MOVIE REVUE: They’ve Got the Magic Flick

Girrrllll…

I seriously considered that being my entire review, because that accurately sums up my reaction to this beautiful example of cinematic genius. There may be a legal battle brewing between Channing Tatum and his former stripper buddies over the idea, but I do not care whose idea it was. All that matters is that this idea was executed. A strip club experience without the cover charge, expensive drinks, or some stranger’s genitals being anywhere near your face? Yes, please!

MOVIE REVUE: Soderbergh Controls Chaos in Haywire

It’s nice to see an action film that doesn’t complicate things just for the sake of looking smart. As much as I enjoyed most of the spy films from 2011, we saw almost every variation and mind-boggling complexity that the genre had to offer. In Haywire, which was initially slated for release early last year, we are treated to 90 minutes of undiluted action that stays within the boundaries of physics (and our attention spans) and out of the confusing details.

MOVIE REVUE: A Frightening Injection of Reality In Contagion

We’ve seen plenty of pandemic films before. Varying from big budget successes like Outbreak, independent pictures like 2009′s Carriers and Danny Boyle’s gruesome vision 28 Days Later, the possibility of a global health emergency has been explored in movies for decades. It’s no wonder that this fictionally enhanced topic continues to instill fear in a world where diseases like malaria, Ebola and AIDS are still making an enormous impact on our population.  In Contagion, we are reminded of  the most devastating communicable diseases in human history – the plague, Spanish Flu and smallpox - all precursors  to HEV-1, the fictional killer virus at large in Steven Soderbergh’s $60 million contribution to the ’what if’ scenario in a massive airborne health crisis.