TheNorm's Movie Talk
TheNorm gives his personal thoughts on movies and making movies.
Monday, April 15, 2024
Riddle of Fire - Little Film With A Big Heart
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Road House (2024) - Needs A Different Title
Friday, March 29, 2024
Lift - Money Plane Done Right
In 2020, I watched and reviewed (or somewhat eviscerated) the so-bad-it’s-funny action/heist film Money Plane. A low-budget work of incompetency so egregious not even Kelsey Grammer could save the movie, despite his best efforts. It is one of the lowest-ranking films I have reviewed and remains the No.1 spot on my Top 5 Worst Films of 2020.
Being the creative type I am, shortly after witnessing that train wreck, I pondered what a good version of that movie would be like. Then, one night, as I scrolled through Netflix, I came across today's subject, Lift. It is a heist movie that is not only a prime example of Money Plane done right, it is a fun, lovingly crafted good time. Almost every aspect of the film oozes passion and enjoyment with a tight script, entertaining performances, and a sense of direction that knows how to convey depth and utilize the power of suggestion. It may hit all the beats of a standard heist movie, but at least Hit has a fun time doing so, and because of that, we get to have fun alongside it.
The story follows a master thief named Cyrus (Kevin Hart-yes, THAT Kevin Hart) and his team of successful thieves caught by Interpol after a successful heist. Rather than being taken straight to prison, they are offered an alternative. A ruthless crime lord named Jorgensen (Jean Reno) plans to purchase a dangerous tech weapon with the power to control virtually anything, granting him the power to manipulate the world however he sees fit. Interpol has it on good authority that Jorgensen plans to “legally” purchase the weapon with half a billion dollars worth of gold, which will be transported from London to Zurich via plane. Cyrus and his team have seventeen days to form a plan to make the gold disappear, allowing Interpol the opportunity to bring Jorgensen down in exchange for immunity. It would be the most fantastic and most dangerous lift of their lives, assuming they were up to the task.
Yes, the movie hits almost every beat you would expect from any given heist movie: planning montages, last-minute complications, etc. But the movie does a fantastic job of hitting those beats with a sense of fun. It is as if the movie knows how much these elements have been seen and played out before but still chooses to be cheerful and excited about it. Because the characters are having such a good time, the audience is invited to join the fun, resulting in an experience that feels familiar but fresh.
Kevin Hart is the surprising stand out of the film. His comedic talents often land him goofball roles that, while entertaining in their way, don’t provide much opportunity to stretch and expand one’s abilities. Kevin showcases a level of performance I hadn’t seen from him before, and it’s delightful to watch. Yes, he still has his great sense of comedic timing, but he also gets to be more subtle and nuanced in this role. I can’t wait to see what Kevin Hart may have for us.
The script is the ultimate driving force of any movie, and the writing for Lift is proof of concept. Penned by Daniel Kunka, the script features sharp & witty dialogue, textured characters, and plot beats that hit their mark in delightful ways. In addition to offering a fun experience, it also takes the opportunity to mention some relevant and vital issues—namely, the ever-present problem of systemic racism. The film does a spectacular job of raising these issues subtly, leaving a lingering impression that doesn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the experience. While Daniel Kunka doesn’t yet have many more writing credits, I hope to see more of his work soon.
Lift may not change your life in any profound way, but it does deliver a solid premise with likable characters and incredible entertainment value. My only regret is not watching & reviewing this movie back in January when it was initially released. If you have Netflix, please add this to your watchlist. It is well worth the subscription.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
Friday, March 8, 2024
I'm Still Here
Monday, January 8, 2024
Anatomy of a Fall - Dead On Arrival
Rent on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Google Play, and YouTube
In the 2011 mystery drama The Lincoln Lawyer, one of the best moments is when the titular character comments that the most terrifying client is an innocent one because if you fail to do your job as a defense attorney, your client ends up in prison for a crime he/she didn’t commit, and that guilt will torment you forever. By a similar token, the most terrifying film to review is one that you wish was better or at least liked more than you did because the last thing you want to do is come across as arrogant or unable to enjoy films that make an effort to focus on the essential things like characters, story, and especially the performances. In an age when expensive special effects extravaganzas unfairly rule the cinemas, it’s unnecessarily harder for smaller productions to make an impact.
Set in the snowy mountains of France, the story follows two artists and their blind son. He and his mother find their lives flipped overhead with the discovery that the father’s body had somehow fallen from the top floor of the house. Foul play is suspected but challenging to prove, primarily due to the father & mother's apparently rocky relationship and the son's inability to recall specific events well. As the trial proceeds, certain & seemingly irrelevant details begin to surface that may or may not determine the nature of this unfortunate incident while providing some possibly profound & precocious ponderings about life. Or at least it would if the film hadn’t been so incredibly sleep-inducing.
Despite featuring adequate performances, a clever enough mystery, and moments of sharp writing, the overall film is too long, static, uniform, and repetitive to profoundly impact anything other than the number of power naps needed to watch the whole thing.
The story can be told in about ninety minutes, but the film drags it out into a two-and-a-half-hour feature for no justifiable reason, padding its runtime with redundant scenes and seemingly drawn-out improvised moments. The cinematography lacks a compelling visual style with overtly broad uniform lighting, a severe lack of shot variety, and poorly motivated camera movement. Plus, while I usually favor ambiguous endings, murder mysteries are typically not the best place for them!
Anatomy of a Fall is a sad dud of a film. It is, unfortunately, dull, visually inept, and lacks any compelling or emotionally resonating reason to care. This is one mystery best left unsolved.
Don’t waste your time.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
Tuesday, January 2, 2024
Retro Review - No Escape (1994)
Based on the novel The Penal Colony by Richard Herley, the story follows a young former soldier named Robbins (Ray Leotta) who was sentenced to life in prison for murder. Upon arriving at a maximum security penitentiary, the warden drops Robbins on a remote island populated by other prisoners divided into two factions: the Outsiders, a savage band of raiders and scavengers led by the charismatic psychopath Marek (Stuart Wilson), and the Insiders, a civilized colony lead by The Father (Lance Henriksen) and protected by their head of security, Hawkins (Ernie Hudson). Despite the promise of a decent life within the confines of the Island, Robbins' only desire is to escape. With the surveillance satellites watching the entire island and the rising potential of an all-out war between the two factions, escape may be impossible.
This movie is what I like to describe as good cheese or a high-ranking "B" movie. It's a quintessential example that just because you don't have to do a good job doesn't mean you shouldn't.
The action is one of the film's many selling points. Like most action movies before the year 2000, it doesn't rely upon shaky-cam and rapid-fire editing techniques to amp up the action artificially. Proper fight choreography, ample stunt coordination, and heavy reliance on practical effects (with a bit of CGI when needed) are the prime ingredients that make this a delightful action fest.
The performances carry the film's story in many entertaining and surprisingly nuanced ways. According to YouTuber Oliver Harper, the goal was to get a traditional action star in the lead role, such as Stallone or Jean Claude Van Damn. However, the film's tight budget made that impossible, as it could not accommodate such a high-rolling star. So, instead of getting known action stars, they cast talented character actors who could learn how to handle the action. It reminds me of movies like Con-Air or Predators: high-octane action films cast with unknowns and character actors who could carry both the action and emotional weight with ease.
Ray Liotta is especially noteworthy here. His character comes off as cold and distant, conveying the typical firm and silent type seen in most movies of this caliber. But underneath the surface is a fractured man with PTSD who is trying to make things right for his previous and dreadful actions.
The MVP award goes to Ernie Hudson for being his usual charming self and delivering an instantly likable and excellent character. He is also the source of the movie's many bonus points for not having the black character die in the story, an overused cliché I have never appreciated.
No Escape is, somewhat ironically, a fantastic and enthralling piece of escapist art. It delivers the goods with engaging performances, thrilling action set pieces, and a decently nuanced commentary on the human condition. If you've never seen this movie, you owe it to yourself to hunt down a copy and see it. Start off the new year with a bang!
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
Saturday, December 16, 2023
Leave The World Behind - Take Warning
Riddle of Fire - Little Film With A Big Heart
Rent on Apple TV, Google Play, Amazon, and YouTube Sometimes, a movie is so unexpected, heartfelt, and enjoyable that you can't h...
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Stream on Arrow Player and Flix Fling Rent on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, and YouTube When I was a kid, there was a video rental ...
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Streaming on Netflix There is no denying that the modern world is overtly divided for ridiculous and repugnant reasons. Chief among th...
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Some of my beautiful readers may recall me mentioning the Dogme 95 movement on this blog more than a few times, a filmmaking revolutio...