D does all his OT (occupational therapy) as well as GPT (guitar playing therapy) and CPT (cat petting therapy), but his finger is still going to take a while to get back into the normal range. I admire his fortitude, and forbearance. He puts the lie to the men-are-bad-patients stereotype, which I have always hated as reactionary prejudice. Just ain't so. I'm much more wimpy about my poor auld back.
We managed to haul our agoraphobic asses out today, to see Juno. It's not for everyone, no. A small movie that doesn't seem to be doing much but show off clever dialogue, superficially Veronica Mars gets knocked up, it lingers in my mind. It seems to be about teenagers, and it is. Beneath that surface are the beating hearts of complicated characters doing the best they can with what they have. High strung, insouciant, varyingly committed to their lives and loves, half conscious of their motives and actions, reaching out, shutting off, suffering and surviving, being brave and acting brave, striving and resigning themselves all together. A messy story about love and life and the choices we make. With a funky little soundtrack.
Watching it, I thought about the Cusak movie High Fidelity, which I didn't like. A well made, well written piece about people I couldn't like. An excellent movie that I hated having seen. Juno might well be the antidote to it, the same film on the flipside, full of love and a desire to grow up, where High Fidelity was about undercutting love and staying irresponsible. Juno is also one of those rare stories where the most initially abrasive characters become, at the end, admirable and sympathetic. We are given the chance to understand how they are lovable, and why the other characters love them.
It's a hopeful little show.
10 comments:
Sounds a very interesting film, I shall have to watch out for it when/if it gets to Germany. And I'm glad to hear that the therapies are "taking". Best wishes to you all.
I hated Hi Fidelity as well. Your recommendation of Juno as an antidote has convinced me that I have to see it!
The advertising for Juno put me off by focusing precisely on the fact that it's a small film with character. I guess that tells you something about leading horses to water.
U, It's getting enough awards, it just might.
LM, I think you will enjoy it.
P I feel the same way. All I can say is the previews didn't do it for me, either. It's a bit of a stealth film, I think. No harm waiting until it comes out on dvd, same movie a year from now, after all.
(o)
I saw it New Year's Eve and enjoyed it. But I've had a hard time describing it to anyone when they've asked what it's about. "Well, it's about this high school girl and she gets pregnant..." I think you nailed it, though. It's just not something you can describe in a sentence or two.
NPR story with the screenwriter. Interesting stuff. Note, for her, the screenplay isn't so much about Juno(?), but the adopting couple.
I suggest her book, but unlike the movie it is not PG-13. At all.
Finally, hers is a tale of blogger makes good. Her book deal came from her blog (now shut down) which was tiled, err... "Kitty" Ranch. After the book, the screenplay. Quite the streak.
You write a good review Z.
nd,
Welcome. I wanna be a blogger makes good...
L&L, thanks. Maybe I'll do a weekly movie review. Not new ones, I don't see that many new movies.
I've put off seeing Juno from the advertising. I think I'll check it out on your reccommendation.
The novel High Fidelity (that the film was sort of based on)is really good. But I'm a huge fan of the author. He writes very interesting characters, but not all of them likable. He also wrote About a Boy which was made into a hideous altered movie...
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