The Free State of Jones *** (2016)

Matthew McConaughey stars as Newton Knight, an ex-confederate soldier who led an anti-southern army of insurgents in Mississippi during and after the Civil War. Newton's army waged class warfare on the plantation landowners, who they blamed for the costly war and the ingrained racism plaguing the country. Way too many historical films go to great lengths to dumb down the past, but The Free State of Jones offers something rare- complexity.

The opening battle sequence illustrates the horror of Civil War battle. Serving as a nurse, Newton is a witness to the carnage and must part in barbaric amputation operations. After suffering a personal loss Newton deserts the army and returns to Jones County Mississippi where he must live in hiding (desertion entailed the death penalty).

In time a community coalesces around escaped slaves and former confederates. They wage war on the plantation owners and take over the county, Robin Hoods of the Civil War I suppose. They come to realize their shared humanity and overcome the barriers that separate them. Of course, the Southern land owners had a strong stake in keeping poor whites at odds with African-American slaves.

The Free State of Jones makes for a strong counterpoint to Gone With the Wind, a film invested in the "Lost Cause" narrative, the idea the Southern fight was honorable in the face of Northern aggression. Slaves were treated well and content with their station, Southern culture was superior to the North etc . . .

In saying that, The Free State of Jones is a bit overlong, especially during a plodding middle section. But it does maintain a compelling tone, a combination of tragedy and hope.

McConaughey delivers an outstanding performance as usual. Mahershala Ali and Gugu Mbatha-Raw give poignant supporting performances as African-Americans struggling for their freedom after the war. 

As NY Times critic A.O. Scott pointed out, there's a much welcome anti-authoritarian message the film. In contrast to superhero movies where Captain America or Batman takes it upon themselves to protect the helpless masses. Here the people come together in community to effect change. No one waits for a hero to show up - they take action on their own terms.

The Free State of Jones may not be the summer fare audiences expect, but it does offer depth and a perceptive look at American history.

The Shallows (2016) **1/2

As a summertime diversion The Shallows gets the job done well enough. A breath of fresh air after the stultifying Independence Day: Resurgence. A minimal story of survival, nothing more and nothing less. Medical student Nancy goes on vacation in Mexico to pay tribute to her mom.  She arrives at an isolated beach where she surfs with a few guys, but keeps testing the waves after they leave.  Then a shark appears.  That's the setup.  Blake Lively does fine work in a physically grueling performance. Also, we get the best performance in film history from a seagull (outside of The Birds). Director Jaume Collet-Serra paced the film well and builds up a reasonable level of suspense. When the shark does appear it's hard not to think of Jaws. CGI sharks just don't carry the same weight as a clunky mechanical one. Anyway, don't go surfing by yourself at the beach.  And never separate yourself from your phone - they need to make those things waterproof.  Not necessarily breaking new ground, The Shallows does recall great summer movies from the past.

Knightriders *** (1981)

Few are familiar (including myself) with George Romero's work outside the zombie genre he invented with the 1968 horror film Night of the Living Dead (and way too many folks ripped off). Knightriders from 1981 takes an ingenious idea: a riff on Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court set in 1980s America. In a twist he reverses the roles in Knightriders: King Arthur himself is alienated with American culture. Ed Harris, in his first starring role, is perfectly believable as a modern day Arthurian hero. He leads a motorcycle gang who combine jousting with motorcycle racing.  Sounds like a crazy idea for a movie but it works. With a variety of colorful characters, Knightriders combines character study, mythological tropes, social satire, and amazing stunts. I have a soft spot for stories with characters who feel out of place in their time period and that's a big part of the charm of Knightriders.  It helps to overlook the flaws. The juxtaposition of the Knights regal culture with beer guzzling, sloppily dressed Americans says enough in itself (don't miss a cameo from Stephen King). A unique and entertaining film with plenty of surprises.

Joy (2015) ***

Joy may be David O. Russell's own unique take on The Godfather. The premise of the film asks whether a woman can survive in the dog eat dog world of business. Loosely based on the life of Home Shopping entrepreneur Joy Mangano, Jennifer Lawrence stars as "Joy." Upon further research I discovered the script also took inspiration from the lives of other notable women who succeeded in the business world.

Joy's overbearing father played by Robert De Niro continually undermines and condescends to her at every given opportunity.  A divorced mother, Joy works menial jobs and seems to be going nowhere in her life. One day she gets the idea of building a mop that can be sopped automatically.  Her ex-husband gets her an audition with a fledgling home shopping network called QVC. Bradley Cooper plays the founder of QVC and becomes a mentor to Joy. In his few scenes Cooper leaves a lasting impression, although they feel like a separate movie.

Russell's flamboyant direction never gets boring, just exhausting.  His use of overlapping dialogue channels a heightened realism, much in the style of Robert Altman and the screwball comedies of the 1930s. Obviously, Russell loves actors and puts character development above story. I can get behind that.

Lawrence carries the film well enough in her third collaboration with Russell. I hope she branches out and works with other directors - she seems a bit weary by the end of the film. 

Joy, an old fashioned rags to riches story, is well worth seeing. A movie about actual real people seems more and more a rarity these days.  Like American Hustle, a movie I did not like at first, Russell's films tend to improve with each viewing.  He's really drawn to characters who use cunning and intelligence to survive in a hostile world, a mirror of being a director in Hollywood? Or is there an undercurrent of cynicism present?

Searching for Sugar Man (2012) ****

The 2012 documentary Searching For Sugar Man speaks to the power of music to change the world in the most unexpected of ways. Sixto Rodriguez released only two albums Cold Fact (1970) and Coming From Reality (1971). After they failed to sell or find an audience in the United States he stopped recording music. A musician based in Detroit, Rodriguez made his living working various manual labor jobs around the city. Few people, even his friends, had any idea he once wrote and performed music. Unknown to Rodriguez and his family, his two albums changed the course of history on the other side of the world.

That's where the documentary picks up the story. The late Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul managed to track down a true mystery man.  For in South Africa the music of "Sugar Man" stood alongside The Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel. A legend spread that he doused himself in gasoline onstage and died after lighting a match. No one knew for sure. 

Songs like "Establishment Blues" encouraged South Africans to take action against Apartheid policies during the 1970s and 1980s. Without revealing too much, Searching For Sugar Man reveals an amazing mystery that culminates in a magnificent conclusion.

Rodriguez's music style evokes early 70's singer/songwriter: the lyrical punch of Bob Dylan with the smooth, emotive delivery of Cat Stevens. But the power of his words transcends these categorizations.  Themes in Rodriguez's music dealt with life in the inner city of Detroit and the pathos of everyday life.  The fact that music from a specific time and place can connect with people from a completely different culture and history proves art can work magic.

Searching for Sugarman won a much deserved Oscar for Best Documentary.  Music fans have so much to gain from the spirit of this film.

Independence Day: Resurgence *1/2

In an underwhelming and disposable sequel to the highest grossing movie of 1996, Independence Day Resurgence lands like a thud in all its gaudy 3-D glory. I'm not sure if anyone was clamoring for a sequel, but whatever? I liked how the original was a throwback to 1950s alien invasion films and the special effects were quite impressive. Watching the original also created a real sense of doom with some scenery chewing performances from Randy Quaid (movies need him back) among others.  

Set 20 years later, the sequel depicts earth recovering from the initial attack and utilizing the alien technology to build a defense against another attack. And shocker: they come back!  And this time its personal!

The only redeeming feature of the sequel is director Roland Emmerich got back many of the original players to come back including Jeff Goldblum, Judd Hirsch, Brent Spiner, Bill Pullman, and Vivica A Fox.  Their banter distracts from a thrown together script (with five writers on the credits).  Liam Hemsworth and the rest of the new cast add little beyond emoting comic book dialogue. Will Smith wisely passed, but a cameo would've been welcome. Even though everything was supposed to feel and bigger and better, the final effect amounts to boredom.  Not one memorable image or line of dialogue, routine alien invasion shenanigans. 

If brainless popcorn movies are your thing, you might like this one.  In 30 years when its on late night tv, Resurgence will play much better.

The summer of 2016 is shaping up to be one of lackluster sequels and shaky reboots.  Time to buy that box set of Airport movies.

Purple Rain (1984) ***1/2

Purple Rain is many things: a complicated melodrama, a collection of some awesome live music performances, and a semi-documentary/rock video on the 80s rock scene. All culminates to a transcendent moment.

Many theaters are playing Purple Rain this week and if you are a Prince fan or even know little about him - do yourself a favor and see it!

For "The Kid" is in the battle of his life with rival band The Time. The film opens with Prince performing "Let's Go Crazy" set to a rapid montage of the First Avenue Night Club in Minneapolis.

Prince's performance is enigmatic. He's no saint and is often cruel to people.  He can also be generous.  The Kid's got some issues and is trying to work through them.

The music of Prince and the Revolution blended rock and roll, funk, blues, electronic technology, dance, and performance art. Their rivals, The Time, are more of a funk/R&B ensemble.  Morris Day, leader of The Time, proves a worthy foil for Prince, more earthy and grounded. Day provides some much needed comic relief.

Everything builds to a climatic final concert. The showstopping performance of "Purple Rain" stands as a signature moment of 80s cinema. 

Purple Rain launched Prince into the stratosphere of super stardom in the 80s, joining the elite company of Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen.  

It's hard to lose a great artist who contributed so much to the world and brought joy and meaning to many people's lives.  And yet as a culture, creators are considered outsiders, pipe dreamers, strange, bad influences, mere tools to make other people money, even worse.  Purple Rain, above all, speaks to the power of music to bring out the best sides of everybody, everywhere.