Tag: SalmaHayek

Magic Mike’s Last Dance

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Eight years ago, Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) embarked on a road trip with the Kings of Tampa for one last blow out performance. Now he’s back to take another final bow. Down and out on his luck when his business venture falls through, Mike has resorted to bartending. When he meets Maxandra Mendoza (Salma Hayek Pinault), she makes him an offer he simply cannot refuse.

Magic Mike’s Last Dance was a lot more enjoyable than I expected it to be. As fan of the franchise, I always did prefer the second to the first (probably because of my love for Matt Bomer) so I was wondering how this one would fare. At first I was on the fence when I heard that Hayek Pinault would be the love interest this time around. I have to say that she and Tatum complimented each other quite nicely. That opening number was certainly steamy and I appreciated how they developed a solid friendship with one another along with the romantic feelings that developed over the course of the film.

Let’s be honest. The main reason why we watch these movies is for the hot strippers, am I right? So you could imagine my disappointment when I realized that this had been cut back this time around. Sometimes I felt like I was watching a warped version of Step Up with all the types of dancing we were given. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but it was a shift I didn’t think was totally necessary. I also think that they could have benefitted from more dance scenes as the conversations that took place in between were cringey and not always important.

All that being said, the dancing was still superb. Tatum proves once more that he is a force in that department alongside the other talented individuals we saw during these moments. For me, though, the scene that will forever live rent free in my mind is the one that takes place in the rain. I won’t say anything more except if you know, you know.

Overall, Magic Mike’s Last Dance was a decent enough send off for the characters that we have come to know and love since it debuted in 2012. I’m not sure if a theatrical release was necessary, but I can’t lie and say I didn’t mind seeing all these good looking men and women on a bigger screen.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️

House Of Gucci

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Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) is your average, hardworking Italian woman who always knew she was destined for more. When she meets Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) at a party, she vows to do everything possible to land him as her husband. Marrying into the Gucci family will give her that stability and, most importantly, power. Over time it becomes apparent that Patrizia’s ambition is too much for the Guccis’ to handle causing a spiral of betrayal, and ultimately, murder.

Lady Gaga was the star in House Of Gucci. Despite her questionable Italian accent, her acting chops have stepped up even more since A Star Is Born. I couldn’t take my eyes off her and she really commanded every scene she was in. In a way it was almost as if Adam Driver wasn’t the best match for her, though you could tell he was trying his best. Another standout was in Jared Leto’s portrayal of Paolo. First of all, he’s completely unrecognizable in the role and he was hilarious too. I just wish we had had more of other supporting cast members in Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Salma Hayek. It didn’t seem like we got the full capacity of their talent.

My expectations for this movie were at an unbelievable high. What started off really strong unfortunately didn’t stay that way. The pacing slowed significantly and the run time was starting to wear on me. It definitely could have been cut down by about forty five minutes. It also seemed like there was a lot of build up for a short climax.

That being said, House Of Gucci was a fascinating take on the famous family. The only aspect I knew about their history was the murder and so I appreciated learning everything else. I truly believe that it is a film worth watching, if only for the performances. I can see some award show buzz in the future.

Rating: ♥♥♥

Eternals

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Sersei (Gemma Chan), Ikaris (Richard Madden), Thena (Angelina Jolie), Ajak (Salma Hayek), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Sprite (Lia McHugh), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), Druig (Barry Keoghan) and Gilgamesh (Don Lee) are Eternals, aliens that have been sent to Earth by Celestials to defend humans against the Deviants. Learning to balance a normal life, they must reunite after years apart to defeat the Deviants once more.

I honestly had zero desire to watch Eternals at first. The storyline just did not interest me in the slightest. Eventually I caved and figured I’d probably be missing out on something if I didn’t give it a go, not to mention the fact that it is all part of Phase 4. The early critics weren’t great and so I went into it hesitantly.

The movie was better than I expected it to be. It wasn’t groundbreaking by any means and it’s not up there with my favorite Marvels, but because I went in thinking it would be awful, I was pleasantly surprised. One positive was the introduction and exploration of the characters. We really had a proper backstory and that was much appreciated. However, there were some that I still would have liked to know more about, such as Makkari and Druig, and felt that some definitely had more screen time than others. I also couldn’t help but notice many similarities in these individuals to those from the DC universe and I’m not really sure how that made me feel.

As usual, the cinematography was stunning. I don’t think I will ever watch a Marvel movie and not be in awe at the way it was filmed. I was curious about Chloé Zhao and the direction in which she would take things. She had a great approach and I hope that for future Eternal films, she will be onboard for them.

In addition to some characters being overshadowed by others, I also felt like the runtime was too long. A lot of the scenes dragged and I found myself checking my watch for the time. Not only that, but it seemed like there wasn’t enough build up to the climax of the movie which resulted in it happening too fast.

Overall, Eternals is not a bad Marvel movie, it’s just different. I believe that it will take some time before we really learn to appreciate how these superheroes will fit into the bigger picture. Does it deserve the negative reviews it’s been getting? No, I don’t think so. It was fine for an introduction film, however, it will be interesting to see what happens next.

Rating: ♥♥♥

Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

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Unlicensed and under scrutiny, bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) decides it’s time to take a break. All seems to be going well until hitman Darius Kicaid’s (Samuel L. Jackson) wife Sonia (Salma Hayek) tracks Michael down and asks for his help. Soon, all three find themselves in a mission to save Europe from madman Aristotle Papadopolous (Antonio Banderas) and his evil scheme to get rid of Europe and change the world as they know it forever.

I had been looking forward to this one. 2017’s The Hitman’s Bodyguard was a ton of fun and I thought that this would be similar. Having to wait for more than a month to see it was tough and I couldn’t wait until it hit Demand so that I could finally check it out. Sadly my excitement was short lived.

First of all, there was way too much going on plot wise. More than half of the time I was confused and had to ask my husband what was happening. Also, I know for movie purposes that certain things are heightened, but it seriously bugged me at how unrealistic some of the scenes were. Unfortunately, a lot of eye rolling occurred.

Ryan Reynolds is hilarious and I have seen the majority of his films. That being said, I’m starting to think he plays himself in his various roles and I’m not sure if I mean that positively. It is as if they are starting to all blend together into one with their similarities. I did think that Salma Hayek was the best part even though she was seriously over the top. If I close my eyes, I can still hear her screeching voice. I must add that it is also always a treat to see Morgan Freeman.

While Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard was a letdown for me, there were some parts where I found myself laughing out loud. I also enjoyed the action sequences and thought they didn’t let up for one second. At the end of the day though, the movie was a mess and I kind of wish I had just given it a miss.

Rating: ♥♥