Just Mercy (2019)

[Member-275053]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

It's anything but.

The script is phenomenal and I hope it gets all the recognition it deserves.

I'm also thrilled to see a movie that's not a prequel, a sequel or based on a comic book.

If you say so, but that's not what I saw in the trailer.

I'll see it regardless.

And, most new movies released each year are not "a prequel, a sequel or based on a comic book."

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by JWFORD

And, most new movies released each year are not "a prequel, a sequel or based on a comic book."

Exactly. "Not a prequel, a sequel, or based on a comic book," describes something like 99% of each year's new films.

[MikeScott]

I'm interested. Short Term 12 is a phenomenal film and The Glass Castle was actually really good too. I thought that one was even better the second time I watched it. I think it's worth a watch for those on the fence. It's definitely not Short Term 12 great though.

[Damon1281]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Exactly. "Not a prequel, a sequel, or based on a comic book," describes something like 99% of each year's new films.

The complainers only like the prequel/sequels. What they want is a surprise IP blockbuster, not just an original.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Damon1281

The complainers only like the prequel/sequels. What they want is a surprise IP blockbuster, not just an original.

Bang on, so frustrating when so many mid tier, great genre films come out and none of these chronic complainers do anything to support them. As Astra will be the next example of this.

[Creed]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Bang on, so frustrating when so many mid tier, great genre films come out and none of these chronic complainers do anything to support them. As Astra will be the next example of this.

That grinds my ****ing gears. If they complain and support original films, great, if not, **** 'em!

I fear that Astra will underperform, but I hope to God it doesn't.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Creed

That grinds my ****ing gears. If they complain and support original films, great, if not, **** 'em!

I fear that Astra will underperform, but I hope to God it doesn't.

Yeah, it's going to. That trailer is way too intellectual. Lots of people simply aren't drawn to that sort of thing.

[Creed]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Yeah, it's going to. That trailer is way too intellectual. Lots of people simply aren't drawn to that sort of thing.

It's looking like complex sci-fi, and I wouldn't be surprised if it underperforms.

[Creed]

THR review:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/re...source=twitter

[The Great Owl]

Four and a half stars

In 1989, Bryan Stevenson, a fresh-faced Harvard law graduate played by Michael B. Jordan, moves from the northeast to Alabama in order to start a nonprofit organization, Equal Justice Initiative, that provides defense to death row inmates who cannot afford proper legal representation. Enter Walter McMillian, a small-town pulpwood businessman, played by Jamie Foxx, who was framed and convicted for the murder of a white teenage girl, although he was with his family at a church benefit fish fry at the time of the killing. Stevenson's efforts to help this doomed inmate are greeted with skepticism, both from a community of whites who just want quick closure with regard to the tragic death and from those in the impoverished black neighborhoods who are accustomed to being railroaded by the justice system. With only a local advocate, played by Brie Larson, in his corner, the novice attorney takes on a seemingly impossible task.

The 2019 legal drama, Just Mercy, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12) and based on the memoir of the same name by Stevenson, treads familiar narrative territory, and, like its genre contemporary, Dark Waters, that was released a couple of months before, lays out an effectively riveting, but no-frills storytelling approach that is normally denied the Academy Award recognition that the filmmakers deserve. This is the cinematic equivalent of a prime rib from Longhorn Steakhouse, because it offers no surprises and it tastes just as customers expect, but it nonetheless hits the spot as a delicious and nourishing meal. In this case, the key ingredient is the stellar ensemble cast.

As the title character in the two Creed movies that spin off from the Rocky franchise, Jordan offers an exceptional dramatic presence as a person whose inner fears are evident even while he exudes raw courage and confidence with his exterior mannerisms. This trait serves him well here as the screen incarnation of Bryan Stevenson, who, in real life, has saved dozens of wrongly convicted death row prisoners. Larson, whose superstardom in the wake of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise is well-deserved because of her ability to demonstrate a similar poise, shines yet again, although her participation here is relatively thankless.

The closing credits state that, for every nine death row inmates in the United States since 1976, one has been exonerated and released after having been wrongfully imprisoned. The best scenes in Just Mercy are the ones that put human faces on this horrific ratio. Foxx, whose underrated acting talents commanded my attention in Michael Mann's thriller, Collateral, in 2004, gives a tour de force supporting performance that is almost matched step for step by Rob Morgan (Stranger Things) and O'Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton) as prisoners in neighboring cells. Be on the lookout for Tim Blake Nelson as a convict whose fabricated testimony put McMillian behind bars.

This movie may take a by-the-numbers predictable approach to elicit both outrage and emotional catharsis from its viewers, but its message that the actual scenarios that give rise to such cinema still factor into today's world is sobering for all of the right reasons. I will defer to the lyrics of a song from The Smiths. "The story is old, I know, but it goes on.”

[puddy77]

We believe in the power of story. #JustMercy is one resource we can offer to those who are interested in learning more about the systemic racism that plagues our society. For the month of June, #JustMercy will be available to rent for free on digital platforms in the US. @eji_org

https://twitter.com/JustMercyFilm/st...11816735404033

[IndyMLVC]

Originally Posted by Damon1281

The complainers only like the prequel/sequels. What they want is a surprise IP blockbuster, not just an original.

Not this complainer.