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Midnight in the Switchgrass

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Midnight in the Switchgrass
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRandall Emmett
Screenplay byAlan Horsnail
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDuane Manwiller
Edited byColby Parker Jr.
Music byRobin Stout
Liam Westbrook
Production
companies
Distributed byLionsgate
Release date
  • July 23, 2021 (2021-07-23)
Running time
99 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Midnight in the Switchgrass is a 2021 American crime thriller film directed by Randall Emmett in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Alan Horsnail. It stars Megan Fox, Bruce Willis, Emile Hirsch, Lukas Haas, Colson Baker and Lydia Hull.

It was released on July 23, 2021, by Lionsgate and was critically panned upon release.

Plot

Based on the true story of Texas' most dangerous serial killer with the dramatization translocated to Florida. FBI agent Karl Helter and his partner, Rebecca Lombardi, are very close to busting a sex-trafficking ring. When they realize their investigation has crossed the path of a brutal serial killer, they team up with Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent Byron Crawford who has years on this case. When Rebecca herself is abducted by their target and her life hangs in the balance, Byron has precious few hours to piece together the last clues and put an end to the infamous "Truck Stop Killer".

Cast

Production

On January 22, 2020, it was announced that film producer Randall Emmett would make his directorial debut on the film, with Emile Hirsch set to star.[2] Megan Fox and Bruce Willis were added to the cast on February 16, with filming beginning on March 9 in Puerto Rico.[3] On March 12, 2020, Lukas Haas, Colson Baker, Sistine Stallone, Caitlin Carmichael, Michael Beach, Welker White, Alec Monopoly and Jackie Cruz joined the cast of the film.[4][5][6] On March 16, production on the film was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] Production on the film resumed on June 29.[8]

Release

Midnight in the Switchgrass had its world premiere on June 13, 2021, at the Tampa Theatre where it was the closing night film of the Gasparilla International Film Festival. In attendance were Randall Emmett, Alan Horsnail, Timothy C. Sullivan, Lukas Haas, Emile Hirsch, Caitlin Carmichael, and Katalina Viteri. The screening was followed by a 40-minute Q & A moderated by Tyler Martinolich.[9]

The film was later released on July 23, 2021, by Lionsgate.[10] Megan Fox did not attend the film's Los Angeles premiere citing concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Machine Gun Kelly didn't respond, but on Twitter he mentioned that when he doesn't talk about a movie, it's because it's trash.[11] In response, Emile Hirsch posted a screenshot of Machine Gun Kelly's tweet on Instagram saying:"We definitely disagree here, Colson![Machine Gun Kelly] Nothing but respect to you guys though - especially because you and Megan are so f#*king great in this movie."[12]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 8% approval rating, based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 3.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Dull and predictable, Midnight in the Switchgrass squanders an evocative setting and some committed performances on a would-be thriller that rarely raises a sweat."[13] On Metacritic, it has a score of 24 out of 100, based on reviews from 9 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[14]

Robert Kojder of Flickering Myth said that "the fact that Midnight in the Switchgrass is an all-around terrible movie comes as no surprise, but there is a sting since for star Megan Fox, it's coming off a career-best and physically impressive performance in Till Death."[15] Jackie K. Cooper rated the film 5 out of 10 saying that "Megan Fox steals the show while Bruce Willis is missing in action."[16]

In his review for The New York Times, Ben Kenigsberg said that "the atmosphere is thoroughly sleazy without being distinctive, and everything about the movie - the emotionless line readings, the half-baked back stories - exudes a terse functionality."[17] Waldemar Dalenogare Neto rated the film 2 out of 10 saying that it is one of the "most generic thrillers of the year (...) I really don't know yet what the purpose of this film is other than the fact that it tries to profit from Megan Fox's image and Bruce Willis".[18]

In a positive review for the San Jose Mercury News, Randy Myers said that "it's worth a watch if you like serial killer thrillers but don't expect to see anything revolutionary going on."[19]

Jesse Hassenger was less complimentary in his review for Paste Magazine saying that it looks like the filmmakers are trying to punish Megan Fox for her performance in Till Death, and concluded: "It’s entirely because of Fox that Switchgrass stays compelling far longer than it should, raising vain hopes that she’ll be able to work it into something pulpier and more defined. Despite the eventual disappointment, I hope she sticks with genre fare a bit longer, and finds some more shackles to break."[20]

References

  1. ^ "Midnight in the Switchgrass review". Roger Ebert. Retrieved July 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 22, 2020). "Producer Randall Emmett Making Directorial Debut On 'Midnight In The Switchgrass'; Emile Hirsch To Star".
  3. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (February 16, 2020). "Megan Fox & Bruce Willis Join Randall Emmett's Directorial Debut 'Midnight In The Switchgrass', Highland To Sell At EFM".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 12, 2020). "Machine Gun Kelly, Lukas Haas, Sistine Stallone Join Randall Emmett-Helmed 'Midnight In The Switchgrass'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  5. ^ Monopoly, Alec (March 15, 2020). "💲Acting in my first movie with the incredibly talented @emilehirsch 💲Happy Bday Bro!💲 @randallemmettfilms @meganfox @dobledebruce @machinegunkelly @lukashaas 💲 This movie is legendary!!!💲". Instagram. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  6. ^ Emmett, Randall (June 25, 2020). "This was four months ago before I started my journey of directing my first film! 8 days and we head back to finish what we started!!!! @meganfox @machinegunkelly @reallycaitlinxox @emilehirsch @lukashaas @alexeckert @teemboslice @jackiecruz". Instagram. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  7. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 16, 2020). "Indie 'Midnight In The Switchgrass' Postpones Puerto Rico Shoot Over Coronavirus Scare". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  8. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 10, 2020). "Bruce Willis Makes New 3-Pic Deal With Emmett/Furla; 'Killing Field' To Be Offered At Virtual Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  9. ^ "Tampa's 2021 Gasparilla International Film Festival finally returns to theaters next week". CL Tampa. Retrieved July 27, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Boone, John (June 9, 2021). "Megan Fox and Colson Baker (aka Machine Gun Kelly) Thrill in 'Midnight in the Switchgrass' Trailer (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  11. ^ "Trash! Machine Gun Kelly Seemingly Shades His and Megan Fox's New Movie 'Midnight in the Switchgrass'". US Magazine. 23 July 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "Machine Gun Kelly posts cryptic tweet about his new movie 'Midnight in the Switchgrass'". CNN. Retrieved July 27, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ "Midnight in the Switchgrass (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  14. ^ "Midnight in the Switchgrass Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  15. ^ Robert Kojder (21 July 2021). "Movie Review - Midnight in the Switchgrass (2021)". Flickering Myth.
  16. ^ Jackie K. Cooper (July 17, 2021). Movie Review of Midnight in the Switchgrass | Entertainment Rundown. Retrieved August 16, 2021 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ Kenigsberg, Ben (22 July 2021). "'Midnight in the Switchgrass' Review: Sordid and Derivative". The New York Times.
  18. ^ Midnight in the Switchgrass - Crítica: o "imperador dos filmes B" estreia como diretor [Midnight in the Switchgrass - Review: "emperor of the B movies" makes director debut] (in Portuguese). Brazil: Waldemar Dalenogare Neto (YouTube). July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  19. ^ "New movies: 'Joe Bell' means well; 'Mandibles' is crazy fun". San Jose Mercury News. 21 July 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ Jesse Hassenger (22 July 2021). "Megan Fox's Evolving, Pulpy Stardom Dominates Till Death and Midnight in the Switchgrass". Paste Magazine. Retrieved July 27, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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