SIDE EFFECTS

Crime thriller

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Rooney Mara: 28-year-old Emily “Em” Taylor

Channing Tatum: her husband Martin

Ann Dowd: Martin’s mother

Jude Law: psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan “John” Banks

Catherine Zeta-Jones: psychiatrist Dr. Victoria Siebert

Vinessa Shaw: Jonathan’s wife Dierdre

REVIEW

Too often new drugs for old problems have unfortunate side effects that can result in some very serious consequences. Given that premise, the first half of the movie unfolds pretty much in a straightforward manner. The acting by Mara and Law is particularly noteworthy although the musical score too often intrudes and makes it difficult to catch all of the dialogue.

Like any good thriller there are twists and turns but at one point (about three-quarters of the way through) there is too much rapid-fire exposition to easily grasp what has transpired.

At the risk of giving anything just let me say you should really pay attention when Emily and Jonathan are alone in the institution and she tells “her side of the story”. Miss that and you’ll exit the theatre like many people did when I saw the film asking their companion “What was that all about?” or saying things like “I don’t know what happened, do you?”

CLASSIFICATION

 for violence, profanity, sexual content and brief nudity.

STAND UP GUYS

 Crime comedy

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Al Pacino: ex-convict Valentine “Val”

Christopher Walken: his former partner and best-buddy Doc

Mark Margolis: Mafia head “Claphands”

Julianna Marqulies: nurse Nina Hirsh

Alan Arkin: her father Richard

Addison Timlin: coffee shop waitress Alex

REVIEW

What a waste of talent: Al Pacino who had us mesmerized as Michael Corleone or enthralled us as Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman is relegated to a potty-mouthed mumbling low-life character. And Alan Arkin, who starred most recently in Argo, is given a bit-player role as an ailing old man who has little of consequence to say but has one of the fastest recoveries in medical science.

The thin plot line with its pandering to the young-adult-randy-male includes visits to the local brothel not just once, but twice. To say there are serious plot holes is an understatement: almost total suspension of disbelief is necessary to get though this cliché-ridden contrived mess.

CLASSIFICATION

for language, sexual content, violence and brief drug use.  

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY

• While talking with Val the orientation of Doc’s coffee mug changes from one shot to the next although he never once touches it.
• Doc parks the car at a local bar facing in but when they go to leave he drives straight off without having to first backup.
• Bloodletting, the ancient medical procedure was practiced as late as the 19th century but has no place in a modern day hospital.
• As a passenger in the car, Doc has his seatbelt on when viewed from the front but is without it when seen from the driver’s perspective.
• It is impossible to execute a bootlegger’s turn (to reverse the direction of travel of a forward moving vehicle 180°) with a vehicle having an automatic transmission.

QUARTET

 Drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Michael Gambon: Cedric Livingstone

Billy Conolly: Wilfred “Wilf” Bond

Sheridan Smith: Dr. Lucy Cogan, the home’s director

Pauline Collins: Cecily “Cissy” Robson

Tom Courtenay: Reginald “Reg” Paget

Maggie Smith: Jean Horton

REVIEW

Beecham House, an English country retirement home for musicians and performers, is thrown into a turmoil with the arrival of Jean, a former diva.

Geared to the more mature audience, it has a lot in common with “The Best Exotic Hotel in the World” in that both star Maggie Smith and are about elderly people dealing as best they can with an unfamiliar changing situation. And both have their share of amusing moments albeit of a different sort.

  

CLASSIFICATION

for brief strong language  and suggestive humour.

P.S.

The end credits pairing old black and white promotional material beside current colour photos highlights the fact that most of the supporting cast are retired professional musicians.

A ROYAL AFFAIR

 Original title: En kongelig affære
In Danish and German with English subtitles

Historical drama

F.Y.I.

Dowager: a widow who holds a title derived from her deceased husband.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Alicia Vkiander: British aristocrat Caroline Mathilde

Louise von Plessen: her Danish lady-in-waitng

Mikkel Boe Følsgaard: Christian VII, King of Denmark

Trine Dyrholm: Dowager Queen Juliane Marie

Bent Mejding: Count von Bernstroff, Chief Minister of State

Mads Mikkelson: German doctor Johann Struensee

                

REVIEW

This true story of the immature, infantile King of Denmark and his young bride provides an insight into the romance and intrigue in the Danish court during the Age of Enlightenment.

The acting is uniformly excellent and production values are first-rate with great attention to period detail. The unhurried pacing results in a running time in excess of two hours but it’s not a minute too long as a lot needs to be said.

CLASSIFICATION

 for sexual content and some disturbing images.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY

Caroline’s ladies-in-waiting address her as Your Majesty. Her correct title as a member of the British Royal family before her marriage was Your Highness.

THE IMPOSSIBLE

 Drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Naomi Watts: Dr. Maria Bennett

Ewan McGregor: her husband Henry

Tom Holland: their 14-old-son Lucas

REVIEW

We’ve all seen videos taken of the devastating tsunami that slammed into coastal South East Asia on Boxing Day 2004 but never with such intensity. By focusing on the struggle of one family the movie brings the disaster into perspective. If you ever had any doubt, let me assure you that you do not want to be caught in one of these.

It should be noted that some liberties have been taken with the facts: instead of the Spanish speaking family of Alvarez Belon they are presented as the Bennett family of British ex-pats living in Japan. As such we are spared having to read  sub-titles in English.

The producers have wisely not dwelt upon the repulsive “in-your-face” images instead just showing a flopping fish to represent the human destruction. I can handle that.

The acting is uniformly good and they are called upon  to show a wide range of emotions as the true story unfolds.

  

CLASSIFICATION

 for intense realistic disaster sequences, disturbing injury images and brief nudity.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY

• The full moon is high in the sky as the family sits down for dinner then by the time they’re finished the it is almost on the horizon. In real life it takes all night to do that not a matter of an hour or two.
• When the moon is near the horizon it remains bright white whereas in reality it has a warm orange tinge to it that gradually fades as it ascends.
• Finally the so-called moon illusion is missing as it does not appear to be any  larger than when it was high in the sky.

ZERO DARK THIRTY

 Historical drama

F.Y.I.

The movie’s title is military-jargon for some unspecified time when it’s dark, either very late at night or very early in the morning. It is somewhat equivalent to “the wee small hours of the morning”.

A black project is a highly classified military or national security undertaking. Its existence is not acknowledged by government, military personnel nor by defence contractors. The location where it takes place is referred to as a black site.

ISI is the intelligence agency of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

UBL refers to the al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Jason Clarke: Dan, a CIA interrogator in Pakistan

Jessica Chastain: Maya, a young CIA recruit

Kyle Chandler: CIA station chief Joseph Bradley

Jennifer Ehle: Maya’s friend and fellow CIA officer Jessica

Mark Strong: CIA Langley boss George

James Gandolfini: CIA Director

REVIEW

This fact based movie chronicles the decade long hunt for Osama bin Laden following the destruction of the World Trade Center twin towers in 2001. Unlike most Hollywood productions, this one is matter-of-fact without the usual over-the-top embellishment. Consequently some will find the true-to-life “enhanced interrogation techniques” (torture by any other name) of bin Laden’s nephew repugnant and will have to avert their eyes.

At times the dialogue will be incomprehensible to most everyone because it is spoken so rapidly, replete with CIA jargon and the suspect’s names are so similar it gets confusing. But the gist of it becomes apparent later.

There are any number of fine performances but that of Jessica Chastain is simply outstanding. The production values are first rate with great attention to detail making it seem more like a documentary than just another movie.

CLASSIFICATION

 for strong violence including brutal disturbing images and for language.

P.S.

The price of a 6-speed Lamborghini LP-550 starts at $187,000.

PROMISED LAND

 Drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Matt Damon: Steve Butler, corporate salesman for Global Crosspower Solutions

Frances McDormand: his associate Sue Thomason

Titus Wlliver: store clerk Rob

Rosemarie DeWitt: school teacher Alice

Hal Holbrook: high school science teacher Frank Yates

John Krasinski: environmental advocate Dustin Noble

REVIEW

Getting land owners to sign leases granting drilling rights to gas companies is controversial although there is some attempt here to present both sides of the story. The acting is uniformly good, the production values are all top-notch and the pacing is fine.

But it will be left with the viewer to decide the merits of this new process.

CLASSIFICATION

 for language (which makes no sense to me given that there is just one f-word)

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY

Steve gets off the bus pulling his suitcase. He turns the corner and meets up with Sue but his wheelie is no where to be seen. It has disappeared.

Steve says “hydraulic fracturing has been used for over 50 years”. In fact fracking (the horizontal slickwater fracturing method) has been used by the industry for just 15 years. Intentional deception or a nitpick? You know which one gets my vote.

Sue and Steve are driving in an old pickup that would not meet State laws as it has no rear-view mirror in any of the head-on shots.