"Killing Gunther" Review by Tim Hellman

'KILLING GUNTHER': Four Stars (Out of Five)

An action-comedy written and directed by debut feature filmmaker Taran Killam. Killam also costars in the movie, with Arnold Schwarzenegger (in the title role), Bobby Moynihan (Killam's SNL costar), Hannah Simone, and Cobie Smulders (Killam's wife). The film tells the tale of a group of assassins that are attempting to kill the world's greatest assassin, Gunther, but he keeps outwitting them. It's received mixed (average) reviews from critics, and it's now available for rent on video and VOD. I found it to be surprisingly entertaining, and much better than I had expected actually.

Blake (Killam) is a professional hitman who decides he needs to kill the world's greatest assassin, named Gunther (Schwarzenegger), in order to become more famous. So he recruits an entire team of eccentric hitmen, and hitwomen, in order to help him do it. He also hires a documentary film crew to record everything they do, in order to prove their accomplishment. Gunther is always able to outwit the team's every move though.

The film is hilarious, from beginning to end. Parts of it are really silly, but I found it all to be pretty funny. If you're expecting a lot of Arnold Schwarzenegger, he doesn't really come into the movie until the climax though, but once he comes on screen, he steals every scene he's in. It's also totally entertaining. So I had a blast watching the film, and I didn't even think it looked that good (from the trailer). I think if you're an SNL type humor fan (especially Killam and Moynihan), and a Schwarzenegger fan, you'll definitely enjoy this movie. It's a little like an SNL skit that's extended into a movie, and a really good one at that, guest starring Arnold Schwarzenegger!

"Maggie" Review - Written by Tim Hellman

'MAGGIE': Four Stars (Out of Five)

An indie zombie flick, made on a budget of just $4 million, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Abigail Breslin! It was directed by first time feature filmmaker Henry Hobson and written by first time feature film writer John Scott 3. The movie is actually more of a dramatic character study, than an action or horror film, dealing with the relationship between a teenage girl, in the Midwest, and her loving father. The catch is that the girl is infected with a deadly zombie virus. It's definitely not the type of movie that a lot of Schwarzenegger fans are expecting, but I really liked it.

The story is set in a small Midwest town, where a virus, called the necroambulist virus, has broken out. It slowly turns it's victims into zombies and the government deals with the problem by throwing 'the infected' into isolation wards. Maggie (Breslin) is a young teenage girl, who was recently infected by the disease. Her father, Wade (Schwarzenegger), must do his best to care for her, in her last days, and also come to terms with what must be done, when she finally changes.

I wasn't sure what exactly to expect, going into this movie. The premise, and idea of Arnold Schwarzenegger starring in a low-budget zombie drama flick, were both very intriguing to me. I am a little disappointed it doesn't have more action, and gruesome thrills, but it is a very well made drama film. Arnold gives, arguably, his best performance to date, and Breslin is pretty impressive as well. I wish there would have been a little more to the story, than just another drama flick about a terminally ill teen, and her relationship with her friends and family. It's almost like a zombie version of'MY SISTER'S KEEPER' or 'THE FAULT IN OUR STARS', except with a little Schwarzenegger thrown in as well. I think he's making a lot of wise career choices lately, and he's starting to resemble Clint Eastwood, more and more, with each movie. This isn't a great film but it is a nice entry in Arnold's impressively expanding resume.