FINALLY - Juno!

I'm getting over a cold, and I've felt like crap for several days in a row. I haven't been writing, and that makes me feel even more like crap.

But I decided yesterday that I was going to do something positive in the midst of all this goopy, sniffly, coughy crud, so I hit the matinee of Juno, knowing that very few people would likely be there (indeed, there were only 2, and they sat in the wheelchair area) and that I'd finally get to sate my curiosity about Diablo Cody's first screenplay and Ellen Page's first role outside of that spandex-clad spin in X-men 3.

I was really, really, REALLY impressed.

The story was adorable and endearing. The characters were real, resilient, and easy to sympathize with. The dialogue was quirky and unique.

I have to say that Cody has a way of writing dialogue that I would liken to Q. Tarantino or Kevin Smith. I admire it a lot. It differs from the way most people speak, but it's so effective and powerful (and downright entertaining) that you don't care.

I probably pay more attention to dialogue than a lot of folks. Speech is my strength as a writer (I credit my theatre/acting background and intense vocabulary study for the ACTs) and my primary interest when I tell a story. I spend a lot of time alone and NOT speaking to others, so that when I do finally emerge from my cocoon and interact with the general populace, I feel a heightened sensitivity to words and tone.

Some of my fave movies for dialogue: Dogma, Shirley Valentine (although that's mostly monologue, but it's still speech), Ghostbusters, Pulp Fiction, Resevoir Dogs, Jacki Brown, Firefly (series)/Serendipity, While You Were Sleeping, and Stranger Than Fiction.

Some of my fave authors: Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jennifer Crusie, Christopher Moore, and Janet Evanovich (has anyone on the planet ever made better use of the word "Babe"???)

So how about you? If you make a habit of studying/paying attention to dialogue, what has been a movie/book/author that's impressed you?

Oscar Buzz & Diablo Cody

Every year when the Oscars get announced, I usually pride msyelf on having seen at least 2 of the nominees, yet, this year, my schedule has been so bogged down, I haven't seen ANY movie since the summer rush.

I honestly think HP5 (Order of the Phoenix) was my last flick I saw in the theatre (what a way to see a movie, though....first showing at midnight, squeeing and squealing with fellow authoress Natalie Damschroder!).

I'm dying to get out to see Juno, though, and not just because it's gotten Oscar buzz. Some of you may not know that the screenwriter is Diablo Cody, a funny gal who first broke into writing with her autobiographical tale of a year spent as a stripper: Candy Girl.

I did manage to read Candy Girl, and I love Cody's voice and sense of humor, but given how slammed my writing schedule is these days, tell me what movies make the cut. What have you seen that is not to be missed this year?


BTW, my numbers are way up:

Releases available for reading: 7 (all from Amber Quill)

Myspace Friends: 235 (195 last time)

Facebook Friends: 21 (12 last time)

Friendster: (I give up on this one...it's kinda clunky and sucky compared to the other two; although, the "fan" feature really is unique and helpful)