Mud

5 out of 5 stars.

Perfect. Amazing performances, writing, cinematography, etc. Jeff Nichols hits it out of the park.

Take Shelter

Jeff Nichols feels like the David Gordon Green career we should have gotten after Snow Angels (instead of the decent into mediocrity that have been his follow ups). His debut feature, Shotgun Stories, was a slow burning, southern gothic, "family" film along the lines of Green's Undertow. His follow up, Take Shelter, reunites him with Shotgun Stories star Michael Shannon, and gives Nichols the chance to create something with all of the environment and feel of his debut, but to have a much more reserved and psychological approach to it.

Take Shelter stars Shannon as Curtis, a joe-average guy who begins to have apocalyptic visions, much to the concern of his wife, Samantha (played by Jessica Chastain), who begins to worry about him when he starts acting strange. Feeling a necessity to finish out an underground storm shelter in their backyard, Curtis devotes himself to the task, risking friendships, his job, and possibly his family. The big question, though, is this - Is Curtis crazy? or is he seeing something that no one else see's?

Take Shelter is, like Shotgun Stories, a bit of a slow burner, but once you start seeing what Curtis is seeing, the movie starts to find its steam. The film really draws you into the experience of this man, who feels so strongly about what he's experiencing, that he takes severe action to save his family. One can't help but see the biblical Noah story as a parallel. While God doesn't tell Curtis to do something (he is influenced by his dreams and visions), you see the effects of a man who has a singular, seemingly insane, mission that he undertakes.

Michael Shannon is awesome, as usual. You can't beat that dude. Chastain kills it too, with a subtlety and plainness that draws out the middle America in her. Shea Wigham, who plays Curtis's friend, has some really great moments too.

Take Shelter was really enjoyable, and I'm looking forward to seeing where Nichols career goes.

DVD- Shotgun Stories

In life, there are two ways to go - the right way, and the wrong way. Sometimes, if you live long enough, and if your smart enough, and you have great people in your life, than if you start out going the wrong way, you can turn your life around, and steer it towards the right way. But what happens when some of the collateral damage you leave in your wake is flesh and bone? And how are those people supposed to feel about you all of the sudden becoming the righteous one, after years of neglect or abuse. So goes the plot of Jeff Nichols incredible Southern revenge tale Shotgun Stories.

Set in rural Arkansas, Shotgun Stories is a tale of two sets of brothers, birthed by two different women, by the same father. The first set, named Son, Kid, and Boy, were the products of drinking, apathy, and, eventually hatred and abuse by their father. The second set were born and raised after he had abandoned his first family, quit drinking and found Jesus. When this nameless patriarch dies, Son, Kid, and Boy show up at the funeral, and Son makes some damming remarks about his dear old dad, which royally pisses off his half brothers. As tensions escalate, Son, Kid, and Boy become targets of their half brothers hatred for them, and easy to turn to violence themselves.

Produced by David Gordon Green and Lisa Muskat, Shotgun Stories has some of the languorous feel of Green's George Washington, along with its sense of placement in the south. This is the REAL south, not the Hollywood south. Michael Shannon, as the oldest Hayes boy, Son, brings a menacing presence to the screen, one that has no problem hating his half brothers, no problem plotting revenge, no problem bringing them pain. Douglas Ligon also stands out as Boy, the pacifist of the group, if you want to call him that, who would rather just go to work as a basketball coach, and live in a van down by the river (and no, that isn't an SNL reference, Boy actually does live in a van, down by the river). Michael Abbott Jr. also sticks out as Cleaman Hayes, the oldest of the second set of Hayes boys, who doesn't want any trouble, but is willing to bring on the pain when he's pushed.

Nichols' did an exceptional job with the script, and his actors really bring to life, in a very palpable way, the hatred that these characters feel for each other, and the sense of claustrophobia you can get when your worst enemy lives in the same little town that you do. His brother, Ben Nichols, lead singer for Lucero, did an amazing job on the score as well, and its a real shame that the score hasn't been released, even if its just on iTunes. Shotgun Stories is a great movie to see. The pain that these characters feel, the anger, the hatred, the sorrow, the regret, is all extremely palpable. It's just about the best you can expect from a Southern revenge tale, and may even be better than its producers film of the same genre - Undertow (though, Josh Lucas and Jamie Bell really make that film, so... we'll call it even).