Counter Point: I agree

Can we really call it a counterpoint? (PS this post is too long to proofread. So sorry for any mistakes.)

I haven't seen No Country For Old Men or There WILL BE Blood but I can tell you that they're probably better than Juno. Juno is a good movie, don't think that's it's not. But that's it. It's not a truly transcendental movie. It's about a 16 year old girl who gets pregnant, but it really doesn't seem to be about any more than that. Juno is a girl who is overly intelligent, sardonic and sarcastic and really only services as a conduit for Diablo Cody to show us how hip, cool, tough, sweet, and uncanny she is. It's a well made movie that definitely functions as a third generation Post-Wes Anderson Film. (Think "In Good Company" "Arrested Development" "Lost in Translation" "Marie Antoinette" as examples). What it does is it calls my attention to a more interesting film called "Saved!" Starring Jena Malone. The 16 year old girl getting pregnant accidentally isn't a new story. And to be sure, when we see in mainstream film, it's always an affluent white girl. Why? So that we know that there aren't any real world or serious consequences. In fact, in Juno there are no consequences of any kind - nothing changes. When we look at stories like this including "gilmore girls" we really have stories of affluent white girls, who are very very smart, getting pregnant and keeping the child. (and in fact, they're all comedies). These stories don't really represent, I think, the majority of young girls who find themselves in this situation. That's why I like Saved! No, the exclamation point is part of the title. Saved! also seems to be about the rigors and dangers of religious zealotry. The Jenna Malone character gets pregnant in the first place because it's her belief that she can change her boyfriend from gay to not gay. It's amusing, but that's an actual belief of many in the far-right Christian camp. The movie seems to be about more than a showcase for wit and cool. It's about the dangers of adherent belief and reconciling inconsistent beliefs, and in dealing with ideology vs. the real world.

I don't know why Juno is so popular, but I don't begrudge it it's popularity. It's a good movie that is funny, sweet, cute, and has some wonderful performances. Is it best picture worthy? I don't think so. But I think what we have is a time where there really weren't a whole lot of amazing choices for best picture. We're in a time period when films of any quality seem to be made outside of the studio system. We used to live in a time where the best picture nominees were big studio productions with wonderful production values. Juno, this years "Little Miss Sunshine" is not that. But it's good. Studios need to make better movies. That being said - ever since my confidence in the Oscars was destroyed in 1998 when Saving Private Ryan didn't win Best Picture - how do you feel now guys? - I haven't necessarily looked to the Oscars or any awards show to dictate my feelings on the best pictures. And in retrospect, I think Brokeback Mountain should have won best picture the year Crash won. Then again, I never liked the Crash movie. It's overly didactic and to be honest, a little racist.

Any awards ceremony that doesn't give Martin Scorcesse an Oscar until the departed, arguably his least challenging directing job in the last 10 years, is suspect. Gangs of New York rocks, time will bear me out that.

-cjfer-