On Friday, Nov. 13, 2009, Warner Home Video staged their own Flash Mob, as 70 couples in period costumes celebrated the film’s anniversary by dancing “The World’s Largest Virginia Reel” in the historic Marietta Georgia Town Square.

And get this. Four original cast members were there: Ann Rutherford (”Carreen O’Hara”), Mickey Kuhn (”Beau Wilkes” at age 7), Patrick Curtis (”Baby Beau Wilkes”) and Greg Geise (infant “Bonnie Blue Butler” & infant “Beau Wilkes”), along with Gina Miller who was an extra.

Robert Osborne, Turner Classic Movies’ primetime host, was also present. “Gone With the Wind” will air on TCM on Dec. 15, the actual anniversary of the film’s original premiere in Atlanta. Check out this cake – it’s Tara!

Images: Warner Home Video

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Movie: Disney’s A Christmas Carol * Trailer * Official Site	In Theaters: Nov. 6, 2009
Runtime: 96 minutes	Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
MPAA Rating: PG for scary sequences an images	Gecko Rating:

We all know the classic Charles Dickens tale about the crotchety Ebenezer Scrooge who’s visited by three ghosts who make him see the light. There’s really nothing new to tell here, but it’s the WAY the story is told that makes it seem fresh and new in our eyes. This animated, 3D version of “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” does indeed bring new life to the story.

It’s directed by Robert Zemeckis, the genius behind “The Polar Express,” and this animation is quite similar to that film. It’s really well done, somehow merging real people – in this case, mainly Jim Carrey, who plays Scrooge and all three ghosts – with the animated figures. So what you get is an animated film that seems almost like live action, jumping right off the screen at you (the 3D helps in that regard, too!).

More after the jump…

Zemeckis also helmed “Monster House,” and so even his family films have a tendency to be dark and psychological. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but in the case of both “Monster House” and “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” they’re much too scary for little ones.

“Disney’s A Christmas Carol” opens with Scrooge looking over the body of his dead partner Marley, now lying in a casket with coins on his eyes. Of course, miserly Scrooge snatches up the coins before the body is sent to its final resting place.

We have Bob Cratchit (Gary Oldman, who also voices Marley and Tiny Tim), working faithfully in Scrooge’s dismal accounting shop. Bob somehow manages to keep his positive attitude, despite hanging around the cup-half-empty Scrooge all day. At home, his family likewise manages to be positive, despite being dirt-poor with a crippled Tiny Tim.

Another main character is Fred (Colin Firth), Scrooge’s well-off nephew who desperately desires to be friends with the old man, who’ll have none of it. Instead, Scrooge shuffles home to his massive dark house and settles in for the night with some porridge. And that’s where the action begins, with the procession of ghosts calling on him in the wee hours.

The ghosts are pretty scary although each has their little quirks. The first one, the Ghost of Christmas Past, is a funny little spirit with a flame for a head. During this sequence, we see the young Scrooge courting his love, Belle (voiced by Robin Wright Penn).

The Ghost of Christmas Present is a giant Viking type spirit sitting atop a large mound of bountiful things. And the third, the Ghost of Christmas Future, is a dark, Grim Reaper type spirit accompanied by a team of frightening stampeding horses. Each takes Scrooge through their particular time era, showing him as a young boy, a young man, a present-day miser, and a dead soul with no one to grieve for him.

The animation during these sequences is stunning, capturing both the beauty and despair of this particular era. However, if you’re at all prone to motion sickness, I recommend closing your eyes during the flying scenes. During the Ghost of Christmas Present sequence, the floor somehow becomes a glass through which you can see into the present-day time. Really awesome, and they use the 3D technology to its best use in this movie. I say that because it’s blended so well into the animation that you don’t really even notice that you’re wearing 3D glasses.

Overall, “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” is a creative and visually beautiful take on the classic tale, the ultimate story of an old miser regaining hope and love, even when things are at their bleakest. Jim Carrey is a master at his craft.

NOTE TO PARENTS: There’s really no sexual content or language issues to speak of. Most of the PG rating comes from the frightening scenes involving ghosts, skeletons, corpses, and red-eyed stampeding horses. The movie opens with Marley’s body in a casket, and we also get scenes of Scrooge being haunted in his dark mansion, and falling into a deep hole towards a casket. For these reasons, I don’t recommend it for kids younger than eight.

Images: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

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The film starred John Cusack as mediocre student Lloyd Dobler, attempting to capture the heart of a beautiful valedictorian. Even if you’ve never seen the movie (you need to fix that right now), you’ve likely seen the picture of Cusack holding that iconic boom box over his head.

Buy the 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray and DVD of “Say Anything.” In the meantime, here’s a pic from today’s event, which also featured the band named “Lloyd Dobler Effect.”

Image: TM and © Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

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The CG-animated movie is rated G, and also features the voices of Robin Wright Penn, Colin Firth, Gary Oldman and Michael J. Fox. Watch the trailer here.

Here are a few photos of Carrey and director-writer Robert Zemeckis on their “train tour” at Grand Central Station to promote the film. Looks like a blast!

By the way, Carrey has gained a few pounds for his role as Curly in the upcoming movie from Bobby Farrelly, “The Three Stooges,” scheduled for a 2010 release. He doesn’t look quite big enough yet!

More after the jump…

Image: INF

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It’s easy to forget that this great archive of classic movies is available on TCM 24/7. Check their schedule for all the great scary movies. A few coming up this week:

Tuesday, Oct. 27: 

8 p.m. – Poltergeist (1982). Evil spirits abduct a suburban family’s daughter. Craig T. Nelson.

12 a.m. – The Haunting (1963). Psychic investigators move into a haunted house. Julie Harris.

2 a.m. – Village of the Damned (1960). Residents of a British village give birth to emotionless, super-powered offspring. George Sanders.

Friday, Oct. 30:

11:15 a.m. – The Walking Dead (1936). A framed man comes back from the dead seeking revenge. Boris Karloff.

6:45 p.m. – Isle of the Dead (1945). Quarantined residents of a Balkans island fear that one of their numbers is a vampire. Boris Karloff.

8 p.m. – Gaslight (1944). A newlywed fears she’s going mad when strange things start happening at the family mansion. Ingrid Bergman

12 a.m. – Psycho (1960). A woman on the run gets mixed up with a repressed young man and his violent “mother.” Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh.

Image: Warner Archives

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GENESIS II, 74 minutes, 1973. “My name is Dylan Hunt. My story begins the day on which I died.” Set between now and the era of the starship Enterprise, this story follows Hunt (Alex Cord), who awakens after 154 years of suspended animation into a post-apocalyptic world that’s torn between the peace-loving citizens of Pax and the militaristic, mutant Tyranians. Both want Hunt to join their cause. But the Tyranians have two cruel weapons to persuade Hunt: a device of torture called a stim. And an alluring mutant (Mariette Hartley) with two navels … and one ice-cold heart.

Planet Earth, 74 minutes, 1974. The time is the 22nd century. The place is the Confederacy, a matriarchy where men are enslaved and impotent. The hero is Dylan Hunt (John Saxon), a handsome 20th century scientist awakened from suspended animation – just the “breeder” a Confederacy dominatrix (Diana Muldaur, who went on to play Dr. Pulaski in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) has been waiting for! In this sequel to “Genesis II,” Gene Roddenberry puts a reverse spin on women’s lib in an action-filled tale set in a gleaming world of futuristic cities, underground sub shuttles, palm-sized computers and skintight uniforms. Can Hunt defy the Confederacy and free his downtrodden fellow males, or is he doomed to slavery on “Planet Earth”?

Plenty of 1970s-era goodness in these two DVDs! If you’re a fan of the “Star Trek” universe or Gene Roddenberry, they’re definitely worth a look.

Images: Warner Archive

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“Toy Story 3,” set for a June 18, 2010 release, finds Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toy box gang at a daycare center, after their owner, Andy, heads off to college. Sniff … they grow up so fast …

“Toy Story 3” also features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, John Ratzenberger, Ned Beatty, Wallace Shawn, Don Rickles and Estelle Harris.

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To celebrate the DVD and Blu-ray release of “The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition,” here’s the clip below. The commemorative edition contains nearly four hours of all-new and never-before-available bonus features. Buy it on Amazon. 

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The set includes “The Maltese Falcon,” “The Big Sleep,” “Dial M For Murder,” and “The Postman Always Rings Twice.” I can see myself vegging out on the couch for an afternoon with these lovely murder mysteries. More detail on this two-disc set from Warner Home Video (Buy it on Amazon):

• The Maltese Falcon. This is classic Bogart in his prime, with plenty of rat-a-tat banter as he plays a detective so tough, he beats someone with his own gun and then hands it back to him! Also stars Sidney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre. Every time I come across this movie while surfing around, I’m compelled to watch the entire movie. It’s that gripping.
• The Big Sleep. Bogart teams up with real-life love Lauren Bacall in this well-acted film noir that takes a couple of passes through to really get what’s going on. The complicated plot doesn’t dumb things down for viewers, though, and it’s totally worth it. Bogart’s Philip Marlowe is classic stuff.
• Dial M for Murder. This 1954 Hitchcock film stars Grace Kelly as the cheating wife of a tennis player, played by Ray Milland. But even after he learns about the affair, his main concern is losing his wife’s money in a divorce. An unexpected turn in the middle kicks this movie up a hundred notches.
• The Postman Always Rings Twice. This 1946 film stars John Garfield as a drifter who gets a job at a restaurant run by Nick and his young wife, Cora (Lana Turner). Again, money plays into things as Cora falls for Frank, but doesn’t want to give up her husband’s money. The scheming pair plot to commit murder, which raises the suspicion of the D.A.

Also check out:

• TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: American Musicals (The Band Wagon, Meet Me in St. Louis, Singin’ in the Rain, Easter Parade)
• TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Romantic Comedies (Adam’s Rib, Woman of the Year, The Philadelphia Story, Bringing Up Baby)
• TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Broadway Musicals (Show Boat, Annie Get Your Gun, Kiss Me Kate, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) 

Image: Amazon.com

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But if anyone can do a remake, it would be Steven Spielberg, who plans to direct an upcoming film, a co-production of 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks. It’s the first film under DreamWorks’ new incarnation; the company will finance 50% through its new partner Reliance and distribute through Disney.

It’s funny how all these film companies are hooked in together now. You never see a movie produced solely by MGM or Paramount.

At any rate, I hope Spielberg gets somebody who can do justice to the role. I’m thinking Tom Hanks or Steve Carell. Anybody else strike you as a good candidate?

Image: Bauer-Griffin

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