The 168 Turnaround: Walk This Way, Mrs. Palin

THIS WEEK: Mar 6 – Mar 12, 2011

GAME CHANGE: Actress and comedian Tina Fey portrayed her once; so too did adult film star Lisa Ann.  And now you can add actress Julianne Moore’s name to the list.  That’s right, American politician and commentator Sarah Palin will be portrayed once again, only this time it won’t be in a comedy sketch or a porno (and, really, the less said about Who’s Nailin’ Paylin? the better).  Game Change, a forthcoming HBO telemovie, is based on John Heilemann and Mark Halperin’s bestselling book (of the same name), and follows Senator John McCain’s presidential election campaign.  I have to admit, I’m not a big fan of Moore (the 2008 film, Blindness, absolutely ruined her for me), but she’s a solid actor and I’m sure her performance will be accurate, if nothing else.  For more info, click here.

THE WALKING DEAD: Culturally speaking, zombies are everywhere these days, and that’s probably not a good thing.  After all, nothing spawns disinterest like oversaturation (think Twilight and all the vampire schlock that’s been spilling onto the big and small screens).  But when it comes to zombies, AMC’s hit television show, The Walking Dead, is the exception to the rule.  Based on the comic book series created by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead is hands down the best treatment of the zombie sub-genre that I’ve seen in a long while.  Developed for television by Frank Darabont (director of The Shawshank Redemption), this show explores how human relationships flourish and flounder amidst the terrors of a zombie apocalypse.  Really, it doesn’t get better than this.  And, lucky for you, season one of The Walking Dead is now available on DVD and Blu Ray.

GENIE AWARD WINNERS: Admit it—like me, you haven’t seen many of the films that were nominated for this year’s Genie Awards.  Maybe I’m just projecting because I feel bad: I claim to love movies and hope to support great Canadian films, but…well, I just haven’t seen that many Canadian movies this year (I blame lack of funds and insufficient transportation).  In any event, the Genie Award ceremony took place this past Thursday, with Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies taking home the Best Picture Award.  The other big winner, Richard J. Lewis’ Barney’s Version, took home Best Actor (Paul Giamatti), Best Supporting Actor (Dustin Hoffman), and Best Supporting Actress (Minnie Driver).  Interestingly, Giamatti, Hoffman, and Driver were no shows at the ceremony.  Ah well, maybe it was for the best.  For the full story, click here.

SUPER 8: For a day or so, I considered writing an update to the Charlie Sheen story.  But then he started referencing his own nonsense, and more or less exploiting himself in ways that, though amusing, have become repetitive.  In lieu of a Sheen update, I offer the first full-length trailer for director J. J. Abram’s new film, Super 8.  This film looks like a lot of fun, and harkens back to classic boyhood adventure films—think vintage Spielberg.  In all honesty, this may be the only film to come out this summer that isn’t an adaptation, sequel, prequel, or reboot; this may be the only film to come out this summer with an original idea.  And I’ll take that over Charlie Sheen any day.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Scooter vs. Swimmer
It was a tossup this week.  On the one hand, Scooter Staircase Double Fail did make me laugh…but, it looks like the kid really hurt himself (wear your helmet, folks—your brain’s good only if it isn’t scrambled).  On the other hand, Underwater Filming Fail is family friendly and still funny.  The winner:

The 168 Turnaround is a week-in-review column, a place for me to reflect on the week’s most interesting pop culture news items.  If it mattered to me or I think it might matter to you, then it will be here.  If I’ve overlooked an important news item, or if you have a comment or question, please leave a response below.  Thank you for reading.