Movie Reviews, Trailers: ‘Resurgence,’ ‘Free State of Jones,’ ‘The Shallows,’ and More

By Beau Behan, Film Critic

Are you planning on going to the movies this weekend? Here are this week’s new releases:

• “Now You See Me 2” (Video Review)
• “Me Before You” (Video Review)
• “The Nice Guys” (Video Review)
• “Money Monster” (Video Review)
• “Free State of Jones”
• “Independence Day: Resurgence”
• “Swiss Army Man”
• “The Neon Demon”
• “The Shallows”

And here’s what they’re all about.

“Now You See Me 2”

WATCH the above movie review.

PG-13, 129 min, Action, Comedy, Thriller

Director: John M. Chu

Writer: Ed Solomon

Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Lizzy Caplan

The Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Lizzy Caplan) return for a second mind-bending adventure, elevating the limits of stage illusion to new heights and taking them around the globe. One year after outwitting the FBI and winning the public's adulation with their Robin Hood-style magic spectacles, the illusionists resurface for a comeback performance in hopes of exposing the unethical practices of a tech magnate. The man behind their vanishing act is none other than Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe), a tech prodigy who threatens the Horsemen into pulling off their most impossible heist yet. Their only hope is to perform one last unprecedented stunt to clear their names and reveal the mastermind behind it all. – Lionsgate

“Me Before You”

WATCH the above movie review.

PG-13, 110 min, Drama

Director: Thea Sharrack

Writer: Jojo Moyes

Stars: Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin

“Me Before You” is the powerful love story between a once successful banking executive (Sam Claflin) and an effervescent young woman (Emilia Clarke). – Warner Bros.

“The Nice Guys”

WATCH the above movie review.

R, 116 min, Action, Comedy, Crime

Director: Shane Black

Writers: Shane Black, Anthony Bagarozzi

Stars: Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe

Down-on-his-luck private eye Holland March (Ryan Gosling) and hired leg-breaker Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) must work together to solve the case of a missing girl and uncover a shocking conspiracy that reaches up to the highest circles of power. – Warner Bros.

“Money Monster”

WATCH the above movie review.

R, 98 min, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Director: Jodie Foster

Writers: Jamie Linden, Alan DiFiore

Stars: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O’Connell

In the real-time, high stakes thriller Money Monster, George Clooney and Julia Roberts star as financial TV host Lee Gates and his producer Patty, who are put in an extreme situation when an irate investor, who has lost everything (Jack O’Connell) forcefully takes over their studio. During a tense standoff broadcast to millions on live TV, Lee and Patty must work furiously against the clock to unravel the mystery behind a conspiracy at the heart of today's fast-paced, high-tech global markets. – Sony Pictures

“Free State of Jones” (Nationwide, June 24)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

R, 139 min, Action, Biography, Drama

Director: Gary Ross

Writers: Leonard Hartman, Gary Ross

Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Gugu M-Batha Raw

“Free State of Jones” is an epic action-drama set during the Civil War, and tells the story of defiant Southern farmer, Newt Knight, and his extraordinary armed rebellion against the Confederacy. Banding together with other small farmers and local slaves, Knight launched an uprising that led Jones County, Mississippi to secede from the Confederacy, creating a Free State of Jones. Knight continued his struggle into Reconstruction, distinguishing him as a compelling, if controversial, figure of defiance long beyond the War. – STX

“Independence Day: Resurgence” (Nationwide, June 24)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

PG-13, 120 min, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Director: Roland Emmerich

Writers: Nicholas Wright, James A. Woods

Stars: Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman

We always knew they were coming back. After “Independence Day” redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global catastrophe on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the integrity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction. – FOX

“Swiss Army Man” (Limited, June 24)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

R, 95 min, Adventure, Comedy, Drama

Directors: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

Writers: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

Stars: Paul Dano, Danielle Radcliffe

“Swiss Army Man” goes from the absurd to the emotional to the whimsical to the profound and back again. Hank (Paul Dano) is stranded on a deserted island, having given up all hope of ever making it home again. But one day everything changes when a corpse named Manny (Daniel Radcliffe) washes up on shore; the two become fast friends, and ultimately go on an epic adventure that will bring Hank back to the woman of his dreams. – A24

“The Neon Demon” (Nationwide, June 24)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

R, 107 min, Drama, Horror, Thriller

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

Writer: Nicolas Winding Refn

Stars: Elle Fanning, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves

When aspiring model, Jesse, moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will take any means necessary to get what she has. – Broad Green

“The Shallows” (Nationwide, June 24)

WATCH the above movie trailer.

PG-13, 87 min, Drama, Horror, Thriller

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Writer: Anthony Jaswinski

Stars: Blake Lively, Oscar Jaenada, Brett Cullen

In the taut thriller The Shallows, when Nancy (Blake Lively) is surfing on a secluded beach, she finds herself on the feeding ground of a great white shark. Though she is stranded only 200 yards from shore, survival proves to be the ultimate test of wills, requiring all of Nancy's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and fortitude. – Columbia.

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