AUSTIN'S "THE ELITE SOCIETY" ENTERS PROUDLY ON TUBI...

🎥🎞️Indie Film Review🎞️🎥 - THE ELITE SOCIETY: THE TOKENS [2023] - NR - Directed by Arthur Muhammad. Written by Gina Nacole. Staring Miguel A. Nunez Jr., Norman Nixon Jr., Odessa Feaster, Shelton Jolivette, and Kerry McCormick.

Essentially, Edwin Stevens [Nunez Jr.] is a hard working man doing his best to maintain a prosperous life for his wife and son. However, he begins to see that his life and the homes around him seem to fall to the dark side of crime and sudden economic down fall that he take a chance to change things for the better. But some deals that can instantly fix things can be more damaging than no one could ever expect. He discovers and rebuilds his life with society that uses "tokens" that can take one into the past and can manipulate future.

Side note: There is some symbolism to the term "token" being used in advertising in this film. I honestly didn't see anything controversial about the term, except that it was mentioned at one point in the film.

THE GOOD - There are a few indoor scenes that really launched this production in the right direction. The lighting, sound, and set ups were perfect for delivering dialog and plot points. Most of this footage was used in the trailer to the film and I can honestly say, that the trailer was able to catch my attention and reel me in to watch this indie film. Kudos to Odessa Feaster and Kerry McCormick who delivered some outstanding work in the film. This is completed film with a genuinely original message that is played out through the end.

THE BAD - Several scenes carried out through over-acting and some potential young actors were robbed of their real performance due to bad cinematography. There are one too many "casting couch" scenes, one of them being honestly important in building up the drama, where the main character and strong supporting characters just sit on a couch with the camera plopped down at the opposite end, never moving between each performance; this is a common problem in indie film setups, especially with production teams using the gang [or boss] mentality in films. The lighting in some of the outside environment locations is atrocious and the sound dances around a lot, not staying clear and constant throughout the film.

POST MORTEM - This is a good film. Sometimes a director/Editor sees his own film so much that his misses something[s] that need to be adjusted; and there needed to be some work in post prior to being released to the open audiences. Sometimes having a second editor or even a third, to look over the film prior to it's release could have fixed a few of the issues before the BIG release.

 PRODUCTION BREAKDOWN

←  Lighting

↓   Camera Work

←  Screenplay

↓   Sound

←  Use of Visuals

←  Time Lapse

↓   Editing

↑   Rule of Thirds
←  Locations

←  Music
←  Ending/Follow through

⭐️⭐️⭐️ [3 of 5 Stars]

AMAZON'S "REACHER" SEASON 2 DELIVERS SOLID ACTION AND DRAMA!

🎥🎞️Series Review🎞️🎥 - REACHER Season 2 [2024] - R - Amazon Prime - Series developed for TV by Nick Santora, based on the Jack Reacher book series written by Lee Child. Starring Alan Ritchson, Serinda Swan, Maria Sten, Marc Bendavid, Shaun Sipos, and Robert Patrick. Amazon has signed for at least four seasons of REACHER with the third season now in production.

A wanderer after ending his military career in the U.S. Army as a special investigator carrying only the clothes on his back, a credit card and a tooth brush, Jack Reacher [Ritchson] stumbles on a diabolical plot of a multi-million dollar illegal missile sale that questions the loyalty of some of his old Army unit members who once discovered corruption within the military ranks.

THE GOOD - Ritchson delivers another fabulous performance as Jack Reacher in this new series where there are some interesting story arcs and flashbacks on how Reacher put a band of misfits together to build a perfect investigative team of U.S. soldiers. The supporting cast were given plenty of time to develop their characters and make many of them likeable and easy to follow in each new episode. Kudos go out to actress, Serinda Swan, who not only delivers an action centered character, but solid chemistry between her character and Reacher in a sub-romantic part of the series. Location spotting was perfect for the series and the addition of Patrick as a villain was a nice twist to the show.

THE BAD - There are a few subtle slow parts in some episodes and a shoot out that just seemed to stretch too long in a realistic sequence, killing off a side character that IMO was spent too much time developing just to end up in the coroners office. Some female fans of the show may recognize that Ritchson's "total physique" may be more absent in some of the critical love scenes, which I am sure isn't getting the best of reviews.

POST MORTEM - This was an awesome series and one that I was so looking forward to previewing after reading several of the books. The climatic parts of the final episode were filled with so much electrified action scenes that a ton of green screen effects were required, but the directors handled the required CGI brilliantly. This series has distanced itself from the now infamous Tom Cruise movie series and I am sure that [in time] Ritchson's enthusiasm to play the character on the BIG SCREEN will soon catch fire.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ [5 of 5 Stars]

"KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON" SLOWLY PERCULATES TO MAKE IT'S POINT...

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥 - KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON [2023] - [R] - Apple TV - Directed and Produced by Martin Scorsese. Script by Eric Roth, based on a 2017 book of the same title by David Grann. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow, Brendan Frazier, and Robert De Niro. Budget $200 Million.

Based on true events, a WWI soldier [DiCaprio] returns home to the state of Oklahoma during a time when an oil boom has struck the state on Federal Native American territory; more centered around the Osage Nation, where a large number of Indian families have retained the rights to the riches being pumped out of the ground. Lots of money is being tossed around and the soldiers uncle [De Niro] promises his solider nephew a job as a taxi driver. The soldier falls in love with a local Osage Indian woman [Gladstone], who becomes the heir to the family fortune after several coincidental, and orchestrated deaths by murder have left his wife as the last of the family line for future oil fortunes. Over twenty-five local Indian deaths finally raise concern through the Native American Indian Council who send representatives to Washington DC and demand that the United States President send the investigators, under the control of J. Edgar Hoover, who runs an organization that eventually becomes the FBI, to look into the mysterious murders that have eluded justice due to Oklahoma's inability - due to the lack of respecting the rights of Indians during that time - to enforce law on Indian territory.

THE GOOD - The details required to transform the Oklahoma territories into a dusty 1920's old town environment is just mind blowing. The location spotting, wardrobe and makeup for the era, including the Native American wardrobe are just spellbinding perfect for the film. The captured sound was perfect and crisp; captions were added when truly needed. Very little use of green screen or CGI was required for the film and the cinematography was epic, capturing the vast fields and beauty of the Oklahoma "home range" countryside. The lighting was spot on to capturing the dusty, sepia feel of the time captured from old video and photographs of the time.

THE BAD - There are a ton of scenes which could have been edited out to speed up the film. The over three hour run time just seemed too unnecessary and I feel like a lot of good performances by DiCaprio and De Niro suffered because of all of the red tape that was used to go from one scene to another. Flash back scenes are added at a point where they could have just been presented in order of the scene as required. There were no real secrets in this film that needed to be presented to the viewer.

POST MORTEM - This film has a lot of big names in it, but it's definitely not a film that I will want to see again for a long time. There are no moments where I was like, "Let's see that again!" or a scene that brings me to remembering just how much talent was in this film. I'm surprised that DeCaprio took the role of the villain in this film and I'm sure that no one will be surprised in seeing De Niro sitting in another court room, charged for the mischief his character partook in the lawless lands of Oklahoma. Be prepared to hit pause a lot when seeing this film.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫[3.5 of 5 Stars]

"SOUND OF FREEDOM" CANNOT BE DENIED AS THE MOST POLITICALLY INFLUENTIAL FILM OF 2023!

🎥🎞️Movie Review🎞️🎥- SOUND OF FREEDOM [2023] - R - Amazon Prime - Directed by Alejandro Monteverde. Written by Rod Barr & Alejandro Monteverde. Produced by Eduardo Verastegul & Jim Caviezel. Starring Jim Caviezel, Mira Sorvino, Bill Camp, Cristal Aparicio, Eduardo Verastegul, and Kurt Fuller. Budget $14.5 Million.

Based on a true story.  Tim Ballard [Caviezel] is a Special Agent for Homeland Security assigned with arresting pedophiles who download and distribute child pornography. After arresting a criminal, as he has done many times before, he finds himself in a position to be able to save a little boy that was being passed around as a sex slave. Knowing he has a son the same age, this puts him on a newer personal mission to save the little boys older sister who is still in the sex slave system. The amount of work and money that is passed to keep the sex slave operation running is never explained, but Ballard sticks to his training and personal desire to see this through the end and reunite the missing little girl with her family.

***Important note - This is an independent film that has raised a lot of attention concerning the sex slave industry that is a billion dollar operation in the United States.

THE GOOD - This is one of Caviezel's most powerful and emotional roles ever; he sells emotion with very little dialog and just the look in his eyes. The crisp and attentive cinematography captures the right feel for the vastness of the South American jungles and the dark tones of shadows and light that actually exist. All of the acting roles from the prime performances to that of the extras were perfectly cast and performed by actors who have never had much training. The two young actors were perfect for building emotion on the mental toll being put on them to survive. The location spotting was a tremendous effort and refined to keep all of the scenes real and delivered with a gritty feel for the poor environment that most captured sex slaves are exposed to on a daily basis.

THE BAD - The story leaves out some important little details concerning who is actually in charge of making the sex slave industry a success. Obviously, someone is handing over the serious cash to keep things running, but the film never goes into it as one might though it might. There's very little action, but there really wasn't a need for it.

POST MORTEM - This is a tremendously powerful little film. Be aware that Hollywood and other mainstream production companies and media did no support this film upon it's release, do the nature of the subject matter and that many known pedophiles hide within the mainstream entertainment industry. This film isn't that knock-out punch film that can expose everything and bring down the right people, but it does let viewers know that this does happen on a daily basis and that there are evil forces in the United States who support it. This indie film has the right message to send to America and everyone needs to watch it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[5 of 5 Stars]

THE QUANTUM STORM .357 E-MAGAZINE, ISSUE 28 FOR JANUARY 2024 IS RELEASED!

QSE.357 ISSUE 28 dtd 1/1/2024

42 Pages

ON THE COVER - Zara Majidpour, Actress/Model.
Photo by D. R. Quintana

MAIN ARTICLES

Making History in Houston's Indie Films - Zara Majidpour leads a talented cast in a feature horror/drama movie which has crossed over 5,200 views on Facebook & continues to gain fans, positive reviews & a strong fan following.

Behind the Scenes - Zero Zero One has gone through several re-shoots & intense additions to bolster the feature to ensure fans are entertained throughout the movies run. We interviewed some of the new actors added to the film.

Is it time for you to update your Head Shots? - In this issue we list the names of certified photographers who are highly recommended for updating your portfolio. We have real professional photographer listings for Austin, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio!

Meta Data - Learn how to sell your indie film to the right streaming service by keeping tabs on the Meta Data your film brings in.

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!