little Miss SUNSHINE

If you haven't already seen Little Miss Sunshine, I highly recommend you stop whatever you're doing and go see it right now. The premise is Steve Carell plays Frank, a gay man who has just tried to commit suicide and has to go live with his sister - Sheryl's (Toni Collette) family. Her husband, Richard, (Greg Kinnear) is striving to create his "9 Steps" program, Sheryl's son, Dwayne, (new comer Paul Dano) has taken a vow of silence until he can be in the Air Force and their daughter, Olive (Raising Helen's Abigail Breslin) wants to compete and become a beauty pageant winner. Richard's father also has to live with the father on account of getting kicked out of his "old folks home" for snorting heroine. When they find out Olive's sencond place winning in the Little MIss Chili Pepper's was bumped up to first place because of "something with diet pills" they must travel to California in their old VW van for Olive to compete.

I don't want to give too much away, because it's just all too funny and you need to see it for yourself. I thought the music was perfectly chosen for the film and helps carry the movie out to the end. The film opens and sets up the story for the audience, we see Olive practicing her beatuy pageant "winning" wave and cry, Sheryl is driving to pick up Frank, Dwayne is doing push ups, sit ups and pull ups, Richard's father, Grandpa Edwin is in the bathroom snorting heroine and Richard is giving a presentation on his "9 Steps" to becoming a winner.

Little Miss Sunshine's writing is witty, heartbreaking, hilarious, heartfelt and down to earth. The shots are all perfect and you always feel that you're one with this nutty family on a road trip. So what is so funny about suicide, bankruptcy, homosexuality, and beaty pageants? Everything. It's a compelling and beautiful journey about this family coming together for their 7 year-old hopeful beauty queen, while hitting some of their own bumps along the way. Pretty much everything happens to the Hoover's on their journey from Albuquerque to California. Everyone's acting is impeccable. Even Dano does a wonderful job with his expressions and makes you believe he is the angry, silent and driven teenager that he is. Steve Carrell does an amazing job with the script and you forget that he's been that guy getting his chest waxed in the Forty Year Old Virgin. Abigail Breslin will go far with her talent and takes charge of the screen especially with her dance routine at the end of the film. Toni Collette having done such films as "The Sixth Sense," "About a Boy," "In Her Shoes" and too many other wonderful films just blends right into her character.

If you don't go see this film, then you are missing out. The film ends when it should, without going on for too long and having the rest be nonsense and you find yourself walking out of the theater with a smile on your face.

the start of my career

As I start this new blog... my movie blog... I can't help but think, why should I even do this. But obviously if even my college professors are telling me to start a movie blog, then it's not just an idea from my mother.

I can't review a movie right now, due to the fact that it's late and I have a test tomorrow along with my 8 am class and such.. which I still have to finish studying for.

But here's a list of movies I recommend for now:
-Real Women have Curves
-Little Miss Sunshine
-Prime
-Amelie
-The Squid and the Whale
-V for Vendetta

signing off for now...
jbean*