Reel News: The Hangover III, Fast and Furious 6, Epic, Love is All You Need, Beautiful Creatures, Parker

Upcoming Theatrical Releases

The Hangover Part III
Director: Todd Phillips
R; 100 mins
Trailer

“The Hangover Part III” is the third and final film in director Todd Phillips’ record-shattering comedy franchise. This time, there’s no wedding. No bachelor party. What could go wrong, right? But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off. (Synopsis by Warner Bros)

The second best of the trilogy, even if that doesn’t mean very much. The franchise was out of steam and lacking in comedy after “Part II.” This installment doesn’t do much to fix those problems and serves mostly to give closure to the characters.

Fast & Furious 6
Director: Justin Lin
PG-13; 130 mins
Trailer

Agent Luke Hobbs enlists Dominic Toretto and his team to bring down former Special Ops soldier Owen Shaw, leader of a unit specializing in vehicular warfare. (Synopsis by IMDB)

Finally, the series has learned to have a sense of humor about its own self-important seriousness. This is mindless fun and thankfully, the franchise and those behind it have become aware of that. Between the cars and the outlandish action sequences, you have a ticket that fans of the series are guaranteed to buy.

Epic
Director: Chris Wedge
PG; 102 mins
Trailer

EPIC is a 3D CG adventure comedy that reveals a fantastical world unlike any other. From the creators of ICE AGE and RIO, EPIC tells the story of an ongoing battle between the forces of good, who keep the natural world alive, and the forces of evil, who wish to destroy it. When a teenage girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she teams up with an elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life figures, to save their world…and ours. (Synopsis by Fox)

This film is big on adventure and fun, but lacks the emotional depth of the big-boy animation studios. It follows a well-worn storyline, but keeps it interesting enough for the kids. Not a great movie, but you could do worse.

Love Is All You Need
Director: Susanne Bier
R; 110 min
Trailer

LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED is directed by Golden Globe (R) and Oscar (R) winning filmmaker Susanne Bier, written by Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen and starring Pierce Brosnan and Trine Dyrholm. Philip (Brosnan), an Englishman living in Denmark, is a lonely, middle-aged widower and estranged single father. Ida (Dyrholm) is a Danish hairdresser, recuperating from a long bout of illness, who’s just been left by her husband for a younger woman, Thilde. The fates of these two bruised souls are about to intertwine, as they embark for a trip to Italy to attend the wedding of Patrick and Astrid, Philip’s son and Ida’s daughter. With warmth, affection and confidence, Susanne Bier has shaken a cocktail of love, loss, absurdity, humor, and delicately drawn characters that will leave only the hardest heart untouched. It is a film about the simple yet profound pains and joys of moving on – and forward – with your life. (Synopsis by Sony Classics)

Bier falls for a Hollywood trap in her first English language movie: a generic plot in an exotic local. A hit-and-miss romance that is largely a disappointing departure from her usual dramas.

Upcoming DVD Releases

Beautiful Creatures
Director: Richard LaGravenese
PG-13; 124 mins
Trailer

A supernatural love story set in the South, “Beautiful Creatures” tells the tale of two star-crossed lovers: Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich), a young man longing to escape his small town, and Lena (Alice Englert), a mysterious new girl. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town. (Synopsis by Warner Bros)

A bone for the “Twilight” crowd that mostly misses the mark with it’s campiness. The strong performances of the cast make up for most of the flaws, but aren’t quite enough to save it.

Parker
Director: Taylor Hackford
R; 118 mins
Trailer

Set amidst the unparalleled wealth and glamor of Palm Beach, Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez team up to get their cut in the crime thriller PARKER based on the series of bestselling novels by Donald E. Westlake. The film is directed by Academy Award (R) nominee Taylor Hackford (Ray) and also stars Michael Chiklis, Wendell Pierce (HBO’s The Wire) and Academy Award nominee Nick Nolte. (Synopsis by Film District)

Slightly better than what you would expect from a Statham vehicle. The film tries to play it cool, but has all the wrong actors in the wrong parts to make it work. There isn’t much of a wow factor, but enough action to keep you engaged.