Word: juno
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...original story of Semele, which William Congreve adapted for his libretto, is a oft-told tale. The titular mortal protagonist falls in love with Jupiter, king of the gods. They have an affair, but when Jupiter’s jealous wife Juno finds out, she swears revenge. Furious, Juno disguises herself as a mortal and appears to Semele, convincing the poor girl to question Jupiter’s immortality. Semele, unaware that the sight of Jupiter in all his divine glory is fatal, demands to see him as a god. He begs her not to, but she stands firm...
...movie, based on screenwriter Shauna Cross' novel Derby Girl, is set in the heart of small-town Texas, where a high school senior and part-time barbeque joint waitress, Bliss Cavendar (Juno's Ellen Page) is doing her best to please her mother, Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden). Brooke, a faded beauty queen, would like her two daughters (Bliss is the older sister) to follow in her footsteps in the pageant world and then, after the triumph of coronation, go on to some greater future that while undefined, does not mimic her own fate of settling down with an amiable husband...
...does Shawkat, just coming off a radically different role in Amreeka. The relationships between Bliss and both her parents in particular are nuanced and very vivid. In every scene Harden reminds us that she is, deservedly, an Oscar winner, and Page manages to transcend the dangerous trap of her Juno role and make Bliss very much her own person. When Harden and Page are together on screen, whether feuding or struggling to understand each other, we're riveted by the complicated and tender nature of their mother-daughter bond...
...recent years, Toronto has emerged as the launchpad of choice for producers with an eye on Oscar gold - There Will Be Blood and Juno in 2007, Slumdog Millionaire and The Wrestler in 2008 - and Precious now has the buzz of a sure-fire Oscar nominee, particularly given the Academy's decision this year to expand the Best Picture slate to 10 titles. The rollout of Precious seems to be following the familiar playbook: gaining momentum at three key festivals (Sundance, Cannes and Toronto) and looking to convert critical support into public intrigue and attendance when the movie hits theaters...
Kirn's novel inched into nightmare, as Ryan got mixed up with a company called MegaTech and became convinced someone was stealing his miles. Reitman, who previously scored with the quirky hits Thank You for Smoking and Juno, and who shares screenplay credit with Sheldon Turner, soft-pedals the satire and pumps up Ryan's relationships with Alex and Natalie. The movie's development of three strong personalities, each with grails the others don't seek, shows a maturity rare in modern movies. So does Reitman's refusal to judge any of the three. He doesn't force comeuppance...