Agent Palmer

Over the course of 16 months the world has learned a lot about Val Kilmer. If you ever wanted to get to know him as an actor, an artist, or the man behind all of that, you can through the April 21, 2020 release of his autobiography I’m Your Huckleberry, and the July 23, 2021 release of the documentary Val.

I’ve read and loved the autobiography, so I was curious at what awaited me in the documentary. It’s the same, but different.

Not all documentaries are created equal. Some are out to prove a point, others hope to make you think, and even more are out to entertain, uncover, or educate. Music documentaries do a lot of those things, except they obviously tend to have music.

In having said music, the talking heads are commonly musicians or fans, and even the most serious music documentary has some light moments of laughter.

Garden State examines the cloud of one’s self. There are moments of varying length where we spend a ton of time in our own world; meanwhile, to the world at large, we’re just going through the motions.

This film is about that, and how one person, at one time, pulls himself out of that cloud.

It’s also very much an art film. The first few minutes establish that well, and Zach Braff’s vision of the film as a piece of art is beautiful.

Alright, Alright, Alright: The Oral History of Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused is a masterpiece of inspired writing, research, interviewing, and storytelling by Melissa Maerz.

But this book isn’t just about Dazed and Confused. It’s about the process of moviemaking, storytelling, corporate Hollywood, independent film, nostalgia, and art. It’s recommended reading for any creative person.

This series is absolutely a continuation of everything you didn’t realize you wanted from a Jurassic Park /World franchise television serial. And with Season Two of the Netflix exclusive, there are even more obvious nods to the larger franchise, while maintaining a uniqueness that sets it apart from the films.

I wrote about Season One, where I gushed about Camp Cretaceous’s place in the canon, but with the kids alone on the island with the fences down, the dinosaur discoveries are bountiful.