Review: "Tully" Captures a More Personal and Funny Side to Being a Parent

Scene from Tully

If for no other reason than her Oscar win, writer Diablo Cody likely will never escape her debut script Juno. Its divisive use of flowery language both made her a distinctive voice and one whose grating presence felt false. No matter how many films she's made since, there's that legacy to overcome. With her latest Tully, it feels like a film that has multiple layers. On the surface, it's a personal story of motherhood that captures the struggles in ways that could only come from first hand experience. There's a defeated quality to the language, as if raising children are a metaphorical black hole. However, it's also a return to the world of children and pregnancy for Cody that sees her commenting not only on the parent's experience, but the naive one represented in title character Tully (Mackenzie Davis), whose youth and wealth of knowledge are reminiscent of a more scholarly Juno character. It's a film that may as well be about Cody's career, both on screen and off. It's the battle of one persona, and it's also her best work since 2007. 

A Look at the Illustrious Oddity of "Juno" After 10 Years

Ellen Page in Juno

It started with a chair.

The idea of indie comedies dominating the box office and Academy Awards was still a foreign idea in 2007. It had only been a year since Little Miss Sunshine popularized a quirky style of cinema that was charming, but proved to have a short shelf life. It reached peak perfection the following year when Juno launched Hard Candy and X-Men star Ellen Page into the queen of twee characters, whose Diablo Cody-penned script was at best different, and at worst grating. There have been movies with dialogue as stylized as Juno, but few captured the essence underneath, for which the controversial tale of one Minnesota girl's teenage pregnancy became a different kind of coming of age story. It's likely why the film grossed $143 internationally on a $7.5 million budget. Even for those who hated it, it was hard to deny the unforgettable approach to youth and maturity. Many films would try to be as brazen in their quirkiness, but the singularity of Juno's magic continues to shine brighter than its imitators 10 years later.

Birthday Take: Ellen Page in "Juno" (2007)

Scene from Juno

Welcome to The Birthday Take, a column dedicated to celebrating Oscar nominees and winners' birthdays by paying tribute to the work that got them noticed. This isn't meant to be an exhaustive retrospective, but more of a highlight of one nominated work that makes them noteworthy. The column will run whenever there is a birthday and will hopefully give a dense exploration of the finest performances and techniques applied to film. So please join me as we blow out the candles and dig into the delicious substance.

Ranking the Films of Jason Reitman

Jason Reitman

Today is director Jason Reitman's 38th birthday. Over the course of his career, he has done impressive work to step out of his father Ivan Reitman's shadow by creating some of the most compelling and empathetic portraits of American culture of the 21st century. Mixing heart with humor, his work has been well recognized and has garnered him four Oscar nominations, including two Best Picture nominations. In honor of his birthday, the following is a ranking of all six of his films from his impressive debut with Thank You For Smoking to his more recent work with Men, Women & Children. Even if he's floundered a bit, he's still one of the more interesting voices in modern cinema.

The Oscar Buzz Celebrates Its Second Anniversary!

Clint Eastwood

I am proud to announce that The Oscar Buzz has survived another year. It is quite an achievement that while the second wind wasn't nearly as strong as the first year, I continued to expand my audience and find new readers to interact with. I even ran The Directors Project, which for better or worse brought in new readers and helped the reader to better understand my interests as a whole. So, how do we celebrate the second anniversary? I have decided that in order to continue with the thematic elements that make these occasional lists so unique is to go with something that is not often thought of: the second films. While directorial debuts get a lot of clout, there's still some magic to be had with filmmakers on their second go. They need to prove themselves as more than just a lucky move. The following is a list of 15 films throughout history that I have enjoyed as the second go around for many fine filmmakers.

The Directors Project: #35 - Jason Reitman

Scene from Cinema Paradiso

With the many lists and essays written on the subject of film, there has been one thing that The Oscar Buzz has tried to understand: Who is my favorite of the film world? For 10 weeks this summer, I will be exploring this with a countdown of the Top 50 names based on a numerical ranking of ratings from various sources, the following is a list of directors who rank above everyone else. With occasional upsets, this is intended as both a discussion opener as well as a better understanding of me as a film critic and fan. Please enjoy and leave any comments you have regarding the entry's selection.

My 10 Favorite Best Picture Losers (2004-2013)

Ladies and gentlemen, we are officially 10 days away from the big ceremony on Sunday, March 2. With everyone rushing to catch their last few missing pieces, I have decided to commemorate the final stretch by looking back at a top 10 different from the one most people are talking about: My Top 10 Favorite Best Picture Losers (2004-2013). What does this entail? It simply means that of the numerous nominees in the category, these are the ones that made the cut, but left the ceremony without the big trophy. With the 86 years being a daunting task to compile a singular 10, this is a look at the past decade and highlighting the ones that I either loved more or revisit with some regularity.