"Everybody Wants Some!!" Review (***½)

Blake Jenner, Tyler Hoechlin and Ryan Guzman star in
"Everybody Wants Some!!"

Richard Linklater’s filmography is chock-full of some of the most influential and timeless films of the past 20 years. For me, his “Before” trilogy is his best work. The three films—for those who haven’t seen them (yet)—follow a couple’s relationship over the course of about 16 years. Each movie in the trilogy pretty much amounts to a series of conversations between the two leads as we check in on them at different points in their lives. The director’s focus on passing time and nostalgia is perfectly represented in these three films. Linklater seems to have a fascination with hindsight that allows his films to not only get better and better with age, but to sneak up on you and pack way more of a punch than you might have expected before the final credits start to roll.

"Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong" Review (****)

Brian Greenberg and Jamie Chung star in "Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong."

Last week I attended the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival for the very first time, catching a screening of first-time writer/director Emily Ting’s “Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong” as a part of Access Night. Starring real-life couple Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg, Ting’s walk-and-talk romantic comedy shines under the brightly-lit streets of nighttime Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the film occasionally falls victim to Hollywood’s many romantic comedy tropes. The city as the third character? Check. Flirtatious meet-cute? Double check. However, the film is able to differentiate itself from being just another 'rom-com' thanks largely in part to Ting’s unique perspective paired with Chung and Greenberg’s natural flow on screen.