RBR: Side Effects

It feels like it's been forever since I actually saw this film, but I'm just now getting around to putting up my review. Let's see how well I can remember my thoughts on it. Rooney Mara stars as Emily, a young woman who is struggling after the recent release of her husband (Channing Tatum) who was doing prison time for insider trading. Emily begins seeing a therapist (Jude Law) who prescribes a new drug to help her deal with her issues. A side effect of the drug is that it causes her to sleepwalk. During one of her sleepwalking episodes she unknowingly stabs her husband with a knife, killing him. From there the film takes several twists and turns as it is unclear as to who truly is responsible for this death. Directed by Steven Soderbergh in what is apparently his last film, Side Effects begins very compelling. Soderbergh creates a great sense of mystery and suspense. The social commentary on the over-reliance on prescription medication also feels fresh and compelling. The film somewhat comes off the rails in the second half with a few too many twists that make it confusing as to some of the characters' motives for their actions and how they benefitted from them. By the film's end you're left unsure as to whether or not the right people got their comeuppance or not. Still, the film is mostly enjoyable thanks to Soderbergh style, which will be missed if he makes his retirement stick. Fans of thrillers would be well off if they made an effort to check this film out. It's an easy prescription for me to fill.

2013 Movie Preview (#30 - 25)

Now that we've survived the end of the world, we can begin looking forward to a new year. And with that comes a whole new slate of big movies to preview. This seems to be a particularly solid year of comedies, dramas, and action films. Without any further ado, here's what you can look forward to in the next 12 months.

#30. Gangster Squad (January 11)

Plot: Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and--if he has his way--every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It's enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop...except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen's world apart. "The Gangster Squad" is a colorful retelling of events surrounding the LAPD's efforts to take back their nascent city from one of the most dangerous mafia bosses of all time.

Personal Opinion: You may recall that this film was originally scheduled to come out last year, but after the tragic Colorado movie theater shooting last July reshoots were needed on this film in order to eliminate a similar scene. You may also recall that I had this on my 2012 movie preview and fairly high on the list at that. Its placement here should in no way indicate that I've lost faith in the film. Rather, I just felt that since I've already given it coverage and that it's coming out in just a couple of weeks that we should merely give everyone a reminder here and focus the rest of the list on the fresh films for 2013.


#29. Saving Mr. Banks (December 20)

Plot: Two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson and fellow double Oscar-winner Tom Hanks topline Disney's "Saving Mr. Banks," inspired by the extraordinary, untold backstory of how Disney's classic "Mary Poppins" made it to the screen.

Personal Opinion: This is one of two high-profile, awards season-caliber films starring Tom Hanks coming out next year. There are few bigger figures in Hollywood than Walt Disney, so it will be very intersting to see how Hanks depicts him here. From the little I've read about this story, it seems like it was quite the bumpy road getting the film version of Mary Poppins made, so I'm definitely excited to see this film and learn more about it. The only question is that since this is a Disney film, will the depiction of Walt be accurate or simply a puff piece that paints their founder in an entirely favorable light.


#28. We're the Millers (August 9)

Plot: David Burke (Sudeikis) is a small-time pot dealer whose clientele includes chefs and soccer moms, but no kids - after all, he has his scruples. So what could go wrong? Plenty. Preferring to keep a low profile for obvious reasons, he learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished when he tries to help out some local teens and winds up getting jumped by a trio of gutter punks. Stealing his stash and his cash, they leave him in major debt to his supplier, Brad (Ed Helms). In order to wipe the slate clean - and maintain a clean bill of health - David must now become a big-time drug smuggler by bringing Brad's latest shipment in from Mexico. Twisting the arms of his neighbors, cynical stripper Rose (Aniston) and wannabe customer Kenny (Will Poulter), and the tatted-and-pierced streetwise teen Casey (Emma Roberts), he devises a foolproof plan. One fake wife, two pretend kids and a huge, shiny RV later, the "Millers" are headed south of the border for a Fourth of July weekend that is sure to end with a bang.

Personal Opinion: I typically do not gravitate toward pot movies, but this one seems to be less about the wacky tabacky and more about the wacky road trip adventure of these characters. And the characters in this film include a large list of my favorite comedic actors. In addition to the cast members listed above, people like Nick Offerman and Kathryn Hahn will also pop up here. If nothing else, the story about Jennifer Aniston working a stripper pole in this movie was enough to convince me to check it out.


#27 Rush (September 20)

Plot: Set against the sexy, glamorous and spectacular golden age of Formula 1 racing, "Rush" portrays the exhilarating true story of two of the greatest rivals the world has ever witnessed - handsome English playboy James Hunt (Hemsworth) and his methodical, brilliant opponent, Niki Lauda (Bruhl). Following their personal lives on and off the track, Rush follows the two drivers as they push themselves to the breaking point of physical and psychological endurance, where there is no shortcut to victory and no margin for error. If you make one mistake, you die.

Personal Opinion: The last time director Ron Howard teamed up with writer Peter Morgan, it was for the fantastic adaptation of Frost/Nixon. With Rush they're giving us a different face off, but one that sounds just as intriguing. Though I don't know much about these racers, the little that I've read sounds like a fascinating story. Given its placement in mid-September I would look for this to kick off the awards season buzz. And even if it's quality isn't up to snuff as it relates to the Oscars, the racing scenes should no doubt thrill audiences.


#26. Side Effects (February 8)

Plot: "Side Effects" is a provocative thriller about Emily and Martin (Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum), a successful New York couple whose world unravels when a new drug prescribed by Emily's psychiatrist (Jude Law) - intended to treat anxiety - has unexpected side effects.

Personal Opinion: Based on the trailer I saw, I have mixed feelings on this one. It could be a very cool thriller on the dark side of experimental drugs or it could be a sad weepy that bores me to tears. Ultimately what wins out is that this is directed by Steven Soderbergh and will be his last film as he claims to be retiring. I typical love Soderbergh work so I'll be checking this out to see what he has in store for a grand finale.


#25. R.I.P.D. (July 19)

Plot: Based on the Dark Horse mini-series, "R.I.P.D." (short for "Rest In Peace Department") is Peter Lenkov's comedic amalgam of the police and zombie genres featuring two dead police officers whose job it is to help the dead "rest in peace."

Personal Opinion: With the recent success of The Walking Dead, you can expect to see a LOT of zombies on the big screen in the next year. Most of them I'll be skipping, but this one has a unique enough premise to even pique my interest. I can't rate it higher though given the mixed bag of a cast. It features Jeff Bridges, which instantly propels the quality of the film. However, Ryan Reynolds appears to be the film's lead and he has yet to prove to me that he's leading man material. His most recent features have all been underwhelming and his performance was often a reason for that. Hopefully Bridges' awesomeness wins out here.

Bad medicine

The subject matter of Side Effects doesn't exactly seem like it would be the type of film that I would gravitate toward, but given that this is being directed by Steven Soderbergh, I'm inherently interested in it. Here's the first trailer to watch and see what you think.

RBR: Haywire

MMA fighter Gina Carano makes her screen debut in this spy thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh. Carano does need to do much in the way of acting here, but shows enough screen presence to suggest that she may have a future in Hollywood. Her cage fighting experience, however, is put to good use here as she has several impressive scenes where she is handily beating up men twice her size. While Carano may not have much experience in front of the camera, Soderbergh certainly has plenty behind it and his style is felt throughout the entire film. His trademark touches work both in the film's favor and to its detriment. The film is very stylish with its beautiful shot locations and omnipresent soundtrack. As far as the film's plot, the minimalist approach taken her is a bit disappointing. Don't expect much in terms of freshness when it comes to this story about a spy who's been burned by their own organization. This is Jason Bourne lite in more ways than one. If you're a person who favors style over substance, you should really enjoy this film. For those who like a little bit more meat on the bones when it comes to story, then you may be left feeling hungry. I like the film's look and its cast (Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, and Bill Paxton all show up in small roles) but I would have prefered a bit stronger narrative connecting all of Carano's asskickings together. Rating: *** 1/2

2012 Movie Preview (#24 - 19)

24. Bernie (March)

Plot: Jack Black plays Bernie, the beloved mortician in a small Texas town. MacLaine is the town's richest, meanest widow, and even she adores him. No one will say a bad word about Bernie - even after he commits a very nasty crime.

Personal opinion: Not a whole lot to go on yet with this movie, but from the sparse details this sounds like it could be a unique comedy. I think what intrigues me the most is that this will mark the first time that Jack Black has teamed up with director Richard Linklater since they worked on School of Rock. It's been a while since Black has had a film that he's been funny in and that's been successful, perhaps this is the one that finally returns him to comedic prominence.


23. Total Recall (August 3rd)

Plot: The new story involves the nation states of Euromerica and New Shanghai, with Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) a factory worker in the latter who begins to believe he is a spy, although he doesn�t know for which side. Vilos Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston) the leader of Euromerica who, under the cover of protecting his people, is secretly readying an invasion of New Shanghai.

Personal opinion: I just saw the original 1990 film for the first time earlier this year, so I can't say I'm a longtime fan. However, I enjoyed the film more than I expected and I thought the film posed a lot of interesting ideas. Now that technology and visual effects have dramatically improved, I'm really curious if they can improve on the story. Colin Farrell isn't the best actor, but I have to believe he'll be an upgrade over Ah-nuld.


22. Butter (March 16th)

Plot: In small-town Iowa, an adopted girl discovers her talent for butter carving and finds herself pitted against an ambitious local woman in their town's annual contest.

Personal opinion: I'm always in the mood for quirky comedies and this one seems like it will fit the bill. With an odd subject matter and a whole host of funny people comprising the cast, including Jennifer Garner, Hugh Jackman, Olivia Wilde, Ty Burrell, Rob Corddry, and Kristen Schaal this seems like a movie I could really enjoy. I doubt it will do huge business at the box office, but I'm not really concerned about that. If it used the butter carving competition wisely and not as a gimmick, this could be really good.


21. The Raven (March 9th)

Plot: When a mother and daughter are found brutally murdered in 19th century Baltimore, Detective Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) makes a startling discovery: the crime resembles a fictional murder described in gory detail in the local newspaper, part of a collection of stories penned by struggling writer and social pariah Edgar Allan Poe. But even as Poe is questioned by police, another grisly murder occurs, also inspired by a popular Poe story. Realizing a serial killer is on the loose using Poe's writings as the backdrop for his bloody rampage, Fields enlists the author's help in stopping the attacks. But when it appears someone close to Poe may become the murderer's next victim, the stakes become even higher and the inventor of the detective story calls on his own powers of deduction to try to solve the case before it's too late.

Personal opinion: Based on the trailer that was released already for this film, it seems as if they're trying to model this somewhat after the recent Sherlock Holmes movie. If they're successful at emulating that model and can create a decent mystery this has a chance at being a sleeper hit next spring. I like John Cusack and appreciate how he frequently takes unconventional roles and this one seems to be no different. I look forward to watching his interpretation of Poe and hope this movie is able to be more than campy schlock.


20. Brave (June 22nd)

Plot: Merida is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida's actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Wise Woman (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it's too late.

Personal opinion: This year, Pixar proved it was fallable with Cars 2 being a misfire. They'll quickly get a chance to reclaim their glory with this film, though. On the plus side, they are doing an original story and the trailer shows that this should be another visual wonder. This film doesn't rank higher on my list however for two primary reasons: first, while I have no problem with the film having a female protagonist it just doesn't appeal to me personally and secondly, the Scottish environment and characters doesn't feel fresh after Dreamworks' How To Train Your Dragon. Pixar still has the best track record out there for a movie studio so if anyone can make this work, it's them.


19. Haywire (January 20th)

Plot: In "Haywire," an electrifying tale of espionage and betrayal, a female covert ops specialist (Carano), who works in the deadly world of international operatives, strikes back after discovering she's been double-crossed by someone close to her in the agency. The film is produced by Gregory Jacobs ("Ocean's" Trilogy) and written by Lem Dobbs ("The Limey").

Personal opinion: A film about a female spy who kicks a lot of ass isn't exactly original (see Salt, Columbiana). But when I saw the intense trailer for this, I began to think that this film may have some things going for it that will hopefully allow it to stand out amongst those others. First of all, this movie is being directed by Steven Soderbergh and he doesn't strike me as someone who does a film simply for a paycheck. Another plus is the cast. You've got guys like Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton, Ewan McGregor, and Michael Fassbender in this to improve the film's credentials. The wild card though is Gina Carano. Having an MMA fighter with no real acting experience as the lead could be a problem. As long as they spend more time with her beating people up and not talking though, they should be fine.

Going viral

Now that I've just gotten done washing my hands for the 50th time, I think I'm ready to type up my review of Steven Soderbergh's latest film, Contagion. This is a smart and impressively realistic thriller exploring the possibility of a deadly virus spreading across the globe.

The film begins its focus on Beth Emhoff (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) , a businesswomen on her way home from a trip to Hong Kong, who quickly becomes sick and just as suddenly dies. Doctors, as well as her husband (the always terrific Matt Damon) are at a loss as to how this could have happened. Soon we see other people dying after exhibiting the same conditions and before you know it we have an epidemic on our hands.

From here, the film splinters off into several different storylines connected to this disease. We see people from the Center for Disease Control trying to locate where this virus began in order to identify a cure for it, as well as stopping it from spreading further. We meet a blogger (Jude Law) who initially attempts to break the story on the epidemic and then turns his attention towards attacking the goverment and promoting his own homeopathic remedy to the disease. We also spend more time with Damon as he tirelessly works at making sure his daughter does not get sick (Damon himself is immune to virus).

At times, the multiple storyline approach can be frustrating because some of the stories don't receive the attention they could have had for further development, while other stories could have been eliminated and it wouldn't have dramatically hurt the film. I feel like if there could have been a way to combine Kate Winslet and Marion Cotillard's storylines together, that may have been more effective. And yet, I think it was a smart approach to deal with this story in this manner. Like the virus itself the storytelling here continues to spread and grow sometimes in an uncontrollable way. It gives the film an added feeling of chaos that would surely ensue if such an event actually occurred.

One of the best things about this film is Soderbergh's attention to detail. The way he frames his shots makes you acutely aware of the surroundings without being overt about it. Suddenly you're picking up on all of the different ways that you could easily contract germs. Watching the film will cause you to never look at a bowl of bar peanuts or a door knob in the same way. While awareness is an important element of the film, I don't feel like it's intent is to make us all into neurotic germophobes. The film is just as much about people as it is about the virus. We are in a global society today - something that we often take for granted. As a result we are often incorrectly take an microscopic look at things. Having a better understanding of the bigger picture in life can help all of us work better together.

I know there will be some that will be turned off by the subject matter and will refuse to see this film, but I think they are doing themselves a great disservice. This is an excellent film that deftly juggles a lot of characters (played by an all-star cast) and appropriately addresses a touchy subject matter. Credit also to the Soderbergh for being able to find moments of levity to sprinkle throughout the film. Their presence prevent you from being a frazzled bunch of nerves by the end of the film while never causing the subject matter to be taken lightly. I wouldn't blame you for skipping this film in theaters, which are a germ breeding ground, but at some point do yourself a favor and check this out. I guarantee you'll find it infectious. Grade: A-