Archive for July 8th, 2012
Review – To Rome with Love

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.
Review – Magic Mike

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.