Rating: Summary: Starts well but then.. Review: Boy oh boy. Where have I seen this movie befor? Oh yeah it was called "Duel" and It was much better.. This movie starts OK but once the main plot is laid out the rest of the movie is just funny in a bad way.. After they trick a Horny low IQ truck driver to a motel room to meet a fictional woman (just for laughs) and hear him kill a person (or did he)? they become the subject of the truckers vengence. I watched curiously as the truckers IQ shoots through the roof.. He suddenly can guess their location on a long stretch of highway with such ease with no logical explanation except that he is a genius.. too bad he fell for their stupid practical joke... if he didn't we won't have this movie. Great candidate for a Rcoky Horror Picture Show like midnight show. Watch "Duel" insted. Great movie.
Rating: Summary: A Very Tense Film Review: Okay, let's face it. Now a days horror films just aren't scary anymore. They seem to be more comedic than anything. Well, this is a film that has all of the above.Paul Walker plays Lewis Thomas, and Steve Zahn plays Fuller Thomas, his completely opposite brother. After bailing his brother out of jail, Lewis and Fuller take a road trip to Colorado to pick up their friend Venna Wilcox, played by Leelee Sobieski. However, on the way there, not too intelligent Fuller decides to have a little fun over the cb radio. They end up messing with the wrong guy, known only as rusty nail, and end up running for their lives. This film will deffinately have you at the edge of your seat wondering what move will be made next. This film may be very tense, but it is also very humorous. The cast of this film deliver an amazing performance that was better than I even expected. The dvd has special features like a 29 minute alternate ending that I highly reccommend watching. You'll feel like you're sitting through a whole new movie all over again.
Rating: Summary: Yes it was a Joy Ride! Review: Well this movie was not set out to deliver Oscar performances, as some people complain about here. It was made to make us laugh (with the well written script) and jump out of our skin (with the even better directed scenes). Sure Paul Walker can seem to be surfer like, but I feel he has been pigeon holed after the Fast & the Furious. Overall he did an outstanding job. But from the minute this movie started you knew it was going to be rough going for Walker and Co. (Sobieski and Zahn) I would not give 5 stars due to the mostly predictable movie plot line (except for the ending) But it was fun watching it. And thats what movies are all about....FUN....right? And how fun is it to call your best buddy late at night, or in the case of yours truely, laying in bed late at night with your loved one after a hard days work and suddenly call out with that deep scratchy voice...."Candycane"! Sure starts me giggling and wanting to watch it again.
Rating: Summary: One Wild Ride Review: By definition, a "joke" is something said or done to promote laughter or amusement; but more than that, a joke can be a helpful instrument for discerning character, establishing bonds of friendship or merely relieving stress. Laughter, as they say, is the best medicine. A "practical joke," on the other hand, is something else entirely. In fact the term, "practical joke" is, in itself, an oxymoron. It is never "practical," and rarely does it promote "laughter and amusement," especially with the recipient upon whom it is perpetrated. More often than not, the result is nothing more than the embarrassment and humiliation of the intended victim. In extreme instances, in fact, it can actually become the antithesis of a joke, ultimately producing dire consequences and repercussions. Which is exactly what a couple of bored young men discover on a trip across country in "Joy Ride," directed by John Dahl, a film that points up the possibly extreme effects of a single moment of thoughtlessness; and how lives can be changed in the time it takes to draw a single breath. The drama unfolds between Salt Lake City-- beginning when Lewis Thomas (Paul Walker) stops to pick up his just-released-from-jail brother, Fuller (Steve Zahn)-- and Boulder, Colorado, where Lewis has promised a ride to his friend, Venna Wilcox (Leelee Sobieski). En route to Boulder, the bored and thoughtless Fuller coaxes Lewis into playing a practical joke, via their CB radio, on a trucker they know only as a disembodied voice with the handle "Rusty Nail." Lewis affects a woman's voice, calls himself "Candy Cane," and arranges a rendezvous with the hapless Rusty Nail at a designated motel room. At the appointed time, Lewis and Fuller listen from the room next door when Mr. Nail shows up and finds someone other than Ms. Cane in residence. What follows is not pleasant for any of those concerned, and especially for the Thomas brothers, who discover too late that Mr. Nail is anything but hapless. He is, in fact, dangerously unstable-- and devoid of any sense of humor. He also has the wherewithal to find out more about the brothers than is good for their health. At one point, Lewis and Fuller think they've lost him, only to find out after they pick up Venna, that Mr. Rusty Nail is very much present and accounted for; and that's when things take a real turn for the worse. What began as a moment of frivolity turns out to be a defining moment in their lives, and it's the beginning of a seemingly endless nightmare for all of them. Director Dahl has crafted and delivered a film that is part "Duel," part "Breakdown" and a "Ride" that is altogether wild and adrenaline inducing. This film is not what you think it's going to be-- it's much more. What Dahl gives you is some real thrills and genuine menace, delivered with a solid impact and a subtle message about doing unto others and stopping to think before you speak. And the young, unaffected and inexperienced may shrug it all off with a laugh, but there's a real lesson to be learned here about the difference between a high school or college dorm prank, and thoughtlessly provoking a stranger out there in the real world, where a swagger, machismo and all that testosterone will seem ridiculous when you're alone in the dark of night on a lonely stretch of road, and it all comes down to that moment of truth. Reality can be sobering, and it can be humbling. And the sad thing is, there are too many among us who choose to learn it the hard way. But with this film, Dahl gives you a good taste of what it's all about; all you have to do is catch a glimpse of the terror in Fuller's eyes while it's all going down. Unfortunately, it 's a message that will be lost on those who would best be served by it. For all intents and purposes, this is a three character drama, and the actors Dahl has cast to bring it to life do just that, beginning with Paul Walker, who turns in a solid and quite natural performance as Lewis. He successfully captures that youthful, somewhat naive innocence that defines his character, and his portrayal is honest and convincing. And Leelee Sobieski, as Venna, continues to demonstrate that she is one of the finest young actors in the business. This is not a particularly challenging role, but she makes it more than it is by bringing a maturity and insight to it that a lesser actor would find elusive. It's a wonderful performance, and it definitely takes the film to a higher level. The performance that really stands out, however, is turned in by Steve Zahn, as Fuller. Zahn captures that rolling-stone, loser aloofness of a guy basically just drifting through life, coming from somewhere that isn't important and going nowhere. And there's at least a part of Fuller to which just about everyone in the audience will be able to relate and identify. The same is true of the characterizations of Lewis and Venna, but it's especially apparent in Fuller, and that connection Dahl and his actors enable the viewer to make with the characters and their situation is the predominant strength of the film. It's a collaborative effort that allows you to fully appreciate what they are going through as the story unfolds. Also significant is the participation of Ted Levine, who supplies the voice of Rusty Nail, possibly the most menacing voice-over since James Earl Jones created Darth Vader. The supporting cast includes Jessica Bowman (Charlotte), Stuart Stone (Danny), Luis Cortes (Night Manager), Satch Huizenga (Ice Truck Man) and Jim Beaver (Sheriff Ritter). An action/thriller that really delivers, "Joy Ride" is a rush of ice water through your veins that just might make you think twice about what you want to say sometime; and to whom you want to say it.
Rating: Summary: Joy Ride Review: This is a good film witha lot of twists, you think that you can easily predict what is going to happen but you'll be wrong. A good cast help make this film exiting because the actors make it seem real. The best character is Fuller because of the comedy eliment he brings to the film. A one worth watching if you like horror with a splash of comedy
Rating: Summary: A great thriller. Review: The movie Joy Ride was an exciteing hour an a half of thrills,suspence,action and a bloodey ending.It all starts when Lewis Thomas(Paul Walker)say's he will come get a friend in need,Vienna Wilcox(Leelee Sobieski)and decides to pick up his brother,Fuller(Steven Zaun)from jail on the way.After Lewis pickes up Fuller they buy an old CB raido.The brothers soon find an old trucker named Rusty Nail and Lewis pretends to be a women named Candey Cane,as a joke,a harmless little joke.... The acting was great,the action fresh,and the writing was amazing
Rating: Summary: Has Its Moments; Has Its Problems Review: Joy Ride starts out with an ominously unsettling aligning of events that would make a classic episode of the one hour Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Where it loses its way, pretty much, is right after the scene where the two brothers who are driving cross country learn that they are not as anonymous (to the trucker they have been taunting by CB radio) as they had believed. This scene is a really beautiful pivotal suspense moment, one of the best in recent movies. And the strange thing is, the same great scene also signals the start of the movies descent, right at the point when a whole lot of possibilites should be opening up for it story-wise. I'll give the makers their due: Simple and obvious as it may seem, the visual correlative for the trucker --the pulsing volume display on the CB-- is inspired. Joy Ride would have been half the movie it is without this device, which acts as the brothers' dark and irresistable touchstone with the unseen trucker. Unfortunately, most of the plot of the movie after the situational setup relies on tired old tricks we have seen a hundred times: exploding vehicles and a cheesy near-mystical unstoppable human monster ala Michael Myers or Jason. It is as if the makers lost the energy to carry off their brilliant beginning and put a hodgepodge of cliches together for final half, hoping no one would notice. I wanted to like this film, and it definitely does have its early moments. Maybe that will make it work for you. But for me, it loses all believability the closer it gets to the end. I would recommend over Joy Ride "The Hitcher", "Duel" or even "The Car" to name three films that no doubt influenced it. But if it has to be new, this film may do. Just keep your expectations low enough to avoid major disappointment when the plotting and credibility level start falling to pieces.
Rating: Summary: Takes the joy out of a road trip!! Review: Joy Ride starts out with a boy deciding to take a road trip and picks up his just bailed from jail brother on the way. While on the road the boys are messing with some people on their radio, using the code name Candy Cane. Well they "run into" Rusty Nail on the frequency and tell him to meet them obviously leaving him a false location. Rusty Nail seems to have a bad attitude about the whole trick and an innocent man ends up dead. On the road the next day the boys run into Rusty Nail again.....will they escape??? Watch this Thriller for a scary suprise ending that will make you think twice the next time you want to set out on a pleasant Joy Ride.
Rating: Summary: I uh oh ummm well...BECAUSE...IIII oh ee ooo aaahh Review: FOUR WORDS Thrills on the Road
Rating: Summary: Top-notch Thriller... Review: CB prank goes awry... Two brothers play a CB prank on the wrong trucker; a psycho bent on killing revenge... That is the premise of this great film that keeps you on the edge of your seat in this well-directed, well-written movie. Acting is well done also. Be sure to get this one, it's the best thriller that's come out in a long time!
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