Gateway Cinephiles

2007
Director: Ben Affleck
Viewed: December 27, 2007
Format: Theatrical Print

In a year that gave us Zodiac, I almost feel bad for other crime thrillers. David Fincher’s masterpiece is a hard act to follow. Despite the long shadow over the genre in 2007, however, Gone Baby Gone stands as a remarkably effective work, shot through with flashes of genuine virtuosity. It’s a sleek slice of noir filmmaking that showcases the flowering talent of Casey Affleck and a captivating, blistered performance from Amy Ryan. Just as interesting is what the film portends for the future work of its director, an Oscar-winning screenwriter who does a bit of acting on the side. You may have heard of him? Ben Affleck?

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2007
Director: Jason Reitman
Viewed: December 26, 2007
Format: Theatrical Print

What to make of Juno? The second comedy this year about unplanned pregnancy, Juno aims for a far trickier target than does its fratboy cousin, Knocked Up. Judd Apatow’s film was elevated by its perceptive and sensitive script, even as it coaxed forth conventional belly-laughs. Director Jason Reitman takes a riskier and altogether different track with Juno, plunging headfirst into a screenplay so densely packed with verbal acrobatics and hipster lingo that it risks unintentional self-parody. It might have, that is, if Diablo Cody’s script hadn’t also delivered such startling sucker-punches of genuine humanity, if the actors weren’t one of the best comedic ensemble casts I’ve seen in years, and if Reitman hadn’t brought it all together with such graceful efficiency and engrossing whimsy.

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