Magic Mike

Let me begin by saying that by no stretch of the imagination did I go in to watch Magic Mike expecting a bevy of emotions to paralyze and transfix me. Lo and behold, I was correct. While not horrible, I found that this film just about balances the objectifying female gaze (meaning yes, we do enjoy watching these men) and comedy. So, to me, it is just like any other chick-flick that Hollywood has thrown at us. No one's performance was exemplary, but I did find some rather useless characters -- Olivia Munn's character Cody Horn's character.

Set in the world of male strippers, Magic Mike is directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars Channing Tatum in a story inspired by his real life. The film follows Mike (Tatum) as he takes a young dancer called The Kid (Pettyfer) under his wing and schools him in the fine arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money.

The Amazing Spider-Man

Getting a little behind on my movies list, so please do forgive me for this sudden onslaught of posts...

Marc Webb's take on the unbelievably limber comic hero Spider-man is a far more thrilling adventure than any reboot has a right to be. Led by Andrew Garfield's angsty, sarcastic, and (forgive the term, but for lack of a better word) swaggerific Peter Parker, this web-slinging, building-swinging roller coaster ride delivers where the original trilogy failed to go. His combination of youthful (in)exuberance and wry humor creates this illusion of teenage rebellion that puts the cherry on top of this delicious action-packed sundae. And as lady luck would have it, Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy makes for a far better female lead than Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane. The awkward yet charming chemistry between the two makes for a surprisingly sweet addition to the otherwise darker remake.

The Amazing Spider-Man is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents' disappearance - leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father's former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors' alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

The Cynics

A year later and I still have nothing good to say about the Romantics. The entire film was a disappointment, save for this one bright light: the most honest cinematic conversation of the year.

Birthday

Remnants of a beautiful birthday. [=

Harry Potter Fun Facts

Since it is awesome/ always relevant and my life obviously lacks any interesting content.

Isolation

"Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it in tact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."

-- C.S. Lewis

Birthday.

It's officially July 2. Guess the one day a year I get of accepted self-important pretenses is over!

Still, thank you for all the greetings, visits, and presents. It was much appreciated.