REVIEW: Hustlers

By: Emily Lanoue

Jennifer Lopez, New York City and strippers? “Hustlers,” a movie based on a real New York

Magazine article, combines all these elements and more as it follows a group of strip club

employees hustling Wall Street employees for all they’re worth. Jennifer Lopez commands

attention as her character Ramona leads the strippers through less than legal tactics to drain the pockets of wealthy men. It’s Lopez and the theme of strong female friendship that makes this movie worth your time.

Lopez gives a staggering performance in her opening scene as Ramona, featuring a strappy

diamond-studded number, knock-out stilettos and hundreds of dollar bills. It’s this performance that draws in Constance Wu’s character Dorothy, a stripping newbie who goes by Destiny.

Lopez is then reintroduced in a scene where she does nothing but sit on a roof in a fur coat

smoking a cigarette. The scene is equally as flooring as the strip routine as Lopez gives off a

sultry, “you only wish you could be like me” attitude. Her deep brown eyes entice the camera and give off a charisma that dares the film audience to keep watching. My eyes were drawn to every slow blink of her eyes and long strut in her heels, her power undeniable throughout the film. In a later scene, Lopez strolls down a street in a shot where the only part of her you can see is her back. She wears a juicy sweatshirt with the hood up, eliciting confidence and oozing desire as the camera follows behind.

Destiny is drawn to Ramona’s powerful presence, and after the sultry scene on the roof, Ramona takes Destiny under her wing. The world of stripping is hard to navigate, and Destiny begins thriving under Ramona’s care. Destiny’s character is complex. She cares for her grandmother, her permanent caretaker since she was a small child, and eventually has a baby, who she ends up giving up everything for. You can see her internal struggle with the morality of her actions, which made me feel connected to her and feel sympathy for her. Ramona and Destiny grow into a profound friendship, one that “Hustlers” pushes to a place of physical and emotional intimacy.

Their friendship takes dramatic turns after the economic collapse of 2008. The strip club

struggles to stay in business because the Wall Street men don’t come to spend money anymore and Ramona, Destiny, and the other strippers have to get creative to stay afloat.

The women become a family. They refer to each other as sisters and trust each other with the world. They are forced to build a scheme to hustle men and drain their pockets, which includes lots of alcohol, a room with no cameras and drugs. The theme of female friendship runs deeply through the film as the women execute the plan time after time.

I especially enjoyed the comedic dynamic of Mercedes, played by Keke Palmer, who pays bills for her incarcerated significant other, and Annabelle, played Lili Reinhart, who was disowned by her family and throws up when she experiences emotional distress. The women inspire female strength, their toughness and resiliency moving me to hold tight to my own values, all while wearing thigh-high boots and skin-tight dresses.

The story is told through the lens of an interview taking place years later, in 2015. Elizabeth, a

journalist played by Julia Stiles, is interviewing Destiny about her life leading up to the fall-out from the strippers’ post-economic collapse scheme. This cinematic choice was a good one, allowing the audience to see inside Destiny’s head as it flashes back and forth between the interview and the story she’s telling. At one point Destiny becomes so vulnerable she turns off Elizabeth’s voice recorder and practically forces her to leave, touched by her friendship with Ramona even years after their last interaction.

“Hustlers” is a movie pushing strong female friendship despite the characters’ questionable

moral choices. With Destiny’s deep friendship with Ramona and Jennifer Lopez’s undeniably

strong presence and performance, Hustlers left me content but also wanting more.

REVIEW: The Peanut Butter Falcon

By: Sarah Freund

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I walked into University 16, popcorn in hand, to see

Shia LaBeouf’s latest film. I didn’t understand the significance of the odd title “Peanut Butter

Falcon,” until about halfway through. By the five minute mark, I became so transfixed with the story that when that revelation did come, I had almost forgotten about it.

The plot, set in a backdrop of marsh grass and palm trees, begins early in the film. Right away, the audience is introduced to Tyler, played by LaBeouf, and Zak, played by newcomer Zack Gottsagen.

Important to note is the fact that Gottsagen has Down syndrome. The film does a beautiful job of allowing his disability to shine without any disingenuous treatment. I was amazed at the skill of his acting and the complexities of his character.

Before meeting one another, these very different young men lead separate lives, Zak being

confined to a nursing home at the young age of 22 and Tyler living life alone as a fisherman in the low-country. Their lives intersect when Zak runs away from the nursing home to pursue his dream of becoming a wrestler, and winds up following Tyler down the east coast to South

Carolina to meet Zak’s idol, Saltwater Redneck.

They are later joined by Eleanor (Dakota Johnson), Zak’s faithful caretaker at the nursing home, who has pursued him after his escape. The three are bonded together by an adventure much bigger than the pursuit of a dream, in which love is born, relationships are cemented and all three experience redemption.

At first, the unlikeliness of the relationship that forms between Tyler and Zak feels as unusual as the combination of a sticky sandwich spread and a predatory bird. But it more than excels, and by the time Tyler comes up with Zak’s wrestling name in a comical moment on the beach, you realize it’s the combination you didn’t know you needed. The strength that these two men offer to one another through their friendship is both heartwarming and sobering.

“I can’t be a hero because I am a Down syndrome,” Zak says at one moment, to which Tyler

lovingly corrects him. There is something tremendously vulnerable in Zak’s words in that

moment, devoid of his usual stubbornness.

Later, the audience finally gets to see Tyler truly smile after the Zak offers him “all of his

birthday wishes,” in a moment that feels climactic. When he does, it’s as if the movie could end right there, even with so much left unfinished. In that moment, in which the majority of

communication is nonverbal, the characters are at their best and the emotion of the film is

culminated.

The film offers subtle commentary on themes such as sexism also, with Eleanor being the

recipient of uncalled for cynicism from her employer because she is a woman. In addition, there is the glaring theme of disability. Seeing the word “retard” hurled at someone who actually has a condition that inhibits them mentally is jarring, in real life and in film. Audience members were, no doubt, reminded to avoid these kinds of words even in jest.

Another interesting angle of the story is the treatment of people with disabilities; some characters treat Zak like he is a child and others treat him as if he doesn’t matter. Both approaches receive their correction at various times throughout the film.

Though there are rich themes, the story itself is stronger than any point sought to be made by the writers. They allowed the story to truly be the centerpiece of the film, creating an emotional reaction in the audience without force.

The falling action of the film is entertaining, yes, but I would argue that it’s not even vital after some of the moments that transpire between Zak, Tyler and Eleanor around halfway through, which is the mark of a satisfying core message -- it doesn’t need action to make it stick. For anyone looking to be both challenged and uplifted, this movie more than fits that bill.

REVIEW: IT Chapter Two and the Red Balloon Escapade

By: Brandon Drick

IT Chapter Two follows up on 2017’s IT with director Andy Muschietti back in the saddle. This time, our main characters, now adults, venture back to the Stephen King spooktown of Derry once again. It has been 27 years since The Loser’s Club of Eddie, Beverly, Bill, Richie, Ben and Mike tried to stop Pennywise the Clown from harassing the youth with his sinister shenanigans. Now it has returned again and it’s up to The Loser’s Club to ultimately stop Pennywise and its red balloon escapade. What follows is a film struggling to stay afloat through its boring scares, inconsistent tone and weak writing.

To preface — this movie is not scary. The score and atmosphere are tactful and the opening scene, among others, shows some capability at unnerving an audience. However, the movie sinks with each Pennywise encounter. Nearly an hour of the movie forces the same monotonous scare setups: character arrives at place, Pennywise pulls a trickery by disguising itself, Pennywise chases character, sometimes shaking its head like a bobble head for good measure and character escapes.

Pennywise the Dancing Clown, played again by Bill Skarsgård, returns again with many old and new tricks up its sleeve. Pennywise is an ancient cosmic being capable of transforming itself into the spookiest of creatures out there. This enables it to prey on its victims, frightening them before ravenously devouring them. Naturally, it is proficient in its approach and uses creatures including a zombie Pomeranian, a tall naked grandma and Paul Bunyan like something out of a Scooby Doo special. Pennywise is also masterful at coaxing children despite its frightening appearance.

Gary Dauberman is the only returning writer for this film (the previous film had three) and there are constant leaps between thoughtful and goofy. There are great moments, such as Pennywise coaxing his child victims or when the main cast is sharing each other’s company. Then you hear lines like “cut your mullet, it’s been 30 years” following an attempted murder and the unforgettable zinger “it’s time to sink!” during the climax. There are forced homages to 80’s horror films. One of which includes a shot-for-shot recreation of the infamous “head crab” scene from John Carpenter’s “The Thing.” Later, “here’s Johnny!” is thrown in for good measure. What is being proven through such homages? Does Pennywise the Clown have background as a film connoisseur?

I really sympathize with Bill Skarsgård as he brings everything he can to his performance. He shines during scenes where he is in his clown form. One particularly chilling scene occurs at a baseball game where Pennywise lures a young girl into a trap. It’s very well-executed and Skarsgård emphasizes Pennywise’s eerie expressions. He adds subtle details to his facial expressions, animating his performance by independently moving each eye and bringing a wicked ravenous look to his infamous smile. However, it’s hard to be scary when your arsenal of terror also includes singing, fat-shaming and homophobic remarks.

The rest of the cast is also superb with the now-adult members of The Loser’s Club being spot-on. Bill Hader as Richie and James McAvoy as Bill are particularly impressive, replicating the personalities of their younger characters from the previous film. However, the writing again falters the strength of their performances. Sometimes characters act a little too young for their age with the occasional awkward childish line. The chemistry seems genuine albeit a forced love triangle and poorly delivered character sexuality arc.

“IT Chapter Two” tries to be a lot. It tries to be scary. It tries to be funny. It flipflops between being campy and wanting to be taken seriously. It’s a misguided film, inconsistent with the previous film’s tone and overstaying it’s welcome at nearly three hours in length. Even with its incredible cast, poor pacing and lack of direction ultimately leave “IT Chapter Two” sinking.