Austin has lost a local music legend. Jimmy LaFave passed away Sunday, May 21, at the age of 61. His family shared the news via a statement from LaFave's label, Music Road Records.
"The LaFave Family regrets to inform Jimmy's friends and fans across the world that the Austin-based singer/songwriter passed from this world, surrounded by loved ones in his home on May 21, 2017, after a courageous battle with cancer," reads the announcement.
LaFave was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, he told the Austin Chronicle in April. The prolific performer refused to quit playing music; he hosted the sold-out Songwriter Rendezvous at the Paramount Theater on Thursday, May 18.
The Texas-born musician grew up in Oklahoma, but called Austin home for nearly three decades. LaFave is credited with spearheading the "red dirt" music movement and furthering the legacy of folk icon Woody Guthrie.
Accolades include recognition from the Texas Music Office and several Austin Music Awards, from Best Singer-Songwriter to a place in the Hall of Fame. LaFave will also be posthumously inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame on June 14.
"At the time of his death, Jimmy had recorded numerous new songs at his studio in South Austin and had also begun work on a book featuring a collection of his photography," the statement continues. "In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to the pet charity of your choice or perform an act of unsolicited kindness."
LaFave is survived by his son, Jackson LaFave; ex-wife, Barbara Fox; father, G.G. "Frenchy" LaFave; and several siblings.
Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment
Tommy Martinez, Emily Blunt, and Josh O'Connor in Disclosure Day.
With the release of Disclosure Day, Steven Spielberg has now directed 17 feature films over 26 years in the 21st century, the exact same number over the exact same period of time he did in the 20th century. The first half of his career was mostly defined by his blockbuster films, while the second half has seen him exploring a lot more serious material. Disclosure Day marries the two for an experience only he could deliver.
The film starts in medias res, as Dr. Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) is being pursued by Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth) and a team of henchmen for stealing intellectual property from Wardex, a government contractor for which he works. As the audience gradually discovers, Daniel is a cyber-security programmer who has discovered evidence of alien life in the company’s servers. He and others within the company, including Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), are determined to release the information to the public.
Concurrently, television meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) starts experiencing weird things, including the ability to speak multiple languages and read people’s minds. Without either of them actively trying to seek each other out, Daniel and Margaret are set on a path to meet, with Scanlon (with the help of a mysterious alien device) trying to track their every move.
Directed by Spielberg and written by David Koepp, the film is an almost even mix between classic Spielberg wonder and a deep story about what it is to be human. By starting the film in the middle of the story, Spielberg immediately ramps up the excitement level. While the movie has relatively little action, that sequence and a few others deliver the type of propulsion for which Spielberg is revered, keeping the 145-minute film moving at a brisk pace.
Of the different types of alien movies Spielberg has made over the years, this one is closer to Close Encounters of the Third Kind than E.T. The story ponders the ethical, religious, political, and sociological effects that revealing the existence of aliens could have on the world. The debates had by various characters purposefully take the film out of being a sheer popcorn flick, forcing the audience to grapple with issues that they may have never considered before.
Unlike some other Spielberg films, he and Koepp don’t hold the audience’s collective hand throughout the story. There are a lot of times when viewers have to use context clues to understand exactly what is happening. That especially goes for an extremely important aspect of the world in which the story takes place that could pass you by if you’re only paying attention to the main characters’ dialogue. Spielberg’s using only subtle allusions for an element which would be the main focus of most other films is a fascinating choice.
O’Connor (Wake Up Dead Man, Challengers) has that everyman quality that a story like this needs. It always feels like it's him against the world, and does a terrific job of exuding both confidence and fear. Blunt delivers a fantastic performance, switching between confusion and composure with ease. Firth makes for a solid villain, and the story is helped by great turns from Domingo and Eve Hewson.
The idea that the nearly 80-year-old Steven Spielberg is still making blockbuster-style movies over 50 years after he made Jaws is astonishing, and the fact that he still knows how to make them work is even more impressive. Disclosure Day may not be the type of alien movie many were expecting, but it’s another high water mark in a career that has been full of them.
