Captain America: Brave New World - Cameo The Movie

 

Playing in Theaters 

    I am starting to feel really bad for Anthony Mackie. Between this and the movie I previously reviewed, the man is hitting too many roadblocks toward becoming a genuine star and a real presence in cinema. Although I admire his talent and genuinely want to see him go farther in his career, it is difficult to tell if his poor choices of projects as of late are due to his own failings or that of his representatives. To be fair, the failures of Marvel Studios as of late are not his fault, but with the power of being the new Captain America under his belt, Mr. Mackie can be more selective with his projects outside of Marvel, is all I'm saying. 

    Anyway, let's talk about this movie. Well, I think I saw a movie. 🤔

    The story follows Sam Wilson/Captain America (Anthony Mackie) as he goes about his day as a superhero tackling...

    You know what? I'm sorry. While I would generally summarize the story and plot for a review, there is not much of a point in doing so here. Not because there isn't a story, but because, at this point, it is impossible to explain things like narrative elements and their thematic weight without going through dictionary-levels of context and backstory. Which, while understanding in some cases, is not fair to those of us who have not spent the better part of their lives enjoying the Marvel movies. 

    In short, the MCU is now like the comics they are based upon, in that understanding present stories and events requires a better and firmer understanding of the stories and events building up to the present. If today's subject is anything to go by regarding Marvel's current trajectory, they are no longer interested in bringing in new audiences with strong individual stories; only catering to the long-time devotees like myself. 

    This, you may have surmised, is the reasoning behind the title of this review. Captain America: Brave New World is not a movie; it is a collection of greatest hits, forgotten past events, and future possibilities for yet-to-be-seen characters and stories all centering around a framework that despratly wants to remind the audience of their previous (and best) Captain America movie, The Winter Soldier, and utterly failing accomplish any of that. Watching this "movie" is like watching a compilation video of your favorite scenes from multiple (and completely different) movies as edited by a teenager high on Red Bull. 

    At the very least, I can happily say that Anthony Mackie maintains his commitment to his craft and talent, and he and Harrison Ford appear to be working well off each other with solid chemistry. I can see the two of them together in another movie. I hope we do! 

    Captain America: Brave New World is the sad result of Marvel Studios' desperate attempts to maintain the momentum they once enjoyed in the days leading up to Avengers: Endgame. After that glorious and satisfying payoff, Marvel needed to take a step back and allow audiences to breathe with smaller stories and stakes, not to mention stay away from the whole multiverse angle. Instead, they have decided to double down on too much grand out-of-this-world stuff that no longer has the same impact it once enjoyed. 

    Marvel Studios, I still love you, but you really, REALLY need to take it down a notch. Also, movie theaters need to seriously recalibrate their sound systems! I'm tired of feeling like I need to remember my ear plugs before going to the movies. 

    Skip this one! In fact, skip going to the movies altogether for a while. At least until the new Superman movie comes out. 

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

Elevation - Not as Elevated as it Thinks it is

 

Streaming on Max

    Elevation is the kind of independent science fiction film that frustrates me! It has a fantastic premise, a solid leading man in Anthony Mackie (also producer), and enough thematic and narrative elements to build a potentially engaging and emotionally resonating experience. Sadly, with lackluster by-the-numbers direction, characters who mistake whining for strength, and a script that utterly refuses to expand and explore its own mythology in an interesting way (not to mention a little overzealous with its overtly religious themes), we are left with only one-third of what could have potentially been a good movie with the remaining two-thirds leaving us baffled, scratching our heads, and yelling at the screen, "Wait, WHAT!?"

    The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic future, where Earth has been invaded by mysterious, deadly creatures with impenetrable armor. For some reason, they cannot climb past 8,000 feet of elevation, so survivors seek refuge in the mountains above the line, as they say. Our hero is a man named Will (Anthony Mackie), who has a young son with a lung condition that requires him to be on an oxygen machine at night. As the filters for said machine run out, Will must venture below the line to a local hospital for replacement filters. He is accompanied by a scientist friend named Nina (Morena Baccarin), who has been seeking a means of killing the dangerous creatures and believes she can find the answers in her old lab close to the hospital. How many of their lucky stars will keep them alive as they venture below the line? 

    Right off the bat, this is an excellent premise for a movie. It has enough familiar elements, mixed with a few twists for good measure. The cinematography is well done and gorgeous, especially with the beautiful landscape shots of the Colorado mountains. The action scenes are well structured, easy to follow, and provide some satisfactory feelings. Anthony Mackie does a decent job carrying the narrative and shows interest in making fantastical movies outside of Marvel. 

    Unfortunately, all of that good will is bogged down by a lack of any kind of directorial flourish or style, and the one thing that any movie needs to have perfected before the cameras start rolling: the script!

    The script is the film's worst offender, and there are too many amateur mistakes to count: clunky dialogue, lazy exposition, and adolescent concepts of character growth and development, to name a few. Not to mention the overt religious themes that, quite frankly, feel as though they were needlessly shoehorned into the story. Plus, there is a lackluster and unearned attempt at a post-credit scene teasing at another movie, accompanied by too many unanswered questions that practically demand the audience care enough to see what happens next. It's the MCU condition all over again! Not to diminish the MCU, especially in the early days before Endgame, but this is another case of producers learning the wrong lessons from Marvel. 

    Elevation is a massive disappointment in every possible way. Despite having an excellent idea for a story, gorgeous visuals, visceral action scenes, high-quality special effects, and effective monster designs, the early draft of the script they chose to film is riddled with too many faults, flaws, and failings, effectively handicapping all other efforts and elements. A decent movie here is begging to be polished, but it is too little, too late. This is one extinction level event that amounts to nothing more than a mere whisper. 

    Skip this one!

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

Top 5 Pulp Heroes Who Deserve Another Movie

 

Art by Alex Ross

    With the rise in popularity of superheroes in the 21st century, especially those from Marvel Comics and their widely successful MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), I feel a particular subgenre of comic heroes has been overlooked for far too long: pulp heroes. These are characters who, much like Batman, do not possess supernatural abilities (mostly) but share many of the attributes and thematic elements associated with even the most archetypical superhero: elaborate costumes, mysterious personalities, and a desire to take down crime in the name of truth and justice. In fact, many of the most classical pulp heroes went on to become the inspiration for many superhero characters that spawned from Marvel and D.C. Comics. One would have to be blind or ignorant to not notice the similarities between an established comic book character like Batman and the classic pulp hero who predates him, Zorro. 

    Some of these classic pulp characters have had a movie or two based on their legends in the past, mainly around the time they were most popular. However, over the years, there have been many efforts to bring back or at least kickstart a massive effort to bring these characters into a new light, retaining their classic charm while modernizing (for want of a better word) their mystique and lore. 

    While I may have a soft spot for some of the movies I will mention in this blog entry, I do not deny their flaws, nor am I ignorant of how much of a departure from their source material many of them feature. Although I still enjoy these movies and characters, with the tragic fall of Marvel Studios and their lackluster efforts as of late (Shang Chi and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 notwithstanding), I feel it is time to return to the well of creativity again; to look back at some of the characters who inspired it all, the movies they last had, and why they are worthy of another chance at the spotlight. 

    This is TheNorm's Top 5 pulp heroes who deserve another movie. 

#5 

The Green Hornet and Kato

Last seen at Colombia Pictures in 2011

    Created by Fran Striker and George W. Trendle, The Green Hornet is a spin-off character inspired by their previous creation, The Lone Ranger. In the story, a young newspaper publisher named Britt Reid (a living descendant of The Lone Ranger) takes on the mantle of The Green Hornet to fight against crime. Whereas his cowboy ancestor was upfront about his efforts to defend justice, Reid uses perception to make the world believe The Green Hornet is a ruthless crime boss, allowing him the opportunity to infiltrate and dismantle criminal organizations from within. 

    While the character was reasonably popular, he never reached the pantheons of his contemporaries and was in danger of fading into obscurity. That is until his short-lived TV series in the 1960s introduced one of the most incredible action stars of all time, Bruce Lee, who portrayed the loyal and capable sidekick character Kato. Because of his association with the master martial artist, Green Hornet remained a popular pulp character well into the 21st century, spawning additional comics and appearances in multiple media outlets. 

    Then, in 2011, Colombia Pictures produced a brand-new movie adaptation of the characters starring Seth Rogen (who also contributed to the script) and Jay Chau as the titular characters. The film attempted to revitalize the characters with tongue-in-cheek humor while maintaining the initial appeal as much as possible. I say "attempted" because while it is apparent that at least some effort was made, it is also abundantly apparent that no one involved could agree on how to tackle the task at hand. 

    The best word to describe this film would be schizophrenic: the direction doesn't fit with the script, which doesn't fit with the style of humor, which doesn't fit with the performances, which doesn't fit with the blatant parallels to 2008's Iron Man, all of which attempt to distract you from their nonsensical nature with a 3D post-conversion, despite the movie not being filmed in a manner to take advantage of the style. 

    This movie did not please audiences or critics. According to Wikipedia, the rights to The Green Hornet had transitioned to Amasia Entertainment, which was in talks with Universal Studios for a reboot. However, no word has been heard about that project since 2022. 

    The Green Hornet and Kato would make a fantastic comeback now! In an age when we, the people, feel too powerless to take on the criminal fools in charge, we all need a reminder of how we can use perception, along with a strong moral compass, to take down those who wronged us all. Especially if it could mean wearing a cool mask while driving an even cooler tricked-up car. 

#4

The Rocketeer 

Last seen at Touchstone Pictures in 1991

    Yes, I know this film has received vicious mockery over the years. Yes, I know it is technically a Disney property. Yes, I understand the helmet design is a little too goofy for its own good. And yes, I know that I am in the minority when I say that I still enjoy this movie. But here's the thing: not only is The Rocketeer an amalgamation of other classic characters and concepts that could be fun to revisit today, but this entire movie could benefit from a passionate overall. While the film is a technical achievement in special effects and features at least one scene that speaks volumes to modern issues (more on that in a moment), there is still the potential for a glorious modern retelling of this concept, provided it finds itself in the hands of creatives who cared and understood how to present it all. 

    Based on the 1980s comic series created by Dave Stevens, The Rocketeer is an homage to classic pulp characters and serials of the 1940s and 50s with similar ideologies and modes of transportation, including King of the Rocket Men, Buck Rogers, and Astro Boy. The idea of having a jet-pack granting its user the possibility of independent flight is a fantasy as old as time itself. It is a joy that we may yet feel in the future and is worthy of revitalization. 

    A new adaptation of this character and concept could bring back the sense of joy that is desperately needed now more than ever. Also, any story that reminds us of the evil of Nazis and the importance of resistance against them by everyone else deserves as many retellings as possible!

#3

The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai

Last seen at Sherwood Productions in 1984

    Like The Rocketeer, Buckaroo Bonzai amalgamates classic pulp and science fiction characters, specifically Doc Savage, but with a wild and excentric dose of 1980s cheese. A brilliant and compassionate renascence man with a team of equally talented people, they tackle interdimensional threats while helping the world in science, medicine, and entertainment, along with a few well-measured doses of Monty Python levels of silliness for good measure. 

    This cult classic of a film, while still enjoyable in its own right, could have led to a regular and recurring staple of the genre. Despite heavy promotion among nerd culture, the film flopped at the box office, losing to Star Trek III: The Search for Spock of all films. Not to diminish the enjoyable quality of that entry into the long-running science fiction series, but still! 

    There is a variable goldmine of possibilities, stories, and characters from revitalizing this group of characters and the insane world they occupy. While the rest of the world is going insane in the wrong direction, it sometimes helps to be reminded of what insanity in the right direction looks and feels like. Sometimes, we need to embrace the silliness and not overthink the watermelon. If you get it, you get it. 

#2

The Shadow

Last seen at Universal Pictures in 1994

    Created by Walter B. Gibson and first appearing as a radio series starring the late Orsen Welles, The Shadow is a vigilante who stalks the night and possesses the unique ability to read people's minds and alter their perceptions through rigorous mental training and study. His true identity is that of Lemont Cranston (Kent Allard in early print media), a criminal psychiatrist and independent detective who fights against crime both day and night. As you likely have suspected, The Shadow was one of the many inspirations for Batman: a wealthy man who perfected themselves through intense training and study to become an unseen face to defend justice. 

    While the character has enjoyed many outings in various media, including comics and an homage movie by Sam Raimi, The Shadow's last major appearance was in the 1994 film starring Alec Baldwin and directed by Russell Mulcahy—you know, the guy who did Highlander. The film is, at least for my money, an enjoyable piece of high schlock. Sure, it takes some liberties with the extent of the character's psychic abilities and puts a greater emphasis on action that it probably needed (not to mention an example of early CGI that has not aged well at all). However, it still retains the general feel and spirit of The Shadow. The story is engaging, the production design is astonishing, and the design for The Shadow's costume feels ripped right out of the comics. Also, it's one of those movies that feels and looks significantly better when seen in black and white, as the filmmakers originally wanted. 

    This silly, over-the-top film may be a bit of a departure from the original radio iteration, but it is still enjoyable in its own way. However, with the cool and sleek nature of the character, along with the extra bits of lore and supporting cast, this property would likely do well with another fresh adaptation. Like many other classic concepts, there is enough stuff to play around with and explore. 

#1

The Phantom 

Last seen at Paramount Pictures in 1996

    Lee Falk created The Phantom, also known as The Ghost Who Walks, in the 1930s. It is the story of Kit Walker, a man with a fantastic family history. In the 1500s, Kit's distant relative lost his father to a pirate raid while sailing near the shores of Bengalla. In this fictional African coastal location, the boy is washed ashore and rescued by a local tribe deep within the jungle. In gratitude for them taking him in and as a means of avenging his father, the boy vows to fight piracy, greed, and cruelty in all its forms, learning the ways of the jungle and becoming the crime-fighting entity known as The Phantom. 

    Part of the reason for the nickname "The Ghost Who Walks" is that The Phantom Legend is passed from father to son. Twenty Phantoms came before Kit Walker took up the mantle, but most people outside his circle are unaware. Incidentally, I believe The Phantom could make for an excellent new series in movies or television. 

    The last time we saw The Phantom was in the 1996 feature film, which is still a fantastic movie and one I enjoy revisiting to this day. It has a good balance between narrative and action. The production and costume design are delightful to behold. The cast delivers a fun experience all around. While Treat Williams has the most fun with his over-the-top evil villain performance, Billy Zane dominates the show as the titular character with a charming performance that appears to channel Cary Grant with a dash of Errol Flynn for good measure. Sure, it takes a few liberties with the source material, particularly regarding the extent of the mythology around his Skull ring. Still, it's all in service to the wholehearted embracement of the character's spirit and pulp fiction in general. 

    With the family line aspect of the mythology, there is a ton of potential for more stories about The Phantom. My first thought would be an anthology series that follows a different Phantom at a new point in history with each episode, possibly tied together by some artifact that's regularly sought after over time. Sadly, the 1996 movie was not as well-received as it deserved, prompting most movie studios to not even consider it. However, there apparently was a TV miniseries in 2011, which I have not yet seen, but based on the costume design, I suspect I'm not missing much. 

😂😂😂

    As we approach a new era of the superhero genre with Marvel stumbling in place and D.C. with Warner Brothers possibly getting their act together (finally), I think it's high time more studios and creatives returned costumed heroes to their roots for some modern takes on classic concepts. The movies I have discussed here may be entertaining in their own ways, and I still love a few of them, but it has officially been too long since anyone gave these characters and concepts another shot. If you ask me, we are long overdue for something familiar yet different once again. 

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

The Gorge - Great Setup, Questional Pay Off

 

Streaming on Apple TV+

    I once said that film is about two things: presentation and execution. If one of these elements is too weak, the other can sometimes carry the film across the finish line, dragging the weak points along. Nine times out of ten, we experience movies with excellent presentations only to be disappointed with lackluster execution. Consider films like Disney's Frozen or most of Zack Snyder's films as examples. 

    Today's subject, The Gorge, is a reasonably even film with a 50% passable presentation and 50% engaging execution. While both elements still don't manage to reach 100%, I forgave some of the film's shortcomings due to the sheer creepy creativity at play. Although I would not proclaim it my favorite film of the year so far, my time did not feel wasted, despite how often it reminded me of better films I could have been watching, albeit in a pleasant way. 

    The story follows two people: an American mercenary named Levi (Miles Teller) and a Lithuanian assassin named Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy). They are tasked with spending one year guarding opposite sides of a mysterious fog-filled gorge located in the middle of nowhere. Much to their surprise, strange creatures occasionally try to escape from the gorge, and our heroes are tasked with keeping them in their place. Defying direct orders of no communication between each other, the two fighters decide to get to know each other more and form an unexpected bond. As their feelings grow, so does their curiosity about what lies within the gorge. 

    First, the good: 

    The story's general setup, plot, and concept are remarkable and fascinating. I thoroughly enjoy stories that take minimalistic ideas (single locations, few characters, etc.) and use them to their fullest extent with a fabulous science fiction-oriented spin. Most of the writing is surprisingly better than what I might have expected, given the script was penned by Zach Dean, late of The Tomorrow War (one of my most disliked films of 2021,) with decent character development, engaging story turns, and clever references to other movies and shows aplenty, especially the humorous nods to the cast's and director's previous works. Speaking of, the cast has pretty solid chemistry, works well off each other, and succeeds in holding their own when performing solo. While Anya Taylor-Joy has always been a powerhouse, Miles Teller has come a long way in proving his chops. 

    Next, the bad (or at least not as impressive):

    The Gorge, entertaining though it may be, is yet another modern film with all of the trappings that come with it. I have been railing about it for a few years now, specifically overly dark cinematography and nearly inaudible dialogue. Not to mention a plot twist which, while I won't spoil here, is as cliché as they come despite having an opportunity to do something different, at least perceivably. 

    Photographed by Dan Laustsen, late of the John Wick sequels and frequent collaborator with Guillermo del Toro, The Gorge employs an annoyingly super-dark aesthetic with too many heavy shadows and an overabundance of underexposed images, even in daytime scenes. While I understand the likely justification behind this creative choice, creating a chilling atmosphere to accompany the scarier aspects of the story, it fails here due to a lack of contrast. I will never tire of saying this so long as it bears repeating; you can have a dark style, but never forget contrast; otherwise, your audiences will struggle to comprehend what's on-screen. That is when they're not distracted admiring their reflection in the black mirror. 

    The sound design is also guilty of perceived laziness. Like so many modern movies and shows, much of the dialogue is delivered in barely audible mumbles and gruff whispers, forcing the viewer to compensate by increasing the volume. This, in turn, causes the action scenes with gunfire, explosions, and monster shrieks to reach critical mass levels of loudness. I rewatched a few scenes on a different setup with a decent soundbar as an experiment. While it was technically better than the initial viewing experience, I still raised and lowered the volume far too often. 

    These technical "choices" are becoming too frequent in modern movies and only hinder the best viewing experience possible. I think that a cabal of producers is deliberately trying to sabotage modern cinema for some yet-to-be-revealed evil plot. 

    The Gorge is a decent monster movie with a creative setup and enough talent in the right places for an engaging and fun experience. However, its overly dark photography and inexcusable sound mixing diminish what otherwise might have been a four-star film. The talent of the cast, the director, and the much-improved skills of the writer save this film from a two-star rating. If you're the least curious and have an Apple TV+ subscription, give it a shot. Otherwise, I recommend watching some of the other films The Gorge reminded me of at times, like The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Predator. 

    Worth a look. 

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

Heretic - Thou Shalt Learn the Lesson Well

For rent on Apple TV, Amazon, and Microsoft 

    I have always appreciated movies that encourage audiences to question authority, spectacular claims, and Religion. Although I am not religious, I find aspects of Religion fascinating and curious. My present stance on Religion is best summarized in the words of the late George Carlin: "Religion is like a lift in your shoe. If you need it, that's okay; just don't make me wear your shoes if I don't want them." While I have strong feelings about the Abrahamic faiths in particular, I will say I like The Jefferson Bible and not much else. 

    The views and questions offered in today's subject, Heretic, are some that I have explored myself and appreciate their presence here in the film, though not quite to the extremes carried out by the titular character. The film offers essential questions and vital points about faith, belief, and the importance of curiosity, knowledge, and wisdom, presenting itself in a primarily well-crafted horror framework that is, admittedly, not for everyone but is oddly appropriate for the subject matter and the story's overall message. Not to mention clever direction and stunning performances from the entire cast. However, it does lose much of its intended impact by the halfway point. Though the genre and style of the film may not reach as many audiences as it should, the points raised therein are nonetheless crucial in their own way. 

    The story follows two friends, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), who are wandering members of the Mormon Church and seeking out new converts to their congregation. One of their stops is at the home of one Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), who claimed interest in the church. With a massive storm on the horizon, Mr. Reed invites the girls inside for refreshments and shelter. After some small talk about religious history and other such topics, the situation becomes much more dire than the girls were prepared for. Not only have the girls become trapped inside Mr. Reed's house, but they also find themselves at his mercy, revealing himself to have spent a lifetime studying religious history, trying to find the "one true Religion," and the girls must now question their beliefs, faith, and themselves. Will any of their discoveries lead them to an escape with their lives? 

    While this is not my favorite story about repressed religious truths, I can certainly point to more intriguing and better examples (The Da Vinci Code, The Name of the Rose, and Jerome Bixby's The Man From Earth, to name a few), I do appreciate the film's efforts to parallel the horrors of Religions darker histories with the traits of the films chosen genre. However, the film is at its best during the first half, when it's a thrilling cat-and-mouse game of wits and philosophical debate. Sadly, and much to my disappointment, the film loses too many points by devolving into a standard grimy gross-out fest that continues to stain the proper use of the horror genre. While I understand where the filmmakers were going, I wish they had maintained their cleverness rather than resorting to cliché, uncomfortable gooeyness, to put it mildly. 

    The film also loses many bonus points for my least favorite style of cinematography. Photographed by Chung-hoon Chung, late of IT, Last Night in Soho, and the Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi series, the film adopts the modern stylistic choice of extreme darkness with little to no contrast, once again overtly relying upon the sensitivity of the camera's sensor to retain detail in heavy shadows. I have discussed this practice many times before, and I get the attraction to it, but without repeating myself too much, dark scenes always look better with some kind of contrast! 

    The MVP award goes to Hugh Grant for delivering a magnificent performance that is unsettling and oddly charming, as only Mr. Grant can deliver.  

    Heretic may feel relevant to me given the subject matter and how it wants to remind audiences of the ever-essential need to question everything in life, and the film might have been absolutely fantastic if it had only maintained the initial atmospheric and tension-building approach in the first half, it loses too many of its good graces by the second half with cliché gross-out factors and poor attempts at imitating the likes of Clive Barker. While it's worth a look if you're a more discerning horror fan than I am, I recommend waiting for the film to arrive on a streaming platform rather than paying a rental price. Furthermore, I recommend checking out any of the other films I mentioned in this review. 

    For die-hard horror fans only. 

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