MAGIC MIKE XXL: Review

One of the first posts I made on this blog was about my going to the "Magic Mike" premier.  I didn't love it.  There were a lot of things that were very problematic, and the only bits I cared about were of Channing Tatum dancing.

But "Magic Mike XXL," well...Channing's body and its movement are still very much magical, but there were some other nice bits along the way. Here they are in no particular order:

THE SOUNDTRACK

It's rare for me to say I'd want to go and get the soundtrack to a film, but man, did this one harken back my old school, as well as push all kinds of buttons.  Like muscle memory or something.  Er...I mean nostalgia.  No really--awesomely awesome nostalgia.  Nine Inch Nails.  112.  D'Angelo.  And of course, the classic that is "Pony" by Ginuine.

JADA PINKETT-SMITH as ROME

Jada slayed it, plain and simple.  I wish they had had a flashback of her character with Channing, or a sex scene of those two.  Instead, we got a sensuous "hello" kiss and a whole lot of stares.  Anyway, her character was intriguing, sexy, and had personality.  Another thing which the first film lacked.  The leading lady in that one was dull, and had way too many [undeserving] closeups.  Barf.  But Jada!  Omg -

<3s

MATT BOMER SINGING

I'm not a fan of Matt's dancing.  He's stiff, and in the first film, I referred to him as the "[Lady] Boner Killer."  Part of the premise of this film, however, are the guys being entertainers and doing what they love as opposed to what they know.  Well Ken?  Ken sings.  And he sings quite well.  It's a wonder Bomer wasn't in a boy band in an early point of his career (er, he wasn't right?).  Not gonna lie--it was surprising, and a bit of a turn on.  He didn't kill this lady's boner, by gum!

*kidding/not kidding

PEOPLE OF COLOR

Along with Jada, there's Danny Glover, Michael Strahan, and an entire scene dedicated to black women enjoying some strippers.  Particularly a nice sequence with Channing.  What I would have given to be one of the featured extras who he danced on.  Or breathed on.  Or looked at.  I think Channing makes me easy, ya'll.

Still, even though they needed a script doctor (I couldn't help but think of Tarantino whenever they would have a long, talk sequence), I didn't feel compelled to fast forward through chunks of film like I did with its predecessor.  This film was solid.  I really need to see it again, and get it on DVD asap.

Ocean's 11 moment

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Jurassic World

Going into this film, I had the idea in my head that the magic from the first film would be impossible to capture [ever again].

And I was right.

But, even though I was totally right, it doesn't mean that this film was bad.  In fact, it was great.  It ended up being like, a movie orgy of "Romancing the Stone" and "Predators" with "Jurassic Park."  Well, I guess that sounds more like a threesome than an orgy.  Anyway, there are throwbacks and direct mentions and odes to the first film, and that is what definitely elevates the film.

Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt make for solid and interesting leads.  There's something pixie-ish and womanly about Bryce, and the camera loves her.  The best part is that she can act.  Chris is rugged and funny, and I can totally see why he was nominated to be [the next] Indiana Jones.  I still no way in hell want there to be a next Indiana [at least not directly--Jr. or a nephew or a neighbor or something, fine], but I can see it.  There chemistry wasn't electric--more on the "meh" side of things, but it was enough to kind of/sort of buy it.

And then, there are the dinosaurs.  And nature.  And there are moments as we the audience view the tours of the park--like kayaking with Brachiosauruses  drinking along the riverbanks, or driving as the...other herbivore dinosaurs [whose name escapes me] run along side the vehicle.  For a moment, I thought, "I want to go to there.  Er, if those were the only animals part of the tour.  Cause duh, trapped on an island with a slew of carnivores who are my size or much, much bigger?  HELLLLLLLL no..."  But yes, it made me briefly lament that Jurassic World (well, parts of it) wasn't real.

And then the musical score--they basically stole the sheets from "Jurassic Park," and played with my nostalgia through my ears.  Manipulative, but effective. 

The characters who you know will die--well, no spoilers but, how they die is a bit more shocking than anticipated... They really go for the kill in this one.

In short, I would totally recommend seeing "Jurassic World."  Three stars and two thumbs up from Fangirl.

The Purge: Anarchy

Going into the pre-screening for this film, my expectations weren't terribly high due to my slight ambivalence over its predecessor.  I didn't really care about any of the characters; actually wanted one or two of the main characters to just die already.

This film, however, turns it all the round.

It feels as if the first film almost didn't exist, or was so terribly irrelevant, it's not worth mentioning anymore.  This film is like... "The Hunger Games" meets "The Following" meets...the dynamic of the survivors in The Walking Dead, while starring a lead that's akin to a Liam Neeson character in basically any action movie he's ever done.  I care about these characters, damn it.  I want to know how (and if) they survive The Purge.

Given how much senseless violence that occurs in this country, a film like "The Purge: Anarchy" doesn't seem entirely far fetched.  Most people lock themselves away, and want no part of it, while a small few take glee in the violence and destruction, quick to crow it's their right, bestowed upon them by their forefathers.  This adds an extra, creepy layer to both the scenario and its violence.

That being said, this movie is not goretastic (that's a made up word, I know)--one of the most chilling deaths, involving lots of machetes, we don't even get to see.  I am thankful for that.  This film shows violence without bashing you over the head with it (no pun intended).

All in all, I'd give it three stars.  Yep.  It's solid, suspenseful, and contains likable (although sometimes really, really, really annoying characters who you so want to be just...backhand slapped one good time in the face) characters.

I anxiously await its sequel.  Or, seeing this one more time.

Maleficent and the Power of Pure Love

Yes, pure love, and not true love.

Note: Very mild spoilers.

Admittedly, I am a HUGE Angelina fan, but I did in fact go into this film as an impartial viewer.  If it had sucked, I would be honest and say that it did, but it did not.

Let's start with the audience--lots of children and their mom's (specifically), with smatterings of adults, mostly women, and a few men.  I saw this in 3D.  This is yet another film where 3D is wholly unnecessary, yet the CGI and fight scenes were great.  The beauty in this film was made of CGI whimsy, and lacked the "I''m in a video game!" feel of "Avatar."  Though the whimsy is short lived, and only present for a fraction of the time.  This film is not only dark in tone, but in design (and with great, valid reason).

This is an origins story, told by a much older Aurora, which gives validity to the tale.  Think of it as an "Ever After" type of fairy tale (with actual fairies).  Maleficent, an orphan, is deemed protector of the Moors where the fairies live due to her abnormally large size.  She meets a young, human boy, and eventually falls in love.  Tale as old as time, right?  Until said boy grows up into a power hungry man, roofies her, and disfigures her in her drug induced slumber, leaving her to walk slowly on a cane for most of the film.

Maleficent becomes bitter and enraged, appointing herself as Queen of the Moors, building her strength, then strikes when her assailant [and former love] is made a King and father.  She gives him the mind-fuck of all time via a curse on his baby girl (not a spoiler).  The results are instantaneous, as he sends the baby away for sixteen years, never visiting her, and never having any other children.  He also abandons his wife for his obsession to destroy Maleficent, and eventually becomes Gary Busey-like in manner.

Jolie is stunning in her fairy prosthetics and devil headgear, and shows us the power of pure love as opposed to (and shown to be fabled) true love, and showing how it can change us and help us grow for the better. Also, props for having a black guy with a speaking role in this film (which is rare for fantasy/period films).

Worth the ten bucks.

 

"Edge of Tomorrow" Movie Review

Note: For those of you who don't like to read, scroll down to check out my sixty-second movie review on YouTube.

Tonight, I was able to attend a pre-screening of Tom Cruise's latest sci-fi action film, "Edge of Tomorrow."

I was actually at San Diego Comic Con, and terribly shocked when Tom Cruise walked on stage to talk on the panel of this film.  Can I just say how much I squeed when he did that, and he looked at me and winked.  Winked!

*feels special*

Anyway, I went into this film a bit skeptically, given my gigantic disappointment with the first two films to kick off the summer sucked balls for me.  No, really.

*Glares at "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"; Squints at "Godzilla"*

"Edge of Tomorrow" brings a butt-load of action, comedy, intrigue, and a smidge of romance to this time traveling flick, which is basically "Groundhog's Day" meets "Independence Day."  I'd classify this film as a sci-fi action thriller, layered with comedy.  It isn't straitlaced, but takes itself seriously at the same time.  I like the reasoning for time-travel here (and we do get a concrete reason).  Everything just works in it.  Everything.  I saw it in 3-D, a medium I'm terribly "meh" on, and even that worked!  I didn't feel like I was looking at a video game or anything.

Now, off with you to the movies!

Well in June.  This film shall be released June 6th.