"You like hot dogs?....Don't you?"

Rating: 1/10 (31 May 2009)

Yes....the summary title is actually a line from this absolutely dread attempt at an apocalyptic thriller by a writer/director who should have quit while he was ahead (after Unbreakable). I caught this movie on HBO and while watching I had to see what the IMDb community thought. Usually I place my barometer for trash movies at about a 5.0 (of the realistic 9.1- .2) scale as "watchable". Occasionally I'll indulge in a trashy Showtime movie (not the dirty ones I mean ones life "Traffic Jam" and Texas Chain Saw the Lost Years. This movie delivers that quality, with a Hollywood budget. The first review I read gave this one 3 stars.....thats generous. The acting is almost as atrocious as some of the lines these robots are forced to deliver. Poor John Leguizamo.....I guess now i know why you don't see him getting work anymore, but man I feel for the guy. Anytime Mark Wahlberg out performs you on screen, you should question your craft. This movie does raise some questions in my mind...they are as follows.
1. Is Shamylans a worse director or writer? Compelling arguments can be mad for both side, but in the end I have to give it to the writing side. Past of the overuse of close ups he'll deliver a shot that isn't utterly painful at times. But the script....oh the script........ 2. Will one of his movies ultimately be so bad that the scenario proposed in the film comes to fruition? Simply put, I'd believe that more than any of the premises of the last three movies by this hack. 3. Why did Mark Wahlberg seem like the appropriate cast for this or any role?
He'll always be a one hit wonder.