Posts Tagged ‘Juno’

Film Review: “Jennifer’s Body”

PrintTo Hollywood’s credit, there’ve been a lot of female-focused thriller/horror films coming out lately. It’s almost as if production studios in La-La Land have suddenly realized there’s a feminine demographic they could cater to/exploit. Unfortunately for the ladies, studios still think that they can just throw anything at audiences and get away with it, which is why so many of the recent “girl power”-type films have been lousy.

The new horror/comedy Jennifer’s Body, written by Diablo Cody (instantly famous for penning the brilliant Juno) and directed by Karyn Kusama (AEon Flux and Girlfight, the latter of which bestowed upon the world the dubious gift of Michelle Rodriguez) is without a doubt the best of the bunch to come along thus far, although given its surprisingly uneven narrative, that’s not saying much.

First off, for those of you who are wondering: yes, Kusama kept in the scene where the two leads Jennifer (Megan Fox) and her oddly named best friend Needy (Amanda Seyfried) share a “controversial” lesbian kiss. It’s in close-up, it’s almost two minutes long, and for those who are attracted to such, it’s a very satisfying scene. Not since Susan Sarandon got it on with Catherine Deneuve in 1983’s The Hunger have two women looked so good together. Sorry to spoil it for you though, Fox and Seyfried only almost end up in bed together. (more…)

No Concessions: “Juno”

noconcessions.jpg Ellen Page, welcome to the show. In Juno, the Canadian actress portrays high schooler Juno MacGuff, who gets knocked up after a sexual encounter with her crush and best friend, Paulie Bleeker (Arrested Development’s Michael Cera). After realizing that she is — as she puts it — “for shizz up the spout,” Juno decides to bring the child to term and give it to a seemingly perfect couple, played by Jason Bateman (also from Arrested Development) and a surprisingly great Jennifer Garner.

At first glance Juno seems like a rather conventional teen movie, but thanks to screenwriter Diablo Cody’s sharp writing, Jason Reitman’s steady direction, and great performances by all of the actors involved, it manages to transcend the teen genre’s clichés and deliver a story that is at once original, thoughtful, and completely, utterly human. (more…)