Movie Review - Maggie

Maggie (2015)

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin, and Joely Richardson

Directed by Henry Hobson

***This film is currently available via Amazon Prime***

In Maggie, America is facing the ravages of "The Turn," a pandemic ravaging the country that causes those infected to gradually over a six-to-eight week period of time devolve into zombies.  However, during those two months after being bitten, the lives of the infected are somewhat normal and most of them continue to live at home with their families.  That's the case for teenager Maggie (Abigail Breslin) who, after becoming infected, returns to live at home on the farm with her dad Wade (Arnold Schwarzengger), stepmom Caroline (Joely Richardson), and two step-siblings.  Wade and Maggie face the inevitable as the weeks progress with both realizing that they're going to be tasked with difficult decisions in order to save the lives of those they love.

Maggie is undoubtedly a different kind of zombie movie.  It's certainly a slow burn with admittedly little happening throughout its run time.  A character piece, first-time director Henry Hobson's film is low on plot, but high on showcasing the relationship between a father and daughter, both of whom love each other, but recognize that a huge sacrifice is ahead of them.

In perhaps his most understated and most dramatic role yet, Arnold Schwarzenegger eschews the machismo that we've come to expect and admirably tackles being a sensitive, caring father.  His Wade is a man of few words, but Schwarzenegger absolutely captivates here, telling us a lot of what we need to know through his sullen demeanor and tired eyes.  Breslin doesn't quite fare so well at first, but as the film progresses and Maggie's situation becomes more dire, we finally get some emotional struggle in her character which helps to endear her to us in the audience.

Maggie has its issues -- the biggest being that despite only being ninety minutes, it feels a bit draggy particularly in the opening half -- but it's intriguing nonetheless simply for presenting a dramatic view of an extremely popular sub genre.  It's certainly not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but it has its moments and it proves that Schwarzenegger actually can act.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - Sabotage

Sabotage (2014)

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Joe Manganiello, Josh Holloway, Terrence Howard, Olivia Williams, and Mireille Enos

Directed by David Ayer

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

I don't know why Sabotage looked compelling when I saw the trailer over a year ago, but for some reason, I had in my mind that this was an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie that I wanted to see.  I'm shaking my head now because this was certainly a waste of time with The Governator playing a DEA agent who heads a team of stereotypical characters as they attempt to take down a Mexican drug lord only to have the DEA team being killed one by one in an act of revenge.

David Ayer who solidly directed End of Watch and Fury fails miserably here, but with Schwarzenegger's poor acting (and really the poor acting of everyone across the board) failing to garner any sympathy for his character who is seeking revenge for the deaths of his wife and son at the hands of drug dealers, Ayer's task was unenviable.  Then again, Ayer also co-wrote the piece and the flick certainly disappoints heavily in that department, too -- particularly the film's final twenty minutes which ends with two ludicrously shot set pieces that laughably bring things to a conclusion.

The RyMickey Rating:  D-

Movie Review - The Running Man

The Running Man (1987)

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso, and Richard Dawson

Directed by Paul Michael Glaser

***Now streaming on Netflix***

I was utterly fascinated with game shows as a kid.  Growing up, I remember spending summer vacations watching nothing but Pyramid, Card Sharks, Tic Tac Dough, Scrabble, and too many others to count.  I would "play" the game show host, creating my own versions of Jeopardy.  It was kind of a far-fetched dream to become the next Wink Martindale or Pat Sajak.  Well, that certainly didn't happen, but because of that childhood fascination, The Running Man has been on my list of movies to see for probably fifteen years.  I had never gotten around to it until now, but thanks to instant viewing on Netflix, I managed to watch it.

And, after all these years, it should come as no surprise that The Running Man it's really just a typical Ah-nuld movie that reeks of the cheesy actioners of the 80s.  But it was fun and an enjoyable diversion -- a film with a great story that's hampered by some poor execution.

The year is the super-futuristic 2017 and the government has taken over all aspects of American life.  Arnold is Ben Richards, a government officer who is framed in the murder of 1500 innocent civilians.  He's sent to jail, but escapes, only to be caught again and put on the most popular television show -- The Running Man -- where criminals attempt to earn their freedom by evading burly guys named Seekers who set out to kill them.  

The best part of this film isn't Arnold or the various deaths (which are shockingly tame and unexciting) or the "pro wrestling" and football players who act as the Seekers (oh, Jesse Ventura...).  Instead it's Family Feud emcee Richard Dawson as Damon Killian, the host of the game show.  He's witty, devious, and, as most game show hosts are, winningly charming.  It certainly helps that his part in the flick as the "reality show producer" is the most resonant in today's society of The Bachelorette, Jersey Shore, and [insert VH1 trash here].  It's the role of Killian and the game show itself that prop The Running Man up. The action (unfortunately) and the acting (which is to be expected in a silly 80s flick like this) fall to the wayside and simply aren't that good.

The RyMickey Rating:  C