Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

 It took me until it's last day in the dollar theaters to see it, but I finally did it!  And it was totally worth it.  Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was a special movie.  But it's definitely not for everyone.  If you grew up in the 90s with video games, then this is a movie for you.  If not, then I'm not so sure you'd like it.

It stars Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim, a 22 year old bass player who has some trouble with the ladies.  He meets the girl of his 22 year old dreams and finds out she has 7 evil ex-boyfriends (crap, I mean ex's) that Scott must "defeat" in order to have Ramona as his girlfriend.  It sounds silly, and it is sometimes; but mostly, it's too fast-paced to realize how silly it is.  This is due to Edgar Wright, the director.  (Also one of my favorites)  He has this style of making movies that are silly, but the editing creates a buffer for the audience.  It is so fast-paced and engaging that the audience doesn't really have time to notice the silliness before Wright can get you back into the minds of his lovable characters.  It is great!

This movie is many things, but most of all, it is fun.  So fun.  The video game graphics inserted into everyday life, the amazing, multi-faceted score, the cast's diversity, the 1960s Batman style, actually written out sound effects, and how time didn't matter to what anyone was saying.

It's a shame only a small fraction of the target market will get to enjoy this movie, because despite it's generational humor and attachment, it is still a fun movie.

A couple last things:

• Jason Schwartzman is awesome
• Michael Cera is officially stupid, even though he is pretty good in this movie - See here for further explanation
• Johnny Simmons is going to be a name you know in a few years.  He has quite the list of accomplishments already and I'm pretty sure he'll just get better.  (The Spirit, Jennifer's Body, Evan Almighty, etc.)
• Kieran Culkin is Macaulay Culkin's younger brother.  Much better actor.  
• I think someone at NBC had something to do with this movie because The Office's IT guy Nelson Franklin is in it, and Parks and Recreation's April, Aubrey Plaza, is in it.
• And Michael Cera probably helped out old Arrested Development girlfriend Ann get into this movie.  Wait, who?  Ann?  Her?  Really?
• It was nice to see Anna Kendrick outside of a Twilight movie, especially since she is by far the most talented person to come from those movies.
• The group that contributed to the music is daunting.  Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Beck, Metric, Broken Social Scene, Cornelius, Dan the Automator, Kid Koala, and David Campbell are perticpiated.  

This is AWESOME!

So I've heard rumors upon rumors of a proposed Arrested Development movie and after watching this, I think I have something to look forward to besides my wedding in August and the Youth in Revolt movie starring Michael Cera in 2009.

This clip is great. It has Jason Bateman talking about working with Will Smith on the set of Hancock, a special surprise appearance from a special someone, gay jokes, and a semi-confirmed rumor. Seriously, what's better than that?

So Excited: Tags

So Excited

It all started with a chair.....

Have you seen Juno yet?

If not, why not?

I saw Juno while playing the 3rd wheel with some friends one weekend night (I think I was more accurately the 5th wheel). Looking back, I am glad I was stag that night because I don't think I could've absorbed the amazing-ness of Juno otherwise.

(No Spoiler) Juno is about a 16 year old know-it-all cutie named Juno. She has a crush on Paulie Bleeker, a tall, skinny cross country runner that goes to her school. As high schoolers do sometimes, they got bored and had sex. And when you have sex, pregnancy is always a possible outcome. In this case, it was the outcome. The rest of the movie shows Juno's struggles and witty comments while dealing with pregnancy during high school. It sounds like this is a serious movie, but it is completely the opposite. I've never enjoyed a movie's dialogue so much. Juno is the funniest weird-named, pregnant girl ever. I know this little summary probably doesn't make you want to get up and go see it right away, but please know that this movie has a stellar chance of getting best movie of the year. Comedies have a hard time pulling that off and this is a high school comedy even. It is honestly one of the best movies I've ever seen.

Sweet Facts about Juno

It's directed by Jason Reitman, who is great. He also directed another of my all-time favorite films, Thank You For Smoking, and has helped directing on the set of the hit TV show The Office. If knowing he helped in those two productions doesn't make you more keen to Jason, than you should probably stop reading and go watch Grey's Anatomy.

Juno was written by a woman named Diablo Cody. Cool name right? I think its fitting, and I don't even know her. She's from Chicago and from reading her biography on IMDB.com, she is just as interesting, if not more, than Juno. She's been nominated for a Golden Globe, and another 7 wins & 2 nominations in screenplay awards. After seeing Juno, you'll want to watch every screen-written movie she does.

Next there's Ellen Page, the girl that plays Juno MacGuff. She is spectacular! When you see Juno, you'll try to figure out where you've seen her before, and chances are it'll be on the tip of your tongue. So let me help: most notably she was in X-Men: The Last Stand playing the part of Kitty Pryde, or Shadowcat. For the not-so-hardcore X-Men fans, she was the girl running through walls. She also had a role in Hard Candy in 2005. Lastly, she is ironically friends with Olivia Thirlby, who plays her best friend Leah in Juno, and also had a role in the movie United 93.


Lastly, are the two Arrested Development boys, Michael Cera and Jason Bateman. Michael Cera plays the lovable, quiet Paulie Bleeker, a boy that has Laz-y-Boy sex with Juno, and Jason Bateman plays the adoptive husband of Juno's bastard child, Mark Loring. Both of these guys are great and have been in some really good stuff. I'm just going to list it. Michael Cera: voice in the Bernstein Bears TV series, Frequency (2000), Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), "Arrested Development," Superbad (2007), and in 2009 Youth in Revolt (It's going to be good!). Jason Bateman: Black Sheep (1994), "The Twilight Zone," Starsky and Hutch (2004), Dodgeball (2004), "King of the Hill," "Scrubs," "Arrested Development," The Break-up (2006), Smokin' Aces (2006), The Kingdom (2007), and in this year Hancock (starring Will Smith, Charlize Theron, and Jason Bateman).

Oh and Jennifer Gardner was in it, too. And Allison Jenney playing Juno's step-mom and J. K. Simmons playing Mac McGuff, Juno's dad.

So I'm going to ask it again: Have you seen Juno? If not, why not?