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"Alien Invasion Arizona"
DVD
"Alien Invasion
Arizona" is one of those movies that I like to refer to as
"Meatloaf Movies". There's not that much good to say
about it, and yet, there's not too much bad to say about it. It's
quick (eighty-seven minutes quick), the plotline is tasteless
but not actively offensive, and it'll at least leave you mildly
satisfied.
And what's in this
meatloaf is the story of a prison transfer gone awry at the behest
of one of the transferred prisoners, a Mafia cleaner named, of
all things, Brando. Brando's managed to also spring a few other
death row buddies, and he and his newfound friends, along with
the guards and the prison doctor, set off for the small mining
town of Salena. Salena's clearly seen better years, because when
Brando and company walk in, Salena is empty.
As to why Salena is
empty, well, that'll have something to do with the detachment
of Marines roaming the network of tunnels directly below Salena.
That and the title--between the two of those you've got all the
explanation you could need or want.
By now you've probably
recognized this plot, or at least several pieces of it, as stuff
that you've already seen several dozen times. And if you enjoyed
all that stuff the first several dozen times you saw it, then
you'll have nary a problem with "Alien Invasion Arizona".
If you didn't, then
you've probably already walked on by this retread and gone on
to something different and challenging. Assuming you could find
different and challenging...but I digress.
This is exactly why
I call movies like this "meatloaf". You're familiar
with the ingredients, you're familiar with the whole they generate.
It's nothing great, no...but it's not anything terrible, either.
And you know in advance it won't be anything great or terrible
because you've already had it dozens of times before. Sure, maybe
there's some new twists or a slight streak of exciting new flavor
added, but come right down to it it's still the same thing you've
been choking down for years upon before this one.
The ending is decent
enough--there's even a couple of nice ironic twists going on in
there--but it's just a bit on the cliche side.
The special features
include Spanish subtitles, a stills gallery, audio options, and
trailers for "Beneath Still Waters", "Gamebox 1.0",
"Rancid", "Diary of a Cannibal", and "Alien
Invasion Arizona".
So, all in all, you've
been here before. You know what to expect and you know in advance
whether you'll like it or not, pretty much. The only question
left is whether or not you stick around for what you know is coming.
Alien
Invasion Arizona
**
DVD
Directed by Dustin Rikert
Written by Soon Hee Newbold, Dustin Rikert
Starring Avery Clyde, Sam McConkey, James McBride, Tank
Produced by Soon Hee Newbold, Dustin Rikert
87 mins
R
2007
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