NevermoresRaven Blog

I'm the type of guy who's sort of on the fence when it comes to teen comedy-dramas that involve people getting pregnant, simply because it's been done before. Maybe it's also got to do with the fact that I knew so many girls in highschool who were pregnant that it's made me take a sick and twisted view of teen pregnancy issues. Yet something about 2007's "Juno" made me forget most of my quarrels with this style.

As you know, Juno(Ellen Page) gets pregnant by Bleeker(Michael Cera), and goes off to find a good family to give the child to(Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner). Ok so the plot is pretty thin, but that's to be expected when you think about most films these days.

There's a lot of talk on the ol' interwebs about how this movie is nothing more than "worthless hipster bullshit", which makes no sense to me. Most people are just bitching about it because it was the big popular movie, just like they did with "Transformers" and "The Matrix". People online will find anything to complain about so that they can seem cool, popular, and intellectual. Don't listen to these poeple, but please listen to me.

Ellen Page gives a good(not great) performance as a semi-geeky girl who has no quarrels spitting out pop-culture references whenever able. Sure there's some things that seem a little odd and out of place, but people bring up that "She's supposed to be 16, no 16 year old talks like that". That's a BS argument, because I was spewing pop-culture satire and the likes when I was that age(and that was only 6 years ago mind you). I like the fact that she makes a Thundercats joke(and I don't want to hear the whole "she got the line wrong! RAAAAAGGGGEEE!" crap because you're a moron if you can't just accept a fun reference). Michael Cera gives a somewhat half-assed performance as Bleeker, but that seems more due to the fact that his part really isn't as big as one might expect. In fact, I think Jennifer Garner has more screen time than Cera does. I can't blame it all on him, but in the long run Michael Cera is sort of a one trick pony, kind of like Rachel Dratch...that same tone and facial expression no matter the role.

J.K. Simmons(of Spiderman fame) does an exceptional job as Juno's father, with the sort of wit and charm you'd expect from him(and the line "I'm gonna' punch that Bleeker kid in the weiner" is great).

The music is a big downside to this film. it's all acoustic "indie"-pop junk that could have been taken out n favor of something to better suit the personalities of the characters. Sure there's a Sonic Youth song in there, but who even likes Sonic Youth anymore? Nobody, that's who.

So in the long run this is an enjoyable film, if you don't mind some missed character development, a thin plot, and some strange lines(yes, even I admit that "honest to blog?" is fake as all get out), and a few missed jokes. Just don't let the whiney idiots that lurk about the lands of the internet deter you with all their anti-"hipster"(what the hell does "hipster" even mean?) junk.

War is hell, and the second world war drove that point home in Europe. Vienna is one such place that took a beating during the war. This crumbling, war torn, damp, conflict riddled hell hole(no offence Vienna, you're beautiful now) is the backdrop to the 1949 film noir classic "The Third Man". As I've said before, some older films don't hold up too well, but others still stand out decades after(we're talking 59 years already for this one). This is one such film.

The film is a mystery(what, a film noir as a mystery? Crazy, I know), where a man who comes to Vienna to work for a friend is instead left to figure out what happened after his death. The different occuping armies(United States, Britian, France, and Russian) are all playing a part somewhere along the road, and none are too keen on playing well with others it seems.


The acting is very well played, Joseph Cotten plays the protaginist Holly Martins(I kid you not, he's a guy named Holly) with passion, humor, and a style that seems all his own. Orson Welles plays his recently dead buddy Harry Lime, giving that wonderful Welles touch that we've seen him add to characters so often("Citizen Kane", and even Unicron in the 1986 "Transformers" animated film). Another honorable mention goes to Trevor Howard as Major Calloway, he just seemed so confident, yet confused and over the top at the same time.

The cinimatography  adds a feeling of depth as well, with city streets only so visible  and almost every cornor shrouded in darkness. The ending scenes in the sewer are almost haunting as vocies echo from the darkness, and nobody's quite sure where the others are.

The music is on a whole different level, using some odd multi-stringed insturment that I cna't recall the name of(but it has something like 8 million strings). This is the only insturment heard in the entire film, which gives the film a somewhat laid back feel amongst all the deception, lies, and attempted murder. It could have taken away from the overall feel of the film, but really it gives it a great little sense of humor.

In the end, this is another one of those classics that I just have to say "go, watch, now!". The acting is top notch, the music is fun, and the whole thing just rings of greatness. No wonder it's considered one of the best film noir's ever.