Kev's Reviews

    1863, Mississippi farmer Newt Knight serves as a medic for the Confederate Army. Opposed to slavery, Knight would rather help the wounded than fight the Union. After his nephew dies in battle, Newt returns home to Jones County to safeguard his family but is soon branded an outlaw deserter. Forced to flee, he finds refuge with a group of runaway slaves hiding out in the swamps. Forging an alliance with the slaves and other farmers, Knight leads aa rebellion that would forever change history. “It's a tale of racial liberation and heroic bloodshed that is designed, at almost every turn, to lift us up to that special place where we can all feel moved by what good liberals we are.”,   says Owen Gleiberman, movie critic for Indiewire.com . I second this sentiment. This true-story-based film doesn’t suck on the teet of special effects or the belabored so-called “wow” factor that ims regrettably favored by puff pieces that dominate in ticket sales. Rather, the fi

Before Whitey Bulger, before Al Capone came two of the most notorious gangsters, London-based Reggie and Ronnie Kray.  The Kray Twins were the forerunners of organized crime. The identical crime-lords -  both roles played by Tom  Hardy - might have been vicious thugs but they also rubbed shoulders with the wealthy and powerful, building their empire in the East End of London.  Similar to American gangster Al Capone, the twins accrued glamorous lifestyles to cover up their brutal killings. If you can look beyond their barbaric ways, you'd find the Kray's underlying charm. Falling for Reggie, girlfriend-then-wife Frances (Emily Browning) tells the story as an omniscient narrator (even though she dies roughly two-thirds into the movie). Since her image of Reggie is obscured by love, in the beginning, he comes across as suave and sophisticated. Weary of Ronnie, Frances maintains her distance but still is fascinated by his quirky charm. As Dan Jolin from empireonline.com wrot