Stranded Reviews

Confining people in a small space with no hope can lead to significant philosophical revelations and intense drama -- think Lifeboat, Alien, even Deliverance. Stranded is none of those. The editing style conveys the appropriate claustrophobic, otherworldly atmosphere, but Vincent Gallo's improvisational method acting doesn't mix well with a cast of mostly first-time Spanish actors; consequently, dialogue scenes go on too long for naught. And dubbing this bad hasn't been seen since Steve Reeves strapped on a tunic for Hercules. Nothing is plausible -- not the big "surprise" on the Red Planet, not Baglioni's efforts to bed a fellow astronaut the minute they're alone -- and director María Lidón isn't much of an actress, much less a director. The only positive: Seminal punk band the Ramones' guitarist Johnny Ramone (aka John Cummings) makes his acting debut, however brief, as the lone astronaut in the orbiting spaceship who gets to go home.