My Review: Magic Mike (8/10)

¨The law says you cannot touch, but I see a lot of lawbreakers up in this house.¨

To be honest I was feeling pretty uncomfortable watching this film during the first half hour, but once I got immersed in this world and watched where the story was heading I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. The film is directed by Steven Soderbergh, who probably made his best films over a decade ago (Out of Sight, Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and Ocean`s Eleven) although I did enjoy last year`s film: Contagion. Magic Mike is perhaps one of his best movies in the past ten years and thanks mostly to a great leading performance from Channing Tatum and an impressive supporting role from Matthew McConaughey. The script written by Reid Carolin was also quite entertaining, with some very funny moments. The story is loosely based on Tatum`s experience as a male stripper before he became a movie celebrity. He was one of the producers of the film and I think the movie does a good job at exploring this unknown world for the majority of us. He is excellent in this film and really delivers despite not being an actor who receives too much recognition for his work. McConaughey seemed to have a lot of fun with his role here and he could receive a nomination for his supporting performance. Alex Pettyfer also delivers a strong performance as the new kid. The rest of the cast is mostly known for their roles in different television series. I ended up having a fun time with this film and despite the very predictable ending I still recommend it. My only complaint is that I felt the ending was a little rushed and abrupt.

Mike (Channing Tatum) is a male stripper at night, and a construction worker during the day. He`s been in the business for several years and has been saving money to become an entrepreneur although his bad credit history has prevented him from getting loans from the bank. He seems to be living the good life working for Dallas (Matthew McConaughey) at the strip club along with Richie (Joe Manganiello), Ken (Matt Bomer), Tito (Alex Rodriguez), and Tarzan (Kevin Nash). They seem to be doing really good together and business looks good for all. Mike meets a nineteen year old kid named Adam (Alex Pettyfer) at a construction site and decides to invite him to the club. He introduces Adam to the boss and he instantly becomes a hit with the ladies. The Kid (as they call Adam) and Mike get along really well and when Adam`s sister, Brooke (Cody Horn), finds about her little brother stripping she begins to worry. Mike calms her down and guarantees he will look after her brother. The three share a pretty nice relationship, but soon the Kid begins to get into drug problems. Mike`s lifestyle begins to take a toll on him, but Mike really looks after him despite all the partying and girls. Dallas wants to expand the Tampa based show and relocate it in Miami Beach, but the real question is whether or not the boys could adapt and survive in that environment.

I was surprised to find out that Tatum and Pettyfer didn’t get along on set because in the film it felt as if they really shared some chemistry. I also liked the scenes between Tatum and Cody Horn. Their conversations were probably the funniest scenes in the movie and they did have a lot of chemistry together. The rest of the crew didn’t have much screen time other than the choreographed dancing numbers that I found really funny, but I guess most girls enjoyed. The guys in this film really make us feel bad about our bodies because they are totally ripped. The ending is your typical Hollywood ending, but I still enjoyed the film for all the other issues it tried to explore. I really respect Tatum. I thought he was hilarious in 21 Jump Street and proved he can star in more than chick flicks. We all know what McConaughey is capable of and he proves it once again here in Magic Mike shinning in every scene he was in. He was excellent in his role in this year`s Bernie as well. Magic Mike may not have an original ending, but it is a good film that will entertain you and leave a smile on your face.

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My Review: In Time (7/10)

¨For a few immortals to live, many people must die. ¨

In Time is the latest Andrew Niccol sci-fi futuristic flick where people are genetically developed to grow until they`re 25. People don`t age more than that, but the downside is that they are only guaranteed one more year of life. Once they turn 25 a clock starts ticking on their arm with a glowing neon light counting down the days. Time has also become the new currency as people work and are paid with time, and they also buy products with their time (bus ticket fares cost two dollars for example). The premise is a very interesting one as we see rich people living practically immortal lives as they continue to buy and buy more time. They don`t age so  they can be over a hundred years old and still look like a 25 year old. In one scene we are introduced to one of the character`s family and we see his mother, wife, and daughter all lined up looking like they were all recent college graduate friends. On the other hand it has become increasingly difficult for the poor to live past 26 since the cost of life exceeds their earnings so the people in the ghettos don’t have much life expectancy. That is precisely how the rich want things to balance out because according to them ¨for a few immortals to live, many people must die.¨ Niccol, who also directed the 1997 sci-fi film Gattaca (a much stronger film than this one) and wrote the screenplay for the critically acclaimed The Truman Show, perhaps has made one of his weakest films, but it never fails to entertain nevertheless with its engaging premise. Yes, there are many plot holes and if you dig in too deep some things might not make sense, but nonetheless I had a great time playing along with the premise and receiving the clear social message Niccol`s was trying to lay out.  

Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) has been 25 for three years now managing to survive in the ghetto at a day to day basis along with his mother Rachel (played by the hot Olivia Wilde) who should be fifty, but looks like his girlfriend. Will`s life changes when he runs into Henry Hamilton (Matt Bomer), a very wealthy man who apparently has arrived in the wrong neighborhood. Will saves Henry from a group of time thieves led by Fortis (Alex Pettyfer), but he didn`t really want to be saved. Henry tells Will that he is tired of living and that men were never meant to be immortal; his body might be 25 but his mind is old and weary. He gives away his time to Will (over a century) and commits suicide, not before telling Will to use his time wisely. Once Henry is found dead, the police (known as timekeepers) begin to investigate the alleged murder and Will becomes their prime suspect. Raymond Leon (Cillian Murphy) begins to pursue Will who has now traveled to the best neighborhood (called time zones), New Greenwich. Will doesn`t understand how the time keepers are so interested in investigating a suicide when there are hundreds of deaths everyday in the ghetto that they simply decide to ignore. That is when Will discovers that there is something wrong with the system and it`s time to balance things out. He meets a millionaire banker named Phillip Weis (Vincent Kartheiser) and ends up kidnapping his daughter, Sylvia (Amanda Seyfried), in order to escape from the timekeepers.

From this point on the sci-fi flick begins to take a classic Robin Hood-ish turn as Will begins to steal time from the rich and give it to the poor. The action becomes non-stop, although predictable, but it doesn`t mean it becomes less interesting. I really was entertained with this movie and really enjoyed the premise although I recognize its many flaws and see why many people didn`t like it. The futuristic look of the film is also worth a watch considering that Roger Deakins (the best in his field) was in charge of the cinematography and it`s very stylish. The lead performances from Timberlake and Seyfried weren`t among my favorite; I think the best performance comes from Cillian Murphy who is great in his relentless pursuit of the fugitives. He is not the typical villain we see in most action films. The rest of the cast really doesn`t get enough time to show off their talents as they get little screen time. Once the premise is set the movie loses some of its groove, but I was still entertained and had a decent time. This might rank among Niccol`s worst projects, but it still is a fine good movie; although probably not worth watching again.

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