Part scifi, part action, part chase, part religious, part speculation. The midnight after showed that this apocalyptic tai po was what hong kong became after 1997 and the desire to stay or leave is very much a reflection of the hong kong experience and hong kong identity. Mar 12, 2016 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 michael shannon, goes on the run to protect his young son, alton jaeden lieberher, and uncover the truth behind the boys special powers. It is nicholss fourth fulllength film and his first studio production.
Midnight special 2016 soundtrack complete list of songs. Midnight special blending grassroots character detail with a healthy dash of paranormal intrigue, jeff nichols puts an original spin on the road movie. Everything you need to know about midnight special movie. Midnight special starring michael shannon, joel edgerton, and adam driver, follows a boy named alton and his father on the run from the. Jaeden lieberher and michael shannon in midnight special. The song is historically performed in the countryblues style from the viewpoint of. It really captured the style and imagination of movies i grew up with like e.
It premiered as a special on august 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on february 2, 1973. The script breaks or bends some rules of conventional narrative but otherwise is so tight you could use it for a drum solo. Midnight special is the fourth feature by jeff nichols, the arkansasborn writerdirector who has rapidly established himself as an inventive, independentminded talent with a firm belief in old. Alton meyer is a boy unlike any other in the world with bizarrely powerful abilities and strange weaknesses.
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. Nicholss next film is decidedly different, a biopic about the landmark loving v. Behind the astonishing midnight special ending buzzfeed. Midnight special may be nichols first studio film, but hes still tracking lives out of balance. Sep 28, 2015 the film worked as a universal allegory on the collapse of society through this fictitious setting. 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 goes to join his fellow glowypeople in the other world. Contrary to popular belief, midnight special is a spiritual movie, turned scifi, turned spiritual again. Midnight special is a breathtaking display of visual storytelling, confidently rendered by someone who understands the power of cinema.
Burt sugarmans midnight special legendary performances on from 19731980 with bonuses. Their films together include blackbird 2007, the missing person 2009, return 2011, mud 2012 and midnight special 2016. This time, shannon who has appeared in every nichols film, plays a father in crisis. 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. Movies like midnight special if you like midnight special you are looking for suspenseful, serious and suspense movies about with chase, on the run, hostage, government, supernatural, family relations and supernatural ability themes of drama, mystery and scifi genre shot in usa or greece. Midnight special is a slow burning mystery of a film.
Contrary to popular belief, midnight special is a spiritual movie, turned scifi, turned. Lead belly the midnight special lyrics genius lyrics. 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. The song refers to the passenger train midnight special and its everloving light.
All 26 songs from the midnight special 2016 movie soundtrack, with scene descriptions. A father goes on the run to protect his young son, alton, and uncover the truth behind the boys special powers. Midnight special 2016 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Thoughts on the title of nichols midnight special 2016. Million sellers the midnight special behindthescenes booklet. Movie of the year basically just means that its a movie that make you really think and consider what is going on in the film. In the middle of the night, his father, roy, spirits him away from the isolated cult that practically worships him and is determined to regain him at all costs. The lyrics of the creedance clearwater song are about.
Midnight special was released by warner brothers shrouded in secrecy, with minimal advertising and trailers that only hinted at the plot and characters. Why that midnight special ending makes perfect sense. Yonder come miss rosie, how in the world do you know well i know by the apron and the dress she wore well an umbrella on her shoulder, piece of paper in her hand. Midnight special is an intriguing genre exercise that mostly succeeds. Quizlet is a lightning fast way to learn vocabulary. The midnight special in the song is, strictly speaking, a train, but its also a symbol of redemption, one of many.
Well thats what happened and i chose to watch midnight special. What does the ending of the movie midnight special mean. Midnight special is a 2016 american science fiction film written and directed by jeff nichols, and produced by sarah green and brian kavanaughjones. What midnight special is, and why many viewers didnt get it.
I have people who really love my movies and hate my endings. By the way she wears her apron, and the clothes she wore umbrella on her shoulder, piece of paper in. Some of the movie s story ideas may seem very familiar, but its more about emotions than special effects or thrills. Mar 17, 2016 all 26 songs from the midnight special 2016 movie soundtrack, with scene descriptions. If i even try to tell you what kind of movie it is crime story, road. In midnight special, on the run with a highly unusual child. Creedence clearwater revival the midnight special lyrics. The title comes from the refrain which refers to the midnight special and its everloving light sometimes everliving light. The film, currently in limited release, is structured as an extended chase sequence between roy michael shannon and his son alton jaeden. What is the meaning of the term midnight special in the. Jeff nichols, the director of mud, talks about his new scifi movie, midnight special. So many modern blockbusters err on the side of handholding, underlining their. Midnight special is a 2016 american science fiction film written and directed by jeff nichols.
Jun 08, 2016 spoiler alert by the ending of the movie, im guessing you mean literally the last two seconds. The song refers to the passenger train midnight special and its everloving light sometimes everliving light. After watching midnight special upon its release, i instantly fell in love with the film. This is a film that generates much of its suspense through genre sleight of hand. 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 michael shannon, goes on the run to protect his young son, alton jaeden lieberher, and uncover the truth behind the boys special powers. Which isnt to say that theres not some initial promise.
The midnight special is a passenger train from houston. Even in shotgun stories, a film about adult brothers abandoned by their father and their war with the fathers other family, is more about the aggressive masculine response to an emotional situation than it. The special effects were mindboggling, especially for an indie. By the ending of the movie, im guessing you mean literally the last two seconds. The blockbuster masters films were about a fathers legacy, how his actions present or not impact the life of the child. If youre not carefulmeaning, if you expose him to sunlight, which is not too. Does midnight special really live up to its spielberg. Nichols drops us into the middle of a chase and demands us to pay attention and figure out whats going on.
Midnight special is a good test runroaring, dark and captivating, toward something new. What movie was the song midnight special in answers. The chase is joined by the fbi, a sympathetic national security agency analyst played by adam driver, and meyers emissary, doak, played by bill camp. 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. The lyrics of the creedance clearwater song are about the woes of a african american man who has been imprisoned for gambling and fighting. Midnight special was released in 2016 on friday, march 18, 2016 in limited movie theaters. Midnight special is a traditional folk song thought to have originated among prisoners in the american south. Midnight special is a breathtaking display of visual storytelling, confidently. Jeff nicholss fourth feature film tries some interesting things, but loses. The midnight special pistol petes midnight special during the 1950s folksong revival, a favorite at hootenannies and concerts was this texas prisoners song. Midnight special starring michael shannon, joel edgerton, and adam driver, follows a boy named alton and his father on the run from the government and a religious cult. 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.
On the one hand, its about a father and a son bonding, while its also equally a roadtrip, scifi thriller too. Some of the movies story ideas may seem very familiar, but its more about emotions than special effects or thrills. Theres always a lot of coming and going in my movies, and i feel like in midnight special i got to lop all. Nichols based the opening action sequence in the movie on folktales of drug runners speeding down highways late at night at night with their lights turned off, wearing night vision goggles. Behind the astonishing midnight special ending its very easy to say, well, jeff couldnt quite connect these dots, director jeff nichols told buzzfeed news. Midnight special 2016 where to stream and watch decider. Dark and grainy, set on rural backroads, i felt like i was in a low budget 70s movie. The film stars michael shannon, joel edgerton, kirsten dunst, adam driver, jaeden lieberher, and sam shepard. Midnight special is the rare action movie that could stand a few more pauses for reflection, and the rarer jeff nichols movie that works more on. 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. Apr 01, 2016 people want a spielberg movie and instead they get a nichols movie. 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. According to folk music historian alan lomax as documented in the book folk song usa, the midnight special was a real train.
Its not the greatest of films, but it held my interest for the entire movie and thats a good thing. The heartbreaking story that inspired jeff nichols to. Midnight special, the fourth film from popular indie director jeff nichols, feels like the offspring of steven spielbergs two scifi classics, e. What does the ending of the movie midnight special mean, if. In midnight special, on the run with a highly unusual. Midnight special ending song hd audio blu ray source. Mud director jeff nichols aims to replicate spielbergian wonder with this tale of a boy with magical. So it was with great anticipation i went to midnight special. Opening with a child abduction and ending with a spectacular scifi. Let the midnight special shine a light on me let the midnight special shine a light on me let the midnight special shine a light on me let the midnight special shine a everlovin light on me yonder come miss rosie, how in the world did you know. Mar 21, 2016 midnight special was released by warner brothers shrouded in secrecy, with minimal advertising and trailers that only hinted at the plot and characters. The midnight special was a sign of death, if the light shone into your cell it meant you would be taken up and released to your maker, by your death.
Jonathan romney caught the film at its premiere in berlin. In fact, theres something rather effective about the buildup, as nichols shrouds his premise. 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. Jan 02, 2018 the midnight special was a steam locomotive train that passed the louisiana state prison. Asked in romantic movies, horror and suspense movies, tv and movie music what halloween movie was the song midnight special in. Midnight special is uneven, but just successful enough to suggest that theres room in contemporary scifi for more positive, contemplative films. The midnight special was a steam locomotive train that passed the louisiana state prison. A traditional folk song, leadbelly popularized it upon his release from sugar land prison in texas, where he could hear the midnight special come through. Mar 15, 2016 midnight special has a tricky time of it trying to balance ambiguity with the grand reveals of a studio actionadventure which, as a warner bros. Its light shines into the sugar land prison in texas. Ultimately his father risks everything to protect alton and help fulfill a destiny that could change the world.
It takes elements from science fiction, action and thriller films from the past and combines them into a subdued film about a fatherson relationship, as well as an unexpectedly subtle exploration of the nature of faith. Everything you need to know about midnight special movie 2016. The song is historically performed in the countryblues style from the viewpoint of the prisoner and has been covered by many artists. The heartbreaking story that inspired jeff nichols to write. Mar 21, 2016 even though nichols remains averse to defining concrete conclusions regarding midnight specials final minutes, it is clear that he personally sees his movie overall as a kind of allegory not. In the movies case, the midnight special is the little boy. Listen to and download the music, ost, score, list of songs and trailers.
In midnight special, its about how a child affects a father. They also appeared in the hbo tv series boardwalk empire 20102014, and have appeared in two stage plays. The midnight special chords by creedence clearwater revival. Its really up to the audience to decide what kind of experience they want to have, said midnight special writerdirector jeff nichols. There was real joy in experiencing the movie for the first time. Find out where midnight special 2016 is streaming, if midnight special 2016 is on netflix, and get news and updates, on decider. There were other movies released on the same date, including the divergent series. 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.