Approaching Midnight

I'm starting my first year of film school and let me start by saying that I'm a huge fan of Independent Film and when I heard this film was playing at the Louisville International Film Festival I was so glad, because i missed it in theaters during its regular limited run.

There were a slew of celebrities at the LIFF this past weekend so it was worth my ticket. The movie studio representatives were very kind who represented "Approaching Midnight" and made sure everyone got a seat, so I saw some folks in line for 'Approaching Midnight' and decided to jump in too. It was worth the wait alongside "The Wedding Pact" starring Haylie Duff which I also enjoyed. Those two pictures why my LIFF 2013 choices.

"Approaching Midnight" is great source material for independent filmmakers. The clam but action driven narrative with very detailed character descriptions from scene to scene. The amazing world that was created here by the cast and crew is measured in theatrical wonders.

The cast is stellar. A breakthrough performance by Carollette Phillips as the wife of Brandon T. Jackson's "AJ Culpepper" is flawless, and I felt for every emotional tie she gives each scene.

The film is rated PG, yet pulls off the war scenes with sweetness and the violence is not gloriously graphic for a younger audience (as a note, my little sister was with me and she liked it too).

This film was truly superior in it's cinematography, acting and "007" like editing effects. The romance between Staff Sergeant Wesley Kent (Sam Logan Khaleghi), Aspen Malverne (Jana Kramer- TV's "One Tree Hill") was flirtatiously awesome and adding the character of Natalie Church (Michelle Balser) into the mix created an awesome "post-potential" love triangle. If you are a fan of the shaky camera thing (which is in all the Bourne movies) then you may not like this, because thankfully, some indie films like this one have returned to the smooth style of peaceful and horizontal cinematography and camera work, which is accredited to Carl Ballou (the movie's DP, who has done such provoking work as music videos for Eminem and the upcoming Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) Brick Mansion's'. I really thought this was a great movie, There seems to be a reviewer who keeps adding negative spam here, obsessed with the location of the film (the location of the movie is set in a fictional 'All America' village) ... but frankly speaking, I am from Michigan and I support movie's that are made in Michigan, it's a hard task to make a film let alone so many veterans who participated in the making of this picture. Aside from that fact, the film is genuinely good, in every way. The acting is natural and legit, the action sequences are demonstrated and all around positive story. Yes the film is rated MPAA PG, so I agree, families can enjoy without worrying about the action and gunplay being too much for young audiences.

This film handles the returning war veteran subject brilliantly and distributes ample time from character development to action and back to the present from the flashbacks. I saw this film with military veterans who were members of the American Legion and sponsored this movie and we were all amazed at service it did. The Oakland Press called this film "a gripping edge of your seat thriller" and that is exactly what it was plus enthralling affection toward the subject matter. I thank the filmmakers for that. Finally there is a movie out there that deals with the reality of combat. That said, I am huge fan of movies like "Walking Tall" and "Desparado" and think the film was an interesting mix of both. The film doesn't withhold any emotions back. The funeral scene was by far the most visually arresting and riveting part of the whole picture. I thought the musical score by James Stonehouse took me right back to those experiences. The best performances in the funeral scene by far are from Michelle Lynne Balser and Bill Cobbs who plays Brandon T Jackson's father (the actor from Tropic Thunder and Fast and Furious series). On NBC News today they showed the filmmakers handing over a check with a portion of the proceeds from the theatrical box office to the American Legion, and it was such an amazingly kind act from the filmmakers and crew members of this movie as it has been brought to my attention are actual veterans, so their point of view was a brilliant epic in the consultation of this film. American Legion's official face book shown a standing ovation by 10,000 veterans as the American Legion National Convention in Houston this year who were treated to a charitable screening of this film as it was sponsored by the national American Legion out of D.C.

In Approaching Midnight, Sam Logan plays a 20 something special forces/ranger approved All American, and there's a scene that at a critical point that sums up this whole film and it's ambitions and thats when Wesley Kent (Sam Logan) comes back from the war and has to return his best friends locker room things to his widow (Carollette Phillips). I just rented this on the new releases at one of Nashville's last remaining video stories LOL. First off, I couldn't wait for the RedBox so it was an adventure, I saw the trailer on television and I had to just rush to the store to get it. I'm a country girl and I love Jana Kramer, her characters part in this movie is so sweet and heartwarming with her love for Wesley (Sam Logan). The opening scene is a really heartfelt date scene between the characters that sets up the whole drama of the rest of the movie. Toward the end of the film it thematically all comes back to the opening scene in an interesting way. There is a giant courtroom battle that flashes back to Jana's character Aspen. Aside from the plot of the film, the DVD itself is perfect and I enjoyed it slightly more than Heart of the Country's DVD (another movie with Jana) because Approaching Midnight's DVD does have a lot more special features with Jana in it, for example a Jana Kramer video journal in the making of, where she takes you on a tour of the set and there's fun moments with other cast members. The horseback riding scenes were so splendid, I love how they re-created a perfect country atmosphere. The filmmakers and production designers did such a good job, and the film could take place almost anywhere, that's why as they say this film could "play in peoria."

As an active military member, I can attest to the authenticity of this military drama, from the uniforms, to the production design, wardrobe design, every piece was obviously well thought out and put together. The film was part "Tears of the Sun" part "Green Zone" part "State of Play". A political intrigue that smartly utilizes modern day politics woven into action and combat. The negative reviews seem to be by people that have no respect for the American military as they were an active part in making this film realistic. The American Legion sponsored this film and the heroism of an American soldier is captured in this film perfectly. I believe Carl Ballou (who is the cinematographer) will be receiving an award tonight at the Louisville Film Festival for his work on this movie.