Theatrical Releases: After Earth & Now You See Me

May 31, 2013 / Leave a Comment

AFTER EARTH || May 31st, 2013

	Had this come from anyone but M. Night and contained anyone but Jaden and the critics would have probably been on board with the semi-original, completely captivating thriller, but with so much to complain about before even sitting in their theater seats, this film was doomed the moment it came out of the can. Despite all that, “After Earth” is a strong family adventure and does reach further than I believed it could.
	Not only is “The East” an entertaining thriller, it also hits some very valid points on social injustice. Surrounded by impressive talent, Brit Marling is able to shine in her own creation, having a sincerity and believability to match her beauty. With an eerie cult-like mentality reminiscent of “Sound of My Voice”, “The East” is about as strong a film as it could be and delivers one of the most entertaining films of the summer in a sea of big budget, eye-candy blockbusters.
	“Now You See Me” takes you for a ride using the basic principles of magic and treating the viewer to an “Oceans 11″ model for slight of hand and misdirection. As with most films that rely on a huge twist, it is only a fresh new film once and will be slightly less entertaining the second time through. That being said, Louis Leterrier does a fantastic job entertaining and allows this star-studded cast to completely sell this film.
	Andrea Riseborough landed on my radar earlier this year with his memorable performance in “Oblivion” alongside Tom Cruise (she was in a few films prior that I’ve seen, but never stuck until then). With a great espionage feel to it and Clive Owens and Gillian Anderson rounding out the cast, this latest feature from Academy Award-winning director James Marsh (“Man On Wire”) looks exciting.	75% MOST LIKELY

	Sexy and dark, “American Mary” looks like a strong female lead horror film. Although I’m still not sure how dark it gets, the quality of the film alone is enough to want to see this, along with Katharine Isabelle delivering a memorable performance, just from the trailer alone.	75% MOST LIKELY
	“Crazy Kind Of Love” is your run-of-the-mill Indie, romantic comedy that brings together a bunch of familiar faces that you’ve seen somewhere before but can’t exactly pinpoint. No one really puts this film over and with such a familiar plot there’s no real reason to invest.	PASS
	“Hannah Arendt” is a period piece about a German-Jewish philosopher and political theorist Hannah Arendt, who wrote for the New Yorker and became very unpopular because of her defense of a particular ex-Nazi. The film looks strong for what it is, but sadly I have no interest. I am glad, however, to see Janet McTeer continue to get work despite how supporting her role may be.	PASS
	What a completely original and hilarious idea; the premise of “The History of Future Folk”. The film revolves around two aliens who come to earth to kill everyone but decide not to when they hear our music. Instead, that start a folk band and continue on a journey of self-discovery and assimilating. As original as this is, the film comes off far too quirky for my liking and unless told otherwise, I will spend my time elsewhere.	PASS
	“I Do” continues the trend of films and television on the subject of fraudulent marriages for green cards. It feels extremely like a Lifetime Original Movie rather than a feature film, even despite having the gorgeous Jamie-Lynn Sigler. The twist that the lead character is gay sets this film in a different direction, but having a melodramatic rock song in the trailer completely kills the chances for this film to be any good.	PASS
	What looks to be the perfect independent film, “The Kings of Summer” takes three boys and puts them into the wild, away from parents and school, living on their own, and fending for themselves. I can already tell I am going to completely enjoy this film and cannot wait to see it.	THEATER
	Where in the fuck did this film come from? I was blown away by the trailer for “The Wall”, something I never would have expected from the title and the vague poster. Following in line with stories like “Under The Dome”, a woman in cut off from the rest of the world by an invisible wall while she is vacationing in Austria. The visuals are stunning, the performance looks captivating, and this is so much darker than I ever would have imagined.	RENTAL