Magic Mike

Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Cody Horn

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Rating: B

Despite coming out as a movie all about male strippers, "Magic Mike" has more plot to it than audiences would think. Judging from the trailer, the movie appears to be all about Mike (Tatum) and his dream of breaking out of the stripping business to having his own custom made furniture store. Instead, you get less strip scenes but enough of almost-nude moments to not be a disappointment.

The movie focuses on three central characters. Dallas (McConaughey) owns a small strip joint in Tampa, Florida where he partakes in a few of his own strip nights. Dallas dreamed of taking the business to Miami where the money would come in larger quantities and he would split the profits with Mike who's been his partner for years. When Mike brings in Adam (Pettyfer), a 19-year-old needing money, and he joins the pack and helps Dallas pull in more money, Mike's partnership gets downgraded.

Adam doesn't know what to do with his life but after bumping into Mike, he gets sucked into the world of stripping and selling drugs on the side. What brings this movie into perspective is Adam's protective older sister, Brooke (Horn), who disapproves of the party lifestyle and only wants the best for Adam. She finally gives him the boot from her apartment when she can't stand seeing how his life has gone downhill.

What "Magic Mike" manages to do is get audiences to care about the characters, which is why by the end of the movie it's no surprise that there could potentially be a "Magic Mike 2". The movie manages to pack in good amounts of comedy and drama, similar to the fashion of "Bridesmaids" and "Horrible Bosses". Before I first saw this movie, my expectations were it would be a disappointment. Instead, it proved to be worth the watch and was a personal reminder not to judge movies on their premise.

I Am Number Four

Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Diana Agron, Callan McAuliffe

Directed by D. J. Caruso

Rating: 4 stars

I Am Number Four follows the story of a teenager who has abilities no human could have. John (Alex Pettyfer) has been used to moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), always on the run to keep from being noticed. There are very few people like John and enemies who have taken over his home planet are scavenging for the last of John's kind. So far they have killed the first three and as the title says, John is number four. In Ohio, John must learn how to use his powers to keep himself alive and battle those after him.

Overall, I Am Number Four was a pretty good movie. It had action generally throughout it and an interesting plot to keep you watching. John is used to being the new kid but when he moves to Ohio, he is tired of trying to keep a low profile. It's sort of hard when a girl, Sarah (Diana Agron), who carries a camera around school keeps taking photos of you. When the jocks pick on a smaller kid, John does his best to help Sam (Callan McAuliffe) which makes him the new target. What makes I Am Number Four good is the action and the cast was picked well so that helps. The end of the movie suggests a sequel and personally, I probably will go see it if it is made. Though the movie has a rating of PG-13, I don't think anyone younger then eight years-old should see it because it might have some scary scenes. Other then that, I think most people might enjoy this film if you enjoy action, thriller, or sci-fi kind of movies. I went into this movie with the mindset that it wouldn't be that great but left the theater feeling like it was money worth spent.