Trailer Reaction - Jurassic World: Dominion - You Can't be Serious!

 

    I have tried to give the modern Hollywood system the benefit of the doubt. I have tolerated and forgiven many faults from Tinseltown. I have sought to find a semblance of hope for creativity, individuality, and artistic integrity within the movie-making business dominated by the Los Angeles-based industry that has inspired many of us for generations. If there is any light at the end of this tunnel, I am having a more challenging time seeing it than usual! 

    While I will always have a fondness for cinema, genuine enthusiasm for the art of making movies, and an ever-growing interest to continue making my own films in whatever form I can, I have finally lost all hope for what once was the shining example of artistic freedom, creative risk-taking, and (dare I say) authenticity. Making movies may be a business, but there has to be a proper balance between making a profit and producing quality content for the consumer. Hollywood has gone incredibly off-balance in the worst possible way. 

    Please understand; I am not approaching this as a die-hard fan of the original Jurassic Park movie, nor am I expressing this level of disinterest as a hater of pop culture. I still enjoy the Marvel movies, the occasional Fast & Furious sequel or spin-off, and I absolutely love just about anything with Leonardo DiCaprio and/or Matt Damon (both gentlemen have been heroes to me for as long as I can remember). 

    The most toxic poison Hollywood has become addicted to is the dreaded and aggressive need for name recognition. Everything must be linked to a recognizable property; otherwise, nobody will care. At least, that's what every underpaid Hollywood executive gasping for air in the focus group meeting room seems to think. 

    How can we expect to find new voices if those in charge actively ignore them far too often? 

    I'm pretty sure I won't even bother sitting through this upcoming trainwreck, which, at this point, can only be worse than the last two attempts and making a classic intellectual property relevant again, forcing us to believe that Chris Pratt is a movie star and reminding us of the wasted opportunity no one seems to have considered. 

    I mentioned this before in my review of the last Jurassic World movie, and I'll repeat it: the story should be from the Dinosaur's perspective at this point. Blue, the raptor-compadre featured in both films, is significantly more interesting, textured, and sympathetic than any of the idiot cardboard characters we've been forced to follow. Not to mention, despite Chris Pratt revealing himself as one of the most limited talents working today, his face makes a lot of money in the 16 to 35 demographic. Which appears to be more important to the producers than anything else. 

    While I have no faith in this upcoming trainwreck, as challenging as it may be, I continue to have some faith in the better side of humanity that is struggling to have its voice heard within the Hollywood system. Because it is far too easy (and even lazy) to dismiss an entire enterprise without recalling that it is still, at its core, a human creation. As such, it is just as prone to all of the same faults and pitfalls as any living thinking person. But, it is also just as capable of revitalization and redemption. 

    Hollywood, as we once knew it, has imploded. Let us look forward to what may rise from its ashes in the future.

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

Station Eleven - *snore*...I'm sorry, what happened?

 

Three Episode Test - FAIL

    I like post-apocalyptic stories; I like cinematography that primarily utilizes available light; I like the idea of a traveling theater troupe; I like Mackenzie Davis and Himesh Patel. All of these things put together should result in a great series I can totally enjoy beyond measure. Instead, I was hooked with the first episode, disappointed with the second, bored with the third, and finally gave up about twenty minutes into the fourth. Each subsequent episode I watched seemed to spend more time building up another plot point and side story and less time showcasing how they were all supposed to be interconnected. Not to mention occasionally stopping dead in its tracks to show a short scene that doesn't appear substantial to the episode at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I understand the show is kind of an anthology with interconnected stories that all kind of merge towards the end, but it feels like the series is taking the needlessly long scenic route when it could have taken the highway once in a while. I just got tired of how long it took to get where it wanted to go. 

    As a friendly reminder, I tend to initially measure the quality of a television show with what I call the Three-Episode-Test. If the show retains my interest after the first three episodes, I will continue to watch it, as I find it exciting and engaging. If it loses me before the first three episodes, I'll maybe try and give it a few more, but most of the time, it's already too late. This is why I have no star rating for the show; I can't provide a complete & comprehensive review of the show. I can only offer my initial impressions. 

    The main story takes place in a potential future where civilization has collapsed as a large portion of the human population is wiped out by a mysterious variant of the flu (points for relevancy). The main character, a young actress named Kristen (Mackenzie Davis), lives a peaceful life with her traveling theater troupe. The series cuts back and forth between periods ranging from before, during, and after the pandemic. Parts of it chronicle Kristen's childhood growing up during the apocalypse while occasionally spending time with one of the supporting characters at a specific time. Occasionally cutting away to moody atmospheric shots, possible hallucinations, and cults somehow connected to a poetic graphic novel one of the characters wrote and illustrated.  

    If that all sounds confusing and disjointed to you, don't worry, that's how the show feels most of the time (at least in the first three episodes). 

    The main issue with the show is that it's taking too long to connect all the dots. Yes, slow-burn stories can be good, and I enjoy a good one myself. But this feels like a textbook example of doing far too much way too soon. While the characters are mostly likable, the imagery is pretty, and the production design is appropriate, the narrative felt too preoccupied with less attractive filler and excessive build-up. It's like baking a cake while reading excerpts from a poetry book in between every ingredient. Yes, the poetry is lovely, but it's forcing us to anticipate the deliciousness far too much more than reasonable. 

    While I personally may not have enjoyed trying this show as much as I would have liked, I do still recommend you give it a shot for yourself. I very much want to try and continue to give this show the benefit of the doubt, but I kept falling asleep during the fourth episode, so maybe it's not worth it for me. There is a good chance you might get something out of the experience I could not. Even so, have a pot of good coffee at the ready, just in case. 

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

7/14/22

Reacher - Don't Get In His Way

 

Streaming on Amazon Prime 

    In 1997, author Jim Grant (under the pen name Lee Child) published the first of over twenty novels following the exploits of one Jack Reacher: a retired MP wandering the country who occasionally stumbles upon a mystery to solve or a person who needs saving. Reacher is described in the books as towering over six feet tall, incredibly built, and has a mind as sharp as Sherlock Holmes. He doesn't care about the law, only about what's right. Then, in 2012, writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, late of The Way of the Gun and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, came out with a feature-film adaptation of one of the books (One Shot) simply titled Jack Reacher, starring...wait for it...Tom Cruise. 

    Yes, I know, everyone and their mother has gone on and on about how Tom Crusie looks nothing like Reacher as described in the books, and while I tend to agree that he wasn't the best person to play Reacher in terms of looks and build, I still commend him for at least playing the role to the best of his ability. At the very least, the rest of the movie compensated for his miscasting with a compelling story, decent action scenes, and the opportunity for Christopher McQuarrie to sharpen his directing skills. And, of course, the less said about the sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, the better. 

    I was intrigued by the character of Reacher and have been genuinely interested in seeing more of the character on screen. It took ten years for someone to get the ball rolling for reasons beyond my understanding. Well, having watched all eight episodes of the Amazon Original Series, I can proudly say it was well worth the wait. 

    Plus, they got a guy who actually looks like Reacher! 

    Based on the first book in the series, Killing Floor, our hero, Jack Reacher (Alan Richson), pays a visit to Margrave: a fictional small town in Georgia, after receiving word from his brother. Upon arriving, he is immediately arrested under suspicion of murder. After his alibi checks out, Reacher discovers not only the workings of a dangerous plot threatening the good people of Margrave, but the murder victim happened to be someone close to him. Now, Reacher is on the prowl for the criminals intending to make them pay however he can. 

    Jack Reacher can best be described as an empowerment fantasy character. Someone who can do many things well and has the power to make things happen and the fortitude to make things right, no matter how high the odds may be stacked against him. Many writers, mostly the insecure ones, tend to create characters like this, and most of them are incredibly dull. There is a tendency to want a flawless and super-powerful character who can literally do anything without fear of death. In most cases, these characters are boring and one-dimensional because they have no flaws or anything that makes them human or relatable. 

    In the case of Jack Reacher, while he is indeed a super-powered dude in his own way, he is far from dull. 

    Reacher is one of those rare power-fantasy characters who feels genuine and authentic. Mainly because he does things we all wish we could do and always does so not for money or anything selfish, but because it's the right thing to do. Many of us feel powerless against evil, but we often forget that we are not powerless at all. We all can be like Reacher in our own way; we just don't see it as clearly often enough. 

    The show does a remarkable job presenting Reacher as described in the books. More importantly, it also does a great job with everything else. 

    The mystery is exciting and genuinely tough to solve. The supporting characters are intelligent and relatable and are never made to be dumb for the sake of making Reacher look better. The action scenes are visceral with brilliant choreography and very little use of cheap gimmicks like shaky-cam. 

    If you have an Amazon Prime account, absolutely check this one out. It's totally binge-worthy! I genuinely hope to see more of this series in the future. 

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

7/14/22

Temporary Hiatus

 My Beautiful Readers, 

    I apologize for the lack of content as of late. As I alluded to before, many things have grasped my attention in the new year, including progress on my upcoming book. 

    The truth is that movies as a whole have taken a back seat in my list of priorities for the upcoming few months. While I have no intention of shutting down this blog nor quitting writing about cinema as a whole, I cannot say when I shall find myself back into a regular swing of reviewing movies. 

    I can promise you this: so long as there is breath in my lungs, mobility in my fingers, and a thought in my mind, I shall do my best to continue providing content on this blog and whatever other platform I may find myself using. 

    I thank you all for your patience and support during this uncertain year. 

    Don't forget; July 14, 2022. https://www.normanluce-writer.com 

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

See For Me - An Uncertain Thriller

 

For rent on Apple TV, Google Play, Amazon, and YouTube

    One of the most essential rules of screenwriting is your protagonist (the main character) must be (in some way) relatable, likable, or empathetic. The audience needs to identify with the protagonist to properly engage with the story. Sarah Conor (Linda Hamilton) from The Terminator or John McClane (Bruce Willis) from Die Hard are a few excellent examples. The story will suffer when you have an unlikeable or unrelatable protagonist because there's no tangible reason for investing our time. Case in point; why am I supposed to root for anyone in the movie I Care A Lot when everyone is selfish, unempathetic, and downright evil? 

    See For Me is a film with a protagonist who constantly loses balance on the tightrope between being sympathetic and otherwise not. Granted, part of the story is about the protagonist learning a lesson to become a better person, but it takes too long to reach that point. For the most part, the film is a genuine thriller with a pretty neat concept...that would have been more memorable if the protagonist wasn't so disjointed. 

    The story follows a young woman named Sophie (Skyler Davenport), a former professional skier who lost her sight after an accident. Since then, she's adapted to her disability and currently works as a housesitter for wealthy clients. They are wealthy enough that they might not miss one of their many bottles of uber-expensive wine, which Sophie can take home and sell-off. Her latest efforts appear to be going off without a hitch until a group of men sneak their way into the house and attempt to break into a hidden safe filled with dirty money. To survive, Sophie uses an app called "See For Me": a dedicated service for the blind that provides an assistant via video call. Sophie manages to connect with an assistant named Kelly (Jessica Parker Kennedy), a former soldier with the right kind of experience to help Sophie survive while waiting for the police to arrive. The only question is, how far will Sophie go to survive the night? 

    Overall, the film is fine. It has a solid premise, decent performances, and a couple of genuinely thrilling moments sprinkled throughout. It's a well-done execution of a neat concept. However, as I alluded to before, it partially suffers from a less-than-likable protagonist. 

    On the one hand, her personality and choices are understandable. She's a proud athlete who suddenly can't ski anymore and hates being treated as a weakling who needs help for most mundane things. That is something any of us can understand, even if we don't have a disability of some kind. But on the other hand (minor spoiler), her likability goes out the window when she decides to try and join the criminals who broke in, offering to help with the heist in exchange for a fair cut. Granted, part of why she would do it is to survive the ordeal. Still, the story feels as if it pushes the situation too far, causing the audience (intentional or not) to lose interest in the protagonist's plight. She's like a walking balance scale that's constantly shifting too far between the two extremes. And when the story finally provides her with the right balance, you wonder why it took so long. 

    The film also suffers from being yet another thriller that's too dark, as in too darkly photographed. Granted, it's a scary movie with a blind protagonist, so darkness does play an essential role in the story, but I can't help feel they missed a perfect opportunity to play around with the contrast. Like, the film could have been brightly lit for the first half, providing a disadvantage the protagonist has to overcome, as she slowly removes the light bringing the villains down to her level. Instead, the whole film is overrun with too many shadows all the time. Admittedly, that is just a minor nitpick. 

    See For Me may not have the most well-rounded protagonist, and it may suffer from too much low-light photography (understandable though it is), but it's still a decent thriller with a clever idea that, at the very least, does not feel wasted. If you need a quick scare for some reason, this might fit the bill. Give it a look if you're the least bit curious. 

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

Hear Me Roar - Why Doesn't Hollywood Understand Feminism?

 

"I want women to control their own health choices, just like I want my daughters to have the same opportunities as your sons." 

-President Obama

    I have tried to avoid directly discussing challenging and politically charged (for want of a better phrase) subjects here on my blog. This is primarily because this is a blog about movies and their escapist nature, which we all need, and spending too much time on any heavy subject can be exhausting or unwarranted. Typically, I would relegate such discussions to a quick and straightforward comment or carefully phrased joke pointing out the absurdity of whatever nonsense thing that a movie happened to remind me of. However, besides being a cinema enthusiast, I am also, among other things, a feminist. At least, I identify as such. And as a feminist, I can't help but notice a terrible pattern in Hollywood when it comes to its false and toxic perception of "Girl Power." It has bothered me for quite some time, and I can no longer remain silent on the subject. 

    Before I go any further with this discussion, please understand that it is not my intention to belittle, degrade, or "man-splain." I am all too aware of the frustrating and unfortunate effects of male privilege, misogyny, and sexism that continue to plague our existence in far too many ways. While I recognize how fortunate I am, I am not blind to what others have to suffer and endure for the stupidest of reasons (I'm looking at you, Texas!) 

    For me, being a feminist is, among other things, putting in the effort to make yourself aware of inequality and how to best combat it, preferably non-violently. Because I enjoy movies so much, I feel it is high time I shared my thoughts on a few movies in recent years (well, one in particular) that have tried to provide a "feminist" theme...and utterly failed! 

    

    First, what is feminism? The Merrian-Webster Dictionary defines feminism as "The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities." This is indeed what feminism means to me. However, in some circles, feminism is shifting from advocating for equality to, for want of a better term, "man-shaming." While I do not deny that a big part of fighting for equality is tackling patriarchy and abolishing male dominance in many fields, it should not, at least in my opinion, also entail the degradation and aggressive take-down of men as a whole. 

    I may be a middle-aged white male, but I'm not an idiot, nor do I appreciate being treated as such by anyone, least of all in cinema. 

    Let me give you an example of the kind of false & toxic cinematic feminism I'm referring to. 

    Consider for a moment 2019's Charlie's Angels, written and directed by Elizabeth Banks.

    This movie is one of a couple of films that choose to utilize probably one of the laziest and most toxic forms of false feminism, proclaiming that all women are good and all men are evil. While I have no doubt that writer and director Elizabeth Banks (a talented and highly skilled creator in her own right) had noble and understandable intentions with this movie, I have to say that I hate this movie as a feminist man. 

    Setting aside the clunky & unnatural sounding dialogue, inconsistent character beats, and wasted performances from otherwise talented & intelligent actors (seriously, Patrick Stewart, what were you thinking?), the movie's idea of feminism is toxic, counterproductive, and quite frankly, mean-spirited. 

    In an attempt to provide an outing for female empowerment, the movie became a monstrous dehumanization of all men, which is counter to what feminism is about and wholely unnecessary. Even as a work of escapist fantasy. While I agree that things like patriarchy and male privilege need to be seriously addressed and abolished, I don't think any of that can be achieved by directly insulting half the world's population.

    So, how did feminism, at least in cinema, go from promoting equality to misandry? Well, I have a theory: we're all tired of the lack of genuine progress. 

    We are over two decades into the 21st century, yet, we are still fighting unnecessary battles that have been raging on pretty much since the dawn of civilization. We are supposed to be better than this by now, but we don't appear to be. At least, not yet. 

    Perhaps what frustrates me the most about this situation, as it pertains to the cinema, is that too many mainstream movies are sending out the wrong messages. Cinema has a more significant influence on people than some might have you believe. It is irresponsible for storytellers to not hold themselves or their peers to higher standards than what has been shelled out in recent years. 

    The good news is not all recently released movies fail to provide a genuinely positive feminist message. Consider, once again, one of my favorite (and still criminally underrated) movies also released in 2019. 

    Yes, this movie stars a man (Will Smith), was directed by a man (Ang Lee), and was written by three men (David Benioff, Darren Lemke, and Billy Ray). Yet, this is one of my favorite examples of a film with a beautiful example of genuine feminism. Why? Because of the supporting character, Danny (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). 

    Danny is, hands down, one of the best-supporting characters in any movie and is an excellent example of genuine feminism in cinema (at least in my opinion). Aside from a semi-contrived strip search scene (seemingly and unnecessarily demanded of every conventionally attractive actress in Hollywood), Danny is never objectified, never talked down to, and the fact that she happens to be a woman is never brought up by anyone, not even the main villain. Danny is proactive, competent, intelligent, solves problems, and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty if the situation calls for it. And, indeed, she does so. A lot! 

    Danny isn't a woman character or female support or forced love interest...she's just a character, plain and straightforward. Every interaction between her and the main character, Henry (Will Smith), is just between two professionals who need each other to survive. Along the way, they develop a genuine partnership. No misogyny (not even as a joke), no unnecessary questions or commentary, no need to point out her sex at all. 

    This, to me, is what feminism in cinema (and indeed the real world) should look like. Because, whatever your stance may be, we are all human beings first. Everything else is just a secondary aspect of our human identity. All of which are ways to enhance characters and elevate your story. They should not be seen as some kind of hindrance or deemed "too difficult" to write, despite what the misogynist idiots over at UBISOFT would have you believe. 

    If feminism is about equality, then it falls onto all of us to display and present it in as many ways as possible. As understandable as some of our anger is, it is never the right way to solve any problem. While some sides of the conflict have more responsibility to follow through than others, we will never rise above if we don't maintain the unified vision of equality. 

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

I'm Still Here

 Hello, my beautiful readers, 

    I must apologize for my absence. As the new year kicked in, I was distracted by many essential things. The least of which is finalizing and preparing my next book for publication this summer. 

    I shan't be going away anytime soon. Rest assured, I will continue to write and deliver reviews of movies and other forms of cinematic commentary right here on my blog. This I promise you. 

    In the meantime, please prepare your anticipation for my first review of 2022. I have no idea what it'll be about yet, so you'll be just as surprised as I am. 

     I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you all soon. 

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