For the last weekend in May, Hollywood is presenting three movies that truly break the mold and hopefully usher in a new era of originality -- After Earth, Now You See Me and The East.
After Earth: Will Smith reteams with his son Jaden in a sci-fi thriller from director M. Night Shyamalan. The story finds the human race having escaped the unlivable planet Earth 1,000 years ago, finding refuge on a distant planet similar to ours. Jaden is a cadet wanting to be like his military leader father. Only, he keeps failing the tests that are required of him to become a military Ranger. As stated in our After Earth review, the film is a fresh take on a sci-fi genre that can be stale. And although Jaden is no Tom Hanks, a la Cast Away, the young actor still commands the screen solo for much of the movie.
Now You See Me: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco and Isla Fisher are The Four Horsemen. They are a wildly popular magician troupe whose big schtick is robbing banks across the globe to the delight (and profit) of their audience. As reported in our Now You See Me review, the film boasts one of the best casts of the year with Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Mark Ruffalo filling out the ensemble.
The East: Brit Marling has dazzled of late with her films Another Earth and Sound of My Voice. She has done it again, writing and starring in the film that takes eco-terrorism and puts it front and center. Alexander Skarsgard and Ellen Page star as part of a group called The East, who do to corporate executives what they have done to the environment. Marling is a former FBI agent who works for a corporate espionage firm who seeks to infiltrate them and bring them down. But, she starts to have affinity for their cause. For more, check out our The East review.
