#George Nolfi

[geekcavepodcast]

Elevation Teaser

"Set in the post-apocalyptic Rocky Mountains, a single father and two women venture from the safety of their homes to face monstrous creatures to save the life of a young boy." (Vertical)

Elevation stars Anthony Mackie, Morena Baccarin, and Maddie Hasson. Tee film is directed by George Nolfi.

Elevation hits theaters on November 8, 2025.

[movie-titlecards]

Spectral (2016)

My rating: 6/10

So this is not quite the "Ghostbusters, but as a dumb jingoistic action movie" thing the promotional material suggested, but, y'know. It basically is. Kind of fun though.

[gebo4482]

Elevation | Official Trailer (HD) | Vertical

Dir: George Nolfi Star: Anthony Mackie / Morena Baccarin / Maddie Hasson

[vintagewarhol]

[adamwatchesmovies]

Ocean's Twelve (2004)

Making Ocean’s Twelve must’ve been a blast. You can tell the actors were certainly having a good time. Too bad the fun can't extend to the audience as well. This film thinks it’s so clever, so funny. All I want to do is punch it in its smart little face.

Set three years after Ocean’s Eleven, Terry Benedict (Andy García) has located the Ocean's crew and demands they return his money - with interest. Fearful for their lives, the group schemes to pull a few quick jobs to pay him back but their efforts are hindered by the master thief “The Night Fox”. He agrees to help Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his friends out of their jam if they can best his legendary skills.

Immediately, the film is in trouble. Either Danny and his friends will succeed in their mission and pay back Benedict - which will make us unhappy because we don't like him - or they will fail and the villain will have them all killed - which will make us unhappy because we like them. The only possible way to avoid audience disappointment would be for the scoundrels to somehow steal from the man - again - and beat him so decisively that he gives up trying to get his revenge. Unfortunately, that’s what the first movie was about so you know it’s not going to happen.

Ocean's Twelve can’t even figure out what to do with its characters. The problem is that although we sort of got a vibe that they got along, we never really believed the people rounded up by Danny were friends. It was pretty clear that at the end of the first movie, they were going their separate ways. Maybe some of them would keep in contact but no one was ringing up “The Amazing” Yen (Shaobo Qin) to see how he was doing. Like many others, he was hired to fulfill a role in a con and nothing more… but he was in the first movie so he has to come back again. How does the screenplay by George Nolfi use him? It shoves Yen into a bag and then accidentally ships him off to the wrong country so he can be “in the movie” but off-screen as much as possible.

Forget Twelve. This movie only has a few important characters. There’s Danny and Rusty (Brad Pitt), Danny’s wife Tess (Julia Roberts) and Rusty’s old flame, Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Then, you have the villains with Vincent Cassel as The Night Fox and Andy García. Everyone else could’ve been condensed into one or two people. Similarly, the plot could’ve been thinned a lot. As is, there are so many twists and turns it’ll make your head spin. In another heist film, that would've been good but so many revelations are then revealed to be completely useless by the final scene it makes you feel like you wasted your time. In this instance, the main plan is so dumb you know director Steven Soderbergh is trying to pull a fast one on you and you don’t buy it for a second.

The most infuriating scene is also the unfunniest. The crew's target is the Fabergé Imperial Coronation Egg (quite the step down from a vault full of money if you ask me) so they recruit Tess (who is the twelfth member of the team) to help. Their plan? Capitalize on the running joke that she “sorta” looks like Julia Roberts by distracting the people in the museum while the others steal the egg. Not terribly clever, this gag also breaks one of the unspoken rules of filmmaking. The audience promises to ignore the fact that we know these are actors on-stage as long as the movie doesn’t draw attention to it and pretends the story is set in a world other than ours, “Last Action Hero”-style. As Oceans Twelve does this whole “I don’t look that much like her”, “Oh no! There’s Bruce Willis! Now I have to pretend like I know what he’s talking about” thing, you make a mental promise to hate the film no matter what it does later.

The worst part of Ocean’s Eleven” was the hint at a sequel right at the very end because deep down, you knew the magic couldn’t be replicated, that only the most convoluted of scenarios could bring these people together again. Ocean’s Twelve proves that so thoroughly it’ll make you wish the actors would all retire. (April 28, 2022)

[proverbialschoolmarm]

[moviehealthcommunity]

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

This is a Movie Health Community evaluation. It is intended to inform people of potential health hazards in movies and does not reflect the quality of the film itself. The information presented here has not been reviewed by any medical professionals.

The Adjustment Bureau has a nightclub scene that uses extreme strobe lights, which continue into the quiet conversation afterward. Nothing particularly important happens during these strobe lights. There are brief moments during political events with cameras flashing in the audience.

Some of the action is followed with long, sweeping shots. Brief scenes take place on skyscraper rooftops.

Flashing Lights: 7/10. Motion Sickness: 3/10.

TRIGGER WARNING: There is a very sudden pedestrian-involved car accident early in the film.

NOTE: Our evaluation of Haunted Mansion is now available on our Patreon page at Patreon.com/MovieHealth, and will be available on this page on Tuesday, August 1.

Image ID: A promotional poster for The Adjustment Bureau

[cinematicendevaourz]

Survival sci-fi isn't necessarily the most interesting of genres and Nolfi's "Elevation" paints by the numbers closely to the late 2000's "The Descent" and the films that followed after it. Instead of an all-female cast, audiences get Anthony Mackie in a post-apocalyptic role that looks like it was pitched and turned down by the likes of John David Washington or Will Smith in the 2010's. This film just has that "sat on the shelf" feel until Nolfi decided to go independent with it. A small cast, set in the mountains of Colorado. The premise is there and aims to be unique, but the familiarity between films in the genre and the muted dialogue overshadows the film. The payoff at the end of the film featuring a litany of explosions is a joy to watch, but is far from worth sitting through the entire feature to catch. Morena Baccarin is the biggest draw in the entire film as Nina. Anthony Mackie is bland and can't really handle the responsibility of the leading role, so Baccarin takes over. Maddie Hasson as Katie is just annoying, when Nina supposed to be the annoying female supporting character. Nolfi's team didn't exactly understand their jobs it appears and "Elevation" suffers for it. If this were a big budget sci-fi joint, I can see it doing numbers, but it's obvious that Nolfi was only able to recruit MCU side characters in this effort probably because all the dough for this film must have went to the CGI for the creatures which oddly resemble the paper shredder one's in the latest Venom film.

I would like to say "Elevation" aims high, but I think everyone involved with this film from it's inception to post-production was comfortable with "Elevation" being small potatoes.

C.V.R. The Bard 12th/Nov.2k24

[themnmovieman]

Movie Review ~ Elevation

Elevation Synopsis: Set in the post-apocalyptic Rocky Mountains, a single father and two women venture from the safety of their homes to face monstrous creatures to save the life of a young boy.Stars: Anthony Mackie, Morena Baccarin, Maddie HassonDirector: George NolfiRated: RRunning Length: 90 minutes Review: Even in times of desperation, when we go to the movies, we’ve loved watching humanity…

[ulrichgebert]

Obwohl wir theologische Themen sonst eigentlich nur in der Sandalenspektakelvariante gutheißen können, haben wir eine gewisse Schwäche für The Adjustment Bureau (es gibt hier schon eine kleine Zusammenfassung). Es hat mit Terence Stamp zu tun. Und Matt Damon und Emily Blunt. Und daß sie alle auch nicht recht zu wissen scheinen, was der Plan jetzt eigentlich genau soll.

[news-buzz]

Full Trailer for Sci-Fi Monster Movie 'Elevation' with Anthony Mackie News Buzz

Full Trailer for Sci-Fi Monster Movie ‘Elevation’ with Anthony Mackie by Alex Billington October 3, 2024Source: YouTube “They’re Earth’s new apex predators – but one day we’re gonna beat them.” Vertical has debtued the full official trailer for a thrilling sci-fi horror movie called Elevation, a post-apocalyptic creature feature which was filmed in Colorado last year at some empty ski resort.…

[randomrichards]

THE BANKER:

Two black businessmen

White labourer plays their drobt

To give black folks homes

[moviefreakph]

The Adjustment Bureau (2011, US)

Starring: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Michael Kelly, Terence Stamp

Director: George Nolfi

[gebo4482]

Elevation | Official Teaser (HD) | Vertical

Dir: George Nolfi Star: Anthony Mackie / Morena Baccarin / Maddie Hasson

[bkenber]

'Ocean's Trilogy' Review and 4K Review

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella. When you think of the “Ocean’s Trilogy,” you think of big movie stars, high stakes, and witty banter. These are individuals known for being con-artists and having a certain set of skills, but they bring an element of fun to the proceedings. They are interesting, layered, and unique.  These are not your bargain…