and moves them away. Florentino grows up to be a soft spoken man who writes poetry about love, and refuses to be with any other woman because of his belief that he will one day be married to Fermina. When he finally meets up with Fermina she sends him away, saying that what they had is an illusion. When a Dr. comes calling for Fermina, she resists at first, but she eventually becomes his wife. Florentino is devastated, but it is only a test of his resolve. He plans to wait for her husband to die. Florentino’s mother gets him a new job, working for a relative, far away from the city. While traveling to the new job, his virginity is basically taken from him by an aggressive woman. Florentino has an epiphany! Sex can make him temporarily forget about Fermina. Who would have thought? He then proceeds to start a journal of all his sexual conquests as he beds woman after woman, year after year, while waiting for Fermina’s husband to die. Meanwhile, Fermina is in a terrible marriage. She did not marry for love, and it shows. She has money but not happiness. As the years go on she is just more and more unhappy. Florentino is a 70 something year old man, in bed with a college student, when Fermina’s husband finally dies. He sends the woman away and begins to court Fermina once again. It turns out that it’s not too late for love, even when you are in your 70s.

Love in the Time of Cholera is an epic story covering so many years and Columbian locations, at a running time of about 130 minutes. I’ve only given you the basics of the story, as it covers a lot in that running time. I wasn’t bored, but at the same time I didn’t exactly enjoy it. Javeir Bardem proves he is a great actor, playing this role that is completely opposite of his role in No Country for Old Men. There are some funny scenes after Florentino has his sexual awakening, but there just seems to be no reason why he would be so devoted to this one woman. There is nothing in her personality that could drive such a level of devotion. She’s not that beautiful. And what man can wait for a woman for over 50 years, basically counting the days? I never read the book, so maybe something that would explain his behavior had to be left out. Or maybe we are not supposed to think about such things and just consider the movie a fantasy. The film is much more ambitious that the generic Hollywood love story, but still has the typical sappy ending. This is the kind of film couples should watch together on DVD. Women will probably like it, and the guy won’t be completely bored.

Fred Claus

STARRING: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 11/09/2007 DATE SCREENED: 11/03/2007 The Verdict GOOD - See it in the theater

The Christmas movie season kicks off with the release of Fred Claus. Movies about a “scrooge” who hates Christmas for one reason or another is a holiday staple. The twist in Fred Claus is that Fred is Santa’s brother, who has been living in his brother Nick’s shadow for 100s of years, giving him a good reason for hating Christmas. Funnyman Vince Vaughn is Fred and Paul Giamatti puts on the fat suit to play Santa.

The film begins with the birth of Nick Claus, who comes out of the womb saying “ho,ho” instead of crying. Fred is so happy to have a brother that he promises to be the best big brother ever. It’s a promise he would soon regret during their boyhood years. Nick quickly becomes his mother’s favorite, always helping others with a smile on his face. Mom always scolds Fred by asking him why he can’t be more like his brother. When Nick chops down Fred’s tree to put inside the house, that’s the final straw, and Fred wants no more to do with his brother. Nick reaches adulthood and becomes an actual Saint. Sainthood causes the entire Claus family to becomes ageless. Nick then goes on to become the famous Santa Claus. We fast forward to the present day, with Fred working for a repossession agency. He goes on a rant about Christmas as he repossesses a TV that ends up in his apartment. Needing money for a business venture, he hits the streets to collect donations for a non-existent charity. This only lands him in jail, where Fred is forced to call his brother for bail money and money for the business venture. Of course, Santa can’t say no to his own brother, but Mrs. Claus pushes for “tough love”. As a compromise, Fred must work at the North Pole to earn the money he needs. At the North Pole, Fred is put to work stamping kid’s files as “naughty” or “nice”. Unbeknownst to Fred, an efficiency expert named Clyde (Kevin Spacey) has been sent by the Board of Directors to cut Santa’s funding if his operation is not running smoothly. It’s no surprise that Fred’s arrival causes a major disruption, as he fights with the elves, fights with his visiting parents, and even fights with Santa himself. Clyde sits back and builds up his case for shutting Santa down. Christmas may not even happen unless the two brothers can work out their differences.

The story does get more and more predictable as it goes on, but I still enjoyed the telling of the story. The film kept me smiling through most of its running time. It’s not laugh out loud funny, but a nice film that the entire family can enjoy. Standout scenes would include a chase scene involving Fred and a bunch of Salvation Army Santas, a fight between Fred and an elf DJ (Ludacris) who keeps playing the same song over and over again, and a scene in which Fred goes to an AA type meeting for brothers of famous people. The movie also has a heart, as it does make a good point about the entire idea of categorizing kids as “naughty” and not giving them presents because of it. After all, a kid’s environment does contribute to their behavior, and not giving them presents on Christmas certainly isn’t going to help matters. The film also makes its point about the importance of family. I saw the movie in a theater packed with families, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. It’s more than just a silly slapstick comedy. It’s warm and funny and the entire family should see this one in the theater.

Lions for Lambs

STARRING: Robert Redford, Tom Cruise View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 11/09/2007 DATE SCREENED: 10/25/2007 The Verdict NOT GOOD - Wait for cable

Hollywood seems intent on churning out films about the current war. The films have ranged from OK (Home of the Brave) to boring (A Mighty Heart). I suspect that the best films about the war won’t be made until after the war is over, and writers have had time to look back and reflect on it. Lions for Lambs attempts to prove me wrong, with an All Star cast directed by Oscar winner Robert Redford.

Lions for Lambs follows three different storylines. Meryl Streep plays Janine, a journalist hand picked by Senator Jasper Irving (Tom Cruise) to visit his office to interview him about a new offensive taking place in Afghanistan. While this interview is taking place, we also see the start of this offensive, as seen through the eyes of two soldiers, Arian (Derek Luke) and Ernest (Michael Peña). Robert Redford plays college professor Stephen Malley who has called one of his best political science students, Todd, into his office for a one-on-one conversation. He sees a lot of potential in Todd, but a lack of motivation. It turns out that the two soldiers, Arian & Ernest, are two best friends who were professor Malley’s top students. They wanted to be involved in politics to help people, and felt that enlisting in the army would give them the understanding of war that they need. Senator Irving is very charismatic, and he is using his charm in an effort to convince Janine to write a positive story despite the fact that most of the information given to journalists about the war has been lies. Janine tries to ask the tough questions, but the Senator always seems to be a step ahead of her. Meanwhile, the new offensive is not going well as Arian and Ernest end up on a helicopter that is shot down in the snow in Afghanistan. They are both injured and trying to survive until help can arrive. We see what their lives were like in Professor Malley’s classroom through the stories he is telling Todd in an effort to get him motivated.

Will Janine write a puff piece despite her reservations? Will Arian and Ernest survive? And will the professor convince Todd to reach for his potential? The film moves at a brisk pace, jumping from story to story with a running time of less than 90 minutes, and leaves two of those three questions unanswered. That seemed odd, and then I realized that I didn’t even care. The movie was not able to pull me in enough to care about the character’s final decisions. That’s not a good thing. The acting here is superb, as you get the performances you would expect from this type of cast. This movie must be very important to Redford, and he has been hosting screenings for the film all over the country, even doing Q&A sessions afterwards. Someone of his stature is certainly not required to do such things. He hosted a screening in Philly for University of Penn students, but I couldn’t get a pass. I guess he is trying to make some kind of statement about politics that he feels is important, but it just didn’t resonate with me. The movie has too much dialog that probably would have put me to sleep if it was any longer. Wait for the cable on this one.