Monthly Archives: November 2015

2015 Films, Adam Rodriguez, Amber Heard, Andie MacDowell, Channing Tatum, Comedy, Donald Glover, Drama, Elizabeth Banks, Gregory Jacobs, Jada Pinkett Smith, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Lowest Rated Films, Matt Bomer, Michael Strahan

Magic Mike XXL-2015

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Magic Mike XXL-2015

Director Gregory Jacobs

Starring Channing Tatum, Amber Heard 

Scott’s Review #290

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Reviewed November 27, 2015

Grade: F

Magic Mike XXL might be the worst film of 2015.

In the follow-up to 2012’s Magic Mike (a predictable yet decent flick), this version has neither novelty nor the basic storyline that the original contained.

Instead, audiences are treated to a lame mess of nonsense, lack of a story that makes sense or is realistic, plot holes galore, and, to nitpick a bit given the subject matter at hand, scarcely any skin!

A road trip kind of movie, I can’t quite decide if the film was targeting frat guys looking for a buddy movie or teen girls and soccer moms looking for escapism.

Even in a less-than-adequate film, I always try to find something positive to mention, whether the characters, the story, or the cinematic elements, I cannot find any redeeming value to Magic Mike XXL.

Fortunately, Matthew McConaughey had the good sense not to sign on to appear in this drivel. The same is not the case with Channing Tatum as he is the star of this installment.

Poor guy. I hope the paycheck was worth it.

The premise is as follows: Mike (Tatum), who is out of the stripper business and now runs a furniture business, receives a call that his former boss is “gone”. Mistaking this to mean he has died, Mike returns to Florida to see his old buddies, who convince him to join a stripper convention in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to end their careers on a high note.

While on the road en route to the convention, problems, secrets, and past faces resurface to add to the drama.

Mike’s love interest from the first film is barely mentioned and dismissed in a weak story-dictated explanation. This is an attempt for Mike to have a new love interest in the character of Zoe, a photographer headed to New York, played by Amber Heard.

The film is messy from start to finish, but here are highlights (or low-lights). The silliness in conflict over coming up with a new routine fails miserably.

The character of Richie (Joe Manganiello) slinks into a convenience store and razzle dazzles a brooding cashier, making her burst with delight because she thinks he is dancing for her.

This scene is completely juvenile, watered down,  and unrealistic.

The stereotypes flow from Magic Mike XXL. En route to Myrtle Beach, the fellas make two stops that are the most ridiculous parts of the film and feature name actresses in silly roles.

When their van breaks down after an accident, a plot-driven way to allow the group to be sans vehicle,  Mike looks up an ex named Rome (a severely miscast and unappealing Jada Pinkett Smith), who runs a weird male stripper house for bachelorette’s in the middle of nowhere.

After a lame strip scene (PG-rated at best) to impress Rome, the boys are on their way again.

What was the point of introducing Rome to the story at all? And there is zero chemistry between Tatum and Smith. It seems like complete filler and the dancing scene is endless.

As if the film wasn’t bad enough already, one of the dancers looks up his love interest and the group winds up at her mother’s house.

Andie MacDowell plays a boozy fifty-something, sophisticate who is the mother of Nancy. With her group of cougar friends in tow, they flirt with the boys conjuring up every negative female stereotype imaginable.

The women are misunderstood by their husbands and feel needy and desperate.

And of course, they are all horny and drooling over the guys.

And what is with the lack of nudity or much skin? Is Magic Mike XXL not a stripper film?  Besides  Manganiello’s bare bum in one brief pool scene, there is nothing else and barely any stripping going on.

This truly makes the film weak.

Magic Mike XXL is a complete dud and I hope against hope that there will not be a third installment. If the target audience is giggly teen girls, the horrific bad writing does not say much for society these days.

2015 Films, Aaron Sorkin, Biography, Danny Boyle, Drama, Jeff Daniels, Kate Winslet, Katherine Waterston, Michael Fassbender, Michael Stuhlbarg, Sarah Snook, Seth Rogen

Steve Jobs-2015

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Steve Jobs-2015

Director Danny Boyle

Starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet

Scott’s Review #288

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Reviewed November 25, 2015

Grade: B+

Steve Jobs is a name that almost everyone has heard of. Most associate him with Apple products or at least know that he is some technological genius who has influenced the modern world in some fashion.

His name is a household one.

The film Steve Jobs (2015) presents a slice of his life, mostly focusing on his professional leap to success, his damaged personal life, and his inability to stay close to people within his circle.

Michael Fassbender plays the title role. He looks nothing like Steve Jobs, but this did not bother me.

It is quickly revealed that Steve Jobs is a competitive, cut-throat, and sometimes unkind man. He is driven, ambitious, and willing to do what it takes to succeed in business. He is also complex and as the film rolls along we witness the complexities of this man, arguably deemed a “genius”.

But where he has flaws is in his personal life as the film makes abundantly clear.

Kate Winslet is excellent in the supporting role she plays. Joanna Hoffman, Jobs’s loyal marketing executive, stays in his corner through the years, enduring ups and downs, yet their relationship never goes beyond the platonic. They are colleagues and both are absorbed in their creations.

Her character is a bit under-explored as we never are exposed to much of her personal life. Winslet in a rare “dowdy” role, makes the most of Joanna as she is the type of woman who throws herself into her work at the expense of her private life.

The film is primarily set during the three important software launches and, predictably, all are filled with issues and stress.

The bulk of the first act occurs in 1984 when Jobs and Hoffman struggle and fret during an Apple Macintosh launch in front of an auditorium filled with industry types eager to see the new technology.

The scene is tense as the new computer will not say “hello” as advertised and Jobs demands lead engineer, Andy Hertzfeld, fix it.  The scene escalates in its intensity.

We immediately bear witness to the fact that Steve Jobs is a shark. He is demanding and unlikable and the film is not afraid to stress that fact as the action continues.

We are next introduced to Jobs’s personal life. A beautiful young woman arrives at his office with a young girl. They are both on the brink of being destitute and thrown out of their home, yet Jobs refuses to help them and coldly calculates the probability that the young girl (Lisa) is biologically not his.

As the film chugs along Steve Jobs has a turbulent relationship with Lisa as the film spans the period from 1984-1998.

The film is a character study of sorts and we learn the complexities of Jobs. Fassbender gives a nuanced performance allowing the audience to absorb these character traits and ultimately feel emotional sympathy for him.

I admire this character study of Steve Jobs and feel that I know him quite a bit more, on a human level, than I once did.

Perhaps the supporting characters might have been fleshed out a bit more, but in large part, Michael Fassbender’s portrayal of a real-life person makes this film successful.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actor-Michael Fassbender, Best Supporting Actress-Kate Winslet

2015 Films, Abbey Lee, Action, Australian, Charlize Theron, George Miller, International, Riley Keough, Tom Hardy, Zoë Kravitz

Mad Max: Fury Road-2015

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Mad Max: Fury Road-2015

Director George Miller

Starring Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron

Scott’s Review #287

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Reviewed November 20, 2015

Grade: C-

Having almost nothing to do with the original (and far superior) 1979 version of Mad Max, the 2015 Mad Max, sub-titled Fury Road (presumably for the endless car chases across the desert), looks great from a visual perspective.

The charisma of Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron is appealing, the story is non-existent and the film grows tedious after the initial admiration I first felt for the camera work and the dream-like vision the film possesses.

Initially, and admittedly, I was quite impressed with the film- a dreamlike, glossy look makes it a fantasy that one can escape into.

However, after some time, I began growing tired of the visuals, viewing it as a somewhat video game, instead of noticing the lack of story, which glared.

Sure, the thinly laid plot-line involved a rebel, Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy), escaping the War Boys, where he has been kept as a blood donor against his will, joined by Furiosa (Charlize Theron) and a group of young, beautiful females escaping a life of breeding.

The group joins forces to allude, Immortan Joe, who chases them throughout the barren desert as they strive to reach safety in the beautiful “Green Place”, a land of prosperity that Furiosa remembers from childhood.

But this synopsis is similar to countless other action or adventure tales that have come and gone without distinction.

Again, compared to the original, I was expecting more from Mad Max: Fury Road and did not receive it.

The story fails because there is no rooting value. Since the film is a fantasy, per se, I did not find much investment in the characters getting to the “Green Place”.

The sweltering heat of the post-apocalyptic desert gives the film a roasting, tense look, and the action is almost non-stop.

Cartoon-like characters come and go, writhing on tops of cars or simply looking sinister with sneers and evil smirks, adding little to the story. Who are they? What is their purpose other than to look menacing?

I did admire the character of Furiosa. With a buzz-cut and a bad-ass swagger, the character is no-nonsense and in control throughout the film.

Certainly an inspirational female character, she adds zest to the film, which, on the surface, seems male-dominated. A female who can inspire and impress in this day and age is reasoning enough to mention.

Inexplicably, the reviews for Mad Max: Fury Road were positive and I do not get that. My overall perspective disagrees with these findings. I do not mean to imply that the film is “run of the mill” in an overall critique. It’s not.

There are fits and starts of creativity, as the glossy look of the film is admittedly a treat and a spectacle, but, alas, without a compelling story, this only goes so far before it begins to wear thin as an overall production.

Little chemistry or much dialogue between Hardy and Theron exists. Both are top-notch talents in their own right. Rather, grunts and facial expressions run rampant between the pair.

If the film was going for any sexual connection between the two, especially given the hot, steamy desert atmosphere, this intention fell flat as I noticed none.

To admire visually, the latest Mad Max (2015) may be worth a glimmer, but as a film that contains the entire package, this one is not worth its salt.

Oscar Nominations: 6 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-George Miller, Best Sound Editing (won), Best Sound Mixing (won), Best Production Design (won), Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Hairstyling (won), Best Costume Design (won), Best Film Editing (won), Best Visual Effects

2001 Films, Ben Kingsley, British, Comedy, Crime Drama, Dark Comedy, Drama, Ian McShane, Independent, Jonathan Glazer, Mob, Ray Winstone

Sexy Beast-2001

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Sexy Beast-2001

Director Jonathan Glazer

Starring Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley

Scott’s Review #286

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Reviewed November 13, 2015

Grade: B+

Sexy Beast is an interesting little indie gem that has garnered quite a cult following, deservedly so,  since the year of its release- 2001 and that I have recently viewed for the first time.

In large part, the film belongs to Ben Kingsley as he gives a bravura, and frightening,  performance as a crime lord attempting to convince a retired hitman, now sworn to the straight and narrow, to resurrect his career for one last heist.

The other principal characters are wonderful in their own right, as the film successfully mixes elements of Quentin Tarantino with Ocean’s Eleven- bank heist meets quirkiness, with smart and witty dialogue sprinkled in.

Gary Dove is happily retired and living a life of contentment with his ex-porn star wife, Deedee, and best friends Aitch and Jackie.  Having all been involved in “the biz”, they are long since removed from their respective careers. They now enjoy evening parties of wine and martinis, and days relaxing by the pool in their Spanish villas.

One day, a former criminal associate, Don Logan (Kingsley), who is also a sociopath, arrives to disrupt their peaceful lives and coordinate a bank heist in London, in hopes of luring Gary into the game once again.

As Gary and company nervously decide to decline Don Logan’s offer to participate in his sinister plan, a wonderful and important scene occurs early in the film. The quartet sits around the dinner table at a swanky Spanish restaurant anticipating a scrumptious meal.

Jackie reveals the news that Don has contacted her and the tone of the scene immediately changes to one of dread. All of them both fear and despise Logan.

They agonize over this sudden disruption to their lives and we, the audience, fear Don Logan before he ever appears on-screen. What fantastic story-telling.

Kingsley portrays a menacing character and brilliantly so. The character contains frightening brutality bubbling beneath his normally calm demeanor, which makes the viewer shudder when he appears on-screen.

Lest we forget, Ian McShane also gives a nuanced performance as Teddy Bass, Logan’s right-hand man, and wise businessman.

The cat and mouse scene towards the end as Teddy and Gary have an important discussion in a car is both chilling and important to the plot of the film. As Teddy slowly figured out certain events I was left intensely anticipating his reactions.

The film introduces an intriguing sub-plot involving Don’s long-ago fling with Jackie and subsequent love for her which adds layers to the plot and the dynamic and tension between Don and Gary.

Upon finishing the film, I loved the effect of foreshadowing that the film contains. I found myself rewinding the events in my mind, pleasurably so.  From the pool to the young Hispanic kid to the thunderous boulder- all of these elements were crucial to the conclusion and fit like a puzzle.

A dark comedy of sorts, I chuckled after the film as the final reveal involving a double-heart insignia and a pool that gives comeuppance to the villain and pleases the viewer.

Having alluded to viewing Sexy Beast (2001) over the years, I am glad that I finally found the time to witness a darkly comical gem that, admittedly, may take repeated viewings to absorb and therefore fully “get”, and I look forward to doing just that.

Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actor-Ben Kingsley

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Foreign Film

1942 Films, Alan Ladd, Crime Drama, Drama, Film noir, Frank Tuttle, Robert Preston, Veronica Lake

This Gun For Hire-1942

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This Gun For Hire-1942

Director Frank Tuttle

Starring Veronica Lake, Robert Preston, Alan Ladd

Scott’s Review #285

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Reviewed November 3, 2015

Grade: B

This Gun for Hire (1942) is an early film noir that influenced later films of a similar genre. Starring marque headliners of their day, Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake, this film is a surprisingly violent experience for its period.

Shot in black and white, the film is wonderfully lit, adding style and substance.

The film begins with a bang, as hitman Philip Raven (Ladd) murders a chemist and blackmailer in exchange for a hefty amount of loot.

His wealthy boss double-crosses him and reports him to the Los Angeles Police Department. Detective Michael Crane, aided by his sexy girlfriend and nightclub singer Ellen Graham (Lake), takes the case.

The tangled love affair between Ellen and Raven, the film’s main draw, adds a wrench to the story.

I love this film’s black-and-white shooting, as many were in 1942. This enhances the tone because it is of the crime/hitman variety.

The chemistry between Lake and Ladd smolders, and Lake is great as a femme fatale with long blonde locks and a sultry pout.

She inspires the character conceived for L.A. Confidential in 1997, as Kim Basinger portrays a Veronica Lake look-alike. Ladd is doubly brooding as the hitman with a damaged childhood and ultimately sympathetic personality.

The setting of San Francisco and L.A. is wonderfully perfect and adds depth as the warm and sunny locales are mixed in with murder, corruption, and shenanigans. Who wouldn’t make comparisons to Chinatown (1974)??

A flaw I found in the film and which I found it difficult to buy into is the implausibility of Ellen falling in love with Raven as he tries to murder her-unsuccessfully so. This point seems plot-driven and a way to incorporate a mainstream love story amid the thrilling film noir.

Indeed, she would find satisfaction in a romantic sense with her detective boyfriend since the duo has no conspicuous problems. The love between her and Raven is all the more inexplicable. Still- sparks do indeed fly on-screen.

An action-packed crime affair, This Gun for Hire (1942) laid a crisp blueprint for film noir, hitmen, and action-type films for decades to come, and I admire it for this reason.