Movie Junction

As a three-day rock festival held from June 16 to June 18, 1967, at Monterey, California, the one and only “Monterey Pop festival” presented artists who performed for the first time at this grand event. Not only did the festival introduce various performers who would later become quite famous, it also created a unique template for future rock shows. Moreover, the festival unified its performers and audiences in  a common cause--music. This concert film by director D.A. Penebaker rightly captures the idea that music has no racial, genre, and regional boundaries. Criterion has now released the two-disc “Monterey Pop Collection,” combining the “Monterey Pop” and “Jimi plays Monterey & Shake! Otis at Monterey” films. The two discs are also available separately. Monterey Pop (Spine #168) “Monterey Pop” runs 79 minutes and showcases performances by Canned Heat, Simon & Garfunkel, Ravi Shankar, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, The Mama and The Papas, Otis Redding, and...

After making a promising debut with “Pi” (1998), the movie about a genius mathematician obsessed with predicting the behavior of the stock market, Darren Aronofsky returned to the subject of obsession yet again in his sophomore effort, “Requiem for a Dream” (2000).  The success of his last two movies, “The Fountain” (2006) and more recently the multiple Oscar nominated drama “The Wrestler” (2008), ensured that his new fans would come back to watch his earlier efforts as well. “Requiem for a Dream (2000)” offers a broody and ominous tale of four characters intertwined through their actions. The story begins with Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto) forcibly taking a TV set from his mother, Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn), and walking the television through the streets of Brooklyn with his friend, Tyrone (Marlon Wayans). Harry and Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly) are lovers living in Brooklyn with the hope of setting up their own business and spending the rest of their lives in love. Howeve...

In the original movie, "Crank" (2006), we heard the lead actor utter the words, "My name is Chev Chelios, and this is the day I die." Apparently, Chev did not die, and he is back. "Crank" represented a new concept: high energy driven by a fast-paced story with over-the-top violence and sex. "Crank" was an instantaneous cult hit, in spite of its only generating $28 million at the box office. In Hollywood where sex and violence sells, the cult status of "Crank" ensured that the directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor were back pumping new life into Chev Chelios in this high-octane sequel. "Crank 2: High Voltage" (2009) picks up at the point where "Crank" ends. We see Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) falling from a helicopter. Soon after reaching the ground, Chev is captured by a group of Chinese thugs. He soon discovers that his heart is taken out and is replaced by an electronic one that runs on a battery. He meets...