Quick Reviews

Hey everyone,

With the Holidays coming along, and my eagerness to get Reader Requests going for this month, I have seen a few recent movies that I don't really have time to write a full review for. So, in the interest of saving us all much valued time, here are a few quick rundowns on some films that came out in the past few weeks.

Relevant if repugnant. Similar to the critically acclaimed film Erin Brockovich, it's the story of how a major corporation is knowingly and apathetically poisoning all of its customers. In this case, the Du-Pont company murdering everyone with Teflon. While it may not be an easy film to sit through for various reasons, it is incredibly important and must be seen to be appreciated. Don't see this one for the entertainment value, but rather for how much it drives home how important it is for all of us to never back out of a fight for our lives. Recommended. 

Smart, creative, and funny. Writer-director Rian Johnson, who previously made Looper and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, delivers a fresh take on the classic Agatha Christy murder mystery scenario complete with elaborate mansion set, greedy relatives clawing at inheritance, and a super sleuth always one step ahead of the game. Some may criticize this film for not following traditional story structure, i.e., no character growth & change, but Johnson compensates for that with witty dialogue, gorgeous visuals by cinematographer Steve Yedlin,  and a fresh take on an overdone mystery sub-genre. Absolutely worth seeing. 

Agonizingly disappointing! A simple if cliche premise that should make for an incredibly exciting time at the movies considering the talent involved is instead a slow, redundant, and frankly stupid dud of a film. The action is repetitive and boring, none of the characters are engaging or relatable (save for Chadwick Bosman's role), the writing is lazy and lacks any kind of texture and the overall production just reaks of apathy and passionless contract obligation. Like everyone involved is only there because they're obligated to be and not because they actually want to. I should not want to fall asleep at a movie likes this, but I did indeed do so. Skip this one. 

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