A Historical Defense of Magic Mike XXL

Right, so as Oscar season approaches and we all start to get very serious and fancy, I think it's important to sit back and remember ALL the reasons we watch film. By the way, that is not supposed to sound dirty. Sex appeal aside, Magic Mike XXL is a fun movie and that is the most important thing about it. While film can be thought provoking and inspirational and awe-inspiring and a long list of more profound things, film can also be fun and a film that achieves that masterfully is as deserving of a gold statue as many more intellectual pieces. This also gave me a chance to finally reveal my deep and undying love for Cary Grant so there's that. 

Riley's Song: A Reflection on Inside Out

So full confession here, my friends and I joked for a long time that Inside Out should actually be called "Lilly Holman: The Movie." This was before the movie even came out. If you watched the conclusion to Manic Pix(ar) Dream Girl! series you know that I have strong feelings regarding the Up montage and the artists behind it. When I first heard that they were tackling the "Untitled Pixar Film that Goes Inside the Mind" I was over the moon. Then I heard they cast Leslie Knope as Joy and were making imagination a film studio. I seriously wondered if they somehow had invaded my own mind or if this was at least some sort of Truman Show like scenario. What this says about my ego aside, here are my thoughts on the reality of the film, which lived up to my expectations. Let's just say to have achieved that was near impossible.