DRUGGY DRAMA
Waves
Trey Edward Shults’ under-the-radar family saga centers on two black teen siblings, one of whom, Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), goes to jail for murder. The other, Emily (Taylor Russell), has to deal with the consequences while the parents, played by Sterling K. Brown and Renee Elizse Goldsberry, are shaken to their cores by Tyler’s crime. The brooding blunt-smoking Tyler seems ready to blow, so when he pushes his pregnant girlfriend you know it's bad news for both of them. Once he’s behind bars, Emily becomes the film’s focus. She meets a shy student Luke (Lucas Hedges) and they hit it off. Some partying ensues. The young, bi-racial couple deal with family issues and move ahead with their lives despite the many challenges. This well-told story rises to another level thanks to the often-psychedelic cinematography by Drew Daniels. Waves is a wonder to watch. Showtime, YouTube
MUSIC DOC
Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation>
With all the Woodstock 50th anniversary hoopla this year, Barak Goodman’s chronicle of the epochal event stood out. He takes us back to 1969 to the little festival that turned into an international sensation. Interviews with producers and musicians then and now, local footage and live performances by Woodstock stars like Jimi Hendrix, Sly & the Family Stone, Joe Cocker, Santana and the Who are all edited together into 97 magical minutes. It’s a terrific companion to the nearly four-hour Woodstock movie director’s cut. Netflix
