#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.

[fromthestacks]

Elevation

[cinemaquiles]

Alerta de bomba: "A linha da extinção" (Elevation, 2024)

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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

[mikesfilmtalk]

Elevation (2024): Rocky Mountain High Survival

The 2024 Sci Fi Horror film Elevation is all Rocky Mountain High survival. Small pockets of humanity are hiding from the most recent “boogeymen” on Earth. Scary creatures that cannot go above a certain elevation. One of the survivors has a son with a breathing problem. He decides to go below the safe line and get some oxygen bottles. the main cast Anthony Mackie is Will. Morena Baccarin is…

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[tremendouskoalachild]

this article says absolutely nothing about the film but i'm really glad it seems Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is definitely still the director

[wevegotbackissues-blog]

Daisy Ridley’s ‘Star Wars’ Film Finds A New Writer

The Bourne Ultimatum and Ocean’s 12 writer George Nolfi is the latest writer to be attached to Daisy Ridley’s New Jedi Order Star Wars film. The film, first announced at Star Wars Celebration Europe in 2023, still has Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy to make here feature directorial debut but has gone through several writers. Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson got the ball rolling before moving of the…

[gebo4482]

Elevation | Official Teaser (HD) | Vertical

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

[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

[adamwatchesmovies]

Elevation (2024)

I didn’t foresee A Quiet Place becoming its own genre, but maybe I should’ve after its initial success and the unexpectedly successful Birdbox coming soon after. Elevation is better than The Silence but that's not saying much. While there’s suspense and the film’s tendency to keep its cards close to its chest keeps you engaged, it's only a matter of time before viewers will realize how familiar this plot is. The irritating characters whose survival you don’t care about don't help.

Three years ago, mysterious creatures dubbed “Reapers” emerged from underground and killed 95% of humanity. Only those who moved to 8,000 feet (or more) above sea level survived – the creatures never move above this elevation. Single father Will (Anthony Mackie) is preparing to venture below the safe zone and into Boulder, Colorado. His son, Hunter (Danny Boyd Jr.), suffers from a lung disease and requires filters while he sleeps. The village's supply has run out. Though the mission is almost certainly doomed, Will manages to convince Nina (Morena Baccarin) – a scientist determined to get to her lab so she can find a weapon to kill the seemingly-invincible Reapers – to go with him. His friend, Katie (Maddie Hasson) comes along to watch over his back as well.

Let’s begin by comparing the setup of Elevation to that of A Quiet Place. Both begin post-incident, with most of humanity wiped out by creatures the protagonists know little about. Are the monsters from space? Are they magical? We don't know. What's certain is that conventional weapons are ineffective and that the monsters detect their prey using means other than sight (Reapers find people by the CO2 they exhale). Our old way of life has disappeared but people can live in uneasy comfort as long as they don’t do the one thing that will put them in the monsters’ path. The protagonists in both stories are regular people – not scientists or soldiers – who’ve adapted well, until a medical situation forces them to put everyone at risk. In A Quiet Place, Evelyn is about to give birth. In Elevation, Hunter has run out of filters for his machine. A movie doesn’t have to come up with a brand new concept and there is something to be said about a late-comer “giving more” to a hungry audience. The risk is that viewers may often be left thinking “I’ve seen all this before”.

The biggest flaw in Elevation is not the premise, it’s the characters. Nearly all of the movie is centered around Will, Katie and Nina. Will and Katie get along but Nina doesn’t like either of them. In fact, she seemingly hates everybody with an intensity that even survival instincts can’t overcome. The story’s heroes are constantly bickering, arguing and being nasty to each other. It gets to a point where you’re not even sure if their disagreements are legitimate, or petty. For instance, part of Will’s plan is to travel through a mine to get to Boulder. The entire shaft will be above 8,000 feet, except for a small portion that will take them only minutes to pass through. The mine’s entrance is above 8,000 feet. So is its exit. You’re wondering “What’s the problem them?” until we're told the Reapers are so deadly and determined to get to people that they will burrow through mountains to get to you. Events of the movie aside, I still feel like the ladies are overreacting when they hear this and protest.

You can see what it could’ve been from the film’s best scene. Our heroes are out in the open and below the safe zone but they have a plan: use an old ski lift to quickly travel up a mountain. In that scene, we get to see how dangerous the reapers are, our characters have to act quickly - but carefully - to get away, there are multiple ticking clocks putting them in a bind and when it’s done, you breathe a huge sigh of relief. Then you remember that this was just one encounter. They’re not even close to their final destination yet. Anthony Mackie is compelling as a lead. I also liked Maddie Hasson and Nina sure does a good job being unlikable. The film has a small budget and you can tell in one scene but for the most part, it’s well-made, with some great cinematography.

I suspect Elevation is the kind of movie that many people will say is way better than my review would lead them to believe. I don't necessarily disagree but there isn't anyone I'd recommend this to before A Quiet Place or its sequels. The characters get tiresome and elements of the story is hampered by its own rules; they mean you know exactly when they will show up way ahead of time. (March 14, 2025)