Plot: What’s it about?
Miranda Clark (Chase Masterson) is a social worker with a lot of dedication, some people might say she is sometimes too dedicated. In this case, she is looking for a kidnapped young girl and no matter what it takes, she is unwilling to leave the case, until the truth is uncovered. She hasn’t had to much success thus far, but when she hears about a strange, isolated place called Sammyville, she decides to venture there herself. This area is buried within a wooded area and it is ruled by one man, Sammy (Paul Wadleigh), as well as his ever present six shooter. But she is turned away at every attempt to go inside Sammyville, though she isn’t going to surrender, not now and not ever. She soon runs into a drifter named Cam Sutherland (David Drayer), who seems to know some things about the unusual area and how to get inside the boundaries. As Miranda delves deeper inside the mysterious Sammyville, she stumbles across some dark secrets, but will the truth ever be allowed to leave this secluded, unknown area?
I found the premise here to be rather weak, but in the end, Sammyville turns out to be a decent enough picture. As you would expect, this was a low budget movie and it shows at times, in terms of production values on both sides of the camera. The nature landscapes used look good, but the internal locations could have used some work, perhaps additional attention to detail. But you sort of expect those kind of flaws, given the film’s low budget roots and such, so I won’t be too harsh on it as a result. So that’s in front of the camera, what about behind it, right? Well, it seems like some low grade stock was used, as the finished product looks kinda weak and not due to the transfer here, I’m sure. But once you get passed the poor technical specs, Sammyville is a decent movie, although I do think it could have been better. The main draw is Chase Masterson, who is fun to watch and turns in a solid effort, as per usual. This movie has some good suspense, an unusual premise, and in the end, turns out to be decent, but not too good. I recommend Sammyville as a rental to those interested and of course, make sure to check out the supplements.
I didn’t see too many faces I knew in Sammyville, but I did recognize Chase Masterson, who has the central role here. I’ve never seen Masterson take the reins like she does here, so I had my doubts about how well she could handle the burden. But she does quite well and while the material is sometimes weak, she manages to keep her chin up and deliver a solid performance. Of course, she looks fantastic and makes it a pleasure to watch her in action, but she is also a gifted performer, which she proves here. I hope to see her in more feature films soon, whether she takes a supporting role or decides to handle the lead. You can also see Masterson on Tv’s Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as well as films such as Digital Man, The Specials, Trekkies, and Sometimes They Come Back…For More. The cast also includes David Drayer, Lyle Schwartz (Dog Story, Avatar), and Paul Wadleigh (Dog Story).
Video: How does it look?
Sammyville is presented in a full frame transfer, which seems to be an acceptable aspect ratio. I am unsure of the intended format, but I saw no pan & scan and the framing seemed natural most of the time, so it could be full frame, but I can’t say for sure. The image here looks like a fresh VHS tape and that’s not good news, if you ask me. Yes, it is decent and never causes too many problems, but I expected a sharper, more refined visual treatment. The image looks very soft and as such, detail is not too impressive and that lessens the visual impact, to be sure. I found colors and contrast to be in solid form, but with this soft kind of image, it simply doesn’t compensate enough. I don’t think this is by any means unwatchable, but I do think it should have looked better, whether the filmmakers or disc authors are to blame.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is solid on this release, but remains basic and uneventful, to be sure. I wasn’t disappointed however, as the needs of the material seem to be met and in the end, that is what matters above all else. The dialogue was a tad muffled at times, but usually sounded clean and balanced, so no worries. The music and sound effects are a little restrained at times, but come through well enough and I doubt anyone will be too let down. This is a basic, but effective audio mix, which is more than sufficient in this case.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some great deleted scenes, a brief behind the scenes featurette, and the film’s trailer.
