Month: May 2013

Side Effects
Rated R for sexuality, nudity, violence and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When a loving house wife (Rooney Mara) inadvertently stabs her husband (Channing Tatum) while taking an investigational anti-depressant, her psychiatrist (Jude Law) and the pharmaceutical industry come under fire.  For half of the movie I was getting annoyed that this was just a big pharma is bad story and that director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) was trying to simply make a statement.  I should have known better.  That storyline is just a sleight of hand while the real story hits you over the head and takes you completely by surprise.  Rather than lose steam, the movie picks it up and gives a great thrill ride to the very end.  This is certainly one of the most under-appreciated movies of the last year, probably because telling someone why they might want to see it gives away the surprise.  I don’t want to spoil your fun so trust me, just check it out.  A-

Mel Brooks: Make a Noise
Available on DVD
For over 60 years the legendary Mel Brooks has been entertaining audiences across many platforms and genres.  This American Masters series documentary gives you an in-depth look at the man and his life, as well as a plethora of wonderfully funny film clips that play like a greatest hits.  But its when the interviewer gets personal with Brooks that you start to feel like you are finally getting to know the man who has brought so much unadulterated joy to millions around the planet.  A

The Last Stand
Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
For Arnold Schwarzenegger’s big comeback he chose this loud action flick about an aged small-town Sheriff who is forced to take on a drug cartel when his border town is the only thing standing in the way of their leader getting into Mexico.  I really wanted to like this film.  After all, I have a nostalgic fondness for Arnold and I was excited to see famed Asian director Jee-woon Kim’s first American project.  Unfortunately, the dialog is atrocious, allowing for too much dry and unnecessary exposition, and the plot points are not only predictable, but lack the sophistication expected from this director and actor.  This is straight up violence and it gets old fast.  C-

Cloud Atlas
Rated R for violence, language, sexuality/nudity and some drug use
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This new, extremely ambitious project from the Wachowski siblings (The Matrix) and Tom Tykwer (Perfume) tells several unique stories taking place in the past, present and future, all with the same centralized theme: slavery and freedom.  Some of the stories are epic, such as the one about the human fabricant from New Seoul, and some are less inspired.  But as a whole, the movie keeps you on the edge of your seat and your brain racing as you try to figure it all out.  Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant and others each play multiple characters, male and female, making the movie seem more like an intimate play than a big-budget extravaganza.  I’ve seen the movie 3 times now and I still don’t really get it – but I still really want to.  Thankfully there are some great special features here to help clear up some of the confusion.  B+

New in Home Entertainment

Mama
Rated PG-13 for violence and terror, some disturbing images and thematic elements
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When two girls go missing in the woods for a long period of time and are then found, they go to live with their uncle and aunt.  Unfortunately, the spirit in the woods that has practically raised them comes along and haunts the newly-formed family.  In order to better sell the project to audiences, the film is first billed as ‘Guillermo Del Toro Presents’ even though it looks like he had very little to do with the actual production.  Instead, a very capable director, Andy Muschietti, does a fine job at delivering a very creepy movie that overdoes the CG a little too much, but still provides chills-a-plenty.  Of course it helps to have two-time Oscar nom Jessica Chastain and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) heading up the talented cast. While its certainly not as scary or eccentric as some of Del Toro’s actual projects, this one will make most horror fans happy.  B

Jack Reacher
Rated PG-13 for violence, language and some drug material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This much-anticipated first film based on the famous character from the Lee Child book series introduces us to the world of Jack Reacher, played here by Tom Cruise.  Jack is a highly decorated former MP and a nomad, moving from town to town, owning nothing but a toothbrush.  When a former military sniper is arrested for taking out a crowd of civilians, Reacher rushes in to help the defense attorney (Rosamund Pike) figure out all of the details of the case and if maybe there is more to it than what was originally thought.  The story itself is interesting, but the production seems so amateur.  The script is pretty lousy, making you think you are watching auditions or rehearsals rather than a polished film.  That could possibly be due to some lousy casting or bad performances, but it just didn’t feel like a Tom Cruise movie.  To make it worse, the pacing was slow and the music was terrible.  The only thing holding the project together was Cruise, who really tried admirably to create this new franchise.  If only it didn’t show like a made-for-television Friday night special.  C-