Cosmos - An inspiration to filmmakers everywhere

There is a time in every person's life when we question our dreams and doubt our worth. An uncomfortable thing to contemplate, I admit, but it does happen to us at some point in our lives. We have a dream of building or accomplishing something, and as the years go by, you begin to say to yourself, "Maybe I'm just not cut out for this." You start to suspect that it's just not in your cards to accomplish what you are setting out for. Maybe it's time I gave up and moved on to something more conventional. But then, you watch a film like Cosmos, and you hear the filmmaker's story, and learn how and why this fun little movie was made, then you suddenly gain the inspiration to get right back to chasing your dream. Because Cosmos is a film that definitively proves that anyone can indeed make a movie. It just takes talent, time, and a good deal of drive. As an inspiration to aspiring filmmakers and artists out there, Cosmos is a must-watch. As a film on its own merits, it's also pretty damn good and might have been perfect, were it not for one problem, which I'll get to shortly. 

The story follows three professional Astronomers taking a regular drive into the woods at night for a kind of astronomical hunting trip. Armed with a powerful telescope and radio scanning equipment, they search the stars for data, and hopefully, some anomalies. There is some noticeable friction amongst the group, as one of them seems to be stuck in a rut, to the point where he is considering quitting his regular outings. Things begin to shake up when they stumble upon a strange signal, which, upon further analysis, is being deliberately sent to them by something not found on Earth. Though they cannot say for sure just yet, they believe they have stumbled upon the means of establishing first-contact with extraterrestrial life. Now, they must do everything they can to confirm their discovery and make contact before the window of opportunity is lost. 

The writers and directors of the film, brothers Eliot and Zander Weaver, began production for the film back in 2015. The story goes that they had spent years working in the industry as documentary and music video directors, and were desperate to make a narrative feature film together. They had a script titled Encounter, another sci-fi alien story, and presented it to financial investors. All of whom were concerned about their lack of experience in making a feature film and advised them to make a movie first. Which, given the fact that they were pitching a film in the first place, felt a bit redundant. Despite this strange and annoying roadblock, the two brothers decided to do exactly what was advised of them and set out to make a movie on their own. The wrote the script for Cosmos as a movie they could make with no money and with the equipment that was available to them at the time. With no budget and a handful of enthusiastic friends, they succeeded in making a film they could all be proud of. 

For the most part, the film is a testament to the talent of The Zander Brothers and a remarkable piece of inspirational art. The cast does an exceptional job keeping your attention, the cinematography is gorgeous throughout, and the dialogue feels natural and engaging. In many ways, it reminds me of one of my favorite indie sci-fi films, Jerome Bixby's The Man From Earth. A little to no budget production with talented actors delivering well-crafted dialogue taking place almost entirely in one location with an intriguing mystery to boot. All of this makes for a damn good movie that might have been perfect...were it not for one issue. 

While the story alone makes the film worth watching, I fail to understand why the filmmakers felt it needed to take two hours to tell. While everything about the movie is otherwise engaging and fascinating to behold, it suffers just a bit from overstaying its welcome. Some scenes go on for a little too long, and some shots are repeated one too many times. This is a story that only requires, at most, an hour and a half to tell. I am convinced that the film would be absolutely perfect if it was just thirty minutes shorter. 

Despite this issue with its runtime, it remains a well-crafted inspiration to all people, especially artists, struggling with their dreams. It's a movie that declares you can do anything if you just set your mind and your heart to it. While it may require a bit of patience, I encourage you to check out this film. At the time of this writing, it is available to stream on Hulu and Amazon Prime. Check it out. 

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

Motherless Brooklyn - Classic Gumshoe with Modern Flare

Edward Norton is one of those guys who you most likely never want to meet in person, but you're usually excited to see his work. Though he is a talented actor and director who has put together some of the most notable works (American History X, Fight Club, and Keeping The Faith, to name a few), he also has a bad reputation as an assertive (though often beneficial) interloper. For example, with American History X, Mr. Norton hijacked the editing room and recut the whole film to the way it is now. So while he changed the movie in a less-than-professional fashion, it still came out as the memorable classic we know it as. He is a living example of the phrase "never meet your heroes."

So naturally, even though I've never been a fan of Norton's artistic practices, I have usually enjoyed the work he puts out. However, when I got wind of his latest outing, Motherless Brooklyn, I was a bit skeptical. I mean, a modern take on classic 1950's noir detective stories about a private-eye with a mental affliction, and it's written, directed, produced, and starring the same guy who was fired from playing The Incredible Hulk because he kept changing the script? This had "Oscar Bait" written all over it, and it made me cautious about even trying it. However, having exhausted all other new pieces that piqued my interest this month, I decided to hunker down and finally give it a look. Much to my satisfaction, it was as good as I suspected. Even more satisfying, despite all the warning signs of pretentious ego-stroking, it is pleasantly absent from the final product. This maybe Edward Norton's show, and he may be a bit of an egotistical jerk, but at least he knows how to make a damn good movie.

Set in 1950s New York, the story follows a private detective named Lionel (Edward Norton), who suffers from Tourette's Syndrome, which causes him uncontrollable twitches, fits of OCD (Obsessive Compulsion Disorder), and a little bit of anxiety. It also grants him perfect memory and extensive attention to detail, which makes him an excellent detective. One day, his boss and mentor, Frank (Bruce Willis), is killed while working on a case. To avenge his friend, Lionel takes on the matter of his murder. He starts with trying to figure out what Frank got himself into, as he was initially kept in the dark. His only real clue is that it somehow ties with a mysterious woman named Laura Rose (Gugu Mbatha-Raw). With his continuously active mind, Lionel will uncover a series of secrets that may determine the fate of the whole city.

As I said, my main concern with this film was that it was going to be over two hours of a Hollywood interloper stroking his ego. Much to my relief, that is not the case. Motherless Brooklyn proves itself to be a well-done film. Complete with sympathetic characters, an intriguing mystery, and convincing performances from the whole cast. Probably the only nitpick I have is the use of voice-over where visuals could have easily been used. Even so, the voice-over is in-line with classic film-noir detective stories, and unlike the theatrical cut of Blade Runner, it is never used unnecessarily. As in, our hero never narrates about the room he's in. Also, it's not used throughout the entire film.

If you're looking for a decent mystery thriller, this is a good one to check out. At the time of this writing, it is available on a couple of streaming platforms, including Comcast, Amazon, and iTunes. It is available on Netflix but only on disk and not on its streaming catalog, at least not yet.

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

7500 - Simply Intense

7500, not to be confused with the schlocky supernatural thriller Flight 7500, is the kind of movie that showcases how you can do a lot with very little. It's the kind of minimalistic presentation that requires serious talent on all sides to be executed properly. More often than not, indie filmmakers will opt to make a movie with an emphasis on story and characters, not necessarily because they care most about those elements, but rather because they are easy to control. Writing a decent script and getting actors to perform with conviction are challenging enough on their own. So when you do either of them poorly on a project that emphasizes them, it becomes more noticeable. 7500 is, fortunately, not such a case. While it has a few spots that could have been done a little better (more on that in a moment), it is an overall well-crafted film that reminds us how to achieve more with less, and how incredible of an actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is. Seriously, why has he still not been nominated for an Oscar yet? 

The story follows an International Airline Pilot named Tobias (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), making a routine flight from Germany to France. Shortly after take-off, the Plane is hijacked by a group of Islamic Extremists armed with broken glass who manage to kill the Captain and severely injure Tobias, but fail to take over the Cockpit. As Tobias successfully shoves most of the terrorists out of the room and seals the door. Upon radioing in the attack, Tobias is instructed to make an emergency landing and not open the cockpit door under any circumstances. Which would be easy to do, if it wasn't for the terrorists threatening to kill the passengers one by one unless he opens the door. Now, Tobias must do what he can to land the Plane and save the passengers, all the while keeping the Cockpit sealed. 

As you might have guessed, the entire film takes place inside the Cockpit. The only time we see any other part of the Plane is in a few shots at the beginning and end, or through a small monitor next to the Cockpit door. This is where the idea of minimalism comes to play. Even though we, the audience, are confined to a single space, the tension from the extreme circumstances is enough to raise and keep our attention. 

Joseph Gordon-Levitt carries the whole movie on his shoulders, and he does so with firm conviction. A project such as this requires a vast amount of range from the lead actor. This is as much a showcase of his genuine talent as it is a decent demonstration of minimalistic storytelling. 

Now, as I mentioned earlier, there are a few things about the film I wish could have been done better. There are parts of the film, mostly in the middle, that seem to take too long to happen. One scene, in particular, has a supporting character coming to an essential revelation within the story, and it seems to take this character longer than feels necessary to reach it. This was likely an effort on the filmmaker's part to pad out the runtime to reach conventional feature-length. This results in moments of repetitive dialogue and unintentional diminishment of tension.  Fortunately, these bits are few and far between. So while they were distracting on occasion, they never negatively affected my overall enjoyment of the film. It just made me wish they had done something more creative to extend the necessary runtime. 

Putting that aside, 7500 is a decent new thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. At the moment, it is available on Amazon Prime. Hopefully, it will become available on other platforms as well in the future. If you need a well-crafted thriller for movie night, give this one a shot. 

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

Da 5 Bloods - A Must-See in Every Possible Way

"If a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live." 

                                                                                                 -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr 

A Spike Lee Joint is probably the closest we will ever get to an automatic seal of quality. Because, over his extensive career, I have yet to find anything in his filmography that I didn't like nor could not remember. The films of his I have seen so far have left a lasting impact, and the ones I have not yet seen are only spoken of in praises. There are many reasons, some more prominent than others, as to why this is, but I think the most relevant is that he has never been afraid to make some noise about something important. When you're watching A Spike Lee Joint, you're not just watching an incredible movie, you also see a statement. 

The story follows a group of four Vietnam veterans reuniting in Ho Chi Minh City after nearly fifty years. The four of them are there on a unique and personal mission. Their former leader, nicknamed Stormin Norman, was K.I.A during the war and his body was never recovered. Complicating matters is the exact location of his death was lost. That is, until recently, due to a mudslide revealing the remains of a plane crash showed up in some new ariel photos. Having rediscovered the location, the four will now set on a journey through the same jungle they survived as soldiers to find their old friend and bring him home. Not to mention, get rich in the process. See, the plane crash was part of a mission they were on during the war. Upon arriving, they found a treasure chest filled with Gold bars, which was initially part of a CIA funding scheme. Once they retrieved it, they all agree to bury it there and return for it upon the end of the war. The only question is, what will they all do with their new fortune, and how will it change them? 

While this is in-and-of-itself a fantastic story, there is a whole lot more to this film. In addition to the classic treasure hunt story and perpetually relevant "Hell of War" commentary, Da 5 Bloods goes even further. Without spoiling exact details, there is a commentary on the black condition, black soldiers in wartime, PTSD, and a proclamation of what is worth fighting for. There is a compelling story, pertinent commentary, and a history lesson all rolled into one fantastic package. From Spike Lee, I would expect nothing less. 

One of the aspects of A Spike Lee Joint I always enjoy watching unfold is the use of various formats. Spike Lee loves to utilize multiple types of film-related presentations to shake up the story and differentiate time & space, as well as tone and theme. In Da 5 Bloods, one trick he uses is to shoot the modern-day scenes with a conventional style, while the scenes set during the war are presented in the manner of classic war films from the 1980s. During Hollywood's "let's pretend we won the war" phase. Spike Lee's use of multiple styles and formats provide a unique experience that very few other directors have ever tried. 

As this is a film about the Vietnam war, some scenes are difficult to observe. While the more graphic bits are few and far between, and in full service of the story, they will undoubtedly be difficult for some audience members. While I cannot speak from experience, nor would I ever want to, I would put this film on par with the likes of Saving Private Ryan. In that, those who have experienced war will likely have more difficulty seeing parts of Da 5 Bloods than others. 

To say anything further about this film would diminish its impact. As much as I would love to go into further details about this movie and why I love it so much, it would only further detract the time you could be spending watching it. Da 5 Bloods is currently on Netflix, so I encourage, nay, implore you to get this film in front of your eyeballs the very second you finish reading this review. I usually don't make these kinds of proclamations, but I think we have our best contender for Best Picture at the Oscars this year. See this movie! 

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

Black Lives Matter! 

The Vast of Night - An overly extended short film

The Vast of Night has many ingredients that I would typically love in a movie had it not been for the prolonged cooking method. This bothers me a great deal because it is the kind of mostly negative review I utterly despise having to give. Despite the many parts that are indeed my jam, I can't allow that to cloud my judgment when it comes to the film's execution. Then again, to quote Yahtzee from Zero Punctuation, "The cruelest thing you can do to an artist is to tell them that their work is brilliant when it isn't."

Taking place in New Mexico during the 1950s, the story follows two young friends. Fay (Sarah McCormick), a High School student and local telephone switchboard operator, and Everett (Jake Horowitz), Disc Jockey & Radio Host of the local station. One night during their local High School Basketball game, our heroes are toiling the night away at their respected posts. Things seem to be running normally. That is until Fay begins hearing a strange sound over the phone lines. At first, she brushes it off as unexpected interference, but when she starts hearing it over multiple lines, and suddenly getting cut off for no sound reason, she asks Everett to look into it. Upon listening to the sound, Everett plays it over the radio, urging his listeners to call and explain if they recognize it. The first caller chimes in, and from there, everything takes a turn for the surreal. The caller claims that it is the same sound he heard when he was working for a top-secret government project that, apparently, involved U.F.O.'s. That sound returning to the airwaves means they are out there again, and they are up to something. Now, Fay and Everett must solve the mystery before they lose their chance...or worse.

On the surface, there are a ton of aspects to this film I admire. From the very beginning of the film, it is evident that this is intended to be an homage to classic science fiction works of the time. Most notably, The Twilight Zone. In fact, the film opens with a 50's style television playing a kind of parody of the same show titled Paradox Theater, complete with a spot on Rod Serling impersonation. The radio station where Everett works is called the WOTW Station, which stands for War of the Worlds. A reference to another science fiction classic, and the famous broadcast of the same story by Orson Wells. Nearly every other frame of this movie is littered with references and homages to classic science fiction.

The cast is incredible. The two leads despite not having the best material to work with (more on that in a moment), deliver convincing and tangible performances. Sarah McCormick, in particular, succeeds in embodying the mannerisms and attitude often associated with classic 50s movies. She clearly did her homework to deliver an authentic presentation. I hope to see more of her in the future.

The cinematography is downright gorgeous! The film was shot on high-end digital cameras, but it was later processed to look more like old fashioned film. Complete with lots of grain, or what we now call noise. I love this feature in my own images, as I have never liked the idea of a thoroughly "clean" image. Grain/Noise gives a sense of texture to an image, creating movement out of stillness. Which, in turn, makes any scene feel more alive. The lighting is atmospheric and appropriately eerie. Befitting the mysterious tone of the story. This may very well be a near-perfect example of how to shoot dark scenes accurately.

Unfortunately, all of those good graces are shattered by the execution of the film. The most significant problem being that director Andrew Patterson does not seem to understand one of the most important aspects of filmmaking: the manipulation of space & time and the creation of movement through editing.

For starters, the pacing of this film is atrocious! There are tracking shots primarily in ultra-wide angles that go on for too long, scenes with repetitive dialogue that don't seem to add anything relevant to the story, and a lack of visual variety that makes the whole presentation feel too one-note. There is one scene where Fay is on the phoneline switchboard having conversations with various people, and it is all done in a single nearly static shot for almost ten minutes. This is also the scene in which we are introduced to the phenomenon that kick starts the mystery of the story, but it takes so damn long to get moving that, by the time it started, I lost interest. The scene was so excessively long with more repetitive dialogue that I no longer cared about the mystery, and just wanted the film to move on.

This "single long take" style of shooting is littered throughout the whole film, and it gets incredibly annoying after a while. When it's not showing you an unbroken shot, it will suddenly fade away into nothing. Literally! There's a scene where Everett is talking with someone over the phone about the nature of the mysterious sound he played over the radio, and it will occasionally fade to a black screen with only the audio of the conversation remaining. I can only suspect that the idea was to simulate the experience of listening to an old-fashioned radio drama, as evidenced by one shot of a radio playing the conversation between Everett and the mystery caller. Which, if the scene was a whole lot shorter, might have worked. Instead, it just feels like padding, dragging out an overly long moment.

The Vast of Night feels like a feature film that doesn't want to be a feature film. This concept should have been a twenty-minute short film, or at the very least, a thirty-minute radio drama. While I applaud the attempts to pay homage to classic science fiction and radio shows, the movie is, to put it plainly, trying too hard. Despite being in a visual medium, it refuses to utilize compelling visuals. Desperately trying to remain a radio play where audio and dialogue are all that is required. Except, that is not enough to make a compelling film, where visuals are what convey a story. In movies, sound must be in service of the visuals and not the other way around.

At the time of this writing, The Vast of Night is available to stream on Amazon Prime. If you're still even a little curious about it, I personally don't really recommend you waste your time with it. There is a reason it was rejected by over a dozen film festivals.

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