Mummy An' the Armadillo (2004)

Absolutely Fantastic

A Masterpiece!

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Word of mouth led me astray. I was pretty much let down. There were a few good moments, but not enough for me to really enjoy this dramatic slice of awkward darkness. Sarah(Clare Kramer)pulls off of old Route 66 on a stormy night. There in the middle of nowhere she is able to spot the rundown mainly non-functioning Armadillo Cafe. Behind the counter she meets Billie(Lori Heuring), recognizably the brightest of a dysfunctional family. There is Mother Let(Betty Buckley)and the mentally challenged Wyatte(Brad Renfro); plus the paranoid and bit militant Jesse(Johnathon Schaech). The roadside diner is full of novelties like a sentimental stuffed armadillo and mummified man believed to be a member of this weird family. The storm is heavy and noisy as Sarah seeks out answers to her past as well as an understanding of the secrets and lies that probably cover up murders among the family. The young traveler gets wrapped up in the turmoil and boiling emotions; but actually finds herself back on her way down the highway.Also in the cast are Jodi Lynne O'Keefe, Busy Philipps and Wade Williams. Some of the worst movies turn out actually good; some just stay bad.

You can count the number of shots on one hand of this overlong trapped in one room with actors who either under or overact with an equal measure of indifference. The writing is dull and they can do nothing with it.Betty Buckley comes off the best as she has stage experience to put life into lifeless material like this, but another reason she comes off well is that she has the smallest part.This is really a dull small scale play shot in a way that is totally unimaginative. The plot's big twist was obvious to me from the start and the Armadillo story has little or nothing to do with what's going on. The story is loaded with back story none of which the film can afford to shoot but you also get the impression it never occurred to them to even try. The blocking of the actors is crappy and this would possibly be an even duller play than it is a film.Half baked Sam Shepard play is what this really is. Features a bad "retard" character that is probably the worst thing about it, but the worst thing is how boring it all is. J.S. Cardone does nothing to make this feel like a film. Being trapped in one room is no excuse for directing something this boringly. You can only call this a thriller if you consider a character being tied up in a chair for most of the time a thrill. Watching this film feels like a really terrible week on a soap opera. No edge, no convincing characters or situations, do not press play on this dud.

Another case of a stage play taken to the screen with no adaptation. There is a different dynamic for stage dialog versus movies, and it is painfully obvious as the characters deliver lines with no sense of pace. It comes off as a bunch of people just saying lines *at* one another. That's just one of the things that's wrong with this movie. What's worse is the loose, relatively incoherent plot. The simplistic relationship between the characters leads to a letdown when the final "dark secret" is revealed. The film tries for an intense, psychological edge; but the intensity never escalates beyond a bunch of people screaming and waving various weapons at one another, and the psychology never gets much beyond Psych 101.

I saw this movie at a film festival in Houston. Unfortunately, the only laudable aspect of this film was Brad Renfro's performance. Outside of his character and delivery, the movie came up short on its suspense, drama, depth, and ultimately, quality.Despite a cast of potentially capable actor and actresses, the storyline was so far-fetched that the people and situations were too much for even a mammoth-sized suspension of disbelief. One ridiculous, inexplicable scene after another left you asking if how on earth any one town could have so many utterly insane people walking around on a daily basis. Unintentionally, it was like a fast-paced and unnuanced David Lynch movie that had the cinematography of Dawson's Creek and the suspense of a Meg Ryan romantic comedy.