But nichols has never attempted anything quite like the conclusion to his latest movie, midnight special. It is nicholss fourth fulllength film and his first studio production. The characters were rich with personalities as well as the subtext with a. Midnight special should be added to his growing list of accomplishments, but for most people not glued into the genre, it may come off as disjointed and unfulfilled. Midnight special was released in 2016 on friday, march 18, 2016 in limited movie theaters. Everything you need to know about midnight special movie. What does the ending of the movie midnight special mean. New on netflix in april 2020 imdb starmeter award at the 2020 sundance film festival. Their films together include blackbird 2007, the missing person 2009, return 2011, mud 2012 and midnight special 2016.
The 153 best netflix series and shows to watch right now. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free. Jeff nichols brilliant midnight special weaves relatable themes of parental responsibility and faith in that which is traditionally unexplainable into a scifi road movie, with echoes of john carpenter, steven spielberg, and stephen king bouncing throughout. Even if these references hint at the sort of story that midnight special tells. A father michael shannon, goes on the run to protect his young son, alton jaeden. The film midnight special is a sequel to the 1985 film.
Look no further, because rotten tomatoes has put together a list of the best original netflix series available to watch right now, ranked according to the tomatometer. Some of the movies story ideas may seem very familiar, but its more about emotions than special effects or thrills. The midnight special is an american latenight musical variety series originally broadcast on nbc during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by burt sugarman. In the film cocoon we have a race of aliens who are beings composed of light. Midnight movie is a refreshing return to the good old fashioned slashers of old. Rotten tomatoes reports a record number of movies certified fresh in 2016, from crowdpleasers to indie hits. Dec 16, 2016 midnight special is the most recent offering from jeff nichols who brought us such delights as mud and take shelter.
The government and a group of religious extremists pursue a man michael shannon and his son jaeden lieberher, a young boy who possesses special powers. Starring michael shannon, joel edgerton, kirsten dunst, adam driver, jaeden lieberher. Writerdirector jeff nichols has done some of his best work with children mud and michael shannon take shelter, shotgun stories, and here, he recasts the veteran movie heavy as a. In midnight special, on the run with a highly unusual child. Midnight special is a smartly crafted exercise in exploring what the gifted child means to different individuals and factions.
The blockbuster masters films were about a fathers legacy, how his actions present or not impact the life of the child. Midnight special sees a religious cult and the government searching for a boy who has. Mar 16, 2016 midnight special is a wellcrafted science fiction mystery akin to the seventies classic, close encounters of the third kind. On imdb tv, you can catch hollywood hits and popular tv series at no cost. So many modern blockbusters err on the side of handholding, underlining their. This movie treats its audience with respect and allows them to piece together the reasons and events throughout the progression of the film. Midnight special 2016 is an american science fiction drama movie filled with adventure that was shot in new orleans, louisiana, usa.
Watch midnight special starring michael shannon in this drama on directv. But nichols has never attempted anything quite like the conclusion to his latest movie, midnight. John travolta as john gotti in movie gotti, worst rotten tomatoes movies. Freshen up your moviegoing experience with rotten tomatoes. That said, the movies moral, redemptive values of sacrifice, family bonds, faith, and understanding ones true identity are strong.
Mar 16, 2016 jeff nichols candidly admitted that he was inspired to write midnight special after his own son nearly died at a tender age, and the fear of losing him completely paralyzed the filmmaker. Midnight special is the most recent offering from jeff nichols who brought us such delights as mud and take shelter. Midnight special follows a father and specialpowered son who, along with the fathers childhood friend and eventually the mother, are running from the cult that worshiped the boy and the federal government who sees him as a threat. Apr 01, 2016 people want a spielberg movie and instead they get a nichols movie. The film stars michael shannon, joel edgerton, kirsten dunst, adam driver, jaeden martell, and sam shepard. Midnight 1939 rotten tomatoes midnight, written by that matchless hollywood pair billy wilder and charles backett, is that rare hollywood bird. But midnight special is a chase movie, and like all chase movies it runs the risk of losing all narrative momentum once it arrives at a destination. Midnight special may be nichols first studio film, but hes still tracking lives out of balance. Rachel brosnahan accepts the imdb starmeter award at the 2020 sundance film festival. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. The film midnight special is a sequel to the 1985 film cocoon. Jeff nichols as director exclusive midnight special interview. Return of the killer tomatoes midnight madness series. Starring michael shannon, kirsten dunst and adam driver, this film examines the intricacies of the media, faith and widespread panic in a wholly cinematic and beautiful way with an epic twist of science fiction which would get the carl sagan seal of approval.
New on netflix in april 2020 midnight special is a scifi drama that writerdirector jeff nichols made to help process his feelings of becoming a father. Mar 21, 2016 behind the astonishing midnight special ending. Midnight special starts off in the middle of the plot, and does not rely on exposition. From acclaimed filmmaker jeff nichols take shelter, mud comes a scifi thriller starring longtime collaborator michael shannon take shelter, 99 homes. Following the critical acclaim of his previous film mud, director jeff nichols returns with an unexpected sciencefiction thriller that borrows heavily from a multitude of influences while presenting a unique and compelling story that grips the viewer from the outset. Mar 18, 2016 but midnight special is a chase movie, and like all chase movies it runs the risk of losing all narrative momentum once it arrives at a destination. Spoiler alert by the ending of the movie, im guessing you mean literally the last two seconds. Mar 18, 2016 jeff nichols brilliant midnight special weaves relatable themes of parental responsibility and faith in that which is traditionally unexplainable into a scifi road movie, with echoes of john carpenter, steven spielberg, and stephen king bouncing throughout. The movie addresses the topics of faith, parenthood, and identity, though it covers the storys spiritualfantastic elements with as much ambiguity as possible. Midnight special, while superbly acted and paced at just the right speed, has a bold message to deliver for humanity, however, most of the journey through the two hours of run time is watered down by the time we reach the end because of the the overall feeling of predestination. So it was with great anticipation i went to midnight special. The heartbreaking story that inspired jeff nichols to. It doesnt nearly reach that level of greatness, but is a good effort. There were other movies released on the same date, including the divergent series.
Part scifi, part action, part chase, part religious, part speculation. A movie becomes certified fresh if its tomatometer rating, or its percentage of positive. They are members of a very advanced society traveling to earth in order to study humanity. There was real joy in experiencing the movie for the first time. I enjoyed nicholss previous movie, the boyhood tale mud, but remain sceptical about his muchpraised. Dark and grainy, set on rural backroads, i felt like i was in a low budget 70s movie. What does the ending of the movie midnight special mean, if. Jeff nicholss midnight special buries itself in secrets and a brooding, lucid sense of ambiguity, and its exciting and unbalanced in equal measure. Fantastic movie the creator knew it was lowbudget and made the best of it in the jokes. Rent midnight special 2016 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix.
A father and son go on the run, pursued by the government and a cult drawn to the childs special powers. Two men are on the road with an eightyearold boy in midnight special, a movie from jeff nichols which sells itself as an sf thriller, but is really more of a study of a parents selflessness when the life of their child comes under threat. They need to get to a certain place at a certain time for an unknown reason. Jun 08, 2016 spoiler alert by the ending of the movie, im guessing you mean literally the last two seconds. Director and writer jeff nichols mud 2012, take shelter 2011, shotgun stories 2007 did an excellent executing this good scifi thriller that was not short of tension and suspense. Its also a movie in which a topgrade bunch of actors get stuck in with self. Midnight special is the exciting and genuinely original new movie from writerdirector jeff nichols who made that brilliant movie mud which pretty much. If you like midnight special you might like similar movies highrise, eye in the sky, hail, caesar. Andrew smith from popcorn pictures awarded the film a score of 510, writing, midnight movie is never going to win any awards for originality and, like the majority of modern day slashers, youll never really have a burning desire to see it again. These are the movies on rotten tomatoes with 0 percent ratings. The film midnight special by jeff nichols is a sequel to cocoon.
Midnight special posted on april 6, 2016 by rogerinorlando midnight special is a cryptic and suspenseful scifi road picture, a thriller so tightly pitched it would work even without the magical science fiction element. The 90minute program followed the friday night edition of the tonight show. Midnight special 2016 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. The heartbreaking story that inspired jeff nichols to write. Carried by great performances although kirsten dunst is sorely underused and a truly hypnotic score, this scifi roadtrip genre mix has its heart and mind in the right place, both as a late70s80s homage and a familial drama, but all. This time, shannon who has appeared in every nichols film, plays a father in crisis. We meet alton, wearing blue goggles and reading a superman comic draped under a sheet like e. Midnight special is uneven, but just successful enough to suggest that theres.
It premiered as a special on august 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on february 2, 1973. Midnight special is a 2016 american science fiction film written and directed by jeff nichols, and produced by sarah green and brian kavanaughjones. Midnight specials intriguing mysteries may not resolve themselves to every viewers. Mar 16, 2016 midnight special may be nichols first studio film, but hes still tracking lives out of balance. Midnight special is a 2016 american science fiction film written and directed by jeff nichols. Watch midnight special online stream full movie directv. Fast paced cinematography adds a lot of rather good visuals to this movie. Best horror movies of 2020, ranked rotten tomatoes. It gives just enough detail in order to understand but not too little to have no idea what is going on.
Virtually every week has seen a new scary movie, so were starting earlier than usual in the year with our ranking of the best horror movies of 2020 and the worst by tomatometer. Its available to watch on tv, online, tablets, phone. Its not the greatest of films, but it held my interest for the entire movie and thats a good thing. Kirsten dunsts 10 best movies according to rotten tomatoes. Nichols drops us into the middle of a chase and demands us to pay attention and figure out whats going on. Some of the movie s story ideas may seem very familiar, but its more about emotions than special effects or thrills. Parents need to know that midnight special is a scifi drama that writerdirector jeff nichols made to help process his feelings of becoming a father. Jeff nichols as director exclusive midnight special interview 2016.
In midnight special, its about how a child affects a father. Midnight special 2016 rotten tomatoes michael shannon, joel edgerton, and kirsten dunst star in writerdirector jeff nichols drama about a father and his eightyearold son who go on the lam. Michael shannon, joel edgerton, and kirsten dunst star in. Forty years after directing and starring in a slasher movie, entitled the dark beneath, centred on a group of friends being killed by a masked killer, ted radford suffers a mental breakdown and is admitted to a. The sites consensus reads, midnight special s intriguing mysteries may not resolve themselves to every viewers liking, but the journey is ambitious, entertaining, and terrifically acted. Theres solid craft in the filmmaking and the cast cannot be faulted, but midnight special ends up feeling like a comeon with no real payoff. Midnight special is a cryptic and suspenseful scifi road picture, a thriller so tightly pitched it would work even without the magical science fiction element. They also appeared in the hbo tv series boardwalk empire 20102014, and have appeared in two stage plays. Jeff nichols candidly admitted that he was inspired to write midnight special after his own son nearly died at a tender age, and the fear of losing him completely paralyzed the filmmaker. Even stronger action sequences and better special effects couldnt help this movie. Well thats what happened and i chose to watch midnight special.
Midnight specials intriguing mysteries may not resolve themselves to. While each of these titles leave an imprint on midnight special, the film successfully sets itself apart and presents a gritty, confronting and visually stunning thriller full of unexpected curves and vigorous detail. Why that midnight special ending makes perfect sense. The sites consensus reads, midnight specials intriguing mysteries may not resolve themselves to every viewers liking, but the journey is ambitious, entertaining, and terrifically acted. In general, what happened was that, for whatever reason, the boy is just more a part of that other world than he is a part of our world, and he go. Midnight movie is a 2008 american slasher film directed by jack messitt, who also cowrote the film, and produced by kacy andrews. It was selected to compete for the golden bear at the 66th berlin.
A gritty, confronting and visually stunning thriller. In the scifi thriller midnight special, writerdirector jeff nichols proves again that he is one of the most compelling storytellers of our time, as a father, he goes on the run to protect his young son. Along with tom hanks performance as fred rogers in a beautiful day in the. Midnight special goes off its own narrative cliff, capping a compelling story with a thirdact resolution so misguided thats its the dramatic equivalent of punching the gas and plunging into. Midnight special is a wellcrafted science fiction mystery akin to the seventies classic, close encounters of the third kind. The midnight special in the song is, strictly speaking, a train, but its also a symbol of redemption, one of many. Putting into context that horror nowadays is bland, this is an interesting film both in concept and story.