Author |
Message |
David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
|
Re: Magic Mike
I'm not sure I would even call it a downward spiral. His character is already "low." He was given the gift of a college scholarship, but squandered it. Though the character of his sister's boyfriend is portrayed as obtuse for a bit of comic relief, it also seems important how uncomfortable Adam is in the presence of a man his age who is on the rise and confident and industrious. Just consider the image of him shambling away, frowning, hood up. He is using his sister's benevolence and sense of familial duty to get by in life without doing much to change his own situation.
In the world of the strip club, these negative character traits are just given an outlet and a chance to materialize in more immediate ways. But I don't believe, on a spiritual level, there's anything inside him at the end which isn't already there at the beginning. Soderbergh is careful not to turn it into just another straightforward "Mama Not Told Me Not to Come" story of a nice and bright suburban lad gone bad because of the evil, evil sex industry. It's more complicated or maybe less complicated, but more interesting and sad.
Mike sees the dangerous synergy between Adam the person and Adam the stripper and starts to doubt his own, "I'm not Magic Mike standing here in the daylight right now. I'm not my job" mantra, so he leaves.
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
|
Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:50 am |
|
|
Michael A
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 4:48 am Posts: 6245
|
Re: Magic Mike
The drug parts were highly unrealistic. At 19, when a few months ago he refused a hit from a joint, a guy thinks it's a good idea to go in on $20,000 worth of ecstacy why? Adam has no experience and thinks it's a great idea to start that big when he is just getting some money and on his feet? The character was presented as very strong-headed and cocky but not like that. Then he takes 10 grand of this drug around with him in his back pack all the time? All of it? Are you fucking kidding? The drug parts where poorly written and unbelievable to me, as was the end of Adam's character, the only one that was very interesting to me in the first place.
_________________Mr. R wrote: Malcolm wrote: You seem to think threatening violence against people is perfectly okay because you feel offended by their words, so that's kind of telling in itself. Exactly. If they don't know how to behave, and feel OK offending others, they get their ass kicked, so they'll think next time before opening their rotten mouths.
|
Wed Jul 11, 2012 10:08 pm |
|
|
David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
|
Re: Magic Mike
Michael, meet the concept of greed.
The concept of greed, meet Michael.
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
|
Wed Jul 11, 2012 10:25 pm |
|
|
Michael A
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 4:48 am Posts: 6245
|
Re: Magic Mike
David wrote: Michael, meet the concept of greed.
The concept of greed, meet Michael. Adam's so greedy that he takes his ten thousand dollars of pills to an unknown sorority house... why? Does he think he can sell all thousand pills that night, while in the middle of a stripper job? I'm sorry there's just no earthly reason he would have the entire stash on him in that situation, he'd have to be the biggest fucking moron in the world, which for all his flaws Adam is not. He clearly has a little intelligence. The only reason he had all the pills there is because it was the simplest way to create that plot device to function as his collapse and push Mike and Brook away from him and to each other. As such it is bad writing.
_________________Mr. R wrote: Malcolm wrote: You seem to think threatening violence against people is perfectly okay because you feel offended by their words, so that's kind of telling in itself. Exactly. If they don't know how to behave, and feel OK offending others, they get their ass kicked, so they'll think next time before opening their rotten mouths.
|
Thu Jul 12, 2012 12:03 pm |
|
|
Mr. Reynolds
Confessing on a Dance Floor
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 12:46 am Posts: 5565 Location: Celebratin' in Chitown
|
Re: Magic Mike
As a former club kid, I agree with Michael A. It was definitely an exaggerated plot move to advance the story. but no love lost.
|
Thu Jul 12, 2012 4:22 pm |
|
|
Jmart
Superman: The Movie
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 8:47 am Posts: 21141 Location: Massachusetts
|
Re: Magic Mike
It's a mix of The Wrestler and Boogie Nights if it were approached seriously and though I admire the effort by Soderbergh to tackle some of the themes here, they're all told in such a way that we've seen hundreds of times before and in the process put it a huge step down from those films. What also keeps the film from being as good as those two are the performances. Channing Tatum is good here in a duel role of sorts (Magic Mike/ Mike), but I don't think the film gives us enough of the real Mike to make those later scenes have any weight. That's a script failure more than it is Tatum. Cody Horn though is a complete disaster. Is her character supposed to be devoid of any emotion? Because that's how she played it and suffice to say, she's just bad (though she looks good in a bikini). And again, because she's so bad, those later scenes feel flimsy. And how many times have we seen the Alex Pettyfer storyline?
The movie starts off well enough, but only so many Soderberghian camera shots, lens filters, and color palates could keep me interested.
** (C)
_________________My DVD Collection Marty McGee (1989-2005)
If I’m not here, I’m on Letterboxd.
|
Sat Jul 14, 2012 9:08 pm |
|
|
Libs
Sbil
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm Posts: 48626 Location: Arlington, VA
|
Re: Magic Mike
Jmart wrote: Cody Horn though is a complete disaster. Is her character supposed to be devoid of any emotion? Because that's how she played it and suffice to say, she's just bad (though she looks good in a bikini). Boo you whore.
|
Sat Jul 14, 2012 11:02 pm |
|
|
trixster
loyalfromlondon
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm Posts: 19697 Location: ville-marie
|
Re: Magic Mike
I thought it was pretty great. Between this and 21 Jump Street, Channing Tatum is a real-live actor.
_________________Magic Mike wrote: zwackerm wrote: If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes. Same. Algren wrote: I don't think. I predict.
|
Thu Sep 06, 2012 10:46 pm |
|
|
Michael A
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 4:48 am Posts: 6245
|
Re: Magic Mike
trixster wrote: I thought it was pretty great. Between this and 21 Jump Street, Channing Tatum is a real-live actor. ew. Still hate him.
_________________Mr. R wrote: Malcolm wrote: You seem to think threatening violence against people is perfectly okay because you feel offended by their words, so that's kind of telling in itself. Exactly. If they don't know how to behave, and feel OK offending others, they get their ass kicked, so they'll think next time before opening their rotten mouths.
|
Tue Sep 11, 2012 9:20 pm |
|
|
Johnny Dollar
The Lubitsch Touch
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2005 5:48 pm Posts: 11019
|
Re: Magic Mike
No he is the most exciting and natural young actor on Hollywood's radar, so glad he's a star now
_________________ k
|
Tue Sep 11, 2012 11:11 pm |
|
|
jmovies
Let's Call It A Bromance
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:22 pm Posts: 12333
|
Re: Magic Mike
The film has a solid start but then tries to throw in conflict all of a sudden that doesn't really connect itself accurately to how things began. The entire drug story was ridiculous and all the characters become cliches in a film that didn't start out as one. Tatum though is good here.
|
Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:13 pm |
|
|
Mannyisthebest
Forum General
Joined: Wed May 10, 2006 3:53 pm Posts: 8636 Location: Toronto, Canada
|
Re: Magic Mike
I just wonder what the response would be to a female version of this film...
_________________The Dark Prince
|
Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:21 pm |
|
|
trixster
loyalfromlondon
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm Posts: 19697 Location: ville-marie
|
Re: Magic Mike
Mannyisthebest wrote: I just wonder what the response would be to a female version of this film... http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/showgirls/
_________________Magic Mike wrote: zwackerm wrote: If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes. Same. Algren wrote: I don't think. I predict.
|
Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:44 pm |
|
|
Libs
Sbil
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm Posts: 48626 Location: Arlington, VA
|
Re: Magic Mike
LOL that movie poster for Showgirls gets me every time. It's so bad.
|
Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:53 pm |
|
|
publicenemy#1
Extraordinary
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 12:25 am Posts: 18842 Location: San Diego
|
Re: Magic Mike
I actually think this might be one of my favorite movies of this year, which is strange 'cause Haywire is probably one of my least favorite movies of the year.
|
Thu Dec 20, 2012 8:57 pm |
|
|
Mannyisthebest
Forum General
Joined: Wed May 10, 2006 3:53 pm Posts: 8636 Location: Toronto, Canada
|
Re: Magic Mike
"http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/showgirls/"
I know about that film but would be interesting to see Magic Mike reversing roles.
Likely be a rather depressing film...
_________________The Dark Prince
|
Fri Dec 21, 2012 3:29 pm |
|
|
Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 66999
|
Magic Mike
This wasn't bad. Technically it is very good, but then it's made by a master craftsman. The story isn't great and, I don't know, but I was expecting more considering the hype surrounding it. But it literally is just the personal lives of male strippers, all of which I didn't care for at any point. I kept sort of just waiting for a gripping story to unfold but it never did. Channing Tatum is surprisingly likable and able to deliver an actual performance. The bods on show are all great but Pettyfer just looks like a random dude when put up against the likes of Manganiello and McConaughey.
B-
_________________STOP UIGHUR GENOCIDE IN XINJIANG FIGHT FOR TAIWAN INDEPENDENCE FREE TIBET LIBERATE HONG KONG BOYCOTT MADE IN CHINA
|
Sun Aug 13, 2017 12:25 pm |
|
|
Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 66999
|
Re: Magic Mike
I am going to watch the sequel though. I guess I just cannot get enough of Manganiello's abs.
_________________STOP UIGHUR GENOCIDE IN XINJIANG FIGHT FOR TAIWAN INDEPENDENCE FREE TIBET LIBERATE HONG KONG BOYCOTT MADE IN CHINA
|
Sun Aug 13, 2017 12:28 pm |
|
|
Magic Mike
Wallflower
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 4:53 am Posts: 34875 Location: Minnesota
|
Re: Magic Mike
Algren wrote: I am going to watch the sequel though. I guess I just cannot get enough of Manganiello's abs. Amber Heard is really cute in the sequel . None of the guys in it are very attractive though .
|
Sun Aug 13, 2017 4:35 pm |
|
|