Chris Bender Movies
- 2011
Vertigo Comics' heralded comic book Y: The Last Man is headed to the big screen from Disturbia's production team of director D.J. Caruso and writer Carl Ellsworth for New Line Cinema. The plot features a lone male survivor in a world where all the male mammals are wiped out by a plague. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2010
Live Free or Die Hard's Len Wiseman brings his dream project to the big screen with this big budget sci-fi film that tells the story of a detective's investigation into a crime ring dealing in immortality for Lakeshore Entertainment and Columbia Pictures. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2010
Modern film noir gets thrown for a loop with this Michael Bay-produced release, following a hired killer and a private eye's investigation into a highly prized briefcase and a gorgeous dame in the city of Fiasco Heights. Music video veteran Sam Bayer helms the picture from a script by Kyle Ward for Platinum Dunes and Universal Pictures. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2010
- PG
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A woman (Amy Adams) heads to Ireland in order to force her boyfriend (Adam Scott) to accept her wedding proposal by scheduling it on leap day, the only time when he couldn't refuse due to the country's tradition in this Spyglass Entertainment romantic comedy. Shopgirl's Anand Tucker directs from a script by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan. Matthew Goode co-stars as a handsome innkeeper who throws a wrench into the woman's plans. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2010
2009's Friday the 13th director Marcus Nispel brings to life the deadly voyage of the Demeter from Bram Stoker's Dracula novel in this Phoenix Pictures production. The story will expand upon the passage in the novel whereby the dreaded vampire lays waste to a entire crew of a cargo ship on his way to England. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2010
Ghost World and Art School Confidential collaborators Daniel Clowes and director Terry Zwigoff team up once again to pen this comedic parody concerning a legendary astronaut and American icon who is injured in an automobile accident and rebuilt by the government as a bionic man. The ambitious plan to transform the former astronaut into a powerful superhuman hits an unexpected hitch, however, when the agency in charge of the operation is granted a paltry $40,000 to work with. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2010
In this action comedy, Ice Cube stars as a police officer who seeks to break up his sister's engagement when takes his white brother-in-law to-be on a routine day in his cruiser. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2009
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A man with the ability to leap back and forth though time attempts to help a childhood friend solve her sister's murder, in the process breaking his own golden rule and creating an evil that didn't exist previously. Sam uses his gift to help solve the crimes that leave detectives cold. Though it pains him to know that he can never intervene directly during his leaps, he knows that the consequences could be terrible if he does. Approached by his old friend Elizabeth to help track down her sister's murderer, Sam obliges. But this time things are different, and Sam's inner demons force him to break the one rule that he has always upheld. Upon returning from his leap, Sam discovers that his slip up has given birth to a maniacal serial killer that would never have existed otherwise. Now, as the death toll continues to rise, it's up to Sam to dive back into the past and uncover the killer's identity before any more lives are lost. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2009
- PG13
Joe Dante (Gremlins) directs this 3-D extravaganza concerning two brothers who discover a hole in their basement that acts like a portal to a dark world. Vacancy's Mark Smith provides the screenplay for the Bold Films production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Massoglia, Haley Bennett, (more)
A blowout Las Vegas bachelor party turns into a race against time when three hung-over groomsmen awaken after a night of drunken debauchery to find that the groom has gone missing, and attempt to get him to the alter in time for his wedding. In 48 hours, Doug is scheduled to walk down the aisle, effectively ending his reign as a rowdy bachelor. Realizing that this is their last blowout with their best friend, Doug's groomsmen organize a Sin City bachelor bash he'll never forget. The next morning, the groomsmen come to in their Caesar's Palace suite to find a tiger in the bathroom and a six-month-old baby tucked away in the closet. Unfortunately, Doug is nowhere to be found. With no memory of the previous night's transgressions and precious little time to spare, the trio sets out in a hazy attempt to retrace their steps and discover exactly where things went wrong. Will they find Doug in time to get him to the wedding back in Los Angeles, or will his bride experience the sharp sting of disappointment when she walks down the aisle to discover that her future husband is nowhere to be found? Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Heather Graham star in a rambunctious comedy from Old School director Todd Phillips. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, (more)
- 2009
In this comedy from writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, a man wakes up to find his worst nightmare has come true -- his life has become a musical. Marc Shaiman provides the songs for the Mark S. Waters-directed production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2008
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Noted genre specialist Steve Miner (Lake Placid and Halloween: H20) takes a break from horror to direct Dukes of Hazzard star Jessica Simpson in this showbiz comedy concerning a pampered movie starlet who gets in over her head while attempting to land a lucrative film role. Informed by the producer that she is unfit to appear in an upcoming military-themed film, the ambitious but woefully shortsighted actress enlists in the Marines in hopes that the studio will take notice of her initiative. Though she immediately realizes her mistake upon arriving at Camp Pendleton, the patriotic actress determines to follow through with her plan and do her country proud in the process. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jessica Simpson, Jill Marie Jones, (more)
Based on the novel by A Simple Plan author Scott Smith, director Carter B. Smith's Yucatan-set thriller follows four American tourists as they unwisely venture off the beaten path while vacationing in Cancun. When a friendly German tourist implores the Americans to help search the jungle for his missing brother, the group becomes hopelessly trapped in a nightmare scenario that seems too strange to be true. Jonathan Tucker, Laura Ramsey, Jena Malone, and Shawn Ashmore star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone, (more)
A devoted brother gets more than he bargained for when he takes the rap for his criminally inclined sister and gets placed in the care of a doctor who's using his patients as guinea pigs for a terrifying new drug. Upon being administered a dose of the experimental medication, the test-subjects transform into violent, flesh eating psychopaths. Jesse Metcalfe, Olivia Munn, and Carla Gallo star in a horror film written and directed by Midnight Meat Train scribe Jeff Buhler. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jesse Metcalfe, Kiele Sanchez, (more)
- 2007
An American clothing designer who has traveled to Thailand with his family to visit a remote factory that produces his garments must struggle to locate his wife and children when the Southeast Asian country is devastated by the 2004 tsunami. Oscar nominee David Strathairn stars in a film scripted and directed by Michael Patwin, and produced by Chris Bender, Ben Katz, and Madeline Ryan. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Strathairn
When a man's girlfriend is killed in a tragic auto accident, his time-traveling attempts to alter her fate have some unexpected effects on the events of the future in director John R. Leonetti's shocking sequel to the 2004 Ashton Kutcher hit. Nick (Eric Lively) and Julie (Erica Durance) were deeply in love, but when death robs the young couple of their lifetime of happiness, Nick isn't willing to say goodbye to his soulmate without a fight. Soon discovering that he has the ability to travel into the past to a point before the time of Julie's untimely death, Nick struggles to find a means of saving his one true love despite the increasingly troubling results that his well-intended heroics seem to have on the future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Lively, Erica Durance, (more)
David Cronenberg directed this screen adaptation of a graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke which explores how an act of heroism unexpectedly changes a man's life. Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) lives a quiet life in a small Indiana town, running the local diner with his wife, Edie (Maria Bello), and raising their two children. But the quiet is shattered one day when a pair of criminals on the run from the police walk into his diner just before closing time. After they attack one of the customers and seem ready to kill several of the people inside, Tom jumps to the fore, grabbing a gun from one of the criminals and killing the invaders. Tom is immediately hailed as a hero by his employees and the community at large, but Tom seems less than comfortable with his new notoriety. One day, a man with severe facial scars, Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris), sits down at the counter and begins addressing Tom as Joey, and begins asking him questions about the old days in Philadelphia. While Tom seems puzzled, Carl's actions suggest that the quiet man pouring coffee at the diner may have a dark and violent past he isn't eager to share with others -- as well as some old scores that haven't been settled. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, (more)
It's not unusual to see two women fighting over the same man in a movie, only this time it's his mother and his fiancée vying for his attention in this broad comedy. While Charlotte Cantilini (Jennifer Lopez), known to her friends as Charlie, has never had much luck in her love life, one day her ship arrives in a big way when she meets Kevin Fields (Michael Vartan), a doctor who is charming, handsome, and wealthy. Kevin also has a famous mother, Viola Fields (Jane Fonda), who has enjoyed a long and successful career as a news broadcaster. When Kevin and Charlie fall head over heels for one another, he opts to propose marriage to her as he's introducing Charlie to Viola over lunch. However, as far as Viola is concerned, this could not come at a worse time -- Viola has just been fired from the anchor desk, and regards her son as the only anchor left in her life. Not willing to share Kevin with anyone, Viola sets out to sabotage his relationship with Charlie in any way she can, often with the wary assistance of her secretary Ruby (Wanda Sykes). But once Charlie gets wind of Viola's schemes, she decides two can play this game. Monster-in-Law marked Jane Fonda's return to the screen after a long leave of absence; it was her first film after co-starring with Robert De Niro in 1990's Stanley & Iris. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Lopez, Jane Fonda, (more)
A hotshot thirtysomething record executive tries to win over the girl who once liked him only "as a friend" in this slapstick comedy. In high school, Chris Brander (Ryan Reynolds) was an overweight, maladroit teen who spent every waking moment with his co-ed pal Jamie Palamino (Amy Smart). On the verge of graduation, Chris is humiliated when his yearbook confession to Jamie -- that he wants to be more than "just friends" -- is read aloud. Jamie is flattered, but rebuffs his advances, and Chris spends the next decade transforming himself into a buff, callous ladies' man. Assigned by his boss to sign his pop star ex-girlfriend Samantha James (Anna Faris), Chris finds himself stranded in New Jersey for the holidays, where he promptly sets out to find Jamie. But winning back the love of his life proves difficult, as Chris not only has to get back in touch with the sensitive teen he once was, but also fend off competition from another former geek, the guitar-playing Dusty (Chris Klein). ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, (more)
A terrifying legacy haunts a single mother in this sequel to the frightening box-office hit The Ring. Hoping to leave their terrifying experiences in Seattle behind them, Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) and her son, Aidan (David Dorfman), move to the small town of Astoria, OR, where Rachel takes a job writing for the local newspaper. When Rachel learns of an unexplained murder, which occurred after a teenager watched a strange videotape with his girlfriend, she suspects her past is following her and she begins looking into the case. Rachel believes that the otherworldly Samara has come back; however, as she tries to convince others of the young girl's powers, her own son falls ill and is hospitalized, and Rachel's stories fail to convince either Dr. Emma Temple (Elizabeth Perkins), who suspects Rachel is guilty of child abuse, or David Rourke (Simon Baker), one of Rachel's colleagues who fears for Aidan's safety. Also starring Sissy Spacek, The Ring 2 was directed by Hideo Nakata; it was the first English-language project for the Japanese filmmaker, who previously made Ringu, the picture that was the basis for The Ring. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Naomi Watts, Simon Baker, (more)
Terror rides the night skies in this thriller from horror auteur Wes Craven. Lisa Reisert (Rachel McAdams) is a young woman with more than her share of anxieties about flying. However, when circumstances demand she go to Miami, she gathers her nerves and books a seat on a late-night flight. Sitting next to her is a handsome and charming man named Jackson (Cillian Murphy), whom she already met in the airport, but once their jet is safely in the air, Lisa discovers he's not the pleasant traveling companion she imagined. Jackson is part of a terrorist cell plotting to kill the head of Homeland Security, and he's decided to draft Lisa into helping him. While Lisa has no interest in abetting Jackson's plan, he soon reveals he's holding a trump card -- his compatriots are holding Lisa's father hostage, and will kill him if she doesn't cooperate. Red Eye was the first feature film credit for screenwriter Carl Ellsworth, who previously scripted episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Xena: Warrior Princess. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, (more)
Final Destination 2 screenwriters Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber make their directorial debut with the sci-fi thriller The Butterfly Effect. Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher with facial hair) wants to free himself from his disturbing childhood memories. As a kid, he often blacked out for long periods of time and tried to detail his life in a journal. As a young adult, he revisits the journal entries to figure out the truth about his troubled childhood friends Kayleigh (Amy Smart), Lenny (Elden Henson), and Tommy (William Lee Scott). When he discovers he can travel back in time in order to set things right, he tries to save his beloved friends. However, he finds out that relatively minor changes can make major problems for the future. The Butterfly Effect also stars Eric Stoltz, Ethan Suplee, and Melora Walters. The title was inspired by the story A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart, (more)
