Other Crap

This week's movies (2500 theaters): Crank - 100% positive reviews for this ludicrous, past-paced Besson-style actioner. This movie didn't get a massive amount of advance publicity, but all indications are that it may just be a word-of-mouth hit. It's 1994's "Speed" crossed with 1996's "Rage." A hit man (Jason Statham) learns that a poison injected into his body will kill him if his heart rate drops below a certain point. He sets out to get the baddies while keeping his heart pounding rapidly. (Five words: public sex with Amy Smart)

• "Mindless fun"
• "Mindless entertainment"
• "Edgy and outrageous"
• "Engaging and thoroughly over-the-top"
• "Zealously absurd"
• "It won’t be to everybody’s taste, but with a deliciously sick sense of humor and a refreshingly mean streak, Crank at least has the courage to carry its convictions through to the bloody end."