New Movie Releases: Babylon A.D., In Search of a Midnight Kiss and More!

Babylon A.D. We figure when it comes to this dystopian future action (yawn) movie, there are only two kinds of people out there—the hard-core sci-fi nuts who already know plenty about it, and those who (how shall we say it?) don’t give two craps. The first group already knows all they need to, and the second group...doesn’t give a care. So for the five people that don’t fit into either group, we’ll keep it short.

The main thing you need to know is that this unfortunately-named movie has nothing to do with that "Star Trek" wannabe show your nerdy friends always said you should watch, Babylon Five. It’s actually about a soldier-for-hire type (Vin Diesel) contracted to escort a girl across the world. The problem is that a lot of dangerous people want her very badly for some pretty sinister reasons. There’s something about genetic manipulation and the Messiah in there somewhere. It’s directed my Matthieu Kassovitz (director of Gothika and portrayer of Amelie’s obsession in, er, Amelie) and also stars random actors like Michelle Yeoh(?), Gerard Depardieu(??) and Charlotte Rampling (?!?).

This was apparently supposed to be a thoughtful and striking commentary on the future of our world and how we need to think ahead and take care of it, but the studio stepped in and destroyed it. Kassovitz (that’s the director remember) calls it “pure violence and stupidity…parts of it are like a bad episode of 24.” Really? Even the director hates it? Hm. Well, now we’re a little bit intrigued. --Matthew Frederick
[Trailer] [Showtimes]

In Search of a Midnight Kiss
Midnight Kiss tells the story of Wilson (Scoot McNairy), a lonely, unemployed 29-year-old misanthrope whose prospects for love on New Year's Eve look incredibly grim. That is, until a mysterious woman named Vivian answers his Craig's List ad, and leads him on a strange, transformative tour through the streets of Los Angeles.

Partly inspired by Director Alex Holdridge's own experiences after moving to Los Angeles, Midnight Kiss has some very strong links to Austin--Director Holdridge, Cinematographer Robert Murphy, Editor Jacob Vaughn and Producer Seth Caplan are all UT grads, and virtually the entire cast has lived in Austin at some point. The film also features music from Austin-based bands like Shearwater and Okkerevil River.

If that's not reason enough for you to check it out, try the trailer on for size. --Matt Smith
[Trailer] [Showtimes]

College
Touted as a paean to movies like Animal House and American Pie, College looks more like a me-too ripoff of Superbad. Three high school best buds (the adorable guy, the smartass fat guy and the bespectacled nerd--sound familiar?) head to College in search of grownup pleasures.
[Trailer] [Showtimes]

Disaster Movie
The fact that they're still making these unfunny, weakly satirical pieces of pop-culture-collage crap means that people must still be going to see them. Please make it stop. We're counting on you. --Matt Smith
[Trailer] [Showtimes]

Traitor
With a cast that includes Don Cheadle, Jeff Daniels and Guy Pearce, Traitor tells the story of a former U.S. Special Ops officer (Cheadle) who is hunted by a straight-laced FBI agent (Pearce) bent on preventing an international conspiracy. Reviews are mixed, but we think it looks pretty good. --Matt Smith
[Trailer] [Showtimes]

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