aboyad Reviews

Juno (2007)

Overdone, overbaked writing

[7/10 · 21 April 2008]

I liked Juno, I really, really did, swear to blog I did! But when a 16 year old mentions Soupy Sales (yes, she did), the believability meter drops to sub-zero. As awesome as Ellen Page is, I never felt it was her talking. It seems like we are listening to the screenwriter 100 percent of the time.

Sure, it's witty, funny, and sharp....but everything is so densely packed, that we feel like Diablo Cody was frightened into thinking this would be her only time to say EVERYTHING she feels about EVERYTHING. A lot of it was just too much. A little too anxious, a little too much. We get it, we get it, don't hit us over the head with everything.

I was really disappointed.

My Bodyguard (1980)

One of those movies you remember as a kid

[8/10 · 15 May 2007]

'My bodyguard' is one of those movies--like 'Breaking away'--that you remember long after the credits end. If you saw it as a kid like I did, the movie hit you in the gut. It is just 'real.' The film offers a slice of teen life that you can definitely relate to, whether you've been bullied or not. It includes wonderful performances all around. Chris Makepeace is really great in this movie--and so is Matt Dillon! I don't know why it's been rated so low--it's a great film and I'd highly recommend it. There's that sense of teen angst and finding your place in the world, and it resonates and works on lots of levels. All sorts of crappy movies get higher ratings, go figure!