Independent Film Recommendation: "Mud"- Starring Matthew McConaughey

Mud can be described as a coming of age story, and that is accurate, but it is so much more. Writer/director Jeff Nichols has crafted a masterpiece that pays attention to detail, fully fleshes out the principal characters, and features an amazing cast of veteran actors and relative newcomers. The story is set in the southern United States along the Mississippi River, where two young teenage boys, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland), frequent a local, uninhabited island whose main attraction is a riverboat that is stuck in a number of trees. The boat serves as a tree house, of sorts, for the youngsters until they discover that someone else has been using it. Shortly thereafter, they encounter a drifter who goes by the name of Mud (Matthew McConaughey). Their initial meeting is tense as the surprisingly worldly young men size up Mud, who is actually running from the law, as well as the family of a man he killed.

The friendship between Neckbone and Ellis, along with their relationship with Mud serve as the two central storylines. Neckbone clearly looks up to Ellis and basically follows his lead as they decide to do what they can to help Mud, including reaching out to his old friend/father figure Tom Blankenship (Sam Shepard), contacting his love interest, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon), and stealing old parts so that he can rebuild the motorboat and escape to a new life. Of course, helping Mud and not telling his parents about it comes back to haunt Ellis, but he remains steadfast in his decision to do what he can for the drifter. Despite dealing with problems at home, both young men appear to have been raised well, but are caught in that difficult place between childhood and adulthood when hearts are easily broken, friendships seemed like they would last forever and coming to the understanding that things seldom turn out the way you expect them to.

The interplay between all of the characters feels authentic. In fact, Mud never hits a false note, which is impressive considering the large cast and their various storylines, which all come full circle by the end of the film. Neckbone and Ellis are trying to forge their own paths with the help of Mud, who provides words of wisdom about life and love. Mud seems like a decent person, but has made a few serious mistakes and yet the youngsters somehow empathize with his plight and do whatever is in their power to help, even when they are bound to pay a price for their actions.

The cinematography by Adam Stone is remarkable. The images of wildlife, along with the seemingly desolate landscape bring the rural surroundings to life and add greatly to the overall effort. In addition, Jeff Nichols brings out the best in his cast, which includes a supporting turn by Joe Don Baker and a mostly understated, but completely effective turn by Ray McKinnon, as Ellis's father. The sublime Sarah Paulson and Michael Shannon round out the talented cast. As good as all of the veteran actors are, it may be the performances of Sheridan and Lofland that viewers remember and talk about long after Mud has come to an end. This is surely one of best films of 2013, so if you have  a chance to see Mud, do not pass it up.

Indie Film Spotlight: Zac Efron is All Grown Up in "The Paperboy"

Films set in the southern states have always appealed to me. Among my favorites are Hush....Hush, Sweet Charlotte and Body Heat, which both feature quirky characters, large estates, sweltering heat and an element of murder. Perhaps it is the heat that makes people do crazy things. For instance, when Charlotte Hollis (Bette Davis) brandishes a shotgun to the construction crew who are trying to bulldoze her home in Hush....Hush, Sweet Charlotte, or when Ned Racine concocts a scheme to murder the husband of his generous and passionate lover, Maddie Walker (Kathleen Turner), in Body Heat. The heat may also be a contributing factor in the bizarre behavior depicted in director Lee Daniels' latest film The Paperboy, which is set in southern Florida in the late 1960s.

Like the aforementioned films, The Paperboy features quirky characters, sweltering heat and an element of murder. It more closely resembles Body Heat in its approach to sexual longing and passion. That is made abundantly clear when young Jack Jansen (Zac Efron) is shown wearing only his underwear in multiple scenes, which fully displays his lean and muscular body. Of course, it is very hot and Jack wants to keep cool (while offering titillation to viewers, no doubt). As the film moves along, we learn that Jack has not had sex in quite some time, which appears to be directly related to his absent mother, who left the family for a new life across the country (calling Dr. Freud). Jack manages to keep his sexual urges in check until a older woman, Charlotte (there's that name again), played by Nicole Kidman, arrives in town to meet with Jack's brother, Ward (Matthew McConaughey), who is investigating a murder case that resulted in Charlotte's husband, Hillary Van Wetter (John Cusack), being sent to prison.

Charlotte is not quite what you might expect. She covers up her beauty with too much make-up and a messy hairstyle, but Jack sees something in Charlotte, perhaps his own mother, that gets him all hot and bothered. While Charlotte may appear to be trashy, she intends to be faithful to Hillary, even though she understands that Jack wants to have sex with her. That does not deter Jack, who becomes sullen when the sexual temptations become too much to handle. Instead of finding a more appropriate relationship, he decides to wait for Charlotte. His patience is admirable, but not necessarily believable.

Meanwhile, Ward and his partner, Yardley (David Oyelowo), have reason to believe that Hillary did not commit the murder that he has been imprisoned for. As a result, the men place themselves in dangerous situations with a potential suspect and even during prison visits with Hillary, who seems like he has the capacity to kill. Eventually, Jack becomes involved with Ward's investigation, thanks to his longing for Charlotte, thus putting him in danger, too. The Paperboy is told in flashbacks, as the Jansen maid, Anita (Macy Gray), recounts what happened to the Jansen brothers. Gray's voice is immediately recognizable and she delivers a fine performance.

Zac Efron receives more screen time than his veterans co-stars and delivers a surprising performance in terms of depth. Yes, his physical attributes are on display most of the time, but there is much emotion simmering beneath the surface, including desire, anger, frustration and loneliness. Jack looks like he could erupt at any moment, but he keeps his emotions bottled up for the most part. However, they eventually come spilling out during the final 15 minutes, which gives Efron a platform to show how well he has developed as an actor.

The Paperboy is a very different kind of film that deals with a few unexpected and unorthodox situations. They including Hillary and Charlotte achieving orgasm without touching, Charlotte urinating on Jack after he is stung by a jellyfish, and a few scenes of brutality that I, personally, could have done without. Clearly, Lee Daniels, who also wrote the screenplay, which is based on the novel, of the same name, by Pete Dexter, is not afraid to delve into the depravity of these characters and their sordid lives. As a result, he elicits interesting performances from his cast, who are up for the challenge. I liked The Paperboy enough to want to watch it a second time, mainly because of the performances, cinematography and music, but I realize that I may be in the minority.