‘Before Midnight’ Completes Linklater’s Wonderful Trilogy (Movie Review)
In the midst of all of the summer blockbusters going around, I was happy to be just as thrilled by a film that involves nothing but lengthy conversations and arguments. I am not going to be that person who tries to say that summer blockbusters are nothing compared to exquisite art house films, as I have been happy to enjoy many of the action spectacles so far this summer, but I cannot deny that Before Midnight is a wonderful film that relies on a very minimalist approach to engage the viewer for 109 minutes. Being the natural follow-up to the previous entries in this series (Before Sunrise and Before Sunset) from writer/director Richard Linklater, who co-wrote the film with stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, Before Midnight completes a series of films that could easily go down as one of the better film trilogies of all time, assuming we never a see a Before The Crystal Skull. It is a film that plays out very naturally, does not necessarily rely on knowledge of the previous entries, and provides a perspective on life and relationships that feels very appropriate, regardless of how closely associated one his with this depiction of reality.
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I kind of have this stubborn rule in life where if I don’t see a film within it’s first to second week of being released in theaters, I just wait for its eventual home video release. Such is the case with Stoker, but let the record show…I wanted to see this one very badly in the theaters, the Gods were just not on my side in the time department. However, my wish has come closer to becoming true as Stoker is now confirmed with a June 18th release date and I have the full press release and specs below from the upcoming release. Have at it! 
The Irish singer with the harp-like voice is back with her latest album titled My Immortal Love, but this time, Liz Madden has taken her most recent musical effort in a different direction. Madden largely departs from the Irish folk and Celtic-inspired tunes to covering some of the more popular rock and pop tunes in recent memory from artists such as Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson and Gotyé just to name a few.
I have been fairly vocal about two films I have been looking forward to this year from filmmakers who have been written off by almost everyone. The first was Pain & Gain, which I found to be interesting, but director Michael Bay’s style was still a component that hurt the film overall. Now I have seen the second film I was surprised to find myself looking forward to, After Earth, the latest feature from director M. Night Shyamalan. I wish I could have found myself enjoying the film more, but there is a real lack of energy in this fairly somber coming-of-age/survival story about a father and son stranded on a foreign land (which happens to be Earth). The problem is pretty simple, for a movie that talks about fear being a choice, After Earth is afraid of doing anything truly radical, settling instead for minimalist concept that disregards being anything more than functional.
I was just texting back and forth between reviewer Aaron Neuwirth the other day how excited I am about this movie. Bash me all you want, but the surprise hit for me thus far this year has been the sic-fi thriller Oblivion. I just can’t get enough of that gorgeous flick and can’t wait to knock down my neighbors’ walls when I finally have that Blu-ray release in my grubby, long-fingered hands. But like I said, falling head over heels for that film was VERY MUCH a surprise. I already got burned on my huge expectations I had for The Hangover Part III, but I have faith in producer Christopher Nolan to do the right thing and not to let me down as I have not been this pumped about a film since last year’s Dark Knight Rises. Of course, I’m talking about Man of Steel, which openes in just two mere weeks…less than that really. Can you believe it? 
Are you ready to experience full-throttle revenge and digital blood spray like none other, then get ready for the legendary Sylvester Stallone’s Bullet to the Head when it debuts on the Blu-ray and Digital Download formats this July from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. Thinking back, I think this was the very last movie I saw up in Cleveland before moving down to Austin so I guess you can say this flick holds a certain nostalgia in my heart because of that. And on July 16th I get to re-live that moment all over again. And you can too! 
I remember a title being thrown around called 1000 A.E.. However, I really never gave any though to what ever happened to it…that is until now. Why you ask? Well, I just found out that After Earth, the reason you are reading this review right now, was originally known as that. But I have to be honest folks. And I’d hope you feel the same way after you read this first paragraph. I went into this press screening with a heightened sense of uneasiness and uncertainty. I swore to myself that after I witnessed the abomination known as The Last Airbender, I would never see another M. Night Shyamalan film again for as long as I lived. So what was I doing here? I’m a liar. Haha. Jsut kidding. Quite honestly, I’m new to the Austin scene and I wanted to make a good first impression with the PR people who bring joy to my moviegoing life. But I guess it’s not the M. Night thing that made me so nervous. It’s the fact that it’s based on an idea by Will Smith and also co-written by him too, which also stars him and his Karate Kid son, Jaden Smith. 
Now You See Me is the kind of movie that is both a lot of fast-paced fun throughout and still annoying due to how clever it thinks it is. I can see a large audience enjoying this movie quite a bit, as everything is moving so quickly that there is rarely a chance to stop and consider what it took to achieve certain spectacles, if one were to apply logic. However, the annoying thing is that the movie acknowledges that it knows it doesn’t make too much sense if one were to look closely and encourages its audience to essentially look the other way, much like one does at a magic show. The pretty magician’s assistant is on one side, while the trick being performed is happening elsewhere, and as long as the viewer stares at the assistant, they should ideally have a fun time watching a story about a team of 
Here’s one that had me doing cartwheels today when this press release below hit my inbox. I’m guilty as charged of not being a big fan of the second season, and rightfully so. First you had to believe that Liam was the new Spartacus, but truly, can anyone ever replace Andy Whitfield in that role? Those are huge shoes to fill. And second…well I can’t really talk about the second reason because I don’t want to spoil it for the fans who have not yet seen the second season. I’ll just say it in one word. Mira! So anyway, today comes news that Anchor Bay Entertainment will be bringing the final chapter of Starz’s Spartacus: War of the Damned The Complete Third Season to the Blu-ray format on September 3rd. Happy happy joy joy! I only seen the first episode of this season so far, but if the rest of the season is anything like what I saw, you’re in store for something really really special. 
The East is a low-budget thriller about espionage and eco-terrorism. It comes from writer/director Zal Batmanglij and co-writer/star Brit Marling, who previously collaborated together on 2012’s The Sound of My Voice. With that film, along with 2011’s Another Earth, I have been quite impressed with Marling’s work in features thus far, and The East continues that trend. Marling is quite good in this film, which has her playing a character living a dual life in order to infiltrate an anarchist collective. The rest of the film features some solid performances, interesting ideas, and a nice handle of its overall presentation as a sort of counterculture spy thriller. My only issue is how the film did not quite rise above anything like it. I can certainly appreciate a young director working with the goodwill he already has to make another original feature, but the film did not fully involve me in the same way the leader of The East was able to obtain full commitment from his crew.
Trance hit theaters in limited release this past April and won me over (review 
When my friend Gregg asked me if I saw the trailer for Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters last year I promptly said no. But once I realized Miss Tamara Drewe, Gemma Arterton, was in it, my eyes were all over it a New York “second.” However, despite longing to see every body of work Gemma (including her own body) puts onto the big screen, I just wasn’t into what I saw, unfortunately. And yeah, I guess it’s no secret that it it didn’t win over any critics either. But guess what? It sure made a splash at the box office…the international one. So much in fact that Paramount has already announced a sequel is in the works. So what’s a guy to do? I was torn between watching 90+ minutes of one of the most gorgeous actresses out there today or taking the 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes seriously enough to stay the hell away. 
Comic books can be a thing of beauty, even in their darkest tales. Unfortunately one issue plaguing them today is lack of originality. That is certainly not to say it’s an issue across the board as there are great, unique titles like Chew and Punk Rock Jesus. Still, store shelves are often lined with watered-down stories and titles that are mere carbon copies of one another. It wasn’t until very recently that I came across one particular story that caught my eye. I discovered it on everybody’s favorite project-launching platform; Kickstarter. While Kickstarter is where dreams can be made, this book itself goes much deeper than someone’s hope to see their work in print.
This is the year that the Fast & Furious franchise came to play. While 2011’s wonderfully entertaining (and superior) 
The Hangover franchise is one of the best examples of diminishing returns. The first film in the series was a big success and generally well liked. Part II presented the same story in a different location, but had enough goodwill to make it a success anyway. Time has not been kind to Part II, as there are few that really want to stand up for it. Regardless, we now have Part III and it is awful. Some may want to commend the film for not rehashing the same plot again, which would be all well and good if this new take on the structure of the plot had something good or intriguing to offer. That really is not the case here. The Hangover Part III is a comedy that forgot to have good jokes. Do these actors and filmmakers with good comedic sensibilities know how to elicit a smile from their audience every so often? Of course, but it feels more than apparent that no matter how big this film wants to make itself seem, there is no real punch to it. It just sits there and the worst kind of movie for me is a comedy that isn’t funny.
