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 so awesome on so many levels, I don't know where to begin. Luckily, the film is being re-released in select art house theaters this weekend, and I will make sure to watch the film at the Uptown Film Festival. The DVD is a good watch, but nothing beats watching movies like this on the big screen.

After a flashback scene which sets up the character development between Jana Kramer's lead role and Sam Logan Khaleghi's lead part, The movie opens up in the best way with an action scene that is like "Saving Private Ryan" in the middle nowhere middle/far east. Upon these two scenes there is considerably to the strategic writing of this script than meets the eye. There is the perfect truthful chat between soldier to soldier. This is an intricately engineered "art movie" with "commercial" appeal and scenes like when Brandon T. Jackson and Sam Logan Khaleghi have a dialogue moment between fight sequences is a sublime way of allowing the audience to care about the characters. Although the true fight is Kent's as he is a solitary character who must find out the truth behind the death of his girlfriend due to a car accident.

The antagonist in the movie is depicted with such threat who is Mayor Steven Malverne, that the hero of the story Staff Sergeant Kent comes full tilt in a ferocious and earth shattering perfect character driven performance. The film's action sequences get inside of you and shakes your nerves like in such anticipation that you can't wait for the next scenes to come.

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 was a great independent film hailing from the state of Michigan, it discuss family relationships, friendships amongst soldiers and incredibly showcases the beautiful scenery of Michigan. Jana Kramer is a wonderful actress and did splendid with the rest of her cast.

The story is edgy, smart and dives into relateable human emotions and aspects of returning from war.

The film is action packed when it needs to be and curves around the corners with excellent aim character development. If you missed it in theatres it is on DVD and I do think its a good buy for those who like good music, good acting and independent film.

The film strikes a nice balance between action, suspense and drama. The amount of personal loss and tragedy endured by the main character created a lot of sympathy, but wasn't overly depressing to the point of distraction. The story focuses more on a specific mystery that needs to be solved vs. making a larger obvious statement about the nature of war, (although I suspect many veterans can identify with the film's protagonist) and it certainly pays respect to our men and women in uniform. Approaching Midnight should not be written off as a purely action driven "guy'" movie, but an intelligent drama that manages to infuse some romantic tension as well. Definitely enjoyed it. A unique spin on the genre.