come anticipate channing tatum as magical michael in MAGIC MIKE'S LAST DANCE (2023)

soderbergh is back in the saddle for this, the sequel to the best movie of the 21st century, MAGIC MIKE XXL (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBIGdw-BRxw

Almost looks more Step Up than Magic Mike?

this looks awful

thought it was Maria Conchita Alonso as co-star.

I can't think of a tougher act to follow than XXL tbh

https://assets.teenvogue.com/photos/571f9550eaac112050c2ff6d/master/w_320%2Cc_limit/giphy5.gif

The Magic Mike movies have the same problems as the John Wick movies — the creation of an elaborate mythical universe, and a need to one-up themselves every time. Getting out after 3 is a good idea.

The third John Wick was the best.

Wow, this looks terrible. Agree about XXL being a great film though.

Wow, this looks terrible.

This one reminds me of Staying Alive, the miserable Saturday Night Fever sequel.

abandoning the supporting cast from the previous movies seems like pretty major misunderstanding of what made them successful, xxl in particular

https://i.imgur.com/Meqf4lw.gif

loved this, could not be more different than xxl though

all three are different from each other and that rules

this is the first one that doesn’t set up Mike with emotional and career aspirations at the start, and the first one that ends up being about him

third-best bit was when the call from ‘Big 🍆 Richie’ came up on Mike’s phone and a woman in front of me yelled “ANSWER IT!!”

this is a good time at the movies. not anything transcendent like XXL, but benefits from that one's quality and character work, establishing a world and a set of values so thoroughly that i don't have to really even see scenes between the characters to trust that Magic Mike did all right by everybody. it's like Christopher Reeve as Superman at this point.

so basically a victory lap and a fun one, depending where you land on the Hayek character and some of the other stock elements.

don't remember XXL very well but yeah loved this, the most enjoyable Monday matinee I can imagine. Hayek is great, when does the Oscar buzz start?