NateWatchesCoolMovies Slow Burn is.. odd, to say the least. Living up to its title, it pretty much goes nowhere, tagging along with James Spader and Josh Brolin as they stumble around in the desert, both hitting on treasure hunter Minnie Driver, who constantly outwits them. This kind of lower budget, steamy stuff just seems to have a licence to languish, in the sense that story is of little concern, it's more about mood and episodic character interaction than anything else. Spader and Brolin are doing the 'Of Mice & Men' shtick here, playing two hapless escaped convicts, one a sharp tongued weasel (Spader) and the other a dimwitted lug (Brolin). They're kind of lost, in both perpetual arguments and the vast Mojave around them, when they run into Driver, whose presence, and the idea that there's a whole whack of diamonds buried out there somewhere, inevitably stirs things up. The diamonds belonged to her parents, and there's hazy scenes relating back to a tragedy involving her gypsy father (Chris Mulkey, briefly) and a mysterious character played by Stuart Wilson who serves as pseudo-narrator as he wanders around out there too. Got that? It's OK, they barely explain it better than I just did, I've seen the thing twice and I'm still not sure how it all adds up either. Sweat, sand, sensual looks snuck between Brolin and Driver, dreamy atmosphere, threats of violence from Spader's overacted, crazy eyed moron, a treasure hunt and general lack of cohesion is all you'll find out here in this desert. Good for an absent minded watch or for background noise, not much else though.

Ms. Vyk WARNING: SPOILERS WITHINBased on some of these recommendations, I rented this movie over the weekend. I kept waiting for the "payoff." I kept waiting for Minnie Driver's Trina to get sun blistered like her cohorts. Why was her so complexion so creamy after growing up in the desert? This was so, so faulty and unbelievable. You never saw her with sunscreen (not that it would help in that desert sun!) Anyway, I thought she was a terrible actor. Was she trying to be seductive during the bellows scene when they were trying to solder the car part? She had the same deadpan expression on her face! And now I learn that Josh Brolin is her real life paramour??? My main frustration, however, are the loose ends. Just what happened the night her mother was supposed to run off with Marcus? Did Trina really shoot her mother? Didn't we see an earlier flashback where the mother shot Marcus after telling him neither she nor Trina was leaving with her? And what's up with the rocks-diamonds-switch? Who made the switch? Duster or Marcus? When? And, finally, just where the hell did Marcus put the diamonds? Did he swallow them? Or were they scattered over the desert? Oh, one more thing: why didn't she just keep SOME of the diamonds in her pockets? I was actually yelling at the screen and that doesn't happen very often. As for Duster's little "leave it all in the past" speech, I kept asking just what would her plan be if she did leave the desert? She has no id, has never been to school, has very few skills, no references, no money. How would she survive? Do not, I repeat, do not waste your time on this movie. Look for GREED, as I plan to do.

Edwina Berg (eddberg) "One dream doesn't make a whole life."What a gem (pardon my pun) if you enjoy watching actors and NOT all the CGI bells and whistles that can become such a bore when they are used to hide the lack of a STORY.SLOW BURN does have a good script and well-drawn characters. JAMES SPADER really pushes the envelope as "Marcus", a slimy escaped con. What a joy to see a great actor in an interesting role and not some "potboiler" like SUPERNOVA (what a waste of talented actors). MINNIE DRIVER as "Trina" was very believable in a role we're not accustomed to seeing her play. The biggest surprise was JOSH BROLIN as the shambling, but not so dim "Duster" a wonderful performance. The romantic tension between Trina and Duster is subtle and presented with just the right, light touch.The score complimented the action, not always an easy task especially for a story/character driven movie as opposed to some action flick.Overall, I was very pleased with this movie that is running on several of the cable movie channels right now.

Sleepy-17 ...how many reviewers are unfamiliar with GREED, an engrossing and fascinating film that many critics list in their all-time top ten. This film is a blatant tribute to that film and the book it's based on. Among the many clues are the setting, the characters' names (Marcus, Trina, McTeague, Frank Norris (!!)), the theme, and probably many more things that I've missed. To all who are reading this, please immediately make plans to see GREED by Erich Von Stroheim, the Man You Love to Hate, and the butler from SUNSET BOULEVARD! To be a serious movie-watcher and not to have seen it, is like being interested in drama and having never read Shakespeare.