Best movie of this year hands down!

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

I own this mainly because of Jeff Goldblum, so I wasn't expecting much in the way of real entertainment, but was more or less watching this for Mr. Goldblum's performance. I think he's one of the best actors in the business. I did not discover until after the fact that this film was based on actual events, and I had to go watch it again.Aside from beautiful performances by all three principals, the story itself has a wonderful flow, which works brilliantly with the material and weaves a highly enjoyable experience.This is an entertaining experience, but it also shows how desperate the Russians were to do something better for themselves, in spite of communist influences still in place. It also allows us a small peek into the corrupt offices of our own politicians...we already know they will do anything to get elected. This just proves those suspicions and marks them as "well known" and "public knowledge."On a side note, I found this information here at IMDb and paraphrased it for those of you who are interested. "While the film portrays all three of the men in Russia during the whole campaign, our three consultants (Gorton-Goldlum, Dresner-LaPaglia, and Shumate-Shreiber) were in truth flying in and out over those five months, or so. They left one person in the US as a security precaution to ensure that the other two could leave when desired, and one younger member was left in Russia the whole time. Oddly enough, he was omitted from the movie. It was his notes they used to draft a screenplay, by the way.The hotel portrayed in the movie was the "President Hotel," known as the "Oktiabraskaya" during Soviet Times. Each room in this hotel was equipped with gas masks, and the hotel compound was rumored to be secretly linked to the Moscow metro system for occupants to escape or guards and extra security to arrive. After the Yeltsin campaign, Gorton went on to be Arnold Schwarzenegger's political consultant, running Arnold's first campaign.The furniture-stacking scene is something that really happened, and happened more than once. The consultants' paranoia is well founded. During the 1996 election cycle in Russia, the campaign manager for the mayor of St. Petersburg had acid thrown in his face, and the running mate for the mayor of Moscow was critically injured in a car bomb." As I said, those words were paraphrased, but they may allow you a little behind the scenes knowledge as to the origins of this movie. Insider info like that tends to help me embrace the work more. Hope it does the same for you.All in all? It's not Friday/Saturday night viewing material by any means, but it IS better than a rainy Sunday's tedium relief.It rates a 7.9/10 from...the Fiend :.

Caught this one on New Years eve, and was fortunate to hang on to it. I wasn't sure if it was somehow documentary or not - and the beauty of it is that it doesn't matter :) This movie is credible from the first to the last minute. It's creepy because this could be entirely true - and we'll probably never know.The American spindoctors playing dirty? I don't think they are, they're not having anyone arrested or killed or anything, they're introducing western style campaigns to the Russians for the first time, and the playing field is wide open. It's not unlike how Tony Blair gets promoted, nothing unusual about this. Interesting to see how getting out to people to listen to their concerns plays a large role, as does digging up what the communists are up to - that's how it should be. The Americans happen to find themselves in a pivotal (to say the least) election, and they're hired (several times :) to the job. Suddenly these three find themselves spearheading the fight for democracy vs. regression, and they happen to do a good job with everything at stake. People happen to land in essential situations once in a while where a little effort can make a huge difference. I hope it turns out to be largely a true story. Anyone checked up that Time issue, BTW?

"Spinning Boris" (aka "The Yeltsin Project") is a modern masterpiece. Political satire doesn't get better than this. But don't expect mindless entertainment -- this movie is for people who like to think for themselves, and think they will. Jokes, ideas, references, and body blows come at you, fast and furious, so don't blink. And you'll probably have to see it again, to get all the subtleties and hidden gems. 10 out of 10.

Caught "Spinning Boris" at a preview screening -- and... WOW... This is the best, funniest, sharpest, and meanest movie I've seen in a long time... well, since "Wag the Dog". It also brings to mind "Network" and "Dr. Strangelove" - yes, it's THAT good. The cast is top-notch -- Goldblum, LaPaglia, Shrieber, as three American political consultants in Russia -- create amazing chemistry. Three musketeers, three stooges, three blind mice, three charismatic, brilliant, but incredibly self-involved and self-serving individuals. The script is pure perfection -- witty and clever beyond belief, suspenseful, complex and very, very dark. The director is Roger Spottiswoode (yes, Bond... James Bond) -- here working in a completely different genre... and succeeding on all levels. The film is a 10, to be sure, but it's more than that. A not-to-be-missed movie event. (I understand it was produced by Showtime and will premier on cable. Here's to hoping they promote the hell out of it.) Can't wait to see it again.