Tag Archives: Channing Tatum

2015 Films, Thriller, Top 250 Films, Western, Winter

The Hateful Eight-2015

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The Hateful Eight-2015

Director Quentin Tarantino

Starring Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson

Top 250 Films #172

Scott’s Review #319

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Reviewed January 3, 2016

Grade: A

Quentin Tarantino does it again!

The modern equivalent of Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch, or any of the great directors, his films are an experience to be reveled in.

The viewer is taken to another world and experiences a great fantasy.

This time he dives into western territory with The Hateful Eight (2015), a brutal tale of eight strangers holed up in a shelter during a Wyoming blizzard shortly after the Civil War.

The film delivers blood, unique characters, and brilliant writing.

We are introduced to Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) and John “The Hangman” (Kurt Russell) early on, as Marquis hitches a ride on John’s stagecoach.

They are bounty hunters heading to Red Rock to deliver their prisoners and collect a large loot. Marquis has three dead bodies, but John has captured brutal female criminal Daisy Domergue, played wonderfully by Jennifer Jason Leigh, alive and well.

The group then picks up the new Red Rock sheriff, Chris Mannix, who is headed there to take the job.

Everyone is in a panic to reach safety before a vicious blizzard hits, and the group comes to a shelter where they meet the other film principals, Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), Oswaldo (Tim Roth), Marco the Mexican (Demian Bichir), and General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern).

These eight make up “The Hateful Eight” in the title.

The setting could not be better. The cold, wintry blizzard and the grand mountains of the West are authentic. However, most of the film is set inside Minnie’s Haberdashery, an inn where the eight (and some others) spend most of the film.

I found the setting tremendously effective: the howling wind, the driving snow through the windows, the glowing warmth of the lighting, and the hot, steaming, soothing stew and coffee that they eat and drink, ingeniously featured throughout the film.

These hot and cold elements contrast so well.

Shot on 70 mm film for a widescreen, epic look, the film succeeds in the snowy outdoor scenes, though I am not sure I would notice this camera style without it being touted at release.

The characters bristle with authenticity and engagement, and each one is interesting in their own right- even the secondary characters.

My favorites are John “The Hangman”, Daisy, Marquis, and Sandy Smithers. John is probably the most likable character of the bunch and Kurt Russell (almost unrecognizable under the thick beard), gives the character charm and wit.

As the story unfolds, each character is mysterious, and their motives unclear, which makes the film fun. Are some in secret cahoots with others? When someone poisons the coffee, a whodunit erupts.

This is the beauty- the characters’ motivations slowly come into play, and a slow reveal occurs.

The gore/violence is fantastic. Without revealing too much, there are many deaths, and the film is non-linear, with the middle portion of the story occurring before the first section.

To keep things organized, Tarantino divides it into chapters, and over three hours long, the film is a monster.

I like how Tarantino features an interracial relationship (black inn owner Minnie and her white husband).

Favorite scenes include the vomiting blood sequence and the brutal scene of the severing of a character’s arm.  There is also the scene of Marquis dragging a victimized, naked soldier through the snow that is intense and shocking, involving brutal sodomy.

As with all of Tarantino’s films, the characters are cartoonish and not to be taken completely seriously, and the violence will undoubtedly offend some, but that is the beauty of his films.

This is a masterful work by a masterful modern director.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Supporting Actress-Jennifer Jason Leigh, Best Original Score (won), Best Cinematography

2023 Films, Comedy, Drama

Magic Mike’s Last Dance-2023

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Magic Mike’s Last Dance-2023

Director Steven Soderbergh

Starring Channing Tatum, Salma Hayek

Scott’s Review #1,415

Reviewed January 14, 2024

Grade: C-

Magic Mike’s Last Dance (2023) is the third and final installment in the Magic Mike trilogy, following the successful Magic Mike (2012) and the dismal Magic Mike XXL (2015).

Billed as ‘The Final Tease’ the sub-title of the last release is rather appropriate since there is nary a bare bum to be found much less any other nudity. Since the film is about the male stripper industry there is laughingly more female flesh than male.

While there are a couple of titillating sequences containing thrusting and gyrating the tone is watered down and extremely safe. Nothing warrants the R-rating that Magic Mike’s Last Dance received.

After my horrific review of Magic Mike XXL in which I awarded it a solid ‘F’ I will keep my manners in check and be mindful that Magic Mike’s Last Dance is intended to entertain on a late night.

I have rated it a generous ‘C-‘.

The film is pretty bad with no character development whatsoever, poorly written dialogue, and little chemistry between stars Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek. Mike is the only likable principal character in the bunch.

I’m very surprised that respected director Steven Soderbergh who received an Oscar nomination in 2000 for the terrific Traffic would have anything to do with this film.

His style is unnoticeable except for a setting of wealth and a brief and mediocre mention of capitalism and the rich manipulating the poor which the director sometimes includes in his films.

“Magic” Mike Lane (Tatum) has suffered a bad business deal that has left him bartending at parties in Florida. He meets a rich businesswoman, Max, played by Salma Hayek, who pays him for one of his legendary dances.

Smitten, Max immediately offers him a job directing a show at a famous theatre in London.  The show will include a smoldering feast of hot new dancers that Mike will choreograph.

The storyline, admittedly secondary in this type of film, has so many holes I wouldn’t know where to start, but the weakest point is expecting the audience to buy Mike and Max as having fallen in love after one dance.

Romance is a hard-swallow made worse by Max’s demanding personality and insecurities over her ex-husband. She’s a bit of a tyrant made more noticeable by Mike’s even-keeled nature.

While not worldly, Mike is kind and I desired to see him paired with nearly any other character other than Max.

Tatum is a much better actor than most assume based on his pinup beefcake good looks. Has anyone seen him in Foxcatcher (2015)? Sadly, the actor is given weak material to work with that does nothing to challenge him.

Furthermore, we are cheated and only see him twice in his underwear. Some stripper.

Supporting characters like Max’s brooding daughter, Zadie, and opinionated manservant, Victor, are stock and given uneven dialogue to work with. They are presumably added for comic moments that never come.

To be fair, the film is set in London in addition to Miami, and a few decent exterior shots of both locales are added which helps the film.

A ridiculous Zoom call cameo sequence meant to include Mike’s ‘bros’ from the other films (Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez, and Joe Manganiello) is a treat but has an ill-effect since that’s all we get from the handsome fellas.

Magic Mike’s Last Dance would have been saved if a scantily clad reunion dance had commenced with the ‘bros’ but sadly none was to be found.

The first film, Magic Mike (2012) is the only one of the three worth spending any time on. Pure juicy entertainment mixed with polished machismo is what was offered and Magic Mike’s Last Dance (2023) loses the ‘magic’ and instead offers a shriveled pickle of what used to be a commanding phallic symbol.

2012 Films, Comedy, Drama, Independent Comedy, Independent Drama

Magic Mike-2012

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Magic Mike-2012

Director Steven Soderbergh

Starring Channing Tatum

Scott’s Review #1,302

Reviewed September 28, 2022

Grade: B

In 2012, Channing Tatum was a major Hollywood star.

He was cast in starring roles that focused on his looks but also let him show sensitivity and even some acting chops.

Magic Mike (2012) takes Tatum’s beefcake body and turns his title character into a likable hero. He is not just brawn; he has intelligence and a worldly quality that is sometimes lacking in comedic roles.

Unfortunately, the screenplay isn’t well developed, and we get only a glimpse of what Tatum, the good actor, could do. Fortunately, two years later he would play his best role to date in Foxcatcher (2014).

Magic Mike teeters a tad too soft for my liking and gives the stripper world a glossy, lightweight haze.

Given the subject matter and the director, Steven Soderbergh, the film could have gone much darker as Boogie Nights did with the porn industry in the late 1990s.

Still, Tatum is a star and boogies and shakes his muscular body enough to warrant the price of admission.

Matthew McConaughey is also appealing and shockingly plays against type as an older and wiser former stripper, now the manager of club Xquisite.

By day, Mike (Tatum) works as a struggling employee doing odd jobs-handyman, car detailing, or designing furniture. But when the sun goes down and the hot spotlight comes on, Mike is the star attraction in an all-male revue.

Mike mentors a nineteen-year-old named the Kid (Alex Pettyfer) and teaches him the tricks of the trade. However, Mike’s blossoming romance with the Kid’s sister Joanna (Olivia Munn) is threatened when the drama begins.

Most viewers are not going to see a film like Magic Mike for the dramatic bits or any other measure of story. We’re not talking about The Conversation (1974), Chinatown (1974), or other heady, smartly written dialogue.

That’s a relief because the plot is banal. Who cares if Mike and the Kid are at odds or if Mike and Joanna break up, make up, or launch a mission to the moon?

No, the recipe of the day is flesh, and there is plenty of it. Nobody goes full Monty or anything, but between Tatum, McConaughey, Matt Bomer, and Joe Manganiello, who plays a character aptly named Big Dick Richie, the audience will be left aflutter and quite satisfied.

Soderbergh, an impressive director, knows this, and the best sequences occur on the stage.

There is music, lights, and razzle-dazzle, as the troupe dance and strip with gusto. With each tie or vest shed amid a shimmering dance routine, pulsating energy makes the sequences appealing.

As showy as these numbers are, and there are plenty of them, I longed for some down-and-dirty drug use or ‘gay for pay’ situations, but Soderbergh doesn’t dare copy Boogie Nights with any seriousness.

He intends to entertain, and he does.

I wanted more darkness and more investment in the characters. We know little about the supporting characters except for McConaughey’s Dallas, who sadly will never leave the industry.

In the end, I was okay with the stories being secondary. This one has plenty of buff dudes taking their shirts off, and more, for the camera.

And who doesn’t like that?

Magic Mike (2012) was followed by the disastrous and stupid Magic Mike XL (2015), which makes the former seem like a masterpiece.

2012 Films, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Guy Films, Screwball Comedy

21 Jump Street-2012

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21 Jump Street-2012

Directors Phil Lord, Chris Miller

Starring Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill

Scott’s Review #992

Reviewed February 20, 2020

Grade: C+

21 Jump Street (2012) is a nostalgic ode to the general style of the 1980s, more specifically a popular television series that ran from 1987 to 1991.

The teen police drama launched actor Johnny Depp’s successful career.

He starred as the good-looking leader of a team of young police officers who can pass for high school students and infiltrate potential drug rings, prostitution circles, or other such shenanigans.

The film is hardly high art or cinematic genius. The gags are silly and trite, other times not funny at all.

But the film has a freshness that feels cool, sleek, and fun, with a throwback to a decade of materialism, and it never apologizes for it.

The chemistry between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum turns a standard buddy film into something bearable to watch.

The film is formulaic, but not dull.

The filmmakers aim for an action-comedy hybrid, even though the series was mostly conventional drama and taught a lesson in each episode. They also change course and focus on two characters instead of a group, making it more of a guy movie.

Honor roll student Morton Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and popular, underachieving jock Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum) reunite seven years after graduating high school at the police academy, where they are studying to be cops.

Eager to leave their juvenile problems and their dislike for each other behind, they use their youthful appearances to go undercover at a local high school as part of a Jump Street unit.

As they trade in their guns and badges for books and bagged lunches, Schmidt and Jenko risk their lives to investigate a violent and dangerous drug ring.

They slowly realize that high school is nothing as they left it just a few years earlier, and they revisit the terror and anxiety of being a teenager again and all the issues they assumed they had left behind.

The film is mediocre; nothing is wrong with it, but nothing is outstanding either. As the setup suggests, Morton and Greg are opposites in every way and must come together to achieve a common goal.

This is a standard cliché told countless times in films such as Stir Crazy (1983) and 48 Hours (1982), and the reference is from the 1980s.

Speaking of the decade of excess, 21 Jump Street achieves what it sets out to do in this regard with a clever nod to a revived scheme from that decade.

Set in present times, the film is nonetheless a nod to teen films of the day.

Wild comedy and lavish adventures are in order in every high school situation imaginable. Dating, AP chemistry class, and the senior prom are heavily promoted so that any viewer above the age of twenty-five can reminisce.

A fun and necessary quality is the inclusion of a few of the original cast of the television series-Holly Robinson Peete, Peter DeLuise, and Johnny Depp all appear in cameo roles.

This is a treat for fans of the original series and a tribute to its creation, though nothing else is utilized very well, and no other history ever quite measures up.

Robinson Peete’s role is nice because she appears as a police officer.

While it does little to honor the television series it is based on, and instead churns out more of a male-cop film, the incorporation of the original cast deserves praise.

The lead actors are charismatic and clever in their roles, which saves the film from being a disaster.

21 Jump Street (2012) veers too far into slapstick instead of sending an important message to its audience, which it could have.

The box-office hit was followed in 2014 by an unnecessary remake, aptly entitled 22 Jump Street.

2016 Films, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Satire

Hail, Caesar!-2016

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Hail, Caesar! -2016

Director Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Starring George Clooney, Channing Tatum

Scott’s Review #377

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Reviewed February 16, 2016

Grade: B+

Hail, Caesar! (2016) is a quirky film created and directed by the Coen Brothers, who are known for offbeat films such as Fargo (1996), No Country for Old Men (2007), and Raising Arizona (1987).

Hail, Caesar is a satirical comedy about the Hollywood film industry during the post-World War II period of the 1950s.

The film features a bevy of current Hollywood talent, including George Clooney, Channing Tatum, Josh Brolin, and Scarlett Johannsen, including singing, dancing, and scandalous matters.

All give fine performances and add humor and wit to the film.

The plot centers on the character of Eddie Mannix (Brolin), a celebrity “fixer” and real-life person who works as an executive for Capitol Pictures and whose primary responsibility is to ensure that famous Hollywood stars remain out of trouble.

The period is 1951, a particularly scandalous time in pictures. One of the biggest stars of the time, Baird Whitlock (Clooney), is suddenly kidnapped and held for ransom while completing a big epic film for the studio.

Mannix must race to keep the crisis out of the news and safely get Whitlock back.

Indeed, there are interesting subplots, including handsome yet talent-less Western actor Hobie Doyle, hired by the studio to appear in a sweeping period piece directed by suave Laurence Laurentz (Ralph Fiennes), and DeeAnna Moran (Johannsen), unmarried and with a “bun in the oven,” determined to keep herself out of the tabloids.

I loved the look of the film, as numerous films occur within it. The 1950s set pieces and designs are exquisite, particularly the period piece set, lavishly designed with classic doors, a staircase, flowers, and a cast dressed to the nines.

It brings back an extravagant time.

The film is a satire, to be sure. Still, it also addresses the serious subject of communism (especially for that period), Russia, and Russian defectors, all involved in a plot to prove a valuable point.

Despite the film being a comedy, this is worth serious consideration. Many Hollywood writers make money for the studios and are rewarded with underwhelming salaries.

The same holds true in Hollywood today.

This point can spill over into other walks of life as well, and the point of the “little man gets screwed” is explored. Communism is also explored throughout the film as the central message- an important message that resonates.

Another interesting tidbit that Hail, Caesar!Mentionss, though only on the surface, is the burgeoning onslaught of television programming.

Suddenly, an increasing number of people were purchasing TVs and avoiding the glamour of films, opting instead for the comfort of their couches.

What a different time it was!

An intriguing, favorite character of mine belongs to Channing Tatum’s portrayal of Burt Gurney, a Gene Kelly-like character famous for singing and dancing numbers. A sizzling sailor dance gives edge and sexuality to the film.

A revealing scandal involving Burt and Laurence is fantastic and delicious.

My favorite scene belongs to Frances McDormand, who shamefully only appears in one scene- quite memorable. As film editor C.C. Calhoun, she diligently shows Mannix film dailies in the hopes of discovering a clue in the disappearance of Whitlock. When her scarf gets caught in the projector, hilarity and grotesqueness ensue.

It is a classic Coen Brothers comedy.

Hail Caesar! (2016) succeeds as a witty, comical throwback to a wonderful time in film history, with a political edge that historians will appreciate and Coen Brothers fans will relish.

Perhaps not their most creative or memorable, but enjoyable all the same.

Oscar Nominations: Best Production Design

2015 Films, Comedy, Drama

Magic Mike XXL-2015

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Magic Mike XXL-2015

Director Gregory Jacobs

Starring Channing Tatum

Scott’s Review #290

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Reviewed November 27, 2015

Grade: F

Magic Mike XXL might be the worst film of 2015.

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

Instead, audiences are treated to a lame mess of nonsense, a 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 whether 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 in 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), out of the stripper business and now running a furniture business, gets 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.

On the road to the convention, problems, secrets, and past faces resurface and 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 to give Mike a new love interest in 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 the 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 device that leaves the group without a 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 parties 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 spots his love interest, and the group ends up at her mother’s house.

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

Their husbands misunderstand them, and they 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, there will not be a third installment.

If the target audience is giggly teen girls, the horrific bad writing says little about society these days.

2014 Films, Adventure, Animated, Comedy, Kids

The Lego Movie-2014

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The Lego Movie-2014

Directors Phil Lord, Chris Miller

Starring Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks

Scott’s Review #284

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Reviewed October 24, 2015

Grade: D

A child’s movie in every sense of the word, The Lego Movie (2014) is silly and amateurish. It contains a hackneyed plot and a fast pace that makes the viewing experience quite unpleasant.

Computer-animated and driven by imagery, a scene featuring two human beings interspersed among the animations only makes the plot more sappy, overwrought, and predictable.

The film is a complete dud and a waste of energy, save for one lone catchy song that appears throughout. I am perplexed that this film received mostly positive reviews, as I didn’t share the same sentiment.

The premise is too complex for the target audience: in a Lego universe, where all of the characters are Lego pieces, a mysterious wizard- Vitruvius- attempts to protect a superweapon (Kragle) from the evil Lord Business.

While he fails, he prophesies that a person named “The Special” will one day find the Piece of Resistance capable of stopping the Kragle.

Kragle turns out to be superglue in the human world, as a cameo with Will Ferrell reveals he is the human version of Lord Business and refuses to let his young son play with Dad’s Lego set, thereby threatening to keep the set stationary with glue.

Inevitably, this leads to a tender scene with Dad and his son.

I didn’t find The Lego Movie engaging, story-wise or visually, and I was bored for most of the experience.

Admittedly, modern animated films are not my favorite genre- I miss the days of the classic Disney drawing-style films like Bambi or Dumbo both in the 1940s.

The major flaw is the film’s frenetic pacing. Did the powers that be think that all youngsters and parents dragged along have attention deficit disorder?

There was no time to pause and ponder what was going on in the story because it immediately moved on to the next scene.

The action is non-stop, so the film seemed like one long action sequence.

The main character, Emmett, a young Lego piece everyone thinks is dull, is voiced by Chris Pratt.

Emmet stumbles upon a young woman named Wyldstyle looking for something at his construction site- she assumes he is The Special, and they race to save the world from Lord Business.

Emmet, as far as a lead character goes, is likable enough, and predictably, a romance develops between him and Wyldstyle. We meet various creative characters like Batman and Princess Unikitty.

The film contains a sickeningly catchy song called “Everything Is Awesome” that will stick in the viewer’s head whether desired or not, and that is the strongest part.

It is not that the song is lyrically great or anything, but it is fun and easy to hum along to.

Overly high-octane and with an uninteresting plot, The Lego Movie (2014) may appeal to young kids in the seven-to-ten range, but it is a forgettable, tedious experience for this grown-up.

The film’s ending leaves room for the inevitable sequel.

Oscar Nominations: Best Original Song-“Everything Is Awesome”

2014 Films, Biography, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, Psychological Thriller, Sports, Thriller

Foxcatcher-2014

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Foxcatcher-2014

Director Bennett Miller

Starring Steve Carell

Scott’s Review #210

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Reviewed January 2, 2015

Grade: A

Foxcatcher (2014) is a dark, disturbing psychological thriller that succeeds through its bleak look and strong performances.

It is a superb, character-driven story based on true events, led by Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, and Mark Ruffalo, all of whom are excellent.

It is a sports film, but hardly as predictable as many in the genre.

The film is set in 1987. Brothers Mark and Dave Schultz (Tatum and Ruffalo, respectively) are former Olympic gold-medal-winning wrestlers preparing to compete in the 1988 Olympics.

Despite winning a gold medal, Mark (Tatum) lives in squalor and is reduced to giving pep rallies at elementary schools, jobs meant for Dave (Ruffalo), for very little money.

Dave is the more successful brother, a family man living a happy existence. He is more talented and more driven than Mark.

One day, wealthy philanthropist John du Pont (Carell) contacts Mark and invites him to live with him at his expansive estate in Pennsylvania and train with other aspiring Olympic wrestlers.

John’s initial attempts to woo Dave also fail.

From this point in the story, the film delves into psychologically dark territory, mainly the controlling, disturbing behavior of John, as he attempts to control Mark and woo Dave.

John has a damaged relationship with his mother, Jean, wonderfully played by Vanessa Redgrave. Jean feels that John’s obsession with the wrestling world is far beneath him, and their relationship is tense and unloving.

The three principal actors in the film are worth discussing, as the film wouldn’t be as complex or compelling without them.

Let’s begin with Channing Tatum- known primarily as a hunky movie star with questionable acting ability- he proves the naysayers wrong.

I cannot help but compare him to a younger Brad Pitt. It took years and many films for him to be recognized as more than a pretty face and abs to die for.

His performance is understated and calm, but his laid-back demeanor is nuanced. Sometimes anger bubbles under the surface.

Carell is downright creepy as the affluent yet insecure Du Pont.

Throughout the film, the character seems off. Known mostly for silly comedies, he delivers a breakout performance that, I hope, leads to similar meaty roles. Carell shows he has what it takes to appear in quality films.

Lastly, Mark Ruffalo, who always plays interesting, everyman-type characters, again brings strong emotion to Dave Schultz, a successful, driven athlete who is also a dedicated husband and father.

With a different cast, Foxcatcher wouldn’t have been as interesting.

Questions will arise at the end of the film. What were John du Pont’s motivations? What effect did his mother have on his actions? How could a man with all his power and wealth end up this sad? Did John make inappropriate sexual overtures toward the wrestlers?

Foxcatcher (2014) excels at portraying a dark, layered, moody true story and shows that wealth does not equal happiness; in many cases, the opposite occurs.

The film is an immense success.

Oscar Nominations: Best Director-Bennett Miller, Best Actor-Steve Carell, Best Supporting Actor-Mark Ruffalo, Best Original Screenplay, Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 1 win-Special Distinction Award (won)

2013 Films, Comedy, Drama, Independent, Independent Comedy, Independent Drama, Independent Romantic Comedy, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Drama

Don Jon-2013

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Don Jon-2013

Director Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore

Scott’s Review #27

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Reviewed June 17, 2014

Grade: B+

 I did not expect Don Jon (2013) to be as good as it is.

Frankly, I was expecting a by-the-numbers romantic comedy.

Written, directed by, and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, it tells the story of a twenty-something New Jersey bartender who is addicted to porn despite receiving all the female attention he can imagine.

Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore play two completely different women in his life.

The film contains stereotypical, though hilarious and spot-on, New Jersey trademarks. Tony Danza is effective as the brash father.

In the last thirty minutes, the film turns into a wonderful, yet hardly sappy or traditional, love story that makes Don Jon (2013) a positive experience.

Gordon-Levitt is a breath of fresh air and a young Hollywood talent getting the recognition he deserves.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best First Screenplay