Battle for Terra - Movie Review and Synopsis

Monday, April 27, 2009

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Category: Movies. Tags: , , , , , , .

Battle for Terra Mala (Evan Rachel Wood) is a precocious girl living on the beautiful planet Terra, a place where peace and tolerance are celebrated. Unbeknownst to Mala and her fellow Terrians, the last inhabitants of Earth have exhausted the resources of their planet and those of three others, and are now searching for a new home. This Earthforce has discovered that the use of a Terraformer will make Terra habitable for humans but poisonous for Terrians. When the Earthlings embark on a hostile invasion of Terra, Mala’s father, Roven (Dennis Quaid), is kidnapped. Hoping to save her father, Mala captures and hides a crashed human pilot named Jim (Luke Wilson). While Mala nurses Jim back to health, the two forge a friendship and a plan that could save both the human race and the planet of Terra. Soon, however, they realize that peace will not be secured unless they can combat both the Terraformer and dark political forces that will stop at nothing in their drive to achieve power for power’s sake.

While Terra’s message that peace is a question of free will and choice is a potent one, the exuberance of Mala and her young friends carries the film. Director Aristomenis Tsirbas paints a landscape of pastoral pleasure, and our admiration for Terra’s idyllic vistas is only heightened when they are invaded.

This debut animated feature from Canadian production company Snoot Entertainment might turn a few heads amongst the executive ranks at Pixar and DreamWorks. Since its debut at the Toronto Film Festival in 2007, Terra (the movie’s original title) has earned awards and positive reviews alike, with many people responded to the project’s obvious environmental themes, as well as the creation of a utopian world where freethinkers (cue the voices of Evan Rachel Wood and Justin Long) are outcasts. And then humans come along to make matters worse. I’m in. Here’s a blog with a trailer and other behind-the-scenes bits.

Rated PG for sequences of sci-fi action violence and some thematic elements.

Director: Aristomenis Tsirbas
Stars: Evan Rachel Wood, Luke Wilson, Justin Long
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: 1 May 2009 (USA)
Genre: Animation, Adventure

Crank: High Voltage - Movie Review and Synopsis

Monday, April 13, 2009

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Crank: High Voltage When we last saw Chev Chelios (Statham), it appeared as though the assassin had met his maker. Wrong. As his story continues, Chelios hunts down the mobster who stole his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working.

Just two movies in, and the Neveldine/Taylor filmmaking duo have a legion of fans who appreciate their hyper-visualized sensibilities. Clearly they have more detractors, but with Jason Statham in your pocket, who cares about critics? Returning alongside Statham and Amy Smart in the sequel are Dwight Yoakam and Efren Ramirez; climbing aboard for the first time is an inspired cast of supporters, including Corey Haim and Bai Ling, who, let’s face it, should have been the primary villain.

Rated R for frenetic strong bloody violence throughout, crude and graphic sexual content, nudity and pervasive language.

Director: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Stars: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Clifton Collins Jr.
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: 17 April 2009 (USA)
Genre: Action

The Horsemen - Movie Review and Synopsis

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

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The Horsemen Aidan Breslin is a bitter detective emotionally distanced from his two young sons following the untimely death of his devoted wife. While investigating a series of murders of rare violence, he discovers a terrifying link between himself and the suspects in a chain of murders that seem to be based on the Biblical prophecies concerning the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death.

Jonas Åkerlund’s oft-delayed thriller, the music video director’s first feature since 2003’s Spun, looks like the recent X-Files bore and, call me lazy, but brings Se7en to mind. And despite a promising cast (including Zhang Ziyi going all Audition on us?), the trailer is anemic at best. Rumor has it the reshoots here wiped out Neal McDonough’s character entirely, but to me it sounds like he avoided career suicide. (Oh, wait: He’s in the new Street Fighter movie!) And though the studio doesn’t seem behind this one at all, gore hounds might lap up Åkerlund’s limits-pushing scenes of abuse and torture. But I thought this genre was dead?

Rated R for grisly and disturbing content, some sexual images and language.

Director: Jonas Åkerlund
Stars: Dennis Quaid, Ziyi Zhang, Lou Taylor Pucci
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: 6 February 2009 (Italy)
Genre: Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Madea Goes to Jail - Movie Review and Synopsis

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

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Madea Goes to Jail When Madea’s (Perry) trouble-making antics land her behind bars, among the cast of characters she meets is Candy (Pulliam), a prostitute whose life is off-track and in need of the type of tough love that only Madea can provide.At long last, Madea returns to the big screen in TYLER PERRY’S MADEA GOES TO JAIL. This time America’s favorite irreverent, pistol-packin’ grandmomma is raising hell behind bars and lobbying for her freedom!

After a high-speed freeway chase puts Madea (TYLER PERRY) in front of the judge, her reprieve is short-lived as anger management issues get the best of her and land her in jail. A gleeful Joe (TYLER PERRY) couldn’t be happier at Madea’s misfortune. But Madea’s eccentric family members the Browns (DAVID and TAMALA MANN) rally behind her, lending their special “country” brand of support.

Meanwhile, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Hardaway (DEREK LUKE) is on the fast track to career success. But Hardaway lands a case too personal to handle – defending young prostitute and former drug addict Candace Washington (KEISHA KNIGHT PULLIAM) – and asks his fiancée and fellow ADA Linda Holmes (ION OVERMAN) to fill in on his behalf. When Candace ends up in jail, Madea befriends the young woman, protecting her in a “motherly” way as only Madea can.

Though you can buy the stage version of this story on DVD at your grocery store, something tells me Tyler Perry is going to experience his biggest success here, since he’s back in hysteria-comedy mode (and in drags), with a fully grown Rudy Huxtable playing a streetwalker in the clink.

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, drug content, some violence and sexual situations.

Director: Tyler Perry
Stars: Tyler Perry, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Derek Luke
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: 20 February 2009 (USA)

My Bloody Valentine 3-D - Movie Review and Synopsis

My Bloody Valentine 3-D Tom (Ackles) returns to his hometown on the tenth anniversary of the Valentine’s night massacre that claimed the lives of 22 people. Instead of a homecoming, however, Tom finds himself suspected of committing the murders, and it seems like his old flame (King) is the only one will believes he’s innocent.

Jensen Ackles is finding the transition away from small screen rife with lead roles in ill-advised horror remakes — just like his “Supernatural” co-star, Jared Padalecki, who will be seen in the upcoming Friday the 13th. Sigh. I just don’t get it … This project has enough scrappy talent to generate convincing scares, but why can’t they be trusted with an original screenplay? Oh, and apparently Valentine’s Day is in January this year.

Rated R for graphic brutal horror violence and grisly images throughout, some strong sexuality, graphic nudity and language.

Director: Patrick Lussier
Stars: Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith, Betsy Rue
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: 16 January 2009 (USA)


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