Roundup

I hope everyone had a nice holiday and a Happy New Year. I’ve seen a bunch of good movies lately and they are all worth mentioning. Here we go-

Juno
In fell in love with this movie early on, and when it was over, I wanted it rewound so I could watch it again. Juno is a 16 year old girl who discovers she’s pregnant and decides to give the baby up for adoption to whom she thinks are the ideal parents. The result is touching and hilarious. This is the debut from screenwriter Diablo Cody and I can’t wait to see what she has coming down the pipeline. It’s also the second film, after Thank you for Smoking by Jason Reitman who has a good eye for comedy and casting. Which leads me to Ellen Page, who plays Juno. Her performance is note perfect, in a delicately balanced film, and award worthy. She’s perfect. Her supporting cast isn’t too shabby either. You can’t beat charm and humor. Check it out.

The Bourne Ultimatum
The best of the bunch. It’s fast and furious but more importantly we see a different Jason Bourne than before and it made the film that much better than it’s predecessors. Matt Damon is such an interesting choice for the character and he’s done it so well. He kinda makes it look easy. There are a few action set pieces here that made me sit up in my chair (couch, whatever). I’ve seen this film on a few 10 top ten of the year lists and I can see why. There is a fight scene in this movie which ranks right up there with the very best and joining it is a fight scene from Eastern Promises (see below).

The Kingdom
I’m surprised this wasn’t a bigger hit. Then again I’m not. People don’t go to the movies to escape something very real to us. An oil company community in Saudi Arabia is attacked at an afternoon picnic/softball game. An FBI crew goes in to investigate. The director, Peter Berg, described the movie by saying the “first two-thirds of the film are like cocking a giant bow with a big arrow and the last third we let it go.” True and true. The movie is taut and intense- it’s a slow burn, but the last 20 minutes are batshit. Oddly enough I saw this movie about two hours after I saw Juno and Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner are in both films, together (literally in Juno, they’re married).

Eastern Promises
I have read that this film plays like an Opera. I’ve never seen an opera but if they play like this, I’m down. Viggo Mortensen is a bad motherfucker in this movie, plain and simple. He plays the “driver” for the Russian Mob, but he’s so much more than that. This film unfolds beautifully and I had avoided trailers, reviews and the like so I went in fairly blind and I’m glad I did. Try to do the same. David Cronenberg directed this and much like A History of Violence, (a film I greatly admired) Eastern Promises is told swiftly and cleanly, meaning it doesn’t muddle down in unnecessary shit. Very admirable, especially for a movie I’d find tempting to tell in a much longer running time.

Shoot ‘Em Up
Fucking crazy. I read somewhere that within the first five minutes of this film, you’ll know whether or not you’re going to like it and I agree. I loved it. This movie is pure fun and adrenaline. The story and the action move fast and some scenes get more outlandish than the next. I mean outlandish in a good way because the action is inventive and well thought it. Clever too. Shoot ‘Em Up would be a fun on a triple bill with Run Lola Run, and Running Scared (Paul Walker -who can really act when he wants to, not Billy Crystal) – a compliment to all of those films by the way. Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti are not usually a disappointment when it comes to performance. This movie is no exception. I mention Giamatti of note- I loved all his work here.

Bug
If you liked fucked up movies and I mean fucked up, watch Bug. It’s from William Friedkin, who directed The Exorcist. Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon play two lonely people who connect and find comfort in one another. Harry Connick, Jr. who alwasy plays "creepy" well, plays Judd’s “ex” who has just been released from prison. This film hits you in back of the head without warning. I wouldn’t call it a horror movie, but it creeped me out in a big way.