Tag: Plane Crash

SEND HELP – Review

After last weekend’s brutal winter storm, aren’t you dreaming of a getaway to a tropical island where you’re not wrenching your back shoveling snow or scraping ice off of your car’s windshield? Ah, but what if it’s deserted, with little to no chance of leaving (if only that old boat that’s got “S.S. MINNOW” painted on its side didn’t have that nasty hole in it hull)? And forget about any rescue ships arriving. Perhaps you’re not alone, at least that makes things more bearable. But what if it’s that co-worker you can’t stand? Or trust? These are all things to ponder while basking away in the warmth of your multiplex while watching at least one of these “stranded castaways” make several attempts to SEND HELP.

One part of that duo is introduced in the film’s opening scenes, Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams). She’s a thirty-something single lady who spends most of her evenings devouring episodes of the TV series “Survivor” with her pet bird, when she’s not prepping for the next day. She’s “workin’ 9 to 5” as a bean counter “cog” at a big investment firm downtown. Its owner has just passed, leaving the company to his arrogant, entitled son, Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien). Linda’s all prepared to be appointed the new vice-president, due to her skills, seniority, and a promise from the late Mr. Preston. But naturally, the VP promotion goes to one of Bradley’s “frat bros”. Linda confronts Bradley, who really wants to axe her. However, he’s told of her invaluable “number-crunching”, so she’s spared. This also gets her an invite on the private jet to Bangkok to help seal the deal on a big merger. But these skies are far from friendly, as a storm cripples the aircraft, plunging it into the sea. Linda survives and awakens on the shore of what appears to be a large, lush, deserted island. As she has been researching and training to audition for her fave TV show, she’s in her element. And…she’s not alone. Further down the beach is her injured boss Bradley. Linda tends to the wounds of the ungrateful CEO, while locating food and building a shelter. The two clash, as it becomes clear that in this place, Linda is the boss. Can they work and live together? And does Linda really want to be rescued and return to her dreary life slaving for the obnoxious BP?

As you’ve probably guessed, this is basically a two character study, though enlivened with plenty of action and suspense. At the heart of it is Linda Liddle superbly brought to life by the talented McAdams. Though she’s mainly known for dramas, she expertly delivers her best comedy performance since the original MEAN GIRLS (that can’t be 22 years ago). She’s endearingly awkward and klutzy in the story’s first act, establishing Liddle as socially inept and dripping with “flopsweat” through her “bargain basement” attire. I was reminded of Michelle Pfieffer’s Selina in BATMAN RETURNS. And like her, trauma changes Liddle (the plane crash here) into someone completely different, full of purpose and drive. And often very intimidating. McAdams succeeds at turning our chuckles into gasps, almost reaching through the screen to pull us in (I’m guessing the 3D version works well). Luckily she’s got a superb scene, and island, partner with the versatile rising star O’Brien. I sang his praises a couple of years ago for his remarkable recreations of young Dan Aykroyd in SATURDAY NIGHT. Since then, he was also compelling in TWINLESS (but let’s forget ANNIVERSARY, shall we). As with McAdams, his take on Bradley is a comic horrible boss straight out of many workplace romps in act one. We even see some of his snark and venom-spewing attitude in his beach rescue. Somehow, O’Brien is able to turn it around, and have us in his corner, for a bit. Then we see that his seeming change of heart masks plenty of dark intentions. His vulnerability his another mask to cloud his cruelty. These are two charismatic screen actors in top form.

And who’s “pulling their strings”? Why, it’s none other than the glorious genre movie-making mastermind Sam Raimi. Actually, he’s got his fingerprints all over it, delighting and engaging us with his manic storytelling style, full of dark, almost pitch black, comic set pieces (somehow the plane crash is harrowing and hysterical), heightened by his still energetic compositions that careen from big close-ups (that tuna fish on Linda’s chin) to the sweeping island panoramas (take in the ragged cliffs). Those paying close attention will be rewarded by several of his endearing “call backs” (look at the office wall and the parking garage) that clearly set this in the quirky “Raimi-verse”, much like his last foray in the “Marvel-verse”. Be forewarned that he doesn’t hold back on the blood, guts, and mayhem (yes, there are native wildlife in the tall grass). And there are still lots of narrative “tricks” up the sleeve of this directing “prankster” as he makes good “pop pulp” out of the clever, twisty script from Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. Plus, two of Raimi’s stalwarts, cinematographer Bill Pope (making both the gleaming offices and lush beaches glisten) and composer extraordinaire Danny Elfman lift the film up with their artistry. Couple that with some vibrant visual effect magic and startling stunts and Raimi, along with McAdams and O’Brien, bring lots of energy (Sam’s been at this for five decades now) and a very entertaining take on cinematic castaway tropes (a nice mix of the Hanks classic, along with SWEPT AWAY and MISERY) in SEND HELP.

3.5 Out of 4

SEND HELP opens in theatres everywhere on Friday, January 30, 2026

FINDERS KEEPERS (2015) – The Review

Finders Keepers 1

How can anyone argue with the rules of our childhood? Finder’s keepers is as sacred an adolescent law of survival as calling shotgun of implementing the infamous triple dog dare. But, what happens when we employ these tactics in adult life? One possible eventuality plays out in real life as the subject matter of a new documentary from Bryan Carberry and J. Clay Tweel.

FINDER’S KEEPERS follows the antics of two men, John Wood and Shannon Whisnant. John Wood lost his leg in a small plane crash that killed his father. Shannon Whisnant is an entrepreneurial picker who purchases the contents of a storage unit at an auction and discovers John Wood’s amputated leg inside a smoker grill within the storage unit he purchased.

You may be asking “how does something like this transpire?” Believe it or not, it all makes sense once the film explains the circumstances, but none of that changes the fact that truth is so often stranger than fiction and some real people are far better characters than can be written. John and Shannon are similar in ways, but are essentially polar opposites when it comes to how they view the world.

The filmmakers who brought us this film may have seen a quirky diamond in the rough, but FINDER’S KEEPERS does manage to tell an interesting story of human desires, delving into what makes these two curious characters tick. On the surface, the film feels like something hosted by Maury Povich or Jerry Springer, with absurdly eccentric characters quarreling over the silliest or strangest of squabbles. However, as the film progresses, the underlying human drama emerges, peeking its head out from behind the cantankerous curtains that separate these two men, revealing some raw emotion of illustrates the true fragility of human dreams and passion.

FINDER’S KEEPERS is not perfect. Few, if any films truly are, but in this case, it’s misleading. In all fairness and full disclosure, I’ll freely admit it took me two viewing to appreciate this film. Upon my first experience, I found the film to be funny and enjoyable, if not even interesting on a tabloid level. The laughter continued, and then a bit less, then a bit less, and I found the level of interest I had in the film was waning and I was growing bored. This was not a good sign.

Then, as any decent critic should at least consider doing, I gave the film a second chance. Still not perfect, but with this second viewing is when all the undercurrents of humanity poked through the surface sludge of silly sensationalistic slander. FINDERS KEEPERS was actually addressing the inner dreamer in all of us, even if we don’t look or talk or behave like these two men, it’s still essentially our story. There is something desired, but it’s just out of reach, despite of perseverance.

As Shrek would say, “people are like onions.” This is true, and not just in that some people stink. People have layers, many layers and these layers are not all the same. There’s not always a pearl within, but the process of peeling away the outer, decaying layers serves to reveal the true self. FINDERS KEEPERS does this for John and Shannon, but in two distinctly different directions.

John Wood is a man whose had a long, hard run of bad luck and poor choices he now lives with while trying to reconcile. He may have began his life in the luxury of a wealthy household, but for better or worse, it’s the choices we make that define us… FINDERS KEEPERS is a film about those choices.

While the film does become somewhat repetitive in its content, it’s a short feature film, running a pleasantly well-paced 82 minutes. While the intent, I believe, is to stay impartial, the truth of the matter is that we rarely ever feel sympathy for Shannon. We find ourselves empathetic for both characters, but ultimately Shannon is the heel, the villain, the antagonist. John, on the other hand, is clearly the protagonist, made out as the victim and showcased as the more likable character, despite his flaws.

The problem with Shannon is that he’s not an easy guy to like, even if we find a bit of ourselves in his persona, a bit of that dreamer or and rebel combined. FINDERS KEEPERS fails to compel its audience into caring much about its central characters, but it does raise some interesting philosophical questions, such as… if I buy a grill at an auction and find a human body part inside, do I retain the rights to that body part as goods purchased, or does the body parts’ owner retain the right to claim it back?

Something to think about.

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

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THE GREY – The Blu Review

The Movie: From the very first moments of THE GREY, there is a stark realization that the stark bleakness of the film’s setting is directly complimentary to the story being told. The cold, harsh, brutal weather of the northernmost wilderness sets the stage for a tragic journey of survival. Co-written and directed by Joe Carnahan (SMOKIN’ ACES, THE A-TEAM) and written by Ian MacKenzie Jeffers, the film is adapted from Jeffers’ short story entitled “Ghost Walker.”

THE GREY, at it’s most primal, is a story of man versus nature, but more specifically man versus beast, as a handful of oil workers who survive a place crash must battle the bitter cold and a relentless and hungry pack of wolves for survival. Led by Ottway, the group of men must comes to terms with each other and their own demons as they witness their own numbers gradually decline by the fangs of their canine counterparts. On this level, THE GREY is a terrifyingly horrific tale of a scenario far too easy to imagine in real life. On the other hand, THE GREY is a curiously uplifting human saga that carries with it a certain amount of triumph and epiphanal

Liam Neeson (TAKEN, UNKNOWN) plays Ottway, a poacher with a guilty conscience working security for an oil company in the great white north, tasked with keeping the savage wild wolves from making the workers their lunch. Ottway is an intelligent, tough and resourceful man. He is a peaceful man by nature, but not a man you’d want to make angry. Neeson gives Ottway a quiet intensity that defines the role, creating a character that an audience admires and cares about, despite his gruff demeanor. Neeson is an actor that can say as much with his face as he can with words and this role is no exception.

The group of survivors led by Ottway includes Diaz (Frank Grillo), Hendrick (Dallas Roberts), Flannery (Joe Anderson), Burke (Nonso Anozie), Hernandez (Ben Bray), Lewenden (James Badge Dale), and Talget (Dermot Mulroney). This small group of hardened men, some weak and some strong, clash as often as they unite in their combines struggle. Each of them have something to lose, something they long to return to, except for Ottway who seems resigned to imminent death, willing to let that fate overcome him if not for his ingrained sense of duty to ensuring the survival of the other men.

THE GREY is an extremely well written, well directed and well acted film, but a great injustice would be done if I were not to apply due emphasis on the look and sound of this fantastic film. Cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi (WARRIOR) captures the Alaskan wild with unflinching realism, setting aside the more serene, peacefully dangerous depiction of films like INTO THE WILD for a barren, unruly landscape brutalized by blistering winds and blinding horizontal snowfall. Much of the most brutal weather depicted in THE GREY was captured on locations without the assistance of fans or special effects, a frightening thought in and of itself. The landscape becomes a character, another antagonist through the lens of a master cinematographer. Composer Marc Steitenfeld, whose work will soon be featured in Ridley Scott’s upcoming PROMETHEUS, indulges the audience with a score so fittingly bleak while also subtly emotional that it’s presence is as equally easy to overlook as it is significant to the film’s success. However, Carnahan understands the appropriate use of this tool when he chose to leave the music out of the mix during what is perhaps the best scene in the entire film.

While there is plenty of wilderness action, suspense and beastly terror, THE GREY shines most vividly in it’s most human moments. One of these moments is during Ottway’s reflection on his relationship with his father and a simple but powerful poem his father wrote for him as a boy. This poem carries a great deal of weight throughout the film. The other is perhaps one of the best, most realistic and thoughtful depictions of death as it occurs I have seen in many years on film. This moment takes place shortly after the plane crash occurs and offers a fascinating insight into Ottway and his perspective on life. Overall, THE GREY is as touching as it is frightening, it is as much a sad film as it is a testament to hope and personal strength. It is a film about the human will.

The Extras: THE GREY blu-ray doesn’t have a ton of special features, but what it does have proves to be worth watching. Hey, it’s better than nothing, which is hos far too many films gets packaged to blu-ray in a rush to capture home viewing sales. Start out your blu-ray experience by watching the film (of course) unless you saw THE GREY in the theater. If so, jump directly to the deleted scenes — six in total — where you’ll get a healthy serving of scenes cut from the finished film. These deleted scenes do not come with an optional commentary, however some of these scenes are actually addressed in the feature-length audio commentary.

The feature-length audio commentary for THE GREY is a good time, recorded with co-writer/director Joe Carnahan and editors Roger Barton and Jason Hellmann. From the very beginning, it’s clear that you’ll have a good time listening to these laid back filmmakers. Joe Carnahan shakes his glass of ice, pointing out that they’re enjoying some Scotch while recording the commentary and what follows is a string of interesting, often humorous, anecdotes and off-the-cuff remarks about the filmmaking process and those involved.

>>>>>>> MINOR SPOILERS BELOW <<<<<<<

One of the most interesting things gleaned from the audio commentary comes from Joe Carnahan, when he explains how after seeing the film, his wife suggests that Ottway (Liam Neeson) is the only survivor of the plane crash and the other survivors are merely facets of his own mind, projections of different aspects of his personality, whereas as not only is Ottway in a struggle against nature — the cold/the wolves — but, that he is also in a struggle with himself. Carnahan goes on to explain how he had never thought of this prior to his wife pointing this out, but that it had a significant affect on how he viewed his own film afterward. I have to agree, as I watched the film again after enjoying the commentary. Viewing the film with this concept in mind changes the experience and gives the film a noticeably different appeal, less focused on the action and suspense and allows the viewer to delve deeper into the philosophical implications of the story.

Finally, THE GREY blu-ray also touts the following “bonus features” as described by Universal:

  • UltraViolet
  • Digital Copy
  • U-Control w/ Picture-in-Picture
  • pocket BLU App
  • BD-Live

THE GREY 2-Disc Blu-Ray/DVD Combo pack hits store shelves on Tuesday, May 15th, 2012.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars