Unless you are the one person who read this blog from Alaska, you know that the entire country is experiencing record high temps. And what better way to beat the heat than the sub-freezing air conditioning of a movie theater?
Saturday night we had date night with our good friends Kim and Kevin. I suggested Ted for after-dinner entertainment, having heard it was really funny. Kim is the world's biggest Marky Mark fan and although some of her celebrity picks are questionable at best, I support the Mark Wahlberg choice. Phil had watched the extended trailer for this movie and was very hip on seeing it also.
Ted did not disappoint. It is laugh-a-minute funny, totally raunchy, completely wrong, and somehow heartwarming too. The 9p showing we went to was packed and the audience was laughing so hard that we missed some of the hilarious dialog. Ted is voiced by Seth MacFarlane in a PERFECT Boston accent that makes it that much funnier. He smokes pot, picks up hookers (see above pic), swears like a sailor, and shares his best friend John Bennett's obsession with Flash Gordon. When John starts getting serious with his girlfriend played my Mila Kunis, she is ready for him to get rid of his Teddy Bear.
The four of us laughed almost the entire time and at one point I realized I couldn't stop smiling while watching it. I'm calling it a must-see...and one that I'll probably get on DVD because there are so many more lines you pick up on second viewing.
Then Sunday night we had a planned girls night to go see the stripper movie, Magic Mike. Channing Tatum is the star of this show, but many of the ladies I went with were more interested in Matthew McConaughey. The hawt werewolf Alcide was also a draw. I thought the best looking one was Matt Bomer, the only actor that is confirmed gay, but whatareyagonna do?
Matt McConaughey was appropriately sleazy as the proprietor of this male strip joint. He looked pretty gross actually, with permed, slicked-back hair and kind of a greasy face. I need to add that all of these guys were totally waxed, not a hair on their bodies. They must have had a permanent waxer on the set during filming. Did not think much of Channing Tatum before this but he grew on me and I loved his dancing. Alex Pettyfer played the young kid who breaks into the biz (and also the lifestyle of women and partying that goes with it) with the help of Channing Tatum. I found Alex to be the least attractive of all of them. I hate that white kid thug look, like he needed a shave the entire movie, dressed in hoodies and t-shirts and high-top sneakers. Eminem called and he wants his look back. My nieces would probably disagree with me on this but I'm writing this from a 40 year old perspective, not 20.
As far as plot, it was kind of predictable. Mike takes the Kid under his wing, tells his gorgeous and concerned sister that he is going to look out for him, and then gets him involved in the seedy world of drugs and slutty women. The gorgeous sister helps Mike realize he is going nowhere fast and he decides to get out of the biz at the end. I'm not feeling bad revealing the entire movie because let's face it, who is going to see this movie for the intricate character development and the fine acting? We go to this movie for the same reason we read 50 Shades of Gray. No need to say more here.
My friend Jody walked out of the movie complaining about the bad acting. It should be noted that Jody falls asleep at every movie once the lights go down. She did not fall asleep at this movie. That should be testament enough.
So if you need some laughs, see Ted. And if you need some eye candy and margaritas with girlfriends, see Magic Mike. And starting tomorrow, if you need action, go see the new Spiderman! Love me some Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Popcorn movies have their place after all...
