Mark Byers Movies
Walt Disney Pictures resurrects one of their time-honored franchises with Race to Witch Mountain, a family-oriented sci-fi adventure that tells the story of two alien visitors (AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig) whose search for their spacecraft gets them caught up in an adventure with a cab driver (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) and a UFO specialist (Carla Gugino). As the group races toward the mysterious mountain in the Nevada desert that has mystified scientists and paranormal researchers for years, the government, gangsters, and an extraterrestrial bounty hunter attempt to prevent them from reaching their intended destination. Should the two planetary travelers fail in recovering their ship, an alien invasion will be launched against the entire planet. The original 1975 picture Escape to Witch Mountain was followed by the sequel Return From Witch Mountain, as well as a 1995 made-for-TV remake. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, (more)
Scary Movie screenwriters Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer join forces to parody the "biggest" movies ever to hit the silver screen in this comedy that gives such popular box-office hits as Pirates of the Caribbean and Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe the same treatment that Scary Movie gave to the slasher subgenre. A virtual smorgasbord of spoof, Epic Movie tells the tale of four fully grown orphans: one the victim of snakes that attacked her plane, another raised by a kindly Louvre curator, the third a Mexican "libre" wrestling refuge, and the last an average mutant from an "X"-community. When the curious quartet visits a sprawling chocolate factory, they stumble across a magical wardrobe which transports them to the enchanted land of Gnarnia. It seems that the wondrous fantasy land has recently fallen under the spell of the evil White Bitch (Jennifer Coolidge), and in order to bring peace back to Gnarnia these four bumbling mortals will have to join forces with a charismatic pirate, a painfully sincere group of aspiring wizards, and one particularly libidinous lion. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kal Penn, Adam Campbell, (more)
The glorious Hollywood institution of the romantic comedy gets raked over the coals in this broad parody of any number of boy-meets-girl flicks. Julia Jones (Alyson Hannigan) is a young woman who wants nothing more than to find the man of her dreams and settle down. However, Julia has a rather serious weight problem that prevents her from making a positive impression on people. Determined to find love at all costs, Julia somehow drops the weight and meets Grant Fonckyerdoder (Adam Campbell), a handsome and charming Englishman who falls head over heels for her. Julia and Grant waste no time in setting the date, but until they make their way to the altar they have to deal with meddling parents, flaky wedding planners, fights over the right wedding dress, vertically challenged romantic advisors, and Andy (Sophie Monk), a longtime friend of Grant, who isn't so happy to hear he's getting hitched. Also featuring Fred Willard, Jennifer Coolidge, Eddie Griffin, and Tony Cox, Date Movie was written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, proudly billed as "two of the six writers of Scary Movie." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alyson Hannigan, Adam Campbell, (more)
A young woman pins her hopes and dreams on a maverick horse in this drama based on the classic novel by Mary O'Hara. Katy (Alison Lohman) is the teenage daughter of a horse rancher (Tim McGraw) who is grooming his son to take over the family business, while Katy is sent to an exclusive private school where she feels like a misfit. One day, while out riding, Katy finds a wild horse, a beautiful black mustang, and she feels an emotional connection with the animal. While her father is convinced having a mustang around his herd will be bad for both his thoroughbred ponies and the wild horse, Katy is certain she can break the strong-willed steed and make him a champion, and she even gives the horse a name -- Flicka. As Katy struggles to tame the headstrong Flicka, she also tries to prove to her father that she knows horses as well as he does, and that she's every bit as capable of running the ranch as her brother. Also starring Maria Bello and Ryan Kwantan, Flicka was previously adapted for the screen as My Friend Flicka in 1943. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim McGraw, Alison Lohman, (more)
Sammo Hung, Michael Biehn, Maggie Q, and Shawn Yue star in this action-packed thriller concerning a disappeared crime lord and the elite team of Interpol agents who set out to recapture him at all costs. A notorious Triad crime boss has disappeared just as his case was about to go before the judge, and now he could be anywhere. Now, on the bustling streets of Hong Kong, a highly skilled team of Interpol agents wage all out war against the underworld in an apocalyptic bid to capture the heavily armed foe and ensure that justice is properly served. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Hong Kong indie film icon Tony Leung stars in this Chinese production about cultural misunderstanding and intolerance. Datong (Leung) is a patrician of a St. Louis Chinese-American family and a designer of violent video games. When Datong's father (Zhu Xu) visits from China, he performs some traditional Chinese medicine on his young grandson. Though painless, the treatment leaves bright red marks on the skin, which are interpreted by the kid's teacher as welts. Soon the Child Welfare Agency is accusing the family of child abuse and transfers the kid to a foster home. This film was screened at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Zhu Xu, (more)
- 1992
Two brothers whose lives have gone in very different directions are forced to confront one another, their dreams, and secrets when their much-feared father dies. They are in their thirties: one is an up-and-coming lawyer, the other is an actor whose career hasn't really taken off. The bulk of the film, however, is devoted to the concerns of a friend of the actor brother, a woman artist who finds that she, too, has some decisions to make. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Deborah Benson, Bridget Hoffman, (more)
- 1989
- PG
When her grandfather the mortician goes on holiday, a young woman must run the family business. The comedy begins when she goes through grandpa's books and finds out that he is a wanted man and is nearing bankruptcy. Hoping to save him, the clever girl comes up with a few crazy ideas and begins staging extremely creative funerals. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
In the quest to find out whatever prompted a rat to emerge in their newspaper's bathroom, Pam Weiss (Catherine Bach) and Sharon Fields (Charlene Dallas) head down to the tunnels that begin in their building's basement. They imagine all sorts of scenes from horror movies, but instead discover a bunch of murderous real-estate developers. Their delectable looks notwithstanding, the two newswomen show off some admirable martial arts skills as they stop the bad guys from having their way with them. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Bach, Charlene Dallas, (more)
- 1987
- R
Stripped to Kill is an exciting, low-budget, stylish mystery thriller where dancers at a local strip club are killed one by one. Detective Cody Sheehan (Kay Lenz) wants the case and is willing to go undercover as one of the dancers in order to catch her suspect. Stripped to Kill, directed with great style by Katt Shea Ruben, is a terrific thriller, despite its excessive gore and nudity. Kay Lenz seems somewhat uncomfortable in her role, which requires her to do a striptease, exposing her complete lack of dancing talent. However she is very effective as the ambitious Cody and has considerable chemistry with her partner Heineman (Greg Evigan). Despite the fact that the plot is routine and the ending implausible, the dancer's are gorgeous and photographed with flair, and there is a good deal of black humor that enlivens this erotic, highly-recommended fast-paced, lively thriller. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kay Lenz, Greg Evigan, (more)
