Parker & the Picture Shows

Race relations and colonization are central to High Ground, an Australian feature set in the 1930's, but the only major problem is that it doesn't tackle these issues with any real depth. High Ground follows a young Aboriginal man, Gutjuk, who was brought to a white settlers' camp years prior after a peaceful mission turned into a massacre. He grows up under the tutelage of those who killed his family, but is enlisted when his uncle, warrior Baywara, begins burning settlements to the ground and killing white people.... https://parkerandpictures.wordpress.com//vod-review-aussi/

In what is the most evocative, heart-wrenching film to come out in the first half of 2021, this deep exploration of a trial separation stripped me to my core. Focusing on the disintegrating marriage between David and Nikki, it's a no-holds-barred take on what losing everything can do to a man. Clayne Crawford is brooding as David, the Lethal Weapon star hidden under long, straight hair and an unkempt beard.... https://parkerandpictures.wordpress.com//vod-review-killi/

I have absolutely loved Ed Helms for a decade, and to see him branch out in indies is always a good time for me. Movies like Cedar Rapids show him off more than another Hangover sequel ever could, and I always appreciate seeing him doing something other than gross-out gags. That's why, when I watched drama-comedy Together Together from director Nikole Beckwith, I absolutely love seeing him do something refreshing.... https://parkerandpictures.wordpress.com//vod-review-toget/

This British comedy take a harsh situation and finds the comedy and light in the circumstance. Director Shelly Love sensitively tells the story of a hard-drinking, hard-living 44-year-old single woman who becomes pregnant after a one-night stand in a man's work van. With no help from the father - a man half her age - and the disdain of her teenage daughter, who becomes embarrassed of her mother, she tries to figure out how to make a go of it.... https://parkerandpictures.wordpress.com//vod-review-bump-/

One of the most influential TV shows to ever grace our screens is examined from the inside out in the honest, deep documentary Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street. The 1969 show still runs today, and it was a labour of love for all involved. This chronicles the opinions and recounts the stories of so many of those involved in producing the show.... https://parkerandpictures.wordpress.com//vod-review-sesam/

The Little Things feels like other serial killer films of a similar ilk -- mainly Se7en and Zodiac -- but as the title might suggest, it's the slight differences that set this one apart. It's a film that took director John Lee Hancock 30 years to get made, and though sometimes it feels like it may be stuck in genre tropes, it more than makes up for it in the performances and an explosive final act.... https://parkerandpictures.wordpress.com//theatrical-revie/

Even the most casual of film viewers know that Nicolas Cage's name is no longer a good sign of quality on a marquee. Yet, his brand and his over-the-top nature are usually enough to warrant an ironic watch of the B-to-D-grade movies he''s in these days. But with Jiu Jitsu, the movie literally falls in around him, and for once, he's the most serious part of the proceedings.... https://parkerandpictures.wordpress.com//vod-review-jiu-j/

The strong, incredible story of boxing legend Lennox Lewis gets the big-screen treatment in this involving little documentary. Lewis -- an Olympic athlete with a consistently-professional pedigree -- is chronicled from his humble beginnings to the fame he now enjoys. The man is a hero who has roots in Britain, Jamaica and the U.S., and he's proud of who he is and where he comes from.... https://parkerandpictures.wordpress.com//vod-review-lenno/

The resplendent beauty and simple storytelling, Our Friend caused a major stir within me, and I was still gripped long after the credits. It follows the true story of a couple who unexpectedly find out that the matriarch has cancer, leaving her future and the future of their two girls in the balance. As the crutch that holds her family together, Nicole Teague keeps losing strength as the family tries to help how they can.... https://parkerandpictures.wordpress.com//vod-review-warmt/

There's really no movie in the last quarter of a year that's made me laugh as much as The Climb. This film about friendship, love, loss and the things we do for those we care for -- even when they doesn't deserve it -- is the perfect testament to how much easier it is to forgive than hold onto things.... https://parkerandpictures.wordpress.com//review-the-climb/