Olivia Thirlby

I know not everyone like this film but I fell in love the first time I saw it. Back in 2007 this film surprised everyone with its subsequent Oscar nominations and the way it highlighted the careers of some really talented young actors.
I think most know the plot by now, but just in case your out of the loop. It's about a teenager who accidentally gets pregnant with her best friend. She explores her options and finally decides that she wants to put the child up for adoption. After finding what she thinks is the perfect couple, certain things begin to go wrong.
What makes this film so charming is the way in which Juno carries herself and makes these decisions. In the beginning you're shown an irresponsible teenager who had unprotected sex. But as the movie progresses, you see her grow up and have to make some very grown up decisions.
I honestly believe no one else could have played Juno better than Ellen Page. It's a rare occurrence when this happens but it's hard to imagine any other actor capturing her personality the way Page does. Juno isn't your typical teenager aside from the fact she's pregnant. It's clear she's very intelligent and she is wonderfully witty. Sometimes that can be an overwhelming trait for a character to have but Page pulls it off with just enough charisma to make the whole thing work. Her Oscar nomination was well deserved.
The chemistry between Page and Cera is also notable. They have just enough awkwardness together that makes their performance as a pair very convincing.
Although Olivia Thirlby only has a small role, she really shows her ability as an actress. With a massive personality like Juno's onscreen it would be easy for other characters to be in her shadow but Thirlby gives an unforgettable performance and her character really sticks in your mind.
Together these young actors make up another three names that are emerging from their generation. There is a lot of young talent out there at the moment, and these three and definatly ones to keep and eye on.
Personally I don't understand why anyone would hate this. If you've yet to see it you might wanna think about doing it soon. It's not a film you should wait any longer to see.

The odd thing about me watching this film is that the only reason I wanted to watch it was that it had Aaron Yoo in it, the odd thing being as he has under five minutes screen time in total. He's attracted me a few times in the other small roles he has had but unfortunately he's yet to be given a starring role.
Anyway, this film was better than I expected it to be. I'm not really a fan of rap or hip-hop music so I couldn't say I enjoyed that part of the film at all, but i'm sure this would be ideal for anyone that is as a lot of the film is carried by the music that is played. The story follows Luke played by Josh Peck. Who I remember from that daft kids program my sister used to watch and the biggest difference in him is the amount of weight he has lost. Big change in him, he seemed like he had more ability to hold attention on screen. Like he's gained some self confidence. His character is drug dealing for the summer before he heads off to college. He's having a rough time at home and his love life is nonexistent. Through his shrink, he meets a girl, who he really falls for. It's basically about Luke trying to figure out who he really is. I'm sure a lot of people can relate to this in the character as everyone goes through that stage in their life. The performances were decent. Ben Kingsley with the most notable performance. I liked that he'd chosen to do this film as his character is a psychiatrist who also is a high class drug user. Quite a fun character to play I imagine and it was fun for the viewer to see him get his teeth stuck into something a bit different from his usual characters. For his performance, the film is worth seeing alone. I wouldn't say I loved it hugely, it did disappoint a little as I was hoping for something a little bit more fast paced as there is points where it lags. Still, I would recommend it as anything with Kingsley is worth checking out.

Didn't really know what to expect from this but the cast seemed interesting so I thought I'd give it a shot.
It's certainly a weird one. It's a character study film about a group of teenagers who lose the person closest to them. As a group of misfits and underachievers their teacher was the only one that saw them for who they really were. He acted as their only hope for their worlds. It is all centered around the days before the 1980's Challengers Space Shuttle. Which for anyone that doesn't know already, was where NASA decided to put an ordinary American citizen into space. This just happened to be a female teacher from an average American high school. The tragic thing about the story is that the shuttle malfunctioned and blew up not long after take off. A reporter for a New York newspaper is send to cover the shuttle launch in the town the teacher works. It is here he discovers the death of an old friend and begins to get closer to the group of kids that his friend had such an impact on.
His initial intentions are to write a story, not about the shuttle launch, but on these group of teenagers and the man that gave them faith. While their school celebrates a hero in the making the teenagers are wondering why know one seems to care about the death of a man who was so important to them. As the story progresses lies are told and some characters are revealed to be very deceitful. However, through all the lies told and the troubles they each face, they are all proven to be thoughtful people and what they want most is for people to recognise a man that deserves it.
For all the actors involved, it's not very conventional and far from what you'd expect. Steven Coogan plays the reporter and very well might I add. It's good to see that he has it in him to play a more serious role and that he won't get stuck in comedy no matter how good he happens to be with it.
Hilary Duff makes a great switch from her usual brainless comedies. I couldn't say her performance was amazing, or anything close, but it was solid and at least proved that she is capable of something more. Hopefully we'll get to see more like this from her.
For me though the star of the film would have to be Olivia Thirlby. In her career so far she has been very much, in a supporting role. And although her character in this wouldn't be considered a main, she isn't exactly in the background either. Her character is very much pivotal to the plot development on more than one occasion. It's great to see her making her way up and I love that she does cute little indie films like this. I can really see her going places in the near future. She's one to watch.
Another terrific performance from Josh Peck, who just keeps getting better and better. I've seen quite a few of his films recently and it's clear he has a lot of talent.
This film probably isn't for everybody but if you're into films that explore the human condition and make you think deep about the characters, then you might wanna check it out.