Temporary Leave of Absence

 

My beautiful readers, 

    Please don't worry; I am not retiring this blog. I intend to share my thoughts and feelings about movies and the like on this platform for as long as I can type. I am, however, going to take a little break away from reviewing movies for the foreseeable future. Primarily until the end of October. 

    I will take a little less than two weeks off my day job for something important: writing the first draft of my next book. I will spend most of my time putting together the basis for the next story in my future history series, which must take top priority now. 

    I will keep a regular blog update of my progress on my website. I encourage you all to please visit frequently and leave a comment on the blog additions there if you are so inclined. You will find a link to said website down below. 

    Rest assured, once the first draft is completed, I will be returning to my "regular scheduled program" as it were of reviewing movies and discussing all thing cinema on this blog. Until then, I wish you all a delightful Fall and a very Happy Halloween! Keep an eye out for a potential sooky special towards the end of this month, just in case. 

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

https://www.normanluce-writer.com/ 

Trailer Reaction - The Last of Us

 

    For my beautiful readers who are not regular gamers, The Last of Us is an excellent reputed video game title, heralded by many as a near-perfect example of nuanced storytelling interwoven with seamless gameplay; a post-apocalyptic story about guilt, survival, and facing an uncertain future with just enough hope for the betterment of humanity. It is one of my favorite video games of all time and was part of the inspiration for my book, Come See The Light (shameless plug). 

    In the years following the game's release back in 2013, several interested parties have eagerly attempted to produce a film adaptation. For a while, a feature-film project was in the works with producer Sam Raimi (known for the original Spider-Man trilogy and The Evil Dead) set to make it all happen. However, the project was ultimately shut down due to several disagreements between Raimi, Sony (the game's original publisher), and Neil Druckmann (the game's primary writer and creator). Long story short, the producers wanted to turn a complex dramatic story into a dumb action flick, which Drukmann was firmly against. 

    A few days ago, HBO Max dropped a trailer for their new series, an adaptation of The Last of Us. Based on what could be gleaned from the two-minute video, it would appear that the wait might have been well worth it. While we won't know how the adaptation favors on its own merits until its release next year, I can comfortably say that I am probably more excited about a video game adaptation than I have ever been before. 

    Film and television adaptations of famous video games have typically been, to put it mildly, nothing worth writing home about. Most of the time, the creative teams in charge of adapting a video game either miss the point of the game entirely or try too hard to reshape the game into something they would prefer to make, resulting in a jarring presentation that resembles the original game in name only. The closest we've ever gotten to a decent film adaptation of a highly acclaimed video game was Prince of Persia from 2010, and that's only because the director, Mike Newell, actually played the game seeking inspiration for how to best handle the film. 

    In the case of HBO Max's upcoming adaptation of The Last of Us, there is enough present in this one trailer to give me hope. 

    The most noticeable aspect thus far is the casting of Pedro Pascal as Joel, one of the game's protagonists. While Pascal is an incredibly talented actor with plenty of remarkable performances under his belt (The Mandalorian and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, to name a few), he's not entirely what most fans of the game would think of as the first choice. And before you even think it, no, it has nothing to do with his Chilean heritage. 

    In the game, Joel is an older man with a tragic past that reinforces his character and the choices he makes on his journey. He is also a very tall, very built, and very intimidating individual who will kill you without a second thought should you prove to be a threat to his survival. It's the kind of role that calls for someone like Harrison Ford or Denzel Washington: actors with a unique presence that never makes you question their validity on screen. Pedro Pascal has shown his potential for acquiring such a presence but hasn't yet had the opportunity to seek it out. Perhaps this will be the role that permits him the chance to stretch his range. In any case, I eagerly await what he will bring to the show. 

    Here's to looking forward to 2023 and hopefully justifying the renewal of my HBO Max subscription. In other words, please don't suck! 

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

https://www.normanluce-writer.com/

Beast - The Lion Won't Sleep...Until You're Dead!

 

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

    One of the most helpful and underrated artistic philosophies I've taken to heart is "elegance in simplicity." More often than not, it doesn't take too much to create a compelling narrative or an epic presentation. Example: we never needed to know how or why The Force works in Star Wars because we're more interested in the development of Luke Skywalker as a character. Plus, The Force is, among other things, the embodiment of agnosticism: basically accepting the notion that we can't prove nor disprove something, but the idea (whatever it may be) is fascinating in its own right and worth exploring for ourselves. It is easy to forget that the most unusual and (at times) horrifying things can happen for the simplest of reasons, which I think is significantly more relatable and gripping than any explanation. 

    Today's subject, Beast, is a prime example of this very notion. The story of a broken family fighting to survive an elementary yet deadly natural reaction to human folly. It's simplistic storytelling at its finest. 

    Dr. Nate Samuels (Idris Elba) is taking his two young daughters to visit their deceased mother's home village in the Savanna. They meet up with their "Uncle" Martin Battles (Sharlto Copley), who works with a local wildlife reserve and acts as their Safari guide. While touring the area and admiring the wildlife, they find a small village with most of its people eviscerated, seemingly by a Lion. As they attempt to make their way back to home base, they are confronted by the same Lion, enraged by a blood thirst for vengeance. It turns out that the Lion is the lone survivor of an attack on its pride from poachers, and it seems to have snapped & gone rogue, hellbent on killing all of its enemies. Nate must do what he can to save his daughters and, in the process, make amends for his past mistakes. 

    There are many kinds of "human vs. nature" movies, and many of them tend to be unintentionally silly (not the fun kind). Most of them will typically have some kind of animal bigger than natural, the result of an experiment gone wrong, or feature an entirely fictitious animal (usually Bigfoot) that may be scary in context but lacks any relatable terror. While these movies are fun and enjoyable in their own right (I am a fan of Anaconda myself), I find that it's much more visceral and relatable when the natural element is more down to Earth, as it were. It reinforces a sense of plausibility that makes the proceedings more relatable and, by extension, more terrifying. 

    What sells the movie is, somewhat surprisingly, the camera work. Cinematographers Philippe Rousselot and Baltasar Breki Samper utilize many long takes with the camera constantly following the action. This causes the audience to scan the whole frame, wondering what's on the edge of the screen. Adding to the tension of being hunted down by a rogue Lion! The camera seamlessly glides and transitions between scenes and moments, adding a subtle sense of realism to the film. It may not be as excellent as the perceivable one-shot presentation of 1917, but its quality of execution is equally impressive. 

    Of course, the acting also contributes to the relatability of the characters. The entire cast has remarkable chemistry and works off each other incredibly well. Despite spending most of his career as a grizzled tough guy, Idris Elba showcases his range as a relatable flawed man trying to do better. Sharlto Copley provides an excellent performance as a loving uncle and may very well be the best supporting character of the film. Then again, I can't recall when Sharlto Copley wasn't ever entertaining. Plus, the two young actresses playing the daughters get a few moments to shine as characters and contribute more to helping the situation than you might expect. A delightful treat indeed. 

    While the film loses a few points for occasional moments of annoying repetitive dialogue, along with one or two standard thriller clichés, Beast is a much better film than you might expect. It's a simple story of a family with an internal conflict given external form in an equally relatable situation, along with a profound reminder of the potential consequences of disregarding nature in the world and within ourselves. 

    Well worth the price of admission. Check this one out. 

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

Elvis (2022) - It Sounds Good...But Doesn't Look Good

 

Streaming on HBO Max 

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

    Director Baz Luhrmann has a lot in common with director Michael Bay: they both have an eccentric sense of style that distinguishes them. However, they also share the delusion that their style applies to every aspect of their movies, regardless of whether or not it fits. This laser-focused mindset often causes their movies to feel too one-note, with no sense of variety or narrative cohesion. While both directors can still deliver one or two unforgettable moments in their films, neither appears willing or able to step back, take a breath, and evaluate the best approach toward their projects. Other than how often they can swirl the camera around (or how many cuts they can make in one minute) before the audience passes out from overstimulation. 

    Luhrmann's latest offering, Elvis, a biopic about one of the many Kings of Rock & Roll, is another example of his tendency to overuse his style and the result of a fantastic idea for a stage show that's been shoe-horned into a movie. While the music and performances are incredible, the movie is too long and hyperactive for its own good. As much as I like aspects of the film, it simply doesn't work as a whole. 

    The main story revolves around the relationship between Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) and his long-time manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). Like any other biopic about a famous musician, we see Elvis's roots, rise to stardom, and depressing downfall at the tender age of 42. We get an idea of the Elvis we always had and a glimpse of the Elvis we never got. 

    As I alluded to earlier, the movie has no sense of pacing. It jumps from one moment to another with no sense of flow. The movie distracts you from its lack of fluidity with flashy montages and seemingly random editing choices. Still, it ultimately makes the whole experience feel much longer than it is, and not in a good way. The movie may be just under three hours, but it feels like three days. 

    Despite this migraine-inducing style, the music is absolutely amazing! Growing up with "classic rock" music, I found myself filled with the proper kind of energy that artists like Elvis emanated. If nothing else, Luhrmann does know how to recreate the feeling of generational music. Credit where credit is due. 

    While Tom Hanks delivers his usual professional and engaging presence, the MVP award goes directly to Austin Butler. Not only does he nail his Elvis impersonation, but his musical performances are also outstanding in their own right. I especially love his rendition of "Trouble," maybe more than the original. When you get me to like a cover of a classic song more than the original, you've accomplished something spectacular! 

    If I had to compare Elvis to another movie, it would be Blues Brothers 2000: both films are too crazy and incoherent for their own good, but the music is astonishing. If you are the least curious, give it the fifteen-minute test. Otherwise, you're probably better off just buying the soundtrack. I did. 

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

Devil in Ohio - A Masterclass in Human Horror

 

Streaming on Netflix 

"You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped." 

                                                                                            -John Armstrong 

    One of the more under-discussed horrors of the human condition is the psychology of trauma. Sure, plenty of stories and scientific studies explore and examine this aspect of psychological and emotional pain. Still, most of them (at least in my experience) tend to forget that while wanting to help someone from harm (either by others or themselves) is in and of itself a good thing, there are some cases when such efforts are regrettably futile. Sometimes, no matter how apparent the cause of ones suffering or undoing may be, their ultimate salvation must come from within. If they do not dare to seek it out for themselves, they will never find it, and the best we can do is help those who will. 

    A fantastic and beautifully crafted iteration of this idea is dutifully explored in the Netflix limited series Devil in Ohio. It is a story of trauma, abuse, survival, family, love, the desire to save someone in need, and the importance of being more mindful of who you try to save and why. 

    Based on the novel by Daria Polatin, the story follows Dr. Suzanne (Emily Deschanel), a social worker specializing in foster care for abused children. One night while on shift, she takes the case of a young girl named Mae (Madeleine Arthur), who was found on the side of the road with a massive wound on her back. Based on what little information they can glean from her, she appears to have escaped an abusive family (located in the mysterious area of Amon County) with unusual religious practices (to put it mildly). With nowhere else to go, Suzanne takes her into her home as her temporary guardian to keep her safe from her abusers and to hopefully figure out how best to keep her safe. Along with the help of Detective Lopez (Gerardo Celasco), Suzanne must solve the mystery of Mae's destructive family and, in the process, confront her own past demons. A task that proves itself easier said than done when strange things occur, casting a cloud of uncertainty and potential danger over the entire family. How far Suzanne will go to help those she cares about (and what her true motivations are) remains to be seen. 

    This series is, quite simply, perfect! I do not make that statement lightly. I have difficulty finding aspects of this series that would lower its high score. While it does have a few flaws here in there, mainly in the form of typical horror story cliches (like entering the house when you suspect a burglary in progress instead of hightailing it out of there), they are so few and far between as to be rendered negligible. It's scarce to stumble upon a show or movie that does so many things correctly and with commendable conviction. 

    The writing is where the series shines brightest. The characters are likable & relatable, have sympathetic flaws, and are intelligent. No character does anything stupid or out-of-character to advance the plot. The dialogue is sound and provides much of the film's wit and eerieness. Every aspect of the story and plot is expertly handled and treated with the utmost verisimilitude. I won't spoil how the story turns out, but I will say that it's much more human than you might think. 

    The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous! Why? one word: Contrast. A common issue with modern cinematography is the tendency to want images that look more natural and "realistic" with lighting that presents how a scene might look in the real world. The only problem is with any movie or television show; we already know it's not the real world, so we don't care if it looks realistic. At least not to such a degree that dark scenes are incomprehensible. The lighting in this series, especially during the nighttime scenes, perfectly conveys the intended mood, builds the appropriate atmosphere, and allows a fully comprehensive display of every moment. It should serve as a masterclass on how best to light a dark scene. 

    While I must provide a trigger warning to some of my beautiful readers for depictions of domestic & child abuse and self-harm, Devil in Ohio is a must-watch in every conceivable way. It is a tactfully crafted story with valuable lessons and a commentary on an aspect of the human condition that must be discussed more often than it typically is. If you have a Netflix account, do not delay seeing this series. 

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

https://www.normanluce-writer.com 

Samaritan - No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

 

Streaming on Amazon Prime

    Back in 2019, Sylvester Stallone injured my fandom toward him with Rambo: Last Blood, a miserable, racist, sexist slog of a film that felt less like a movie and more like a GOP propaganda piece pandering to the kind of anti-immigration crowd that doesn't realize nor care just how much they themselves are descendants of immigrants (but I digress). It was my worst film that year, and I felt the whole movie-going public deserved an apology. While we may never get one, we have been granted yet another punching bag in Stallone's latest line-up of tax-paying projects plopped on the bargain bin of streaming services, Amazon Prime. Samaritan may not be as toxic nor dangerous as Rambo: Last Blood, but it is about as terribly executed and nonsensical. It is a superhero movie for this kind of audience: 

    The story follows a young boy named Sam (Javon 'Wanna' Walton) living in a gritty & gruff rundown neighborhood with his single mother. After a skirmish with some local gang youths, he is saved from a savage beating by his neighbor, an old garbage man named Joe (Sylvester Stallone), who appears to have superhuman levels of strength. This causes Sam to believe he may be the legendary superhero, Samaritan, who was presumed dead almost thirty years ago after a fight with his arch-enemy, Nemesis. They form an unusual friendship as they partake in cliché old guy & young kid interactions (seen in every other movie with this kind of setup but without any kind of nuance). Meanwhile, a local crime boss named Cyrus (Pilou Asbaek) has stolen the helmet and weapon once belonging to Nemesis and uses them to take control of the city. This eventually prompts Joe to take on the old mantle and face his past in the most asinine and predictable way possible. 

    I don't mean to sound like a pseudo-intellectual, but I predicted the "twist" of the film within the first five minutes. Not because I had seen this kind of twist before but because it was so painstakingly obvious that I had almost expected it to be a deliberate misdirect towards something genuinely clever. Spoilers: it wasn't; it was just stupid! 

    The script is unquestionably the weakest aspect of the film. Imagine if David Ayer wrote Logan while watching Wrestle Mania! It feels like a lazy amalgamation of every old-reluctant-hero movie thrown into a blender with excessive amounts of steroids and testosterone. Not even director Julius Avery, best known (okay, only known) for the action/horror masterpiece Overlord, can salvage anything usable from the script. 

    Samaritan is trash in every possible way and not the good kind! It's just bad, plain and simple! It is not unintentionally funny, it is not accidentally clever, and it is not ironically enjoyable. If you're looking for a Stallone movie with those qualities, watch Judge Dredd. It may not be technically sound, but it is much more entertaining than this piece of junk. 

    Also, movie studios that aren't Marvel must stop trying to de-age their stars. 

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

Bullet Train - Mostly Good Script, Really Bad Direction

 

Playing in Theaters 

    Imagine you walk into a bake shop where they make your favorite cake. It's being made by the same people you know who always make it well; you see the bakers preparing the right ingredients and having all the proper tools to make it delicious. But something is wrong, you're not quite sure what it is, but something is not right with the bakers today, as you witness them suddenly using too much of the wrong ingredients, resulting in a cake that looks like something you would enjoy, but doesn't taste like it. 

    Such is the case for today's subject, Bullet Train. A high-octane action thrill ride with all the proper ingredients, which should make for a fun time at the movies, only to tragically sink like an improperly baked soufflé with too much stuff to elicit proper emotional resonance. The little good stuff the film has is overshadowed by everything it does poorly, and the worst part is that it didn't have to be that way. 

    Based on the book by Kôtarô Isaka, the story follows a freelance errand boy codenamed Ladybug (Brad Pitt). He's tasked with retrieving a briefcase from a Japanese bullet train. Little does he know that, for too many reasons, other people on the train are out to get him and the case. Most are deadly killers who stop at nothing to get what they want. As Ladybug faces one threat after another, he discovers a more excellent mystery at play and seeks to figure it out before he finds himself at the wrong end of a sword.  

    Despite the film having a decent protagonist, witty dialogue, and a creative set-up for an action vehicle, it's all bogged down by too many characters with rushed development and way too much reliance on gory shock value. I don't have a problem with graphic violence in media, provided it is justifiable and in service to the story. And while it makes sense that a bullet train full of lethal assassins and the like would leave a fair amount of bloody messes, they lose their impact when there have already been three blood baths before we even hit the thirty-minute mark. 

    Also, when I say there are too many characters, I mean it introduces new supporting characters seemingly every fifteen minutes, complete with cliff notes versions of their backstories, and then unceremoniously killed off in the proceeding action set piece. It's like they were all cut & pasted into the script using craft scissors and Elmer's glue! 

    What's most frustrating about these issues is that they shouldn't be here! Everything in this movie should work, and yet none of it really does! Director David Leitch (best known for the action masterpiece Hobbs & Shaw) has proven himself capable of handling action and epic storytelling without resorting to unnecessary gratuitousness. Screenwriter Zak Olkewicz, despite only having two previous writing credits to his name, shows a genuine talent for witty dialogue and creative character moments. Brad Pitt continues to amaze us with his unyielding charisma and star presence. Where it all went wrong is as much of a mystery as what kind of drugs were passed around on set. 

    Bullet Train is a disappointing film with so much wasted potential and too much of the same mishandled, over-the-top insanity. Concepts like this require a sense of balance and maturity that everyone on the creative team either doesn't have or checked at the door. If you need an excellent silly action movie to brighten your day, watch Hobbs & Shaw again. It's the same director with better producers and is a much more entertaining thrill ride. 

    Skip this one. 

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