"People Like Us" In Theatres

A businessman discovers a ruinous family secret during a return trip home to attend the funeral of his estranged father. In the wake of this life-altering revelation, he embarks on a transformative journey that will forever alter the way he looks at life, love, and family. Star Trek screenwriter Alex Kurtzman makes his feature directorial debut with this heartfelt drama co-written by Roberto Orci and Jody Lambert, and featuring Elizabeth Banks. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

"MAGIC MIKE" REVIEW

Most stripper movies are about women and the lion's share follow one of two formulas: the good girl gone bad or the bad girl who wants to go good. The only other recent male stripper film I can remember is The Full Monty and it is so different from Magic Mike that comparisons are pointless. This movie neither lionizes nor demonizes male dancing. It attempts an evenhanded approach, perhaps because lead actor Channing Tatum's real-life experiences were used in developing the story. Magic Mike offers the three reasons why some young men are drawn to stripping: women, money, and a good time. It also shows the downside, which begins with drugs and ends with exhaustion and depression.

Magic Mike is an allegory and its appeal lies in part in its message. You don't have to be a stripper to recognize what the filmmakers are saying. When it comes to choosing a career path, most people elect the road to lucre rather than the route to satisfaction and fulfillment. At first, the tangible benefits outweigh the soul-sucking negatives but, over time, it can be difficult to maintain any enthusiasm for a job that is held purely for its paycheck. Movies love to tell the story of a character who follows his dream. Magic Mike is a little different; it's not so much about following the dream as it is about developing the courage to turn away from the money and look in another direction. That makes for a satisfying ending because it isn't so unbelievably optimistic as to be saccharine.
Magic Mike tells of the rise of newcomer Adam (Alex Pettyfer) in the stripping business. A down-on-his-luck 19-year old, he comes to Tampa to live with his sister, Brooke and meets "Magic" Mike at a construction site. He tags along with the good-natured, good-looking 30-year old to the club where he takes it all off for tips. The club's owner, Dallas, sees "something" in Adam and gives him a shot. After a briefly shaky beginning, he's soon dazzling audiences. Meanwhile, his "big brother," Mike, is becoming disillusioned about the stagnation of his life, especially when he realizes a relationship with Brooke is impossible as long as he continues on the stage.

The choreography in Magic Mike is surprisingly complex and the dance routines are lively and engaging in their own right, capturing as they do some of the energy that makes clubs like this popular. Soderbergh, who wears the cinematographer's cap in addition to sitting in the director's chair , brings as much verisimilitude to this location as any recent filmmaker has, although there may be a little white-washing in order to get the R-rating.The nudity in the dances is surprisingly tame (butt shots only). Overall, Magic Mike is an equal opportunity offender when it comes to flesh. Naked men and women get about the same amount of screen time, and Channing Tatum's fans get an eyeful.
This is the first film in some time to give Tatum an opportunity to display his dramatic capabilities and spending so much time in unimaginative mainstream fare has not blunted his talent. His rhythm and athleticism help to make him a very convincing Magic Mike. Alex Pettyfer is not as convincing, but he's more than balanced out by a hyperkinetic Matthew McConaughey, who literally spits fire and throws himself into the part with a passion we have rarely seen from the often laid-back performer. I don’t know if this the best performance McConaughey has given but it's certainly his most memorable one. Cody Horn does some interesting things with her "love interest" part; I don't know whether it's her style or the way Soderbergh directs her, but she comes across as unpolished, as if she's improvising every line.

From time-to-time, Soderbergh seems to forget that he's making a mainstream movie, not an art house film. He uses some inventive shots,which is fine. He also employs a filter that makes the film look like it was shot through sunglasses, which isn't as appealing. When it comes to two more important elements - emotion and energy - he's on the mark. Magic Mike gets the tone right. It's not too serious but it respects the characters and their situations. The storyline is derivative but there's enough to like about Magic Mike. by reelviews.com

"TED" Movie Review

The funniest movie character so far this year is a stuffed teddy bear. And the best comedy screenplay so far is "Ted," the saga of the bear's friendship with a 35-year-old manchild. I know; this also was hard for me to believe. After memories of Mel Gibson's bond with a sock puppet, "Ted" was not high on the list of movies I was impatient to see.
The opening scenes find the right tone. A treacly narrator Patrick Stewart describes a Christmas that reminds us of a "A Christmas Story". We meet young John Bennett, most unpopular kid in the neighborhood, disliked that while a Jewish kid is being beaten up, John feels envious.

All  John wants is a true friend for life. For Christmas, his parents give him an enormous teddy bear the size of a first grader, and that night under the sheets with a flashlight, John asks Teddy to be his real and true forever friend. Teddy comes to life and agrees.

The miracle of a walking, talking teddy bear of course makes the little stuffed creature an overnight celebrity, and he appears on the Carson show. But his fame fades, and he settles in as John's roommate for life. Years pass. Teddy is now a little frayed, and John (Mark Wahlberg), at 35, has a counter job at a rental car agency. Against all odds, he also has a fragrant girlfriend named Lori Collins, who has been waiting four years for a marriage proposal.

John and Ted lead an "Animal House"-like existence, inhaling wholesale quantities of weed and recalling their early years as "Flash Gordon" fans. American movies have recently featured a lot of male characters who are victims of arrested adolescence, but few who have resisted growing up more successfully than John.

The laughs in "Ted" come largely through the teddy bear's dialogue. With an edgy Beantown accent and a potty mouth, Ted insults and offends everyone he comes into contact with, and sees Lori as a threat to his friendship with John. This despite his own pastimes, which include drugs, hookers, and as we later discover, a torrid early 1990s affair with absolutely the last female vocalist you could imagine having sex with a teddy bear.

The movie was co-written and directed by Seth MacFarlane, who also provides Ted's voice and gives himself the same freedom he has in animation. The bear itself is a CGI creation, striking a reasonable balance between the agility of a sexual athlete and the clumsiness of Pooh. It appears that Ted is stuffed with cotton wool and feels no pain when an ear is ripped off, but he behaves as a living, breathing best buddy.

The plot of "Ted" is fairly standard but greatly embellished by MacFarlane's ability to establish comic situations and keep them building. One crucial scene occurs when Ted persuades John to leave Lori at a party come to Ted's own party, where their childhood hero has turned up. This is Sam J. Jones, star of the 1980 movie "Flash Gordon," who in middle age has become a party animal. How this situation ends up with an enraged duck attacking Ted you will have to discover for yourself.

There's also peril involving Donny, a creepy dad (Giovanni Ribisi) who as a child passionately wanted Ted to be his own teddy, and his pudgy spoiled son, who wants Ted now. Their desire is pitched at such a perverse level that it approaches teddy-bear predation.

What's remarkable about "Ted" is that it doesn't run out of steam. MacFarlane seems unwilling to stop after the first payoff of a scene. He keeps embellishing. In Ted, he has an inexhaustible source of socially obnoxious behavior and language, and it's uncanny the way a teddy bear can get away with doing and saying things that we wouldn't necessarily accept from a human character. This is partly because Ted is a stand-up insult comedian trapped inside the body of a teddy bear.by roger ebert

Ice Age: Continental Drift in Theatres July 13th 2012

Scrat's acorn obsession sparks a continental catastrophe that sends Manny (voice of Ray Romano), Diego (voice of Denis Leary), and Sid (voice of John Leguizamo) on an epic adventure involving a ship full of fearsome pirates, and an unexpected reunion as the Ice Age saga continues in this eye-popping sequel. Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, and Josh Peck reprise their roles, with Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lopez, and Aziz Ansari heading up the rest of the voice cast

COLLABORATOR July 6th 2012

Plot

Robert Longfellow (Martin Donovan) is a famous playwright who can't seem to catch a break. His recent Broadway play was met with horrible reviews and an early cancellation, and his marriage is being tested as an old flame (Olivia Williams) has reentered his life during a particular moment of weakness. Retreating back to his childhood home to visit his mother (Katherine Helmond), Robert crosses paths with his childhood neighbor, Gus (David Morse). A right-wing, ex-con who still lives at home with his mother, Gus is Robert's polar opposite in every possible way. When Gus holds Robert hostage at gunpoint during a drunken reunion gone terribly wrong, the drama unfolds as social status, celebrity and the imminent threat of violence converge, building up to a climax that will leave both men forever changed.

Katy Perry: Part of Me JULY 5TH 2012

Synopsis

Filmmakers Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz follow wildly popular singer Katy Perry during her yearlong California Dreams tour. During 124 sold-out shows in arenas around the world, the constant camera presence creates both a front-row seat and a backstage pass as Perry performs for thousands of fans, then returns to the reality of her everyday life. Interviews with family and friends complete the picture, as Perry gives her all onstage, then faces the pressing personal challenges that await.

The Amazing Spider-Man JULY 3RD 2012

Teenage social outcast Peter Parker spends his days trying to unravel the mystery of his own past, and trying to win the heart of his high school crush, Gwen Stacy. Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase belonging to his father, who abandoned him when he was a child, which leads him to his father's former partner, Dr. Curtis Connors. The discovery of his father's secret, coupled with an encounter with a genetically altered spider, will ultimately shape his destiny to become "Spider-Man" and bring him face to face with Connors, who becomes the vicious and vengeful Lizard