Chris Owen Movies
Frequent Stephen King collaborator Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) teamed with the celebrated horror author once again for this tale of terror concerning a small town engulfed by a malevolent mist, based on a story originally published in King's 1985 horror anthology Skeleton Crew. When a thick fog descends upon a rural community and claims the lives of anyone unfortunate enough to be caught outside, a small band of survivors seeks refuge in a local grocery store. Now trapped in a darkened cloud of pure horror, the frightened denizens of the town are forced to fend off an advancing horde of murderous monsters. Punisher star Thomas Jane heads up an ensemble cast that includes Andre Braugher, Laurie Holden, William Sadler, and Marcia Gay Harden. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, (more)
The rowdy students of Billingsley University arrive in Mexico on a study-abroad trip in this sequel to the collegiate comedy that left viewers in stitches. The Surveyor has left stateside port and set sail for Mexico. Now, as the spring heat flares and the azure waters beacon the ship ashore, the inhibitions and clothes of these randy students are both quickly shed. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2005
- R
- Add American Pie Presents: Band Camp to QueueAdd American Pie Presents: Band Camp to top of Queue
The "Stiffmeister" legacy lives on in this installment of the wildly popular teen comedy series that finds Steve Stifler's younger brother Matt (Tad Hilgenbrinck) sentenced to a summer at band camp after a wild school prank goes awry. It seems that mischief runs in the family, and when Matt is told that he has to spend the entire summer surrounded by trombones and clarinets, he plans a serious of outrageous pranks in a bid to make the best of his nerdy new surroundings. As the summer and the hormones heat up, Stifler sets up a series of hidden cameras in hopes of catching some revealing images of the nubile "bandies." When Stifler reconnects with his long-lost childhood sweetheart, Elyse (Arielle Kebbel), while serving out his sentence, the blossoming romance between the pair forces the perpetual prankster to consider the prospect of curbing his bad-boy ways. Original American Pie star Eugene Levy returns to offer some helpful advice for the band-camp bound Stifler sibling. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tad Hilgenbrinck
The contradictions of America's simultaneous love and fear of violence go under the microscope in this drama from Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg. Dick (Jamie Bell) is a timid young man growing up in a mining town where he's been deemed to frail to work with the other men. Dick is given a toy gun by a girl who works in a dime store, and he becomes fascinated with the weapon -- especially when it becomes clear that the gun isn't a toy after all. Dick and a handful of other local misfits who are also interested in guns form a gang called "the Dandies," a band of self-styled pacifists who make it their policy to never use their weapons as they lead the town's young people by example. However, as their obsession with firearms grows, Dick and his fellow Dandies are approached by local police chief Krugsby (Bill Pullman), who asks them to look after Sebastian (Danso Gordon), the violent son of Dick's maid Clarabelle (Novella Nelson). At first, the Dandies see this as a challenge to bring Sebastian over to the cause of nonviolence, but soon his influence begins to impact Dick and his compatriots, with devastating results. Scripted by Lars von Trier, Dear Wendy received its North American premiere at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jamie Bell, Bill Pullman, (more)
- 2004
- PG13
- Add National Lampoon's Gold Diggers to QueueAdd National Lampoon's Gold Diggers to top of Queue
American independent filmmaker Gary Preisler makes his film debut as a writer/director with the black comedy National Lampoon's Gold Diggers. Twentysomethings Calvin Menhoffer (Will Friedle) and Leonard Smallwood (Chris Owen) get arrested for the robbery of two sixtysomething women, Doris (Louise Lasser) and Betty (Renee Taylor). The ladies decide to drop the charges and invite the crooks to their space-age mod Beverly Hills mansion. Cal and Lenny come up with a plan to marry the women for their money in hopes that they die within the year. It turns out that Doris and Betty are actually broke and they're planning to marry the boys, kill them, and cash in on their insurance money. After several unsuccessful murder attempts, all four characters end up robbing Doris and Betty's rich uncle. Originally titled Lady Killers but changed to avoid confusion with the Coen brothers' remake of the classic 1955 film, Gold Diggers was shown at the 2003 CineVegas Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Friedle, Chris Owen, (more)
- 2003
- R
- Add National Lampoon Presents: Dorm Daze to QueueAdd National Lampoon Presents: Dorm Daze to top of Queue
The lowbrow side of higher education returns to the screen in this purposefully tasteless comedy brought to you by the folks at National Lampoon. It's a few days before Christmas vacation, and a mood of giddy enthusiasm is in the air at a coed college dormitory. However, one of the students, a freshman, is despondent over his lack of success with the ladies during his first term at school. His older brother decides the lad needs to lose his virginity before he can make any real progress with his classmates, and hires a prostitute named Dominique (Boti Bliss) to give his brother some experience in the ways of physical love. However, it turns out that more than one Dominique is on her way to the dorm -- a French foreign-exchange student with the same name and almost no working knowledge of the English language (Marie Noelle Marquis) also shows up, and much confusion and comic hijinks ensue. Shot under the title Dorm Day Crazy, National Lampoon Presents: Dorm Daze was produced independently, but was later picked up by the National Lampoon organization, who in turn arranged a distribution deal for the picture. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Nine San Franciscans have been murdered in what seems to be a random homicide spree. Only after two more people have died does Monk (Tony Shalhoub) discover the unifying link of the eleven homicides: All of the victims had served on the same jury. Normally, the most likely suspect would be the defendant in the trial--except that said defendant had been found not guilty! Racing against time, Monk tries to figure out if the twelfth juror is the actual culprit...or the next intended victim. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The horny teen heroes of American Pie (1999) return for further raunchy antics in this comedy sequel written by the first film's creator, Adam Herz. Returning home following their freshman year of college, old friends Jim (Jason Biggs), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Oz (Chris Klein), Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), and Stifler (Seann William Scott) rent a summer house on Lake Michigan where they hope to score romantically. However, complications ensue due to Jim's relative lack of experience, requiring an interlude with a fellow student and a visit to his old friend Michelle (Alyson Hanigan), who's now a band camp counselor, all in preparation for the return of Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth). In the meantime, Oz is separated from Heather (Mena Suvari) by a trip abroad, Finch has another encounter with Stifler's mom (Jennifer Coolidge), and Jim's dad (Eugene Levy) is as clueless as ever about his son's love life. Director J.B. Rogers served as first assistant director on the first film and made his directorial debut with Say It Isn't So (2001). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Biggs, Shannon Elizabeth, (more)
A pair of sewage-truck drivers attempt to rescue the tarnished reputation of their favorite pro wrestler in this comedy from Varsity Blues director Brian Robbins. Gordie Boggs (David Arquette) and Sean Dawkins (Scott Caan) live vicariously through superstar grappler Jimmy King (Oliver Platt). But when King's manager (Joe Pantoliano), in a fit of ego, arranges to have his client dethroned to make way for the next hot property, the guys hatch a plan to force a rematch. The only problem is, their no-good hero has sunk into a black hole of self-pity and liquor. Enlisting the help of old-time trainer Sal (Martin Landau) to whip "The King" into shape, Gordie and Sean run afoul of Gordie's father, who wants his son to settle down and become a cop like him. Meanwhile, curvaceous Sasha (Rose McGowan) moves in on Gordie, but has ulterior motives. So does The King's son (Tait Smith), who's willing to put his girth to good use in order to exact revenge on his dad for abandoning him. Ready to Rumble features a large cast of real-life WCW wrestlers portraying themselves. McGowan and Arquette previously appeared together in Wes Craven's Scream. Lewis Arquette, the star's father, also appears alongside his son as he did in Scream 2. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Arquette, Oliver Platt, (more)
It's said that most American men think about sex once every two or three minutes, but this statistic would seriously underestimate the horniness of Jim (Jason Biggs), a high school senior in suburban Michigan. Jim is thoroughly obsessed with sex, a fact of which his parents become aware when they discover him performing the sin of Onan with a gym sock while watching scrambled pay-per-view porn. Jim's buddies Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), and Oz (Chris Klein) are no less anxious to relieve themselves of their virginity, so they all make a pledge: they will go to bed with a woman in the three weeks before senior prom or die trying. Kevin appears to have the advantage, since he already has a girlfriend, Vicky (Tara Reid), but before he ventures into the Final Frontier, Kevin is urged to consult "The Bible," a hand-written how-to manual possessing erotic wisdom passed down through the ages. Oz is a good-looking jock who is actually a nice guy -- which is part of the problem, since he has his heart set on a nice girl, Heather (Mena Suvari), who does not seem the type to leap into bed within 21 days. Finch has no immediate prospects, though Jessica (Natasha Lyonne) is in a position to know if those rumors about him are true. And Jim is a truly hopeless case -- after his attempted seduction of beautiful Czech exchange student Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) turns out to be a disaster, he ends up going to the prom with Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), an annoyingly chatty band geek who does, however, have a fascinating story about a flute. American Pie was the directorial debut of Paul Weitz, who, along with his brother Chris Weitz (who served as producer), previously wrote several screenplays, including Antz and Madeline (where they presumably worked all their wholesome ideas out of their system). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Biggs, Shannon Elizabeth, (more)
NASA engineer Homer H. Hickam, Jr.'s autobiography provided the basis for this drama about a teenager coming of age at the dawn of the space race. In 1957, Homer Hickam (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a high school student in Coalwood, West Virginia when the Soviet Union launches Sputnik, the first man-made satellite. While most of his friends and neighbors react with fear or distrust, Homer is instantly fascinated and begins studying everything he can find on jet and rocket design. While many of Homer's friends are puzzled by his new obsession, several new friends share his enthusiasm, and with the encouragement of his teacher (Laura Dern), Homer and his fellow "Rocket Boys" begin designing and launching their own homemade missiles. However, Homer's father (Chris Cooper) takes a dim view of his son's interest in rockets and is convinced Homer's future should be the same as his own, working in the local coal mines. October Sky mixes the drama of traditional family conflicts with a nostalgic glimpse of life in the mid-50's and a look at the earliest days of our journey into space. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, (more)
- 1998
- R
This rodeo family film stars Michael Biehn as a former bull-riding champ. After a barroom conflict, boozing gambler Smokey Banks (Biehn) is sentenced to community service at a ranch camp for orphans and underprivileged kids -- where young Danny O'Neil (Brock Pierce) recognizes the ex-champ. Terminally ill, Danny is bald from chemotherapy, and he requests training from the champ that could prepare him to compete at a junior dude's event. As the training gets underway, the tough cowboy soon realizes his own problems are minor league compared with Danny's. Not to be confused with another 1998 release titled Ride. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Biehn, Brock Pierce, (more)
After the Huntington Hills High graduation ceremony, the fun gets underway at the graduation party where an assortment of jocks, geeks, prom queens, bimbos, headbangers, and nerdy misfits unload four years' worth of emotional baggage at a house where the hostess (Michelle Brookhurst) loses control of her guests. Writer wannabe Preston Meyers (Ethan Embry) has been in love with Amanda (Jennifer Love Hewitt of Party of Five) since the first time he saw her during their freshman year. His tormented infatuation with Amanda has intensified throughout high school and culminates at the party, where Preston must now seize this final opportunity to proclaim his love for her before he leaves the next day for Boston. Preston decides to make his move at some point during the party, a particularly auspicious occasion since Amanda has just been dumped by her super-jock boyfriend, Mike Dexter (Peter Facinelli), who wanted freedom to pursue his testosterone-charged fantasies with college women. Cringing at this ludicrous love triangle is Preston's introverted pal and confidante, Denise Fleming (Lauren Ambrose). When Denise runs into her ex-childhood friend Kenny (Seth Green), the two begin sexual experimentation behind the closed bathroom door. Geeky science-fiction fan William Lichter (Charlie Korsmo) devises a plan to ruin Mike's stud reputation and publicly humiliate him and his meathead buddies -- sweet revenge for four years of agony. Former Huntington Hills graduate Trip McNieley (Jerry O'Connell) tells Mike about the terror awaiting in college where "Guys like us are a dime a dozen." Yearbook Girl (Melissa Joan Hart of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) wants everyone to sign her cherished volume of memories as the partying teens attempt to move into the uncertain future. Party house exteriors were shot on Rubio Street in Altadena, California, and other California locations included Johnnie's Broiler in downtown Downey, Dutton's Book Store in Reseda, Marshall High School in Los Feliz, and Union Station in LA. With more than 70 speaking parts, this film is the directorial debut of the scriptwriting team of Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, (more)
Handsome, smooth-talking Al Donnelly (Tim Matheson) has everything going for him. A politician, he is engaged in a heated gubernatorial race with the feisty Governor Tracy (Christine Ebersole), a tough old bird who doesn't hesitate to play hardball with opponents. Unfortunately for her, things are looking good for Donnelly. Fortunately she finds his Achilles' heel with his young brother Mike Donnelly (Saturday Night Live alumnus Chris Farley), a fat slob gym teacher and hopeless imbecile who only wants to win his more successful sibling's respect. Unfortunately all he does is embarrass poor Al to death. In desperation, Al assigns the sardonic and prissy Steve Dodds (David Spade) to keep Mike under constant surveillance. The real trouble begins when Tracy's aids try to frame hapless Mike for arson. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Farley, David Spade, (more)
Hawk-like Marine Corps officer Benson Payne (Damon Wayans) attempts to whip into shape the usual assortment of misfit JROTC kids in this minor remake of The Private War of Major Benson. Of course, both the major and his pint-sized recruits have something to teach one another. Payne teaches them the value of self-discipline and instills self-confidence in them, and the recruits teach him to stop and smell the roses (not to mention the fact that kids sometimes need coddling rather than screaming). And, of course, there is the annual JROTC statewide competition, which the kids are obligated to win before the movie can end. While there are some funny moments (the major's exhibition in full-dress whites at a school dance, for example), the script seems too color-by-numbers to be interesting to anyone other than undiscriminating younger viewers. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Damon Wayans, Karyn Parsons, (more)
- 1995
- PG13
High schooler Angus (Charlie Talbert), a jumbo-sized lad, seems underappreciated in all aspects of his life: he is a standout offensive lineman on the football team, but golden-boy quarterback Rick (James Van der Beek) gets all the accolades for his blood, sweat, and pass-blocking; he is also an outstanding student, but his classmates still regard him as a dork; the girl of his dreams (Arian Richards), Rick's girlfriend, seems to ignore him. Only when Angus musters the courage to put on a maroon tuxedo and head off to the school dance at the urging of his loving, free-spirit mom (Kathy Bates) does he finally get the recognition he deserves (as does Rick, who attempts to publicly humiliate Angus with a cruel prank). While the story is familiar, director Patric Johnson and the entire cast infuse the film with real warmth, making Angus a winner (as does its refreshing attitude toward violence). ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Talbert, George C. Scott, (more)
My Summer Story is the video title for It Runs in the Family. Based on the writings of humorist/raconteur Jean Shepherd, the film was the long-awaited sequel to the 1984 "sleeper" A Christmas Story. Set in the 1940s, the story is told from the point-of-view of Ralphie Parker (Kieran Culkin), who watches in bemusement as "The Old Man" (Charles Grodin) carries on a long-running feud with their hillbilly neighbors, the Bumpus family. Mary Steenburgen is cast as Ralphie's ditsy mom. Also appearing is yet another celebrity sibling, Christian Culkin. Jean Shepherd himself narrates, as he did in the earlier film, while the direction is in the hands of A Christmas Story's Bob Clark. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Grodin, Mary Steenburgen, (more)
- 1993
When Cory's attempt to change his hairstyle goes disastrously wrong, he is shunned by his friends and exiled to the cafeteria table populated by the school's weirdoes and misfits. Before long, however, Cory (Ben Savage) comes to realize that these oddballs are actually okay and shouldn't be judged by their appearance--and even helps his new buddies get an important petition signed. This landmark episode represents the first appearance of Danielle Fishel as the estimable Topanga Lawrence, who was supposed to have been a one-time-only character...However... ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
