“Thunder Cats are Go!”

    I just came back from watching “Juno,” and I have to say, without hesitation, it is MY favorite movie this year (and last).  The movie feels like an old friend, I can’t put it any other way.  I laughed, I cried (nearly), and it just felt, well, good.  I related to the humor, I related to the situations, everything just felt right; childish, irreverent, but irrevocably meaningful.  Yes, I could see how parts could be considered borderline cheese ball, but, really, that’s part of the charm.  In this sense, it reminds me of another one of my favorite films, “Before Sunrise,” in that the movie is aware of its adolescence, but runs with it.  And I like that playfulness, that childishness. I also love Kimya Dawson, who, coincidentally, is featured in the soundtrack, so that didn’t hurt.  Anyhow, if you’ve watched this movie, and also liked it, I’d maybe  recommend “King of California,” which is also good.

Juno: “Yeah, I’m a legend. You know. They call me the cautionary whale.”

    That said, I admit, some of the devices used were contrived, and the movie itself isn’t actually unique or groundbreaking.  If someone said “hey, that’s not the best movie of the year,” I wouldn’t disagree.  It’s not the best made movie of the year, or the best told, or the most “different,” it will not revolutionize film.  Were “No Country for Old Men” or “Sunshine” technically better? Will they be remembered more ten years from now?  In respect to the world as a whole, sure.  Did “Babel” and perhaps “Bamako” have more to say?  Yes.  Were “Atonement” and “Across the Universe” more visually pleasing? Of course.  Was “Zodiac” more intriguing?  Yup.   But I watch “Juno,” and, to be quite frank, I just don’t care. I will remember it more.  The movie just makes me feel good through and through, for no particular reason, I can’t explain it.  It’s super corny to say, but I’ll say it, because it makes sense in the context of the movie, it’s like love, none of that matters.   Juno is the best movie of the year.  Watch it.