Kurt Loder Reviews The Hangover Part III and Before Midnight
The aching unfunniness of The Hangover Part III shouldn't be a surprise, writes Kurt Loder. Any franchise chained to the premise of wedding-related debauchery can only stagger downhill after its first installment. Still, this movie rarely rises to the level of even our most minimal expectations.
In Before Midnight, on the other hand, director Richard Linklater devised a way to examine the mysteries of love without boring us all stiff. The method he employed involves little in the way of plot or action, but lots and lots of talk, captured in very long takes. The talk had to be really good, of course, and it is.