Movie Review: SIDE EFFECTS

SIDE EFFECTS
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Vinessa Shaw, Mamie Gummer

Steven Soderbergh has tackled such diverse subjects as airborne viruses, male stripping, casino heists, and drug trafficking. In his latest, Side Effects, he and frequent screenwriter Scott Z. Burns tackle the world of pharmaceutical companies. Emily (Mara) is thrilled that her husband Martin (Tatum) has been released from jail. Martin was taken away on their glorious wedding day for insider trading. At first life seems to be getting back to normal, but Emily's past bout with depression and anxiety seems to creep back into her life.

A work party with Martin's colleagues is more than Emily can handle. Martin realizes Emily has taken a turn for the worst. She decides to take things into her own hands by driving into the wall of a parking garage. She survives and is put into the hands of Dr. Banks (Law), a psychiatrist with his own issues in life. Banks puts her on a variety of anti-depressants and anxiety pills but none of them seem to work for her. He consults with her former shrink Dr. Victoria Siebert (Zeta-Jones) about her past and learns about a miscarriage that she has failed to mention to him. Dr. Siebert suggests a new experimental drug called Ablixa. Emily hears good things form a friend (Gummer) about it and decides to test it. Meanwhile, Dr. Banks is being paid $50,000 to be part of a study on the side effects of Ablixa. Emily believes the drug is really working for her, but Martin sees her going further down the rabbit hole.

Emily's paranoia and Dr. Bank's continual fight for her, despite the affect it has on his career and marriage, keep the focus and tension building. The movie takes some interesting turns making sure the audience is never too far ahead in the story. As soon as you think you what the film is about or where it is headed you get spun in a different direction. Many people are drawing comparisons to Hitchcock’s great thrillers. Soderbergh is not merely copying out of the Master of Suspense’s book, but using those techniques to keep the viewer guessing. A good score is vital to any thriller. Thomas Newman’s score subtly plays underneath the action leaving its presence known but without ever forcing the audience into an unwanted reaction or emotion.

Soderbergh typically uses many of the same actors from movie to movie, which I appreciate in his body of work. Law, Zeta-Jones, and Tatum are all veterans to his style of working. Rooney Mara has proven yet again that she is a force to be reckoned with. One would think that after playing Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo she would want a break from such heavy material. Her performance as Emily Taylor is no walk in the park. She slowly peels back the many layers of her character to keep us glued in to what her ultimate motive may be.

Soderbergh has mentioned his plans to retire and that this is his last feature film to be released in theaters. With that comes the retirement of Peter Andrews and Mary Ann Bernard. He uses those pseudonyms whenever he is the cinematographer or editor on his own movies. His Liberace biopic “Behind the Candelabra” will premiere on HBO in March. I have always been a fan of his work and appreciate his diverse and experimental approach to the films he makes. Some are big box office successes like Ocean’s 11 and Erin Brockovich while others are pure indie trials like Bubble or The Girlfriend Experience. I seem to be the only one I know to have liked Magic Mike. Side Effects is his best movie in years, and it is not to be missed if you like taught thrillers that keep you guessing.

RATING: **** 1/2 (4.5 out of 5 stars)

Unleash Your Inner Foodie: NO RESERVATIONS

I always enjoy writing for DeeAnn McArdle and her lovely website "Unleash Your Inner Foodie". I get to jot down my thoughts on my love of movies and food! This month's foodie movie of choice is No Reservations featuring the beautiful Catherine Zeta-Jones and the always charming Aaron Eckhart.

Here is the beginning of the article:

In honor of Julia Child’s upcoming 100th birthday, we’re going to feature some of my favorite foodie movies through the end of August. A big thank you to our favorite Movie Critic – Paul McGuire for sharing his review of this weeks movie! To view the rest click "here"

or

http://unleashyourinnerfoodie.com/uncategorized/foodie-movie-no-reservations/

Movie Review: ROCK OF AGES

ROCK OF AGES
Director: Adam Shankman
Starring: Diego Boneta, Julianne Hough, Tom Cruise, Malin Ackerman, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin, Mary J. Blige, Paul Giamatti, Bryan Cranston, Catherine Zeta-Jones



When you see Rock of Ages, you don't go in expecting your mind will be blown away with some existential thoughts and questions. It is not that kind of movie. You go in for fun music that will have you dancing in your seat. Sherrie Christian (Hough) is a young, broke, up and coming singer that leaves her Oklahoma life behind as she buses out to Los Angeles in hopes to make it big. The night she arrives in LA, she is mugged of her sole possessions which are mostly records. She just so happens to meet Drew (Boneta) who is also an up and coming singer and works as a bar back at The Bourbon Room. The Bourbon Room is the hottest concert venue that brings in the best rocks bands. Drew gets Sherrie a job as a waitress and they become smitten with each other.



Dennis (Baldwin) and Lonny (Brand) run The Bourbon Room. They are eagerly anticipating the greatest night yet with Stacee Jaxx (Cruise) playing his final concert with his band Arsenal. Everything is riding on this night with Stacee Jax. A Rolling Stone reporter (Ackerman) desperately tries to interview him before the show only to find that his drunken, lazy, care free attitude does not provide for a good sit down chat. On top of that, Dennis and Lonny are being hounded by the mayor (Cranston) and his church going, bible thumping wife (Zeta-Jones). She is desperately trying to get The Bourbon Room shut done as rock and roll is pure filth that promotes sex and drugs. What she doesn't know is that the mayor is cheating on her behind her back. The opening band for Arsenal quits the day of the show and Drew is given the opportunity to open for them. The big night does not quite go as planned and leaves a lasting impact on everyone involved.



There is a huge trend lately of turning Broadway musicals into movies. Some are phenomenal like Chicago and some are dreadful like The Producers. There are a few that fall right in the middle like Mamma Mia and Hairspray. I would say that Rock of Ages falls in the middle of the pack. Director Adam Shankman seems to be all about getting a huge cast full of big name actors and leaves the production aspect of it to the waste side. One of my biggest beefs with the production value is the poor sound mixing. There were so many times during the numbers where the band or background vocals seemed far louder than the main singer. I wanted to hear Mary J. Blige wail on some of the numbers but she just got drowned out. Sometimes if it is done well, you can believe that the actors are singing live. The lip synching was so bad that it was not even close to believable that they were bursting into song. The camera work and editing during the bigger numbers was sloppy at times. "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" had awesome choreography but it was difficult to fully appreciate it as they kept cutting to the mayor's affair. I may be getting too picky, but I wanted more care given to each of the musical numbers. Too often they were sloppy and there was too much going on with each one.



Even though the production values left me wanting more, the movie is full of so many great actors who are willing to let their egos go a little bit by having fun singing awesome '80s tunes. Catherine Zeta-Jones returns to her musical theater roots. She won an Oscar for her work in Chicago and she shines here as well. Her role was written for the movie, so unfortunately it is not as big as the other roles that were in the staged production. Tom Cruise is one devoted actor. He consistently devotes 100% of himself in each role. His commitment to Stacee Jaxx is no different than Ethan Hunt or Frank T.J.Mackey. His swagger and demeanor is perfect for the troubled rocker. Malin Ackerman holds her own next to Cruise in each of their scenes. Their duet is one of my favorite numbers in the movie. Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta are cute and decent as the two lovers, but they didn't blow me away. While I typically like Alec Baldwin, I felt like he and Russell Brand were basically playing exaggerated versions of themselves instead of making Dennis and Lonny different characters than we typically see them do.

Yes, the movie is made with sloppy production values and a weak script. However, if you go into it and allow yourself to have a campy good time with the fun '80s music, you will enjoy it. You may even find yourself tapping your foot along or have the songs stuck in your head later that evening.

RATING: *** 1/2 (3.5 out of 5 stars)