Side Effects

Those Taking Ablixa Should Not…

I haven’t seen all of Director Steven Soderbergh’s movies, but I am a fan and have seen quite a few.

I decided to rank them based mainly on my enjoyment and secondly on quality –
#1 being my favorite  and fittingly #13 being my least favorite:

As you can see Soderbergh’s latest work Side Effects (written by Scott Z Burns) ranks fairly high on my list, yet I’m stuck on what I want to write about the film; mainly because I don’t want to give away any plot twists, but even by saying that it kinda gives something away, as the trailer looks exciting, but fairly straight forward – a young couple’s (Channing Tatum & Rooney Mara) lives are destroyed after the wife is put on what turns out to be a dangerous anti-depressant prescription drug. From which you can automatically assume the big business of pharmaceutical sales plays a major part in the drama. It also looks as if the movie makes an almost Michael Moore type statement on the irresponsibility of these drug companies and doctors who prescribe these medications, even though the commercials warning of the side effects seem much worst than whatever you had to begin with.

All this is true, but it’s not actually what the film is about; and that’s about all I feel comfortable saying.  Tinsel & Tine is a film blog to sparks your interest in a movie, but I try never to spoil your movie-going experience.

I will say, I like Soderbergh’s use of natural lighting and unfiltered camera lenses, in a number of scenes at the beginning. I think the realistic production value helps to throw the viewer off track of what’s actually happening.  It’s also a very good role for Jude Law. In my Anna Karenina post I wrote about him being effectively unassuming.  As Dr. Banks in Side Effects, he plays a role which starts out low key, but as his stake in all of it rises, Law’s charisma and character rise to meet the challenges he faces.