Magic Mike XXL (2015) film review

 

Year: 2015

Running Time: 115 minutes

Director: Gregory Jacobs

Writers: Reid Carolin

Cast: Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodrguez, Amber Heard, Jada Pinkett Smith, Donald Glover, Andie MacDowell, Stephen Boss, Michael Strahan, Elizabeth Banks

 

Magic Mike XXL is now showing in cinemas everywhere and is distributed in Australia by Roadshow Films.

 

Magic Mike XXL bears little more than sibling resemblance to it's 2012 older brother with it's goofy, comical demeanour, but within it's heart lies something that is rather rare in such a film which makes it a delight. Three years after Mike (Channing Tatum) left behind his career as a male entertainer for a simpler and more domestic livelihood, he makes the decision to reconnect with his old friends, the Kings of Tampa and the group travel together to a stripper convention in Myrtle Beach. The trip brings confrontations, laughs, accidents and of course, girls who distract the boys along the way. Mike finds that he is really searching for happiness and peace in his life, and when he meets up with Zoe (Amber Heard), he recognizes that he has the chance to make someone else as well as himself happy simultaneously.

 

On the surface, Magic Mike XXL is funny, light entertainment which can be hard to take seriously due to the glaring obvious fact that male entertainers such as the ones in the film are more than capable of provoking hysterical fits of female laughter and squeals during their routines. Some dialogue and actions even seem quite forced and the screenplay, although entertaining with some hilarious scenes (particularly the soon to become infamous service station scene), has no sense of strong conflict and a particularly weak finale.

 

However, the film possesses a very special quality. The second Magic Mike is a film that is entirely respectful to both men and women and sheds light on why male entertainers do what they do. It isn't just for the money, it is because they have the opportunity to make women happy and make them feel good about themselves, which is a beautiful thing. In the film, the characters enjoy what they do because they love seeing women smile and taking a girl who is down on herself and giving her confidence. Of course this isn't saying that every guy should perform a strip routine for their girl to make them feel good about themselves, but in a relationship each others happiness must be the priority and why they want to be with that person. The whole film is based on finding a place of happiness for the one you are with and within yourselves and although the ending may seem inconclusive, it is the perfect ending for a film with such a basis.

 

 

 

Magic Mike XXL is a fairly unique film in that the five-man dance squad can only be described as one big bromance. The five members of the team are all best friends and clearly adore each other, but also fight and make up like they are in a relationship themselves. If these men had different occupations besides being male strippers, the film would be categorized as a guy's film. Yet, the target audience for Magic Mike XXL is the female demographic as they flock to see good looking men take their clothes off on the screen. Men shouldn't be put off the film for this fact, as at it's heart it is a film about men who love women regardless of what they do for a living.

 

There is no denying that the second Magic Mike film attempts to replicate the first film in terms of cinematography, especially considering the director of photography is none other than Steven Soderbergh who directed the first film and was also the first film's director of photographer (under his pseudonym of Peter Andrews). There are some very interesting uses of lighting throughout the film and creative lingering camera angles, but one cannot decide whether they actually enhance the film or just feel out of place. The overall feeling of the film is that of a light hearted, but sentimental comedy and the inclusion of classy filming techniques can be confusing as it feels like a contradiction. Of course, the soundtrack is a lot of fun, and the dance routines are well choreographed, if not ridiculously cheesy at times. The film can be very loud during these routines as it is not just the music accompanying the dance moves, it is also more often than not loud female cheering and squealing as well. In such situations, it is practically a necessity to have this background noise..although this is very loud background noise.

 

Channing Tatum does well recreating his role of Mike and is still as charismatic and likable as ever. He has the most natural dancing talent out of the main characters and director, Gregory Jacobs rewards him with the most on-camera dancing time. Joe Manganiello also does well and shows he has terrific comedic timing. Andie MacDowell doesn't have much time on screen, but also shows her great comedic ability with the time she has.

 

Magic Mike XXL is in many ways what you would expect it to be with it's simplicity and entertaining dance numbers, which is ultimately a lot of fun. However, it also stuns with it's sentimentality and heart and is a film based on happiness, which is a truly unique thing in such a film.

 

6.5/10

 

 

Inside Out (2015) film review

Year: 2015
Running Time: 94 minutes
Director: Pete Docter and Ronaldo De Carmen
Writers: Ronaldo De Carmen (story), Pete Docter (story and screenplay) Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley (screenplay)
Cast: (voices) Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Kaitlyn Dias, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan, Richard Kind

Inside Out will open in Australian cinemas on June 18 and is distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Opening in the United States on June 19 and United Kingdom on July 24.

Disney Pixar's latest creation, Inside Out is a truly incredible piece of work that is as deep and emotional as it is hilarious and enjoyable. Since Riley (voiced by Kaitlyn Dias) was born, she has never been alone. She has always been accompanied by Joy (Amy Poehler), a micro-being who lives inside her mind and gives her the gift of seeing the happiness in situations. Over the years, Joy has been joined by Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) who all make up the voices in Riley's head. Joy has always been the dominant voice in her mind, until the day that Riley's family move to San Francisco and everything changes. Suddenly both Joy and Sadness are propelled out of the control centre in her mind and have to find their way back before Riley makes a terrible decision.

Inside Out teaches children some harsh life lessons in the sweetest and most enjoyable of ways. A life is never made up of happiness alone and sadness must exist in order for true happiness to exist. Even though we as people are programmed to believe that all negative feelings are wrong and we must stop them taking hold of us, this film seeks to remind that these emotions must exist alongside happiness and to feel them is all part of life. Happiness and sadness are an non-negotiable pairing as one cannot be felt without the other. Sadness is unavoidable in life and is felt most in situations that are out of our control (such as Riley's family moving), while happiness is often a choice and is many a time an outcome of situations which are in our control. Yet, there are also times when we feel somewhere in between happy and sad, which tends to happen a great deal in the early teenage years as in seen in Inside Out. The film also seeks to remind us that we cannot be happy all the time, despite how hard we try and this is okay.

The idea of sadness and other negative emotions being inevitable no matter what in life is a rather harrowing notion, yet the imagination of directors, Pete Docter and Ronaldo De Carmen has found a way of making these facts of life seem not so daunting in an incredibly enjoyable fashion. Inside Out's screenplay is brilliant as it is extremely original and creative. A visual representation of the psychological aspects of the mind and what makes us who we are in the form of five mini-humans living working a switchboard in our minds and living in a world where our imagination is much like a theme park is so incredibly clever and executed in perfect fashion. The journey that Joy and Sadness take through Riley's mind is a great deal of fun and very funny as it includes the explanation of how dreams are created, the evolution of the dream boyfriend and how and why we get that annoying song stuck in our heads when we can't remember more important things. Yet, Inside Out is also very emotional, particularly towards the end and it is such an innocent sadness that is felt so strongly by adults as a result of such relatable characters in situations that you understand.

As a result of how deep Inside Out is, it's true meaning may be lost on younger members of the audience. Yet they will still appreciate and enjoy the film for it's bright and beautiful colours and interesting and well planned out scenery. Again, Riley's mind is much like a theme park with lots of fun to be had and crazy characters wandering around, such as her childhood imaginary friend, Bing Bong (voiced by Richard Kind).

Amy Poehler is vocally a fantastic leading lady in the form of Joy. She brings her comedic style which she is known and admired for to her character making Joy more than just a happy figure, but also one who has a great sense of humour and feeling that extends beyond her namedJonas  emotion. Phyllis Smith provides the perfect voice for Sadness, with a dry, blue tone which doesn't change throughout the film but this is without bother as it gives Sadness real character and she is rather comical without really meaning to be.

Inside Out is an extremely rare film that is not only wonderfully creative, but gives the rare gift of making the inevitable emotional turmoil of life seem not quite so scary. It's colourful characters and landscapes will be love by younger children, but it's deep themes will be felt and appreciated by older audience members.

8.5/10

Partisan (2015) film review

Year: 2015
Running Time: 98 minutes
Director: Ariel Kleiman
Writers: Sarah Cyngler and Ariel Kleiman
Cast: Vincent Cassell, Jeremy Chabriel, Florence Mezzara

Partisan is now showing in limited release across Australia and is distributed by Madman Films

Partisan is a thought provoking and visually enthralling piece of cinema which makes one question who and what are the true influencers of children and while being protective is paternal instinct, when is being protective being too protective? Young Alexander (Jeremy Chabriel) is the eldest in his community which consists only of mothers, their children, and one father figure to them all, Grigori (Vincent Cassel). Now Alexander has reached an age where he is starting to question everything he has been taught by Grigori and wonders whether the outside world is really as terrible as he has been led to believe. By even contemplating these things, he is going against everything he has ever been taught be Grigori and that in itself could be dangerous.

Partisan is certainly an intriguing watch. It's suspense is not what has become the norm in todays cinema culture, but relies on it's psychological edge. This may not sit well with some members of the audience who may want something that is a bit more fast moving and less drawn out to keep their interest, but there is a lot being said under the surface of this film. What is a striking theme in Partisan is one that many parents will be able to relate to and that is over protection of your children. The community which Alexander belongs to can seem beautifully idyllic and the innocence the children hold onto is glorious. However, when does being protective of your children turn into being unhealthy? Alexander has problems socializing with those outside his community which is an inevitable side effect of not being exposed to the world, but as is also expected he finds that there is beauty in the outside world which he is missing out on. So while the children certainly seem happy in their surroundings, they progressively miss out on more the older they get which is something that Grigori did not realise when creating his paradise.

Yet, while Grigori is being over-protective of his acquired children, he is also using them as revenge tools against those in the outside world who have done him wrong. Grigori is an extreme case, but it does make one wonder whether in certain situations is there more danger at home than outside. In the younger and more susceptible years, the parent is the greatest influencer in a child's life until they reach the teenage years where they show that they are capable of thinking for themselves. This is not to say that outside influences play no part in a child's development, but it is more harmful for a child to be around harmful behaviour from a parent in these younger years.

Visually Partisan is absolutely stunning and thoroughly intriguing. The production design of the garden in which Grigori's community live is so interesting and atmospheric. It has an overall atmosphere which changes over the course of the film and feels calm towards the beginning and sinister as it concludes. The children's world in their classrooms and parties are also so much fun with their face-painting and karaoke.

Jeremy Chabriel makes a stunning film debut as Alexander. He is the perfect representation of a boy who is making the progression into a young man and as teenage boys do, is starting to question everything he see's and hears in his journey to becoming his own person. It is inevitably something all the children around he will go through, but something Grigori has a problem with as he believed his methods would keep his world the same. Vincent Cassel's Grigori is really a fascinating character He is a man that demands fear as one is never quite sure what he is capable of. There are many questions that till remain about Grigori at the end of the film which can be unsettling as he is a character one truly wants to learn more about.

Partisan is a subtle and unique film which makes one question the boundaries we place on children and the traits they inherit from their parents. It sends a message to be careful what we teach our children and how we prepare them for the world.

7/10