Mummy an' the Armadillo (2004)

Director:

J.S. Cardone

Writers (WGA):

J.S. Cardone (play)
J.S. Cardone (screenplay)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

A young woman stops at a rundown roadside diner during a dark and stormy night which sets in motion a series of events that bring out dark secrets, psychological quotes, and more.

Plot Keywords:

Diner | Dark And Stormy Night | Torture | Mind Game | Hostage

Awards:

5 wins

Cast

Betty Buckley	...	Let
Lori Heuring	...	Billie
Clare Kramer	...	Sarah
Busy Philipps	...	Carol Ann
Brad Renfro	...	Wyatte
Johnathon Schaech	...	Jesse
Jodi Lyn O'Keefe	...	Jackie
Wade Williams	...	Temple
Amanda Aday	...	Bevers
F.J. Flynn	...	Father
Ashley Edner	...	Young Billie (as Ashley Louise Edner)
Luke Strode	...	Young Jesse

Also Known As:

The Scare Hole (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and terror, strong sexual dialogue and language.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R

Company:

Sandstorm Films

Quotes:

Sarah: If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you please untie me.
Let: Not until I get to the bottom of this.
Sarah: Please...please, these ropes are cutting off my circulation
Let: If you wouldn't squirm about like a gopher in a trap, you'd be fine.

Obvious Mummy, needs more Armadillo

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.