Traffic (2000)

4/5

Steven Soderbergh's Traffic weaves an intricate, spellbinding tale that is nearly impossible to take your eyes off of for its entire 2.5 hour running time. The plotting is impeccable, keeping you engaged whether detailing the intricacies of drug consumption or the complex involvement of governments on drug trafficking. The stories, as penned by Stephen Gaghan, are eye-opening and richly-textured. We are thrust into a collection of environments so authentic that we cannot help but take the events that pass as reality. We become involved and complicit; we end up shaken and unclean. Every person has a little bit of good in them and a little bit of bad in them, making decisions equal parts wrong and equal parts right. There are heart-breaking scenes in here, made all the more powerful thanks to superb acting, that combine with profound and provocative ideas to bring home a very specific message: the war on drugs is a lost cause. The film ends on a solemn, haunting note, showing us characters continuing to fight a battle that will never end and will only take more lives. Everything feels so overwhelming, and we are all so helpless to effect change.

But despite my high praise, the movie also fails on a number of levels. Honestly, I hated the editing. The pacing was practically non-existent, with innumerable superfluous scenes cut together haphazardly. (Not that the movie was boring per se, just that there was about 30 minutes of extra footage meandering throughout its nonlinear storyline.) The editing was almost as bad as some of Soderbergh's directing decisions. Really? Blue, orange, and red? That's your big contribution to the story? I'm not saying it's not a well-directed movie from other standpoints, just that the colors were a bit too in-your-face for me. It was about as subtle as a sledgehammer. But Soderbergh still somehow manages to fill our minds and our hearts to their breaking point, giving us a timely and timeless story that is both absorbing and poignant. And also unforgettable.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181865/

Side Effects (2013)

5/5

Steven Soderbergh's Side Effects is an utterly absorbing film of the highest caliber. It is so phenomenal that I will simply urge everyone to see it immediately. This review will still be here when you come back, and you can read it then. The movie is pristine, with a story that is compelling from start to finish. The writing is finely-tuned to the daily grind of medical professionals, with an impeccable ear for realistic dialogue, and an authentic sense of paranoia regarding malpractice. A movie focusing on each individual element with the level of skill seen here would be commendable, but Side Effects weaves them all together and throws in hints of sinister subterfuge to underpin the movie.

The film begins by entrenching us in the banalities of depression, and the movie is about as far from exciting as you can get. It fills each frame with Instagram-style mood shots that are surprisingly evocative and effective. The story unfolds from there, evolving into a shocking murder mystery and its innumerable unexpected consequences. We are thrust into a legal battle that should frighten any practicing physician--one of the movie's greatest triumphs is how eerily accurate this situation feels--but it is not over yet. Soderbergh continues to mesmerize us with a twist ending that upends not only the framework of the film, but of the characters therein.

Every aspect of this movie fascinated me. I was absorbed and engaged, watching it with a delighted smile the entire time--up until the gasp of horror at the finale, that is. Soderbergh has perfected his techniques and he can retire from film knowing he made a masterpiece. On top of the thematically-rich script, he gives us crisply-filmed cinematography, tightly-cut editing, and expertly-cast acting. Honestly, I cannot stop thinking about this chilling film. It unnerves patients and doctors in all the right ways, forces us to contemplate the failings of our current health care system, and does it all with unerring style. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2053463/

Ocean's Twelve (2004)

3/5

Ocean's Twelve was an enjoyable comedy/heist movie. The heist elements were pretty subpar for the most part with a couple cool things thrown in here and there, but I thought it was just so funny. My expectations were so low because everyone came out disappointed (because the first one was so good) that I actually had a really fun time watching this. The acting as always was great, the laughs consistent and solid, and the directing light and fun. There are cameos and big names like nothing you've ever seen before. And, for the most part, it just works. You let go of small inconsistencies because you're entertained.

However, the plot was pretty pitiful, a fact that cannot go ignored; it felt like it was trying to construct a story around the actors' schedules and not the other way around. Because of that, I was actually impressed when all the actors were on the screen together. But the story's limitations really hinder it, considering it's a crime movie with more than twelve main characters in it. Each character really should have some fundamental role in the narrative, and they don't. They're merely accessories. This is what is lacking in this movie that people seemed to love about the first one. Anyway, I greatly enjoyed myself while watching it, and if you're interested you should definitely check it out.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0349903/