Side Effects may include

Steven Soderbergh's latest film Side Effects had me hooked from the long, opening tracking shot that panned from a zoomed-out city shot, graaaaadually, over to a zoomed-in shot of a single apartment. So in the span of the first minute or so, you already have the feeling of a single, lonely individual somehow stuck in the cold, mechanical structure of society. 

That kind of thoughtfulness is rampant in this movie. Then, halfway though, the movie jumps genres. Everyone in our living room watching the movie let out a collective "Whaaaaaaattttttt?!??!?!" Great commentary on our proclivity to prescribe and the power of scorn/greed.

You should probably see it.

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5  pills.

Storytelling Animals

Jonathan Gottschall's The Storytelling Animal has been my pleasure reading for the past week. If I wasn't in my final two weeks of Seminary I would probably write more, but I'll just say that this book was really engaging. I blitzed through it. Gottschall explores how and why human beings are addicted to fiction... so much so that we even create it in our sleep! The notion of story serves no apparent purpose, yet it has defined/motivated/explained human activity for millennia.

His name is Mud

Saw Mud last night.. The poster (and even the trailer, to some extent) are misleading. It is not a tough-guy tale of Matthew McConaughey fighting for the love of his life, Reese Witherspoon. Well, it is, but only sort of. Really, it is a great coming-of-age-type story about a 14-year old boy, his best friend, and their adventures that teach them much about manhood, sex, love, hope, trust, and snakes. Those damn snakes. The two best "reviews" so far, that I have heard, came from my wife and friend right after we left the theater.

Luke: "I feel like it was a really good movie.... but I can't say exactly why...."

then 10 minutes later, walking home

Vicky: "I was constantly surprised! I never knew what was going to happen next!"

This is an impressive feat for a film that is over 2 hours and really takes its time divulging information. And yes, McConaughey's shirt does come off, but this is an "indie" film, so they make you wait 110 minutes for it.





Rating: 4 out of 5 snakes