Magic Mike

First Hit:  The girls in the audience (both in the film and in my theater) really enjoyed these well sculpted males.

This story was somewhat unique in that male exotic dancers are rarely the subject of a film.

Mike (played by Channing Tatum) is “an entrepreneur”. He is a roofer, he does odd jobs, he’s a male exotic dancer, and his love is furniture making. He does everything well and he cares. As a dancer he is phenomenal. His moves are like “magic”.

He works in a club owned by Dallas (played by Matthew McConaughey). Dallas is in-charge and it is evident. He’s also great at making his dancers feel good about working in his club while he enriches himself. He’s got a dark side but it is rarely evident.

Adam (played by Alex Pettyfer) is a lazy lost young man who won’t wear a tie for a job, but really finds something wrong with every job he thinks about. He lives with his sister Brooke (played by Cody Horn) who has a steady job in medical insurance and is very protective of her younger brother. One day Mike takes Adam to Dallas’ club. He’s thrown on stage and lo-and-behold, he has found something he can do and he makes money – easy cash.

Brooke asks Mike to take care of her young brother although she disapproves of Adam and Mike’s chosen field of work. Mike has an occasional, on-call girlfriend named Joanna (played by Olivia Munn) who does three-ways with him, is a psychologist, and is very seductive. She appears in the film in an on-call basis until her truth becomes known to Mike.

The film isn’t about the dancing, which is some cases extraordinary, it is about growing up and living one’s truth.

Tatum is strong and wonderful in his portrayal of a man who really wants to find a different life, but shows enough internal roadblocks to make mistakes in judgment. McConaughey is perfect as the somewhat sleazy male dancer night club owner. Pettyfer is good as the lost young man but there isn’t enough understanding as to why he’s so dead set against doing various jobs (where was his pain?). Munn is very good as a woman who lives two lives and likes to play with Mike. Horn is a revelation. I really liked her look and feel as her character. She felt real in her role. Reid Carolin wrote a very strong script. Steven Soderbergh delivered yet another excellent film. The direction was clear, strong, and crisp – no wasted scenes.

Overall: This was a very entertaining film as the girls in the audience vocally reminded me.

Take this Waltz

First Hit:  Somewhat disquieting characters lacking direct communication where communication requirements reign.

We are introduced to Margo (played by Michelle Williams) in her fear of being in-between things. She is struggling being in an airport and then on a plane – she is nowhere, she is in-between places.

Meeting Daniel (played by Luke Kirby) on the plane it is obvious there is a connection, they flirt, they land and Margo goes home to her husband Lou (played by Seth Rogen) who is a cookbook writer working on a book about cooking chicken.

Their relationship is safe for her but there are moments where you sense/feel their tension. The film is obvious in tension points between the couple and also because Daniel happens to live across the street from Margo and Lou.

This film is about being tugged by a longing of something within. Lou is completely focused on his cooking and they have parties to share what he is experimenting with. Margo is missing something within her relationship with Lou but loves the illusion of safety he brings with the life they have together.

Daniel is in love and wants to be with Margo but knows it will have to be on Margo’s terms. How do the actors portray this triangle story? For the most part, very well. Margo is the most complex character in the film as well as being the main character.

The standardization of the two men by having a safe man (Lou) and a more dangerous man (Daniel) be the points by which Margo is determining her course were well done. In the end the film, either with purpose or not, tries to keep the audience choosing whether Margo should stay with Lou or go to Daniel.

Williams does an outstanding job of creating questions in the male characters, the audience and herself. Kirby is solid as the interested third wheel. Rogen is OK as Williams husband, cook and solid home base. Sarah Silverman (playing Geraldine) does a very good job as an alcoholic relative. Sarah Polley wrote and directed this film. I was left with the sense that she didn’t know her main character nor did she want to which isn’t a bad thing.

Overall:  This film was interesting and uninteresting at the same time.

Rock of Ages

Initial Hit:  This is a fun and engaging film if you like the music.

This film is about two things: 1980's rock music and Tom Cruise. As Stacee Jaxx, Cruise personifies the 1980s rock star: Full of drink, sex, rock and roll and himself while being totally enjoyable.

The story is about a Sherrie (played by Julianne Hough) who is from the Midwest and comes to Hollywood to make her fame and fortune as a singer (think of the song “Oh Sherrie” by Journey). Hitting LA she gets robbed, meets Drew (played by Diego Boneta) who gets her a job in a famous rock bar as a waitress.

The bar, owned by Dennis and Lonny (played by Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand respectively), is going bankrupt and needs help. Jaxx’s famous band “Arsenal”, who had gotten their start at the bar, agrees to play there for free to help them out.

You've got to love the line by Jaxx’s manager Paul (played by Paul Giamatti), when asked how he got the famously late Stacee to show up to the gig on time; "I told Stacee that the gig was last night".

The music is the star of this film and Cruise’s enactment of a totally self-obsessed 1980’s rocker is dead on.

Cruise is perfect is his posturing, nonsensical thoughts, and having a sidekick named “Hey Man”. Hough is very good as the Sherrie. Boneta is strong as the young man who loves Sherrie and wants to be a rock singer but has to bend to current boy band musical tastes. Baldwin was good as the club owner. Brand was OK as Baldwin’s side-kick. However I didn’t understand why the relationship was portrayed the way it was. I couldn’t figure out what it added to the film. Giamatti was excellent as the sleazy manager. Justin Theroux, Chris D’Arienzo and Allan Loeb wrote a very good script. Adam Shankman directed this with zeal and fun.

Overall: If you enjoy 80’s rock, this film is a must see.

Moonrise Kingdom

First Hit:  Quirky, fun, and interesting while blending stylistic filming to deliver a poignant message of hope and love.

The cast is stellar with the big names in supporting roles. You have Edward Norton (as Scout Master Ward), Bruce Willis (as Captain Sharp), Bill Murray (as Walt Bishop), Frances McDormand (as Laura Bishop), Harvey Keitel (as Commander Pierce), Tilda Swinton (as Social Services), Jason Schwartzman (as Cousin Ben), and Bob Balaban (as the Narrator).

The film is about Suzy Bishop (played by Kara Hayward) who is a troubled young girl and Sam (played by Jared Gilman) a young orphan boy who is determined to live his life his way making him an outcast.

The Narrator begins the film by talking straight to the camera setting up the story of the mythical island of New Penzance its history and that a historic storm will soon envelop it. We are slowly introduced to the characters that are living and working on the island through stylistic mid 1960s scene edits and tones which are almost comic, but blazingly consistent, thoughtful and enjoyable throughout.

This film follows Sam and Suzy as they find each other, realize they can connect with each other, and their choice to journey together. Yes they are only 12 years old, but the point is some people feel really at a loss and lost in their life and people around them, but when they connect with someone else, there is a strong and compelling reason to stay together, to live.

Hayward is bold and evoking as Suzy a girl who struggles with feelings and the expression of them. Gilman as Sam is equally strong as the young boy who is going to live his path regardless of what grownups do. Together they were fabulous. Norton was sublime as the Khaki Scout Master who is charged with training Sam. I loved his acknowledgement of the wonderful camp Sam and Suzy set up. Willis was very low key in his self-effacing character who is just plodding along. Murray was very good as Suzy’s concerned dis-attached father. McDormand was excellent as the dis-jointed lonely mother of Suzy. Swinton was funny, bold and poignantly mean as Social Services. Schwartzman was really funny and good as Cousin Ben. Keitel was good as the head of Khaki Scout Masters and Ward’s boss. Balaban was the perfect choice as Narrator because he brought an informational serious undertone that bordered on dark comedy. Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola wrote a stunning script while Anderson’s clear vision brought it all together.

Overall: This was an excellent film to watch because it tells a wonderful story.

Snow White and the Huntsman

First Hit:  Mostly slow and uninteresting with a few moments of brightness.

Why this film took so long from beginning to end is because the scriptwriter and director thought they had a great story to tell.

Reality is that yes this is a great story, just not the way they told it. Although Kristen Stewart is a much better actress than her partner in the Twilight film series, here she doesn’t get to do a whole lot.

The age old story where the evil queen Ravenna (played by Charlize Theron) has banned the beautiful Snow White (played by Stewart) from living free. She has her locked up in the north tower of the castle. But Snow White escapes and with the help of the Huntsman (played by Chris Hemsworth), the dwarfs, and her cousin William (played by Sam Claflin) she’s able to mount a challenge to Ravenna’s hold on the kingdom.

The highlights of the film are most all the scenes with Ravenna as Theron keeps her part of the film alive, with intensity. Also the scenes when Snow White are with the fairies and the leader of the fairy kingdom.

The rest of it was slow, boring and without the level of energy required to keep a 2 hour and 7 minute interesting.

Stewart is OK at times and looked great in her Joan de arc metal outfit. She does show some abilities to be believable in strong female physical role, which is good. Theron is the very best thing about this film. I loved the shot of her in the white (milk) liquid bath and thought that this was an amazing shot. Claflin was soft in his role and almost unnecessary. Hemsworth gave it his all in a familiar role as a fighting hero. Evan Daugherty and John Lee Hancock wrote a mediocre and long screenplay from an age old tale. Rupert Sanders directed this too long unfocused film.

Overall:  Not worthy of a paid seat but one can while away the time having it on in the background at home someday.