Scenic Route

I think there is a good idea in there, but the execution was so bad I couldn't get past it. Sure the survival genre makes for a powerful movie because it's based on a primitive survival instinct, but this was so bad it was comical. Two Mutt and Jeff friends decide to travel through Death Valley with no water, in an old beat up truck, and apparently without telling anyone what they were doing. This is so stupid on so many levels if they were real people I would be happy to have them out of the gene pool. Mutt and Jeff have found the world is not the warm and cuddly place they thought it would be when they were in their late teens early twenties. Boo-hoo. Now ten or so years later, having taken divergent paths they have virtually nothing in common except for their history. We all probably have friends like this, people who if we passed on the street now we would go out of our way to avoid, and the story has been done twenty times before so they had to come up with a twist. The whole movie is a series of stupid actions that wind up digging our duo a deeper and deeper hole. Rather than go through them all I will just highlight the really stupid ones not previously mentioned: 1. Drinking windshield wiper fluid because "it has water in it." 2. Not being able to talk coherently and acting like lunatics when an elderly lady stops to see what is wrong. Of course this plot device is necessary to keep them stranded and lead to them... 3. ...engaging in an extremely violent fight. Yes, clearly two life long friends are going to try to kill each other 4. Not being able to tell someone is still alive i.e. breathing and deciding to bury him in the desert. Of course this was another necessary plot device so.. 5. ..they could decide to sleep in the grave he dug instead of the truck and miss a patrol vehicle that would have saved them yet again. After three days in 115 degree heat with no water I was just hoping they would die and the stupid movie would end. They do try and throw a twist in at the end where they manage to get to a place with cell coverage, but that turns out to be a delusion (how clever, that's never been done before to try and save a bad movie) and they are really dead out in the desert.

source: Scenic Route

I got the chance to see Scenic Route at a recent viewing at the SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas. I always picture Josh Duhamel as the tall pretty boy from the TV show Las Vegas. His performance in Scenic Route was gritty and raw and I couldn't look away. This is not your typical "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton" Josh Duhamel. The movie follows the two main actors as they struggle to survive while stranded on a desolate stretch of road in Death Valley. The movie was difficult to watch (in a good way) as the two friends start to break each other down. I enjoyed the acting of both Duhamel and Fogler. The movie also had some pretty neat sound effects. The howling of the wind in the desert at night was almost unbearable (and awesome at the same time). If you get a chance to see this movie, I definitely recommend you do.

They bicker and fight and after 3 freaking days and when they're near death they finally decide to walk and when they do, they're so dumb they don't even stay on the damn road which obviously leads to civilization. It was fun seeing the idiots helplessly watch their truck get towed away when they left the road. At this point you just think to yourself, "Die already!" But after the 4th day with no food and water and both badly beaten (by each other) they miraculously still have strength to go on. In reality both idiots would have been dead well before then. Then there's the ending...(I won't spoil)...I'll just say it was just as bad as the 90 minutes that came before it.

I like the fact that the ending left me wondering (but not really wondering too much.) Having lived in the desert, I was originally going to give the film a lower rating than I wound up giving it. Why? Because, we are always taught to never, ever leave your vehicle if you break down while traveling through the desert. And, no water? You can live for a while without food, but you will die very quickly without water. Especially after all of the physical (and mental) trauma those two went through, the lack of water would have made the situation dire. The loss of blood alone would have screwed up rational thinking. So a rescue of any type, with them wandering around, would have been a true miracle. So, when Mitchell's broken phone started ringing, at first I thought, "Well why the heck didn't they call for help before? Wait, that isn't a satellite phone. Where are the cell towers?" And, immediately realized that no, maybe they are hallucinating, which is what I expected them to start doing on the second day (if you have ever had to work outside when it is 110 out, you will know what I mean.) Therefore, I think they died. Whatever you want to believe the outcome was, this was a very good movie. I'd like to pose another question: Did Carter actually die the first time, and Mitchell only hallucinated that he wasn't actually dead?

The movie left a very long and deep impression on me... And the very last scene is absolutely genius, in my opinion. I was struck and my hair stood on end. Do you watch lots of movies with a very modest budget to impress you so much? With no special effects, no turning cars, no explosions, blood, shooting and computer-made reality? I think, not so many... And this movie with basically one scene of action, with practically just two actors and a 30-year-old car in the dessert made a story, and even more - made us sympathize and be impressed in the end. That's what I call a good movie. It's rather static bit at the same time it's dynamic. The actors are those who make it dynamic and alive. I did not check time while watching. Not a single time. And I think the greatest thing about this movie is the ending... or endings... the way it all was wrapped and presented. Not a trivial way for a movie. So if you like thoughtful movies with a good acting, then this is a movie for you. And if you just want entertainment and fun, then don't bother, maybe you'll come back to this movie in a decade or so ;)

The film opens with Mitchell and Carter beating the nonsense out of each other. Mitchell prevails, and Carter looks either knocked out or possibly dead. We jump back in time, and I'm quite ready to stop watching, given what I know will happen. So, in the real opening of the film, Mitchell is sleeping, and Carter is driving an old truck through Death Valley, California. The truck is old, and it breaks down; unfortunately, this turns out to be by design. At least they are not sweating initially. Mitchell has a broken foot and uses crutches. Neither of them has a cell phone signal. It's not that cool: one hundred and fifteen degrees. They are in the middle of nowhere, sixty miles from the last town, one hundred miles to the next. Mitchell has a wife and child, but still thinks about another woman named Karen. Carter met Karen lately, and she wanted to talk about Mitchell. Mitchell is tall and athletic; Carter is middle height and heavy. From their consternation with each other, I do not see why they are ever doing anything together for a single moment. There is a lot of talk which uncovers issues. These issues make the two characters angry at each other, and explains the violence shown in the opening sequence. One of the issues is that Carter sabotages every possibility of their getting rescued. This is mortally stupid. How can anyone care about such a character who betrays his friend to the point of death? How can anyone care about the friend who allows the betrayal? The pile of incidences of bonehead stupidity mount. Carter talks Mitchell into getting a Mohawk haircut in the dark using a hand tool. They drink windshield wiper fluid because it's wet; later they are puking while possible help drives by. The next day, an elderly lady stops to see how they are doing, but drives away after seeing Mitchell's Mohawk with accompanying long cuts and blood stains. Carter gives him hell for scaring her away. A day or so later, they miss a tow truck that stopped next to the truck to render assistance. If this is your cup of tea, be sure to watch the entire film. The pile continues to grow. ------Scores------- Cinematography: 2/10 The scenery is ugly, whereas Death Valley showed me a number of lovely sights in the short time I spent there. Looks like ugly by choice. Sound: 8/10 Not bad. Acting: 4/10 Josh Duhamel was OK, but not great. Dan Fogler was totally useless. I had never heard of him before; now he's on my deal-breaker list. Screenplay: 0/10 Why would anyone care about either character in this two man film? They are painted as traitor and fool with nothing interesting about either of them.

The road-trip gone-wrong/ buddy movie starts with a slow burn -- biting, often hilarious dialog introduces us to two old friends who's benign friction escalates as their predicament gets worse. The performances are engaging and absorbing--masterfully done as most of the movie rests on these two characters versus the elements (as well as the two actors versus difficult shooting conditions, according to the Q&A after the premiere I saw at SXSW). For an indie thriller "Scenic Route" doesn't show any low budget limitations -- the cinematography in Death Valley is breathtaking and unforgiving, yet still haunting and beautiful. Once the film grabs you, it doesn't let go. The movie, the imagery, stays with you long after you leave the theater.

I saw this at SXSW on Friday and I was impressed. I didn't know anything about it and was a little worried when I realized 5 minutes in this was going to be a movie of 2 guys in a desert focused on dialogue rather than action (It's incredibly difficult to pull off). Duhammel is great though and carries you through the movie. I've seen him in other stuff but this is the first time I've really seen him stretch himself as an actor and I was really impressed (and I gotta say the mohawk was pretty cool too). The movie manages to put the right amount of tension and character insight throughout to make you feel the characters as people instead of random victims of circumstance. Overall I'd recommend this to others at the very least to see Duhammel push himself as an actor and prove his chops and cause it's an entertaining little picture.