Juncture

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.

Not much of a thriller, Juncture is a beautiful drama that also raises questions of moral importance.

Lead Kristine Blackport (as Anna Carter) sometimes gives you the shudder. She makes you feel what Anna would feel if were in her place.

Plot: Anna Carter is informed by her doctor that she has three months to live because she suffers from frontal-lobe Glioblastoma (a type of brain cancer). Tumors in the frontal lobe can cause changes in personality, thus the question whether her decision to kill child-molesters and other criminals is a matter of choice or of psychiatric nature hangs unanswered. As the plot goes forth, the moral and philosophical issues arising are inevitable, and the surprising end is a statement you can't forget.

I liked it very much.

When it comes to the Morality of a Vigilante, whether it's "Batman" or "Paul Kersey", the Argument is the Same.

When the "System" Breaks Down and Fails to Deal with Society's Myriad of Problems,

should "Citizens" take the Challenge and "Aid" Law Enforcement and the Judicial to the Benefit of the Collective as a Whole.

The "Vigilante Problem" has Good Arguments on Both Sides.

But Without the "Fictional" Vigilante" the Pop-Culture would Surely be the Lesser.

This is a Multi-Tiered Movie with Terminal Illness Added into the Mix and that makes it more "Rich" than Most Stories of this Kind.

It Helps the Movie Along Nicely In-Between Anna's Rage and Revenge.

The Movie is a Low-Budget Affair.

The Director and Screen-Writer Squeeze the Resources for just the Right Amount of Sleek and Satisfying Visuals and Multiple Peripheral Characters that Intrigue.

Kristine Blackport is a Good Casting and Brings both Sensitivity and a Hard-Edge to the Multi-Dimensional Role. The Rest of the Cast All Do Fine Work.

Slightly Above Average in its Weight Class and is...

Worth a Watch.

Yes this movie really is as bad as a movie can be.

If someone was trying to make a loser of movie, I don't think they could have succeeded any better than this. The premise is old and tired. Also, revenge-filled,lead-females simply don't sell...look a Jodie Foster's movie, The Brave One...studios aren't touching this genre right now.

The cinematography is NOT good, many shots are out of focus including the opening where she is sitting on a park bench. A really difficult feat for a digital camera. But then, the out of focus shots keep on coming.

Then there is the audio. The lead actress speaks so softly compared to other people in the various scenes, it's as if there was no sound engineer on the set. At least, in post, they should have tried to normalize the conversations.

Next, the writing. OMG...did someone not think to get coverage on this script? Finally...the acting...some of it is pretty okay, but not the lead. Totally unbelievable...no emotion...no nothing...Sure, some of it can be attributed to the poor script, but didn't someone think to tell her to speak more clearly? I tried to watch it, but could only get through about 5 minutes before I couldn't take any more.

Finally saw this 15 years after its release. I found it boring and unimaginative. A low budget production with some nice scenery is not a masterpiece of cinematography, as some have claimed. Nor does shooting a movie on a budget make it notable in any way. The promise of turning this into a trilogy was, to my knowledge, thankfully abandoned. Kristine Blackport didn't become the breakout star her fans predicted. If anything, this s-show broke her down (and for good reason). Don't blame me if you choose to watch this and end up as disappointed as I was. Allk I would be able to say is I told you so.....