"Spy" and The Week in Reviews

[I review Melissa McCarthy's new movie "Spy," the DVD "Black or White" and the Glen Campbell documentary "I'll Be Me." The Book of the Week is "Healthy Pasta: The Sexy, Skinny, and Smart Way to Eat Your Favorite Food."  I also bring you up to date on "My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project": David Cronenberg's strange but hypnotic "Videodrome."]

 

Spy

An inexperienced CIA agent goes undercover to try to prevent the sale of a nuclear bomb.

 

Yay!  Melissa McCarthy is finally starring in a comedy that is actually funny after the egregiously awful "Tammy" and "Identity Thief," where her being fat was mostly the joke.  Here she creates a real live character who just happens to be fat.

 

Think what it would be like if Moneypenny was actually talking into James Bond's earpiece, helping him fight the bad guys.  Or James Bond was a wise-cracking, insecure but smart chubby woman.  Well, that is what this is like.  And it's funny as hell.

 

Bradley Fine (Jude Law, who is looking VERY fine) is a suave, debonair spy and Susan Cooper is a CIA analyst back at headquarters, down in a basement rife with vermin, feeding information to Fine via an earpiece.  She is very good at her job. As he eludes the bad guys, Susan is using technology and talking into his earpiece to tell him which way to run, who is coming after him and how to escape.  She is also in love with Fine.

 

But Susan yearns to be the glamorous lady spy out in the field instead of behind the scenes, and when Fine is killed in Bulgaria by Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne), who is trying to sell a nuclear bomb to enemies of the U.S. and who also knows what all of the other CIA spies look like, Susan begs her boss (Allison Janney) to let her go find Rayna. No one knows what Susan looks like and Susan proved to be a badass fighter in training so her boss says OK but Susan is only to track Rayna and report back.  But things don't always work the way they are supposed to and Susan races from Bulgaria to Paris, Rome and Budapest, making up her own rules as she goes along. 

McCarthy is at the top of her game in this one. She plays her Susan Cooper character with intelligence and ease. Her throwaway lines and physical comedy are hilarious and Susan is lovable AND a badass.  She is a testament to feminism as she figures out how to solve problems and takes care of business.

 

Jason Statham plays Rick Ford, a rogue CIA agent who can't believe Susan is being used when he himself claims to have done everything there is to do as a spy.  His exaggerated rants about his exploits are hilarious, but I just wish he hadn't overplayed the part. Statham is out of his usual serious action character roles, so probably was thrilled to get to do a comedy.  But he overplayed his part just a teensy bit, which was grating because everyone else in the film played it straight, which is what made it so funny. The script, written by Paul Feig (who also directed) was funny enough without the need for overplaying and has enough twists and turns to keep you engaged and chuckling. 

 

Rose Byrne is great, playing against type as a spoiled, mean rich girl, Bobby Cannavale plays Rayna's handsome playboy contact for the bomb, Sergio De Luca, and Peter Serafinowicz is a standout as Aldo, Susan's Italian contact who can't keep his hands off of her.

 

Miranda Hart, who made her mark in the "Call the Midwife" series, plays Nancy, Susan's friend and co-worker in the basement.  Her deadpan delivery is hilarious.

 

The allusions and homage to James Bond films are plenty, from the usual Bond cold opening as the suave and calm spy kills the bad guys and makes his escape, to the sexy song and swirling images over the opening credits, the European locations and the soundtrack, which evokes the classic Bond theme.

 

There is a running joke throughout that whenever Susan gets a new identity it's a lonely woman on disability with 10 cats or a sad divorced housewife with bad hair instead of the glamorous identity she seeks.  She also gets some James Bond-type weaponry, but instead of the cool stuff, hers are disguised as hemorrhoid cream, constipation pills and anti-fungal cream.  She is not pleased.

Rosy the Reviewer says...I see a sequel coming but if it is as entertaining as this film, bring it on!  This one is a winner!

 

***DVDS***

You Might Have Missed

(And Some You Will Be Glad You Did)

Black or White  (2014)

 

 

A widower gets into a custody battle over his little biracial granddaughter.

 

When Elliott Anderson's (Kevin Costner) wife, Carol (Jennifer Ehle) dies, he's not sure how to take care of his little granddaughter, Eloise (Jillian Estell) who has lived with them ever since their daughter (Eloise's mother) died in childbirth.  When Eloise asks Elliott to brush her hair and put a bow in it, it's apparent that Carol did all of the childcare.  Elliott is also grieving the loss of his wife and hitting the bottle pretty hard.

 

Eloise is a biracial child and when Carol was alive, Eloise's other family was happy with the arrangement.  But now Rowena (Octavia Spencer), Eloise's grandmother, does not approve of Elliott's drinking and decides Eloise should live with them, so she takes Elliott to court.  Rowena's brother is an attorney and turns the fight into a racial issue.

 

Elliott doesn't approve of Octavia's son, Reggie (Andre Holland), who was married to his daughter who died.  Reggie is a three time drug felon, so Elliott is not having it and fights for custody.

 

If you have read my reviews before, you know I am not usually a fan of precocious kids in movies, especially smartass precocious kids.  Jillian Estell was one of those who irritated me.  It might not be all of her fault though.  The script could have treated the kid thing better.

 

Octavia Spencer shines and Paula Newsome as the judge is great and a high point as she and Rowena get into it in court.

  

Written and directed by Mike Binder and inspired by true events, this film examines the issue of a wealthy, educated lawyer vs a self-made black woman realtor who is taking care of a large family and asks the question - Do we uproot the child from what she knows (the white neighborhood and the private school) to send her to live with her large extended black side of the family? 

   

There are some script issues.  I didn't understand how the little girl could have been so bonded with Elliott when it was obvious he didn't do much to take care of her. He didn't know how to get to her school or that Carol had to force her to brush her teeth.

 

Also there are many didactic statements like this: "This isn't about black and white.  This is about right and wrong." And there is a long speech that Elliott gives in the courtroom about race that defies reality.  What judge would let someone go on and on like that?  But these kinds of movies need these dramatic wrap ups, I guess.

The film is not perfect and could be criticized for not going deep enough into these issues, but despite the clichés and sentimentality that are always inherent in films like this, the film is strangely affecting and I think it's down to Kevin Costner.  This is Kevin's show. The strength in this film lies with Costner's ability to evoke warmth and charisma no matter what role he is playing.  He is handsome yet real, sexy yet tough and always believable, so he appeals to men and women. Kevin is good whether he's playing one of the Hatfields or a drunken lawyer.

 

And the other performances are good.  There is humor and it is a satisfying film experience.

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...a sentimental yet effective story made believable by the always great performance of Kevin Costner.

 

 

 

Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me (2014)

 

A film that documents Glenn Campbell's farewell tour as he battles Alzheimer's Disease.

Glenn Campbell had 21 Top 40 hits in his singing career.  But before that he was also a respected studio session player and appeared on hundreds of albums.  He could really play that guitar.  But now at 76 he is in the throes of Alzheimer's Disease.  But before he succumbed, he made one final U.S. tour.

The film begins with Campbell and his wife, Kim, watching old home movies.  He doesn't recognize himself, his wives or his children. When being given a memory test by a doctor - what day it is, who the President is, etc. - he makes stuff up to cover his loss of memory and says, "I have no use for [knowing that]."  Sad testaments to the fact that no amount of fame, money or talent can protect you from this devastating disease.

In 2011, right after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, Campbell embarked on a farewell tour.

It's easy to think that his current wife was exploiting him by sending him out on tour to promote his last album, "Ghost on the Canvas." But as the movie progresses, you can see that despite the fact that he can't remember his life or current events, he can remember the music.  He can still play the guitar and sing the words.  At 76 and in the throes of Alzheimer's Disease, Campbell could still sing, remember lyrics (though he had a teleprompter) and play the guitar. The gift of music sustained him.  He was able to exercise that part of his brain that still worked and by activating his musical talent, his overall intellect was improved.

Three of his children are in his band and their talent is evident.  But so is their love and support of their father.  They are upbeat and ready for anything on stage because Glenn is unpredictable and there are some meanderings.  A particularly poignant part of the film is his playing "Dueling Banjos" with his daughter.



Campbell performed 151 concerts but as he declined, meltdowns started to occur onstage so his wife decided to end it all on a high note.  His last show was Nov. 30, 2012.  Concert #151

Campbell now resides in a nursing home.  His music was the last thing to go.

James Keach produced and directed this extraordinary glimpse inside the life of an icon who is slowly losing all memory of himself.  Interviews with other musicians and songwriters - Jimmy Webb, who wrote many of Glenn's biggest songs ("Wichita Lineman," "Galveston"), Kathy Mattea, The Edge, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Steve Martin, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley - show the high esteem that Glenn Campbell was held in the music world.

This film will acquaint those too young to remember Campbell in his heyday with this extraordinary talent.  It's an important film.

At the end of the film, Campbell sings the poignant song "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," which he co-wrote with producer Julian Raymond for this film and which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song.  It marked the last time Campbell was in a recording studio. The idea for the song came from a conversation Campbell had with Raymond while on this tour where Campbell was tired of everyone asking him how he felt about his diagnosis. He said to Raymond, "I don't know what everyone's worried about.  It's not like I'm going to miss anyone anyway."





Rosy the Reviewer says...We are certainly going to miss HIM! Stunning but sad and "there but for fortune..."  A must see!

 

***My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project***

 

255 to go! 

Videodrome (1983)

Max Renn (James Woods) is a sleazy cable TV producer, always looking for the most shocking shows and ultimate TV thrills including real life torture and murder.  When he comes upon "Videodrome," he thinks he has found the next big thing but doesn't realize what he has gotten himself into.

Max sees a pirated version of "Videodrome," a show that is nothing but torture and murder, though he thinks the people in the films are actors.  He seeks it out and meets Nicki Brand (Deborah Harry), who likes pain and to get cut, especially during sex.  He also meets Bianca (Sonja Smits) the daughter of Prof. Brian O'Blivion (Jack Creley) who believes that TV will solve all of the problems of the world.  But after watching "Videodrome," strange things start happening to Max. Turns out that if you watch "Videodrome," you get a brain tumor from the signal. The message being, if you like violence and murder and watch this show, then you deserve what you get thus solving the problems of the world by weeding out the scum of the earth.  Metaphorically speaking, a statement on how TV can ruin your mind.

Talk about the evils of TV!

David Cronenberg wrote and directed this film starring Woods and Deborah Harry, in her first feature film role.  Rick Baker's makeup also stars with an ending that is about as gross as it gets thanks to his amazing make-up effects.

You can count on Cronenberg to be kinky, with lots of nudity, eroticism and violence and in this one, the violence and gore is ratcheted up.  The thing about Cronenberg is that he can make brilliant films like "A History of Violence" and "Dead Ringers," but then he also makes "Naked Lunch" and "Cosmopolis," which to me were unwatchable.  But one thing you can always count on - he will be evocative and provocative.

Why it's a Must See: "A groundbreaking film of the commercial/independent movement of 1980s Hollywood, David Cronenberg's story about the horrible transformations wrought by exposure to televised violence wittily thematizes the very problems that the diretor's exploration of violent sexual imagery in his previous productions had caused with censors, Hollywood distributors, and feminist groups...Even in its edited forms, Videodrome remains one of Hollywood's most unusual films, too shocking and idiosyncratic to be anything but a commercial failure."

---1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...Cronenberg at his strangest and grossest best! I guarantee you have never seen anything like this!

***Book of the Week***

Healthy Pasta:  The Sexy, Skinny, and Smart Way to Eat Your Favorite Food by Joseph Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali (2015)

100 pasta recipes that promise to be healthy and under 500 calories!

 

The book also promises that I will be sexy, skinny and smart if I make these pasta dishes.  I'm there!

The Bastianich's are part of the first family of Italian cookery. Their mother is famed celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich. Joe is a restauranateur, author and former judge on "Masterchef."  Tanya is also a restauranteur, author and produces her mother's cooking show.

The book wants to de-demonize pasta which has come under fire in recent years because of the low-carb/no-carb diet craze.  Here they promise that eating the pasta in this book will be delicious but also beneficial to our health and every recipe is under 500 calories.

Since I love pasta, I'm a believer.

I read cookbooks like I read biographies and other nonfiction.  I love to read the ingredients, the instructions, look at the pictures and eat the food!.  So this one is easy to read with lovely photos.

I book is divided into sections:  Verdure/Vegetables, Olio/Olive Oil/ Pomodoro/Tomato, Carne/Meats, Pesto, Pesce/Fish and Pasta in Modi Diversi/Pasta Done Different Ways.

My mouth is watering as I anticipate Pappardelle with Mushrooms, Penne with Artichokes, Peas and Ham, Linguine with Caramelized Onions, Bacon and Olives, Bucatini with Sausage and Peppers and Farfalle with Tuna, Marinated Artichokes, Olives and Peppers.

Despite the fact they use the occasional splash of heavy cream, the secret to the "healthy" part is using ingredients and cooking methods that maximize taste but minimize fat content.

Rosy the Reviewer says...Now I have to go.  The pasta is ready!

Thanks for Reading!

That's it for this week.

See you Tuesday for


"How Would I Do on Naked and Afraid?"

 

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Check your local library for DVDs and books mentioned.

 

Note:  Next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). 

 

 

Find the page for the movie, click on "Explore More" on the right side panel and then scroll down to "External Reviews."  Look for "Rosy the Reviewer" on the list. Or if you are using a mobile device, look for "Critics Reviews." Click on that and you will find me alphabetically under "Rosy the Reviewer."

 

 

My Life in the Bars I Have Known and Loved

I have been known to enjoy the occasional drinky-winky.

And I particularly enjoy it in a bar.

I have always been fascinated by bars and bar culture.  My parents were both teetotalers and did not approve of people going to bars.  My father once said he couldn't think of anything more boring and wasteful.  I guess that's why bars have always intrigued me so.

So parents use that as a reminder that anything you disdain, your kids will probably want to do. 

The iconic bar, of course, is "Cheers," "...where everyone knows your name." 

And that is probably one of the main reasons people congregate in bars.  Why else get out of your robe and bunny slippers and head off to a public place to spend way more for drinks than they cost at home?

Because we humans need to rub elbows with each other from time to time or bend the ear of the friendly bartender who acts as part therapist and part best friend.

The British pub culture is a perfect example of this.

British pubs are cozy, woody, lots of architectural details.  They make you want to hang out there. You can shut out the world and stop time.  And whether you live in London or a village, your neighbors will be there.

I love checking out a bar.  I do the same thing with restrooms, too, but I will save that for another post.


So what makes a great bar?

• It must have literally "a good bar."  That means a nice long one preferably with a lovely countertop and a place to hang your purse because I like to sit up at the bar. 
• I like there to be many bottles lined up in a pleasing manner. 
• The bartender must be friendly and it doesn't hurt if he or she is nice looking
• A nice bathroom helps
• Nice tables for those who don't like to sit at the bar
• No windows (or if there are windows, a great view).  The no windows part helps to shut out the world and keep you drinking!
• No TV - now this is controversial.  Hubby would not agree but if you really want to have a conversation, a TV set to a sports channel is not conducive to conversation
• Good food.  Well, at least some nuts.  Something.

And that is my most important point about bars.

If you want to focus on your partner, your friends, your kids (if they are of drinking age), there is no better place than a good bar.  Some of the best conversations I have had with my adult children were in a bar.  The booze flows and so does the conversation and revelations!

It all started when I became of drinking age while in college (well it started a bit before that with a fake ID but I am not going to go into that because my mother might be watching me from wherever she ended up).

My first bar was The Handlebar, a dive bar with a table shuffleboard court...you know, one of those long wooden game tables with little pucks you would shove down the length of it and try to be the one whose pucks went the farthest?  

The bar was dark and funky, but the best part, it was the closest bar to my college.  After a night of slaving away studying, it was fun to grab my roommate and head down to the Handlebar to meet up with friends and have a beer (or two or three). I met one of my husbands there! Beer was my drink of choice then, which could probably explain why I gained 20 pounds my senior year in college.  I have fond memories of that little bar, but I don't think it's around anymore.

That was 1969-70 and I had yet to develop a sophisticated view of bars.

After college I moved to San Francisco and though there were many bars in my life then, I can't remember them.

The 70's were a blur.  Remember what they say:  If you remember the 60's you weren't there.  And, my friends, the 60's as we have come to know that era - hippies, pot, revolution - didn't really start until about 1967 and lasted until the late 70's.

From the mid-70's to the mid-80's, I was busy going to library school, starting my career and having children, so I didn't really have the time nor the inclination to do a lot of bar hopping.

But in the mid-80's, I was derailed a bit by an unexpected divorce, so going to bars seemed the right thing to do.

I was living in the Monterey Bay Area (CA) at the time and met my soon-to-be Hubby, a meet-cute story I have told in detail in my blog post "Hubby."  (If you haven't read it, you should, it's a good story)!

Hubby had a huge gaggle of friends.  So many, in fact, that they used to call themselves "Rent a Crowd," because they could gather a party-loving crowd together at the drop of a hat.  His friends became my friends.

Sly McFlys, down on Cannery Row, was the watering hole of choice for Hubby and his friends. 

No matter when we would go there, all of our friends would be there.  We knew the bartenders, so that was a nice perk. One of the friends was an attorney and was in there so much, his clients would call him there.  Again it was a funky kind of bar but it was dark and smoky (we could smoke in bars then), but it had a nice long bar and good music. Beer was still my drink of choice, though I was developing a taste for wine. I can't say much about the restroom except there was a lot of activity in there, if you know what I mean.  It was the 80's, after all.  Today it's more of a family-type sports bar with lots of live music.

Hubby and I got married, we had a child together so now we had a family, Hubby was working on his career, the kids had activities we participated in so the partying fell away to a certain extent and no new bars came into my life.

But then the kids left, we moved to Seattle and a whole new era began.

The main thing that happened was my taste in bars and my taste in drinks.  No more dive bars.  No more funky. No more beer.  It's time to upgrade!  I liked the posh hotel bars.

Seattle is a big city and there are tons of bars to recommend it.

We worked our way through many of them.  It was a fun way to get to know the city.  We would go for a long walk in a neighborhood and then treat ourselves to a drink and a nosh.  We particularly liked hotel bars and there are two that have
passed the test of time.

Oliver's in the Mayflower Hotel in downtown Seattle is a lovely room with gorgeous high windows and great cocktails. 

It has a long bar that looks out those windows onto all of the City's activities. Great for people-watching.  And it doesn't hurt that there is a huge Macy's right across the street. I like one of their signature cocktails, "The Silver Bell," a lovely drink topped off with some champagne.  My taste in drinks has decidedly changed. The bartenders are always friendly and you get peanuts with your drink. We have stayed in the hotel several times to celebrate Valentine's Day and have been known to close the place down.  That's how friendly the bartenders are!

The Six/Seven bar in the Edgewater Hotel is about as iconic Seattle as you can get.

If you are lucky enough to snag a table by the window, you are literally sitting on the water with cruise ships and ferries going by. And The Edgewater Hotel is the home of some famous rock star shenanigans:  The Beatles fishing from their room and the Led Zeppelin "mudshark incident."

As we traveled, we had some happy moments in some great bars.

Victoria, B.C. is one of my favorite places and we never leave there without a stop at the Bengal Lounge in the Empress Hotel.  The hotel is impressive enough but the lounge evokes England's empire with its ceiling fans and curry buffet and sitting in its plush chairs enjoying a fancy drink with waiters in full waiter regalia doing their wait thing, life is good!

Farther afield, when traveling in Europe, we have enjoyed some great bars, bartenders and other travelers.  Having a drink in your hotel bar in another country is an easy way to strike up a conversation with your fellow travelers, share some travel tips and possibly makes some new friends.

One of the nicest hotels we have stayed in was the Grand Hotel Casselbergh in Bruges (Belgium). 

And the bartender was handsome, friendly, and fun and we met some other Americans there.  We all met there after a busy (and rainy) day of sightseeing. 

 

It was a welcome respite after touring the frites museum and sampling the local beer!

Another high point in my bar-loving life was The George pub in London. 

 

It was right around the corner from where were staying in North London and we just happened upon it. 

The food was delicious so we ate there two nights in a row and one night we were eating late and the bar was closing (many close at 10:30pm).  We had engaged both the bartender and the waitress (who turned out to also be the bar manager) in conversation, and when I told her being in their pub was just like being in the Queen Vic from "Eastenders," she got a kick out of that and let us stay after hours with them.  We got to talk with them as they cleaned up and closed the bar. 

For those of you not familiar with "Eastenders," it's a British soap opera that I have been watching since it first started in the 80's.  Much of the story takes place in an East End pub called the Queen Victoria, so it was a wonderful experience to be included in the real life workings of a real life pub.  All of the staff lived above the pub, something that is quite common there. That is one of those special travel memories that I savor.


Finally, I have to talk about our "local."  In British pub culture, everyone has a "Local," that bar where you always go to have a drink and meet with friends.



Ours is Daphne's in Edmonds (WA), a tiny little hole in the wall that only seats about 15 people.

The big draw is Desmond, the bartender.  He is there Tuesday-Friday holding court with his admirers.  And he has many.  He is a welcoming, funny and exuberant host.  His cheese plate is a thing to behold and order a Moscow Mule so you can witness "the slapping of the mint!"

And there's no TV.  Just Frank Sinatra singing classic songs.

It can be hot, crowded and we might not be able to find a seat.  It doesn't fit all of my criteria for a great bar.

So why do we go there?

Because Desmond makes sure that everybody knows our name!

Tell me about your favorite bars!

I was inspired to write this blog post by a charming little book I reviewed back in December "Of All the Gin Joints" that gives the history of bars, restaurants and hotels in Los Angeles and the drinks they inspired.  Highly recommended.

 

See you Friday

for my review of the new movie 

 

"Spy" 

and

 

The Week in Reviews

 

(What to See or Read and What to Avoid)

and the latest on

My 1001 Movies I Must See Before

 I Die Project."

 

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to click on the share buttons to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn, email it to your friends and LIKE me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer

"Magic Mike XXL" and The Week in Reviews

[I review the new movie "Magic Mile XXL" and some DVDs worth seeking out: "The Calling" and "Eden (aka "The Abduction of Eden.") Two books this week: "Bossypants" by Tina Fey and "Yes Please" by Amy Poehler.   I also bring you up to date on "My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project:" with the wonderful film "Tsotsi."] 

It's been a good week!



Magic Mike XXL

 

It's been three years since Mike (Channing Tatum) has been a "male entertainer" and dropped out of the Tampa Kings, but now those who are left have come knocking and want Mike to do it one more time.

 

The plot is slight.  Mike is lured back into dancing after a three year hiatus trying to make it in the "straight" world.  But you don't go to movies like this for the plot.  You go for the beefcake.  And there is LOTS of it.  I could look at Channing Tatum's biceps all day long. 

Mike has left the Tampa Kings to start his own construction/design business, but when he gets a call from Tarzan (Kevin Nash), one of his ex-stripper pals, that Dallas (Matthew McConaughey) "is gone," he goes to meet the boys thinking he is attending a wake. Turns out, Dallas has indeed gone but overseas to start his own franchise.  Tarzan just implied Dallas' death to get Mike to meet him and the boys (In addition to Tarzan, Big Dick (Joe Mangianella), Tito (Adam Rodriguez), Tobias (Gabriel Iglesias), and Ken (Matt Bomer) are all back).

They are all on their way to a stripper convention in Myrtle Beach in a froyo truck driven by Tobias, who is now going to be their M.C. since Dallas is no longer with them.  They want Mike to join them for one last hurrah.  Mike initially says no, but you know how these things are.  He can't resist that "one last time."

En route, a car accident derails Tobias so they visit Rome (Jada Pinkett Smith), one of Mike's old flames, who is making a ton of money with a club for women where women can have their fill of "male entertainers."  Mike wants Rome to be their M.C. at the convention but she says no.  But you know how these things are.  She can't resist...

For an inexplicable reason they head to a friend's house, whose mother is Andie McDowell, who plays very much against type as a randy older woman.  There is a running joke about the size of Joe Mangianella's you-know-what and that he has a hard time finding a woman who can handle it (I guess that's why his stage name is Big Dick). They spend the night together and Dick seems pleased the next morning.  So let's hear it for the older women!

Amber Heard is almost unrecognizable (her hair is a mess) as a love interest for Mike and Elizabeth Banks, who seems to be everywhere these days, has a cameo as the woman running the stripper convention.

The dancing is fantastic.  Channing is amazing.  Twitch, from "So You Think You Can Dance," is a newcomer and Channing holds his own with him in a sort of duet during the finale.  But early in the film, Channing does a little dance in his tool shed and let's just say, he puts his tools to good use. Yikes.  Joe Manganiello is also a great dancer and does a fun seduction scene in a 7-11.

But this is also a Bromance movie.  These guys love each other and it is never more evident than when they are all in the froyo truck taking ecstasy and telling them how much they love each other.  I have never heard so many F-bombs, but I also felt like I was eavesdropping on some real male bonding.

Steven Soderbergh directed the first one. This one is directed by Gregory Jacobs, but though Soderbergh didn't direct, he is the Executive Producer and shot and edited this one. Tatum is also one of the producers.  Soderbergh's involvement could explain why Andie McDowell is in this one since he made his mark with the now classic "Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989)" with Andie starring.  Reid Carolin does the honors once again on the script.

You know how I feel about sequels.  I ranted about it in my review of "Hot Tub Time Machine 2."  This might not have the "first time" rush of the first "Magic Mike," and you might miss Mr. Alright, Alright, Alright McConaughey, but it's worth it to see Channing and Mangienello.  I'm still sweating.

And let me say this about Channing.  He is not only a lovely piece of beefcake, but he is a competent actor, and more importantly, he just exudes warmth and charisma.  I have seen him several times on talk shows and he seems like a really nice guy who doesn't have a problem making fun of himself and his "Magic Mike" persona.  That makes him an actor that both women and men enjoy.  As for Mangienello, I can appreciate him as well.  Is it getting hot in here?

This isn't "Citizen Kane" by any means. I didn't expect it to be.  It's not even "Citizen Ruth," but I don't care because it made me smile.  Even feminists like a little beefcake from time to time.
 
Rosy the Reviewer says...It's like being in the front row at a Chippendale's show.  A fun movie to see with the girls or the boys, depending on how you roll.
 

 

***DVDS***

You Might Have Missed

(And Some You Will Be Glad You Did)

 

The Calling (2014)

 

Detective Micallef (Susan Sarandon) doesn't have much to do in her little town which probably accounts for her drinking, but she sobers up when she discovers there is a serial killer afoot.

Fort Dundas is a bleak Canadian town that would drive anyone to drink and Detective Hazel Micallef is no exception.  She is not averse to the occasional oxycotin either for her "back pain."  Plus she lives with her mother (Ellen Burstyn).  Not a whole lot going on for Hazel.

When Hazel is asked to check on the welfare of Delia, an old lady who lives alone, she finds her dead with a gruesome knife wound to the neck (but not before helping herself to some of Delia's pills) and her mouth manipulated into a scream.  OK, obviously a murder.  But then another murder occurs with a similar m.o. - the mouth contorted into a specific shape.  Now Hazel thinks, uh oh, looks like we might have a serial killer on our hands.  And as more and more bodies turn up with various mouth contortions it becomes clear that this serial killer has a "calling."  She calls on fellow detective Ray Green (Gil Bellows) to help her.  When they figure out there is some religious motives to these killings they consult a local priest (Donald Sutherland).

And let me say this about mysteries and crime dramas and this is only a teensy bit of a spoiler.  When a big name like Donald Sutherland appears in what seems to be only a very small part, you can pretty much count on the fact that he has something to do with the outcome. 

This film is all about the murders.  We know early on who the killer is (Simon played by Christopher Heyerdahl) but we don't know his motivation.  That is the mystery that keeps you watching. 

The screenplay by Scott Abramovitch (from the novel by Inger Ash Wolfe) has some original touches. It's a complicated plot that is not without its problems such as how Hazel actually puts all of the clues together to solve the riddle of the crimes, but if you can overlook that, this is not a bad addition to the serial killer genre. Think a little less gory version of "Se7en."  Director Jason Stone oversees some fine performances and creates a properly gloomy and creepy atmosphere for the actors to work in. And Sarandon is always good.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if the idea of a horror version of "Fargo" interests you and you liked "Seven" or "Silence of the Lambs," you might enjoy this one.

 

Eden aka "The Abduction of Eden" (2012)

 

A young Korean-American girl (Jamie Chung) is kidnapped by human traffickers and becomes a sex slave.

A usually good girl uses a fake ID to go to a bar where she meets a handsome seemingly nice guy.  Wrong.  He's really a handsome not so nice guy who kidnaps her, puts her in the trunk of his car and takes her to Las Vegas to be used as a sex slave.  Welcome to Vegas, baby!

Beau Bridges (where has he been?) plays Bob the cop and it soon becomes apparent he is a bad cop and heavily involved in sex trafficking.

It's a pretty grim story, based on a true one.  We see how it all works:  kidnap the girl, get her addicted to drugs, keep her tethered to a bed until needed, psychologically brainwash her by giving her a kitten and telling her if she messes up the kitten dies.  Throw in some threats to her family and you have a compliant slave who basically gives up on trying to escape.  Try to escape?  Expect to sit for hours in a bathtub filled with ice.

But not our Eden (her sex slave name) who is a plucky girl who realizes that if she befriends her captors and proves her usefulness, she just might have a chance to get out alive.  She worms her way into the graces of one of the "handlers," who is a crack addict.  She becomes his trusted helper and just waits for her chance to get away.

Jamie Chung is an appealing actress who makes this film work.  I had seen her name associated with guys like Bradley Cooper but didn't know who she was.  Now I know.  She has spent much of her career toiling on TV, but I think she has a bright future as a film actress.

There is an addictive documentary quality to this film directed by Megan Griffiths who is making a name for herself ("Lucky Them").  She also co-wrote the script with Richard B. Phillips and Chong Kim, whose story this is.

This film screams of "B Movie."  But hey, "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "The Fall of the House of Usher" and all of Roger Corman's films were "B's" and they have stood the test of time.

Watching a film like this, obviously a potboiler and which, if it weren't for the nudity and possibly the subject matter, would qualify for Lifetime Movie status, I realize I have a dark side.  I like movies about the dark side of life.  I find them fascinating and the fact that this is a true story, not only makes it fascinating, but makes me shudder to think that young women actually go through horrible things like this, possibly never to be heard from again.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a terrifying and intriguing look inside the sex trade.

***My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project***

256 to go! 

Tsotsi (2005)

Tsotsi is a gang leader in Johannesburg, South Africa, and he's not a very nice kid.  He has no trouble knifing a man on the subway or beating up one of his friends or shooting a woman while stealing her car, but when he discovers there is a baby in the backseat of that car, his life is changed forever. 

 

Tsotsi has the dead eyes of a person who life has left behind.  He leads a gang, lives in a shantytown and doesn't have much of a future. But when he finds the baby, he finds something inside himself that had been lost.  We slowly learn why Tsotsi has given up on the human race and is so filled with hate.  His mother was sick and he was left with his abusive father who crippled his dog in front of him. Tsotsi ran away and lived in a drain-pipe community with other lost children. He became hardened to life but when he found the baby, his humanity was sparked. 

 

Gavin Hood directed and adapted the film from the novel by Athol Fugard, this film won the Oscar in 2005 for Best Foreign Language Film and it is incredibly deserving.  The soundtrack of South African music creates a mesmerizing world and the cinematography is a work of art.

 

But Presley Chweneyagae as Tsotsi is just remarkable as is Terry Pheto as Miriam, the local woman he takes the baby to for help.

 

Why it's a Must See: "...remarkable performances in a film that powerfully conveys the brutality and squalor of the urban slums of Johannesburg--while maintaining a strong belief in the human spirit, which resists being crushed under the heavy weight of poverty..."

---1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...a riveting and extraordinary film that needs to be seen.
(In Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa with English subtitles)

***Books of the Week***

Bossypants  by Tina Fey (2013)

Yes Please by Amy Poehler (2014)

 

Memoirs by two of Saturday Night Live's most famous and successful alums - and they are friends!

Because Tina and Amy are very good friends, I thought it would be fun to not only read these in tandem but to review them side-by-side and compare them.

Tina and Amy met before their stints on SNL.  They were both members of the Chicago improvisational groups Improv Olympic and Second City. They each speak fondly of finding each other.

First of all, both books are funny as one would expect from these two.   You get a sense of Tina's humor from the cover of her book.  When I first saw it, I thought, boy, her arms are hairy.

Both ladies are self-deprecating feminists and very funny.  And they are both tough cookies.  You would have to be to make it in the world of comedy, especially when there is that "thing" out there that women aren't funny.

Both do not want to talk about what you might want them to: Tina's scar (well, she talks a little about it) and Amy's divorce from Will Arnett.  Tina's book is a bit more enlightening about her personal life; Amy's book is more about the humor.

They both take you behind the scenes at Saturday Night Live and of their wildly popular sitcoms: Tina's "30 Rock" and Amy's "Parks and Recreation." They also share their joys and struggles with motherhood.

Both like lists:  Tina has a list of her mother's beauty secrets and what it was like being skinny and what it was like being fat, since she achieved both states.

Amy likes lists even more than Tina:  Six titles for books she thinks should be available on divorce, some sex advice, and why cell phones are evil.

But in the end, both come across as "just girls" you would like to know.  They still remember their hometown roots, their parents and those who helped them along the way.

Rosy the Reviewer says...both books appear on lists of books that every woman should read.  Justly deserved.

Thanks for Reading!

That's it for this week.

See you Tuesday for

"Bars I Have Known and Loved"

 

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