‘Sahara’ a desert joyride adventure

SUSANNE PEREZ

“Sahara” is an entertaining E-ticket movie (for those old enough to

remember what that is) with a silly plot, but it’s a fun ride anyway.

Based on one of Clive Cussler’s popular novels, it marks the

big-screen directorial debut of Breck Eisner (Michael’s son).

Matthew McConaughey is charming as Dirk Pitt, an adventurer who

works for the National Underwater Marine Agency with his best buddy

Al Giordino (Steve Zahn). His ultimate quest is to discover the

whereabouts of a confederate ironclad battleship that, according to

legend, may have somehow drifted toward the African coast. I did warn

you it was a silly story.

Meanwhile, the earnest and radiantly beautiful Dr. Eva Rojas

(Penelope Cruz), of the World Health Organization, is trying to find

the source of a mysterious illness that has broken out in Mali. She

is suddenly attacked by a mysterious warlord, but rescued by the very

tanned and toned Dirk. Their lives continue to intertwine as they get

themselves in and out of all sorts of amazing and -- dare I say it --

mysterious adventures.

Some of the stunt sequences are very well done, particularly a

speedboat chase on the river and another sequence involving a rare

vintage touring car and a helicopter.

McConaughey, Cruz and Zahn share an easygoing camaraderie (and

possibly the same dental hygienist) and some cute one-liners in

between a constant barrage of bullets. How is it that the bad guys,

with all their automatic weaponry, can be such amazingly poor shots?

And what is the shelf life of a cannonball these days?

Ah, but this is all just a fantasy, isn’t it? Never mind the

constant threat of plague, death and a looming environmental disaster

that is potentially “the Chernobyl of the Atlantic.” It’s really all

just good, clean fun.

* SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant

for a financial services company.

‘AMITYVILLE’ A REAL ‘HORROR’

Looking for a scary movie that’s predictably creepy, occasionally

gruesome and full of sudden loud noises? The tedious and unnecessary

remake of “The Amityville Horror” is made for you.

It repeatedly utilizes every overblown and overused weapon in the

arsenal of fright films. No horror movie cliche is left behind.

You’ve seen each element a hundred times before.

An innocent family moves into a house with a murderous past.

Sinister whispering voices echo through the air vents. Mysterious

shadows race through empty hallways. Fleeting ghostly images appear

in mirrors. A young girl has a new invisible friend. Windows and

doors open and close without human assistance. When a formal exorcism

finally begins, the priest runs away in total fear, leaving the

terrified family alone with the demons that inhabit the haunted

house.

Placing children in mortal danger still remains the cheapest trick

in the genre. You get this in spades in “The Amityville Horror.”

This film delivers the ghastly goods it promises. But did this

ugly picture really need to be made again? Not for me.

* JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator

for the Orange County public defender’s office.