wille66
Where does one begin? Horrible acting, horrible over-acting, no suspense, full of stereotypes, choppy story line, and poor casting. Apparently the only lines David Arquette had were "what are the codes!!" and "where's my wife and son!!!" Repeat these many, many times in a loud, over-excited, daytime soapy manner and get the picture of this movie's dialog. If this isn't Mystery Science Theater material, I don't know what would be. The best line (sports arena maintenance guy to federal agents about to cloister him for security reasons): "I'm a veteran of Desert Storm and I can keep my mouth shut!" Ugh. Remember the old CBS late night movies? Prime candidate...definitely.
DominieDirtch
I saw this on CBS last night, and I must say it kept my attention, but the acting was mediocre at best. David Arquette is almost impossible to take seriously, especially in the emotional moments. Honestly, what were they thinking when they cast him in the lead? There are probably thousands of unknown actors that would have been more believable. I've liked David Arquette in the other films I've seen him in, but this just shows that he is not a dramatic actor. He should stick to comedy. I won't give anything away, but the plot twist at the end doesn't really make a lot of sense either. I think the makers of this film thought the material with terrorism and racial profiling would make it relevant and edgy, but instead it was just cliché and predictable.Also, the cinematography was nothing special, for a while I wasn't sure whether this was a movie or a new TV show. But I did keep watching till the end, but a good TV show could easily have pulled me away.
yellowdogtvray
"Time Bomb" on CBS featured Mr. Courteney Cox as a Homeland Security officer who races to save 65,000 fans... and his own family... from a threatened terrorist attack at a pro football game in Washington, D.C.Funny how Olympic Stadium in Montreal was suddenly located in D.C., but that's another matter.I had absolutely no inclination or desire to watch "Time Bomb", but it was one of those "it's on, the DVR is rolling on my other stuff, what the hell, let's check it out for a few minutes" thingies.Unbelievable.I'd actually wondered before whether Arquette could play a non-clown role, and I got my answer tonight. All the classic overacting clichés... over emoting, pounding the wall, choking back tears, tortured grimaces... were there, and it was just awful.(As for the "tortured grimace" noted above: who knew the "Dewey from 'Scream'" scrunched-up face was his default look?) One indelible moment was when Arquette's Dewey... er, DHS Agent Bookman (not the library cop from the classic "Seinfeld" episode)... was forced to squelch a crying jag while explaining that his family had been kidnapped. He stopped talking, gulped audibly, placed his hand to his face and said, "Sorry." I can't imagine what co-star Richard T. Jones was thinking at the time.You'd think it was camp, but it was played just as straight as could be.As for Angela Bassett, I see her name is missing from the current cast list. I'm betting she was added later, which wouldn't have been a problem, since all of her scenes take place in a different location.Production values were O.K., but there are plot holes you could drive a truck thru (a zip line to a neighboring house? Wouldn't security notice?).And director Stephen Gyllenhaal (also not listed) must have really loved his football footage: there are long stretches of game action shown (with play-by-play), for no apparent reason. And don't think we don't get the scoreboard clock as a "24" allusion, either.David Arquette may be a terrific guy and has certainly had his share of successes with the odd-ball stuff. I actually admire him for wanting to stretch a bit, but dude, leave the tough-guy stuff for Willis or Keifer.
koverartsnet
I'm watching it right now on CBS, at best it is an average ticking clock disaster story. Acting is all quite capable. Nice editing in the action sequences. Good feel for the chaotic moments. That's hard to depict well.Nothing new here, bombs planted in a football stadium. Lots of people as potential victims & shots of agents sweating over wires & LED countdowns. A few plot twists, but they aren't even novel. It's not clear to me how the explosives were embedded into the structure. This would imply an absurd lead time for the plot. Maybe that was explained better & I missed it. Why bother to cut holes in support beams & plant bombs? That would take a lot of time, & make lots of noise. That is a huge plot holeNice to see Jayne Heitmeyer again. She played Renee Palmer in Earth Final Conflict, & I enjoy seeing her again.David Arquette often just seems too stiff in dramatic roles. he's a funny, likable guy, but I'm not quite buying him as the lead in a taught action role. He has some good moments, but I don't feel the grit & determination that I see when I watch Southerland in 24. I love the Arquette girls & I was a fan of Cliff, but right know David reminds me more of a city planner than a tough guy Homeland security agent.Ouch, Arquette just shot a guy in the hand. Its ruthless, but Arquette isn't the tough guy type to do this. The bomb jacket on his wife & son are a bit much. The plot is getting rather convoluted as the story draws to a climax. Arquette jogging with a bomb vest on is too much. They jump & wrestle with these bomb vests on like they were some kind of film prop. Oh wait, they are...Climax is on the silly side, & the ending shots with the American flag are pretty manipulative.A one shot deal on a Sunday evening. Not bad, but if you didn't watch this broadcast, you will probably never get a chance to see this again. Oh well, probably as a re-run this summer.
AD
