October 24, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III & IV • Page 25 Entrepreneur dreams of better life in ‘Magic Mike’ by Dennis Seuling “Magic Mike” (Warner Home Video) is about 30-yearold Tampa entrepreneur Mike (Channing Tatum), who earns most of his income at an all-male revue, but has dreams of a better life. He is good at making custom furniture and works for a roofing company by day. If the right opportunities present themselves, or if he can get a decent bank loan, he would be on his way to achieving success in business. He has to, since he won’t be young forever. The club’s owner, Dallas (Matthew McConaughey), once a stripper but now mostly an emcee, is a constant reminder of the only future available to an aging stripper with no plan for the future. Unmotivated 19-year-old college dropout Adam (Alex Pettyfer) has been living with his sister Brooke (Cody Horn), when Mike introduces him to the world of stripping. Adam takes to it surprisingly well. He is intrigued by the women lusting after him, the tips, and what he perceives as easy work. For a film whose focus is stripping, “Magic Mike” is both thoughtful and not nearly as raunchy as it might have been. There are sculpted bodies on view, yes, but even those scenes are handled tastefully. The routines are staged with more of a bow to Las Vegas glitz than bumping and grinding. Tatum anchors the film as an easy-going, intelligent guy who wants his part of the American Dream and is using his natural attributes to help him achieve his goals. Despite his admirable physique and movie-star looks, his Mike projects decency and comes off as a professional rather than as a dumb, sex-hungry hunk. Bonuses on the two-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack Channing Tatum in ‘Magic Mike.’ include deleted dance scenes and two behind-the-scenes featurettes. “Magic Mike” is also available as a single-disc Blu-ray. “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” (The Criterion Collection), now on Blu-ray in a high-definition digital restoration, is John Schlesinger’s adaptation of Penelope Gilliat’s screenplay and holds the distinction of being the first film to offer a positive image of a homosexual character in a lead role. Dr. Daniel Hirsch (Peter Finch), a gay Jewish doctor in his forties, and Alex Greville (Glenda Jackson), a career counselor in her thirties, are both in love with Bob Elkin (Murray Head), a successful sculptor who casually divides his time and affections between them. Bob claims to have no sexual preference, and is perplexed by what upsets the two others about sharing him since he loves them both. The film was ahead of its time when released in 1971. It was nicely restrained in not sensationalizing the characters’ relationships, and ably illustrates how loneliness drives people into relationships against their better judgment. The film also serves as a plea on behalf of human frailty and compromise. The characters are non-heroic and are coping as best they can with an imperfect situation. Both Finch and Jackson are outstanding. “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” is one of the best films of the 1970s, a period that was especially productive for both Hollywood and independents. Blu-ray extras include video interviews with Murray Head, a 1975 audio interview with director John Schlesinger, a new interview with writer William J. Mann, and a booklet featuring critical essays. “The Penalty” (Kino Lorber) stars Lon Chaney as criminal mastermind Blizzard, who, as a child, is hit by a car and has his legs unnecessarily amputated by inexperienced Dr. Ferris (Charles Clary). Hearing the doctor’s boss criticize him for the mistake and telling his parents the double amputation was necessary, Blizzard becomes bitter and dedicates his life to the dark side, vowing to get revenge on the inept doctor. In playing Blizzard, Chaney tightly bound his legs within a pair of leather stumps, a procedure that was uncomfortable. Chaney never shied away from extreme makeup or bodily contraptions if he felt they would enhance his characterization. Though “The (continued on Crossword page)