The Dark Summer Cinema Rises

MAGIC MIKE

COMEDY/DRAMA

                When you think of strippers it is usually about women but not the case with this film.  If the movie was like the trailer it would have been great.  The story is about Mike (Channing Tatum, Dear John, GI Joe) an aging exotic male dancer who wants to do more than strip.  He takes an aimless young man under his wing Adam (Alex Pettyer I am Number Four, In Time) under his wing and his sister Brooke (Cody Horn) has a problem with her brother’s new life style. Mike likes her probably she sees him as a real human being, not a sex object. She wasn’t that good and neither was Olivia Munn as a woman who treated him as a booty call.

I usually want a lot of drama but because it is summer and the subject matter I wanted much man flesh, sleaziness a dash of romance and happy ending.  It happens but not the way I liked. Mostly white guys take off their clothes no black dancers and one Latino. Ex-wrestler Kevin Nash is one of the strippers but I don’t know why!! This is a chick flick because no straight man would see it.  It is a girl night out movie and will do even better on video so you can repeat!!

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

ACTION/DRAMA

                First, don’t let the tragedy in Aurora Colorado stop you from going to see the best superhero film of the year!! Eight years Batman (Christian Bale) stopped being the Dark Knight until the terrorist Bane (Tom Hardy) and Selina (Anne Hathaway) come to Gotham.  The plot is more complex than that but the movie is amazing!!  The writing, acting and directing is wonderful.

Anne Hathaway is surprisingly good as Selina, a cat burglar.  She has come a long way from Princess Diaries. The picture is played very seriously and so realistic it’s depressing!!  The film is two hours and forty-five minutes along with trailers so empty your bladder before going.  My only complaint is Bane didn’t sound like Sean Connery and Darth Vader and look like Tom Brady.  Bane is LATINO!!!  A Latino actor could have become an overnight sensation in this blockbuster!!

SAVAGES

CRIME DRAMA

                I don’t know why they placed this movie in the summer.  It is a very adult, very violent story about the best pot producers Chon (Taylor Kitsch John Carter, Battleship) and Aaron Johnson and they share Ophelia (Blake Lively).  Their world crumbles as a Mexican cartel led by Elena (Salma Hayek) kidnaps Ophelia for them to comply.  The film should have been called Anti-Heroes for no one really is the good guy or gal. 

The most complex character is Elena.  She deserves a prequel to find out about how she became the head of a cartel –not by choice.  Lado (Benicio Del Toro) Elena’s enforcer is crazed, corrupt and frightening fascinating.  All the actors did the movie to work with Oliver Stone, the guy who directed Scarface with Al Pacino.  It will do better on video.