The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
03-09-15, 08:49 PM
#1
Moderator
Thread Starter
The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
Set during the Civil War, The Free State of Jones tells the story of defiant Southern farmer Newt Knight, and his extraordinary armed rebellion against the Confederacy. Banding together with other small farmers, and with the assistance of local slaves, Knight launched an uprising that led Jones County, Mississippi to secede from the Confederacy, creating a Free State of Jones. His marriage to a former slave, Rachel, and his subsequent establishment of a mixed race community was unique in the post-war South. Knight continued his struggle into Reconstruction, which distinguished him as a compelling, if controversial, figure of defiance long beyond the War.
THE FREE STATE OF JONES hits theaters on March 11, 2016.
THE FREE STATE OF JONES hits theaters on March 11, 2016.
03-09-15, 09:06 PM
#2
Banned by request
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
Gary Ross directing Wooderson. I'm in just for those two. Sounds like it should be a good one here.
01-09-16, 05:35 PM
#3
Banned by request
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3EMkxEKKSQI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
01-09-16, 08:33 PM
#6
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Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
Heh. I like that movie but I just don't remember any character names but I remember what they do.
06-08-16, 03:01 PM
#7
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
Comes out in a couple weeks (6/24)
Rated R for "Brutal Battle Scenes And Disturbing Graphic Images"
When I saw the trailer I would have bet on PG-13.
06-08-16, 03:13 PM
#8
DVD Talk Hero
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
I haven't been a fan of what I've seen of this so far.
06-08-16, 04:28 PM
#10
DVD Talk Hero
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
A white man heroicly leading the blacks to freedom? What's not to like?
06-09-16, 12:48 PM
#11
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
Pretty cool that the small town country kid from Arkansas who auditioned and starred in the film "Mud" is in this with MM again.
06-10-16, 09:47 AM
#12
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
Can someone please explain to me why all these STX Entertainment movies look like they were filmed for TNT a dozen years ago?
I am sure the story and acting may be very good, I just don't understand why the visuals are so bad. It's not the cinematography. The same cinematographer did A Most Wanted Man which was very, very well shot.
I am sure the story and acting may be very good, I just don't understand why the visuals are so bad. It's not the cinematography. The same cinematographer did A Most Wanted Man which was very, very well shot.
06-17-16, 06:44 AM
#13
Moderator
Thread Starter
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
The upcoming historical war drama “Free State of Jones” follows Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey), a Confederate dissident who led an armed rebellion against the Confederacy in Jones County, Mississippi during the Civil War. Knight subsequently marries a former slave, establishes a mixed-race community in the South, and fought for the rights of African-Americans after the war is over. Director Gary Ross, who previously wrote and directed films like “Pleasantville” and “Seabiscuit,” has posted a comprehensive website annotating topics and scenes in the film to expand on their historical basis and accuracy, including extensive footnotes and many primary documents.
Ross made clear that he didn’t want the film to come off like the work of an amateur. “I stopped my life to read and study for two years before I even started writing a script,” Ross said in an interview with The New York Times. “If people want to pick apart this history, they can. But they should know that this wasn’t the glib work of a screenwriter who was inventing things.” In the same NYT profile, Ross discussed how he consulted with many different historians, with Harvard’s John Stauffer commenting that working with the director was like “working with grad students you really like.” Ross also discussed how he tried to reframe Knight’s role in the film less as a “white savior” and more of an “ally,” and how he made sure not to sentimentalize the Confederate cause.
See the website for yourself. http://freestateofjones.info/
“The Free State of Jones” enters theaters on June 24th.
Ross made clear that he didn’t want the film to come off like the work of an amateur. “I stopped my life to read and study for two years before I even started writing a script,” Ross said in an interview with The New York Times. “If people want to pick apart this history, they can. But they should know that this wasn’t the glib work of a screenwriter who was inventing things.” In the same NYT profile, Ross discussed how he consulted with many different historians, with Harvard’s John Stauffer commenting that working with the director was like “working with grad students you really like.” Ross also discussed how he tried to reframe Knight’s role in the film less as a “white savior” and more of an “ally,” and how he made sure not to sentimentalize the Confederate cause.
See the website for yourself. http://freestateofjones.info/
“The Free State of Jones” enters theaters on June 24th.
06-17-16, 07:38 AM
#14
DVD Talk Hero
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
Can someone please explain to me why all these STX Entertainment movies look like they were filmed for TNT a dozen years ago?
I am sure the story and acting may be very good, I just don't understand why the visuals are so bad. It's not the cinematography. The same cinematographer did A Most Wanted Man which was very, very well shot.
I am sure the story and acting may be very good, I just don't understand why the visuals are so bad. It's not the cinematography. The same cinematographer did A Most Wanted Man which was very, very well shot.
The only other STX movie to really look that way was Hardcore Henry which was shot with GoPros. I thought The Boy and The Gift looked fine despite their very low budgets ($10m and $5m respectively).
06-17-16, 08:13 AM
#15
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
I'm usually not "that guy", but I've got to admit that the title itself is a huge turn-off to me, and makes me not take the movie seriously. I know.
06-17-16, 10:25 AM
#17
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
I'm an old, old man and funny enough, I've never heard of this piece of history so it doesn't have any significance to me in and of itself. It's not "The Free State of...", -it's the "Jones" which immediately sounds like its going to be a Comedy of some sort. Before seeing the trailer, and knowing nothing of it, I thought it was one of those disaffected Teen movies like "Igby Goes Down". However, seeing the trailer I know its dead serious, but the "Jones" just hits me as "off-key" when I hear it. Like I said, I know.
Last edited by DWilson; 06-17-16 at 10:51 AM.
06-17-16, 10:32 AM
#18
DVD Talk Hero
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
When I first heard the title I thought "Jones" referred to a person and not a place. But once I knew what it really was about, I was fine with it.
Any way, was just curious
Any way, was just curious
06-17-16, 03:28 PM
#19
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
I really liked the trailer when I first saw it before BvS. Will check it out opening weekend (I'm off that weekend). Plus MM looks badass. Count me in.
06-17-16, 05:56 PM
#21
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
Probably because it's not good enough to get Oscar nominations. The studios generally know when they have a legit contender on their hands and release them in the fall accordingly. Summer Oscar contenders tend to be either lighter in nature with low budgets and are released as a counterpoint to the dumb blockbusters (Boyhood) or have mass four quadrant audience appeal (Saving Private Ryan). This does not look like either.
06-17-16, 06:37 PM
#22
Banned by request
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
Not necessarily. Glory was released in February and that did well at the Oscars. As did Silence of the Lambs. I kind of see these release dates for movies so strong that they avoid getting swallowed during the holiday dump of a dozen movies and still get recognized during award season.
06-18-16, 11:55 AM
#24
DVD Talk Legend
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
I'm not even going to wait to see the movie before I start complaining about how it didn't stick to the strictest historical facts.
06-18-16, 12:57 PM
#25
DVD Talk Legend
Re: The Free State of Jones (2016, D: Gary Ross) S: McConaughey, Russell, Mbatha-Raw
I find myself warming up to this movie now... the tv spots and trailers have been good, R rated (yeah, that does make a difference).. I'll wait for reviews, but this might be a nice change of pace from the comic book movies, ID4, etc.