Movie Review: Magic Mike

Story: I was super excited to turn 17, so that I could start going to see rated R movies. When I saw the previews for Magic Mike, I knew that it had to be the first one I bought my own ticket to see. I was all prepared to show my I.D. and prove that I was 17, right? They didn’t even question me about it. I was severely disappointed, and that was the beginning of my Magic Mike experience.

Magic Mike is set in Tampa, where Adam (played by Alex Pettyfer) is a 19 year old struggling to find a job that he can stick out. By chance he meets Mike, a roof tiller that owns many side business’. Adam meets Mike that night by chance, and they go into a club, where Mike tests Adam’s ability to attract women. As Mike expected, the ladies love Adam, and he lures them to the strip club Xquisite, where Mike is the star stripper. That night, Adam has to step in and replace one of the dancers who is unable to perform, and so begins Adam’s journey to becoming a successful stripper (who quickly picks up the moniker ‘The Kid’).

This movie… I’m not sure how to properly judge it. You go into the movie expecting to see a bunch of ripped, sexy guys dancing around nearly naked on stage. Yes, you get plenty of that (which I will not complain about), but you also get a really dry plot. I honestly didn’t enjoy a lot of the movie where the guys weren’t dancing onstage. The choreography for the men was better than most of the script for the film, which is a shame. The plot was dry, and I hated both Adam and his sister, Brooke (played by Cody Horn). Both of these actors could’ve been replaces easily, in my opinion, because neither played the parts very well. Cody’s portrayal of Brooke felt very forced, and every time she laughed I wanted to punch her in the face.
Now, the rest of the gang… Oh, I liked them.
Matthew McConaughey as the ring leader, Dallas, was hilarious. One of my favorite scenes was when Dallas was teaching the Kid to take his clothes off for the crowd, Dallas wearing short –shorts and a little yellow tank top. McConaugheywas cast perfectly in this film, as was Channing Tatum as Mike. I really felt bad for all the times Mike had to bail the Kid out of trouble, and I was rooting for him the entire film. The rest of the ensemble (including Matt Bomer, TrueBlood’s Joe Manganiello, and Kevin Nash) were entertaining enough to make the film fun to watch.

I left the theatre very disappointed with the plot of the film. If you are honestly just going to see the film to see Channing Tatum and friends dancing with hardly anything on, then by all means, go and see it! You won’t be disappointed by the abs you see on those boys! Really though, those are the only scenes worth watching in the movie.
I would suggest seeing this film for a girls night out, because there’s really no other occasion to see it for. The film was poorly cast for the most part, with a poorly written plot. It’s only appealing element is the hot strippers (which face it, that’s the only reason this film is being watched).

Movie Review: Brave

Today, I went to my first film of the summer, which happened to be Disney and Pixar’s new release, Brave. In true Disney and Pixar form they didn’t start with the feature film, but instead with a short titled La Luna.

La Luna was an adorable short, starting with a little boy going to work with his Father and Grandfather for the first time. They are shown riding a little boat at night time in calm waters, and then waiting. Continually throughout the short, both the Father and Grandfather try and persuade the boy to follow in their own footsteps. One of my favorite moments was right in the beginning, when they two older men are trying to show the little boy how he should wear his newsboy hat! While the little boy is copying his two role models, there is a glow in the distance, and the moon rises up from the water in the distance. Then the Father pulls out a ladder, and the family goes up onto the moon. The 2 older men try and show the little boy that their broom is better, and while they are doing this a HUGE star lands on the moon. While the Father and Grandfather are trying to figure out how to move it, the little boy grabs a hammer, climbs to the top of the star, and hits it twice. It then proceeds to break into many normal sized stars, a shot that is beautiful to watch. I loved how they made this part in slow motion, and showed the little boy falling through all the stars! At the end it cuts to a shot of the moon, after the 3 have cleaned it up, and show it in the waning crescent phase, bringing in the fable aspect to the story. It was such a simple and sweet short that deserved the Oscar nomination it received at this year’s Academy Awards.

Now onto the main film of the review, Brave. It begins with the little princess, Merida, playing hide and seek with her Mother, and then receiving her first bow and arrow set from her Dad. One of the arrows Merida shoots goes into the forest, where she goes to retrieve it. While she is deep in the forest, she hears a noise, looks up, and sees a wisp. A wisp is supposedly a mysterious light that is supposed to lead you to your fate in some significant way. Her Mom believes in the magic of them, but her Dad doesn’t (these are all key facts to remember later in the film). At that point, they hear a noise, and a black bear comes out and attacks the family. Just as the bear lunges at the King, it cuts to the title credits.
If I hadn’t known any better from the previews, I would’ve assumed her Dad died (since Disney is good at breaking our hearts by killing off characters parents). He fortunately survives the attack, but the bear got away after eating one of his legs. He has sworn vengeance for this reason.

The next time we see Merida is when she is older, and we learn that her hair is not only beautiful, but it’s her character exactly: wild, untamed, and feisty. Her Mom is trying to make her into the proper princess, but Merida would rather spend her days riding around on her horse, Angus, and hunting. Most of all, she just wants freedom, an impossible thing for a princess. Merida is bitter with her Mom, and after a very dramatic display at a competition to win Merida’s hand in marriage, there is a fight that will change all their fates forever.

I thought that the film was a very well thought out and  well executed story. The animation was stunning, and in some of the wide shots I felt like the landscape wasn’t an animated picture, but instead  live action footage. Not only was the film beautiful in animation, but it was packed with humorous  lines, characters, and situations. My favorite characters were Merida’s triplet brothers, with the same mischievous characteristic Merida has. They were comedic relief throughout the film, as was Merida’s Dad. The Queen really has her hands full, surrounded by this family of red heads!

I will say Brave isn’t my favorite Disney and Pixar film. But I will also say that I wasn’t disappointed at all, and I feel it’s a film worth seeing for all ages. There is a special story between Merida and her Mom, and I feel like all Mother/Daughter relationships come to a point where all they do is fight. It’s relatable, and it’s worth seeing for the aspect as well.
It can be frightening at points, so be warned if you are going with younger children. Also, there is brief nudity, but it isn’t THAT big of a deal. Just a surprise, considering it’s Disney!

The film sends a great message, for anyone of any age: You CAN change your fate.