The tagline for “No Country for Old Men” is “there are no clean getaways” and that holds true over the film’s 122 minutes, misguided Llewelyn Moss’ (Josh Brolin) attempts to escape ruthless assassin Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) becoming an increasingly messy situation from a personal standpoint the further he flees. Lest readers get the wrong idea, then, it should be said up front that “No Country for Old Men” itself is anything but messy. A clean, concise near-masterpiece that gorgeously tells a gritty, dark story without seeming to put a foot wrong, the film is the first film directed by the Coen Brothers since 2004’s “The Ladykillers” and their best since 1996’s “Fargo.”

This film is a non-linear movie about the life of France’s musical soul, Edith Piaf, played by the excellent Marion Cotillard. Piaf begins life as the daughter of a poor mother and an absentee father. Soon the father returns and moves his daughter to a brothel, and later returns for her once again to take her traveling with his circus.

By now you’ve probably heard that screenwriter Diablo Cody is a former stripper turned hot property author and scripter, but I’ll just remind you anyway. A script seemingly headed for some probably Oscar glory, hers tells the story of 16-year-old Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page), an offbeat young girl whose most recent trip to the store (full to the brim with Sunny D of course) to by a pregnancy test confirms the wretched truth: That she’s pregnant following a one-time bunk with geeky best friend

Justin McGuire reviews Juno, a film nominated for Oscars in four categories: Best Motion Picture, Best achievement in directing, Best screenplay and Best performance by an actress in a leading role
Juno (2007)In short, girl meets boy, girl meets boy, girl gives resultant baby away to childless couple.
Juno, played by Ellen Page, is the spunky, quirky, […]

The recipient of the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, “Persepolis” is a compelling, wonderfully told film based on the autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi, writes Tom Elce
Persepolis (2007)A vivid and personal account of the years following the 1979 Islamic revolution told from the point-of-view of writer-director Marjane Satrapi as she grew […]

Justin McGuire reviews Michael Clayton, a film that has been nominated for 7 Oscars this year
Michael Clayton“Michael Clayton” is a movie of three lawyers who lack any connections to the world outside their jobs, and in four days, each are forced to make the familiar choice of wealth or soul.
Arthur Eden, played by Tom Wilkinson, […]

“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” is absolute gorgeous. There are few other words for it. Emotionally, I cannot call it heartbreaking, because it is about a man who achieves what he sets out to achieve, and there is nothing tragic in that. Jean-Do’s immobile life is a stunning success, and although it ended early, it ended on a note of deserved beatitude.

Justin McGuire reviews There will be Blood, the film that has won 21 awards so far and has been nominated for 8 Oscars this year.
here Will Be Blood (2007) - Daniel Day-Lewis, Photo courtesy: IMDbDaniel Day-Lewis picks roles with patience and care that I wish would be emulated by others of his generation. This time […]