The Rivals of Amziah King

The Rivals of Amziah King

2025

"With one strumming string of a mandolin, a beekeeper prompts a quake to jolt the rich profiteer prick in his boots. I mean it's no Honeyland but will do. McConaughey takes over the whole screen with his glorious comeback which has been overdue as long as I can remember in this salt of the earth kind of story which makes it even more since he stays true to himself and on his own terms. In this age of melancholy, despair and sense of loss, angst and a lack of belonging due to all this deluge of information, technology, 24x7 news cycle, doomscrolling, and tussle between the government, corporations and the public everywhere one looks there bound to be subterfuge, agendas, nerve wracking anxiety in this nonstop overstimulating environment where restlessness has become second nature while endless commentary about something or the other is the lifeline and even the entertainment industry isn't out of it, and as we have started to lose sight of what's important and what really matters; nature, community, church, patience, joy, compassion, food, music and what have you, The Rivals of Amziah King felt like a breath of fresh air bringing in with it whispers of remnants that once belonged to a lost world that deep within all of our longings, we wish we could revert to. What's even more amazing is to witness a man from the deep south, Texas of all places to expound upon the values of the collective goods for a thriving colony over a profit-driven self-centred every man for himself culture. Think Captain Fantastic. Think Crazy Heart. Think Sheep Detective. Add folk rock. When that camera slowly pans for a close-up of a Jesus lookalike figure wearing denim rocking up a mandolin, I swear your heart will swell up to five times its normal size. Either that or because of their trans fat soaked sodium heavy food preferences. But, then it takes a huge turn and hops into an entirely different genre radiating an entirely different message and commentary. That's where it lost a bit of flow. Could have been told better if it was a documentary. I am sure there is some rich prick trying to take over small apiculture businesses somewhere as we speak."