Marval Movie

Summer movie junque rocks

 

22 Jump Street is a copy of 21 Jump Street and that’s okay. Why mess with silly fun? Our favorite screw-up cops, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, are together again for college. Posed as students, they are trying to uncover a drug ring. The same shtick works – Jonah  motormouths his way in and out of trouble. Channing becomes the football star and thankfully gets to pump weights and show off his physique. But he’s not just brawn….well, okay yes he is and it works. This duo is funny and they drive their captain, Ice Cube, insane. Throw in Jonah meeting a nice girl who happens to be somebody’s daughter and there are explosions at the college.  

The investigation even goes to Mexico for spring break (yes, more Channing in a tank top) and over the top chase scenes ensue, along with shootouts, and a helicopter on fire. You pretty much get the point of the movie and you will laugh and enjoy being in on the same jokes. The guys are breezy and do seem like pals. The buddy cop bromance fulfills expectations. Stay for the jawaban credits – teasers for future Jump Street installments. Very tongue in cheek.  Buy the tub of popcorn, slurp a large soda, and leap into 22 Jump Street mayhem.

 

Foxcatcher tells the true story of the Schultz brothers – Mark and David – Olympic wrestlers and their life changing involvement with John du Pont (of DuPont fortune). We meet Mark (a superb Channing Tatum) and older brother David (Oscar nominated Mark Ruffalo) as they train in a rundown dimly lit wrestling arena. Mark’s life is training, training, pembinaan – then go home to watch tv, eat, and sleep in a barren apartment. It looks like a meager bleak existence. David is married with two kids and a sunnier outlook. One phone call changes the whole dynamic.  

Mark is helicoptered to the John du Pont estate outside of Valley Forge, PA. There he meets the eccentric man who fancies himself a philanthropist, sports enthusiast, and benefactor. He’s created a state-of-the-art wrestle pembinaan center and wants to help Mark and others train for  the Seoul Olympics under his “Foxcatcher” team name. He offers a guest house for living, food, drink, and a glimpse into the world of the rich. There’s also a dark side of drugs and partying.  

John du Pont is played by Steve Carell. You would not recognize him and he’s very worthy of his Oscar nomination. He’s eerie in his eccentricity, temper, possessiveness, jealousy, and bizarre sense of entitlement. He acts as if he owns Mark, and he wants David too. David resists but sees that Mark’s in trouble. David ultimately comes to help Mark, and he gets drawn into the payroll and du Pont circle. But he does not completely drink the Kool-aid, and this drives John nuts. Let’s just say – John with a gun in hand signals the end of the ride.  

Foxcatcher is a very good movie. It’s a tad long and I would have edited it down. However, the acting is fantastic and this insight into a murder story is chilling. Money does not bring happiness, and we see not only physical wrestling, but wrestling with demons brought to the big screen.

 

This review will not be a revelation. Either you liked Magic Mike and have been awaiting the return of the male “entertainers”, or you consider these movies sinful and refuse to pay money for filth. God Bless America because either way is fine. For those ladies (the grand majority of the viewing audience) who see Magic Mike XXL, you will not be disappointed. It’s ridiculous in a good way. It’s laugh out loud funny in a good way. And it’s ab-fabulous in a good way.  

It’s been three years since Mike (the ever fine Channing Tatum) started his furniture business. One phone call does it. He misses his boys and the big dance, and thus joins them on a road trip to a huge convention in Myrtle Beach. This is a light hearted road trip with the gang – Matt Bomer, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriquez, and the magnetically hot – been working out a lot – Joe Manganiello. There’s a brief mention of Dallas (Matthew  McConnaughey) from the first flick, but we dismiss him and move on. The boys banter and agree that they need new material. So, in one day they get Jada Pinkett Smith on board, and they are funded by Andie MacDowell. Just don’t ask how…. Extreme choreography, costumes, lighting, and of course our boys get the top time slot in the convention show. It’s raining men and money.

 

There’s good Tarantino – Pulp Fiction, and there’s bad – Django Unchained comes to mind. Let’s add his latest,  The Hateful Eight,  to the bad list but it could have been so good.  Someone needs to give director Quentin Tarantino a machete to cut this film from three hours to less than two. Someone needs to not be so indulgent with Quentin being so full of himself, and just say, “Get on with the story.”

The opening scenes are gorgeous as we watch a stagecoach in the snow. He also shows what looks like a gnarled tree is actually a stone crucifix – ah, symbolism. In the first hour, we pile a mix of outlaws and lawmen into the coach, only to arrive at Minnie’s Haberdashery in a blizzard, and find another group of suspicious characters. The clock is ticking for a bloodbath. Samuel L. Jackson is a principled bounty hunter given to well proclaimed pronouncements. Kurt Russell is holding onto Jennifer Jason Leigh, an urchin outlaw.  There’s a sheriff, a hangman, cowboy, and a general. There is leftover feelings from the Civil War and banter on racism and bigotry. Too much meandering, too much rambling talk, too many cold characters we don’t care about.

In the akibat thirty minutes, we find out why everyone is at Minnie’s except Minnie and her husband. Tarantino flashes back to show us the behind the scenes gathering of these vultures. It’s almost like an Agatha Christie game of Clue, only with extreme violence. It’s a shame. The acting is fine. There’s some interesting dialogue. It’s filmed richly and the musical score is grand. But, The Hateful Eight is cold and ugly, devoid of a reason to unspool.