The Host

The Host - Dir. Andrew Niccol (2013)

Whether you like it or not, author Stephenie Meyer created a worldwide phenomenon with her Twilight series. The books were adapted into a hugely successful film franchise as Twi-hards turned out in droves to watch Kristen Stewart choose between the hunky werewolf Jacob or the pale, sparkly vampire Edward. Meyer looked to catch lightning in a bottle once more with her follow-up novel The Host, which has been turned into a big-budget picture by Open Road Films and Universal.

The Host falls firmly into the realm of science fiction, but continues many of the themes Meyer tackled in Twilight, specifically teen romance and a female protagonist trying to find her place in a topsy-turvy world. The Host is basically Invasion of the Body Snatchers for tweens as the Earth is invaded by alien beings known as 'Souls.' The Souls quickly possess the majority of the human population with only a few scattered pockets of resistance. Among those still free is Melanie Stryder (Saoirse Ronan), whose father chose to kill himself rather than be taken. Melanie has survived on the run alongside her younger brother, Jamie (Chandler Canterbury), and boyfriend Jared Howe (Max Irons, son of Jeremy Irons). Unfortunately, she is captured on a supply run by a Seeker (Diane Kruger) and implanted with a Soul known as Wanderer. Melanie's spirit remains strong and she resists Wanderer's attempts to access her memories to discover the whereabouts of other free humans.

Melanie and Wanderer enter into a reluctant symbiosis as they evade the Seeker and journey to Melanie's home in the Arizona desert. There, her Uncle Jeb (William Hurt) has transformed a vast cave system into a self-sustaining sanctuary. Jeb takes Wanderer in and nicknames her Wanda in spite of everyone's protests and firm belief that Melanie is dead. The plot thickens when Wanda develops feelings for the hunky Ian O'Shea (Jake Abel).

The crux of the story revolves around the odd love triangle in which two girls share one body. It’s a credit to the abilities of Saoirse Ronan (who was cast after producers saw her in Hanna) that she is able to argue with herself less silly. This is certainly a Herculean task given the hoary dialogue Ronan is forced to speak, such as "Kiss me like you want to get slapped." The tangled romance loses more credibility given that Melanie/Wanda's love interests are a couple of cardboard cutouts from an Abercrombie & Fitch display. The movie slowly atrophies once it focuses on the young and the beautiful as they moon for each other.

The Host doesn't get off to a bad start. Director Andrew Niccol, who also helmed Gattaca and In Time (along with the underrated Lord of War), knows how to handle slick sci-fi. Niccol sets the right atmosphere by immersing us into the sleek, utilitarian society of the Souls with their chrome sports cars and minimalist shops simply named "Store." However, once The Host settles into the desert caves, the story slows to a crawl as we are introduced to a number of uninteresting characters and their equally insipid relationships. On the positive side, Melanie is a stronger and more independent heroine than Twilight's passive and mopey Bella. Also, you can always count on actors like William Hurt, Frances Fisher, and Diane Kruger to bring some gravitas to even the most lackluster material.

If you're going to watch a movie titled The Host, skip this Stephenie Meyer adaptation and go for Bong Joon-ho's monster movie instead.

Rating: * (*****)

Admission

Admission - Dir. Paul Weitz (2013)

After cutting her teeth as a performer and head writer for Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey went on to create her own sitcom in 30 Rock, which was inspired by her time on the venerable variety show. Though it was never a huge ratings grabber, 30 Rock garnered a loyal following, critical acclaim, and numerous awards. As Liz Lemon, Fey added her own twists to the tried and true archetype of the working female trying to balance her professional and personal lives. Unfortunately, Fey takes several steps back in the depressingly formulaic Admission.

Fey stars as Portia Nathan, an admissions officer at Princeton University. Her job is her life, even if it involves passing judgment on wave after wave of potential students. Things are thrown into turmoil when Portia's boyfriend, Mark (Martin Sheen), leaves her for another professor (a scholar of Virginia Woolf, no less) he accidentally impregnated. At the same time, Portia is asked to visit an alternative school in New Hampshire by its founder and former collegiate classmate, John Pressman (Paul Rudd). While visiting Pressman's Quest School, Portia meets a variety of unusual characters including Pressman's adopted son, Nelson (Travaris Spears), and a prodigy by the name of Jeremiah Balakian (Nat Wolff). Adopted by grocery store owners, Jeremiah did poorly in public school, but possesses remarkable intelligence and owns a ventriloquist dummy named after René Descartes. According to Pressman, there's a strong possibility that Jeremiah might be the son Portia gave up for adoption when she was a student.

The prospects look good for a comedy headlined by Tina Fey and Paul Rudd. You expect witty banter and some sharp, off-the-cuff one-liners. In other words, you expect a completely different movie. Admission is a dull affair that saps any personality away from the usually hilarious Fey and Rudd. The movie, based on a 2009 novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz with a screenplay by Karen Croner (who also adapted the Meryl Streep melodrama One True Thing), trades on the stale formula we've seen countless times in other romantic comedies. Fey is the type-A female professional with Rudd as the unconventional love interest. There's a healthy mix of slapstick tossed in for good measure such as an awkward encounter in a cramp car and a scene where the leads bond during the messy birth of a calf. The dialogue is blunt and it is clear neither Fey nor Rudd were able to spice it up with their own ad-libs. At times, the script veers into a satire about college admissions and the ridiculousness of distilling a young person's entire life into a standardized essay. Sadly, this satire lacks any bite and takes a backseat to rom-com conventions.

Admission was directed by Paul Weitz, who previously directed American Pie and About a Boy with his brother Chris. While his first film as a solo act, In Good Company, was a success, the rest of his work have been misfires like American Dreamz, The Vampire's Assistant, and Little Fockers. They can sit on the bottom rung alongside "Admission." One of the only memorable flourishes in the movie involves candidates appearing before the admissions board and dropping through a trap door when they are denied.

Admission is saved from being a complete dud by some of its supporting cast, such as Wallace Shawn playing the type of role you expect from Wallace Shawn. Lily Tomlin is terrific as Portia's mother, a radical feminist with her own unusual ideas about motherhood. Plus, Martin Sheen essentially reprises his role as the boorish Wesley Snipes from 30 Rock.

Despite conquering television, Tina Fey has yet to receive the one lead role that would cement her status as a bona fide movie star. Considering her best film yet is "Mean Girls," which she wrote, Fey is going to have to make it happen herself. Right now, Hollywood is just handing her bland comedies like Baby Mama, Date Night, and Admission. She deserves better.

Rating: * ½ (*****)

The Heat

The Heat - Dir. Paul Feig (2013)

The Heat opens promisingly enough with a retro title sequence set to “Fight the Power (Part 1 & 2)” by The Isley Brothers. The groovy 70’s vibe instantly recalls classic buddy movies like Freebie & The Bean or Hickey & Boggs. Sadly, The Heat doesn’t even muster up to the level of Tango & Cash though it is a damn sight better than Cop and a Half.

Director Paul Feig follows up the immensely successful Bridesmaids by reuniting with Melissa McCarthy whose status has skyrocketed since then. McCarthy is Shannon Mullins, a tough detective in the Boston PD who has ruffled everyone’s feathers with her profane and tactless behavior. Even Mullins’ own family, who might be at home drinking with the Ward clan from The Fighter, doesn’t like her after she arrested her loser brother Jason (Michael Rappaport). Into her life saunters FBI Agent Sarah Ashburn whose own condescending, type-A personality has alienated her within the bureau in spite of her brilliant investigative mind. Mullins and Ashburn are reluctantly paired together to investigate a mysterious new drug lord who has emerged onto the scene.

The buddy cop film has largely been a male-dominated domain so a female version would have been an interesting twist. But, The Heat brings nothing new to the genre and lacks the wit and inventiveness of The Other Guys or 21 Jump Street. It seems as if screenwriter Katie Dippold (Mad TV, Parks & Recreation) did absolutely no research into how actual police work is done. The story is formulaic and disjointed with no real sense of suspense or stakes. The Heat hinges entirely on the chemistry of its two leads.

For the most part, Bullock and McCarthy rise above the second rate material they were handed. At first, their relationship is defined by sitcom contrivances. Mullins is uncouth and slovenly while Ashburn is uptight and conservative. One would rather use psychology when interrogating a suspect, the other throws a phone book at his face. That's about as subtle as The Heat gets. The film's funniest moments are clearly the scenes where McCarthy is allowed to run wild and go off script. She lobs hilarious tirades at an albino DEA agent (one of the movie's only absurdist gags) and a put-upon precinct captain played by former Back to the Future bully Thomas F. Wilson ("Has anyone seen the captain's balls?"). This is certainly a better vehicle for her than Identity Thief. Bullock has done the stiff authority figure (The Proposal) and the maverick cop (Miss Congeniality) before and equates herself well as the straight woman.

Feig doesn't have the firmest grip on action, but he knows how to fill out his supporting cast with a wealth of unique comedians. Only Feig would be inspired enough to cast Michael McDonald (Mad TV and Cougar Town) and stand-up comic Adam Ray as drug dealers. Mullins' brash Boston brood consists of Bill Burr, an underutilized Jane Curtin, and former New Kid on the Block Joey McIntyre. Tony Hale from Arrested Development has a funny turn as a husband trolling for prostitutes that gets taught a tough lesson by Mullins. Although, one has to wonder what the heck Oscar nominee Damián Bichir is doing in a nothing role as Ashburn's superior.

Imagine the movie that could have been had someone given the lead actresses a script more inventive and witty. As it stands, The Heat is mildly amusing and only recommended for the ardent fan of Bullock and McCarthy.

Rating: ** (*****)

World War Z

World War Z - Dir. Marc Forster (2013)

Sometimes a movie's reputation precedes it. In the case of World War Z, people were ready to rip into it long before its release. The film was plagued with production woes as the studio clashed with the director. The release date was pushed back from December 2012 to June 2013 to allow extensive reshoots after a climactic battle in Moscow was thrown out. It seemed less and less likely that Paramount would receive any substantial profit for their Herculean labors as the budget ballooned to over $200 million. World War Z is hardly dead on arrival, but it won't set the world on fire.

World War Z is loosely based on the best-selling novel by Max Brooks, the son of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft. The original book is one of those works of fiction described by many as unfilmable. World War Z was written as an oral history recounting the global pandemic of the undead and influenced as much by Studs Terkel as George Romero. Told from multiple perspectives, it was steeped in geo-politics and revealed how various governments and cultures dealt with the zombie outbreak. Although J. Michael Straczynski's first draft stayed faithful to the novel, nearly all of the source material was thrown out in favor of building a slam-bang action franchise for Brad Pitt.

Most of the source material is tossed out as Pitt assumes the role of Gerry Lane, a United Nations investigator whose job duties are only vaguely defined. He’s been in war zones before and has happily left that life behind for domesticated bliss with his wife (Mireille Enos) and daughters (Abigail Hargrove & Sterling Jerins). A seemingly normal morning of traffic in downtown Philadelphia erupts in chaos as ravenous hordes of infected people swarm the streets. They quickly bite and infect others as the Lane family barely escapes. They are airlifted to sanctuary aboard a U.S. Naval vessel at sea. In order for his brood to stay, Gerry must venture out into the world with a team of specialists to track down patient zero and find a means to save the hopelessly overwhelmed human race. Gerry’s journey takes him to a military base in South Korea and Jerusalem where the Israelites have built a wall around the city to protect themselves.

World War Z unfolds just like a video game with the protagonist embarking on a series of mini-missions, accomplishing a minor goal, before moving on to the next level. The climax certainly feels as if it were created after a marathon session of Resident Evil. It doesn’t help that we don’t care a lick about the majority of characters. The role of Gerry Lane is essentially a blank slate. Gerry’s desire to reunite with his family is his only perfunctory trait. Brad Pitt is unable to put his own stamp on the character and one could easily envision another Hollywood leading man (Tom Cruise or Will Smith) substituted with little discernible difference. The choppy nature of the story can be blamed on the screenplay being passed through the hands of Matthew Michael Carnahan, Damon Lindelof, and Drew Goddard with uncredited on-set rewrites by Christopher McQuarrie. With plot elements constantly in flux, many supporting players saw their legs cut off in the editing room. Gerry’s wife, Karin, is one of the more glaring examples. Instead of a fiercely determined mother, we get a whimpering woman waiting for her man to return home. Matthew Fox is apparently in the film, but I couldn’t tell you who he played or when he appeared. Great character actors like Mortiz Bleibtreu, Pierfrancesco Favino, and Peter Capaldi (the hot-tempered Malcolm Tucker from In the Loop) show up in the revamped third act, yet are simply credited as Doctors to show you how much thought was put into their parts.

One of the few folks to make an impression is the relatively unknown Daniella Kertesz as a tough Israeli soldier. Another is James Badge Dale, who was exceptionally impressive as a cancer patient in Flight and a menacing henchman in Iron Man 3, as a cocksure Army Ranger.

Director Marc Forster’s resume is buoyed by acclaimed indie flicks such as Monster’s Ball, The Kite Runner, and Finding Neverland. However, he hasn’t displayed an ability to handle big-budget action movies. Critics lambasted his direction on Quantum of Solace and there are moments in World War Z that harkens to that lesser entry in the Bond franchise. A sequence where the Lanes escape up a flight of stairs is incomprehensively constructed in the manner of the opening chase scene from Quantum. The larger scale set pieces come off better as Forster knows well enough to step aside and allow the digital effects teams to do their work. World War Z does get off to a rousing start thanks to the chaos in Philly and a pulse pounding score by Marco Beltrami. The way in which Gerry counts down how long it takes for a victim to become infected is cleverly done. The pace slows a bit until the zombies overrun Jerusalem in a thrilling middle section that is followed by the film’s best scene when a rabid stowaway infects a plane full of passengers.

While most zombie movies deal with a small group of survivors, World War Z is all about how the entire world handles a zombie outbreak. And that’s where it shines. It’s just a shame the film doesn’t have a tight grip on capturing smaller, intimate moments. The best zombie movies have always been allegorical in nature. George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead was a metaphor for rampant consumerism. Don’t expect any pointed jabs about modern culture with World War Z; it’s only concerned with being a slam-bang summer blockbuster.

Rating: ** ½ (*****)

Fast and Furious 6

Fast and Furious 6 - Dir. Justin Lin (2013)

Fast five…furious six.

Who would have thought that the Fast and Furious franchise would still be going strong over a decade later? Probably not anyone who has seen the early films. The Fast and the Furious was a rough looking B-movie directed by schlockmaster Rob Cohen with a story lifted right out of Point Break, just with cars instead of surfboards. 2 Fast 2 Furious was a mind-numbing take on the buddy action pic that was at least benefited from the gorgeous Miami setting and slick direction by John Singleton. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift was a threequel that should have gone straight to video as it featured none of the original actors though Vin Diesel made a brief cameo. What saves Tokyo Drift from the scrapheap were some cool racing sequences, the introduction of Sung Kang as the laid back Han, and Justin Lin stepping behind the wheel to steer the series forward.

Fast and Furious was a fresh start, doing away with the articles and subtitles as it transitioned the franchise from the subculture of street racing to thunderous action. Fast Five was essentially The Avengers on four wheels, culling together an all-star team of past characters and reveling in widescreen vehicular mayhem. Good to know that Furious 6 is more of the same.

When last we left them, Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and his cohorts were living the high life after stealing millions of dollars from a Brazilian drug lord. Not exactly hiding his newfound wealth, Toretto is easily found by federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), who recruits his band of racers to bring down a new gang led by a former Special Forces operative named Owen Shaw (Luke Evans). One of Shaw's henchmen just happens to be Toretto's previously dead girlfriend Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), now suffering from amnesia. Shaw has cut a path of destruction across Europe in an attempt to steal the parts to build an electromagnetic weapon that can disable a country's entire defense network.

Furious 6 features a loaded ensemble and the movie doesn't give everybody a fair share of the spotlight. Jordana Brewster's Mia Toretto, for example, is pushed off to the side. Meanwhile, the charisma of Dwayne Johnson and the braggadocio of Tyrese Gibson more than offset the monotone growling of Vin Diesel and the bland Paul Walker. Screenwriter Chris Morgan, who has been at Lin's side since Tokyo Drift, doesn't write the snappiest banter, but the chemistry of the principal cast make it work. In regards to the new characters, Luke Evans doesn't make much of an impression as the villain, mostly because there isn't a lot on the page aside from his quest for a MacGuffin device. Gina Carano is a welcome addition though she's only there for a pair of knockdown, drag-out catfights with Michelle Rodriguez. Also thrown into the mix is Joe Taslim from The Raid: Redemption who gets into a wicked brawl with Gibson, Kang and a handful of hapless Bobbies in the London subway.

Despite some fun fisticuffs, the driving sequences don't match up to Fast Five, especially the climactic carnage through the streets of Rio. After a lengthy opening section in which the band gets back together, Lin finally gets loose with a London chase. There's some cool stuff such as the use of a modified formula-1 racer with a ramp that flips oncoming cars. However, most of the action is lost in the frenetic camerawork and the dark nighttime setting. The same problems occur at the conclusion during a wild set piece in which our heroes race alongside a massive cargo plane on what must have been the longest runway in the world. The pursuit is broken up into several smaller battles, which have been energetically edited together. The best sequence happens to be when Shaw hijacks a tank and callously crushes innocent bystanders on the highway.

Fast and Furious 6 is everything you want from an overblown summer blockbuster. The engines roar at ear-splitting decibels as the g-forces push against you until your brain cells turn to mush. There's some apprehension about Fast and Furious 7 since Universal fast-tracked (no pun intended) for next summer leading to the departure of Justin Lin and the arrival of James Wan (Saw, Insidious). However, the post-credit sequence effectively teases that we will be in for quite a ride.

P.S. – Kudos go to Morgan and Lin for their architecture of the series mythology. Either through meticulous planning or just last-minute retcons, they've managed to cast Tokyo Drift, arguably the worst of the franchise, into a new intriguing light.

Rating: *** (*****)

Epic

Epic - Dir. Chris Wedge (2013)

Epic is the latest CG feature from Blue Sky Studios, the animation studio behind the Ice Age series and Rio. Epic is better than any of their previous efforts, save for the first Ice Age, but it doesn't hold a candle to even the most modest Pixar production.

Mary Katherine (Amanda Seyfried), who prefers to be called 'M.K.,' reluctantly moves back in with her father, Professor Bomba (Jason Sudeikis), following the death of her mother. Dad lives in the middle of nowhere and believes a civilization of miniature people dwell in the forest. His crackpot theories have cost him his credibility in the scientific community as well as his marriage. Any chance of repairing his familial bonds is dashed as the Professor ignores his daughter in favor of chasing down evidence. But, Bomba has been right along because deep within the forest is a peaceful population of plant-like beings protected by an army known as the Leaf Men. They are at war with the Boggans and their leader Mandrake (Christoph Waltz), who is vowed to bring about death and decay. Whatever they destroy is easily brought back to life by the magical powers of Queen Tara (Beyoncé Knowles).

The two worlds collide following a Boggan ambush that mortally wounds the Queen just as M.K. wanders into the forest. She is shrunk down and thrust with the responsibility to protect a bulb that will select a new queen under the moon of the summer solstice. Joining M.K. on her quest are Ronin (Colin Farrell), the commander of the Leaf Men; Nod (Josh Hutcherson), a brash youngster who quit the service; and Mub & Grub (Aziz Ansari & Chris O'Dowd), a slug and snail tending the Queen's gardens.

Epic was loosely based on the children's book, The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs, by William Joyce, author of Rise of the Guardians. Joyce was one of five credited screenwriters on Epic, which is never a good sign. The film holds no real surprises and borrows a number of recognizable elements from movies like FernGully, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Avatar. The spine of the story follows the traditional hero's journey with Nod learning the importance of teamwork and responsibility. Other standard elements include the stoic mentor figure, the comic relief sidekicks, and the celebrity voiceover talent. Christoph Waltz as the villain isn't anything new, but even in animated form Waltz stands out as a fresh voice while other actors (Beyoncé and Steven Tyler) feel like stunt casting. Equally charming is a one-eyed, three-legged pug by the name of Ozzie.

The animation is beautifully rendered and the film shines during its many grand action sequences that include a climatic aerial battle with characters astride hummingbirds and bats as well as the ambush with Boggans camouflaged as tree bark.

When you title your film, Epic, you are setting high standards for yourself. The title is simultaneously grand and generic, which sufficiently describes the movie to a tee. It may be lacking in inventiveness, but kids will more than enjoy the wonderful animation and lighthearted humor.

Rating: ** ½ (*****)

Identity Thief

Identity Thief - Dir. Seth Gordon (2013)

2011 was the breakout year for Melissa McCarthy, who earned rave reviews for her performance in that year's runaway hit Bridesmaids. Her CBS sitcom, Mike & Molly, also debuted the previous fall on earned her an Emmy award that year for Best Lead Actress. Now is the time to cash in as McCarthy appears in The Hangover Part III and receives her first starring roles in The Heat (opposite Sandra Bullock) and Identity Thief.

Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman) is a buttoned down accountant struggling to support his wife (Amanda Peet) and two daughters while working under the heel of an obnoxious boss (Jon Favreau). With a baby on the way, Sandy accepts a more lucrative position with his best friend (John Cho) at a brand new start-up firm. Unfortunately, Sandy has absent mindedly given his social security number to a telemarketer over the phone. Going by the name Diana (McCarthy), the identity thief runs up exorbitant credit card debt in Florida and gets a few arrest warrants in his name. Since the Denver police can't do anything unless she's standing right there, Sandy hits the road to bring Diana back himself. Easier said than done as Sandy is completely unprepared for the obnoxious maelstrom that is Diana. Even worse, she's run afoul of two drug dealers (Genesis Rodriguez and rapper T.I.) and a grizzled bounty hunter (Robert Patrick).

Identity Thief was directed by Seth Gordon, who made a splash with his debut feature The King of Kong, a delightful documentary about vintage arcade games. Since then, Gordon has gone on to helm subpar Hollywood comedies Four Christmases and Horrible Bosses, along with the occasional episode of Parks and Recreation and The Office. You never notice the direction in films like Identity Thief and Gordon is perfectly serviceable. Stylish shot compositions aren't nearly as important as a funny, well-written script, which is nowhere to be found. The screenplay by Craig Mazin (who also wrote the Hangover sequels) relies on lowbrow humor and gives its talented cast almost nothing to work with.

The bulk of the movie is a road trip comedy in the vein of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles or Midnight Run. Jason Bateman is once again typecast as the straight arrow surrounded by outlandish characters. Meanwhile, McCarthy plays it to the hilt with big hair and thick eyeliner that makes her look like Mimi from The Drew Carey Show. A little McCarthy goes a long way. She was terrific in Bridesmaids and her brief part in This Is 40 was one of the best things in an otherwise dreary picture. Here, McCarthy wears out her welcome by the first act. It's not entirely her fault; the character is nothing more than a cartoon. Diana is cut from the same cloth as the annoying buffoon portrayed by Zach Galifianakis in Due Date. By the time Diana finally becomes a real human being in the third act the damage is done. That's a shame since McCarthy shows off serious acting chops in turning the caricature into a vulnerable person with real pathos. In the end, you have one person with a grating personality, another who is an utter milquetoast, and you don't want to root for either of them.

Sandy isn't the only victim of theft as someone must have stolen anything remotely funny about the entire movie. The jokes are lame and revolve around genitals or Sandy's androgynous name with a few pratfalls thrown in for good measure. The bounty hunter and the drug dealers seemed to have only been added to pad out the runtime. Identity Thief simply wastes the talents of Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy.

Rating: * ½ (*****)

Side Effects

Side Effects - Dir. Steven Soderbergh (2013)

Cinephiles wept tears when Steven Soderbergh announced his retirement from directing films. Though HBO recently aired his long-awaited Liberace biopic, Behind the Candelabra, his final theatrical release is Side Effects, written by Scott Z. Burns, the screenwriter of two other Soderbergh pictures, The Informant and Contagion. Describing Side Effects as Soderbergh’s attempt at a Hitchcock thriller already gives away too much about the twist and turns in the narrative. So, this review will contain major spoilers.

Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) is a young professional whose husband, Martin (Channing Tatum), has just been released from prison after serving time for insider trading. Martin promises he will get their lives back on track, but Emily, who has a history of depression, struggles with her everyday life. After a suicide attempt, Emily is sent to Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law) for psychiatric care. When none of the medication he prescribes for her seems to work, Banks consults with Emily’s former doctor, Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who recommends a new wonder drug called Ablixa. Emily’s state of mind vastly improves, except for an unexpected side effect that causes her to sleepwalk. During one bout of somnambulism, Emily stabs her husband to death. The subsequent trial shifts from Emily to Banks and whether or not he willfully ignored symptoms or engaged in unprofessional conduct with a patient.

At first, Side Effects feels like a companion piece to the disease disaster Contagion, an exposé on the pharmaceutical industry. The Taylors exist in a world of affluence where every problem from lethargy to a stressful job interview can be solved with the latest wonder drug. The first act is a domestic drama as we follow the struggles of Emily as she faces insurmountable mental issues. She places her trust into a doctor who is preoccupied with lucrative drug trials and increasing his standing in the medical community. This is a complete 180 turn for Rooney Mara who gained notices as the goth hacker in David Fincher's remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Mara gives a sullen performance as the waifish Emily, but turns your sympathies on their ear by the second act as a calculating manipulator. When Channing Tatum pulls a Janet Leigh, Side Effects shifts focus to Jude Law and becomes a modern day noir with Banks as the wronged man desperate to prove his crackpot theories. Yes, the third act unfolds in the manner of a routine Law & Order episode, complete with the requisite "Guess what? I was wearing a wire the whole time" scene. However, Soderbergh's impeccable craftsmanship and the A-list ensemble turn the rote material into a taut spellbinder.

Much like Guy Pearce, Jude Law has the good looks to be leading man, yet has found a niche in recent years playing these supporting roles, whether it is Hugo, Anna Karenina or Sherlock's sidekick Dr. Watson. Catherine Zeta-Jones is also good as the ice queen hidden behind horn-rimmed glasses and her hair tied in a constricting bun.

Soderbergh does triple duty on Side Effects, serving as his own cinematographer and editor under the pseudonyms Peter Andrews and Mary Ann Bernard. Soderbergh eschewed the usual trappings of movies set in New York by avoiding establishing shots of the city or its landmarks. Instead, he favors tightly constructed medium shots and close-ups to turn the expansive metropolis into a crushing and claustrophobic environment where meager lives are swallowed whole.

You can always expect the unexpected from Steven Soderbergh. He's the rare filmmaker that brings a unique voice to tried and true genres, such as the Hollywood blockbuster (Ocean's Eleven), the action movie (Haywire) and even male strippers. Soderbergh puts his own signature stamp on Side Effects, making it one of the first great films of 2013.

Rating: *** (*****)

Mama

Mama - Dir. Andres Muschietti (2012)

2011 was the breakout year for Jessica Chastain. She earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "The Help" and won critical acclaim for her performances in Tree of Life and Take Shelter. That doesn't include strong turns in Wilde Salome, Coriolanus, The Debt, and Texas Killing Fields, which were all released the same calendar year. While her work hasn't been as prolific since then, Chastain did start off 2013 with a bang as the star of the number one and number two box office toppers during the weekend of January 18. I'm speaking of Zero Dark Thirty and Mama, both of which remained in the top five for the following two weeks.

Chastain replaced her fiery red hair for a short black hairdo ala Joan Jett for this creepy horror flick. Mama opens in 2008 when white collar worker Jeffrey Desange (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) loses a fortune and his marbles. Desange shoots his business partners and murders his wife before making off his with daughters, Lilly (Isabelle Nelisse) and Victoria (Megan Charpentier). Desange loses control of his speeding car on a snowy road and crashes into the woods. He seeks sanctuary inside an abandoned cabin, which is never a good idea. Before the desperate Desange can do the unthinkable, he is killed by a misshapen spirit the girls eventually refer to as 'Mama.'

Five years later, Lilly and Victoria are found by a search party. Filthy and feral, the girls are reunited with their uncle Lucas (also Coster-Waldau) and his new girlfriend, Annabel Moore (Chastain). With guidance from their psychiatrist Dr. Dreyfuss (Daniel Kash), Lucas and Annabel move from their cramped apartment to a quiet home in the suburbs to help acclimate the little ones back into society. However, Annabel is no happy homemaker. She's plays bass in a rock band and bristles at the idea of children. The older girl, Victoria, returns to civility more easily whereas the younger Lilly remains animalistic. She sleeps under the bed, screams at people who come near her, and eats bugs. Throughout the ordeal, Dr. Dreyfuss believes the 'Mama' the girls refer to was an imaginary being they created as an idealized protector.

Mama was directed by Andrés Muschietti, who co-wrote the screenplay with his sister Barbara and Neil Cross, whose credits include the BBC series Luther and Doctor Who. Muschietti initially shot Mama as a short film back in 2008 to drum up interest for the feature-length script. It worked as Muschietti impressed Guillermo Del Toro, who quickly signed on as executive producer. Mama has a lot in common with The Orphanage and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, two other horror projects Del Toro helped shepherd. This is a dark and gothic ghost story that relies on old school scares rather than blood and guts. In true haunted house fashion, the scares come from knowing that there is something under the bed or in the closet as the characters cautiously (and foolishly) take a peek.

Mama herself is a mix of practical and CG effects with the tangled, black hair familiar to fans of Asian horror. Muschietti follows the Jaws formula of keeping Mama relatively hidden and only shown in short bursts until the final act.

Chastain turns in a solid performance, a far cry from her Oscar nominated turn as the grim CIA agent in Zero Dark Thirty. Game of Thrones fans will enjoy seeing Jamie Lannister in the dual role of Jeffrey and Lucas. The best performances in Mama belong to the young actresses who are utterly convincing as the lost sisters.

Mama isn't as balls-out insane as Cabin in the Woods, but it is one of the better horror flicks produced in recent years. It is well directed with several stylish flourishes by Muschietti that help to build a spooky atmosphere.

Rating: *** (*****)

Frankie Go Boom

Frankie Go Boom - Dir. Jordan Roberts (2012)

Poor Frank Bartlett (Charlie Hunnam) has been tormented all his life by his older brother Bruce (Chris O'Dowd), who sees himself as a director on the rise. The straw that broke the camel's back took place during Frank's marriage in which his fiancée admitted to being unfaithful and Frank responded by vomiting on her. As if that wasn't humiliating enough, Bruce videotaped the whole affair and uploaded it to YouTube turning Frank into a viral sensation.

Now, Frank lives alone in Death Valley, but gets drawn back when his mom (Nora Dunn) guilt trips him into returning when Bruce successfully finishes rehab. Almost immediately, Frank literally bumps into Lassie (Lizzy Caplan), who has tied one on after catching her boyfriend in flagrante delicto with their pool boy. Their night together gets off to a rocky start when Frank has problems getting it up. Of course, Bruce is there to record the whole thing and marketing it as his latest cinematic masterpiece. Frank is livid and the situation worsens when the brothers learn Lassie is the daughter of Bruce's rehab buddy, Jack (Chris Noth), a washed-up actor known for his violent temper. Frank and Bruce bounce around Los Angeles in their bumbling attempts to destroy the footage.

Frankie Go Boom portrays the exasperating life of a sane man in an insane world populated by completely unsympathetic characters. Yet, Frank is such a pushover that it's hard to root for him. Nearly everyone around him deserves a punch in the face from his irritating brother to his obnoxious mother, both of whom share a creepy and borderline incestuous relationship. Also, the film never explains why Frank still brings his cell phone to the desert if he wants to isolate himself from his poisonous family.

If there is any heart to be found in the movie, it is from the blossoming romance between Frank and Lassie. Their relationship begins with a twist on the meet cute when a drunken Lassie crashes into Frank while wearing a coat over her edible lingerie. But, their love story is sidelined by writer/director Jordan Roberts' preoccupation with crafting outrageous situations. Chris Noth runs on his treadmill in a thong and asks the Bartlett boys to smack his ass and Frank gives CPR to a pig after it's launched into a grimy swimming pool. The results of this shock and awe approach to comedy leads to a series of tortuously strained gags and a collection of supporting characters that are nothing more than caricatures. The only interesting one of the bunch is Ron Perlman as a transsexual ex-con now known as Phyllis. That is more due to Perlman's performance than anything written on the page.

Just like Perlman, Lizzy Caplan and Chris O'Dowd are talented performers that are simply wasted in their one-note roles. Meanwhile, Charlie Hunnam doesn't make much of an impression in the lead. Perhaps, comedy isn't his strong suit.

Frankie Go Boom is a terribly unfunny farce. At best, it's a mild curiosity for Sons of Anarchy fans hoping to see Hunnam and Perlman in wildly different roles.

Rating: * (*****)