by Ethan Johnson
January 26, 2008

New year, good blend of new and old:

Juno: Oh, my gawd. I really thought this movie was going to be, shall we say, "out of my demographic" by miles. But within moments one gets the sense that this ain't your average teen-themed movie. It comes off looking like the female Napoleon Dynamite, but not exactly. Just let the movie happen, and enjoy every last heart-filled minute. I hated the soundtrack, though, so good luck with that. I'm selling this movie way short, but seriously, GO see it. Less psychoanalyzing, more driving to the theatre. Highly recommended.

There Will Be Blood: There are no words. If Daniel Day Lewis doesn't win the Oscar® for this, there is no Justice in this world and Anarchy must reign. I really can't describe this movie beyond sputtering single words like "amazing" and "transcendent" but good grief, go see this, and have a cheery movie handy to balance it out somehow. THIS is acting, people, in case you needed a refresher. Wow.

27 Dresses: Here's your palate cleanser. It's fluff, it's a good date night movie, and will make a fine rental someday if you decide not to see the matinee. I'm liking Katherine Heigl more and more in non-Grey's Anatomy roles (I don't particularly like her GA character).

Notes On a Scandal: I'm still processing this movie. Worse, I'm writing about it mere hours after seeing There Will Be Blood. The lead roles are well acted, and the movie burns with a quiet intensity until the climax. You don't really know where the story is going to go, but are reasonably confident that it's not going to end well. Worth a look.

Hairspray (1988): Well, it's like this: Famous artists are known to have scribbled out pencil sketches of works that were later immortalized in some other medium, such as making conceptual drawings for a sculpture. This movie, despite being the original version of the immensely fantastic remake, serves as the crude line drawing for the future masterpiece. I highly recommend watching both versions in succession (doesn't matter what order) to see the night and day difference between the two. The current musical remake gave John Waters and company an opportunity to flesh out the plot and characters much, much more. There's still enough of the trademark John Waters wry, dark humor to give you some laughs. Worth a rent, if only to see Pia Zadora in the role of a lifetime.

She's the Man: Marlena will pretty much watch any movie at random. She was in "random" mode and flipped this on. Ya'd think I'd be all about this movie, what with the soccer theme, but at root it is a teen romantic comedy. It's "ok". I'm way outside of the demographic, other than lovin' Amanda Bynes in Hairspray. I really thought the plot was going to center on Amanda Bynes' character leading the charge in a guys vs girls soccer match, but instead it's the ole Victor/Victoria thing with Bynes trying to pass as male. Here's what kept nagging at me: No apple, no banana. Dig? Nobody seems to catch that. Or the eye liner. Or the glossy lipstick. Or the gorgeous complexion. Or... Anyway, it's silly entertainment, and if you're into this kinda movie have at it.

The Break-Up: Another "random" selection off of the satellite. Less so because Marlena is all about the Vince Vaughn. Uhhhh, this was supposed to be a comedy, right? Because I was hard-pressed to detect any (or hardly any) during the small eternity that I spent in the same room with the movie. And it wasn't a compelling drama, either. I didn't stick around for the ending. Memo to whoever green-lighted this train wreck: The War of the Roses works because Danny DeVito provides the necessary levity. I can move back to old townhouse if I want to hear two people fight incessantly within earshot. Pass.

Man of the Year (2006): I didn't want to see this, but thanks to satellite randomness I did. I knew going into it that there were two main plot elements, so when the second ham-handedly develops I had fair warning. Not so with the incredibly misleading trailers for this flick. Bottom line: Barry Levinson had a clapboard in one hand, a megaphone in the other, and show notes from an Air America Radio intern in the other. The opposite of "funny" isn't "dramatic". Robin Williams spews so many lefty talking points I wondered if the script was penned by Janeane Garofalo. That's not to say I'm all right-wing over here. I'm just saying that the preaching to the choir thing is tired, man, and if this was meant to prime the political pump going into 2008, 10 rounds into their foot would have saved everyone a lot of time. Recommended only if you must see everything that Robin Williams ever appeared in, or can't get enough of warmed-over [USA] lefty talking points. <EM>