HIT MOVIEZ

Here is the summary for the movie Crank 2 from imdb

Chev Chelios (Jason Statham), has survived the fall from a helicopter that occurred at the end of the first movie. Immediately after his fall, he is abducted off the ground by a group of Chinese medics, who take to farm his organs. However, Chev wakes up mid-surgery and sees them take out his heart and replace it with a mechanical one. He then wakes up and kills the operators, but must chase after his heart which has been stolen. He then runs into his old girlfriend Eve Lydon (Amy Smart) who believed him to be dead. [D-Man2010] The uber-assassin Chev Chelios (Statham), having survived his death fall at the end of the first movie, finds himself still alive, but a Chinese mobster has replaced his heart with a battery-operated ticker. As Chelios tries to hunt down his enemy, he must also occasionally "recharge" his mechanical heart with jolts of electricity to keep himself alive. [D-Man2010]

Here is a review for the movie Crank 2 from dvdtalk


Voltage, but I wasn't quite sure where it was going (silly question, right?). Then, at about the 75 minute mark, something is unveiled that sold me on the entire experience. You can complain all you want about the movie's abrasively hyperkinetic editing and cinematography, its rampant racism, violence, and nudity, its awful dialogue and ludicrous plot, but Crank 2 has absolutely no qualms going as far over the top as it possibly can, and I defy anyone to correctly guess how the movie ends. Either the concluding moments of Crank 2 signal some sort of unhinged psychotic genius, or they're an omen for death of cinema. I'm leaning towards the former.

Clearly, the best explanation for how Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) survives his fall from a helicopter at the end of Crank is no explanation whatsoever, and thus, the minute he hits the pavement, a bunch of Asian gangsters show up, scoop him off the street with a snow shovel and drag him to a seedy laboratory where they yank out his seemingly indestructible heart and replace it with a battery-powered ticker that Chev needs to constantly zap with electricity to stay alive. Angry and looking to reclaim what's rightfully his, Chev goes on another city-wide rampage while trying to avoid not one but (at least) three different villains looking to put Chev out of his misery for a multitude of unsavory reasons.

I'm blown away to say it, but Crank 2 actually makes the original look like a safe, studio-friendly venture. Lionsgate apparently didn't set any restrictions on directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (or Neveldine/Taylor, as they're credited) for this sequel, and boy, do they go all-out. I've never seen a guy's elbow chopped off in a movie before, but now I have. Still, the same ideas from the original remain: the notion that these films are a cinematic video game is pushed even harder, especially by Mike Patton's 8-bit-inspired score, and ridiculous on-screen subtitles and captions pop up to literally spell things out for the viewer. And once again, the movie really rests on the shoulders of Jason Statham and Amy Smart, who are apparently game for any form of ridiculous, jaw-dropping debauchery the writing/directing duo can cook up (Smart especially, whose character has become more sexually adventurous during the three months Chev's been missing).

This is also not a sequel you should see without another viewing of the original. A whole mess of characters return (played by Dwight Yoakam, Keone Young, Reno Wilson, "It's Always Sunny"'s Glenn Howerton, Linkin Park's Chester Bennington and Efren Ramirez, sort of) and the movie constantly references events from the first movie. Ramirez is particularly inspired, hampered by a ridiculous condition I'm not going to reveal, and he's got a perfect counterpart in a new character played by Bai Ling. She plays a hooker who thinks Chelios is her "Kevin Costner", and while she's certainly a ridiculous stereotype, I can't say I have any sympathy for anyone who walks into Crank 2 and doesn't want to be offended.

All of these elements build up over the movie's 96 minutes, but that one last reveal really kicked things into high gear. The moment in question is almost so jaw-droppingly ridiculous, the movie's actual ending feels a little lacking (David Carradine is completely wasted). It's so rare that a sequel can really go somewhere that an audience, jaded in a way by the original, finds completely unexpected, but Crank 2 manages that feat. In that one moment, I realized that the filmmakers really had no boundaries, and they were willing to break any rule to jolt the audience with a Chev Chelios-sized burst of electricity. Neveldine/Taylor have said that if Crank 2 is a hit, they'll make a concluding chapter in 3D, and although I feel like the ending of Crank 2 might have been cannibalized in advance for a third movie, I can't wait to see it: my brain may turn to mush, but I'm confident that I couldn't guess what happens in Crank 3 in a million years, and like it or not, that's exactly the kind of movie I'd pay $10 more to see.

4/20/2009 07:15:00 AM
Categories: Movies Starting with C. Author: kevin

Here is the summary for the movie City of Ember from imdb

For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights. But Ember's once powerful generator is failing ... and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to flicker. Now, two teenagers in a race against time, must search Ember for clues that will unlock the ancient mystery of the city's existence, and help the citizens escape before the lights go out forever. Written by Fox Walden

Here is a review for the movie City of Ember from dvdtalk

"City of Ember" is a sci-fi fantasy film with forbidding apocalyptic overtones, extravagant set design, and an edge that mixes high-flying questing with significant ecological worry. It's a film Terry Gilliam used to make before his artistic abilities flatlined: a striking adventure for families that dares to challenge the senses with atmosphere that isn't always sunny, backstory that isn't neatly cubed for mass consumption, and youthful performances that attain dramatic weight. Even housed in an imperfect cut, "City of Ember" is one of the best family films of the year.

While the world neared the end of days, the nameless Builders took humanity underground, erecting the city of Ember: a community powered by a massive hydro-electric generator and ruled by a series of mayors (Bill Murray, in dramatic mode). Now over 200 years old, Ember is falling apart with generator malfunctions that leave the citizens in the dark for frightening stretches of the day. Trying to fit into their newfound professional roles in Ember, teens Lina (Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement") and Doon (Harry Treadaway, "Brothers of the Head") submit themselves to the numbing grind of the city, only to come across an escape plan left behind by the Builders. Racing against the clock, Lina and Doon attempt to decipher the written code before Ember self-destructs, stumbling upon a great deal of governmental corruption they can barely believe.

Adapted from the popular novel by Jeanne Duprau, "City of Ember" is a terribly condensed motion picture. A natural flow of story is absent from the movie, as director Gil Kenan (the charming "Monster House") and screenwriter Caroline Thompson try to maintain a ripping pace to Lina and Doon's underground discoveries. The price for this brevity is a loss of epic scope, reducing "Ember" to breathless exposition without the desired time to sit down and take inventory of characters, motivations, and this incredible world. While I haven't read the Duprau book, the film appears pared down from a longer, more patient cut, especially around any plot details that dwell on the adults of Ember (including Tim Robbins, Martin Landau, and Mary Kay Place).

Narrative shortcomings aside, "Ember" packs quite a visual punch, courtesy of Kenan and his gifted crew. Shunning a potential torrent of special effects, the actual city of Ember is built on stages, giving the screen beautiful scale and an impression of reality that's crucial to embracing a grave movie like this. It's a colossal production, and the effort exposed in the Gilliamesque (or perhaps Jeunet and Caro) details is remarkable, with terrific rusted and soiled landmarks, along with the weathered, knitted look of the Ember inhabitants. Kenan masterminds a real world for the audience to invest in, and "Ember" is simply gorgeous to behold, if you like your kid movies with a little more bruising than normal.

The second half of "Ember" is pure action mode, following Lina and Doon as they make a break for the outside world. After a period of expositional bondage, the film takes off like a rocket as our heroes climb all over Ember's hidden passages, board a potentially life-threatening flume ride, and search the tattered map for the secrets their cryptic ancestors waited an eternity to reveal (shades of "The Goonies"). Obviously, with the heart pumping and Kenan permitted to embrace more fanciful visuals, "Ember" starts to come into its own.

Without spoiling anything, "Ember" closes on a wonderfully poetic note, unusual for a family film and positively foreign to me after last week's reprehensible "Beverly Hills Chihuahua." Offering a powerful metaphorical presentation of life under environmental pressure, superlative performances from the cast (Ronan is a gifted actress), and visual gymnastics that return a sense of awe to the movie theater, "City of Ember" might be short on narrative depth, but it's long on satisfaction.

11/10/2008 05:12:00 PM
Categories: Movies Starting with C. Author: kevin

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA 2 NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE


HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA 2 FROM IMDB

"Prince Caspian" finds the Pevensie siblings pulled back into the land of Narnia, where a thousand years have passed since they left. The children are once again enlisted to join the colorful creatures of Narnia in combating an evil villain who prevents the rightful Prince from ruling the land. Written by Max Davison {RockyHexorcist2785}

The four Pevensie children return to Narnia, only to discover that hundreds of years have passed since they ruled there, and the evil King Miraz has taken charge. With the help of a heroic mouse called Reepicheep, and the exiled heir to the throne, Prince Caspian, they set out to overthrow the King, once again with Aslan's help. Written by comicfan

A year after their first adventure in Narnia, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are pulled back in by Susan's magic horn. They find that hundreds of years have passed, and Narnia is now ruled by the bloodthirsty General Miraz, uncle to the true heir, Prince Caspian, now in exile. Now the children must find Caspian and help him depose Miraz...but how will they get home after it's done? Written by rmlohner

When a magical train station whisks siblings Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley) back to the realm of Narnia, they learn that while one year has passed for them since their last visit, hundreds have gone by in Narnia, and the land is in ruin. Overrun by humans led by villainous King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), it's up to Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) to escape the clutches of Miraz and seek counsel with the creatures and leaders that remain in Narnia. Teaming up with the Prince, Peter and the clan decide to fight Miraz for control of the land, while Lucy searches anxiously for signs of the all-powerful lion Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson).

I'm aware that stepping on the literary throat of C.S. Lewis is sure to provoke a rabid response, but understand that my beef is not with the source material, but with the director of the two "Narnia" films, Andrew Adamson. While surely putting forth a herculean effort to lift these massive fantasy features off the ground, Adamson has a horrible grasp on the drama and performances. Surely "Wardrobe" could coast on the very newness of it all, but "Caspian" is a visual sleeper hold from frame one; a constipated effort to erect widescreen wonderment, yet the production is missing dimension and needed narrative gusto.

"Caspian" handles oddly from the opening sequence, which introduces us to the new "Narnia" look: muddy, low-lit cinematography, which lends the picture a brooding stance, making an already overlong picture feel eternal. While the story might come easy to Lewis devotees, as a film "Caspian" has substantial difficultly arranging itself into a kinetic whole. It takes a good 30 minutes for the film to warm up properly, only to find that Adamson has little interest in his characters, giving mere seconds to important motivations and sweeping Shakespearean dramatic turns that seem critical to the experience.

"Caspian" doesn't feel rushed, just unfinished. Adamson's focus is on the eye-opening, big-bang material, in which Caspian and Peter try to lead Narnia forces of dwarves (played by Peter Dinklage and Warwick Davis), centaurs, and sword-wielding CG mice into battle against Miraz. That's all well and good, but where's the meat here? Where's the connective tissue that the audience can savor while our heroes step into battle? "Caspian" is marked by long stretches of screentime where there's nothing dramatic to grab onto, as though the film was engaged in a dullsville holding pattern while waiting for the next opportunity to declare war. Once it becomes clear that Adamson isn't interested in establishing a human element, the picture becomes a chore to sit through.

The performances don't exactly help matters either, with the Pevensie clan of young actors showing a noticeable lack of panache with these more difficult roles. Truthfully, the kids are completely ineffective, and it cripples "Caspian," which details the once and future kings and queens of Narnia as troubled souls, yet nothing registers in their body language, nostril flaring, or distant stares. I also wasn't thrilled with Barnes as the titular royal heir. It's difficult to get excited about a hero who looks exactly like and seems about as threatening as a Jonas Brother.

"Caspian" is quick to head into battle, and the final hour of the movie is devoted almost entirely to expansive combat arrangements and a marathon one-on-one duel between Peter and Miraz. Admittedly, I was more swayed by this section of the film due to its thankful influx of velocity, but Adamson is hardly serving up anything new here. It's the same war cries and catapult assaults as detailed in such hits as "Lord of the Rings," without anything to single them out for "Caspian." It all speaks to the fatigue of the production's imagination, and while it may entertain the faithful, I doubt it'll inspire more than a drowsy "yip-ee-do" out of the casual viewer.

I suppose I was expecting the next chapter in the Pevensie family adventure story that was promised at the end of "Wardrobe." What "Caspian" ends up becoming is a simpleminded, violent war picture (the film's PG rating is misleading) with minimal effort put into character growth. It's a decent ride for special effects and all things that go boom, but anyone expecting depth here might be better off snuggling up with the original books instead.

10/18/2008 03:35:00 AM
Categories: Movies Starting with C. Author: kevin

Here is the summary for the movie Cheetah Girls 3 from imdb

In this "trequel" to The Cheetah Girls, Chanel, Dorinda, and Aqua, are off to India to star in a Bollywood movie. But when there they discover that they will have to compete against each other to get the role in the movie. Will the Cheetah's break up again? This film stars the basic cast from The Cheetah Girls 2, excluding Raven-Symone's character Galleria Garibaldi. Written by fmmini

The Cheetah Girls, Chanel, Dorinda, and Aqua, (no Gallerina in this movie) are off to India to star in a Bollywood movie. When there they find out that they will have to compete against one another to get the part in the movie. Could this be the end of the Cheetah Girl's friendship? Do you want to have a say in what happens in this movie? Go to www.disneychannel.com/cheetahgirls to vote on what you think should appear in the movie. Written by Cloudy

9/20/2008 12:12:00 PM
Categories: Movies Starting with C. Author: kevin

COLLEGE NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

HERE IS THE SUMMARY FOR THE MOVIE COLLEGE FROM IMDB

A wild weekend is in store for three high school seniors who visit a local college campus as prospective freshmen.

HERE IS A REVIEW FOR THE MOVIE COLLEGE FROM DVDTALK

The first and last laudable element of "College" is the spirited opening title sequence. Skillfully mixing high school iconography with contractually-obligated acknowledgments, the opener, designed by director Deb Hagan, is an inventive, bouncy way to start off the picture. From there, the movie falls right into the toilet. Willfully or accidentally is up to the viewer.

Enjoying their senior year of high school, conservative Kevin (Drake Bell, "Superhero Movie"), fatty blowhard Carter (Andrew Caldwell, "Hannah Montana"), and nerd Morris ("American Idol" reject Kevin Covais) are three friends begging for some excitement. Planning a college road trip to sort out their academic options, the boys instead turn the weekend into a drunken free-for-all, moving in with a malicious fraternity for shelter. While embracing their inner homophobic, boozehound personalities, the boys meet a few comely sorority sisters, presenting an opportunity for sexual intercourse and profound self-examination over future plans.

Using cartoony campus life to backdrop a larger statement of farcical social release is nothing new to the big screen. It's a conceptual well Hollywood loves to abuse, averaging one legitimate classic for every 20 stinkers. "College" is, not surprisingly, one of the misfires. Actually, misfire is being too kind. The film is more a waking nightmare of lethargic screenwriting, unbearable performances, and an overall disrespect paid to the fine art of the party movie. It's a crummy comedy, and it's no surprise the studio kept it away from early critical view and left it to rot with a late-August opening date.

My discontent with "College" is exhaustively felt in two major areas of the film. The first is Deb Hagan, who snatches a rare directorial opportunity for a woman (an unfortunate truth) and proceeds to submit a motion picture any brute could put together. Perhaps it's unfair to bring Hagan's gender into the argument, but honestly, does the world really need another film that celebrates binge drinking, homophobia, appalling improvisational skills, and lousy production value? Lady, there's enough of that around to last two lifetimes. Hagan lacks the spirit to take the material to another level of encouragement. All she aspires to do with "College" is gross-out the audience with fecal-centric humor and further the careers of actors who have no business being in front of a camera. What a waste.

My second area of distress is the aforementioned acting. There are some sincerely deplorable performances in "College," even for an easily forgettable, future Spike TV staple like this. Andrew Caldwell is the definitive offender here, contorting himself into a rotund Farleyesque oaf, screaming his lines and furiously trying to "outfunny" his co-stars with his noxious variety of comedic larceny (the Disney Channel seems to breed these guys by the thousands lately). Caldwell is an inexcusable, exasperatingly vile screen presence in a film with considerable competition for such a title.

And don't get me started on the picture's dramatic turn in the final reel. Seriously, "College" asks the audience to care about these characters. Where's Caldwell's diseased sense of humor when you need him!

Sure, scenes with the boys doing body shots off a furry frat brother in extreme close-up, cleaning overflowing toilets in extreme close-up, and getting nailed with urine-filled balloons might seem like an awesome night at the movies. For me, it was agony.

HERE IS THE DIRECT DOWNLOAD FOR THE MOVIE COLLEGE.

9/16/2008 11:24:00 PM
Categories: Movies Starting with C. Author: kevin