REVIEW: ‘Lifted’ — The Anti-War Movie for Everyone

In my role as Executive Director of Ride 2 Recovery, a mental and physical rehabilitation program for injured veterans that makes a difference in the lives of those who come thru our program (more info: Ride2Recovery.com), I am asked to preview movies, music, and all things military and, or veteran related entertainment. Since we deal with a lot of PTSD patients, the scars of war are all to familiar and the haunting that they feel and the effects it takes on their families is hard to explain to those who do not know these brave men and women or experienced war and its related hardships themselves.

So it was last Thursday that I, along with a few other military organizations came to meet for a viewing of the upcoming movie “Lifted.” Because the director was a noted Hollywood liberal, I was not really sure what I was about to see.
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Popmatters.com Superheroes review

The above statement conveys the attempt at connection between two men adrift in life. Superheroes is not a superhero film, but an anti-war story about a wounded veteran and a young filmmaker. It’s a very understated film with many long silent shots wherein everything is shown rather than told. The mood ranges from somber to grim, with precious few moments of humor and ease.

Spencer Treat Clark plays Nick, the young filmmaker and Dash Mihok plays Ben, the wounded veteran. Ben was a reservist, never intended to be on the front lines. He was injured on a patrol in Iraq, when his jeep was taken out by a bomb planted in a dead dog. He blames himself for not figuring out the trap, and has survivor’s guilt combined with PTSD and depression from being left by his wife while he was deployed as well as guilt for a tragic accident. So basically, this is a perfect recipe for being messed up.
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Superheroes on DVD

I was just perusing Amazon for some new books and decided to do a quick DVD search for a few things that I’ve had a hard time finding and what did I discover but Superheroes on DVD and available for streaming and download. Color me happy a happy camper. You can purchase the DVD for $19.99 via this link, but please note that there are only a very limited number of copies in stock. You can also rent for $3.99 or buy for $14.99 a download of the film via this link.

Lifted trailer

The trailer for Lifted is now online and can be viewed at http://www.liftedthemovie.net/.

UPDATE: Screencaps are now up and can be viewed here.

Simpson gets ‘lifted’

He has been called a prodigy, an oddity, a mastermind and a miracle. A boy named Todd Simpson from small town Alabama has overcome all odds and has since brought his unique style of blues to the masses. He has graced the stage with legends and will soon enrich the film world through his first acting role in the indie drama “Lifted,” a movie whose storyline mirrors Simpson’s own life.

His chance at the big screen came about as magically as the story of his own life. It just so happened that a documentary filmmaker named Jim Cloutman had been developing a film about Todd’s life. He had been in Alabama, but was back in California at the time things started to fall together. He spoke with “Lifted” writer and director Lexi Alexander, an Academy Award nominee, whose film is about a young boy in Alabama rooted in R&B music. It was one of the first features to be filmed in Alabama under the state’s new entertainment industry incentives. The plot revolves around Henry Matthews, an exceptionally talented young singer, whose happy family life is disrupted when his father, a marine, is re-deployed to Afghanistan and, despite all obstacles, he is inspired to compete in a teen singing competition. When Alexander told Cloutman about the film, he said, “I know that kid. Know him personally. He is from down around Birmingham, Alabama.”
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Alabama funds first independent film

Despite tough times due to the recession, the state found a way to put more money in the economy and create more jobs. Gov. Bob Riley announced in August that the state is funding its first independent film production for its new incentives program under the Alabama Film Office.

The film, which qualifies for an approximately $153,000 rebate, is directed by Alan Hunter, who thanked Riley and the state for the support.

“We are grateful to be the first project to receive incentives and help grow the entertainment industry in the state,” Hunter said.

Hunter previously worked on other independent films including “Johnny Flynton,” which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003.

“Lifted,” his current project, tells the story of a talented young man who inspires to become a singer despite hard circumstances, and it will take place around rural Birmingham. The film will star new talent Uriah Shelton of Mobile, Ala., Dash Mihok, former American Idol winner Ruben Studdard, country singer Trace Adkins and Alan Hunter himself.

“‘Lifted’ is a movie about a kid with a big heart and a great voice, and we think Uriah is going to be a big star after this,” Hunter said.

During its third and final week of filming, production has been running smoothly, Hunter said.
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Hunter Brothers team with Lexi Alexander for another movie

The first time Birmingham’s Alan and Hugh Hunter hooked up with writer-director Lexi Alexander, the results were pretty good.

Their “Johnny Flynton” was a film festival favorite and earned an Academy Award nomination for best live-action short film in 2003.

Six years later, they’re about to do it again. The feature-length film “Lifted” goes into production at the end of next month in the Birmingham area, marking the second collaboration between Hunter Films and Alexander.

“We figured she’d be off to bigger and better things, and we’d never see her again,” says Hugh Hunter. “It was kind of a nice surprise to see that come back on the radar.”

Alexander did go on to bigger films — “Hooligans” with Elijah Wood and last year’s “Punisher: War Zone” — but the LA-based filmmaker was ready to get back down South.
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Punisher: War Zone on DVD and Blu-ray

Punisher: War Zone will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 17, 2009.

Bonus Features include for both DVD & Blu-ray include:
• Audio commentary with director Lexi Alexander and director of photography Steve Gainer
• Theatrical Trailer
Featurettes:
• “The Making of Punisher: War Zone”
• “Training to Become The Punisher”
• “The Weapons of The Punisher”
• “Meet Jigsaw”
• “Creating the Look of The Punisher”
Bonus Digital Copy of the film (2nd disc)

The Blu-ray edition also includes BD-Live: MoLog – Movie Blog network connected community and interactive movie blog tool set.