Changeling

Starring: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich
Directed by: Clint Eastwood

I think I'm gonna have to put Eastwood in that elitist GT group. GRAN TORINO, MILLION DOLLAR BABY, and now this movie? That old fart's got it going on! He's a genius.

CHANGELING (if you haven't seen the previews) is about this single mom in the roaring '20s whose son goes missing while she's away at work. She's one of those roller skating phone operator supervisors. I guess that was a job associated with that era.

Her son disappears, she freaks out like any parent would, and they supposedly find her son a couple of months later. Problem is, the kid that the infamously corrupt LAPD finds ends up NOT being her son, but for publicity reasons, they try to cover up their mistake. What the f@ck??!! Yeah, this is a true event that actually happened.

As you're watching the movie, you'll find yourself in disbelief screaming at the TV, wondering how something so horrific could've really occurred, even if it was back in the day. Jolie, as always, plays a strong character who fights to the end to get to the bottom of this f@cked-up travesty. Sometimes, she's so hot that people forget she can actually act. I've always found her voluptuous body and pouty lips to be secondary to her prolific acting skills. I hardly even notice when she's prancing around naked in her movies or bouncing up and down on some poor actor's Johnson for dramatic effect. She sacrifices her body so much for the sake of the story.

I'm beginning to like Eastwood's slow, deliberate pacing in his movies. It's like he takes his time delivering the message of his films. No special effects. No CGI. Just superb acting and some good, old-fashioned storytelling laced with his simple piano soundtracks. It's an acquired taste, I think.

The movie was pretty long, but I didn't mind it. I was entertained the entire way watching the story unfold. Don't wanna give up too much, but let's just say that it's f@cked-up that any parent would have to go through this, and go at it alone. Unbelievable, really. But that's why this movie was so intriguing. Or at least I thought so. Beautiful thought that it was just okay. I think she's just hating on you-know-who. Just kidding. I think.

Anyway, another excellent Eastwood flick. I give this movie two kids kidnapped from their own third world countries so that they could form some kinda mini-United Nations with Mr. and Mrs. Smith...