Movie Review :Side Effects

Side Effects

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In today’s society, there seems to be no ailment of the human condition that cannot be kept in check with a simple trip to the local Duane Reade. In the past, most people would have to suffer through endless therapy sessions to pinpoint the causes of various incidents of depression, anxiety, and stress ( that we now know are brought about by chemical imbalances in the body and mind ). And with these psychological conditions falling under too broad and over simplified categories of bipolar disorders, many doctors have found it hard to treat such maladies. These days, however, psychiatrists find most answers by turning to pharmaceutical solutions. This has given rise to a mood stabilizing pill culture. Prozac, Xanax, Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, and other anti-depressants are annually approved by the FDA. I doubt you can name one person who isn’t on some type of medication to “take the edge off” Life, so to speak. However, as the pharmaceutical companies flood the healthcare system with these “wonder” pills, the only real wonder here is is whether these prescriptions will make things better for the patient……or in the case of Steven Soderbergh’s new film, Side Effects…worse.

The film revolves around Emily Taylor ( played by Girl with The Dragon Tattoo star, Rooney Mara ) who is finally reunited with her stock-broker husband Martin’s ( played by Magic Mike’s Channing Tatum ) after his release from prison for insider trading. Unable to handle the maelstrom of emotions surrounding her husband’s return, she intentionally drives her car into a brick wall in her building’s parking garage. While she is being treated for her injuries in the emergency room, she meets psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Banks ( played by actor Jude Law ). Although Emily assures him that there will be no repeat of another life threatening psychological breakdown, Banks gets her to promise to meet him for weekly therapy sessions. In order to help her manage her anxiety, he prescribes for her a series of anti-depressants. Unfortunately, the drugs seem to be of little help.

In order to get a handle on Emily’s problem, he consults her former therapist Dr. Victoria Siebert ( played by actress Catherine Zeta Jones ). Although Siebert can offer no further insight into Emily’s case, she does recommend a new experimental drug known as “Ablixa”. When Emily suffers another suicidal episode ( by almost stepping off a train platform ), Banks puts her on the medication. After a few days, Emily experiences a dramatic turnaround and her life and marriage seems to be back on track. Unfortunately, one of the more adverse side effects of Ablixa is sleepwalking. And when Emily experiences one of these episodes, her life takes a shockingly violent and tragic turn for the worse.

First, the good. This is a superbly acted and timely thriller. Rooney Mara adds another adept performance in her first film since her Academy award nominated role in Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Mara ably runs the gamut of multifaceted emotions that makes up her character . And as the psychiatrist, Jude Law suitably conveys the pressure of a mental health professional who must face the nightmare of having a patient breakdown while under his care and the career fallout that accompanies such an event. And Channing Tatum and Catherine Zeta Jones add another film to an impressive resume of Soderbergh collaboration.

The only problem I have with this movie is that although it has the potential for being a serious discussion piece, it suffers from the studio’s need for it to be a “traditional” thriller ( to satisfy box office returns ). Instead of saddling this film with plot twists, conspiracy theories, and having it wrapped up with a neat and tidy “Hollywood” ending, Soderbergh should have ended this film on a more haunting and morally ambiguous note. The film raises valid concerns of an over prescribed healthcare system and the question of who ultimately bears the responsibility when new prescription drugs take patients “deeper into the abyss”: big money pharmaceutical companies that reap untold millions by guaranteeing FDA approval and safe trial runs. Or the mental health professional who prescribes them based solely on the biased testimonials of pill salesmen who benefit from the sale but never shoulder the risk of “making the call” when it comes to administering their products

31 days of halloween: the last house on the left(1972 version) review

Julian Cannon is back again for another post, this time it is a movie i checked on netflix on saturday. And it is called The last house on the left (1972 version). I have heard of this movie and my parents always told me to never look at this movie when i was 10 years old and i have just found out why

In the history of the horror genre, Wes Craven’s low-budget rape-revenge movie The Last House On The Left has long been notorious as one of the nastiest of the Video Nasties, a film so depraved and immoral that it remained at the top of the British Board of Film Classification’s banned list for 30 years.

Loosely styled on Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring – but with guns and chainsaws replacing Swedish angst – The Last House On The Left was originally conceived as an audience-grabbing mix of sex and violence entitled ‘Sex Crime Of The Century’. Somewhere along the way, though, the filmmakers set off down a different path and instead of the salacious exploitation picture that was planned, The Last House On The Left turned into a blistering indictment of American social mores, middle-class righteousness and the atrocities of the Vietnam War.
The story is deceptively simple: teenagers Mari (Cassel) and Phyllis (Grantham) are abducted by a gang of vicious criminal led by the psychopathic Krug (Hess). They are tortured, raped, mutilated and eventually killed in the pastoral woodlands near their hometown. This ordeal forms the basis of the movie’s chief horror. But then comes the twist: the killers stop off at Mari’s parents’ house after their car breaks down. Realising what’s happened, the complacent middle-class parents (St James and Carr) are transformed and take their bloody and brutal revenge.

It’s difficult to know what is more shocking: the harrowing rape scenes and mutilations, or Craven’s wild deviations in tone that frequently see the movie veer from sexploitation to social commentary, slapstick comedy, nihilistic despair and gallows humour in the space of just a few scenes. The result is a film that confronts its audience viscerally, emotionally and intellectually with a raw power rarely seen before or since.

“Can a movie go too far?” asked the original posters of this landmark horror classic in 1972. Finally re-released in 2008 in an uncut version, it’s a question which remains entirely valid in the twenty-first century.

Verdict:

This movie is twisted and demented and is one of those movies that you wonder what kind of sick mind came up with such a plot…and I LOVE horror movies but not ones like this. Being from the 70s makes it bad enough but the twisted side of it just puts it over the top for me.Also do not watch this movie with any children under ANY circumstances, For me watching this movie,  if i was a parent in 1972, these would be things you will learn after watching this:

*do not let your daughter go out late at night

*do not talk to strangers

*the cops were very lazy that time

*when your kids are missing,do not wait an hour to call for help

*do not let a group of strangers into your home PERIOD!!

Above from all of that, i loved the movie but its way too much for anybody to handle. I can warn you, the movie will literally disturb you to the point that you would want to turn off the movie. But its still a classic in my eyes so i will give it a 8.5/10

 

31 days of Halloween: Horror Movie of the day: The Devil’s Castle 1896

World’s First Horror Movie – The Devil’s Castle 1896

The Haunted Castle (French: Le Manoir du Diable which means “The Manor of the Devil”) is a 1896 three-minute-long French film by Georges Méliès and number 78-80 on the Star Films catalog. The film contained many traditional pantomime elements and was intentionally meant to amuse people, rather than frighten them. Nonetheless, it is considered by many to be the first horror film, as well as the first vampire film. Wikipedia

Red State: Review

Red State: by Edward Gambichler

 

“You better believe I fear God…..” – Pastor Abin Cooper ( Michael Parks )

 

One of the great obstacles in trying to compose this review of Red State is to try to encompass its director Kevin Smith’s film career. Yes, I could take the easy way out and compare him to the list of the early 90’s self financed writer-auteurs like Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Richard Linklater ( whose movie, Slacker, served as an inspiration to Smith’s choice of being a filmmaker ). There are certainly similarities in each of their works: emphasis on dialogue over action, self aware sense of pop culture, and themes and subject matter that do not fit into a Hollywood formula ( such as a rom-com, or action “blockbuster”. What separates Kevin Smith’s career from the aforementioned filmmakers is that the majority of his films ( with the exception of Jersey Girl, Cop Out, Zack and Miri Make a Porno and Red State ) have an underlying shared universe of characters between it. Five of his films ( Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma and Clerks 2 ) take place in this shared universe, known to Smith fans as the” Viewaskewniverse”. As a major fan of Smith’s films , myself, I can understand the loyal following these films have acquired ( due largely to his hilariously insightful dialogue ). And Smith, in his own right, has transcended his movies and become somewhat of a public figure ( whose personal appearances and speaking engagements usually play to sold out crowds ). He’s also regarded as an ambassador of sorts to comic book fandom ( as the subject of comics is frequent fodder for his movies ). Although he is to be commended for wearing this many hats, there exists the possibility that Smith has found too specific a “niche” in regards to his filmmaking and and there seems to be a reluctance for the audience to embrace an effort like Red State.

The film is set in an unnamed town in the Midwest. It is the story of three friends: Travis , Jared, and Bill Ray ( played respectively by actors Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner, and Nicholas Braun ). Like most high school teenagers, most of their energy is spent on devising ways to get laid. Jared ( as a result of this effort ) comes across a Craig’s List type of ad posted by a local woman, looking to engage in a “threesome”. The boys set out in Travis’ parent’s car to a trailer camp where supposedly the woman resides. There, they are met by Sarah Cooper ( played by Oscar-winner Melissa Leo, The Fighter ). Before they proceed to get on with the threesome, Sarah offers them a few beers, stating that the alcohol would help her “get up” to the sex. Unfortunately, as they start to get undressed, the boys realize too late that their beers have been spiked with a tranquilizer and they lose consciousness. Jared awakens to find out that he is trapped in a dog cage near the altar of a chapel. Above him he sees another horrified man, strapped to a cross and covered in Saran Wrap. He realizes that he is in the middle of a sermon being delivered by Pastor Abin Cooper ( played by the incomparable Michael Parks ). Cooper is the leader of the Five Points Church, an extreme right-wing religious sect whose views revolve around what they perceive as an end of the world apocalypse known as “the rapture”. They not only rejoice in their eventual  passing over to the afterlife, but the fiery demise of those groups they deem hellbound ( such as homosexuals , adulterers, and “sexual deviants” ). As a matter of fact, hours before their confinement, Jared encounters Pastor Cooper and the Church picketing the funeral of a murdered young homosexual. The congregation is made up Cooper’s immediate family and their spouses and children, including Sarah. As Cooper’s hate filled sermon reaches its crescendo, his followers shoot the cross bound man ( who it turns out is a homosexual ) and dump his body in a trapdoor where Jared and Billy Ray are kept. Terrified at what they are witnessing, the boys try desperately to free themselves from their predicament. Unfortunately for them, the situation escalates when one of the family members is forced to kill a deputy who has stopped by to question the Pastor of an earlier sideswiping incident involving Travis’ parents car and the Sheriff’s vehicle. The Pastor, using evidence of a homosexual affair as leverage, tries to deter the married Sheriff ( played by actor Stephen Root, Office Space ) from investigating further. However, the Sheriff calls in the ATF and its head agent Joseph Keenan ( played by the always dependable John Goodman of The Big Lebowski and T.V.’s Roseanne ) in the hopes of having their task force take out Cooper and the entire Family. Between the blind and unyielding devotion of the fully armed congregation and the stressed out and equally strapped ATF unit, the lives of the three boys hangs in the balance.

 

I’d have to say without a doubt that this is Kevin Smith’s  most polished looking film to date. He effectively uses shaky cam film techniques to convey the brutally unpredictable violence in the film. Also, his use of closeups on his various actors, especially with the brilliant Michael Parks, heightens the natural claustrophobia of the scene. You feel like you’re trapped right along with Jared in the dog cage.

This is Smith’s attempt at making a horror film and his choice of a villain is inspired. The threat does not come from an machete wielding indestructible man wearing a hockey mask that skirts our sense of reality, but a threat that jumps right off the front page of our early morning paper. There is nothing more frightening than the commonplace and the evil that lurks in our own backyards. With the examples of Ruby Ridge, Waco Texas, the Unibomber, and Timothy McVeigh as basis for the subject matter, Smith demonstrates that sometimes the most terrorizing thing in this world is how far some people will go just because they “believe” in something. It’s a mindset that he has become familiar with due to the various church groups who took part in picketing his fourth film, Dogma. With this film, Smith has also taken the unconventional step and distributed it himself ( despite the controversy of supposedly reneging on his promise to auction off the movie at Sundance for prospective buyers ). The film toured this past year in multiple cities with Smith himself holding a star studded Q and A session after the screenings ( one in which I had the honor of attending in New York along with  Alternative Mindz’ own Rob Base, his wife Crystal and the rest of the AMZ family). It is now available on Pay Per View on Time Warner Cable and will soon be heading straight to DVD.

Smith hinted that this may be his last film ( citing his bad experiences directing the film Cop Out  as a possible reason ). He was suppose to helm a movie based on the Warren Zevon and Mitch Ablom tune Hit Somebody ( the Hockey Song ) starring Sean William Scott and I hope he does wind up shooting it. It would be a shame for Red State to be his swan song. Unfortunately, the drawback of being the creator of the Viewaskewniverse is that fans have come to associate a particular and more light-hearted tone to his films. Asking him to end things on this film, would be like asking Martin Scorsese to make Cape Fear his last movie. A fine film, but ultimately not the one we want to envison him sailing off into the sunset with.

 

 

X-Men: First Class Review

By Edward Gambichler

 

“My friend….killing will not bring you peace” –  Charles Xavier ( Professor X )

“…Peace was never an option….- Erik Lensherr ( Magneto )

 

Comic books ( like History ) are usually divided into “Ages”: There is the “Golden Age” and the “Silver Age”. For DC Comics, the Golden Age ( spanning the late 1930’s to early 1950’s ) saw the introduction of icons such as Superman, Batman, the original Flash, the original Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman whereas for Timely Comics ( later known as Marvel Comics ) it was Namor the Sub-Mariner, the original Human Torch, and Captain America. It was in the Silver Age ( spanning the early 1950’s to the early 1970’s ) where Marvel Comics introduced its icons to the medium. These characters were Spider-man, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Dr. Strange, Daredevil and the Avengers. And, finally ( in what would grow to become one of Marvel’s most popular titles )…….the X-Men.  And with that popularity came the inevitable screen adaptation in the form of a 2000 film directed by Bryan Singer ( The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil, as well as DC’s Superman Returns ). It told the story of a school comprised of “mutants” , individuals born with an extra chromosome that manifests itself as superhuman abilities. This institution for “gifted” children was founded by a man named Professor Charles Xavier, codename Professor X ( played by Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart ).  Xavier ( a mutant himself whose “X-factor” gene gives him enormous powers of telepathy ) brings together these students to teach them how to cope with their special gifts and to try to mold them into becoming productive members of a society that has grown to fear them as the next stage of evolution. The school is also home to the school’s former students now senior faculty members, a highly trained combat unit known as the “X-Men”. Their function is to deal with renegade mutants ( as well as fear-driven homo sapiens ) who are bent on being the dominant species on the planet. The most dangerous of these mutant terrorists is a former Holocaust survivor named Erik Lensherr, codename Magneto ( played in the first movie by Sir Ian McKellan ). Xavier’s former best friend, Magneto is a being who holds absolute magnetic power over anything metal. In order to further his vision of a “homo superior” only utopia, he recruits mutants for his group the “Brotherhood”. The film spawned two other sequels as well as a standalone movie, a prequel, centering around the origin of the X-Men’s most popular member, Wolverine ( played by Australian actor Hugh Jackman, making his American debut in the first X-Men film ).

And now, 11 years later , 20 Century Fox continues the series by going the prequel route again with X-Men: First Class. Directed by Matthew Vaughn ( Layer Cake, Kick Ass ), the film focuses on the events that led to the formation of Xavier’s school, the first meeting and close friendship between Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr, and finally, the fallout between them that set in motion their violent “war of ideologies” depicted in the previous trilogy. In an inspired move, the film begins with a shot for shot remake of the first scene in the first film ( set in a WWII German concentration camp ). A young Erik Lensherr is taken into custody by Nazi prison guards, after lashing out and using his magnetic powers against the soldiers for separating him from his parents. He is brought before the camp’s chief scientist, Dr. Schmidt, who orders him to demonstrate his power. When young Lensherr is unable to repeat his previous display, Schmidt executes the boy’s mother right in front of him. This tragic moment serves as a catalyst and Lensherr unleashes a devastating wave of magnetic energy ( causing everything metal in the doctor’s office to implode ). Meanwhile, a young Charles Xavier is awakened to a noise coming from downstairs in the kitchen of his family mansion in New York. He sees before him his own mother, but realizes it is really not her ( due to his telepathic powers ). The impostor turns out to be a young blue skinned girl named Raven Darkholme ( codename Mystique, Magneto’s right hand woman in the first film ), whose mutant ability is to mimic the appearance of other people. Charles, overjoyed at realizing that he is not the only one in the world that is “special”, invites the homeless girl to live with him in the mansion.

The story picks up more than a decade later in Las Vegas, where C.I.A. agent Moira MacTaggert ( played by actress Rose Byrne ) has infiltrated the exclusive “Hellfire Club”. She and the Agency are surveilling a U.S. Army Colonel who is about to do a deal to with the club’s leader Sebastian Shaw ( who is secretly a mutant with the power to absorb kinetic energy and be strengthened by it ), to install U.S. missiles in Turkey. Shaw’s intention is to make the “Cold War” between the U.S. and Russia even hotter and to compel Russia to invade Cuba, setting the stage for a nuclear conflict between the two superpowers ( one that Shaw believes only mutants will survive ). MacTaggert is stunned when she witnesses one of Shaw’s associates Azazel “teleport” the Colonel out of the room ( and back to Washington ). Not knowing anything about mutants, MacTaggert travels to Oxford, England to recruit Charles Xavier ( who is living with Raven and has just completed his doctorate on Genetics ). Surprised to find out that both he and Raven are mutants, the C.I.A. enlists his help in dealing with Sebastian Shaw. While attempting to raid Shaw’s private yacht with a covert C.I.A. strike team, Xavier ‘s telepathic attack is blocked by Emma Frost, another of Shaw’s associates, who is a telepath herself. They are also hindered by another one of Shaw’s team, Riptide ( whose mutant powers to create destructive whirlwinds almost capsizes the C.I.A. battleship ). This diversion allows Shaw and the rest to escape in a secret submarine. Unbeknownst to Xavier and the C.I.A., Erik Lensherr arrives to try and take out Shaw himself. Lensherr has devoted most of his life hunting down and killing former Nazis to avenge the death of his family. Shaw, as it turns out, was actually Dr. Schmidt ( the former chief of the concentration camp and murderer of Lensherr’s mother ) and he’s at the top of Lensherr’s death list. Before Lensherr can drown trying to hold on to the submarine with his magnetic power, Xavier persuades him to let go. Realizing that he and the C.I.A. are outgunned by the Hellfire Club, Xavier persuades the top brass at the Pentagon to allow him to recruit and train other mutants at his mansion for his own strike team against the evil mutants ( before Shaw’s plans lead to nuclear Armageddon…..and the extinction of homo sapiens is an absolute certainty ).

To be honest, when I heard they were making this film I was not that excited. I felt with the first X-Men trilogy, that they had mined enough material to satisfy the title’s fans and that they should concentrate on other Marvel properties. However, sometimes what is needed is not a step forward, but a step back. And with that, the film-makers have given us an origin story that not only makes the material fresh but it is, dare I say, one of the “truest” Marvel adaptations I have seen. Many of Marvel’s properties have been given a modern update and set in today’s 21st Century ( with the exception being the upcoming “Captain America: First Avenger” in July ). However, the Marvel lineup was “born” in the Silver Age or 1960’s. With the production design, costuming, and historical setting of the Cuban Missile Crisis reflecting the time period, this is the first Marvel adaptation to give us the “feel” of the Marvel Age. The epic scope of the film and the emphasis on global events bring to mind the James Bond films from the Connery era. I couldn’t help but think of the artist Jim Steranko’s work on Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. , when looking at some of the film’s sets  and character’s Mod style of dress. And finally, the wardrobe department actually found a way to give the X-Men’s uniforms the “yellow” the original team in the comics wore ( a color that was derided in Singer’s adaptation, which emphasized black leather ).

What really makes this film come alive though, ultimately, is the performances by the principal actors. James MacAvoy ( Atonement, Wanted ) gives a compassionate performance that evokes the character Patrick Stewart had established before. However, MacAvoy makes it his own by instilling the character with a youthful charm and exuberance. Fans of the comic wouldn’t confuse a drunken college student Xavier ( using his power to pick up women in bars ), with the serious high-minded academic Stewart gave us. On the other end of the spectrum, actor Michael Fassbender ( Hunger, Inglourious Basterds ) gives us a tortured portrait of the man whose pain and hatred of homo sapiens will one day put him in direct conflict with the only friend he’s ever had in his life. However, the standout in this film is newcomer Jennifer Lawrence ( last year’s Best Actress Academy Award nominee for Winter Bone and star of the upcoming Hunger Games ) as the future Mystique. Another inspired move by the film-makers is the retconning of a sibling relationship between her and Xavier ( one that she wishes were romantic ) and which makes her defection to Magneto’s camp that more tragic. Lawrence conveys the nuanced emotions needed to portray the lightning rod that ignites the ideological war between the two men.

Not every scene in the movie is played to dramatic effect. Look for a hilarious cameo during the scenes where Xavier and Lensherr recruit mutants for their combat unit. Also, another cameo that gives a sly wink to Raven’s future. And, if die hard comic fans are watching, look for a scene near the end of the movie that gives a slight nod to the ending of Superman II (1980).

 

For every story that centers on good versus evil, there has to be a great hero….and an equally great villain. And Kevin Bacon ( Mystic River, A Few Good Men, Apollo 13 ), in the role of Sebastian Shaw, does not disappoint. In one chilling scene, the Hellfire Club raids the C.I.A. compound, housing Xavier’s students and go about systematically killing off several of their C.I.A. handlers one by one. Shaw offers his own brand of violently persuasive “recruitment” and this scene is one, if not, THE best in the movie. The full threat of the Hellfire Club and the power that they are up against, hit the young mutants like a spike through the heart. Bacon’s performance makes that threat even more palpable and any illusions held by this “first class” that they are a match for the Hellfire Club quickly evaporate. The look of abject fear on the faces of the actors playing the young, untested mutants is classic. In my opinion, this is the best film of the X-Men franchise and I hope it will not be the last with this cast and production team.