Posts Tagged Channing Tatum

At ease, dear John.

Dear John PosterWell, it’s been a while since the last tear-jerker, so today we’ll take a look at Dear John. Dear reader, do you like romtantic dramas? If you do, please read on. Special Forces Army Sergeant John Tyree (Channing Tatum) is on leave when he meets Savannah (Amanda Seyfried). Immediately he falls head over heels in love with her. During his two-week break he gets to know Savannah much better and when he has to leave for his next tour, they promise each other to write until John gets back one year later. But when he re-enlists after the 9/11 attacks, their love for each other is put to the test.

This is a very emotional movie. It asks the question of whether long-distance relationships can be made to work. It explores the ups and downs and how distance can affect how people feel about each other. Tatum and Seyfried both performed well. I identified most with Tatum’s character, though. John Tyree is not the usual type of character Tatum has been known for lately. And I liked this break from the mould. John Tyree is initially a bit of a question mark, but throughout the movie you learn more and more about him. The conclusion was slightly different than I expected, but it forced me to look at the situation in another light.

And I guess that’s all I ask of a movie – to make me think about something differently.

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Random thoughts: G.I. Joe – The Rise of Cobra (2009)

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

What is G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra about? Not much, if you ignore the action. But then the movie would only be a few minutes long. So let’s not ignore the action. But what is the action about, then? That’s also quite simple. It’s about “cool” places, weapons, stunts, and destroying stuff. I use quotes when saying “cool” because these things are intended to be cool. I must admit that some of the weapons and places are quite cool, but the stunts and explosions are not exactly ground-breaking.

Then there’s the humour. There were amusing moments, but I got the feeling that the writers were trying too hard to be funny in some scenes. And this didn’t mix that well with the semi-seriousness that was also present. This left the atmosphere hanging somewhere in between, with no clear theme. Mind you, not many films achieve the perfect balance between action and comedy. One movie that immediately comes to mind that does it really well is The Fifth Element. I believe that should be used as a template for movies like G.I. Joe.

I’m not going to go into any details of the story except to say that evil people get their hands on a weapon that “eats” away anything and everything in its path, and the G.I. Joe’s have to stop them. If you want to know more, read up about it on IMDB, or go watch the movie. It does entertain. Stars to see are Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, and Dennis Quaid.

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