Intense and disturbing pretty much sums up the new trailer for Warner Bros Pictures’ Prisoners starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman, and Paul Dano. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the cast of the thriller also includes Melissa Leo, Maria Bello, Viola Davis, and Terrence Howard.
How far would you go to protect your child? Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) is facing every parent’s worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter, Anna, is missing, together with her young friend, Joy, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had earlier been parked on their street. Heading the investigation, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) arrests its driver, Alex Jones (Paul Dano), but a lack of evidence forces the only suspect’s release.
Knowing his child’s life is at stake, the frantic Dover decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. The desperate father will do whatever it takes to find the girls, but in doing so, he may lose himself, begging the question: When do you cross the line between seeking justice and becoming a vigilante?
“Ladies and Gentleman, for our final magic trick we are going to rob a bank,” announce Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) and Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) in the crime/mystery/thriller Now You See Me, opening in theaters on May 31, 2013. Henley and Daniel are half of “The Four Horseman,” an illusionist team performing in Las Vegas who, for the finale of their act, actually rob banks and give the loot to members in the audience.
After their first successful heist, The Four Horseman become the focus of a major investigation by the FBI led by special agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo). Dylan’s joined by Interpol agent Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent) due to the fact the bank that was actually robbed was located in Paris. Not being able and willing to believe in magic and not having any real evidence to tie the members of The Four Horseman to the crime, the authorities have to let them go and struggle to keep them under surveillance.
While the FBI search for clues and try to figure out where The Four Horseman will perform their next caper, a magician exposer, Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), who has been following the illusionist team warns agent Rhodes that the closer he looks the less he and his team actually see. Bradley seems to enjoy the fact that no matter how hard agents Rhodes and Dray try, they always seem to be at least a few steps behind The Four Horseman.
Slick, glitzy and at times witty, Now You See Me is an entertaining yet shallow crime mystery that benefits from its talented cast. Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, and Woody Harrelson are all effective as the illusionists who seem to be working and building up to some master magic trick that’s purpose is unclear (to both the movie-going audience and the characters themselves) as to why they are doing it and who is the real head magician pulling their strings.
Their performances are solid but nothing new. Eisenberg is once again playing a character who’s control-obsessed, selfish, and arrogant like his performance as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. Isla Fisher is once again playing an attractive con woman who plays second fiddle to the men in her life, and Harrelson is…well…Harrelson.
The one stand-out performance in the film is from Mark Ruffalo as the smart-aleck, frustrated, and determined FBI agent who seems to have zero interest in magic and all its trappings and only wants to catch the modern-day Robin Hood magicians in the act. It’s the only character who’s given any real layers in the script, and Ruffalo is perfect in the role showing just the right amount of aggravation and awe as he keeps getting bested by the illegal illusionists.
It’s unfortunate that a little more than halfway through Now You See Me the script and plot get way too contrived, implausible, and ridiculous. Plus, the audience in the theatre is sure to figure out who the true mastermind behind the magic and heists are long before it’s revealed on the screen. That is, if they’ve been paying attention.
Flashy in style and presentation, Now You See Me is a fun yet shallow crime caper film that will never have the audience rooting for any of the characters and most likely forgetting they even watched the film after a few weeks.
GRADE: C
Now You See Me is rated PG‐13 for language, some action and sexual content.
Dave Franco co-stars with Isla Fisher, Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman, and Mark Ruffalo in the thriller Now You See Me hitting theaters on May 31, 2013. And in support of the film’s theatrical release, Franco talks about his character, handling the stunt work, and shooting in New Orleans. He also discusses learning the magic tricks, working alongside Mark Ruffalo doing action scenes, working with director Louis Leterrier, and being a part of this ensemble cast.
The Plot:
Now You See Me pits an elite FBI squad in a game of cat and mouse against “The Four Horsemen”, a super-team of the world’s greatest illusionists. “The Four Horsemen” pull off a series of daring heists against corrupt business leaders during their performances, showering the stolen profits on their audiences while staying one step ahead of the law.
Audible Studios collected nine ‘Audie awards’ at the annual ceremony including the Audiobook of the Year award for The End of the Affair. Colin Firth performed the audio book adaptation of Graham Greene’s novel and said he was grateful for the recognition.
“I’m grateful for this honor, and grateful for the opportunity to narrate one of my favorite stories—a great novel told in the first person makes for the best script an actor could imagine. None better than The End of the Affair,” stated Firth. “Theater and film each offer their own challenges and rewards, but narration is a new practice for me and the audiobook performance provides exhilarating possibilities for both actors and listeners. I’m thrilled to be involved in bringing this remarkable work of fiction to a wider audience, and thankful to Audible for offering me the opportunity to perform it and to engage with so many who share my passion for storytelling.”
“Congratulations to Colin and to all of the fine actors and performances recognized this year,” added Audible.com founder and CEO Donald Katz. “Listening to Colin’s masterful interpretation of The End of the Affair is an eloquent reminder of why we at Audible have focused so acutely on elevating the quality of audio performances. The End of the Affair truly is theater for the ears.”
In addition to Firth, Claire Danes’ performance of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale was recognized with the Fiction Award. Other wins by Audible.com include:
– Distinguished Achievement in Production: Dracula, by Bram Stoker, narrated by Alan Cumming, Tim Curry, Simon Vance, Katherine Kellgren, Susan Duerden, John Lee, Graeme Malcolm, Steven Crossley, Simon Prebble, James Adams, Nicola Barber and Marc Vietor
– Original Work: Gun Church, by Reed Farrel Coleman, narrated by Joe Barrett and John Keating
– Audio Drama: Swordspoint, by Ellen Kushner, narrated by Ellen Kushner and supporting cast Dion Graham, Katherine Kellgren, Robert Fass, Nick Sullivan, Simon Jones, Sam Guncler and Anne Bobby (SueMedia Productions for Neil Gaiman Presents/ACX)
– Fantasy: Anita, by Keith Roberts, narrated by Nicola Barber
– Paranormal: Spellbound, by Larry Correia, narrated by Bronson Pinchot
– Multi-Voiced Performance: Dracula, by Bram Stoker, narrated by Alan Cumming, Tim Curry, Simon Vance, Katherine Kellgren, Susan Duerden, John Lee, Graeme Malcolm, Steven Crossley, Simon Prebble, James Adams, Nicola Barber and Marc Vietor
– Narration by the Author: Society’s Child: My Autobiography, by Janis Ian, narrated by Janis Ian
Commenting on her win, Ian said, “Winning a Grammy for my audiobook was astonishing. Having Society’s Child win the Audie for ‘Best Narration by Author’ was gorgeous icing on the cake. It means the world to me that Audible.com have such faith in my narrating, and that Stefan Rudnicki and his team are being recognized for the exceptional creativity and technical ability they brought to our venture. I hope to continue working with this team for years and years to come!”
Will Smith will do practically anything to help promote Sony Pictures’ sci-fi action film After Earth including rap. Yes, rap. Smith and his son, Jaden (who also stars in After Earth), visited The Graham Norton Show on BBC One and showed off their rapping skills. Also on hand to help Will out were DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince‘s Alfonso Ribeiro. And while Norton’s guest Bradley Cooper seems to be just enjoying the show, Cooper’s The Hangover 3 co-star Heather Graham really gets into Smith’s musical performance.
I’ve equated After Earth as being essentially the same thematically as another science fiction film from earlier this year, Oblivion. Now that I’ve seen both movies in their entirety, I could not have been more wrong. Comparing the two, I’d watch Tom Cruise’s sci-fi pic another billion times before even thinking of seeing this again. (Oh, but please read on, I want to bash this film some more.)
Oblivion is flawed by its director creating a passable piece of entertainment but devoid of any original thought. After Earth also manages to avoid much in the way of originality but fails to at least cover the entertaining part and instead has managed to suffer from the M. Night Shyamalan effect. He once made interesting movies but has quickly devolved into becoming a director studios know to hide from their marketing materials because of the general audience reaction to seeing his name on a project; all because he’s apparently become allergic to making good films. Let me put it this way, if I were to say which two films of his that After Earth most closely resembled, it would be The Happening and The Last Airbender. Yuck and double Yuck.
The plot here is that humans have had to leave Earth due to our ability to pollute and destroy the planet. The planet we sought out as a refuge was also occupied by aliens who had this love of killing humans. The manner in which we gained the upper hand was via the messianic warrior played by Will Smith who managed to control his fear rendering him invisible to these aliens who could only “see” us by the pheromones secreted when we’re afraid.
He and his son are aboard a spaceship that crash lands on Earth (killing everyone but the two of them and the alien they brought along, don’t even get me started on this plot point) and it’s up to Jaden to retrieve a homing beacon that fell miles and miles away from where the pair of them ended up. Along the way, he must avoid being killed by nature and the alien that’s conveniently hanging out near the beacon.
Putting aside the almost comical and oh-so-forced plot point that this creates (they might as well have cast Jonathan Lipnicki to tell us that bees and dogs smell fear), I hope you didn’t come to After Earth to see Will Smith kick alien ass because you get one scene (yes, ONE scene) of him even swinging a weapon. The movie is actually about his son, played by … his son … Jaden Smith, which is a large portion of the problem but I’ll get to that shortly.
I wrote earlier that this is basically like The Happening and The Last Airbender. Here’s why: Earth has apparently evolved into a hostile environment for humans, i.e., nature revolted against us because we polluted it so badly. Yeah, we get the message, Shyamalan. Then there’s the director’s ability to elicit the worst possible acting performances out of children. I don’t know what’s happened to him in the past few years considering his breakout feature involved a kid who could see dead people that many people would agree contained a decent performance from that child, but if Jaden Smith had given a worse performance, they might have had to rename the Razzie award after him.
It starts with the choice to give him and his father this quasi-accent that actually just sounded like you put marbles in their mouths. Within the first few delivered lines of dialogue, I wondered if I was going to need to turn on the subtitles to understand what the hell these two were saying. That ridiculously annoying and at times unintelligible speech pattern carries throughout, and it never fails to be a distraction.
Then there’s Smiths’ acting. And yes, I meant to put the apostrophe there. I’m talking about both of them. Their acting is so wooden they probably had to get termite insurance for the production. Again, some of that stems from an apparent attempt to make them seem stoic, as some sort of byproduct to a military system built on breeding soldiers who could face danger without fear, but the actual effect on-screen is a disengaged and uninteresting father-son dynamic devoid of worthwhile exploration.
Simply put, After Earth would have more appropriately been titled The Pursuit of Happyness 2: In Space Boogaloo. The effects are decent though nothing is spectacular enough to warrant watching it for the visuals alone. The acting is stiff and lifeless, even with the understanding that there was intention behind it. The direction is shoddy and only reinforces the general reputation Shyamalan has cultivated in recent years. The script is paint-by-number and all of the film’s events could have been circumvented if the highly trained flight crew of the highly advanced spaceship they were aboard was able to transmit a SOS sometime between them exiting a wormhole to avoid an asteroid shower and landing on the now quarantined Earth. They had the time to do it but somehow avoided this very basic idea … forcing the audience to endure a very, very, very, very, very boring and lackluster film.
If you want Will Smith and aliens, re-watch Independence Day or Men in Black. If you want Jaden Smith, well I frankly don’t understand how you feel, so go ahead and waste your money here. If you want a good M. Night Shyamalan film, invent a time machine and go back 14 years. For everyone else, movie theaters these days have a great number of different films showing in the same location. See any of the other ones. After Earth is only slightly less boring than The Last Airbender and I can only hope audiences realize this and don’t reward this dreck with a respectable opening weekend take.
GRADE: D
After Earth opens in theaters on May 31, 2013 and is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some disturbing images.
Julie Delpy as Celine and Ethan Hawke as Jesse in 'Before Midnight' - Photo by Despina Spyrou, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Amidst a sea of huge budget spectacles in release right now, Before Midnight caps off a trilogy of small, intimate encounters between Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) – each taking place 9 years apart; both in the lives of their characters and the films’ actual release dates. It really is a remarkable and intriguing idea, with the only other real analogy being the Up series of documentaries which have followed 14 British children’s lives since 1964, when they were seven years old, or François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows and subsequent films following the character of Antoine Doinel over time (Now that’s commitment).
Back on topic, 1995 saw the release of a little indie gem called Before Sunrise which undoubtedly caused a rise in the number of Americans figuring that they could backpack through Europe and find their soul mate. Jesse was returning home to the States while nursing a broken heart inflicted just days earlier, and Celine was still getting over a break-up of her own. They found solace and promise within one another over the course of their one night spent walking and talking with one another in Vienna.
2004 would see Jesse and Celine bump into each other again in Before Sunset, this time in Paris. Shot essentially in real-time, the pair catch up on life and rekindle the spark that had burned so bright 9 years prior. It’s abrupt but so beautifully done ending echoed the ambiguity of where the first film had left off, allowing audiences to imagine what would happen next and/or leaving them waiting those many years for a concrete answer.
Now in 2013, the story has shifted to Greece. The walking while talking is still here. They’ve also evolved to driving and talking. But that’s neither here nor there. What we learn is that the pair have remained together over the past nine years and given birth to twin girls in that time as well. Their conversation continues while vacationing in Greece, first with a collection of writers and then on their own when presented with a forced opportunity to have a night without the twins. What ensues is a frank, and at times brutal, hashing and lashing out of frustrations that have built up in the relationship in all this time.
There are probably hordes of people who find the idea of sitting there listening to two people talk for 100 minutes a complete waste of time, but if you’re like me, and you’ve been there since the beginning, catching up with these characters is like catching up with long-lost friends. There’s a beauty in these intimate discussions, which mirror real life far more than the Hollywood romantic comedies which are so intent on adhering to a formula ticket buyers will find familiar and comfortable.
Looking at this on its own, I would imagine the movie might annoy and fluster audiences. Jesse and Celine are at odds with one another for much of the procession and watching a couple bicker and argue isn’t good date material. However, one has to take the totality of the series into account and look at this with perspective. The first film was an idealized fantasy of a meeting, the second was a chance to make up for time taken away from them due to circumstances beyond their control, and this third look into their lives is an examination of what can happen to people whose entire relationship is built upon a brief but passionate night that altered each other’s perspective on practically everything.
The performances all around are quite good and give the proceedings that natural quality the series is known for. The discussions oven drift from personal to political to anecdotal and back again – all within the course of one scene. Director Richard Linklater continues using long takes which create a real sense that the audience is a fly on the wall, privy to all these private moments and conversations.
Even with knowing the full history of Jesse and Celine, some elements felt a bit forced, and it took me some time afterward to process and place what it is that this film was trying to say; like I said, taken on its own the movie can be quite acerbic. I still fully appreciate the process of watching two people evolve over time and getting a much more realistic sense of the peaks and valleys of a relationship. This is far from the norm in filmmaking and a cinematic experience that isn’t for everyone as audiences either will find an entire movie of people just talking not their cup of tea, or are at the movies to escape life rather than be confronted with it.
Before Midnight is unlike the other two of the franchise in that it presents a stopping point. Yes, it is possible to continue but given all of the discussions and developments up to now, continuing would likely feel redundant in what Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy want to say. While I find some of the political leanings a bit too heavy-handed in the last two movies and prefer the original film’s idealism, there’s a sense of closure achieved in completing the trilogy. In each film, things aren’t necessarily tied up in a neat little bow and that’s okay with me; so to is a certain convenience in how each time, one night can contain so much melodrama and angst. Whether that’s how you want to spend your time in a movie theater is another story.
GRADE: C+
Before Midnight is rated R for sexual content/nudity and language.
Hugh Dancy, Caroline Dhavernas, Laurence Fishburne, Aaron Abrams, Lara Jean Chorostecki, Hettienne Park, Scott Thompson, and Mads Mikkelsen star in 'Hannibal' (Photo by: Robert Trachtenberg/NBC)For those who’ve been afraid to give Hannibal a chance fearing NBC would yank it right when you became invested in the show – fear not, NBC is bringing it back for season two. The network’s confirmed Hannibal will get a second season consisting of at least 13 episodes. However, NBC says the earliest Hannibal fans can expect to view the return of the series will be midseason.
“We’re so proud of Bryan’s vision for a show that is richly textured, psychologically complex, and very compelling,” stated NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke. “There are many great stories still to be told.”
Season one averaged 4.7 million viewers. The show is based on Thomas Harris’ characters from Red Dragon with Bryan Fuller writing and executive producing the series.
The Plot:
The series stars Hugh Dancy as expert criminal profiler Will Dancy, who has a unique ability to peer into the mind of serial killers. Mads Mikkelsen stars as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a psychiatrist who is helping with the cases and, unbeknownst to Will, is also a serial killer himself. Laurence Fishburne stars as Jack Crawford, the head of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit. Caroline Dhavernas and Hettienne Park also co-star.
Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Ryan Seacrest, Nicki Minaj and Randy Jackson on the set of AMERICAN IDOL Sunday, Sept, 16. CR: Michael Becker / FOX. Surprise, surprise…or not. Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj have made it official – neither will be returning to host American Idol for a second season. Carey apparently wants to devote more time to her music and will be heading out on tour in the fall. She’s also finishing up an album and has a role in Lee Daniel’s The Butler opening in theaters later this year.
Carey’s PR firm tweeted the news, with Carey retweeting the announcement:
“W/ global success of “#Beautiful” (#1 in 30+ countries so far) @MariahCarey confirms world tour & says goodbye 2 Idol http://mariahcarey.com” – @PMK_BNC
Minaj also confirmed she won’t be back to AI next season, taking to Twitter to say:
“Thank you American Idol for a life changing experience! Wouldn’t trade it for the world! Time to focus on the Music!!! Mmmuuuaahhh!!!” – @NICKIMINAJ
Nothing about these announcements were unexpected as it’s been assumed for weeks that the American Idol judging table would look completely different next season. Randy Jackson’s already said he’s not coming back, and it was only a matter of time until Minaj and Carey also officially confirmed their exits. The only judge who hasn’t publicly said yes or no is Keith Urban.
Office Depot and One Direction Announce Alliance to Raise Money for Anti-Bullying Education Program (Photo: Business Wire)The popular boy band One Direction is teaming up with Office Depot to raise money for an anti-bullying educational campaign launching in the US to coincide with the beginning of the fall 2013 school season. The fundraising campaign will feature back-to-school items sold through Office Depot, with some of the proceeds from the items going toward helping to stop bullying. And One Direction will put out anti-bullying messages that will play during their concerts and on television as well as in different advertising mediums and on social media.
“We are thrilled to launch the ‘1D + OD Together Against Bullying’ alliance with One Direction,” stated Bob Moore, Chief Marketing & Merchandising Officer for Office Depot. “Office Depot is committed to making a difference in students’ lives with meaningful anti-bullying education, and thanks to the powerful voices of Niall, Harry, Zayn, Louis, and Liam, we will make considerable progress.”
One Direction’s currently busy on tour in support of their second album, Take Me Home, which features the hit single “Live While You’re Young.”
Audible Studios collected nine ‘Audie awards’ at the annual ceremony including the Audiobook of the Year award for The End of the Affair. 
