David E. Allen Movies
Four friends looking for some fun in the desert instead find only suffering and pain after crossing paths with a sadistic biker gang in this brutal tale of survival starring Eric Christian Olsen, Rider Strong, and Dash Mihok. Tempted out to a debauched desert rave by three of his best friends, reluctant Josh (Olson) finds the carefree weekend trip taking an unexpectedly serious turn when he suffers a near-fatal overdose. Things go from bad to worse after the hard-partying teens incur the wrath of local biker gang "The Scorpions" and their machete-wielding leader Dom (Mihok), forcing these weekend warriors to become the real deal whether they feel like fighting or not. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Christian Olsen, Rider Strong, (more)
Ned (Jeremy Renner of Dahmer) is a proud member of the Aryan Brotherhood who has been admitted to a mental institution for his involvement in a racially motivated murder. Dr. Magnuson (Cary Elwes) and Johnny (Ethan Suplee) have trouble keeping Ned in line. Boisterous and belligerent, he's prone to childish tantrums when things don't go his way. Still, the other inmates, like Joey (Eddie Kaye Thomas) seem to look up to him. Ned's life at the facility is upended with the arrival of Rachael (Gabrielle Union of Bring It On), a beautiful young black woman who's brought in shouting German, and seems to believe that she's possessed by the spirit of Adolf Hitler. At first, Ned mocks her, and attempts to provoke her, but soon, his feelings toward Rachael turn surprisingly tender. Eventually, Ned and Rachael open up to each other, revealing the past traumas that left them in such a screwed up state. Ned, still reluctant to give up the accoutrements of skinhead life, tells Rachael about his imprisoned father and his unhappy foster care experiences, and Rachael tells him about being sexually abused, and reveals that she has a young daughter. When Ned is released from the hospital, he convinces Rachael to leave with him, but the couple finds life together on the outside difficult. Neo Ned also stars Steve Railsback and Sally Kirkland. It was written by Tim Boughn and directed by Van Fischer (Blink of an Eye, aka Urban Jungle). It had its world premiere in the Narrative Feature Competition of the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeremy Renner, Gabrielle Union, (more)
Directed by David Mackenzie, Asylum follows a 1950s family living in a home on the grounds of an asylum after Max (Hugh Bonneville), the patriarch, is assigned to serve as deputy director of a remote psychiatric hospital. Neither his wife, Stella (Natasha Richardson), nor his young son, Charlie (Augustus Jeremiah Lewis), are particularly happy about the arrangements, though Stella finds herself slowly becoming attracted to Edgar Stark (Marton Csokas), a charismatic inmate. Despite the obvious repercussions of an extramarital affair and the sage advice of Dr. Cleave (Ian McKellen), a colleague of her husband, Stella's slow-burning attraction becomes an all out obsession; before long, Stella is barely aware that she is risking her family, her sanity, and even her very life for Edgar. Asylum is based on a novel by Patrick McGrath. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian McKellen, Natasha Richardson, (more)
- 2004
A weekend of fun turns into a violent spree in this independent thriller. A group of four friends head into the California desert for a two-day rave being held at a remote location. A night of music, dancing and hallucinogens turns sour when one of the party, Josh (Eric Christian Olsen), is laid low by some bad drugs and the foursome crosses paths with a gang of thugs led by Dom (Dash Mihok). Dom and his buddies make short work of the ravers, leaving one dead and another seriously injured, and skinny Dan (Rider Strong) is no match for the hoodlums. Josh, however, is made of stronger stuff and isn't about to go home without giving Dom and his cohorts a taste of their own medicine. The first feature film from directors David Kebo and Rudi Liden, Mojave received its world premiere at the 2004 Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Christian Olsen, Rider Strong, (more)
A haunted hospital harbors a deadly secret, and when a group of college students check in for a cheap Halloween thrill they're in for the fright of their life in this seasonal shocker starring genre veteran Dee Wallace Stone and directed by Anthony C. Ferrante. For years rumors of ghosts stalking the dark corridors of the abandoned Santa Mira Hospital have kept a frightened community at a safe distance. Determined to milk the legend for all its worth, a group of five mischievous college students sneak into the hospital on Halloween night only to discover that the rumors of a bloodthirsty entity who claims the life of all who dare enter the cursed hallways are true. These teens aren't the only ones trapped by the murderous ghost though, and with each passing hour their hope of seeing another sunrise gives way to the screaming terror of a ghost whose hunger for death is only surpassed by his hunger for life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Trish Coren, M. Steven Felty, (more)
A lawman fed up with the corruption in Apartheid-era South Africa takes to robbing banks in this gritty crime drama from writer/director Bronwen Hughes. The title Stander refers to Andre Stander (Thomas Jane), an ambitious second-generation policeman whose strategies and experience make him the perfect candidate for commander. But when the privileged Stander is chosen to direct the police force against a brutal, majority-led uprising in Soweto, he becomes so disgusted with his actions that he decides to undermine his own authority as an officer. His means for doing so is to moonlight as a bank robber, partly out of disgust for the force and partly as an adrenalin-fueled act of deception. After pulling more than two dozen heists, Stander is caught -- but it isn't long before he breaks out of jail, and fortified by two hardened-criminal pals, Lee (Dexter Fletcher) and Allan (David Patrick O'Hara), he resumes his anti-authoritarian crime sprees. Stander premiered at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Jane, Dexter Fletcher, (more)
Based on a story of the same name by Dashiell Hammett, the crime thriller The House on Turk Street was directed by veteran filmmaker Bob Rafelson. Cello-playing cop Jack Friar (Samuel L. Jackson) searches for a teenage runaway on Turk Street and ends up in the home of an elderly couple (Joss Ackland and Grace Zabriskie). The house also turns out to be the headquarters for a gang of criminals who are planning a bank robbery, and Jack is quickly held hostage. When Jack is left alone with gang member Erin (Milla Jovovich), he teaches her to play the cello and the two share a mutal attraction. Meanwhile, Erin continues to manipulate gang leader Tyrone (Stellan Skarsgard), violent thug Hoop (Doug Hutchison), and inside man David (Johnathan Higgins). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samuel L. Jackson, Milla Jovovich, (more)
British director Neil Marshall's directorial debut Dog Soldiers resurrects and embraces the low-budget horror-comedy. Sergeant Harry Wells (Sean Pertwee) leads a team of British soldiers on a routine expedition to the Scottish Highlands. The six men would rather be at home watching the game, but they are even more dismayed when a carcass lands on their campfire. The next morning, they happen upon a severely injured Captain Richard Ryan (Liam Cunningham) and the bloody remains of his squadron. Soon they are attacked by giant werewolf beasts and chased through the woods, only to be saved by zoologist Megan (Emma Cleasby), who explains some of the truth about the creatures. They all take refuge in an old farmhouse while the threat of the monsters looms increasingly heavy. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, (more)
An unreleased suspense thriller from Italy's master of horror and fantasy, Mario Bava, Rabid Dogs makes its belated debut in this special DVD release. When a bank robbery goes awry for a pair of violent criminals, they take an innocent woman hostage, who must fight for her survival. Shot mostly inside a speeding car, this tense and claustrophobic drama was filmed in 1974 (five years before Bava's death), but shortly before completion the death of one of the principal financiers threw the project into limbo. In 1998, the film's elements were rediscovered and editing was completed using Bava's notes as a guide; the result is a film that takes a decidedly modern detour from Bava's traditional Gothic subject matter and gives a much broader perspective on the range of his talents. A few years later, the film was reworked and retitled Kidnapped for a brief theatrical run in the U.S. That version of the film would later be released on DVD by Anchor Bay, with the original, Rabid Dogs cut included as supplimental material. Curiously enough, the version of Rabid Dogs featured on the Kidnapped disc still differs from the version of the film previously released by Lucertola. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Riccardo Cucciolla, Lea Lander, (more)
