Movie Reviews: The Shallows, Independence Day: Resurgence, Free State of Jones, Neon Demon | Buzz Blog

Friday, June 24, 2016

Movie Reviews: The Shallows, Independence Day: Resurgence, Free State of Jones, Neon Demon

Posted By on June 24, 2016, 10:47 AM

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Earnest Civil War drama, alien invasion, a horror film about fashion modeling and a bikini-clad woman vs. a shark: Yep, it's quite a variety at the movies this weekend.

Director Jaume Collet-Serra delivers terrific stripped-down suspense (and that doesn't just refer to star Blake Lively) in the survival thriller The Shallows (pictured). Matthew McConaughey plays a real-life rebel against the Rebels in Free State of Jones, but the story meanders through too many events without narrowing its focus.

Andrew Wright finds Roland Emmerich's sequel Independence Day: Resurgence spending too much time on bigger space ships and a slew of new characters to match the dorky sincerity of the 1996 original.

In this week's feature review, the surface-level gifts of Nicolas Winding Refn give The Neon Demon some fascinating stuff to look at, even if his self-indulgence often gets in the way.

About The Author

Scott Renshaw

Scott Renshaw

Bio:
Scott Renshaw has been a City Weekly staff member since 1999, including assuming the role of primary film critic in 2001 and Arts & Entertainment Editor in 2003. Scott has covered the Sundance Film Festival for 25 years, and provided coverage of local arts including theater, pop-culture conventions, comedy,... more

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