The story begins with Speed Racer who is a young man with natural racing instincts whose goal is to win The Crucible, a cross-country car racing rally that took the life of his older brother, Rex Racer. Speed is loyal to the family business, run by his parents Pops and Mom. Pops designed Speed’s car, the Mach 5. The owner of Royalton Industries makes Speed a lucrative offer, Speed rejects the offer, angering the owner. Speed also uncovers a secret that top corporate interests, including Royalton, are fixing races and cheating to gain profit. With the offer to Speed denied, Royalton wants to ensure that Speed will not win races. Speed finds support from his parents and his girlfriend Trixie and enters The Crucible in a partnership with his one-time rival, Racer X, seeking to rescue his family’s business and the racing sport itself. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

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Nazi skinheads in Melbourne take out their anger on local Vietnamese, who are seen as threatening racial purity. Finally the Vietnamese have had enough and confront the skinheads in an all-out confrontation, sending the skinheads running. A woman who is prone to epileptic seizures joins the skins’ merry band, and helps them on their run from justice, but is her affliction also a sign of impurity? Written by Ed Sutton {esutton@mindspring.com}

Once a promising writer, John Hayson now gets by on the odd writing job. A personal tragedy has left him dispassionate about the world and his work and he lives his life in limbo. In the midst of this existential crisis he attends a high school reunion and meets three old friends; acquaintances he’s tried to forget but who now emerge like ominous shadows from his past. Once again, face to face with the love of his life, Hayson tries to right old wrongs and get his life back on track. However, life has other plans, and he realizes that the past is best laid to rest or it might haunt you forever. He soon finds himself embroiled in a nightmarish brew of deceit, passion and murder. Wanted by the police for a heinous killing, he must choose between succumbing to his darkest desires or the light that will renew his faith in himself and his future. Written by Anonymous

If asked to sum up “The Ice Harvest” in just one word it would have to be ‘pointless’. Of course if all I was asked to give was a simple one-word summary, there would be no reason to write a full-length review. So to pad out the ‘pointless’ description, I’m adding mean-spirited, nonsensical, and a waste of time and talent.

There’s absolutely nothing appealing about “The Ice Harvest.” I realize this is a movie about a couple of bad apples surrounded by a basket-load of rotten fruit, however at the core of “The Ice Harvest” is a blackened pit that’s sure to leave an ugly aftertaste in your mouth. (Sometimes these descriptions just pop into my head and they won’t leaf…er, leave.)

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This is the story of a mild-mannered man named Tom Stall who becomes a local hero through an act of violence, he lives a happy and quiet life with his lawyer wife and their two children in the small town of Millbrook, Indiana. But one night their idyllic existence is shattered when Tom foils a vicious attempted robbery in his diner. Sensing danger, he takes action and saves his customers and friends in the self-defense killings of two-sought-after criminals. Heralded as a hero, Tomâ¿¿s life is changed overnight, attracting a national media circus, which forces him into the spotlight. Uncomfortable with his newfound celebrity, Tom tries to return to the normalcy of his ordinary life only to be confronted by a mysterious and threatening man who arrives in town believing Tom is the man whoa¿¿s wronged him in the past. As Tom and his family fight back against this case of mistaken identity and struggle to cope with their changed reality, they are forced to confront their relationships and the divisive issues which surface as a result. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

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I didn’t have high hopes when I sat down for a screening of “I Spy.” Let’s face it, there haven’t been that many good buddy films recently and Eddie Murphy’s last couple of films have been real disappointments (Did anyone see “Pluto Nash?”). But I am a fan of Owen Wilson and of Eddie Murphy’s earlier cinematic offerings, so I decided to throw caution to the wind and go into “I Spy” with a mostly open mind.

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A wild, freeform, Rabelaisian trip through the darkest recesses of Edinburgh low-life, focusing on Mark Renton and his attempt to give up his heroin habit, and how the latter affects his relationship with family and friends: Sean Connery wannabe Sick Boy, dimbulb Spud, psycho Begbie, 14-year-old girlfriend Diane, and clean-cut athlete Tommy, who’s never touched drugs but can’t help being curious about them… Written by Michael Brooke {michael@everyman.demon.co.uk}

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Let me admit right off the bat that the trailers for “Madagascar” did nothing for me. While “Shrek” and its sequel both had me at hello, “Madagascar” was a tough sell. Chris Rock has a decent voice for animated movies, but Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett-Smith and David Schwimmer aren’t exactly known for their voice work, and the trailers and clips didn’t convince me they should look for more jobs in that particular field. Fortunately for moviegoers, the humor – in large part supplied by four wily, scene-stealing penguins - is strong enough to make up for the film’s lack of enchanting voices.

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Denzel Washington and Clive Owen deliver first-rate performances in director Spike Lee’s “Inside Man,” a clever, engaging film that’s considerably better than the average heist movie.

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“Serenity” is a wild, white-knuckle roller coaster ride set in the future where the heroes are deeply conflicted, people do whatever they have to – even if it’s illegal - just to survive, and if you want to cuss at someone, you do it in a foreign language so there’s no need to cover the ears of small children.

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