"Last Touch" - a Norm Sanders film

This was a very good film and I have to say that I really felt the guy's pain and confusion at the end. It was a wonderfully uncomfortable experience!
 
Norm, here's my review of Last Touch:

story- while simple in scope (one scene, ~real-time, small cast), it is interesting and immediately drew me in to what the couple is going through. you tell a good deal of how they got there without sounding overly expository.

things obviously change when the Dr. enters. (i'm not sure why, but) he seemed a little creepy; maybe that's just me. moving on...

when he takes her hand, boom- everything changes and it seems the Dr. has in fact cast some 'voodoo' spell on the guy for what he said about switching places (conditions) with his wife. (i might be waaaay off, sorry if i misunderstood).

ok, so when he takes her hand and the wedding bands glow, i think that is enough of an effect to portray what is about to happen. the next effect on the skin (+sound effect) is definitely cool and very well done, but it took me out for just a split second. in this instance, i think less is more, and more just just a bit too much. not that big of a deal though, just a little freaky!

on to the rest of the story... at this point, all bets are now off. i don't know what's coming; i'm along for the ride. what i thought was the twist becomes a set-up for the climax/new twist, and i really didn't see that coming. even when he was resisting, i thought they would end up actually switching places and everyone would be amazed/dumbfounded as to how it happened. i thought he was actually going to sacrifice himself for his wife... great, twisty/twisted ending.

cast- great acting throughout. nothing will take me out of a film faster than bad acting, so it's good to watch something where the acting doesn't get in the way.

casting- how do i say this without offending someone? ... they didn't seem like they matched as a married couple. the guy seemed/looked much older (not that there's anything wrong with age differences in marriage). it just felt like a role for a younger actor. i'm feel i'm being rude, which is not my intent, but it would have been a better connection (for me) if he was around the same age as the wife. i apologize for any offense.

tech stuff: pro all the way is all i can really say. everything (as far as i can tell) was flawless. your system (talent, experience, equipment, effort, over-all production value) is a well-oiled machine. the photography, audio, editing, - everything was appropriate and executed very well. man, even your compression/encoding was exceptional! i don't know how you did that.

final words- please don't put too much stock in what i have to say, because i am really just a beginner at this whole craft. this is my second dvx-fest, which means only my second film of any kind, so i might not be the best "judge" of these things. i hope to some day be making films at your level.

thanks for putting the time and effort into make a solid film, and good luck in the ratings - i'd like to see this one in the next round! :)
 
I thought your ending was great. I certainly didn't see it coming.

Really sums up that old expression, "Talk is cheap."

Good job. :beer:
 
That conclusion was very cool, right out of left field! I like how the story took a more cynical route when it could've been fluffy and nice. Hope that doesn't speak too much on my character :huh:. Great job, thanks.
:beer:
 
This is such a polished film. Everything has had so much thought put into it, all the way through the various stages of production.

It's kind of a heavy-handed film. It does exactly what it means to, and very effectively, but the story, the character of the doctor, and the base concept come off a little heavy-handed.

Besides that, there's not much to criticize.

Your actors are excellent. The male lead is so unique, love his look/voice/acting style.

Cinematography is great. Nothing too flashy, but just the perfect angle for each moment.

There's been some discussion (from the few comments I've read) about the taking of the hand moment. My opinion is to lose the ring glow and go straight to the effects shot where the sickness passes into him. Getting rid of the ring glow I think would help take out a little of the heavy-handedness.

I feel like it's unclear slightly why she can't let go of his hand. I don't know what it is, but there seems to be some operative piece of dialogue missing. Maybe just "I can't move it!" from her? It just threw me a little. Is the idea that both their hands are basically frozen together by whatever supernatural force? I guess I'd just like to be able to tell EXACTLY what's happening.

The second twist is SO PAINFUL, but I mean that in a good way. It turned your film into something unique, and I definitely did not see that coming.
 
Nice Norm! A huge congratulations on getting into the ominous "Round 2"! Definitely deserve it...

Good luck man!

- Daniel
 
Hey everyone, thank you SO much for the additional feedback, and especially to Preston & Jason for the recent, more in-depth reviews!

Also, thank you to everyone for the congratulations. I was REALLY starting to sweat it for a while there as I saw people posting their favorites & not seeing LAST TOUCH listed anywhere in the mix. Almost like watching the polls of past presidential elections ... Democrats speaking up loudly, then suddenly Republicans quietly put in their votes (please, I'm not trying to make any actual comparisons here, lol).

Steven, thanks for the congrats, but it's to you too, as you were a CRITICAL piece to this film, and since eveyrone raves about the look/feel ... well, MUCH of that is due to you, so thank you. :beer:

Zak, thanks! I'm still waiting/hoping for some detailed feedback from you! Would sincerely look forward to your thoughts.
 
Congrats, Norm.
Last Touch really deserved to be on that Top10 list.

Hope you make it to the last round.

Frank
 
I loved how everything looked. Well light, good effects/sound/production value. But the ending sort of got me confused. I like the supernatural spin that you gave the whole thing. Very twilight zone (I remember an earlier post saying this was for Twilight Fest, so duh on my part), and the twist is very morbid which normally I would like, but in this context it confused me.

Maybe it was that I knew the film was supposed to be winding down and that the character was now experiencing something supernatural so late in the film that I wanted a supernatural solution to the whole "swap" thing that was going on. I felt that while the husbands natural survival instincts should kick in, it would have to operate on the new supernatural element that was introduced. Maybe, have a condition to the effect of, once the deal or swap begins to occur breaking/backing out of the deal would lead to the wife or his death instead of everything reverting back to the way things were. I don't know... I have no answer to this... and I've been writting this for too long.

But don't get me wrong! I loved how everything was done! The sound/cinematography/editing was amazing! The actors were also top notch. It was the plot that didn't quite suck me in, but I am a particular sort of viewer, don't take my criticism to heart since I probably represent only a small minority of viewers. Loved it nontheless and I believe your film will end up probably in the top ten. Cheers
 
Wow Norm! What a great story. Very well done man, I just stared at the screen for a minute after it was over. Course it could have been the beer I just had. You make the festival worth waiting for with a film like this. Major props to the make up artist. The make up was better than most hollywood productions. What an inspiration you are to us with this.
 
Thanks, everyone, MUCH appreciated ... of course, as I've tried to state before, the thanks truly goes to the cast & crew. Our gaffer, Steve Waters, sent me a congrats back via email (I blast emailed cast & crew immediately after finding out), and I replied that I honestly wonder sometimes just what the heck a director is even needed for, because truth be told I can't do even HALF of what each person brings to the table ... so without them, the film would be nothing.

Frank, I think you're my biggest fan. I love you. And I mean that in a SO-not-gay-sort-of-way. :beer:

Kdawg, I'm speechless, thank you! I'm going to take some of what you said & put it in the quotes section! I also had to email our MUA, Stephanie June Johnson, what you said in case she's not been keeping tabs on this thread. :)
 
great use of just one main location. I liked the fact that it was so few camera set ups but created something really compelling

congrats and best of luck!
 
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