Director Katherine Dudas’ drama “Juniper” is a powerhouse film, one that thrives on being a wonderful character study and an excellent take on grief. “Juniper” is one of the many films of its kind involving thirty something adults, and a weekend where all the secrets are aired out, but Dudas accomplishes such a great task of making it feel so fresh and new. “Juniper” is that kind of slice of life that really fleshes out its array of characters to suck us in to the situation that our main character finds herself in.
Tag Archives: Drama
The Park (2023)
This is one of the first times I went in to a movie without getting what I expected, and coming out of it satisfied. “The Park” is not a movie that necessarily breaks the mold, but it works within its simplistic and small budget and cast to create something of substance. While most dystopian movies opt for “Apocalypse Porn,” Director-Writer Shal Ngo opts instead to use the end of the world as an allegory for growing up.
Training Day (2001) [4K UHD/Blu-Ray/Digital]
No matter how many times I watch “Training Day,” it remains one of my favorite crime thrillers of all time. It’s not only a stunning and mesmerizing crime film, but one of Denzel Washington’s most brilliant performances. In a career filled with roles where he portrayed mostly nice guys, his performance as Alonzo Harris is a departure that he fits in to beautifully. Alonzo Harris has to be one of the conniving and vindictive movie villains of all time. He’s a cop that’s not only been corrupted by the system but has unapologetically embraced his role as a slimy bastard who twists the system for his benefit.
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse (2022)
“Asking for help isn’t giving up. It’s refusing to give up.”
Based on a best selling book by British author and illustrator Charles Mackesy, who co-wrote and co-directed the film version, “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse” is a beautiful short worthy of a young audience. It was released around the holidays in 2022, and while it does compliment the Christmas aesthetic, it works wonderfully as a genuine fable about empathy and innocence.
Elvis (2022)
This is one of the reasons why I normally detest music bio pics, is that they always present a skewed version of the actual story behind so many of these musicians. “Elvis” is by no means one of the worst biopics I’ve seen, but it once again presents Elvis as someone who spent his life being exploited. “Elvis” depicts the titular rock musician as someone who was hopelessly a victim to his manager Colonel Parker who managed to find ways to control the musician and his life. At every turn the movie frames Colonel Parker as this slimy mastermind who turned Elvis in to his own circus sideshow for his entire life.
Knock at the Cabin (2023)
One of the hallmarks of M. Night Shyamalan’s films is that he seems to be a big believer in destiny and fate. Much of “Signs” was a religious thriller based around fate and destiny. With “Knock at the Cabin” he approaches the same plot elements, all while instilling much of the ambiguity he’s well known for. That works for and against “Knock at the Cabin” because while I was satisfied with his newest genre effort, I was ultimately left feeling like the finale left everything in the air, and not as neatly packed as he might have thought it was.
Old (2021)
One thing that I had a problem with “Old” on is that M. Night Shyamalan sets up a lot of plot elements to his mystery that he doesn’t seem prepared to answer. Deep down, “Old” is a great concept and amounts to a pretty eerie movie. But the end result of “Old” is a great idea on paper that results in a clunky and occasionally silly movie that never quite knows how to close its narrative competently. “Old” seems to aspire toward cosmic horror, though it can never quite stick the landing when it comes to the Lovecraftian themes.