Maggie (2015)

 **This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Infected with an incurable zombie virus, Maggie Vogel (Abigail Breslin) runs away from home. Maggie’s father, Wade (Arnold Schwarzenegger), eventually brings Maggie back to the family’s ranch, determined to protect his oldest child from a legally mandated quarantine.

Maggie is supported by Wade, and her stepmother, Caroline (Joely Richardson), but the clock is ticking, as Maggie’s condition deteriorates…

My Thoughts- Maggie turning into a zombie is a slow process from start to finish. You won’t see any bloody and violent zombie attacks, or the survivors running for their lives, while being chased by hordes of the undead here. Instead, Maggie chooses to put the focus on the emotional toll the outbreak takes on everyone involved. Wade loves and deeply cares about his daughter. Wade’s options are limited, and he doesn’t want to make the difficult decision to send his daughter off to quarantine, an inhumane death sentence for infected humans.

Maggie? She knows there’s no way out. She doesn’t want to be a burden to her friends and her family, so she isolates herself. Maggie drifts in and out of trying to live a normal life. The waiting room scene at the doctor’s office does a good job of shining some light on Maggie’s problems. A mother notices Maggie’s bite wound, and she quickly urges her children to stay away from her. Another example of Maggie trying to be a normal teenage girl, but it’s just not possible without a cure or a vaccine. 

Abigail Breslin nails Maggie. The fear for what’s about to happen to her, the conflict for Maggie wanting to give up on herself, but she doesn’t want to disappoint her father, so she tries to live a normal life, and she knows time is running out, fast. You can see and feel everything Maggie is going through, and Breslin’s sympathetic performance is one of the true highlights here. You’ll see every agonizing stage of Maggie’s transformation, whether it’s the decaying skin, Maggie’s cravings for flesh, or Maggie’s gory solution for dealing with a broken finger.

So what’s the solution? Does Maggie FINALLY go to quarantine? Does Wade give in to Maggie’s heart-wrenching request for a mercy killing? Well, Maggie chooses death in the form of suicide by jumping off of the roof.  

I had my fingers crossed for a cure, or at least the realistic possibility for introducing a cure to add more suspense to the story, but it’s still a good and poignant finale. Towards the end, Maggie is just too far gone. She’s ninety-five percent zombie, but she still had enough clarity to choose death without attacking Wade. And Maggie knew Wade having to be the one to pull the trigger would’ve destroyed him, so she decided to take herself out of the picture. 

Also, Maggie using memories of spending time with her deceased mother, Sarah, was a nice touch. Maggie remembers Sarah, as she’s falling to the ground, and you could say it was Maggie’s way of easing herself into the afterlife, with comforting memories of a cherished relationship with her mother. Good stuff.

I’m of two minds about Maggie. On one hand, if you’ve seen enough zombie movies, you already know what’s going to happen after the infection. But Maggie takes a slow burn approach to the full turn. Is she going to turn into a zombie or not? It’s a question I asked myself more than once throughout the movie. I KNOW where this whole thing is going, so can we just get there already? But Maggie does make an earnest attempt at trying to be a different zombie film. It’s a dreary and somber horror drama about a viral outbreak that completely tears families and friends apart. 

Maggie does a really job of showing everyone’s perspectives for what’s going on. Sheriff Ray Pierce (Douglas M. Griffin) is Wade’s friend, and he respects him, but he has a job to do. Deputy Holt (J.D. Evermore) comes off as an asshole. He’s more strict, serious, and you can tell he’s annoyed at the fact that Wade is getting preferential treatment for keeping Maggie away from quarantine. But Holt makes a good point: Maggie is infected. It’s far too dangerous to keep her around healthy people, and it’s the police force’s job to protect the community at all costs. 

Maggie’s ex-boyfriend, Trent (Bryce Romero) is infected. Trent is scared. Similar to Maggie, he’s beyond the point of no return. He doesn’t want to go to quarantine, but his options are severely limited. Maggie’s friend, Allie (Raeden Greer) tries to hold it together during a friendly reunion. But Allie can’t hide an emotional reaction, because she knows she’s going to lose her best friend.

Maggie feels a bit dull at times, because without the possibility of a cure, or a cure that’s available, there’s only one solution to Maggie’s problem. Still, I have to give a thumbs up for Maggie taking an unconventional and mostly successful approach to a zombie horror film. Arnold Schwarzenegger delivers a dedicated performance, as a father, who’s carrying around a heavy heart. Wade is a simple man, who lives a quiet life, and he loves his old rusty pickup truck. A solid all around cast, a fantastic ending, and Schwarzenegger and Breslin share believable father/daughter chemistry together. 

I’m also glad the vast majority of Maggie takes place in the countryside, and the more rural parts of America. Maggie’s set pieces are a perfect fit for the story. It’s eerily quiet, and you can see the devastation from the outbreak. Old homes, fields of burning crops, and a seemingly abandoned gas station. A clear visual representation that Wade, Maggie, and the rest of the cast are currently living in a hopeless world. No one is coming to save them, everyone is scared, and you have to worry about the possibility of your neighbors turning into zombies. 

Rating- 8/10

 

Maggie (2015)(Minor Spoilers)

 **This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Infected with an incurable zombie virus, Maggie Vogel (Abigail Breslin) runs away from home. Maggie’s father, Wade (Arnold Schwarzenegger), eventually brings Maggie back to the family’s ranch, determined to protect his oldest child from a legally mandated quarantine.

Maggie is supported by Wade, and her stepmother, Caroline (Joely Richardson), but the clock is ticking, as Maggie’s condition deteriorates…

My Thoughts- Maggie turning into a zombie is a slow process from start to finish. You won’t see any bloody and violent zombie attacks, or the survivors running for their lives, while being chased by hordes of the undead here. Instead, Maggie chooses to put the focus on the emotional toll the outbreak takes on everyone involved. Wade loves and deeply cares about his daughter. Wade’s options are limited, and he doesn’t want to make the difficult decision to send his daughter off to quarantine, an inhumane death sentence for infected humans.

Maggie? She knows there’s no way out. She doesn’t want to be a burden to her friends and her family, so she isolates herself. Maggie drifts in and out of trying to live a normal life. The waiting room scene at the doctor’s office does a good job of shining some light on Maggie’s problems. A mother notices Maggie’s bite wound, and she quickly urges her children to stay away from her. Another example of Maggie trying to be a normal teenage girl, but it’s just not possible without a cure or a vaccine. 

Abigail Breslin nails Maggie. The fear for what’s about to happen to her, the conflict for Maggie wanting to give up on herself, but she doesn’t want to disappoint her father, so she tries to live a normal life, and she knows time is running out, fast. You can see and feel everything Maggie is going through, and Breslin’s sympathetic performance is one of the true highlights here. You’ll see every agonizing stage of Maggie’s transformation, whether it’s the decaying skin, Maggie’s cravings for flesh, or Maggie’s gory solution for dealing with a broken finger.

I’m of two minds about Maggie. On one hand, if you’ve seen enough zombie movies, you already know what’s going to happen after the infection. But Maggie takes a slow burn approach to the full turn. Is she going to turn into a zombie or not? It’s a question I asked myself more than once throughout the movie. I KNOW where this whole thing is going, so can we just get there already? But Maggie does make an earnest attempt at trying to be a different zombie film. It’s a dreary and somber horror drama about a viral outbreak that completely tears families and friends apart. 

Maggie does a really job of showing everyone’s perspectives for what’s going on. Sheriff Ray Pierce (Douglas M. Griffin) is Wade’s friend, and he respects him, but he has a job to do. Deputy Holt (J.D. Evermore) comes off as an asshole. He’s more strict, serious, and you can tell he’s annoyed at the fact that Wade is getting preferential treatment for keeping Maggie away from quarantine. But Holt makes a good point: Maggie is infected. It’s far too dangerous to keep her around healthy people, and it’s the police force’s job to protect the community at all costs. 

Maggie’s ex-boyfriend, Trent (Bryce Romero) is infected. Trent is scared. Similar to Maggie, he’s beyond the point of no return. He doesn’t want to go to quarantine, but his options are severely limited. Maggie’s friend, Allie (Raeden Greer) tries to hold it together during a friendly reunion. But Allie can’t hide an emotional reaction, because she knows she’s going to lose her best friend.

Maggie feels a bit dull at times, because without the possibility of a cure, or a cure that’s available, there’s only one solution to Maggie’s problem. Still, I have to give a thumbs up for Maggie taking an unconventional and mostly successful approach to a zombie horror film. Arnold Schwarzenegger delivers a dedicated performance, as a father, who’s carrying around a heavy heart. Wade is a simple man, who lives a quiet life, and he loves his old rusty pickup truck. A solid all around cast, a fantastic ending, and Schwarzenegger and Breslin share believable father/daughter chemistry together. 

I’m also glad the vast majority of Maggie takes place in the countryside, and the more rural parts of America. Maggie’s set pieces are a perfect fit for the story. It’s eerily quiet, and you can see the devastation from the outbreak. Old homes, fields of burning crops, and a seemingly abandoned gas station? A clear visual representation that Wade, Maggie, and the rest of the cast are currently living in a hopeless world. No one is coming to save them, everyone is scared, and you have to worry about the possibility of your neighbors turning into zombies. 

Rating- 8/10

Escape Plan (2013)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers, no character deaths, big twists, or major reveals**

As a modern day Houdini, Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone) is a former prosecutor, who studies and escapes from maximum security prisons to exploit any weaknesses in the system (the guard’s routine, security cameras, keypad locks, etc.). Abigail (Amy Ryan) and Hush (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) work together as Ray’s support team, and Lester Clark (Vincent D’Onofrio) is Ray’s manager.

Ray is widely regarded as a precise expert with a flawless track record, but things change, when Ray ponders a lucrative proposal for a new mission. CIA agent Jessica Miller (Caitriona Balfe) promises Ray and his team a five million dollar pay day, if Ray agrees to infiltrate The Tomb, an impenetrable and hi-tech top secret prison used to contain the most vile criminals on Earth. Abigail and Hush are uneasy about the sketchy and vague details, but Clark is more concerned about missing the once in a lifetime opportunity to collect a five million dollar paycheck, so after some prodding from Clark, Ray accepts the mission.

At The Tomb, Ray is confused, when he meets Warden Willard Hobbes (Jim Caviezel), because Ray was expecting Warden Roger Marsh, but Warden Hobbes reassures Ray Warden Marsh doesn’t exist. And the situation becomes more complex, when Hobbes dismisses Ray’s fake evacuation code.

With no one else to turn to, Ray teams up with Emil Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a fellow inmate, who promises to help Ray escape The Tomb. Emil uses his influence as the head honcho within the prison to provide Ray with the necessary resources, and using morality as the basis for his arguments, Ray reaches out to a reluctant and fearful Dr. Kyrie (Sam Neill) for help.

Ray must endure taunting and savage beatings from Drake (Vinnie Jones), Hobbes’ Chief Of Security, and time is running out, as a suspicious Hobbes vows to derail Breslin’s plans for an escape, with the promise of imprisoning Breslin in The Tomb until his final breath.

Schwarzenegger and Stallone share easy chemistry, as a duo of grizzled tough guys, who are looking for a good fight. The approach of using Schwarzenegger as the muscle and Stallone as the brains of the operation really works, because having both men portray lethal ass-kicking machines would’ve been a counterproductive move. Constantly watching a barrage of scenes featuring Arine and Sly breaking necks and firing large guns every five minutes? Yeah, the onslaught of thuggery would reach a “too tiresome” point after a while, but with Arnie doing most of the dirty work (Sly isn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and fight every now and then), and Stallone pulling the strings, you get a chance to see more variety, when comparing and contrast the personalities between Breslin and Rottmayer. Plus, Arnie and Sly provide some good laughs during their sporadic back and forth arguments, and Arnie is hilarious in a handful of scenes without Sly (i.e. the waterboarding scene, and the scene in the box with Hobbes, where Rottmayer spouts random nonsense to give Ray more time with his plan).

Jim Caviezel is a nice fit for the primary antagonist. Warden Hobbes is a cocky and ruthless dictator with no mercy, and Caviezel brings the essential commanding presence to this character. Vinnie Jones is solid, as the grimacing hard-ass, Amy Ryan isn’t bad as Abigail, but her screen time is limited to sporadic appearances, and 50 Cent is harmless as Hush. And Vincent D’Onofrio is believably pompous as Clark.


In a lot of ways, Escape Plan caught me off guard. I was expecting a loud and over the top action flick with a bunch of explosions and cheesy one-liners from Arnie and Sly (well, you’ll hear some one-liners, but they never reach the point of overkill). Instead, Escape Plan is a crafty prison-break thriller with a few satisfying twists, and the action sequences are enjoyable. The duo of Stallone and Schwarzenegger should provide the necessary nostalgia kick for action fans, because I had a good time watching the old warhorses team up for a risky fight. It’s hard to ignore the eye rolling preposterous moments here, but if you’re looking for some good fun with two action legends, Escape Plan won‘t disappoint you.

Rating: 7/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Escape Plan (2013)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

As a modern day Houdini, Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone) is a former prosecutor, who studies and escapes from maximum security prisons to exploit any weaknesses in the system (the guard’s routine, security cameras, keypad locks, etc.). Abigail (Amy Ryan) and Hush (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) work together as Ray’s support team, and Lester Clark (Vincent D’Onofrio) is Ray’s manager.

Ray is widely regarded as a precise expert with a flawless track record, but things change, when Ray ponders a lucrative proposal for a new mission. CIA agent Jessica Miller (Caitriona Balfe) promises Ray and his team a five million dollar pay day, if Ray agrees to infiltrate The Tomb, an impenetrable and hi-tech top secret prison used to contain the most vile criminals on Earth. Abigail and Hush are uneasy about the sketchy and vague details, but Clark is more concerned about missing the once in a lifetime opportunity to collect a five million dollar paycheck, so after some prodding from Clark, Ray accepts the mission.

At The Tomb, Ray is confused, when he meets Warden Willard Hobbes (Jim Caviezel), because Ray was expecting Warden Roger Marsh, but Warden Hobbes reassures Ray Warden Marsh doesn’t exist. And the situation becomes more complex, when Hobbes dismisses Ray’s fake evacuation code.

With no one else to turn to, Ray teams up with Emil Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a fellow inmate, who promises to help Ray escape The Tomb. Emil uses his influence as the head honcho within the prison to provide Ray with the necessary resources, and using morality as the basis for his arguments, Ray reaches out to a reluctant and fearful Dr. Kyrie (Sam Neill) for help.

Ray must endure taunting and savage beatings from Drake (Vinnie Jones), Hobbes’ Chief Of Security, and time is running out, as a suspicious Hobbes vows to derail Breslin’s plans for an escape, with the promise of imprisoning Breslin in The Tomb until his final breath.

Schwarzenegger and Stallone share easy chemistry, as a duo of grizzled tough guys, who are looking for a good fight. The approach of using Schwarzenegger as the muscle and Stallone as the brains of the operation really works, because having both men portray lethal ass-kicking machines would’ve been a counterproductive move. Constantly watching a barrage of scenes featuring Arine and Sly breaking necks and firing large guns every five minutes? Yeah, the onslaught of thuggery would reach a “too tiresome” point after a while, but with Arnie doing most of the dirty work (Sly isn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and fight every now and then), and Stallone pulling the strings, you get a chance to see more variety, when comparing and contrast the personalities between Breslin and Rottmayer. Plus, Arnie and Sly provide some good laughs during their sporadic back and forth arguments, and Arnie is hilarious in a handful of scenes without Sly (i.e. the waterboarding scene, and the scene in the box with Hobbes, where Rottmayer spouts random nonsense to give Ray more time with his plan).

Jim Caviezel is a nice fit for the primary antagonist. Warden Hobbes is a cocky and ruthless dictator with no mercy, and Caviezel brings the essential commanding presence to this character. Vinnie Jones is solid, as the grimacing hard-ass, Amy Ryan isn’t bad as Abigail, but her screen time is limited to sporadic appearances, and 50 Cent is harmless as Hush. Vincent D’Onofrio is believably pompous as Clark, and D'Onofrio's character takes a slimy turn (more on that later) as the story progresses.

Where is The Tomb? Ray’s an expert and Rottmayer has connections, but if they’re going to plan an escape, they NEED to know where they are. Rottmayer is able to cause a distraction after a calamity in the solitary confinement cells. Meanwhile, Ray is able to climb a ladder that leads to the outside. And what does Ray see outside? Water. Lots of water. Why? Well, The Tomb is a prison on a freighter ship, and the freighter ship is currently located in the Atlantic Ocean.

A nice shock. It’s almost impossible to pinpoint the location of The Tomb. A few times, I thought I was near “Getting warmer” territory, but The Tomb being on ship? Yeah, I didn’t see that one coming. And to add the icing on the cake, there’s a zooming out shot of Stallone standing on the deck by himself with this hopeless and devastated look on his face. Good stuff.

With some help from Rottmayer’s connections, a volunteering inmate (Javed, portrayed by Faran Tahir), and Dr. Kyrie, Ray and Emil finally escape The Tomb in a helicopter. Ray manages to fire series of shots into a group of oil barrels to kill Hobbes, while clinging to the broken ladder on the helicopter. Hobbes burns to death in the oil fire, and together, Ray and Emil safely land on a beach in Morocco. Here, Ray learns the truth about Emil: Agent Miller is Emil’s daughter, and she used the cover of a CIA agent to fool Ray and his team. Emil’s real name is Victor Mannheim. Long story short, Mannheim was supposed to be Emil’s boss/primary connection for help on the outside, so Emil as Rottmayer was just a cover. And Miller gave Ray the codename “Portos” to alert Mannheim of Ray’s presence as an ally.

Rottamyer as Mannheim is a surprising twist, but I wouldn’t call it shocking. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to sit here and pretend I saw this coming, because I didn’t. BUT after all the trickery and clever deception, I was expecting a bigger bang for Escape Plan’s final set of twists. I was hoping for a lobster dinner with steak on the side, but instead, I got fresh pepperoni pizza.

Remember Clark? Clark was offered an annual five million dollar salary to keep Ray stuck in The Tomb for the rest of his life. Of course, Clark hid this information from everyone else. Towards the end, Clark tries to escape with all the money, but Hush catches him in a parking garage. Hush is able to capture Clark, and he locks Clark in his car………and the car is stuck in a container on a departing cargo ship. The last moments of the movie feature a desperate and frantic attempt at an escape from Clark, while Clark is cursing Ray’s name. This scene put a smile on my face. Why? Because Clark was a snaky, backstabbing little weasel, and he finally got what he deserved in the end.

In a lot of ways, Escape Plan caught me off guard. I was expecting a loud and over the top action flick with a bunch of explosions and cheesy one-liners from Arnie and Sly (well, you’ll hear some one-liners, but they never reach the point of overkill). Instead, Escape Plan is a crafty prison-break thriller with a few satisfying twists, and the action sequences are enjoyable. The duo of Stallone and Schwarzenegger should provide the necessary nostalgia kick for action fans, because I had a good time watching the old warhorses team up for a risky fight. It’s hard to ignore the eye rolling preposterous moments here, but if you’re looking for some good fun with two action legends, Escape Plan won‘t disappoint you.

Rating: 7/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

The Last Stand (2013)

**This review contains spoilers**

After an elaborate escape from FBI custody, international drug lord Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega) makes a run for the small town of Sommerton Junction, Arizona with FBI agent Ellen Richards (Genesis Rodriguez) as his hostage. With the help of his lead henchman, Thomas (Peter Stormare) and his team of mercenaries, Cortez plans to use land space in Sommerton to build a secret bridge leading into Mexico.

After suspecting something fishy from Thomas and another one of Cortez’s men at the local diner, the town Sheriff Ray Owens (Arnold Schwarzenegger) orders his deputies to run a search on Thomas’ license plates. Deputy Jerry Bailey (Zach Gilford ) and Deputy Sarah Torrance (Jaimie Alexander) investigate the farm of a cranky old local, which also happens to be the building site for Cortez’s bridge, and the deputies find the dead body of the old man with a nasty gunshot wound to the head. Jerry is fatally wounded during a firefight with Thomas and his men, and Sheriff Owens vows to avenge Jerry’s death.

Refusing the orders of FBI agent John Bannister (Forest Whitaker), Sheriff Owens assembles his own team of deputies to take down Cortez, and foil Cortez’s attempted escape. With the help of Sarah and Deputy Mike Figuerola (Luis Guzman), Sheriff Owens deputizes the local gun nut, Lewis Dinkum (Johnny Knoxville), and Sarah’s jailed ex-boyfriend and Jerry’s best friend, Frank Martinez (Rodrigo Santoro). Out-numbered and out-classed in weaponry, Sheriff Owens will lead his team in the fight of their lives to stop Cortez, and honor Jerry’s memory.

I think it’s safe to say Arnold’s mystique as the “Action God” is gone. He’s not the same guy, who covered himself in mud, and fought the Predator. He’s not the same guy, who terrorized Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese, and he’s not the same guy, who challenged Benedict in Last Action Hero. Yeah, I thought The Last Stand did a good job of presenting Arnold as the aging and scrappy veteran, who won’t go down without a fight. Arnold really embraced the role, he was good for a few laughs, and the usual cheesy one-liners fit him like a glove (“I’m the Sheriff!” or “you fucked up my day off‘). But Arnold is not a believable bad ass anymore. Hell, I don’t even think it’s realistic to expect Terminator 3 Arnold now a days.

Unfortunately, Noriega’s character and perfromance fits into the mold of the usual “foreign bad guy with a thick accent" character (you can say the same thing about Peter Stormare), and Rodriguez is just eye candy as usual. A trio of decent performances from Forest Whitaker, Jaimie Alexander, Rodrigo Santoro, and you can give the credit for some great comic relief to Johnny Knoxville and Luis Guzman.

The Last Stand is good mindless fun for action junkies. Lots of impressive, jaw-dropping stunts, Arnold’s cheesy one-liners, bloody hardcore action, and the final one on one showdown between Owens and Cortez is predictable, but it’s still enjoyable. In more ways than one, Arnold isn’t the indestructible action machine anymore (and the box office flop for this movie proves that), but adjusting to the “old warhorse with something to prove” character isn‘t a big problem for me, and his cameos in The Expendables still bring out some good feelings of nostalgia.

Final Rating: 6/10