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rmm> reviews
A Sci-Fi Tour de Force
PLUS, BACK TO THE JUNGLE AND THE 'SHOP
By Drew Wheeler movies@flagpole.com
MIDNIGHT SPECIAL (PG-13) I have seen
some good movies during the first quarter
of 2016; Midnight Special is the first great
one. With three films (Shotgun Stories,
Take Shelter and Mud) under his belt, film
maker Jeff Nichols has been
on the edge of hitting it big.
His science-fiction adventure is
intelligent, exciting, mysterious
and unpredictable. Nichols’ film
wears influences ranging from
Spielberg’s Close Encounters to
Carpenter’s Starman to Stephen
King’s Firestarter to everything
Michael Mann. Despite such
familiar trappings, Nichols
surprises, occasionally shocks
and thoroughly tweaks the
emotions as a father (Michael
Shannon) seeks to protect his
son (Jaeden Lieberher) from a
cult, the government and who knows what
else.
This sci-fi twist on the child prophet
story may not seem fresh, but it is nar
ratively far from its expiration date. Young
Alton Meyer sports blue goggles to keep
his eyes from emitting a blinding light a
la Cyclops of the X-Men. Alton’s assorted
powers appeal to his adopted father,
Brother Calvin (Sam Shepard), who runs a
cult called the Ranch. Alton’s birth father,
Roy, hits the road with Alton and taciturn
pal Lucas (Joel Edgerton), barely a step
ahead of the feds (represented by Adam
Driver and the unanticipated Paul Sparks of
“Boardwalk Empire” and “House of Cards”)
or the Ranch’s tough guys (the familiarly
unfamiliar Bill Camp). As their pursuers
get closer, the audience wonders more and
more where they are headed and why, espe
cially as Alton’s powers continue to grow.
My sole complaint about Midnight Special
is that it takes too long to answer the multi
tude of questions generated by this fantas
tically intriguing film, but that impatience
is a fault of mine, not Nichols’ storytelling.
Midnight Special is paced within an inch of
perfection as it parcels out its revelations.
You feel prepared for what will unfold based
on prior genre experiences but never know
the next destination.
One unsurprising reveal is the extraor
dinariness of the acting ensemble. When is
Shannon not the most fascinating actor in
the room? When he is matched by a group
of peers like Lieberher, who elevated both
St. Vincent and Aloha, and Driver, who gives
good Goldblum as an NSA egghead, that’s
when. Edgerton may never be a household
name, but the Warrior star deserves to
never again be confused with
Sam Worthington. For now, he
proves he can stand toe to toe
with Shannon.
As we enter the blockbuster
months of summer, science fic
tion and superheroes promise
to rule the big screen. All will
outearn Nichols’s latest treat,
but none will cast as long a cin
ematic shadow. See last year’s
Tomorrowland, which Nichols’
film easily surpasses, despite
the former’s employment of
George Clooney, Brad Bird and
House. Midnight Special is the
tour de force sci-fi fans have been seeking;
I hope they all take this opportunity to join
forces with independent film fans to see it.
THE JUNGLE BOOK (PG) Forgive my cagi-
ness about a live-action Jungle Book; I still
remember 1994’s attempt by The Mummy’s
Stephen Sommers. Nothing about this
CGI remake of Disney’s 1967 classic disap
points. An inspired cast of voice actors, led
by Bill Murray as Baloo (Who else would
be a better sloth bear?), Ben Kingsley as
Bagheera and Idris Elba as Shere Khan, join
charming newcomer Neel Sethi as Mowgli.
The high points childhood-you remem
bers from the cartoon—namely, “The Bare
Necessities” and “I Wan’na Be like You,”
now memorably sung by Christopher
Walken—are ticked off by director Jon
Favreau, who combines his knack for
effects-laden spectacle (Iron Man) with his
family-friendly expertise (Elf). If Walken as
a singing gigantopithecus doesn’t win you
over, what will?
BARBERSHOP: THE NEXT GUT (PG 13) This
third trip to Calvin’s barbershop is a sur
prisingly effective lecture on the woes of
urban life—gangs, violence—without sacri
ficing the laughs that make such a two-hour
sermon palatable. The male-dominated
shop has changed a lot in a decade—it’s
now co-ed—but the resulting experience is
not unsatisfactory. Malcolm D. Lee, a fresh
filmmaker for the franchise, is able to bal
ance the sitcom gags with the serious mes
sages that should be delivered by Keenen
Ivory Wayans’ Don’t Be a Menace mailman.
Ice Cube may not be as talented an actor
as his son, but his charisma is undeniable.
The rest of the ensemble ranges from hilari
ous (Cedric the Entertainer is particularly
on Seek) to surprisingly appealing (I may
now be a Nicki Minaj apologist) to sort of
disappointing (J.B. Smoove needed more
than his character, One-Stop, has to offer).
If the new Barbershop does one thing,
hopefully it will be to elevate the profile
of “New Girl’”s Lamorne Morris. I would
immediately make an appointment for a
rom-com spinoff featuring Morris’ Jerrod
and Margot Bingham’s Bree. ©
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