On the Road: Movie Review

Disappointing trip to the Beat Generation with drugs, sex and emptiness.

On the Road is an adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s novel, which in turn, is an autobiographic written tale of Kerouac and friends, the fellow Beat writers; scattered but stylish. Life would speed up with drugs and alcohol, slow down for a night with a beautiful woman, speed up when it was time to hit the road again, and slow down as they fail to find themselves where they thought they would be.		2012 Directed by: Walter Salles Screenplay by: Jose Rivera Based on the novel by Jack Kerouac Starring: Sam Riley, Garret Hedlund, Kristen Stewart and Tom Sturridge

Identity Thief: Movie Review

Formulaic road trip comedy, but the actors make the jokes funny.

As the cartoonish posters tell us, Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman) is a sucker. He just gave his personal identification information to a stranger over the phone. Sandy Patterson (Melissa McCarthy) is the “Identity Thief”. After getting arrested and almost getting fired from his job, the real Sandy Patterson is determined to get his identity back. A stupid but convenient police procedural sets Sandy off across the country to bring the criminal to justice.		2013 Directed by: Seth Gordon Screenplay by: Craig Mazin Starring: Jason Bateman, and Melissa McCarthy

Side Effects: Movie Review

Morally ambiguous characters in a deceptive, complex thriller plot.

In “Side Effects”, Emily (Rooney Mara) is feeling hopeless, suffering from prolonged effects of abandonment issues, unsure how to proceed in her life. Her husband, Martin (Channing Tatum) has just come home from prison, serving time for insider trading. But Emily doesn’t know what she should be feeling; Emily doesn’t know how to feel what she should be feeling. Psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law) is exactly what the doctor ordered.		2013 Directed by: Steven Soderbergh Screenplay by: Scott Z. Burns Starring: Rooney Mara, Jude Law, and Catherine Zeta-Jones

A Royal Affair: Movie Review

Love, power and enlightenment in the Royal Court of Denmark.

A young princess, Caroline Matilda (Alicia Vikander), lived an affluent lifestyle in 1760s England and at age 15 she was shipped off to Denmark to marry King Christian VII (Mikkel Folsgaard). Christian was mentally ill and Caroline did not know. Upon arrival at the castle in Copenhagen, it wasn’t long before she understood his mental state. He took to her with force, spoke bluntly and rudely and acted like a child. As soon as Caroline conceived a son, she retreated internally.		2012 Directed by: Nikolaj Arcel Screenplay by: Rasmus Heisterberg, Nikolaj Arcel Starring: Alicia Vikander, Mads Mikkelsen and Mikkel Folsgaard