New Video for Beirut's "Elephant Gun"

Great music video for Beirut's "Elephant Gun," directed by Alma Har-El.

Juno (Jason Reitman, 2007)

Jason Reitman's sophomore work has been as of late garnering much praise, as suggested both by sing-song critical response and its box office success (that is, relative to such a small production). From the opening credits to the last lines uttered, it is however nothing original, taking much of its inspiration (or blueprint?) to the smattering of oddball indie-coming-of-age productions that have been a staple of the American independent cinema since Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused (1993) and Wes Anderson's Rushmore (1998) and came about. All the kids are hip, alienated, and demoralized, and the world first presents itself in the form of angry parents, complicated issues, and utterly depressing music. But the one thing that puts Juno closer to the pioneering films of the genre and away from its generic cousins is its Iranian-like understanding of people in situations, eschewing the moralism of films such as Saved! (Brian Dannelly, 2004) and The Virgin Suicides (Sofia Coppola, 1999) for the receptivity to complexity of reality present in films such as Pretty Persuasion (Marcos Siega, 2005) or Sugar & Spice (Francine McDougall, 2001). In Juno, parents are angry but never demonized, adolescent choices are clearly clueless yet made in earnest, and youthful rebellion is made foolish but made understandably part of the process of being introduced to the responsibility required by the imposing world from which teenagers are trying to make themselves distinct. Even sexuality is treated cheekily yet honestly. The film never shied away from the physicality of teen sex, but always makes it clear that sex during puberty is profoundly awkward, albeit painfully necessary if one ever hoped to grow (one character's, Mark (Jason Bateman), struggle to grow-up was even portrayed as an extension of a very disturbing attraction between Mark and Juno). Unfortunately for this film, the screenplay was never fully fleshed out by Reitman's camera work, which sadly remained dull despite the possibilities presented by the screenplay. There are a lot of unnecessary crane shots (I suspect to make it seem as "deep" as a Wes Anderson movie) and when the scene does not call for it, Reitman cuts a scene into shot-countershots (especially the pivotal scene between Juno and her child's father, Bleeker (Michael Cera)). It sucks, because what we could have derived from these scenes if they would have been cut-up less would have elevated the film to that of a Wes Anderson movie. But as it stands, Juno is a great example of how a "hip," "smart" indie comedy can be understanding without being snarky about the issues it raises.

PS: From the previews before the film, I have my first must-see movie on my list--Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind, due to come out on 25 JAN 2008.

Angel Rodriguez (Jim McKay, 2005)

Along with Steven Spielberg, The Coen Brothers, and Wes Anderson, Jim McKay is among a few American directors whose announcements of new works genuinely excite me. As can be seen from films such as Everyday People (2004) and Girls Town (1996), McKay is one of the most politically conscious if not the most politically conscious of the most humanist of American filmmakers. It is odd, for such a white straight man to be making movies about the disaffected urban population, but his position never devolves into liberal guilt but rather true compassion and understanding for the humanity behind what for some is reduced to "issues." To an extent, he is the white version of Charles Burnett, brining reality and complexity into lives existences that have been politicized but not necessarily humanized. It is unfortunate that his only enthusiastic commercial backing is HBO, and that most of his films rarely get any wide audience in the big screen, if at all. Although Angel Rodriguez lacks the power of both aforementioned films by McKay, it still stands on its own as a study of adolescent rebellion and the youthful need for recognition. Although it is a story of urban youth telling their own stories, it isn't as simplistic as Freedom Writers (2007), which never acknowledged the audience to which the stories are told, or the inherent privilege behind the act of listening and/or not listening. In Angel Rodriguez, lives are affirmed to the self, and thus the films never becomes stale and settles for "stories told," but for lives lived and futures pursued.

A List of All Films Reviewed

American Gangster (Ridley Scott, 2007)
Angel Rodriguez (Jim McKay, 2005)
Atonement (Joe Wright, 2007)
Clocks, The (Vincente Minnelli, 1945)
Frankenstein (James Whale, 1931)
Ira and Abby (Robert Carry, 2006)
Juno (Jason Reitman, 2007)
Mad Love (Karl Freund, 1935)