The Paperboy

The Paperboy is one of the most divisive movies of the year - it got a fair share of terrible reviews and then it got a lot of positive responses from the audience that was entertained by the film. You probably know two things about the movie - that it includes a scene where Nicole Kidman is peeing on Zac Efron (in the film's defense - it's after he is stung by jelly fish and thanks to Friends we all know what needs to be done in this situation) and that this is a movie for which Kidman got the Golden Globe nomination. The fact that not many people actually got to see that trashy little gem is in its favor - The Paperboy is a fun ride filled with unpredictable twists and turns.

Game Change

82/100 (117 min, 2012)
Plot: Follows John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, from his selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate to their ultimate defeat in the general election.
Director:Jay Roach
Writers: Mark Halperin (book), Danny Strong (adaptation)
Stars: Ed Harris, Julianne Moore and Woody Harrelson

"I am NOT your puppet!"

Sarah Palin. If like me you don't live in USA what you know about her is probably only that she wears glasses, that she doesn't have much knowledge even you posses and you probably remember those horrible Fey/Pohler parodies (embarrassing for them too, since they were completely not funny). HBO's Game Change shows us a sympathetic look at her and with it comes one of the most outstanding performances from amazing Julianne Moore, who is long overdue for an Oscar, but at least with this film she is sure to win Emmy this year.

The movie begins in the midst of the presidential campaign when Obama is leading in the polls and McCain desperately needs something to win, he needs a game change. With the help of his advisers - Steve Schmidt (Woody Harrelson) and Rick Davis (Peter MacNicol) he decides he needs to find a woman in the party, that would, if he wins, become vice president. Davis finds Palin - attractive, feisty and energetic governor of Alaska. And she is more than happy to help the campaign.

Vertigo

88/100 (118 min, 1958)
Plot: A San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Alec Coppel (screenplay), Samuel A. Taylor (screenplay)
Stars: James Stewart, Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes

It's only a movie, Kim!

Over the last few weeks I've been reading a little bit about the history of cinema. Apparently both Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchock had a lot in common - they both weren't particularly nice for their actors, they were obsessive when it comes to movie making process - apparently the scene where Kim Novak is staring at the portrait in gallery took a week to shoot, because Hitchock was waiting for the right light - and some of their finest movies had been criticized upon their initial release, only to be hailed as masterpieces decades later. That happened to Kubrick with "The Shining" and to Hitchcock, with among others, "Vertigo". The movie was also selected as the best mystery movie ever by the American Film Institute.

53 years after it was made, the movie remains fascinating and feels extremely unique. The way the movie is filmed still amazes with technical virtuosity, although all those years ago the technology filmmakers take for granted today, wasn't even available. It's such a wonderful and ambiguous picture - for most of the time you have no idea what exactly is going on - is it a ghost story? a romance? a thriller? "Vertigo" is a mixture of genres, but it focuses a lot on its characters, who are deeply disturbed.