Texas Battle Movies
James Wong adapts the rich mythos of the Dragonball series that grew from a manga into various popular animated series with this 20th Century Fox production starring Justin Chatwin. The plot revolves around Goku (Chatwin), Earth's greatest champion, who must defend the planet against an invading race of alien warriors hell-bent on dominating the universe. Wong directs from his own script, with Kung Fu Hustle's Stephen Chow producing. Buffy the Vampire Slayer's James Marsters co-stars as the film's villain, Piccolo, with Jamie Chung playing Chi Chi and Emmy Rossum portraying Bulma. Hong Kong legend Chow Yun-Fat rounds out the cast as Master Roshi, Goku's mentor in the film. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Justin Chatwin, James Marsters, (more)
The malformed mayhem continues as a group of reality game show contestants descend into the West Virginia wilderness in order to participate in an apocalypse-themed game show, only to be brutally killed off by a deranged clan of redneck cannibals. Dale Murphy (Henry Rollins) is a former special forces soldier who now hosts a reality game show in which contestants must struggle to survive in the wilderness with few resources and only their wits to guide them. After the members of the group are split up into partners, they are sent into the woods to locate supplies that have been strategically hidden by the show's producers. Should they fail to achieve this and various other tasks, they will be sent back to civilization in shame while the others vie for substantial cash prize. But the cameras aren't the only things watching as the competition heats up, because within these woods dwells a terrifying secret. Later, as the day goes on and the body count begins to multiply, both the contestants and the hard-nosed host must fight to avoid becoming the catch of the day for a family of hungry backwoods cannibals. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Rollins, Texas Battle, (more)
Death once again shows he's determined to get what he wants in this teen-centric thriller. Wendy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is a high school student hanging out with her friends at an amusement park one night when they decide to ride on the roller coaster. Wendy, however, has a premonition that something horrible will happen, and finds a way to save herself shortly before the ride goes off the rails, killing most of its passengers, including her boyfriend, Jason (Jesse Moss), and best friend, Carrie (Gina Holden). However, while Wendy may have survived the night at the park, she soon discovers that a malevolent spirit is following her and her classmates as they begin dying in strange and horrible ways. Wendy learns that a series of snapshots taken that evening give clues to the mayhem that followed her pals, and she teams up with Kevin (Ryan Merriman), Carrie's sweetheart, to try to warn the potential victims about the fates soon to befall them. Final Destination 3 was directed and co-scripted by James Wong, who also helmed the first two films in the franchise. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ryan Merriman, (more)
The true-life story of a coach who tries to teach his players that there's more to life than basketball is brought to the screen in this sports drama. Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) was once a star player on the Richmond High School basketball team in Richmond, CA, and years later, after establishing himself in publishing and marketing, he returns to the school and to the team as the new basketball coach. Carter quickly sees that his work is cut out for him -- the team is having an awful season, and their fights off the court are more decisive than their play on the court. While Carter wants to make the Richmond cagers into a winning team, he also wants a lot more -- to teach the boys to respect themselves and one another, and that they must excel in the classroom as well as in the gymnasium. Under Carter's guidance, the team turns their losing season around, with the state title a genuine possibility. However, when Carter learns that a number of his players have let their grade point averages slip below 2.3, as mandated in a contract he entered into with the students, he decides to lock the team out of the gym and send them into study hall until their marks improve. Carter's plan quickly becomes a subject of controversy among parents and team boosters, and their objections are soon picked up by the local news media, many of whom are not sympathetic to Carter's belief that his players must have goals beyond college ball or the NBA. Coach Carter also features Rob Brown and Rick Gonzalez as members of the team, and R&B diva Ashanti in her film debut as the girlfriend of one of Carter's players. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Ri'chard, (more)
