JessicaGwenMa I actually really enjoyed this movie- the all star cast really pulled it off - Yes the story and characters were twisted but lets face it - what in reality (esp nowadays) is not twisted? America should embrace real films like this as the American dream gives way to the exposure of reality. Dont live in Disneyland. Having said that - a profound movie is like a thought provoking essay - with an emphasis on THOUGHTS - it requires a certain level of intellect to appreciate.

Woodyanders Rural Florida in the late 1960's. Idealistic reporter Ward Jansen (a fine portrayal by Matthew McCanaughey), his more cynical partner Yardley Acheman (well played to the obnoxiously uptight hilt by David Oyelowo), Ward's wide-eyed innocent younger brother Jack (a solid and likable performance by Zac Effron), and slutty death row groupie Charlotte Bless (a marvelously tart turn by Nicole Kidman) discover that odious convicted killer Hillary Von Wetter (a splendidly slimy John Cusack) was framed for the murder of a corrupt sheriff.Director Lee Daniels, who also co-wrote the bold and pulpy script with Peter Dexter, offers a flavorsome warts and all evocation of the deep south setting in which bigotry and oppression still reign supreme, ably crafts a pleasing trashy tone, grounds the premise in a plausibly sordid everyday reality, and relates the engrossing story at a steady pace. Moreover, the colorful array of enjoyably quirky characters, sweaty'n'seamy downhome atmosphere, and frank addressing of such tough issues as racism, homosexuality, and the toxic perils of worshipping criminals all give this film an extra tangy and potent kick. The uniformly excellent acting by the bang-up cast keeps this movie humming: Efron proves that he's more than just a pretty face, Kidman has a ball with her brash hillbilly trollop role, and McCanaughey does his usual sturdy work, plus there are ace supporting contributions from Macy Gay as sassy maid Anita, Scott Glenn as crusty patriarch W.W. Jansen, and Ned Bellamy as fearsome no-count hood Tyree. Roberto Schaefer's sharp widescreen cinematography offers several snazzy stylistic flourishes. The grim ending packs a devastating punch. An edgy and intriguing little beaut.

lucchi-44984 One of the few stand out films of recent years. Certainly, for observation it is of the highest order. The performances are faultless, the camera work outstanding. It is troubling, bleak, cynical, and also, seemingly, very, very real. I have never lived in 60s deep south but for a short time I believe I was there. The sexual sub plots are a seedy, dispassionate, but gripping and essential, backdrop to the actual story - racial, class and cultural chasms held loosely together in a bitter, sweaty, Louisiana type soup. The caring black servant as narrator works really well, the depiction of the main character, naively intelligent, unlikely and involuntary hero, has a warmth and honesty that contrasts well with the films themes, it also provides just enough solid ground to withstand the unfolding plot, and the ending. Grabs you and whirls you through a time and place like no other film I've seen. A brave film to make and deserves high praise.

James Hitchcock "The Paperboy" deals with that classical Hollywood theme, the fight to prove a man's innocence. Like a number of other films on this subject, such as "Intruder in the Dust" and "To Kill a Mockingbird", it is set in the Deep South, in this case Florida in the year 1969. Unlike those two films, however, the accused man is white. Hillary Van Wetter, a poor- white-trash swamp dweller, has been convicted of the murder of the local sheriff, Thurmond Call. Van Wetter certainly had a motive- Call, whose methods of law enforcement were to say the least uncompromising, had earlier been responsible for the death of Van Wetter's cousin- but Ward Jansen, an idealistic journalist, believes the evidence unsatisfactory and begins a campaign to prove his innocence.Jansen is assisted by his black colleague Yardley Acheman, his younger brother Jack and an eccentric woman named Charlotte Bless who makes a hobby of writing to convicted prisoners and has fallen in love with her pen-pal Van Wetter despite never having met him. Ward and Yardley are reluctant to have Charlotte on their team- she strikes them as mentally unbalanced- but need her assistance as only she can persuade Van Wetter to cooperate with them. (He has fallen, if not in love, then at least in lust with the attractive Charlotte). A further complication arises when Jack also falls for Charlotte.The accused in "Intruder in the Dust" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" were both quite clearly innocent. In "Just Cause", another Florida-set drama about the death penalty, we initially believe that the accused is the innocent victim of a miscarriage of justice but a sudden plot twist makes it clear that he is actually guilty. In "The Paperboy" the question of whether or not Van Wetter is guilty of the murder of Sheriff Call is always left ambiguous. Nevertheless, even if he is innocent of this particular crime we are never left in much doubt that he is a nasty piece of work, capable of extreme violence. Mind you, his self-appointed defence team are hiding a few secrets themselves. Charlotte is just as mad as Ward and Yardley believe her. Ward himself is a closeted homosexual, at a time when this would have been neither socially nor legally acceptable in most American states. Yardley, who is black, has been posing as an Englishman but later confesses that he is a local man, claiming that Floridians are more likely to accept a black man who "sounds like James Bond". Actually, Yardley's fruity upper-class English accent does not sound much like either Sean Connery (Scottish) or George Lazenby (Australian), who were the only two actors to have played Bond at the time the film is set. He sounds rather more like Roger Moore, but Moore's first outing as Bond was not to be until 1973."Intruder in the Dust" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" were both made from a clear liberal political position. "Just Cause" seems to start out from a liberal position and then to shift to a conservative one, but this is probably inadvertent, the result of a too-clever scriptwriter not appreciating the effect of his too-clever plot twist. "The Paperboy" also seems to shift from liberalism towards conservatism; the ending, in which Van Wetter murders two of the people who have helped to save his life, attempts to murder a third and ends up in the electric chair, seems like a redneck conservative's wish-fulfilment fantasy about interfering liberal do-gooders getting their just deserts. I suspect, however, that this ending may have been intended as black irony rather than as a rare attempt by Hollywood to proselytise on behalf of the Tea Party."The Paperboy" is not a subtle film. It's about as subtle as a nuclear war, an over-the-top slice of deliriously melodramatic Southern Gothic which combines gory horror with what the TV announcer coyly referred to as "scenes of a sexual nature". It's not a film which should be watched by those of a nervous, squeamish, prudish or Puritanical disposition. That doesn't necessarily mean it's a film which should not be watched by anybody. Those with strong stomachs may well find something to enjoy, such as the performance of Nicole Kidman. The lovely Nicole received an unusual award nomination from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, namely "Actress Most in Need of a New Agent". Now I've often thought myself that Nicole desperately needs a new agent, generally after seeing her in rubbish like "Moulin Rouge", "Practical Magic" or the remade "Stepford Wives". Yet even though a depressingly large part of her output consists of unfunny comedies or formulaic thrillers, she is at least not afraid to tackle something challenging or different when she gets the chance, and few roles could be more challenging than Charlotte, who manages to be completely bonkers and yet desirable enough to enrapture a handsome young man considerably younger than her. There are other good contributions from Matthew McConaughey as the tormented Ward and John Cusack as the viciously feral Van Wetten. The film is strong meat, but it may be something of an acquired taste. 6/10