Take 4: Five Letters, Starts with C...
Crash (2004)
The Basics: Oscar-winning crime/drama, featuring an all-star cast, including Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Ludacris, and Ryan Phillipe; Rated R for language, sexual content, and some violence
What’s Going On: The lives of a diverse group of strangers inLos Angeles
Top Plot Keywords from IMDB.com: Chinese American; Film with Ambiguous Title; Chop Shop; Black Cop; Hispanic
Random Trivia: Sandra Bullock was so committed to appearing in this film that bought her own plane ticket to fly to the set
And I Quote…: Anthony: “Look around! You couldn't find a whiter, safer or better lit part of this city. But this white woman sees two black guys, who look like UCLA students, strolling down the sidewalk and her reaction is blind fear. I mean, look at us! Are we dressed like gangbangers? Do we look threatening? No. Fact, if anybody should be scared, it's us: the only two black faces surrounded by a sea of over-caffeinated white people, patrolled by the triggerhappy LAPD. So, why aren't we scared?” Peter: “Because we have guns?” Anthony: “You could be right.”
Curt’s Take: Must See – Yes, it’s been several years since Crash has been in theaters and won Best Picture at the Oscar’s. I’m often a little late when it comes to these things…hell, it wouldn’t surprise me if I didn’t see No Country for Old Men until sometime in 2010. That having been said, I feel bad I waited until now to see this. Crash is a truly excellent film, and I normally don’t go for “pure” dramas. The story is so engaging, as are the overlapping stories of the various characters, that it’s really amazing to watch it play out. There’s no real main plot to follow, so just rent it, sit back, and watch the tales unfold. You’ll get sucked in without even realizing it.
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The Basics: Action/crime/drama starring Jason Statham; Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, sexuality, nudity and drug use
What’s Going On: Chev Chelios (a professional assassin played by Statham) wakes up to find that he has been injected with a poison that will kill him if his heart rate drops. He sets out to seek his vengeance and find a cure, but has to engage in plenty of bar fights, car chases and random acts of public sex in order to make sure his adrenaline levels stay up so he can keep going and going and going…
Top Plot Keywords from IMDB.com: Extreme Violence; Energy Drink; Black Comedy; Red Bull; Head Butt
Random Trivia: Crank has a number of references to 80's arcade games. In the opening credits there are flashes of arcade boot-up sequences and the high score table of Robotron: 2084 is briefly displayed.Verona
And I Quote…: Chev Chelios: I'm looking for something that begins with an E.” Pharmacist: “England
Curt’s Take: Worth Considering – I don’t know what it is about Jason Statham’s action movies, but (for the most part) they make damn good beer and popcorn flicks. Lots of action, interesting cinematography, and a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor. They’re not life-changing, award-winning films, mind you…but as far as attention-grabbing action films that don’t take themselves too seriously, they’re a good time, and Crank is no exception. Every now and then the film interrupts itself to remind the audience that Statham has to get his adrenaline going again, but other than those slightly jarring breaks, catch this if you’re just hanging out with some buddies.
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The Basics: A Korean crime/mystery/thriller; Like many imports that never made it toU.S.
What’s Going On: A banker has lunch with his wife, only to find that she vanished while he was paying the check. Later, he gets a call from a mysterious man claiming to have kidnapped his wife, demanding a ransom. Seems pretty basic…but not everything is as it seems in this film noir from theFar East . Be prepared to question everybody’s roles and motivations as a pretty decent mystery plays out in front of you…
Top Plot Keywords from IMDB.com: Kidnapping
Random Trivia: If you’ve seen Hitchcock’s Vertigo, you may recognize many similar themes and plot elements.
Curt’s Take: Worth Considering – I wasn’t too keen on this at first, but this film from overseas has so many complex layers that peel away as you watch it, it’s like a modern-day Hitchcock import from the East. I still have a few unanswered questions about everything that transpired, but think that another viewing might deal with this. Just be prepared for a film that switches character point-of-view and goes backward and forward in time…it’ll keep you on your toes, but once you get a feel for how deep this seemingly basic storyline runs, you’ll likely be hooked.
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The Basics: British horror/thriller, starring Franka Potente (of Run, Lola, Run and The Bourne Identity); Rated R for strong bloody horror violence (now there’s a fun phrase you don’t hear often), language, some drug use and sexual content
What’s Going On: A young party-girl gets trapped inLondon
Top Plot Keywords from IMDB.com: Throat Slitting; Stabbed in the Crotch; Impalement; Gore; Sliced in Two
Random Trivia: Advertising posters showing a bloody hand sliding down a London Underground train window were banned from the Underground as being in bad taste, even though scenes had been filmed with permission in disused stations on the Underground. Producer Julie Baines found this "highly amusing" and "a bit ludicrous," noting that the film is "not based on real events - if it is, we are all in trouble." The ban was later removed, although not in time for the film's British opening.
And I Quote…: Jimmy: “Homeless people don't go missing, homeless people are missing.”
Curt’s Take: Not a Priority – The only thing that this film has going it for it are some truly tense moments, and a fun little exploration of what it would be like to be trapped in the subterranean world of mass transit during the midnight hours. As in a typical horror film, you find yourself having little sympathy for the main character and other actors, who make one disastrously moronic decision after another. And it’s definitely pretty horrific at points (see “Keywords” above), so I wouldn’t go out and rent this one…but you might find yourself sucked in if channel surfing and bored.
The Basics: Oscar-winning crime/drama, featuring an all-star cast, including Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Ludacris, and Ryan Phillipe; Rated R for language, sexual content, and some violence
What’s Going On: The lives of a diverse group of strangers in
Top Plot Keywords from IMDB.com: Chinese American; Film with Ambiguous Title; Chop Shop; Black Cop; Hispanic
Random Trivia: Sandra Bullock was so committed to appearing in this film that bought her own plane ticket to fly to the set
And I Quote…: Anthony: “Look around! You couldn't find a whiter, safer or better lit part of this city. But this white woman sees two black guys, who look like UCLA students, strolling down the sidewalk and her reaction is blind fear. I mean, look at us! Are we dressed like gangbangers? Do we look threatening? No. Fact, if anybody should be scared, it's us: the only two black faces surrounded by a sea of over-caffeinated white people, patrolled by the triggerhappy LAPD. So, why aren't we scared?” Peter: “Because we have guns?” Anthony: “You could be right.”Curt’s Take: Must See – Yes, it’s been several years since Crash has been in theaters and won Best Picture at the Oscar’s. I’m often a little late when it comes to these things…hell, it wouldn’t surprise me if I didn’t see No Country for Old Men until sometime in 2010. That having been said, I feel bad I waited until now to see this. Crash is a truly excellent film, and I normally don’t go for “pure” dramas. The story is so engaging, as are the overlapping stories of the various characters, that it’s really amazing to watch it play out. There’s no real main plot to follow, so just rent it, sit back, and watch the tales unfold. You’ll get sucked in without even realizing it.
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Crank (2006)
The Basics: Action/crime/drama starring Jason Statham; Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, sexuality, nudity and drug use
What’s Going On: Chev Chelios (a professional assassin played by Statham) wakes up to find that he has been injected with a poison that will kill him if his heart rate drops. He sets out to seek his vengeance and find a cure, but has to engage in plenty of bar fights, car chases and random acts of public sex in order to make sure his adrenaline levels stay up so he can keep going and going and going…
Top Plot Keywords from IMDB.com: Extreme Violence; Energy Drink; Black Comedy; Red Bull; Head Butt
Random Trivia: Crank has a number of references to 80's arcade games. In the opening credits there are flashes of arcade boot-up sequences and the high score table of Robotron: 2084 is briefly displayed.
And I Quote…: Chev Chelios: I'm looking for something that begins with an E.” Pharmacist: “Curt’s Take: Worth Considering – I don’t know what it is about Jason Statham’s action movies, but (for the most part) they make damn good beer and popcorn flicks. Lots of action, interesting cinematography, and a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor. They’re not life-changing, award-winning films, mind you…but as far as attention-grabbing action films that don’t take themselves too seriously, they’re a good time, and Crank is no exception. Every now and then the film interrupts itself to remind the audience that Statham has to get his adrenaline going again, but other than those slightly jarring breaks, catch this if you’re just hanging out with some buddies.
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Chaos (1999)
The Basics: A Korean crime/mystery/thriller; Like many imports that never made it to
What’s Going On: A banker has lunch with his wife, only to find that she vanished while he was paying the check. Later, he gets a call from a mysterious man claiming to have kidnapped his wife, demanding a ransom. Seems pretty basic…but not everything is as it seems in this film noir from the
Top Plot Keywords from IMDB.com: Kidnapping
Random Trivia: If you’ve seen Hitchcock’s Vertigo, you may recognize many similar themes and plot elements.
Curt’s Take: Worth Considering – I wasn’t too keen on this at first, but this film from overseas has so many complex layers that peel away as you watch it, it’s like a modern-day Hitchcock import from the East. I still have a few unanswered questions about everything that transpired, but think that another viewing might deal with this. Just be prepared for a film that switches character point-of-view and goes backward and forward in time…it’ll keep you on your toes, but once you get a feel for how deep this seemingly basic storyline runs, you’ll likely be hooked.
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Creep (2004)
The Basics: British horror/thriller, starring Franka Potente (of Run, Lola, Run and The Bourne Identity); Rated R for strong bloody horror violence (now there’s a fun phrase you don’t hear often), language, some drug use and sexual content
What’s Going On: A young party-girl gets trapped in
Top Plot Keywords from IMDB.com: Throat Slitting; Stabbed in the Crotch; Impalement; Gore; Sliced in Two
Random Trivia: Advertising posters showing a bloody hand sliding down a London Underground train window were banned from the Underground as being in bad taste, even though scenes had been filmed with permission in disused stations on the Underground. Producer Julie Baines found this "highly amusing" and "a bit ludicrous," noting that the film is "not based on real events - if it is, we are all in trouble." The ban was later removed, although not in time for the film's British opening.
And I Quote…: Jimmy: “Homeless people don't go missing, homeless people are missing.”Curt’s Take: Not a Priority – The only thing that this film has going it for it are some truly tense moments, and a fun little exploration of what it would be like to be trapped in the subterranean world of mass transit during the midnight hours. As in a typical horror film, you find yourself having little sympathy for the main character and other actors, who make one disastrously moronic decision after another. And it’s definitely pretty horrific at points (see “Keywords” above), so I wouldn’t go out and rent this one…but you might find yourself sucked in if channel surfing and bored.
posted by Curt at 11:57 PM
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