Before Midnight

Before Midnight
(2013) [Trailer]
Director: Richard Linklater [IMDB]

Back in February I watched and reviewed the two precursors to Before Midnight... which are Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, you can read about them HERE. I love Richard Linklater and those of you that read that review could tell I was a huge fan of both of those films. I knew going into Before Midnight, I was in for a treat... could it be the crème de la crème of the trilogy? Could it make my best of the year list? We'll see.

Synopsis: We drop in, once more, on the lives of Jesse and Celine (Ethan Hawke and Julia Delpy) and find out where the last 10 years has taken them.

Everything that makes the first two films work so well is resurrected in Before Midnight. The characters feel so real and comfortable to you which helps immediately settle you into it. I loved watching where they took the story.... now the couple are older and the love you saw in Sunrise has matured. You see what it's like for them to keep their shit together and to fight with one another. Love isn't easy sometimes, some people can make it work, others cannot... and you'll find out what category these two fall into.

Linklater steers Before Midnight in a perfect direction, an honest direction and one that seemed pretty authentic. My wife said "I feel like a lot of the stuff they are telling each other would have already come up and some point in their relationship." While she may be right, maybe she's wrong, either way the dialogue worked for me and I bought what they were selling.

Obviously, watching the other two films in this trilogy is an absolute must... so go get all of them and enjoy the ride.

A Richard Linklater Block: Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Waking Life.

I consider myself a big fan of Richard Linklater. There are a few titles I haven't seen of his that I'm going to review right now and then one film (Dazed and Confused) that's a rewatch... although I haven't seen it since high school... so we'll see how it holds up.

Dazed and Confused
(1993) [Trailer]
Director: Richard Linklater [IMDB]

Synopsis: Ride along for the last day of high school in a small Texas town in the 1970's.

This movie is the best. It's so easy to sit back and watch. It unfolds at a nice pace and everyone seems very natural in it. There's no big story arc, but instead, a lot of little ones that seem to keep you interested enough not to really care if it doesn't go out with some huge bang. Matthew McConaughey is so perfectly cast and this is still one of the funniest scenes out there.

Even though I reviewed this first (keeping things in chronological order), it was actually the last of these flicks I watched. One fact that's glaringly obvious about Rich is... the man can write one hell of a film and can direct one hell of a film. He is definitely one of my favorites out there in the game.

Before Sunrise
(1995) [Trailer]
Director: Richard Linklater [IMDB]

Synopsis: Two people meet on a train and hit it off. They decide to spend the evening walking around Vienna and getting to know one another.

Before Sunrise came highly recommend by my good buddy and I trust his opinion on film more than any other... so I knew I was in for a treat. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are amazing in this. Their chemistry seems so genuine and you can feel their desire for one another grow as the movie progresses. The writing in Before Sunrise is probably its greatest strength, all the dialogue seems so believable and real.

Some stand out moments for me were... when Ethan runs back to Julie on the train and talks her into getting off with him, the poem written and recited by the nicely dressed vagrant, and the scene where they pretend to call their friends and tell them about why they're not home yet.

Another steller attribute of this film is its ending. It's perfect. It could have went south so easily, but instead, Linklater decided to take it in a direction that's not predictable and leaves the viewer questioning the future of the couple.

If you're in the mood for love, this is the film for you. Okay, I know that sounded corny... but seriously, this is a great romance that unfold beautifully and is extremely easy to follow. Highly recommended.

Before Sunset
(2001) [Trailer]
Director: Richard Linklater [IMDB]

Synopsis: The sequel to Before Sunrise.... you now find out what happened to the two love birds?

For me, Before Sunset is more of the same, but in a good way. The spark between Ethan and Julie still seems fresh and interesting. The roadblocks now set up in each of their lives throw a nice curveball into the situation.

The ending of Before Sunset is a little more abrupt than its predecessor, but still has the same effect. It leaves things open to interpretation and gives you the ability to form your own conclusion. I really enjoy that indirect style of storytelling.

I am extremely excited to check out the third installment to this franchise coming out later this year, it should be very promising.

Waking Life
(2001) [Trailer]
Director: Richard Linklater [IMDB]

Synopsis: A man travels through a series of dreams.

I loved this film. It's complex, beautiful and thought provoking. It's also extremely philosophical, posing lots of theories and questions on the viewer. That said, it's not for everyone... like my wife... she hated it. If you're looking for some kind of narrative, you'll be highly disappointed. Visually this film is a knock out. It uses the whole rotoscoping technique that Linklater pioneered, but does it on a very basic level at times, which makes the movie look like slices of artwork that should be hanging on your living room wall.

There were a few stand out scenes for me...
1.The man lighting himself on fire and the lead up to it.
2. I liked the nod to Slacker with Alex Jones driving around screaming into a bullhorn/megaphone.
3. The old man who posed the question "Which is the most universal human characteristic - fear or laziness?"
4. The Ukulele guy and his song/speech.
5. It was also cool to see Ethan and Julie's characters from Before Sunset/Sunrise make a cameo.

I actually feel like I need to rewatch this again, there was so much to digest, good thing I just ordered the blu-ray.

Bernie

Bernie
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Richard Linklater (IMDB)

Synopsis: Bernie (Jack Black) is a eccentric funeral director in a small town in Texas who befriends the most hated woman in town... Shirley Maclaine.

10 minutes into this film and one thing was overly apparent, Dick Linklater is paying heavy homage to Errol Morris. This feels like a fictional film blended with a nice dose of Vernon, Florida or Gates of Heaven. Just like those two films, this movie is chop full of quirky characters and small town charm. I thought it was cool that he mixed up professional actors with real people, kind of a blend of fiction and documentary. I generally like Linklater's films and this installment is really no different. It's not laugh out loud funny, but pleasant and easy to sit through. Jack Black really pulls out a very impressive performance, I'd say one of his best that I've seen. This is available on blu-ray and VOD now.