Archive for July 8th, 2012

Short Take: Perfectly enjoyable, but ultimately could have used a bit of elaboration.

Director: Woody Allen

Screenwriter: Woody Allen

Cast: Roberto Benigni, Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Greta Gerwig, Woody Allen

Running Time: 1 hour 42 minutes

Synopsis: Essentially an anthology film of Woody Allen shorts, To Rome with Love tells multiple stand-alone stories that take place in the titular picturesque city. There’s John (Alec Baldwin) who is an architect replaying the great love affair of his youth through Jack (Eisenberg) and the vivacious wannabe-actress Monica (Page), and there’s Leopoldo Pisanello (Benigni) who suddenly becomes a celebrity and soon starts to go crazy with all of the attention. Though each stories’ humor varies, they all offer a glimpse of a different facet of the city.

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Short Take: Though the dancing is titillating, the film’s examination of Hollywood actors is its most interesting aspect

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Screenwriters: Reid Carolin

Cast: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Cody Horn, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello

Running Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Synopsis: Mike (Tatum) is a handsome young man who works a handful of odd jobs to pay the bills, but his real ambition is to make custom furniture. While working at his construction job, he meets Adam (Pettyfer), a recent college dropout looking for employment and purpose. Looking to help, Mike brings him to his other job at Xquisite, an all-male revue, and brings him onstage to dance. The club’s owner, Dallas (McConaughey), likes what he sees and hires him. Later, as Adam becomes more enamored with the stripper lifestyle, Mike becomes increasingly disillusioned. As Adam’s straight-laced sister, Brooke (Horn), questions whether Mike is using stripping as a crutch, he begins to wonder how much longer it can last.

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