JOE

Directed by: David Gordon Green
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Tye Sheridan
Running time: 117 minutes

When was the last time I saw Nicolas Cage in a good movie? He's a good actor I think, but sometimes he chose bad movies over good one. I remember Adaptation and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans as his good ones (among many). So what about this one?

Joe Ransom (Nicolas Cage) is a man of restrain. He can explode into violent behaviour in minutes but try to hold himself back. He drinks and have a bulldog as companion. He also had an arch nemesis in that small town.

It wasn't clear what town it is, but it is not modern and it looks rundown with poverty. Joe is friendly and loyal to his crew of laborers. One runaway kid, Gary (Tye Sheridan) suddenly shows up and impress Joe with his work ethic.

But Joe has a troublesome family. His father is a drunkard and his family is dirt poor. Soon everything will comes crashing down and Joe must took severe action to protect Gary from the madness of this world.

Low budget, this one felt a bit southern gothic and present a world where loyalty and friendship as something important. Nicolas Cage is amazing here, he shows that he still got the skill to be a good actor. Is he going to abandon tentpole movies to indie ones? I do hope so. Tye Sheridan (known from Mud and The Tree of Life) is also good, he got talent and his looks is perfect for his role.

Had this been released during Oscar season, Nicolas Cage would easily got nominated. Well, actually that depends on release time and campaign.

MUD

Directed by: Jeff Nichols

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Sam Shepard, Reese Witherspoon

Running time: 130 minutes

Do you remember when your childhood is consisting of having real adventures in the wild instead of gluing your butt to play video games? Some might remember it and if your childhood spend with real adventures, you have a good one.

The third film from Jeff Nichols (after Shotgun Stories and Take Shelter, all featuring Michael Shannon) still covers American South, this time set in a small town next to the Mississippi river and it brings us to the two main characters, Ellis (Tye Sheridan, known for his role in The Tree of Life) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) to a certain adventure that wil change their life forever.

The two boys set to a deserted island to find an old boat. But then they encounter Mud (Matthew McConaughey), a fugitive who claims the boat and on the run because he killed a man who hurt his lover, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon). The boys are mesmerized by the heroic tale of Mud. They did not once being skeptical on the story at all.

Knowing that these boys can be useful, Mud sent them to the town to collect stuff so the boat can be flown and Mud can meet Juniper. As for Ellis himself, he has parents but they are not a good role model, so he sees a big brother figure in Mud, while Neckbone looks up to Ellis. The naive Ellis is about to learn the lesson of friendship, coming of age and love.

Nothing turns out as expected and it shows good acting from the three leading actors. The river play a major part here, representing adventure and chances, while supporting characters are also interesting like Neckbone's loving uncle, acted by Michael Shannon and Mud's so called father figure that change the course of events.

It is a film about Southerner in their homeland and it is a good story. I really liked it on how Nichols managed to tell a coming of age from the teenager's point of view. It reminded me of my own childhood, although I did not grew up next to a river, that adventure is out there!