“WICKED” IS A MUSICAL MASTERPIECE!

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - WICKED [2024] - PG - Directed by Jon M. Chu. Written by Winnie Holzman & Dana Fox. Songs by Stephen Schwartz. Starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande-Butera, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum. Budget $150 Million.

This film is a quasi-prequel to The Wizard of Oz. Following the death of the Wicked Witch of the East, Galinda [Grande], the Witch of the West, recalls the earlier life of Elphaba [Erivo] and the trials and tribulations she went through in her earlier years. Through many song and dance acts, an emotional story begins to unfold, presenting that Elphaba has had a hard life, being born with green skin and always been separated from her father and always a step behind her little sister, who was crippled at birth. Over time, she is exposed to going to a "school of arts" where she accidentally presents to the entire school that she has sorcerer-type powers [of sort] that catches the eyes of one of the leading members of the school faculty. During this time there is a political shift against talking animals, who were professors that taught many of the students in important subjects, forcing many of these teachers to leave the school. Later, after some training in her powers she is welcomed to meet the Wizard of Oz at the Emerald City. Elphaba realizes the truth about the Wizard of Oz and begins to rebel against the norms of the society that has been played as a "perfect society."

THE GOOD - Brilliant wardrobe choices and top of the line use of blue screen and practical effects. Singing seems live and dancing performances are well choreographed. The story telling and reboot of the original “WIZARD OF OZ” movie was brilliantly thought out and put to a proper screenplay. Outstanding use of lighting and cinematography!

THE BAD - There’s lots of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) casting within the large ensemble of extras in this film. Every other cut in the film shows a diverse breed of actors from straight, to gay, to transgender, to black actors galore. There is also a showing of “group inclusion” with bullying that hits deep against the leading actress. The bullying presented is very reminiscent of today’s issues with American youths in school ending with the obvious retort of a student whose “had enough.”

POSTMORTEM - This is a spectacular film. I’m not a huge fan of theater-stage type musicals and I was actually getting ready to walk out of the movie during the first 30 minutes. But the production suddenly twisted a direction that was more enjoyable to the male audience, giving a better story line to follow, building towards a disruptive plot line that brought the original film’s plot into view and makes you rethink the prior history; the back dealings that possibly occurred before Dorothy arrived to Oz. There are some tremendous, emotional and song performances by Erivo and Grande that are sure to win them Oscars in 2025.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ [4 of 5 Stars]

PEACOCKS "SPEAK NO EVIL" IS A SOUND THRILLER!...

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - SPEAK NO EVIL [2024] - [R] - Peacock - Directed & Written by James Watkins. Screenplay by James Watkins. Produced by Jason Blum through Blumhouse Productions. Based on the book "Speak No Evil" by Christian & Mads Tafdrup. Starring James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, Scoot McNairy, Dan Hough, and Alex West Lefler. Budget $15 Million.

A married couple, Ben & Louise [Davis and McNairy], are traveling in Italy where they meet a another married couple, Paddy & Ciara [McAvoy and Franciosi], who invite them out to their European villa for a week to relax in a quiet, ranch home for a time to reflect. Each couple has one child [Hough and Lefler] and they bring everyone together to breath in the fresh atmosphere. Ben and Louise find some small details that bother them throughout their stay, but Paddy has the ability to quell their fears and constant questioning of the little things they find. As time passes, Paddy becomes more and more aggressive, which threatens the visiting family and their child. Before anyone knows it, the visiting family falls into both mental and physical psychological danger, forcing them to try and outsmart Paddy and his plan to take over the mental stability of the family.

THE GOOD - Pristine and simple cinematography. Some of the overhead 4K drone footage is breathtaking. The sound and editing is top notch. I truly enjoyed the character development, presenting the strengths and weaknesses of all the mature characters being presented. Location spotting was perfect for presenting the story. This has to be one of McAvoy's best and sharp performances as a psycho, narcissistic powerhouse who seems to grow larger in mass as the temperament in the movie increases.

THE BAD - Not all of the film was apparently shot in 6K digital. There are some scenes that are washed out with a slight haze on the corners of the film. There was a lot of soft lighting [or natural light] that was used which increased the shadows on certain angles of the casts faces. Little use of steady-cams on some scenes that seemed to be short and rushed.

POSTMORTEM - This is a damn good film. The tension was high, so much so that I was on the edge of my seat throughout the intense scenes and there was a good closing at the end of film, ensuring that there would be no sequels. Franciosi was perfectly cast as a deranged wife who supported her husband to the edge of insanity. But supreme kudos to child actor Dan Hough, who didn't speak a word in the film, but delivered a dramatic, realistic  performance that helped seal the deal to present you a blistering dramatic film.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ [4 of 5 Stars]

RUN HIDE FIGHT [2020] IS A STUNNER OF A FILM!!!

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - RUN HIDE FIGHT [2020] - R - DailyWire - Directed and written by Kyle Rankin. Produced by Amanda Presmyk & Dallas Sonnier. Starring Isabel May, Radha Mitchell, Thomas Jane, Eli Brown, Treat Williams, and Olly Sholotan. Budget $1.5 Million.

Zoe Hull [May] is an intelligent teenager who recently lost her mother. She was taught to track and hunt by her father [Jane], a military veteran, and is a proven survivor respected by teachers and most of the students at her school. On "Senior Prank Day" several mentally deranged students, many who have been bullied in the past by other prominent students as well as teachers, take over the school cafeteria by force, shooting and stabbing some students and teachers and forcing them to watch and record their terror on their phones. Images of the entire school shooting are presented online, as the school fails to act quickly enough to the shooters premeditated plans to kill many, spread dysfunction to their town, and escape in a fiery hell. In a moment of clarity while she could just run away, Zoe decides to re-enter the school and save as many students as she can; all while facing the demons of losing her mother to suicide.

THE GOOD - Casting was top notch. Isabel May performs at top level with a unique ability to shift emotions as the environment falls down around her. Some impressive low-budget effects, with solid directing during some intensely dramatic scenes. The sound was good. Cinematography was pretty impressive. Thomas Jane [also known to have once played "The Punisher"] plays a very believable military veteran and father, who sets out to take action to stop the school shooters.

THE BAD - For all of the violence, there's very little blood in the movie. Some of the scenes were shot in lower film quality and angles that keep the viewer from seeing the damage caused by the school shooters, which would have elevated the tension.

POSTMORTEM - This film is definitely a nail-biter. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, cheering the leading actress as she progressed through the school trying her best to warn the other teachers and classmates. I understand that for many who actually lived through an experience like this film, it might be hard to see, but the ending is worth all the misery that was presented throughout the film, especially with recent events where police forces acted too slow. This low-budget indie film was purposely made to stun audiences depicting real events that brought a dark clouds in our nations weakness with the lack of student safety during school hours. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 [4.5 of 5 Stars]

THE LAST ISSUE OF THE QSE.357 FOR 2024 IS RELEASED!

QSE.357 ISSUE 39 of 10/1/2024

52 Pages

ON THE COVER - Rachel "Wilder" Whaley
Promo Photo by Micro Photography

MAIN ARTICLES

A Busy Year for the QSE.357 - WE have tons and tons of never before released photos and liner notes from cast & crew members regarding several promo photo shoots and film projects. There are some great memories openly shared and a special look back at some issues from 2022 & 2023.

Studio Leading Actors - The QSE Awards for 2024 are out and statuettes are getting ready for delivery! The QSE Awards list is enclosed with a special category for teenage actor awards.

What to expect in 2025 - Every year the QSE.357 E-Mag changes format, always bringing you the best entertainment for all of our subscribers. Our opinionated publication is spreading out to many areas of the globe, presenting stories
from a large number of studios.

 YOU MUST BE A SUBSCRIBER TO VIEW THE FULL CONTENTS THIS NEW 2024 ISSUE OF THE QUANTUM STORM .357 E-MAGAZINE AND FOLLOW THIS BLOG

 Thank you for stopping by!

 

 

"THE GAUNTLET" WAS 1977'S SILENT ACTION/DRAMA MASTERPIECE!!!

In 1977, Clint Eastwood directed a stunner of a dramatic movie called "THE GAUNTLET" which he also starred in, which broke away from the "Dirty Harry" film genre that was quickly making him more famous. He brought with him several known back up actors, including the sexy Sandra Locke, who turned on the sultry and sexiness side of herself to set her brilliantly as a character who lived life on the streets as a well known Las Vegas prostitute. As with most films of this time, it's hard to believe that Eastwood and Locke were not the first actors chosen to play the lead parts in the film. This movie was not received well by then established and influential film critics of the time, but Eastwood fans listed The Gauntlet as one of his best directorial productions.

With well developed characters written by Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack, a weathered Eastwood plays the part of Police Detective Ben Shockley, a deadbeat and alcoholic Phoenix police detective who is assigned to extradite witness, Augustine "Gus" Mally [Locke] from Las Vegas, NV to Phoenix, AZ. Shockley has been told by his superior that Mally is a "nothing witness for a nothing trial" and Shockley's mindset is that this is an easy gig to get his superiors off his ass for the moment. Throughout her characters introduction, Mally hints that her part in the trail is bigger and darker than what Shockley may comprehend, eventually leading to the fact that the mob has infiltrated the highest circles of the Phoenix police force and Mally has a big bullseye set out on her life. The two have considerable and coincidental bad luck at every turn, and even after learning that there is a Las Vegas bet against him making it to Phoenix, Shockley is out to prove everyone wrong and actually deliver the witness on time and in front of all concerned trying to end her life.

After Shockley and Mally fall for one another in one night of passion, he makes a daring attempt to deliver the witness by hijacking a bus and drive him at the witness straight up to the courthouse during broad daylight. This bus is driven through a large barrage of heavily armed police officers, who openly fire at the large bus in an attempt to stop the bus from arriving on time, or at all. Keep in mind that a large part of this films budget covered the cost of thousands of small explosive "squibs" that were drilled into place on not only a bus, but a home that were demolished through apparent gun fire. This special effect was established long before computer graphics existed. But the lifelike effect made a tremendous impression on movie goers at the time and is still an impressive special effect to witness on screen today.

The budget on the film was $5.5 Million but made an impressive $35.4 million at the box office. I honestly like this film and have watched it several times over the course of the last few years. If you get a chance to watch it, you should. Is it worth renting, of course. I guarantee that you'll be entertained and that Sandra Locke will impress you with the noteworthy sleaziness of her playing a true prostitute to form.

"THE SHIFT" WAS NOT AS IMPRESSIVE AS IT'S TRAILER

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - THE SHIFT [2023] - AppleTV - PG13 - Directed & written by Brock Heasley. Produced by Brock Heasley and Ken Carpenter. Starring Kristoffer Polaha, Neal McDonough, Elizabeth Tabish, Rose Reid and John Billingsley. Budget $6.4 million.

Kevin Garner [Polaha] meets the love of his life, Molly [Tabish], at a bar just after losing his job. He's a recovering alcoholic who stumbles to get back on his feet, even after raising a small family. After having an argument with his wife, he goes to work, loses his job and on his way home he is in a car accident. He awakens to find himself being talked to a man called "The Benefactor" [McDonough], who approaches Garner, telling him that his life has essentially been "adjusted" for the needs of the Benefactors life plan. Garner is tempted at a change in his life, but feels that something is wrong and begins to pray to God for direction, which forces the Benefactor away, and Garner finds himself in a strange world, where everyone is afraid and unable to break away from a city filled with less spiritual people and godlike guidance in their lives. He begins to suspect that The Benefactor may be Satan, straying him away from a honest, spiritual life. He outsmarts the demon to find his way to a new life, a strong marriage, and a family that every man could dream for.

THE GOOD - There's a strong, modest start to the story telling. The plot is pretty strong with some shocking twists and turns. Visual effects are impressive and the sound is pristine. Neal McDonough looked comfortable bringing the character of The Benefactor to life, giving him a mysterious and dubious presentation.

THE BAD - Low Quality 4K cinematography with some very amateur camera tricks and special effects that all look pretty outdated. Poloaha's performance lacked a real life quality essential to make the character of Garner feel realistic enough to make you care. The supporting actors were plenty, but their performances were anything but marginal to effect the outcome of the films plot.

POSTMORTEM - After watching a one minute clip trailer to this film somewhere, I was driven to watch it and hope that the rest of the film delivered a dramatic, paranormal, and exciting product. The entire story fell apart after the plateau of the features most climactic arc, during the first ten minutes of the film. There are wasted efforts trying to present misdirection when the obvious plot line was presented after the initial introduction of The Benefactor. This isn't a good movie. There's very little entertainment and the director certainly fails to deliver a gospel-like message at the end of the fairy tale.

⭐️⭐️💫 [2.5 of 5 Stars] 

ANTHONY HOPKINS PERFORMANCE IN "MAGIC" [1978] IS BEYOND TRILLING!

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - MAGIC [1978] - [R] - Amazon Prime - Directed by Richard Attenborough. Screenplay by William Goldman. Based on the book by William Goldman. Produced by Joseph E. and Richard P. Levine. Stars Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Ed Lauer, and David Ogden Stiers. Budget $7 Million.

This is a dark drama about a down and out magician/comedian, Charles "Corky" Withers [Hopkins], who is slowly dwindling away performing at sketchy bars to minimal crowds, but he boasts to his mentor, Merlin, that he has great attendance with tentatively active crowds. After his mentor passes, Withers creates a fantastic ventriloquist act with a dummy named Fats. His new gimmick catches the eye of a talent agent [Meredith], who persuades many producers to "Give the new kid a shot." But the problem is that Corky has a building inner fear with self doubt of being successful and  is in terror of reaching for the stars. It's such a problem that he steps away from the limelight and returns to his hometown where he meets and falls for his old high school crush, Peggy Snow [Margret]. He rents a local cabin and tries to sort his feelings about success, using his dummy to try and find answers. But along the way, the dummy seems to guide Corky in the wrong direction, causing great harm to anyone who questions him or tries to help him.

THE GOOD - Crisp cinematography. Strong direction and a brilliant one-man performance by Hopkins. The addition of Ann-Margret was a nice touch for the time and Meredith's performance was starkly familiar with the "Micky" character from ROCKY [1975] that made his part extremely likeable and trustworthy. Location spotting was perfect for the production, giving the film a dark, dying feel to the whole film.

THE BAD - The movie plateaus too soon in my opinion. There is a desperate feel to make Corky seem too paranoid about his surroundings which forces Hopkins to perform the character with an explosive, bipolar fuel of instant anger that just seems over dramatic and drawn out at times. I'm not 100% sure the music fit the film, but it seems that the sound track was rushed an not thought-out well.

POSTMORTEM - This film was filmed with the use of one camera. Most of the scenes were shot in a "soap opera" style format used in the time of the 70's which forced the actors to perform at a higher level. Even though the scenes with dummy was creepy, I feel that the scenes were dumbed down for the audience, leaving some to speculate as to whether the dummy had a mind of its own or not. This is a classic film and something great to watch if you like watching realistic, psychotic, dramatic films.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 [3.5 of 5 Stars]

KRISTI LYNN - SPECIAL MEMORIES OF A TIME LONG AGO...

The first time I laid eyes on Kristi Lynn was on the big screen at a theater in Boston, MA. She had a role in a slasher film with Bernice Tremblay and I was truly impressed with her performance as a mother who got what she had coming to her. Bernice was excited about being in another film and I was angling on meeting new talent to bring into the web series we were currently working on entitled, STAR TREK BEYOND [STB].

After the slasher film ended, I got to meet several of the cast and crew, but more importantly, I was introduced to Kristi Lynn, who just seemed to light up the whole room with her big smile and muscular physique, reaching out to people and hugging them left and right. Quite honestly, the movie wasn't anything to brag about, but the cast and crew were full of smiles and pride of having their film up on the big screen. Shortly after that night, I asked Bernice to make contact with Kristi and see if she was interested in playing a part in our web series. According to Bernice, Kristi didn't hesitate to say "yes."

A few days later, we drove out to a farm in the middle of Massachusetts, where I got to meet Kristi and her pet monkey Deke. No need to go into deeper detail, but there were a lot of laughs and deep conversations. I explained to Kristi what I was looking for and immediately she went into how to costume up for the part. When I left the ranch, there was this wild fascination about Kristi that just lingered in my mind. I figured that her part in the series would either actually work or bomb out with the gaining fan-ship that was following the series at the time.

What isn't known about the development of the web series was that I spent lot of time designing the show to do everything "our way." We entered production making things up and trying to distance ourselves from everything every other fan production was doing, presenting certain uniforms, ships designs, story telling. I figured that by bringing in a female "Q" to the show, would certainly shake things up and force fans to watch the show to see how it all panned out in the end.

The day Kristi arrived on set to shoot her first scenes, she was fighting a migraine. Me knowing women very well, I didn't ask anything about it, except if she was still willing to get this thing started, and she nodded yes. About an hour later, she had her hair and makeup done. She came down the stairs and was wearing a dark black suit. I was in the kitchen with Jeremy Chubb, an actor and co-producer of the series, making pancakes and brewing coffee.

I'm not sure if STB fans know that we had converted the entire first floor of an apartment into the bridge and engineering spaces for the series, but that didn't stop Kristi from barreling through the apartment set looking for a hot cup of coffee and a fresh plate of pancakes to get her day started. That was when she revealed to us that she was fighting a major hangover and that Margaritas "weren't her thing." I sat in awe watching her eat and drink, all the time chirping out with that New Englander accent.. I found it pretty damn funny, to tell you the truth.

Later, Bernice showed up and we hopped into one car and drove all over the place shooting scene after scene. I had scripted the entire five-part episode of the Borg War that contained the Q in the series and we went through each scene in order. Most of the scenes wouldn’t be seen for over two months during that point, so the actors were performing blind, hoping I would edit everything together and it all made sense. Since much of the web series was shot in that same way, I had plenty of practice, so I wasn't worried. Bernice, who at this point entered the series also as a co-producer, just didn't want actors driving back and forth all the time for small stuff. But the web series was in good hands and with everyone keeping an eye on the scripts, we handled everything very well.

When we returned to the apartment [studio], I reviewed the footage, checking the sound as I went along. It was getting late, Kristi was hungry, but I found that there were two important spots that required Automated Dialog Replacement, or ADR, but Kristi was all for doing it right then and there. With so much practice and work in prior films, she nailed the ADR requirements on the first try, all from memory. I was floored with her talent and then took her out to dinner before she left for home.

Kristi made a huge impression on me and the crew that day. I called on her services one more time during the fourth season of the series and she again delivered a masterful performance. We took pictures on the cove in New London, CT that day. She was sexy, elegant, and just full of excitement of her wearing a formal white dress. I'll never forget that last day of shooting with her. She was funny, happy, and filled with so much energy. We went out drinking that night and she did a little karaoke with me. Kristi left the next day after I made her pancakes and coffee again. She was one hell of a lady.

A few months ago, I reached out to her about putting together a reunion of the entire cast from STB. Over the course of almost 20 years, the STB web series is a fan favorite with a huge following. Some of the cast and myself pondered the chance of shooting one more episode to tie everything together and maybe launch the old web series into another SciFi project. On the phone, Kristi was excited about replaying the role of "Q" in front of the camera again. From the photos I saw on Facebook, Kristi still looked the same to me, vibrant, sexy, happy. On the spot, I asked her is she was a vampire and she belted out a loud New Englander laugh...She will be missed.

Rest in Peace, Kristi. You were one hell of a lady!

David Quintana and the entire cast & crew of
STAR TREK BEYOND [2006-2008]

THE NOVEMBER EDITION OF THE QSE.357 E-MAG IS RELEASED

QSE.357 ISSUE 38 of 10/1/2024

38 Pages

ON THE COVER - Kristi Lynn
Promo Photo by Godfather Productions

MAIN ARTICLES

Reflections of Kristi Lynn - A huge loss to the indie film scenes in the East Coast and a BIG loss to the STB team, Kristi had a life that was full of excitement, adventure, and fantasy. We share insights to working with Kristi on our first production, the fan series Star Trek Beyond.

Makeup Effects Champion - Texas Indie films are proving that makeup effects can boost the production level of their future works. We introduce to you four award winning makeup artists.

Is TUBI Worth Your Time? - Passing up a distributor for instant release on a streaming platform may not be the best idea to run with. Learn about some of the horror stories with films that lost a good chance at a distribution deal due to releasing their films on Tubi.

 YOU MUST BE A SUBSCRIBER TO VIEW THE FULL CONTENTS THIS NEW 2024 ISSUE OF THE QUANTUM STORM .357 E-MAGAZINE AND FOLLOW THIS BLOG

 Thank you for stopping by!

NETFLIX'S "UZUMAKI" TAKES STRANGE & WEIRD TO THE NEXT LEVEL!...

🎥🎞️Series Review🎞️🎥 - UZUMAKI [2024] - [PG13] - NetFlix - Directed by Higuchinsky. Screenplay by Takao Niita. An animated Manga-style series based on the graphic novel by Junito Ito. Produced by Sumiji Miyake. Voice actors; Abby Trott, Robbie Dsymond, Christina Valenzuella, Max Mittelman, Aaron LaPlante, and Mona Marshall.

A young girl named Kirie Goshima [Abby Trott] initially wandering around walking in circles. Over time, some people and close friends have disappeared, others have become deformed or have transformed through metamorphosis into another species, but all have been marked by a spiraling bruise prior to transformation or becoming deformed. This girl has to learn what is causing these transformations, some which has proven to be painful and others have shown to be dangerous and deadly to innocent people in the immediate area, and try to prevent exposure to this apparent "spiral syndrome" that is devouring everyone within her little world.

THE GOOD - The animation and graphic detail are outstanding and consistent throughout the series. The visualization of many of the nightmarish scenes strike a chord with horror. The editing and progression of the story from one scene to another is smooth. There is a constant creepy feel to each episode and some of the transformations and death scenes are jaw dropping. The best part of some of the scenes are the ones that contain one-liner jokes that are tossed about freely and perfectly performed by the voice actors. 

THE BAD - As with most animated films, there are scenes with a lot of dialog that occurs during the slower portions of series; some of it useful, but a lot of it worthless.

POSTMORTEM - This series is so intertwined with well designed morbid graphics that one can't shake off the immediate uncomfortable feeling of what to expect next. The mystery is expertly hidden throughout the series run and you will not be able to figure out the stories angle to find an alternative way to combat the entity that has smothered Kirie's little town. The real answer at the end of series will take your expectations to the next level. As much as I liked this series, the black and white presentation helps build the creepy vibe. I don't think this series would work has as much if it were produced in color or with live actors.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 [3.5 of 5 Stars]

NETFLIX'S "LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND" SHOULD BE LEFT BEHIND THE DUMPSTER!...

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND [2023] - PG13 - Nextflix - Directed by Sam Esmail. Based on a book by Rumaan Alam. Produced by Julia Roberts, Sam Esmail, Barrack Hussien Obama, Michelle Obama, Lisa Gillian, Chad Hamilton. Stars Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans, Myha'la, and Kevin Bacon.

A little girl [Mackenzie] is on a family vacation to Long Island where the sudden loss of the internet, GPS, and cell service systems leaves the little girl in a proverbial lurch from watching the last episode of Friends. The world about her gets strange, as animals start acting weird, her brother [Evans] has the "instant hots" for a foul mouthed black teen [Myha'la], her flirtatiously drunk mother [Roberts] takes a nibble of making moves on a black man [Ali] who she initially hates meeting at first, and finds out just how useless her father [Hawke] truly is in life altering situations. As the days pass, strange alliances begin to form and even though there are signs that the world has fallen into silence and that [apparently] boats and planes can't function without GPS technology, the little girl struggles to find out what happens at the end of the Friends Television series, even distancing herself from her family, to finally watch the last episode by herself. - Honestly, that's the whole movie! -

THE GOOD - Epic cinematography. Good sound. Good visual effects. Lighting was fine, editing okay.

THE BAD - Lots and lots of dialog between actors. Bad screenplay. Useless character development. Lack of story. Complete misuse of a strong cast. Bad story telling. Bad ending. Lack of story arc. Lack of story details. 

POST MORTEM - COMPLETE DOGSHIT!!! - Definitely the shittiest movie I've ever seen. This film was given some credence because it garnered some attention from the Obama family who decided to help with the story and production, but they were obviously helping two Muslim filmmakers start a career in movie making - sorry to be so political. Lots of white shaming going on in this train wreck...well, more like slow drowning in shallow water. Roberts almost kisses a black man, and Myha'la made it clear in the film [with passion] that she was not going to fuck a white man whose son had the hots for her; totally uncalled for and not professional at all in film story telling. There's nothing cute or smart about this film. There's never any information shared about what is transpiring or why. The gaps in the "secretive nature" of Esmail's character is just dumb and ill prepared in being dramatic. Don't believe the attempt to scare you about how something scary could happen in today's technological world, and seriously don't waste your time on this crap. NONE of what transpires in this film will EVER happen in real life....and don't EVEN get me started on the bad ending!

💩💩💩💩💩 [5 of 5 Poops]

HBOMAX CLAIMS THE WORST FILM OF 2024 WITH "SALEM'S LOT"

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - SALEM'S LOT [2024] - [R] - HBOMax - Directed & written by Gary Dauberman. Produced by James Wan, Michael Clear, Roy Lee, Mark Wolper. Stars Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, Pilou Asbaek, Spencer Treat Clark, William Sadler, Alfre Woodard, Bill Camp, and Jordan Preston.

Inspired from the now famous Stephen King book, a writer [Pullman] returns home for inspirational purposes. After a short while, local nieghbors, old friends, and a few kids start disappearing and he beings to understand that something strange is occurring and endangering all of the local townsfolk. Before he can actually grasp the type of danger he is in, he learns that a vampire is turning all of the towns people into vampires who are quickly spreading their demon-like life around like a deadly virus. 

THE GOOD - The cinematography is impressive. There's some notable editing and the movie flows seamlessly from one scene to another. The lighting is on par with a good production shooting scenes clearly at night. There's no over acting. Great use of location spotting. The sound is above what I expected.

THE BAD - There's nothing creepy about this film. There's a lot of under-acting by several extras. The story arc, even though it may resemble Stephen King's book, is an off shoot with the director/writer taking a lot of liberties that don't work. Tons of 80's horror effects and bad acting concerning the convergence of people turning into vampires. Silly use of cut-aways; where some vampires just suddenly disappear into the dark. There's bad gore, bad delivery of jump-scares.

POST MORTEM - This is a bad movie. Almost "slasher-like" and it was boring. I ad to stop watching the movie and restart it on the next day. There's no flair, no substance to developing the good guys. I honestly didn't give a shit about any of the characters who were trying to fight to survive. There's a part in the film where a doctor [Woodard] outsmarts a vampire bite, treating it like an infection without any real chemical analysis. I'd say don't bother watching this film. It almost fell into my infamous "DOGSHIT" rating, but I'll leave that to local amateur indie films.

⭐️💫 [1.5 of 5 Stars]

APPLE TV HAS A DEFINITE HIT WITH "WOLFS"

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - WOLFS [2024] - [R] - Apple+ - Directed & written by Jon Watts. Produced by Apple Studios, Plan B Entertainment, & Smokehouse Pictures. Stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, & Poorna Jagannathan. Budget $85 Million.

After a married woman [Ryan] witnesses her "side-lover" fall to his death crashing into a glass serving table in her luxurious hotel room, she calls a special cleaner [Clooney] to "clean up" the mess and get her out of the trouble she may be in. All is going according to plan until a second cleaner [Pitt] arrives, being hired by the hotel manager to observe the first cleaners job. During a time of cleaning, the duo share notes on how to clean a scene, when one of them finds a backpack full of unprocessed drugs.  They both summarize that the drugs belong to a local cartel who could start up lots of trouble, so they both use all of their known contacts to help them track down the possible real owners of the drugs. This is where a real adventure begins as the cleaners have to find the owners of the heroine and erase any existence of their work, and more especially, their identities.

THE GOOD - A large part of this film was filmed using the new Apple iPhone 18 Max; which was a good call with the slow motion and close up shots. Clooney and Pitt have outstanding chemistry, both developing parts of the same type of character; dressing the same, carrying the same weapons, being prepared for the same type of upcoming scenario, knowing the same contacts, etc. The visual effects are outstanding and the location spotting was perfect. Filmed entirely in New York, the director flawlessly showcased the underbelly of New York with some impressive cinematography. The editing was top notch, making the movie flow seamlessly from one scene to another, presenting a realistic feel of the consequences should the duo fail to complete their jobs.

THE BAD - Some of the bad guys in this film are never shown, only mentioned in passing or with mysterious phone calls; leaving all kinds of questions lingering. There is some dialog between the two main characters that seem to goo too long at times.

POST MORTEM - This is a great action/dark comedy, with some well thought-out twists and turns that tie the whole thing together with a surprise ending that had me as surprised as the main characters. This could be an interesting first part to a two-part film. Kudos to Apple+ for producing this little gem which is sure to beg for a follow up sequel!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 [4.5 of 5 Stars]

THE OCTOBER 2024 EDITION OF THE QSE.357 E-MAG IS RELEASED!

QSE.357 ISSUE 37 of 10/1/2024

42 Pages

ON THE COVER - Ramiro Avendano Mireless

MAIN ARTICLES

A Legend By Others - Five years ago, Ramiro [Ro] Avendano-Mireless had a strong following of supporters in Las Vegas, NV; five years before that, he had a cult follow him in San Antonio, TX. Today he's escaped the indie film grind, wasted $200K of investors money, while the people who religiously followed his footsteps remain punished by things he promised, planned, & stripped away. [28] pages of investigative reporting couldn't cover this whole story, but this time we have the names who followed, supported, and also turned him in.

Indie Film Rabbit Hole - Many film scams waste your time driving wedges between known indie actors in film communities.

Are There Streaming Platforms
Looking For Good Projects? -
The answer is "No" - But read why.

 YOU MUST BE A SUBSCRIBER TO VIEW THE FULL CONTENTS THIS NEW 2024 ISSUE OF THE QUANTUM STORM .357 E-MAGAZINE AND FOLLOW THIS BLOG

 Thank you for stopping by!

HBO'S "CIVIL WAR" WILL LEAVE YOU ASKING TOO MANY QUESTIONS...

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - CIVIL WAR [2024] - R - HBOMAX - Directed and written by Alex Garland. Produced by Andrew MacDonald, Allon Reich, & Gregory Goodman. Starring Cailee Spaeny, Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, and Stephen McKinley Henderson. Budget $50 Million.

During the latter half of a civil war between the United States and two states that have seceded from the rest of the union, four journalists [Dunst, Spaeset, Moura, Henderson] out to interview the President of the United States by taking a long route to stay clear from larger clusters of battles occurring outside of Delaware and Virginia. During their travels, they see the ugly, the peaceful, and the devastation caused by war. Each journalist begins to question the cost of their quest as the entire country begins to fall into complete chaos.

THE GOOD - Decent presentation of a war torn America and CGI effects with military battles.

THE BAD - Bad plot, bad story, cliche directing, the cinematography was nothing to brag about, and the dramatic acting was a bit too much at times. There's no character development and you are forced to accept certain main characters because they share memories of something that happened long ago.

POST MORTEM - After all the hype, and with today's political atmosphere, this film was boosted to the level of being a movie that could change a persons choice in November 2024's Presidential race. But in reality, this movie has nothing to offer. The story was too long and there were gaps of nothing but worthless imagery. Don't waste your time with this garbage.

⭐️⭐️💫 [2.5 of 5 Stars]

NETFLIX HAS A SOLID HOROR FILM WITH "THE DELIVERANCE"

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - THE DELIVERANCE [2024] - R - NetFlix - Directed by Lee Daniels. Written by David Coggeshall & Ellijah Bynum. Edited by Stan Salfas. Stars Andra Day, Glenn Close, Caleb McLaughlin, Demi Singleton, Omar Epps, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and Mo'Nique.

Based on true events, an alcoholic mother [Day], whose husband has taken a job overseas, has just relocated her small family and her grouchy older [and passed abusive] mother [Close] to a new home. This place is in a busy neighborhood and her children are having a hard time trying to fit in with the local kids and the school. As time passes, things start to get really weird with a paranormal entity that is sucking the joy out of the entire family. Things get very intense after a "sooth-Sayer" and/or local Reverend [Ellis-Tayor] introduces herself and warns the alcoholic mother that strange things have occurred in the same house before. The mother learns that a dark, very abusive demon lives in the home and a previous family was slaughtered there. Now the mother has to try and save her family before the demon takes the lives of her children.

THE GOOD - Well developed story. There was a realistic feel to the entire production and things just didn't feel "over the top" in many of the actor performances. I was truly impressed with Andra Days performance and her ability to channel deep emotions when needed. Glenn Close also had a strong well and produced some deep emotions with her character. The cinematography was very pleasing and the pacing to the film was on-spot with most paranormal film genres of this kind. Unlike other paranormal-horror films, this feature was centered around a strong presentation of religion, and a certain strength that can be projected if one takes trust in the Lord; it was very pleasing to see this being openly entered into the film.

THE BAD - This is a female heavy film, making special note that director, Lee Daniels likes working with women actors. Making the movie female heavy, sets a strong distance with the strength of men and "what a man would do" in the situation presented. Leaving out the father through the entire film leaves the old message left on the table that "if something has to be done, a woman has to do it alone." There are two several overacted parts by Mo'Nique and she should have been directed to settle down in her performance.

POST MORTEM - This is honestly a great movie. It's not too scary and not too cerebral. Truly cinematic with the right special and visual effects presented to set the films plot to deliver the right effect. Unlike other paranormal films like THE CONJURING, this film plays a better part of drama to make the overall feel to the film seem believable and relatable.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 [3.5 of 5 Stars]

HAS THE TERMINATOR SAGA FALLEN INTO THE WRONG HANDS?

🎥🎞️Series Review🎞️🎥 - TERMINATOR ZERO [2024] - PG13 - Netflix - Directed by Masashi Kudo. Written and Developed by Mattson Tomlin. Produced by Rui Kuroki, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger. 8 episodes.

In a far dark future, a resistance fighter [Malcolm Lee] discovers that SKYNET software can be reprogrammed, but against the orders from the residence leaders, the young “rebellious” resistance fighter secures the conscience of a new AI interface [Kokoro] by traveling back into time to “adjust” the earths future. A terminator is sent back to prevent the adjustment and must fight its way through several hostile and friendly force to try and prevent a rewrite by the new AI which could spell certain doom for SKYNET and the human resistance that apparently joined forces to prevent a change to their now co-existing timeline. But the catch is, which master is better to serve under, a master that already exists where you know your fate, or a master that holds unimaginable power and which truly has yet to reveal its true intentions with you? - Let fate decide.

THE GOOD - With any Japanese animation film, the visuals are stunning at times with dark imagery. There is some use of CGI that is incorporated into the series. There's plenty of violence and some intense scenes from the far future that awaits mankind. The voice acting is okay.

THE BAD - The story arc is slow at times. Character development is offset with a projection of overdone voice acting of emotion that just seems a little boring and useless to convey. The series attempt at horror just lacks impactful presentation and some of the robot designs are plane and truly a dire attempt at presenting a feel of today's inept technology concept development.

POST MORTEN - It' hard to present a horror/SciFi series that sets a tone for a dark future when three kids are involved. Where the concept of the first Terminator film provided a glimpse of leaving the fate of the world in the hand of grownups, this series falls into the plight of leaving our future up to our kids. I think that message was used up in TERMINATOR 2, but used more as an inside joke created by James Cameron to commercialize the franchise. Keeping the series serious and focusing on the darker side of dealing with unstoppable machinery should have been the real focus of this series. This was hard to watch and I had to go back and watch the first two real films to get back to the more believable world of Cameron's dark future.

⭐️⭐️💫 [2.5 of 5 Stars]

THE STUDIO RELEASES THE SEPTEMBER EDITION OF THE QUANTUM STORM .357 E-MAGAZINE!!!

QSE.357 ISSUE 36 of 9/1/2024

32 Pages

ON THE COVER - Moon Eclipses
Photo by D. R. Quintana

MAIN ARTICLES

By The Pale Moon Light - The studios newest film presents a dark and scary story line and plot that wasn't expected by many of the studios followers. Meet the talented cast.

A Big Change In Projects for 2025 - Two big studio projects were pushed back in production due to a recent hurricane. Some scenes demanded a reschedule in locations. Read about those projects affected by the relocation.

BIANCA 2029 Continues To Drive Forward  - Premiering at ComicCons and Cosplay events, the movies trailer is still getting a lot of worldwide attention!

The Quest For Success! - What would your production team do to create the best indie film within your community? - Read about a few local indie teams that crossed the line, damaging a lot of local
reputations and delivering nothing but
heartache to their team and their families.

 YOU MUST BE A SUBSCRIBER TO VIEW THE FULL CONTENTS THIS NEW 2024 ISSUE OF THE QUANTUM STORM .357 E-MAGAZINE AND FOLLOW THIS BLOG

 Thank you for stopping by!

"THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE" IS THE ACTION MOVIE OF 2024!!!

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE [2024] - R - Amazon Prime - Directed by Guy Ritchie. Screenplay by Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Arash Amel, Guy Ritche. Based on a book by Damien Lewis. Starring Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Eiza Gonzalez, Til Schweiger, Henry Golding, Babs Olusanmok, and Gary Elwes. Budget $60 Million.

Based on true events and just before the official start of War War II [WWII], the German submarine fleet was being supplied for extended operations of sinking much needed supply ships headed to England. English Prime Minister Winston Churchill, is under pressure and authorizes the use of a secret, covert team [later labled "Special Forces"] who act independently from the English military law, to destroy the German's ability to resupply their submarines. With the aid of English Brigadier General Gubbins "M" [Elwes] and Admiral Iam Flemming [Freddie Fox] - the man who would eventually create the James Bond character, they enlist a group of well known mercenary misfits, led by Cavill, to plan an attack and keep the English government from being involved in their mission, which if the German's found out, could force an earlier entry into a new World War.

THE GOOD - This is a bloody, action packed film with lots of fantastic pre-WWII details in production like weapons, ships, and wardrobe. The storyline was well prepared and the dialog was perfect for the time. The cinematography is crisp and smart at times, the editing pristine, and the actors perfectly perform their parts with brilliant scripting and screenplay. I was really impressed with Guy Ritchie's directing style, which was perfect for the dark humor used in this films production with impressive pacing that keeps he movie moving along the plot at a good tempo. More extraordinarily, I was taken aback by Cavill's performance and British accent; the actor is multi-talented!

THE BAD - There's not much to complain about this movie, except that I feel that Eiza Gonzalez was miscast for this film. I think her character should have had more of a "robust figure" to fit in the time and Gonzalez was way too thin for the role.

POST MORTEM - This is the perfect "man film" and I really felt comfortable looking through the history being presented. This operation was only unclassified until recently and the writers really put a lot of heart into the production, selecting the perfect cast to make it a lovable action film. It was also great to see Ritchson playing such a solid role outside of the REACHER series. This is an outstanding action film to watch!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 [4.5 of 5 Stars]

REVISITING BRANDON LEE IN 1994's "THE CROW"...

In 1993, the world was introduced to a dark comicbook character based on the writings of James O'Barr, a young artist who lost his beloved fiance to a drunk driver. He brought a lot of pain with him when he produced "The Crow" as a graphic novel and the book began to gain speed in distribution, being loved by fans and everyone accepting it's dark message of revenge from beyond the grave. 

During this time, O'Barr truly had no intentions of taking the graphic novel, selling the rights to a film studio and making a full feature movie. He use his book to heal all of the inner demons that he carried with him, trying to move on from the event that surely would have killed any chance of a real, happy life.

In 1994, things would quickly fall out of control for the emotional, recovering artist. He was able to work with two writers and create a screenplay for a film of his work. This was all by accident and a true testimonial to a good story that was developed well beyond it's time. There were only a few successful superhero films that sold out theaters in the 90s. Batman was one from 1989 and then Batman Returns from 1992 are the most memorable, but surely, O'Barr's Crow movie wouldn't be going up against them, would it?

During this time, Brandon Lee had only been in a small handful of action films. When the news broke that Lee would head the cast of the new CROW film, people thought that this production was just going to be another "chop-sockey" film and have Lee tossing around people using Kung-Fu. But to everyone's surprise, Lee backed out of using any Kung-Fu or karate in the production. He made fast friends with O'Barr and the production was gain top speed to produce something very dark, something paranormal with a touch of true grit.

But the production to the film would crash to a stop, when Lee was fatally injured on the set, being shot in a scene that demanded three re-shoots and close up. Lee too had a fiance at the time and she would witness his death, sharing something with O'Barr, and then the real catastrophe was ignited. After Lee's passing, the executives decided to go ahead and finish the film, since so much of the film had already been completed. "It's what Brandon would have wanted us to do," said so many people from the production.

Watching the film back then in the theater, seeing a man come back to life, literally, and then seeing him die again was a little disturbing. A fact that I carry with me is, that this was some of Lee's best work ever on film. He broke away from the Kung-Fu stereotype and did something totally original, something way ahead of it's time, brokering a production that would set a standard for all action films based on graphic comicbook characters.

I saw The CROW again recently and I was truly impressed by all of the performances by the A-list actors in the film. The action scenes were definitely well choreographed and there was a lot of heart that was put into this film. Could this film have changed the career path for Lee, I'm pretty sure. But it's a shame that The CROW was the highest part of Lee's career and was completely torn away by a simple "one set" production mistake. He is now a legend, who falls under the list of actors like James Dean, River Phoenix, and Heath Ledger, who all died shortly after their biggest performances on screen.

1994's The CROW holds up strongly against most actions being produced today. It's unfortunate that the first film spawned some sequels and even a short series on television, each of which sunk fast in ticket sales and most are all but forgotten. The original movie is a film I can watch over and over, feeling quite content with the storyline and the exceptional work that was done to complete the film with look-alikes and a few CGI tricks. And yeah, I think Brandon Lee would be very proud of the film if he was still alive today. The first film is a classic and there will never be another hit Crow film in today's Hollywood world of bad writing. Long live THE CROW with Lee as the lead actor!

"FLY ME TO THE MOON" DAZZLES WITH A ROBUST CAST!!!

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - FLY ME TO THE MOON [2024] - PG13 - Apple+ - Directed by Greg Berianti. Story by Bill Kirstein and Kennan Flynn. Screenplay by Rose Gilroy. Produced by Keenan Flynn, Sarah Schechter, Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Lia. Stars Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Ray Romano, Woody Harrelson, and Jim Rash. Budget $100 Million.

Not based on actual facts or historical events, this is a story about Kelly Jones [Johansson] who has worked most of her life as an advertising manager [of sorts], who has scammed her way through some high profile companies and made a name for herself. She is approached by a high Government official named "Moe" [Harrelson], who enlists her services to help save the American space program [NASA] by building enthusiasm in the America through some unique advertising ploys. Jones becomes smidgen with NASA Launch Director, Cole Davis [Tatum], and together they not only fall in love, but they work together to save the NASA space program from the clutches of Moe who plans to fake the entire landing on the moon.

THE GOOD - Fantastic location spotting. Transforming area scenes to the 1960's with some awesome classic cars. Some brilliant performances between Johansson and Tatum. Ray Romano plays a strong part in the film, doing very little, but some of his most impressive, dramatic works that I've ever seen from him. Harrelson brings a quirky, dark character to life and it's good to see him doing dark comedy again. Some very well produced CGI and practical effects which would help explain how a moon landing was faked and better yet, why. The story is perfect with the time and I liked how the "theory" behind needing to fake a moon landing was explained.

THE BAD - Even though there were some good selections in the sound track for this film, none of the tracks used in this film were memorable after watching the film. A time piece like this film should have a memorable sound track.

POST MORTEM - This was a pleasing film and had all of the elements that a good film should have. IMO the advertising for this film was poorly produced and damaged any chance of this film gaining strength in the box office. This film won't win any nominations as there were no sex scenes, no lesbians kissing or gays working together, no violence, no explosions or super heroes to save the day. Writing films like this has unfortunately gone the way of the Dodo bird. A film to watch when there's nothing else to watch on TV.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ [4 of 5 Stars]

TEXAS INDIE FILM, "COYOTE WOMAN" [2024] SINKS BEFORE THE MOVIE STARTS...

🎥🎞️Indie Movie Review🎞️🎥 - COYOTE WOMAN [2024] - [R] - Kinnescape/Raw Cinema. Directed by Stefan Ruf. Written by John Herndon & Stefan Ruf. Produced by John H. Davis and Lissa Rabon. Starring Nik L. Guerra, Heath Allyn, Les Best, Tom Byrne, Larissa Dali, Don Barro, and Michael L Garcia Jr. Filmed entirely in Blanco, TX.

This indie feature is a silly, but bloody Western filled with gores galore and tons of one liners. Wild Comanche's attack a family, wiping out the parents and capturing two girl, who are tormented and eventually absorbed into the Comanche tribe over the course of ten years. A wild bunch of "Indian scalp hunters" track down the local Indians and mercilessly take scalps from men, women and children. One of the children, who grew up to be a smart and witty "Indian Princess," [Dali] is able to find help to hunt down the scalpers and extract revenge on all that destroyed both of her families.

THE GOOD - The movie poster is artistically impressive and very creative. The opening and closing credits were very artistic and reminded me of the early spaghetti western films opening and closings. The location spotting for this feature was pleasant. Some of the gore was well planned and prepared.

THE BAD - As a dark comedy, this featured suffered from bad writing, bad editing and directing. Many of the scenes were too long and could have been edited for a shorter intro, which would have resulted in a shorter running time. There were constant close ups which were useless and obviously added to the film to hide the large amount of ADR that was used throughout the entire film. There was a ton of scenes shot out of focus, where the camera operator had to adjust while filming the scene. And as much as this was a dark/sassy comedy, the was no historical basis for any of the Native American culture used in this film; nothing remotely plausible.

PRODUCTION BREAKDOWN

↓  Lighting

↓  Camera Work

↓  Screenplay

↓  Sound/ADR

↓  Wardrobe

↓  Use of Visuals

↓  Time Lapse

← Editing

↓  Rule of Thirds
← Locations

↓  Music
↓  Ending/Follow through

↓  Makeup/Effects

↑  Gore

POST MORTEM - The marketing and promotional push for this film was deeply deplorable. I only found out about this film because Larissa Dali made a post on Instagram about it. Production teams who choose to use TUBI as a streaming showcase for their film, should consider other alternatives before just jumping into an unproven platform that does absolutely nothing to promote a new indie film.

 

⭐️⭐️💫[2.5 of 5 Stars]