Precisett This movie is magnificent!
Evengyny Thanks for the memories!
SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped
filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
aimless-46 John Huston once said that a good story should have "excitement, color, spectacle and humor, adventure, high drama, tragedy, good conversation, truth and irony". Although 2007's "Juncture" is missing most of these ingredients it does manage to put most of its tiny budget on the screen in a professional manner and should get high marks for the crew's hard work. But it is one of those sow's ears to silk purse things where you just can't do much with such a weak script (thankfully the writer has had no screen credits since).This low budget action picture is basically a combination of "Death Wish" (1974) and "La Femme Nikita" (1990); with a sterile heroine both homicidal and irritable from a bad headache.Kristine Blackport, in her first and only feature, plays Anna Carter, an executive who has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. With three months to live she decides to check out with a bang by taking out criminals who have abused children and been inadequately punished by the judicial system. That old vigilante justice thing.Blackport looks like Leighton Meester, which probably accounts for a lot of close-ups of her face and eyes. This is a good thing with Meester, because an "actress" is able to use close-ups to nonverbally convey things about her character and to connect with viewers. Unfortunately Blackport's skills are more on the order of Ali Larter (well maybe not quite that bad); with an emotional and sensuality range confined to a look of dull surprise and the occasional blink. A competent "acting for the camera" director could have helped, but James Seale appears to entirely lack that skill set. Like the writer, he too has been on the sidelines since directing this movie. Blackport fares much better on the DVD's behind the scenes featurette, where you begin to suspect that Seale's directing contributions add up to "less than zero".So poor Blackport gamely plods around with little help from the likewise unskilled supporting cast as they cut back and forth between wide master shots and extreme closeups; without managing to create an identifiable point of view or a character with any sort of dimensionality.The DVD release includes a filmmaker's commentary (gag), a behind the scenes featurette (excellent), deleted scenes, trailers, and Spanish subtitles. Given all this extra stuff it is extremely odd that they did not choose to include English subtitles. The audio is a not very good and Blackport's squeaky "Rocky the Flying Squirrel" voice is often inaudible. Maybe this was a way to add some dimensionality to the Anna Carter character, a viewer can mentally replace inaudible elements of lame dialogue with comments from Robert Shiller about the state of the economy.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
rcimi This film is much better than the ratings its been getting from others. I've watched many other thrillers over the years, most with larger budgets, and would place this one somewhere in the middle of the pack. Blackport gives a decent acting performance, though not of the caliber of other great "thriller" actresses such as Jodie Foster and Laura Linney, and yet the movie was quite compelling and intense. Sure, the story plot was simple, and some of the cast came across a bit stilted, but nevertheless it held my rapt attention for its entire length. I look forward to the next sequel in the 3-part trilogy about Anna Carter. Given her medical condition and her plan, it makes for a fascinating story.
jotix100 Don't ever get involved in committing a crime, at least not if Anna Carter is around and gets your number. You've better watch out! This young lady has seen her share of hard times in her lifetime. She was the sole survivor of a crime meant for another family. You see, the killer got the wrong address and ended offing Anna's parents and sister. Now, when we meet her, she is hellbent in getting justice done, if not to the assassin of her folks, she will take care of those who commit serious crimes in our society.To make matters worse, Anna discovers her headaches are related to a malignant tumor. She gets bad migraines all the time. Her doctor doesn't give her much to live. That's why Anna must rush to eliminate the scum out of the same society in which she lives, trying , perhaps to avenge her family. Since she has the use of a private corporate jet, she is a frequent traveler with benefits that include being in the targeted areas, thus combining work with her avenging activities. Not even the hunky boyfriend that appears in her life will get her away from what she has set out to do. There is an interesting twist at the end when a detective figures it all out, but he too, sees things from Anna's perspective."Juncture", as directed by James Seale, shows a lot can be done on a small budget, something to give him credit for. Mr. Seale has a great eye for the locations in which he shot the film with glossy detail. The cinematography of Richard Lerner is one of the highlights of the movie. The acting is adequate as it shows a leading lady, Kristine Blackport with a beauty and affinity for the material.
rsyung I saw "Juncture" recently at the Mill Valley Film Festival and I'll start off by saying I left 15 minutes before the end. A few twists, yes, but I found this thriller mind-numbingly repetitive, with less than mediocre performances and dialog. It was impressive visually, and I credit the filmmakers for squeezing the most production value out of a small budget. Unfortunately, it was rife with stereotypes, and there have been movies about female vigilantes before so I can't give it high marks in the originality department. I came to the conclusion after 90 minutes that even the most incredibly shocking twist ending couldn't make up for the hour and a half of dreariness I was subjected to. The lead, Kristine Blackport is a beautiful woman to look at, but her performance was just plain leaden. The earthy girlfriend, the sensitive love interest, the CEO mentor who could have walked out of any number of 80's plots, and the too-easy-to-hate "perps" she knocks off were just sloppy stereotypes plain and simple. Throw in a few clumsy homages, and you have something which might be an amusing diversion on DVD at three in the morning, washed down with cold pizza and beer. I would like to say it might do okay in the Direct-to-DVD market, but I'd still end up hitting the fast forward button.
