Uncle John

I feel like this was a story that could have used a lot more refining around the edges, as to make the mystery aspect hit a lot harder and to make it more effective. As it is, it's still pretty good. I do admire it's resistance to go for easy, cheap thrills, as overall the film never goes into places that you expect it to go, or to have twists and turns that are the usual for this type of film. The acting is very good I think, all believable in their parts especially the lead actor playing Uncle John. I do think that the film would leave a lot of audiences wanting more, and expecting a lot more out of it. As it is however, I do feel like it leaves a strong enough impact to really be recommended.

There's a lot to like about this movie.

Its deliberate pace will alienate some viewers. Others will appreciate the artful way the back-story is unveiled and the lack of up-front exposition. The performances are all excellent, but John Ashton steals the show as the title character. The direction and photography are fantastic as well.

I found the structure interesting, and was surprised at the some of the choices that were made. Many films follow different story lines and bring them together for a definitive conclusion. In Uncle John, the two story lines do pass by each other but they don't merge. And after their brief meeting, they go their separate ways.

I found the story following Ashton's character to be the more interesting to of the two and I believe a movie could have been successfully made using that storyline alone. Still, this film works and I will definitely check out Steven Piet's next.

If you do enjoy Uncle John, I would give this film a try:

Small Town Murder Songs- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1429392/? ref_=nv_sr_1

I tried to give this movie a chance. It started off well, but the story just dragged on, and I felt like I was watching paint dry... There was an opportunity by the director, or the writer to make this movie more interesting to viewers by expanding on the back story of several characters mentioned in the movie and how they connected with the main character. If they had done that, it certainly would have made the movie more interesting and would have given viewers a clearer story as to why the main character, made the choices he made. To me, that missing information, was the key to the entire story and it wasn't told... at all. Thus making the film as a whole, hollow!

Before going on to direct a whole season of "Channel Zero" and commit to some other tv-series, director Steven Piet put on the table his directional debut (also his first and only writing credit) "Uncle John" - part subtle, romantic drama and part small town folk murder tale. "Uncle John" might be lesser than the sum of its good parts, but I can hardly call it disjointed, and its strength resides mainly in atmosphere, performances and cinematography.

In "Uncle John", there are two story lines evolving simultaneously, one concentrates on Uncle John himself as he tries to get through the days in his small, rural town all the while trying to avoid suspicion of murder (which he sure commited, not a spoiler at all). John Ashton provides an absolute stand out, career-defining performance. There's not a whole lot of action or dialogue in his story, with John it's just nice to be with him as he deals with his misdeeds and drives lonely around the country roads. Atmosphere's just right, careful, humble, effective & so is the cinematography, so simple and thought through that it's near perfect. At the same time, we follow John's nephew Ben as he spends his days in the big city, working as a digital designer and slowly falling in love with his new colleague Kate. More dialogue and a steady injection of romance, all to a good measure, until they go on an impromptu trip to visit Uncle John. "Uncle John" doesn't offer the substance some may expect and perhaps questions don't get answered, but the focus, for the whole runtime, is unmistakably fixed on the emotional journeys of the characters, with (can't emphasize on it enough) the absolute highlight being John Ashton and his character's subtle, contained and humble yet nuanced performance / character arc. Of course, the pacing of "Uncle John" is slow. Worth it though. When both stories join together, the conclusion doesn't result in fireworks as I was expecting, which is a good thing. I was anticipating the opposite of what happened, and what happened was so much more in sync and spirit with the rest of the movie.

"Uncle John" is a quiet and subtle film, a beautiful in its own way indie drama. The goods it provides are good looks, subtly effective vibes and great performances. My rating: 7/10.

After reading the reviews (2 of them) and seeing very little negativity about this movie I watched it and happily enjoyed it.

Not really a mystery and for most it would be a bit on the slow side, but mature audiences that like a good story would enjoy this.

John Ashton of Beverly Hills Cop fame (enjoyed his acting ever since) holds the movie together well.

Some of the acting would be regarded by many as a bit amateurish and the movie definitely was shot on a very low budget, but it still holds together well.

Give it a try, you will not regret it.