The Paperboy
I saw “The Paperboy” last night and found it … disturbing. I tend to enjoy a good noir thriller, and it was atmospheric, very Southern Gothic. You could feel the heat and the sweat and the tension and the seething undercurrents of menace. There were also parts of it that were very funny.
But it was really soft core porn. Not that that disturbs me in and of itself, but I went by myself and wound up sitting in a row with two men on either side of me, which was awkward in the extreme. I pretty much didn’t want to look at either one of them during or after the movie. I mean, there was a mystery, and sort of a plot, but it was pretty thin. It was mostly about the dark side of sexual desire and how powerful it can be. There was some exploration of the relationship to psychological damage, but in the end, it doesn’t matter why; whether conscious or unconscious, you want what you want, whether or not you should, whether or not it’s good for you, whether or not you can have it. Every one of the characters was more or less helpless in the face of desire, wanting other people (and things) that were very much not good for them, with generally devastating results.
I realize this was a movie, but it also made me think about how thin the veneer of civilization is. It doesn’t take much to find yourself in situations that are out of your control with people who are dangerous. There were several scenes that I found very disturbing; even though you know that some things happen, you’d rather not know … and you definitely don’t want to see them. There were dysfunctional family dynamics and racism and violence … and did I mention the sex? :)
This is a link to a review that pretty much sums it all up.
All of which begs the question: why did I see this movie? Well, I love movies; I don't generally have a lot of time, so I usually choose based on the subject matter and rating from either Entertainment Weekly (the one pop culture magazine we subscribe to) or Roger Ebert (whose reviews I am addicted to.) If it looks like something I might be interested in, I try not to read too much because I also like to be able to just experience the movie. Roger Ebert liked "The Paperboy." I did too, in the end -- at least I found it interesting and am still thinking about it -- but let's just say I was NOT prepared for what I was about to experience.
I do have to say that I thought the acting was really fantastic. Zac Efron (who spent the movie with very little clothing on) did a creditable job (this is probably the best role I’ve seen him in), as did Matthew McConaughy. Nicole Kidman was fantastic, virtually unrecognizable and completely believable. And John Cusack was just hard core and creepy and extremely disturbing.
Not to mention that there’s no way in hell I’m ever going out into the Florida swamp … Jesus Christ.
But it was really soft core porn. Not that that disturbs me in and of itself, but I went by myself and wound up sitting in a row with two men on either side of me, which was awkward in the extreme. I pretty much didn’t want to look at either one of them during or after the movie. I mean, there was a mystery, and sort of a plot, but it was pretty thin. It was mostly about the dark side of sexual desire and how powerful it can be. There was some exploration of the relationship to psychological damage, but in the end, it doesn’t matter why; whether conscious or unconscious, you want what you want, whether or not you should, whether or not it’s good for you, whether or not you can have it. Every one of the characters was more or less helpless in the face of desire, wanting other people (and things) that were very much not good for them, with generally devastating results.
I realize this was a movie, but it also made me think about how thin the veneer of civilization is. It doesn’t take much to find yourself in situations that are out of your control with people who are dangerous. There were several scenes that I found very disturbing; even though you know that some things happen, you’d rather not know … and you definitely don’t want to see them. There were dysfunctional family dynamics and racism and violence … and did I mention the sex? :)
This is a link to a review that pretty much sums it all up.
All of which begs the question: why did I see this movie? Well, I love movies; I don't generally have a lot of time, so I usually choose based on the subject matter and rating from either Entertainment Weekly (the one pop culture magazine we subscribe to) or Roger Ebert (whose reviews I am addicted to.) If it looks like something I might be interested in, I try not to read too much because I also like to be able to just experience the movie. Roger Ebert liked "The Paperboy." I did too, in the end -- at least I found it interesting and am still thinking about it -- but let's just say I was NOT prepared for what I was about to experience.
I do have to say that I thought the acting was really fantastic. Zac Efron (who spent the movie with very little clothing on) did a creditable job (this is probably the best role I’ve seen him in), as did Matthew McConaughy. Nicole Kidman was fantastic, virtually unrecognizable and completely believable. And John Cusack was just hard core and creepy and extremely disturbing.
Not to mention that there’s no way in hell I’m ever going out into the Florida swamp … Jesus Christ.