Reviews

I read many of the comments here and saw that many people did not like the movie in terms of plot and message given. I actually liked the movie.

Firstly, I think one should not really mind much about the "message" given in movies such as this. This movie does not try to convey any message on "teenage sex" anyway. I think opposed to many comments written here, the movie does not encourage youngsters to have sex and get pregnant at 16. Most research show that movies do not really encourage people to imitate actions, such as violence, smoking cigarettes and so on. Together with many social factors, the TV series and movies might be a "factor" on penetration of such act but definitely is not a "cause".

Also, some have criticized that there is a scene in the movie where Juno's step mom argues with the ultrasound technician, saying that some teenagers may raise children much better than adults. Some said that the movie states this but does not offer any solution... As I said, the movie does not aim to "find any solution" or convey a "message" about teenagers getting pregnant, having abortion or raising children. There, Juno makes a controversial decision towards having the baby and thus reacts against people who degrade her action.

Secondly, I think the plot and characters were quite well established. Juno is a teenage, with rights and wrongs. Like most teenagers, she is in between being a child and a grown-up. She is still a child in most of her manners, though she proves herself that she has become an adult by having sex. Yes, because she is only a teenager and is not "perfect" she gets pregnant. And actually, because she is a little nuts and unexpectedly brave, she decides to give birth to the child (a normal person would have an abortion, right?). And because she is actually just a child, she naively spends time with Mark, not projecting the results. Mark has a childish soul and they get on very well but still they can't be "friends" as in teenage world, because Mark is an "adult" and adult men never see women as friends!!! Of course here Juno has an underlying tendency towards Mark (as she is not "perfect"), because in adults world he is the only person giving value to her. Also maybe she feels better being treated like a grown up by an adult. When she gets jealous of Paulie, she goes to him and feels better and appraised. But she then finds out this might lead to dangerous results!

However, she does right things too... She wants the child to grow up in a loving environment and leaves the child to Vanessa as she knows she will love her. After seeing that the "adult" life is not so perfect and she does not belong there yet, she finally understands that her own world and Paulie is where she belongs, because she is yet just a child.

In terms of music, I liked the movie. I especially like the Belle and Sebastian, which was used in the movie. Music was neatly chosen. Also, without such music, the movie would be more serious and dramatic. What makes the movie easy watchable and light is the music.

In terms of Juno's language… Well, I am not a native English speaker. So, I cannot truly judge whether it makes sense of her speaking like that or not. But as far as I know, teenagers love to speak slang language, using many connector meaningless words and have their own kind of talking terms. Because they always criticize the adults but want to be valued by them (because they think they are adults too and should not be ruled by them), they usually use an awkward language. In these terms, I think the movie reflects the irony quite well, especially in the scene where Juno first meets with the child adopter family and their lawyer.

In general, I think Juno is a well written and directed movie. Do not expect messages, try to enjoy the details.

After I read the comments for Smoke, I was fascinated by the power of cinema while I realized that most of the people felt the same things as I did when they watched the movie. I watched Smoke several times without getting bored and still I sometimes watch some scenes. The characters are so real and the dialogs are so natural that I feel like I meet my friends or a part of my family when I watch it. I feel like if I went to Brooklyn, I would find that tobacco shop with Auggie sitting at the desk, chatting with others.

The beautiful scenes are also unforgettable… The first scene where Paul tells about the weight of smoke… The scene where Auggie says that the light, season and people are different in the photos that he takes every day… I also love the end, where Auggie tells the Christmas story to Paul and the white-black scene with the song of Tom Waits.

When you watch the movie, you understand that it is just the little things - a chat with your friend, a moment of happiness, a Christmas story told at lunch, a photo- and the feelings in life that matters. That's why maybe we feel so happy and relaxed when we watch the movie: We forget about the daily stress and want to be a part of Auggie Wren's world.

I haven't watched such a great movie for a long time and it is really great to see that this is a Turkish movie. After Nuri Bilge Ceylan's success with Uzak in Cannes Film Festival, Fatih Akin made a very successful move in contributing to Turkish cinema. First of all, the movie explains the life of the Turkish immigrants in Germany in a perfect way. We see how they cannot be neither German nor Turkish anymore. They are stuck in between and they act as punks. For instance, it is really true that most of the young Turkish people in Germany cannot speak Turkish, like Cahit. We also see the ridiculous pressure of Sibel's family: For instance, while her married brother threatens&beats her whenever she has a boyfriend, he and his friends can comfortably speak about how they sleep with prostitutes! Also the cast is very good, especially Sibel Kekilli and Birol Unel. I loved the scene where we can see the smile in Sibel's eyes in the amusement park: she is so much in love... In addition, there are so many things to say about the movie.. The story is a very striking one itself. The hopelessness of the characters in a world without love and moral values are explained so well-without making it dramatic. Also, Sibel's life in Istanbul, her cousin's life-like many of us: still single and waiting to be promoted!- are also judgements beside the main genre. The music is also very nice, with Depeche Mode and also traditional Turkish music. Faith Akin has really made a good job.. The script is excellent and the scenes are all pieces of artwork. I wish the best for him and all the cast and I hope to see movies perfect like this in the future too...