Audience Member
Who is on this site? This movie was great! It was funny as hell, sweet and different; full of love of movies (particularly westerns and B movies). A new take on the buddy road movie (I didn't think that was possible). A witty, fun meta film.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/16/23
Full Review
eric b
Writer-director Alex Cox may be a permanent Hollywood outcast, but he continues to find ways to sneak out his modest, renegade projects. The undistributed "Searchers 2.0" was shot in 10 days on digital video and, while it's clearly mediocre, it's an enjoyable diversion -- especially for a no-budget movie that mostly rests upon three chatty people riding in a car.
Mel (Del Zamora, who also appeared in Cox's "Repo Man," "Walker" and "Straight to Hell") meets Fred (Ed Pansullo) by chance, and discovers they are both aging, bit-part actors with a love for cult Westerns. Furthermore, they even appeared in the same Western as children and share bitter, traumatic memories of its vicious screenwriter, Fritz Frobisher (Sy Richardson, another of Cox's durable acting troupe).
By far-fetched coincidence, they almost immediately hear of a special, out-of-state screening of a Frobisher film where the famed writer will make a personal appearance. Having nothing better to do, they take off for Monument Valley, Arizona with vague plans to give him a vengeful pounding. They lack a reliable car, so they recruit the services of Mel's estranged daughter Delilah (Jaclyn Jonet, far more appealing than she was in the subsequent "Repo Chick").
The plot doesn't go much further than this, but we do share the trio's long drive in Delilah's gas-challenged SUV. Along the way, they casually banter and argue. Mainly about classic Westerns. Cox is a major aficionado of the genre, and most of the script feels like an indulgent excuse to share this passion. But yes, some good lines pop up here and there -- check the interesting debate about whether a revenge film's protagonist should succeed or not -- and twitchy, malcontent Fred has various gripes that somewhat recall Tracey Walter's iconic "Repo Man" psychobabble. And the ruddy desert vistas are exquisite.
Of course, the three eventually meet Frobisher (now lamely hawking souvenir merchandise), but the climax adds a dumb twist that leaves a bad aftertaste and makes the film seem much sillier than it should have been. A pity.
Watch for cameos by Roger Corman (also the executive producer), nerd critic Leonard Maltin and Cox himself.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
I really wanted to like this film more, because I think Alex Cox is an interesting guy and even his lesser-known latter-day films have been worth a look to me. This one has a certain amount of "pluses" to recommend -- some of the BS sessions about movies, the incredibly appealing actress Jaclyn Jonet, and a great appearance by STRAIGHT TO HELL's Sy Richardson among them. But it is also incredibly cheap-looking, often flatly acted, and built around a straight-up dumb premise that isn't even amusing in its pointlessness. The film seems like it needed to be either more gleefully rididulous or more seriously plotted, but instead it occupies a kind of aimless in-between that fails to feel like a Spaghetti western or even like an Alex Cox movie.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/08/23
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Audience Member
great scenery in this road/revenge movie
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/25/23
Full Review
Audience Member
If Alex Cox did a road trip episode of Seinfeld...
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/12/23
Full Review
Audience Member
well umn just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is a good movie 2 watch...its got a good cast of actors/actressess throughout this movie....i think that zahn mcclarnon, sy rochardson, jaclyn jonet, ed pansullo, del zamora play good roles/parts throughout this movie....i think that the director of this comedy/drama movie had done a great job of directing this movie because its a really enjoyable movie 2 watch with a good cast throughout this movie....i think that this is a good movie 2 watch n its highley enjoyable thorughout this movie because its so funny throughout this movie
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/27/23
Full Review
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