Directed by Gregory Jacobs and written by Reid Carolin, Magic Mike XXL is the sequel to 2012’s Magic Mike in which a former male stripper reunites with old friends for a stripping convention in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina as he copes with some of the choices he’s made as well as helping out his old friends. The film is partially a road trip but also an exploration into debauchery and camaraderie between men trying to take the next step of their lives. Starring Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez, Matt Bomer, Gabriel Iglesias, Amber Heard, Donald Glover, Andie MacDowell, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Elizabeth Banks. Magic Mike XXL is an entertaining and wild film from Gregory Jacobs.
Set three years after the events of the first film, the film revolves around a former male stripper who is trying to run his own furniture business as he is coaxed to reunite with his fellow strippers who have been let go by their boss as they want to go on one last hurrah at a convention in Myrtle Beach. It’s a film that explores a man trying to be an adult as he reluctantly returns to what made him a big deal as well as a lot of money where he also realizes he has to smooth out issues he has with his former friends in order to do this. At the same time, the journey would force Mike (Channing Tatum) and his friends to think of new ideas for their show as they would turn to an old friend of Mike’s for help for the show in Myrtle Beach.
Reid Carolin’s script doesn’t just explore Mike’s reluctance to return to stripping but also the friends he had left behind as they’re all struggling to figure out what to do after this road trip. Especially as they also deal with the fact that their boss Dallas had abandoned them and never really give them anything to do creatively as entertainers. The script also reveals Mike’s own struggles to keep his business afloat as well as his own personal setback in his life where he rallies his buddies to really go out on one last hurrah. All of which is told in a traditional three-act structure where the first act is about Mike joining the boys on the road while the second act largely consists of him meeting his old friend/boss in Rome (Jada Pinkett Smith) and entertain some housewives. The third act is set in Myrtle Beach where it is the film’s climax where Mike, the Kings of Tampa, and a couple of Rome’s boys would create the ultimate show.
Gregory Jacobs’ direction is quite simple while it also has a flair for style in the way many of the stripping performances and staging are presented. Shot on location in Tampa as well as parts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and its climax at Myrtle Beach. Jacobs does create moments that are simple in its approach to the compositions while displaying a flair for style in a few tracking shots and some long shots. Even as he maintains an intimacy in the medium shots and close-ups for Mike’s solo dance early in the film as well as very enjoyable moment when Richie (Joe Manganiello) does an impromptu dance at a convenience store. The latter of which is a key plot-point that would serve as a major catalyst for what Mike and the boys want to do as entertainers as it has an element of liveliness in the direction. Jacobs would also use a few wide shots to establish some of the locations along with some of the large group conversations as it plays into this world of debauchery and excess. The film’s climax at the convention doesn’t just have this air of excitement but also displays different styles of performances as it has an air of class but also raunchiness that is about making women happy. Overall, Jacobs creates a fun and exhilarating film about male strippers going to a convention for one last show.
Cinematographer/editor Steven Soderbergh does brilliant work with both the film‘s cinematography and editing where he infuses a lot of unique visual styles in the lighting for the scenes at night in the former in his Peter Andrews alias while doing a lot of stylish cutting with its jump-cuts and some straightforward cuts in his Mary Ann Bernard alias. Production designer Howard Cummings, with set decorator Barbara Munch and art director Eric R. Johnson, does fantastic work with the look of the home that Rome lives and works at as well as the staging on the convention. Costume designer Christopher Peterson does nice work with the costumes as it is largely casual with the exception of the clothes the guys would wear for the ultimate show.
Visual effects supervisor John Bair does terrific work with some of the minimal visual effects as it relates to the ending but also a few moments of set dressing. Sound editor Larry Blake is superb for the natural approach to the sound in how music is heard as well as the reaction of the crowd at the convention. Music supervisor Season Kent does amazing work with the film’s soundtrack with its mix of pop, R&B, electronic music, rock, and dance as it plays into the kind of stuff the guys strip to as it is a plethora of music from Ginuwine, 112, 50 Cent, Bruno Mars, Nine Inch Nails, the Backstreet Boys, D’Angelo, Ozzy Osbourne, Donna Summer, R. Kelly, Jodeci, and many others.
The casting by Carmen Cuba is great as it features some notable small roles from Michael Strahan as a stripper at Rome’s house, Stephen “tWitch” Boss as another stripper of Rome’s that would do his performance with Mike, and Donald Glover as another stripper of Rome’s club as he is also a singer that befriends Ken. Amber Heard is wonderful as a photographer named Zoe that Mike would run into often as they become friends as she would attend the convention out of curiosity. Andie MacDowell is terrific as Nancy as a housewife who lets Mike and the guys stay at her place as she has a great interest towards Richie. Elizabeth Banks is amazing as Paris as the convention’s organizer who knows Mike as she isn’t sure if she can get a spot for him and his friends only to reunite with an old friend she loves. Jada Pinkett Smith is fantastic as Rome as an old friend/boss of Mike who still has some resentment about how Mike left her as she is reluctant to help him and his friends.
Kevin Nash is excellent as Tarzan as the big and muscular guy who is also very good at making art as he is the one who missed Mike the most as he is happy Mike came along for the trip. Gabriel Iglesias is superb as Tobias as the gang’s DJ/MC who is trying to start a yogurt business with Tito as he would get sick early in the film forcing him to not join the boys for the rest of the trip. Adam Rodriguez is brilliant as Tito as the stripper who wants to create yogurt that is healthy as he turns to Mike for business advice. Matt Bomer is marvelous as Ken as the model who has some issues with Mike as he tries to maintain a positive attitude as he eventually turns to Mike about getting help for his acting career. Joe Manganiello is incredible as Richie as the guy with the big dick who is more uncertain about what to do after the gig as well as realizing he’s got a lot more to offer where Manganiello displays a lot of charisma to his role. Finally, there’s Channing Tatum in an incredible performance as Magic Mike as a former stripper who is coaxed to get back in the game as he smooth out some issues he has with friends as well as deal with the fact that he is who he is and be able to accept that.
Magic Mike XXL is a marvelous film from Gregory Jacobs. Featuring a great cast led by Channing Tatum, some wild and entertaining moments, and a fun soundtrack. It’s a film that is all about having a good time and guys taking off their clothes to entertain the ladies. In the end, Magic Mike XXL is an awesome film from Gregory Jacobs.
Related: Magic Mike
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch and written by Derek Kolstad, John Wick is the story of a former hitman who goes on a journey of vengeance following an attack of his home which led to the death of his puppy given to him by his late wife. The film is a simple tale of vengeance that plays into a man who was just trying to get his life back on track only to go all-out on those that made him mad as Keanu Reeves play the titular role. Also starring Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane, Dean Winters, and Willem Dafoe. John Wick is a thrilling and mesmerizing film from Chad Stahelski and David Leitch.
What happens when a former hitman consumed with grief over the loss of wife and then has his dog killed by a mob boss’ son who would also steal his 1969 Ford Mustang? Well, if that man is John Wick. It will take an army to stop a monster that just woke up and is in the kind of pain that no one wants to endure. While it is a simple revenge film of sorts, it’s really about a man that is coping with loss as he had spent years trying to clean up his life and not kill for anyone in the world of crime. The loss of his wife would have a major impact on him as the final gift she gave him was a puppy as it was that glimpse of hope that he wouldn’t have to grieve alone. Instead, the son of a mob boss he used to work for would fuck things up not just for himself but his father who realizes that he’s absolutely fucked.
Derek Kolstad’s script doesn’t just explore a man’s grief as he goes into a quest for vengeance but also a look into a past he had tried to walk away from as it’s one that is cold and violent but has changed into something that is more civil but with those who lack ethics. Wick is a man of the old school as his old boss Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist) describes him as someone that kills the Boogeyman. In some ways, Wick is a monster that had been tamed into a human being through his wife where he didn’t have to think about killing or be part of a crime world. Due to the actions of Viggo’s son Iosev (Alfie Allen), Wick is forced to go back into the world he wanted to leave where he is aware that there’s a bounty on his head but he is carrying a lot of pain in him as it makes him unstoppable. Wounding him just slows him down as he’s focused on vengeance as Kolstad’s script is aware of the rules but also into the fact that some just don’t grief is something not easily curable.
The film’s direction by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch is quite stylish in a lot of respects where much of the visuals and compositions definitely owe a lot to film noir. Shot largely on location in New York City and New Jersey, the film does take its time to flesh things out where it does open with a wounded Wick crashing a SUV as he struggles to get help while he looks into his phone that contains a video of his late wife. It establishes what kind of man he is as well as the fact that for all of his actions as a hitman and doing all sorts of things. There is good in him and losing the one person that humanized him is hurtful where the direction knows where to place the camera and not go for anything conventional in terms of the compositions such as how the camera is lined-up against the actor in a frame. The usage of wide and medium shots don’t just help capture the atmosphere of some of the locations including a few clubs and places that Viggo runs but also in the usage of close-ups where some of the dramatic tension occurs that include a meeting between Wick and Viggo. The film’s climax is quite elaborate as it isn’t just a thirst of vengeance but also a showdown in the old ways where the usage of wide shots and close-ups really come into play. Overall, Stahelski and Letich creates an exhilarating and gripping film about a former hitman on a quest for vengeance.
Cinematographer Jonathan Sela does excellent work with the film‘s stylish cinematography with its usage of lights for many of the interior settings at night including the clubs as well as some of the warehouses in the way it uses filters to set a mood. Editor Elisabet Ronalds does nice work with the editing with its usage of montages but also in creating a sense of tension in the way the suspense is built along with dazzling fast-cuts to play into the intensity of the action. Production designer Dan Leigh, with set decorator Susan Bode and art director C.J. Simpson, does fantastic work with the look of the nightclub that Viggo owns as well as the other places as well along with the look of Wick‘s home. Costume designer Luca Mosca does wonderful work with the costumes from the suits the men wear to the look of a female assassin Wick doesn’t like.
Visual effects supervisor Jake Braver does terrific work with some of the visual effects where it has elements of set-dressing as well as moments for the film‘s intense and elaborate action scenes. Sound designer Alan Rankin and sound editor Mark Stoeckinger do amazing work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the locations and the impact of the violence that adds to the intensity of the film. The film’s music by Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richards, with additional work from Scott Tixler, is superb for its mixture of eerie electronics with elements of hip-hop rhythms that play into the world of crime while music supervisor John Houlihan brings in a soundtrack that features a mixture of music from hip-hop and rock from T-Bo, the Candy Shop Boys, and Marilyn Manson.
The casting by Jessica Kelly and Suzanne Smith is incredible as it features some small yet notable appearances from David Patrick Kelly as an old cleaner friend of Wick, Randall Duk Kim as a hotel doctor, Lance Reddick as a hotel concierge, Bridget Regan as a bar mistress in Addy whom Wick knows, Kevin Nash as a club bouncer who also knows Wick, Clarke Peters as a hotel neighbor that Wick knows, and Bridget Moynahan as Wick’s late wife Helen who largely appears in flashbacks yet has this unique presence that adds to Wick’s humanity. Other noteworthy small roles include Ian McShane in a superb performance as the hotel owner Winston whom Wick knows where he would give him some keen advice while John Leguizamo is excellent in his brief role as the chop-shop owner Aurelio who realizes what Iosef had done as he would later give Wick his car back knowing that the world is about to get fucked. Dean Winters is brilliant as Viggo’s right-hand man Avi who essentially handles all of the business as he becomes worried about what Wick will undo.
Adrianne Palicki is fantastic as the assassin Perkins as a woman that has a history with Wick as she has no qualms in killing him unaware that she is way in over her head as far as Wick is concerned. Alfie Allen is amazing as Iosev Tarasov as the son of a mob boss who thinks he’s tough when he’s really just a punk-ass spoiled little shit who has no idea of who Wick is. Willem Dafoe is phenomenal as Marcus as an old-school assassin who takes the contract offered by Viggo yet is sort of this guardian angel figure for Wick as he is also the man that helped him out of the world of crime. Michael Nyqvist is remarkable as Viggo Tarasov as a mob boss who realizes what his son has done where he tries to protect him while trying to protect his empire and deal with Wick personally. Finally, there’s Keanu Reeves in a spectacular performance as the titular character as a man who is consumed by grief and rage following the loss of his wife and dog as it’s a role where Reeves doesn’t need to say much as he allows his actions and quiet demeanor do a lot of the talking as it is one of career-defining performances.
John Wick is a sensational film from Chad Stahelski and David Leitch that features an incredible leading performance from Keanu Reeves. Armed with a fascinating premise, an amazing ensemble cast, and thrilling yet violent action sequences. It’s a film that manages to be more than just a neo-noir revenge thriller but also a study of grief and loss in the eyes of a man who was just regaining his humanity. In the end, John Wick is a rapturous and exhilarating film from Chad Stahelski and David Leitch.
Related: John Wick: Chapter 2 - John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum - John Wick: Chapter 4 - (Ballerina (2024 film))
David Leitch Films: Atomic Blonde - Deadpool 2 - (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw) - (Bullet Train)
© thevoid99 2016
Directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Reid Carolin, Magic Mike is the story of a male stripper who takes a young 19-year old man into the world of male stripping as both men go into different crossroads into their lives. The film is an exploration into the world of male stripping where one person is thinking about a life outside of that world while the other goes into deep into a world of sex and drugs. Starring Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Cody Horn, Olivia Munn, Gabriel Iglesias, Adam Rodriguez, and Matthew McConaughey. Magic Mike is a engaging yet entertaining film from Steven Soderbergh.
The film revolves the life of a male stripper in his 30s named Mike (Channing Tatum) who takes a 19-year old college dropout named Adam (Alex Pettyfer) under his wing as they become a hot stripping duo at the Tampa strip club known as Xquisite. Yet, Mike’s life is at a crossroads as he hopes to start a furniture business of his own while his boss Dallas (Matthew McConaughey) is set to move the club to Miami to make more money. With Adam falling prey to the excesses of the stripper lifestyle, Mike ponders the decisions he’s made in his life while dealing with a future that might be bleak. It’s a film that may seem serious but it’s a story that explores a world where things are good and fun but can also be troubling. Especially as Mike has been stripping for six years and has no intentions of being a stripper in his 40s.
Reid Carolin’s screenplay has a unique structure in which is told in three acts in the course of an entire summer. A lot of it plays to a formula where there is this sense of rise and fall in Mike as he is this very charismatic stripper who can bring in a lot of money in one night dancing, shaking his ass, and drive women wild. While that life which also includes partying and sleeping with other women where he is also in an on-and-off relationship with a woman named Joanna (Olivia Munn). It’s a life that is becoming very predictable as he wants to do something else like create furniture at a good price as he’s eager to make it but couldn’t get loans despite all the money he has saved. By meeting Adam and his older sister Brooke (Cody Horn), Mike realizes he could do something to help the directionless Adam as he promises Brooke that he’ll take care of him.
For Adam, the life that he gets himself into his troubling where the film’s second half shows him delving into a world of drugs, booze, and women where he is asked by the club’s DJ Tobias (Gabriel Iglesias) to help him sell drugs to people to make extra money. It would play into some of the more dramatic elements of the third act while revealing more of Mike’s disillusionment with the stripper lifestyle as well as resentment towards his boss Dallas. Dallas is a very complex individual who is a showman onstage and can also help his boys out anyway that can but is also a man that has grand ambitions for what he does to the point that he’s willing to get whatever he can for his own gain.
Steven Soderbergh’s direction is very entrancing for the way he presents this world of the male stripper lifestyle while making it into a drama about a man at the crossroads of his life. Shot in parts of Los Angeles as well as scenes in Florida, there is something that does feel like a film set in the summer where the city of Tampa is a character in the film. It’s a place where things are thriving and there’s a lot of things to do. The direction is mostly understated in terms of the dramatic moments of the films including some of the scenes behind the scenes at the Xquisite club. Yet, Soderbergh maintains a sense of liveliness in the stripping scenes as well as some of the party scenes that happen including one key moment where Adam’s drug use starts to go out of control.
It’s not just the direction that has this air of intrigue that showcases a world about a man in the transition of his life but how it’s presented. Under his Peter Andrews alias, Soderbergh’s photography is very stylish where uses these gorgeous filters to display a very sunny world in many of the film’s exteriors and some of interiors scenes while the scenes at the Xquisite club is more straightforward but also playful. Soderbergh’s editing, in his Mary Ann Bernard alias, is quite stylish as it features a few montages to display some of the craziness as well as the rhythm of the drama to establish some of the changes Mike and Adam go through in their lives. Overall, Soderbergh creates a very intoxicating yet fascinating film about the life of a male stripper.
Production designer Howard Cummings, with set decorator Barbara Munch and art director Chris Dileo, do brilliant work with the look of the Xquisite club as well as Mike‘s home and some of the places he and Adam go to. Costume designer Christopher Peterson does fantastic work with the costumes from the clothes the strippers wear onstage to some of the more casual look off the stage. Dance choreographer Alison Faulk is excellent for the moves the strippers dance to where they create a show that is all about giving the ladies a good time. Sound editor Larry Blake does superb work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of strip club and more crowded places some of the intimacy in the scenes set in the beaches. Music supervisor Frankie Pine is wonderful as it features an array of music ranging from hip-hop, dub-step, country, and rock to play up the energy of the strip clubs including an original song by Matthew McConaughey.
The casting by Carmen Cuba is amazing as it features a huge ensemble for the film that includes Betsy Brandt as a banker, Mircea Monroe as a wife of one of the strippers, Riley Keough as a girl Adam hangs out with later in the film and Gabriel Iglesias as the club DJ/part-time dealer Tobias who would get Adam into a lot of trouble. Other notable small roles in the film include Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez, Matt Bomer, and Joe Manganiello as strippers of Xquisite with Nash as the tall but sort-of-stiff Tarzan, Rodriguez as the Latino heartthrob Tito, Bomer as the stripper-next-door Ken, and Manganiello as Big Dick Richie as a guy with a big dick as they’re just a whole lot of fun to watch. Olivia Munn is pretty good as Mike’s on-and-off again girlfriend Joanna who is trying to have her own life though she enjoys Mike’s company only to be past the friends with benefits stage.
Cody Horn is wonderful as Brooke as a young woman who is wary about Adam’s new life while keeping Mike in check of being responsible as she tries to hide her attractions towards him. Matthew McConaughey is outstanding as the Xquisite owner Dallas as a man who is so full of bravado and charm where he can be the showman onstage while being a far more controlling and ambition as far as business is concerned. Alex Pettyfer is terrific as Adam as a young guy who is lost in the world as he is intrigued by Mike’s world where he becomes a stripper unaware of the baggage that comes with it. Finally, there’s Channing Tatum in a marvelous performance as Mike as he brings a lot of depth into the role of a man at a crossroads in his life as he is eager to find a life outside of stripping though he knows he doesn’t have everything figured out while falling prey into old habits as Tatum makes the guy compelling as well as being a very fun dancer who can wow the ladies.
Magic Mike is a remarkable film from Steven Soderbergh that is highlighted by the dazzling performances of Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey. It’s a film that is definitely one of Soderbergh’s more entertaining films that is also quite dark and intriguing for some of the destructive elements of the male-stripping lifestyle. In the end, Magic Mike is a mesmerizing yet wild film from Steven Soderbergh.
Steven Soderbergh Films: sex, lies, & videotape - Kafka - King of the Hill - The Underneath - Gray’s Anatomy - Schizopolis - Out of Sight - The Limey - Erin Brockovich - Traffic - Ocean's 11 - Full Frontal - Solaris (2002 film) - Eros-Equilibrium - Ocean’s Twelve - Bubble - The Good German - Ocean’s Thirteen - Che - The Girlfriend Experience - The Informant! - And Everything is Going Fine - Contagion - Haywire - Side Effects - Behind the Candelabra - Logan Lucky - (Unsane) - (High Flying Bird)
The Auteurs #39: Steven Soderbergh Pt. 1 - Pt. 2
Related: Magic Mike XXL
© thevoid99 2013
