Music to the ears of H-town Beliebers, pop star Justin Bieber will make a stop in Houston next year as of part of an expansive 58-city concert tour to promote his upcoming fourth LP, according to an announcement on Wednesday.
The news comes ahead of the release of Bieber's latest album, Purpose, due out Friday.
The 21-year-old’s career has suffered in recent years due to a lack of hits —Purpose is Bieber's first album since 2012 excluding Journals, his 2013 compilation — and a surplus of negative press for the teen titan’s bad boy behavior, from egging a neighbor’s house to urinating in public.
On the rise again, the Biebs has had a recent string of hit singles including “Sorry,” “What Do You Mean?” and "Where R Ü Now," a collaboration with electronic dance music masters Diplo and Skrillex. Bieber premiered two new tracks, “The Feeling” and “Love Yourself” this week.
Bieber's North American tour kicks off March 9, 2016 in Seattle and ends July 18, 2016 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, November 20, 2015 at 10 am on the AEG Live website.
American Express Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning November 16, 2015 at noon through Thursday, November 19, 2015 at 10 pm.
Justin Bieber's Purpose World Tour stretches 50+ markets across the United States and Canada.
Justin Bieber/Facebook
Justin Bieber's Purpose World Tour stretches 50+ markets across the United States and Canada.
Just like actors, once a filmmaker becomes known for a certain genre, it can be difficult to escape that pigeonholing. Writer/director Mike Flanagan has worked for 20 years in both film and television, and literally every project he’s done has been related to horror. He’s finally breaking out with The Life of Chuck, which is ironically based on a short story of the same name by Stephen King.
Told in three chapters in reverse order, the film is almost impossible to describe without giving away its magic. The first section centers on Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a teacher grappling, like everyone around him, with what seems to be the world falling apart. He’s comforted to a degree by reuniting with his ex-wife, Felicia (Karen Gillan), but is also baffled by multiple ads touting the retirement of Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) after “39 great years.”
The second section consists of little more than a slightly younger Chuck happening upon Taylor (The Pocket Queen), a drummer busking on a street corner, giving Chuck and a younger woman, Janice (Annalise Basso), the inspiration to start dancing. The final section goes back to the childhood of Chuck (Benjamin Pajak), where he’s raised by his grandparents (Mark Hamill and Mia Sara), discovers dance as an outlet, and wonders about various small mysteries.
Flanagan finds a way to deliver a lot of story with relatively little effort. Using a wry narrator (Nick Offerman), a limited number of locations, and a series of great small performances, he creates an intriguing premise with few straightforward answers. The structure of the film is designed to confuse the viewer until just the right moment, and the revelation forces you to reexamine everything that came before.
The biggest accomplishment by Flanagan is making what are essentially three short films and having each of them resonate equally. The film contains elements of science fiction, although the first section may hit a bit too close to home for some of those watching. All three sections, though, have a heartwarming bent to them that sells their central idea without becoming overly saccharine.
To do so, each of the characters have to connect in a short amount of time. The casting of the film is crucial, and not only does that department succeed with the main roles, but a series of small roles are filled expertly as well. Carl Lumbly as a funeral home owner, David Dastmalchian and Harvey Guillen as parents of students, Matthew Lillard as Marty’s neighbor, Q’orianka Kilcher as Chuck’s wife, and Jacob Tremblay as a teenage Chuck are just a few of the recognizable actors that do yeoman’s work in their brief time on screen.
Hiddleston is only prominently featured in the second chapter, but his performance there and in small glimpses throughout makes a big impression. Ejiofor is given the star turn in the first chapter and he absolutely kills, both in moments by himself and in scenes with Gillan, with whom he has great chemistry. Hamill, making a rare non-voiceover appearance outside of the Star Wars universe, and Sara, in her first notable role in 11 years, are also very memorable in the final chapter.
The Life of Chuck is a film that’s filled with emotion, but the full impact of the story is not felt until the final moments. It has a mysterious journey that is initially frustrating, but the performances keep the film going until it gets to its satisfying payoff.
