Beasts of the Southern Wild
Starring Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry
The beasts in Beasts of the Southern Wild are aurochs—pre-historic boar-like creatures with sharp, elephantine tusks. The title could also just as easily refer to the inhabitants of an island community called ‘The Bathtub’ off the coast of Louisiana. How they are related—the aurochs and the dwellers of The Bathtub—is metaphorical, which is what’s fresh and, ultimately, disappointing with Benh Zeitlin’s feature debut (Beasts won the Camera d’Or award at this year’s Cannes festival). Zeitlin’s a masterful image-maker. A tracking shot of the 6-year-old Hushpuppy (Wallis) as she runs through the bayou shooting Roman candles is iconic, as is a composition of the aurochs frozen in ice. Yet the story—about Hushpuppy, her dying father Wink (Henry), a Katrina-level hurricane and the fight to survive on an island facing complete extinction—never quite gels. The non-professional actors are fine—Wallis inhabits her role fully—yet they lack the expressive technique of trained actors. They’re authentic, but removed. We watch their story with interest, but without investment. And those magnificent aurochs distract us. The achingly human story of a girl about to lose her father and the only world she knows should have been more than enough. Opens June 27. 2/5 stars —Dan Loughry

Loose Cannons (Mine Vaganti)
Starring Riccardo Scamarcio, Alessandro Preziosi
The fickleness of indie film distribution is a mystery to everyone (except, perhaps, marketing hacks). Case in point: how did the charming, very funny and touching Italian import Loose Cannons slip through the cracks? I guess that’s a question for your own personal savior and the executives at Focus World, but at least Ferzan Ozpetek’s comedy-drama about the family entanglements of two sons on the verge of coming out to their provincial parents is accessible via Video On Demand (though Maurizio Calvesi’s lush cinematography of Southern Italy may be best savored on the big screen). Ozpetek—who directed two other well-regarded gay films, His Secret Life and Steam: The Turkish Bath—employs a light touch here in the story of Tomasso (Scamarcio, with penetratingly sexy green eyes), visiting his family from Rome, and Antonio (Preziosi), the older brother overseeing the family’s pasta factory. When Tomasso tells his brother he’s coming out to the family that evening at dinner, Antonio beats him to the punch, sending their traditional parents—especially Papa Vincenzo—into an emotional tailspin, and Tommaso back into the closet (temporarily). It’s a loopy joy watching him negotiate his way back out and into the world. Available now on VOD. 4/5 stars —Dan Loughry

Magic Mike
Starring Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey

Magic Mike, Steven Soderbergh’s film set in the world of male strippers, is not the movie you may expect going into the theatre. Yes, there’s plenty of toned flesh on display from stars Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello and Adam Rodriguez, and the dance sequences are funny, athletic and often fulfilling. Yet Reid Carolin’s screenplay and Soderbergh’s stealth directing are less interested in the titillation of the profession than the drama surrounding Magic Mike (Tatum) and his 19-year-old protégé Adam (Pettyfer). That’s a double-edged sword. Tatum and Pettyfer approach their roles with gusto. McConaughey’s a preening cock-of-the-walk as Dallas, the club-owner/MC/sometimes-stripper. The supporting players—Bomer, Manganiello, Rodriguez and Kevin Nash—have little to do (though they look fantastic doing it, and all the male actors display a palpable camaraderie that’s visible on screen). Yet the drama’s as thin as a G-string. The plot plays out as a junior version of All About Eve with dicks. Hooray for the team of Magic Mike upending expectations and attempting a more substantive story. But less half-baked drama and more no-holds-barred (or is that bared?) dancing would have definitely been more entertaining. Not to mention magical. Opens June 29. 3/5 stars —Dan Loughry

Unforgivable
Starring André Dussollier, Carole Bouquet, Mauro Conte   
Gay filmmaker André Téchiné’s intriguing new drama Unforgivable has crime writer Francis (Dussollier) asking bisexual real estate agent Judith (Bouquet) to move in with him. Later, when Francis suspects Judith is cheating on him, he hires her ex-lover’s son Jérémie (Conte) to follow his wife. Does Francis’ spying on Judith prompt her to sleep with Jérémie? Are Francis’ actions a ploy to cure his writer’s block? And what are the ramifications of Judith’s affair? The film remains spellbinding as it slowly reveals the answers. However, Téchiné is really delving into deeper themes of human nature. In the film’s most interesting sequence, Jérémie is followed by—or perhaps lures—a gay man through the canals of Venice. After the stranger makes a pass at him, Jérémie throws the man into the water. The gay man later exacts a violent revenge. Unforgivable is really about the violence—be it physical or emotional—that people commit towards others. Francis, Judith and Jérémie are each seductive and sinister, and how they gain and lose control with lovers and family members is fascinating to watch. Téchiné may deliberately obfuscate his meanings, but the connections he creates sneak up on viewers—and generates tremendous insights. Opens June 29. 4/5 stars —Gary M. Kramer