READY OR NOT Review

It's hard to pin down the exact moment in a movie when said movie becomes so assured of itself that it's seemingly firing on all cylinders in the exact way the filmmaker(s) intended; some movies are lucky to have such moments at all, but the really special ones are lucky enough to have them early in the runtime-immediately displaying a confidence so unwavering in what it is and what it intends to be that the audience knows what they're in for from the word go. Ready or Not, the new feature from directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (V/H/S segment "10/31/98"), is one of those movies that you feel instantly knows not only what it wants to be, but exactly how it's going to become that thing. This is apparent not only from the sentiments expressed through the opening credits sequence, but in the initial introductions between each of the characters we promptly get a sense of. From the first scene in which we meet Samara Weaving's Grace we understand who she is as an individual and from the given interaction with her fiancé, Alex (Mark O'Brien), gather how she feels about joining this dynasty of a family as well as the institution of marriage in general; there's a coolness to her that defaults to playing down particularly major events in her life for fear of getting her hopes up too much and/or ultimately being disappointed. The reasons for this become evident the more we learn about Grace's past, but even throughout the remainder of the Le Domas clan the family dynamics are so well defined that the way in which these people operate-even when it comes to attempting to kill the newest member of their family-isn't completely unexpected, but instead each of these characters demonstrate what we assume about them from the precedent they've already set. It is in these rooted characterizations defined from the beginning that also allows for the tension to meld effortlessly with the comedy of the piece; brutal to its core with as much blood as a Tarantino feature, Ready or Not fuses that tricky tone of violence and irreverence into a wild, ninety-minute experience. This isn't anything you haven't seen before, especially if you keep current with the horror genre, but it is so aware of what it is and so expertly crafted to be the best version of itself that everything about it feels original and raw.     

MAGIC MIKE XXL Review

In the summer of 2012 the idea of Magic Mike seemed little more than a way for the studio and Channing Tatum himself to push his celebrity and sex appeal even further than The Vow and 21 Jump Street already had that year. When the film ended up having a $40 million opening weekend with only a budget of $7m it was clear Tatum was no longer just an added-value element, but something of a movie star in his own generations right. This was a film with no previous film in the franchise, no brand recognition, no book or memoir it was based off of, but instead was solely the product of Tatum sitting down with writer Reid Carolin and hashing out a story around his early days as a male stripper. Billed as a film for the ladies, Magic Mike actually turned out to be something of a heavy handed dramatic piece as directed by Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, the Ocean trilogy) that wasn't exactly what the target audience expected. There was still plenty of dancing and grinding and a whole bunch of humping, but beyond this the film examined the social stigmas of such a career choice and the difficult task of leaving that kind of a life behind despite someone only being able to last in that lifestyle for a small window of time in their life. This latter part is where the sequel, Magic Mike XXL, picks up and more or less runs with the idea of knowing this won't last forever so let's give it one last hurrah. There aren't as many deeper themes going on here, in fact there isn't really much going on at all other than the goal of having a good time and in that regard, the Kings of Tampa succeed. Magic Mike XXL is not the same kind of film its predecessor was, but this sequel doesn't attempt to be that kind of film either. Instead, XXL is its own beast entirely and while that may, on the surface, make it less of an artistic success than the first this exclusively fun, road trip movie turns out be just as good and just as insanely stylistic because it never loses sight of what makes these movies tick: the characters.

New Trailer for MAGIC MIKE XXL

Well, here we are again. In what feels like one of the more crowded summers over the last few years it will be interesting to see how this sequel to Magic Mike plays out. The first film opened three years ago at what was arguably the climax (pun intended) of Tatum's rise to fame. It had been a slow build until 2012 when he hit audiences with a three-way (pun intended) blitz of The Vow, 21 Jump Street and then Magic Mike in the summer. He was not only competing against a summer with another Avengers and Ted (which opened against Magic Mike then and will open a week before the sequel this year), but it opened a mere week before The Amazing Spider-Man and just less than a month before The Dark Knight Rises. Granted, it didn't have much competition throughout July besides the two aforementioned tentpoles, but Magic Mike thrived because it spoke to a different audience, a female audience. In the end, Tatum's take on the average working man cloaked in stripper routines debuted to a healthy $39 million and went on to claim $167 million globally. Coupled with the fact the first film was made for $7 million this really shows the power of star plus concept. Tatum has only become a bigger star since and arguably a more credible one which I only assume will boost this sequels prospects given it looks more in line with what women wanted from the first film anyway. With Warner Bros. placing Magic Mike XXL on the coveted fourth of July weekend with its only competition that weekend being the Terminator reboot it seems XXL will again fill the alternate programming slot all the way through to at least the 17th when Judd Apatow's Trainwreck opens. Beside Tatum, Magic Mike XXL also stars Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez, Amber Heard, Elizabeth Banks, Jada Pinkett Smith, Donald Glover, Andie MacDowell, Michael Strahan and hits theaters on July 1st.

First Trailer for MAGIC MIKE XXL

Well, here we are. In a world not only where Channing Tatum has become something of a formidable actor, but one where his original hit dance movie has spawned four sequels and now his second hit dance movie is getting a sequel as well. Granted, that second dance movie concerned a more specific set of skills and was more of a passion project for the actor as well as featuring THE performance from Matthew McConaughey that signaled his complete one-eighty-it is with anticipation we awaited what Tatum and collaborator Steven Soderbergh have come up with for this second time around. Though Soderbergh only acted as cinematographer this time as directing duties went to Greg Jacobs (who has served as second unit on countless Soderbergh flicks) Tatum again penned the script with Reid Carolin who he also wrote the original film with. While I enjoyed that the first film didn't deliver exactly what everyone expected, this second trailer certainly plays up that same angle so as to pull in the "girls night out" crowds. It will be interesting to see if the ladies still flock to this one knowing how the first turned out, which was good for the rest of us, but maybe they were fine with what dancing and grinding they did see to the point there is no question about attending a sequel. Heavily bumping Ginuwine's "Pony," and putting all their eggs in the confident and cocky basket, Magic Mike XXL is looking to have a massive fourth of July weekend even without the McConaughey returning. Magic Mike XXL also stars Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez, Amber Heard, Elizabeth Banks, Jada Pinkett Smith, Donald Glover, Andie MacDowell, Michael Strahan and hits theaters on July 1st.