Kodachrome - A modern classic

As a movie enthusiast who has been attending theatrical releases ever since I could walk, I find streaming services like Netflix, as well as all of its competitors, to be simultaneously wonderful and threatening. On the one hand, streaming services have provided audiences with lots of uniquely entertaining content, and has provided a window of opportunity for new generations to see some of the great classics of yesteryear. Speaking personally, I watched the classic BBC series I, Claudius on Netflix DVD. On the other hand, however, these services also pose a possible threat to the cinema experience. More often than not, when I discuss a new movie with a friend, the response I will often hear is "I'll wait until it comes out on Netflix." While I understand this preference, I don't really appreciate it. Seeing a movie in theaters is part of the human experience. There's something magical about sitting in the dark with strangers and sharing an emotional experience on the big screen. Not to mention the sad fact that when great movies don't make enough money at the box office, fewer and fewer genuinely great movies are made, causing the Hollywood system to fall back on lackluster crap that no one really likes, yet somehow continues to make tons of money. *COUGH-Transformers-COUGH*. 

But I digress. 

My point is that if we are going to lose the cinema theater system (and I really hope that we don't), the least that these streaming services can do for their audiences is to reassure them that they will do a better job at quality control than Hollywood and provide real engaging programs. While most of Netflix's original films haven't really hit the mark, their latest entry, Kodachrome, has come the closest. A heartfelt and passionately told story that showcases what the future of entertainment should look like. 

Based on the article from The New York Times by A.G. Sulzberger, Kodachrome is the story of a world famous photographer named Ben (Ed Harris), his angry and distant son named Matt (Jason Sudeikis), and Ben's personal assistant/nurse named Zoe (Elizabeth Olsen). Matt is a down on his luck music producer and really needs a break. One day he is approached by Zoe with the news that his father, Ben, is dying. Ben recently stumbled upon some undeveloped rolls of Kodachrome film, a famous and incredibly beautiful brand of Kodak film. Unfortunately, Kodachrome requires a specific method to produce the pictures, and there is only one photoshop in the country that can do so. Except, because Kodak no longer manufactures Kodachrome, said photoshop will stop developing Kodachrome in one week. Ben's last wish is for him and his son to drive cross country to Kansas to get his photos developed before it's too late, and in doing so, hopefully, redeem himself for past mistakes and reconnect with his son. 

This is a classic story of family tragedy and redemption, but what makes this iteration of the story so compelling, aside from great acting from the whole cast, competent directing, and gorgeous cinematography (shot on Kodak Film), is the underlying message of the film. In addition to the primary message of the importance of family and love, there is a passionate plea for the preservation and continued use of analog style technology. Particularly, celluloid film. In the modern world of digital photography and video, there has always been a fear that old film will just vanish, and with it, the loss of quality and real preservation of time and life. I have my own opinion on this matter, but that's a discussion for another time. What I will say is that I appreciated the film for not getting aggressively preachy or pretentious with its message. 

As I said before, the acting in this film is excellent. Ed Harris, in particular, one of my favorite actors, delivers what is arguably the best performance of his career. The chemistry between the three main characters is fun to watch. Especially the back and forth between Jason Sudeikis and Elizabeth Olsen, which takes up a big chunk of the script. Thier relationship in the film feels genuine and is, arguably, the real heart of the movie. 

If you have a Netflix account, have access to a friends account,  and you're looking for something simple and sweet to watch, check out this film. It's got a lot of heart and feels like how a movie should be. 

Now, for some of my fellow filmmaker friends out there, you may be happy to know that even though we may never have the chance to shoot photos or movies on Kodachrome ourselves, we do have the ability to do the next best thing. A filmmaker named Frank Glencairn, who loves Kodachrome, has created a unique LUT (Look Up Table) that emulates the color style and look of Kodachrome as closely as possible. You will find a link to the page where you may download the LUT below. Also, if you would like to get a good idea as to why everyone loves Kodachrome, and why National Geographic loved it for so many years, there is also a link to some photo samples. They are indeed otherworldly beautiful. 

Kodachrome LUT

Kodachrome Photo Samples 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading. 

Truth or Dare - The 90's called, they want their dumb movie back.

In the 1990's there was an onrush of stupid and unintentionally funny horror/slasher films like Scream, and I Know What You Did Last Summer. These weren't really horror films so much as they were cinematic recreations of spooky theme park rides that teenagers really wanted to experience, but didn't have the disposable income to shell out a ticket for. So instead of creating terrifying moments of tension with carefully crafted atmosphere and camera techniques, these films just bombarded its intended teenaged audience with loud jump scares, stupid & unsympathetic characters, and slasher villains that no one would remember after one hour after seeing the movie. Admittedly, I am not the biggest fan of slasher films, but I do have an appreciation for some of the better ones, like A Nightmare on Elm Street and the very first Friday The 13th film. Except, whereas those films had sympathetic characters and creative ideas that legitimately haunted its audiences, Truth or Dare just feels like a leftover idea from the 1990's that Hollywood completely forgot about until it was time to make something cheap and stupid to pay their taxes.

The story follows a group of college friends who spend their Spring Break together in Mexico. On their last day of the trip, they are accosted by a stranger to visit an old Mission outside of town for some drinking and a game of Truth or Dare. Once they all return home, strange and supernatural things begin to happen. They are all confronted by a mysterious entity and told to continue playing the game. If they don't tell the truth, back out of the dare, or refuse to do either, they will die. Now, it's a race to solve the mystery and defeat the supernatural threat before they all meet their untimely doom.

This is kind of an interesting premise. Taking an innocent game and turning it into a life or death situation with a supernatural twist. Except, whatever goodwill it might have had is instantly trampled over with horrible acting, aggressive musical cues, lame excuses for entertainment value, and a resolution that thinks it's dramatically tragic when it's really just contemptuous.

The most prominent weakness of this film, at least for me, is the presence of what has to be the most unintentionally hilarious attempt at making a cheap and "scary" demon. Whenever a character is possessed by the evil entity, it is visualized by...you know, I think it's better if I show you.

See what I mean? This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, frightening, intimidating, or even threatening. It's just hilarious. Every time this effect happened on screen, I could not contain myself from laughing out loud, occasionally muttering to myself "what even is this thing?" This is the kind of thing that belongs in a parody of a horror film, yet this movie wants you to actually be scared by this. This evil grin is so over-the-top and so cartoonishly ridiculous that even The Joker would tell you to take it down a notch. Somebody out there please make this into a meme. It's practically begging for it.

Another bit of torture from this film is the lack of compelling and sympathetic characters. I understand that in slasher films the characters are meant to be unsympathetic because they're really there to get killed off by the monster. Truth or Dare tries to present a potentially compelling lead character in Olivia (Lucy Hale), who is supposed to be the one reasonable person in the group and does her best to help others. Except, all of her good deeds throughout the film don't matter because she ends up making a decision at the very end that completely squanders any and all redeeming qualities she might have had. I won't spoil what she does, but I will say that I found it to be down-right insulting.

Even if you are the kind of person who enjoys slasher movies for the creative deaths, you're not going to get any satisfaction here. The kills in this film are boring, simple, and by the numbers.

This is a cheap, lazy, insulting, and aggravating piece of crap that not only deserves to flop and hard at the box-office, but it also deserves to be forgotten by the end of the weekend. If you're a horror fan, or just in the mood for something scary, stay far away from this movie. I dare you.

Is this movie worth seeing?
No.

Is it worth seeing in theaters?
No.

Why?
It's a leftover idea from the 1990's that should have stayed dead.

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading.

A Quiet Place - The most intense game of Blind Man's Bluff EVER

Last year, comedian Jordan Peele, best known for his comedy skits with his partner Keegan-Michael Key, wrote and directed a refreshing and incredibly intense horror thriller film titled Get Out. In addition to being an intelligent and well-crafted film, what really surprised most audiences was how talented Jordan Peele was outside of comedy. Delivering a riveting and suspenseful thriller that went on to receive several Acadamy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and took home Best Original Screenplay. Now, actor & director John Krasinski, best known for his comedic work on the TV show The Office, has been given the opportunity to showcase his own potential talent as a dramatic director with his own suspense thriller A Quiet Place, and he's hit it out of the park. 

The story takes place roughly a year after what is believed to be some kind of Alien invasion. Very little is known about the invading creatures except that they are very fast, incredibly durable, and blind as Bats. Even worse, they have excellent hearing. They can, quite literally, hear a pin drop from a mile away. Those who have survived have done so by adapting to be as quiet as humanly possible. One such family has endured with one advantage: their oldest daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds) is deaf. Thus they already communicate through sign language. Also, Lee (John Krasinski), Regan's father, has created many sound-proofing practices like walking on paths of sand to muffle their footsteps and eating without utensils on large lettuce leaves. Small sounds are harmless, but massive sounds are deadly. Which is not helped when you've got some unresolved family drama and a baby on the way. Remember, so long as you are quiet, you will survive. 

What makes this movie so great to me is how it forces itself to rely on raw visual storytelling. By providing a narrative justification for little to no dialogue, the film gets to be a real movie. Everything about the world and the characters is conveyed through mindful visuals and tremendous acting. I myself have made a student film very similar to this premise and can tell you from first-hand experience that it is a challenging and fun task. Check out my own film Scratch. 

Speaking of acting, this film has some of the best performances I've seen this year so far. Especially from the young Millicent Simmonds. Who at such a young age (I would guess at least ten) manages to convey a wide array of emotions, and does so with such conviction, that it's almost easy to forget you're even watching a movie in the first place. Her performance is made even more incredible when you remember that she is actually deaf. Giving her an advantage in communicating through body language and facial expressions. It kind of reminds me of the late great Lon Chaney from the silent era, who was raised by deaf parents and learned early on how to communicate through body language, which gave him an upper hand in film acting. This young lady is destined to go to high places, and I hope she has a bright future in movies or in whatever she wants to pursue.

While the monsters play a vital role in this film, they are not really the focus. Instead, the film is more of a heartfelt family drama that deals with loss, overcoming fear, and the unconditional love from parents. The movie is more interested in exploring the human condition in times of extreme hardship. It's also a fascinating look at human nature. The movie comments on how reliant we are on sound and verbal communication. How at times we just need to scream to help us cope with incredible stress or just talk to each other. When that is taken away, how do you learn to deal with it and adjust? Furthermore, would you be willing to do so? 

As mentioned before, the film was directed by John Krasinski, who proves himself to be a talented and capable director. He started out in comedy but has performed a few dramatic roles before. He has an excellent sense of pace and a talent for building tension. His choice of camera language is also very nuanced, as it is continuously following the characters and rarely stands still. Adding to the overall notion that the characters are constantly aware of their surroudings and rarely get to take a moment to pause. I'm not sure I can call him a great director just yet, as this is only the second movie he has directed and the first I have seen with him in the director's chair. Having seen him act, and judging from his work in this film, I am confident that he will go on to deliver more quality stuff. I for one am looking forward to what will come next from him. 

One thing I have to bring up is a little nit-pick that does not really bother me personally, but I suspect some audiences will take some issue with. I saw this movie with a few friends, and while we enjoyed it and agreed that it was overall excellent, one of my friends commented that he would have liked to know more about the monsters. Where they came from, why they invaded Earth and so on. While the movie does provide a little explanation for the monsters, it doesn't go any further than "they will kill you if they hear you." This doesn't really bother me personally since, as I said before, they are not really the focus. They are really meant to be the source of conflict and the justification for the films overall style. While I do understand and appreciate the desire for further explanations of aspects of stories that might otherwise not have any, in this case, I think the film is better served without it. As going into too much detail with the monsters would make them too interesting and thereby detract from the more important stuff. 

A Quiet Place is an intense, thrilling, artfully crafted film that will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you stop your own sigh of relief. After all, silence is survival. It is a must-see for thriller fans. Just don't expect to get any sleep afterwards. 

Is this movie worth seeing? 

Yes. 

Is it worth seeing in theaters? 

Maybe. 

Why? 

Depending on your own personal level of tolerance for thrills and scares, you may benefit from watching this movie at home so you can pause it and take a breather once in a while. Fortunately, it is worthy of a Blu-Ray purchase when the time comes. Otherwise, go ahead and see this in theaters. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading.