Friday movie roundup – June 24

Hello! I’ve been on the road this last week, seeing family and friends in Utah, so the full complement of reviews will be late. In the meantime, here’s the rundown:

– “The Shallows,” in which Blake Lively is pestered by a shark, is a solid, tight genre thriller. Bare-bones story, no frills, done quite well.

– “Free State of Jones” has Civil War-era Southern farmer Matthew McConaughey rebelling against the Rebels. Well-intentioned (probably … it’s not clear what the movie’s purpose is), but it feels like a miniseries crammed into one overlong movie.

– “Independence Day: Resurgence” was not screened for critics in the U.S. As far as I can recall, this is the most expensive, highest-profile movie to be released cold like that. Not a good sign, but who knows? I’ll catch it over the weekend.

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