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Overall Rating : 4.5/10
Directed By : Neil Kinsella
Alexandra Paul (Christine)
Vincent Spano (The Prophecy 3: The Ascent)
Robert Pine (Red Eye)
Supplied By : Lionsgate Films
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : Feb.9, 2006
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| PLOT Mark Decker, has recently moved his family into a brand-new apartment complex. When the building is buried under the force of a landslide, Mark and a small band of survivors struggle to escape, while Mark's wife tries desperately to find him. |
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| THE REVIEW BURIED ALIVE, will be the newest TV movie making it's DVD premiere via Lions Gate. Originally airing on the Sci-Fi Channel, BURIED ALIVE is a story of when disaster hits home and what it takes to survive. Mark Decker, whom was recently separated from his wife, has relocated his wife and son into a new apartment complex which happens to be owned by his father-in-law Don Richardson. There happens to be some construction work being done near the complex and it just so happens that one of the construction worker's detonations causes a huge landslide. This landslide gets faster and stronger by the second, so strong that ultimately it leaves the whole complex buried under tons of dirt. Mark who happened to drop by and check on his family, is now trapped underneath it all which is son, along with Don his assistant and a man who came to apply for a job as well as a pregnant woman and her friend, a would be baby shower host. However Mark's wife while commuting to the store is still free off the landslide and while trying to locate her family, finds out that something strange is going on. She finds out that this whole landslide was a set up, it was the brainchild of a better developer by the name of Stewart. While watching this I couldn't quite figure it out, but I think Stewart is in debt to Richardson and he sees this as a way to put him out. While this may be his true motive, he tells people he must clear the landslide, which would crush the complex even more to save the rest of the town. Not willing to let their significant others parish, Emma and Danny the construction worker husband of the pregnant woman trapped inside must band together and think of a rescue plan before time runs out, I am a little mixed when it comes to writing about this film. It is simply for the fact that it is a fairly uneven effort. The first quarter of the movie is rather cheesy i'd say with "made for tv" quality special effects, while the last quarter of the film picks up a notch suddenly becoming somewhat entertaining. Now it is sort of hard to even believe for one second that in the real world that anyone in their right minds would ever build an apartment complex that close to a danger zone anyway. But you must remember that this is a film that once aired on the Sci-Fi channel and if you know anything about them you know that it is a rarity that any of the movies they air make perfect sense. The first 20 minutes of this film are slow and boring as we see the construction workers working away at the sandy construction sight looking hardly believable at all. They seem to be detonating stuff just for the hell of it with no purpose apparent until one explosion gets out of hand engulfing the building. This is when the film progresses upward a little as we begin to wonder how these people will get out. They are suddenly trapped under the mounds of dirt and I haven't mentioned this yet, but the dirt is home to a few rattle snakes as well.... only a couple though as I guess the budget wouldn't allow anymore than that. The movie in a sense reminded me of MTI Home Video's release of NATURE UNLEASHED : EARTHQUAKE, except this was a bit more entertaining. But as I mentioned during the latter period of the film, BURIED ALIVE becomes more interesting and dramatic as you are wondering of survival and you also begin to see that Mark, a guy that in the beginning of the film, seemed like a guy that had grown distant from being a Husband as well as a Father slowly show his true feelings toward his family. The acting here in typical by TV standard, nothing really ro count on. Vincent Spano does a decent jon as a dad whom is a firefighter who just so happens to worry about the well being of others before is own or that of his family- it ultimately takes an accident to make him realize this. Alexandra Paul plays the tough and determined Emma Richardson. She is determined that even with the doubt of a pesky contractor that her husband and son as well as others trapped inside will survive. Alexandra is good in here, probably the best performance given in this film for that matter. I have always admired her, as she was the one on BAYWATCH who chose to conform to the norm and not become one with plastic, but some of her career choices have been kind of unappealing and she has fell into the realm of low budget as of late....I guess you "gotta do, what ya gotta do". This film is purely mediocrity at it's best and obviously not to be taken in whole-heartedly, but as for serving the purpose of just having something to watch and to pass the time - the last half should serve well. |
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| GORE
METER N/A |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 4.5/10 The scoring to the film is nothing to be impressed by really. It sounds like a generic set of adventure tracks that you would probably most likely hear in an INDIANA JONES direct-to-video sequel. |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM BURIED ALIVE is 50/50 with me and while cannot say I enjoyed all of it, I did enjoy some. If you aren't expecting a Hollywood blockbuster and you enjoy these types of TV movies, I would recommend it and say to give it a shot. The DVD is available February 21, 2006 |
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