Midnight Special (2016)

Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols
Starring Michael Shannon, Jaeden Lieberher, Joel Edgerton and Kirsten Dunst

A father and son run from the U.S. Government and a cult drawn to the child's special powers.

In an era of film where director's like Colin Trevorrow and Rian Johnson only use independent films as a springboard into bigger studio films, it is nice that there is a director out there that is dedicated to his own work and continues to deny intrusion from cinematic corporations.

That's not to say that abandoning independent films to create the next "Star Wars" or "Jurassic Park" movie is a bad thing. It's just refreshing that Jeff Nichols, a man who undoubtedly has the pull to grab some sort of franchise, sticks to his guns and creates unique stories.

In his fourth film, Nichols has created an intriguing sci-fi thriller in what feels to be a mix of "The Road" and "E.T.". It is a beautiful story, that admittedly, I was unsure of upon my first viewing. I could tell that it was a well made film, but due to my previous expectations not being met, I was left confused and desired a second watch.

"Midnight Special" is a film that rewards multiple viewings. Symbolism and minute details are more apparent once you know what to expect. I noticed things that I completely missed the first time around and it all stitched every question I had up very nicely.

It isn't out of the ordinary these days for a trailer of a film spoil it's entire plot. In this case, not only did the trailer contain the mystery, but much of the film did as well. I enjoyed questioning the plot throughout this thriller rather than being completely up to speed as most studio films allow you to be. The mysterious element is one that I doubt, Disney and Warner Brothers will adopt, but I would love if they did, even if just for a few projects.

Jeff Nichols and his latest film is everything that I love about independent film. Had a major studio been involved in more than just distribution, I feel they would have tampered with the story to the point where it lost everything that makes it special.

My Rating: 8/10

Demolition (2015)

Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée
Written by Bryan Sipe
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, Chris Cooper and Judah Lewis

As an investment banker struggles after losing his wife in a tragic car crash, his increasingly confessional series of letters to a vending machine company catch the attention of a customer service rep with whom he forms an unlikely connection.

To follow up his masterpiece in "Dallas Buyers Club" and the wildly disappointing movie "Wild" (pun not intended, I promise), director Jean-Marc Vallée seems to have type-cast himself, in a way, with the types of films he creates. Perhaps he has finally found a style that he feels best expresses himself, or maybe he's just trying to recapture the success of "Dallas Buyers Club", but I feel he is starting to drift away from what made that film great while he tries too hard to keep himself significant.

At it's core, this film is (or could have been) intensely beautiful and heart wrenchingly emotional. It could have created a bond between protagonist and audience that could not be easily broken. After all, anyone that has lived a significant portion of their life has experienced the loss of a loved one in some way.

But instead, we are presented with a convoluted story of a selfish, unforgiving man. And perhaps that is exactly what the writer, director and actor wanted him to be. But I can't help but feel that it fails on so many levels.

The film feels as though it believe it is more clever than it is, elbowing you in the ribs as if to say "You see what I did there?". But in reality, there isn't much to point out. There are no deep metaphors or well constructed character arcs. In fact, it's hard to tell how the main character comes to the end of his journey. It kind of just happens. But about an hour after it should have happened.

Jake Gyllenhaal, while a decent actor, has seemingly been doing everything within his power to get an Oscar nomination. And it's been painfully apparent in every film he's been in since "Nightcrawler" (with the exception of "Everest").

Naomi Watts' role, as much as I love her, served absolutely no purpose other than to be a Macguffin. She disappears for much of the film, and when she is in the scene, you feel a sense of anticipation for everything to finally come together. But it never does.

If I'm honest, the first six paragraphs of this review paint a worse picture than it deserves. It's not a terrible movie. There is just a lot that I had to say regarding the plot. It wasn't terrible. It was just bland. It didn't have the emotional punch to the gut that made "Dallas Buyers Club" so great. And much like "Wild", it didn't appear as though the protagonist knew how to act around people.

I don't know if Vallée is going for something that I just can't comprehend, and if you feel differently than I do, please contact me to discuss it. I would like to see another view of it. But it just felt as though everyone involved in the higher-ups was just trying to hard.

My Rating: 5/10

Eye in the Sky (2015)

Directed by Gavin Hood
Written by Guy Hibbert
Starring Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman, Aaron Paul and Barkhad Abdi

In the age of drone warfare, much of the decision making regarding military attacks is done behind closed doors and spread amongst several people on different continents. This film by Gavin Hood opens those doors and lets the audience take a look at what goes on behind them.

While this is not the first film of its kind, "Eye in the Sky" is unique in its own way. It focuses on the moral struggle that not only the drone pilot faces, but also the numerous higher ups that chime in to green light the attack. Although the film takes place in three countries, it has a very claustrophobic feel to it. You are centered in on one small location for each character which only adds to the importance of the subject at hand.

With this all-star cast in which most of them act and react to things that aren't actually there (while filming), it is amazing how believable every performance is. Even though I know Aaron Paul and Helen Mirren are probably looking at blank screens, I believed that they were watching the events unfold before them in real time. That is something that is more difficult than it seems. Just ask Sir Ian McKellen.

One of the things that I loved about the film was Barkhad Abdi's return to the screen. You may remember him in his Oscar Nominated role in "Captain Phillips". When an actor comes out of nowhere and has success like he did, right away. I always worry that it won't go anywhere for them and that it was a fluke. But even in this, he proved to be a decent actor. And while we all know he will be typecast, at least he is making money doing so. And more money than he would driving limousines.

Overall, this film was a shining light in the dark months of film in early 2016. It is better than damn near everything that came out by a long shot, with a few exceptions. What makes this film great is that it creates a discussion or morality, not just between characters and audience members with opposing political beliefs. But for me, an internal dialogue of what I believe to be the just conclusion, if there even is one.

It had so much more going on than it needed to. It could just have easily had a lot of action and yelling and called it a day. But it chose to take the more difficult path and actually argue both sides of the debate logically and realistically. It was an unexpectedly intelligent and open minded film all while bringing up a subject that should be discussed more.

My Rating: 8/10