Cowboy & Indiana (Movie Review)

Plot Summary

Tyler Hughes used to be a big-time rodeo cowboy, but he got down on his luck through a series of bad choices. Now, he’s in and out of court, which where he gets sentenced to be a special mentor for “troubled kids.” Accompanied by his former girlfriend-turned-social-worker, what could go wrong as Tyler plays white savior for a kid from the “other neighborhood”? Also, several other characters do some stuff with bull riding in this incredibly long film.

Production Quality (2 points)

Production is easily Cowboy & Indiana‘s strongest suit. Camera work, video quality, and audio quality are all professional except for some slightly inconsistent filming techniques. Lighting, sets, locations, and props are all acceptable, however. The soundtrack is somewhat interesting, and the only issues with this section pertain to editing. This aspect is a bit uneven at times, but it’s not enough to pull this area below the average mark.

Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)

Besides being a white savior plot, the premise of Cowboy & Indiana is so trumped up that it doesn’t even seem legally sound or realistic. This causes some subtly racist undertones and a lot of patriarchal message-pushing that treats women like they’re incapable of making decisions without men around. In addition, the characters are very thin due to poorly developed dialogue and conversations, wasted scenes and sequences, excessive sports montages, and silly coincidences that make the story go where it wants to go. This narrative steering creates very steep character arcs that aren’t justified and strip the movie of any central purpose or themes. Despite some good flashbacks and acceptable dialogue in the screenplay’s second half that keeps this section from being zero, it’s just too little, too late. By the time the conclusion rolls around, it seems like the writers tried to make up for lost time by forcing things forward at a rapid pace, which produces a rushed epilogue with tons of expository dialogue that patches everything up at a breakneck speed. Needless to say, the small amount of positive in this portion just isn’t enough.

Acting Quality (1.5 points)

At least the acting of Cowboy & Indiana is basically average. There’s nothing too bad or too good about it. Emotional and line delivery are just right down the middle with some being less than acceptable and the rest being fine. Overall, however, this rounds out an underwhelming effort.

Conclusion

It’s clear that this film was based on a lot of random ideas, some of which were better than others. Nonetheless, there are just too many eyebrow-raising elements here, such as the shaky legal basis. The veiled racism and patriarchy are also obvious concerns to contend with. Even without these problems, the sheer amount of content is simply overwhelming for anyone. Thus, during the creative process, it’s better to slow things down and invite God into the situation to see if you’re even meant to move forward with your project.

Final Rating: 4 out of 10 points

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July 15, 2020 by Box Office Revolutionary Categories: Drama, Inspirational, Movie Reviews, SportsTags: 4 points, Cody Lambert, Daryl Wolgemuth, Drama, Evan Myles Horsley, Inspirational, Jaime Wallace, Justin McBride, Kenneisha Thompson, Lynn Andrews III, Major Dodge, Major Dodge Jr., Niki Spiridakos, Patrick Kirton, R-Squared Productions, Rif Hutton, Rodney Ray, Sports, Susan Kirton, Tammi Arender, Taylor Girard, Tye Nelson Leave a comment

Saint Street (Movie Review)

Plot Summary

Percy believes that he has to work long hours in order to be more successful in his business so that his family has more possessions.  Yet his family just wants to see him from the holidays.  One fateful night, when he insists on driving all night to a family gathering, a car accident changes his life and his family’s lives forever.  Will Percy be able to find faith and hope in the tragedy’s wake?

 

Production Quality (2 points)

Overall, Saint Street is a fine production, including good video quality and camera work.  Audio quality is fine except for some odd sound effects; however, the soundtrack is fine.  Sometimes lighting is also not what it should be, but there is improvement throughout.  For the most part, sets, locations, and props are what they should be.  At first, the editing is a bit disorienting, but this also improves throughout.  In the end, this is an above-average production.

Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)

At the beginning, Saint Street is a typical businessman-is-forced-to-slow-down Christmas plot, combined with some ‘magical’ elements.  However, it is sometimes hard to follow, and it tends to have too much wasted time without enough substantial content.  It seems like most of the time it’s just trying to get to the end, and it has some slightly obvious allegorical content.  However, there are some good psychological elements, as well as a good message.  Yet the characters come off as cheesy and under-developed due to unsubstantial and underwhelming dialogue.  While things tend to happen because they need to, the ending is at least interesting and thought-provoking.  Yet this movie still leaves a lot to be desired.

Acting Quality (1 point)

At first, there is a lot of overdone acting and forced, unnatural emotions.  However, some improvement is shown throughout as coaching seems to improve in some areas.  Yet there are some other unusual performances by some cast members that do not change.  In many areas, it seems like Saint Street leaves a lot of potential on the ground.

Conclusion

These types of psychological Christmas plots can sometimes be predictable and worn out, but they usually contain enough elements to be interesting.  Some audiences will still enjoy Saint Street, and there is something everyone can learn from it.  There is just a collection of lingering issues that keeps it from being all that it could be.  Perhaps Rob Diamond and his team will continue to improve in the future.

 

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 10 points

 

November 29, 2017January 3, 2019 by Box Office Revolutionary Categories: Christmas, Inspirational, Movie Reviews, PsychologicalTags: 2012, 3.5 points, Aiden Beagley, Amanda Craner, Amy Lia, Ashley Erin Campbell, Billy Lamb, Casey Craner, Cate Allen, Christmas, Christmas Lutu, Clint Comer, Clint Vanderlinden, Danya Cramer, David Cardona, Dustin Miller, Dyonne Diamond, Ethan Cramer, Evan Cramer, Gold Moon Films, Guardian Angel Films, Inspirational, Jaden Cardona, Jarrod Phillips, Jasen Wade, Jason K. Wixom, Jeff Hall, Jeff Johnson, Jessie Frank, Jizelle Jade, Josh Eades, Kacey Barnes, Karen Peterson, Keen Cooper, Keith Hottinger, Keyon Bowman, Mark Webb, Marlys Miller-Fladeland, Michael Lee Bishop, Nathan Dobbin, Pat Donahue, Patrick Bogdanich, Phase 4 Films, Psychological, Quincy Cardona, Raymond Kelleher, Rob Diamond, Rog Benally, Sahara Yasmin Krompel, Sandra Stevens, Schylar Diamond, Scott Smith, Tommy Tebbs, Tye Nelson Leave a comment