The Plot: Newly arrived at Terminal Island, a prison for the most nonredeemable of convicts, Carl “Luke” Lucas must prove his mettle in a race to the death.

Since Jason Statham drove off with Tyrese Gibson, the producers are seeking an actor to wear the Frankenstein mask, as well as the female villain who dreamed up the Death Race concept as the new reality show craze. They’re also looking for people to play inmates named Big Bill, Gunner, Rocco and Jesus Luna.

So … if you fit the bill, go ahead and get in touch with them.

By the way, here’s how the numbers went down in the original 1973 movie, “Death Race 2000,” which starred Sylvester Stallone and David Carradine:

• Man: 10 points
• Woman: 20 points
• Teenager: 40 points
• Kids under 12: 70 points
• People over 75: 100 points

Image: Amazon.com

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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 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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The movie also stars Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian (of course, she’ll be perfect, even though at one time I thought they might be too old for the characters), Kevin Durand as Little John, William Hurt as William Marshall, and Matthew Macfadyen as the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Image: Bauer-Griffin

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First, we learned that Tom Cruise was out and Sam Worthington was in. Then director Bharat Nalluri was out, and is yet to be replaced. Now The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Charlize Theron is out, and Angelina Jolie in talks to replace her.

Let’s hope they can figure it all out by the time filming starts. The film is a remake of a 2005 French film, and follows a tourist persuaded by Interpol to go undercover and trap a former lover who’s now suspected of being an international criminal. Worthington is the traveler, while Jolie would be the femme fatale: "one part seductress, one part action heroine." Yeah, I can see that.

I would imagine that producers Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum and Jonathan Glickman must be getting a tad nervous at this point.

Image: INF

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For one thing, you have to educate everyone in how to pronounce it. And for another – raising hand here — anyone who writes about it will undoubtedly get it wrong at some point. It’s just a pain.

But even with the hard-to-pronounce-and-spell title, “Reykjavik-Rotterdam” sounds like a good film, especially with Mark Wahlberg onboard.

The remake, based on an Icelandic film directed by Oskar Jonasson that’s in the running for an Oscar, centers on a security guard and former alcohol smuggler on the Iceland-Netherlands route who’s lured back into illicit after encountering money woes.

Still, the American version of the film should have a title that Americans can read and pronounce. Just sayin’…

Image: INF; Source: Hollywood Reporter

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That’s what happens in “The Crazies,” a reimagining of the George Romero classic, directed by Breck Eisner from a screenplay by Ray Wright (“Pulse,” “Case 39”) and Scott Kosar (“The Amityville Horror,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”).

David Dutten (Timothy Olyphant) is sheriff of Ogden Marsh, a picture-perfect American town with happy, law-abiding citizens. But one night, one of them comes to a school baseball game with a loaded shotgun, ready to kill. Another man burns down his own house … after locking his wife and young son in a closet inside.

Something is infecting the citizens of this quiet town and making them go … crazy! And Dutten and a few residents are forced to band together, including his pregnant wife, Judy (Radha Mitchell); Becca (Danielle Panabaker), an assistant at the medical center; and Russell (Joe Anderson), Dutten’s deputy and right-hand man.

“The Crazies” hits theaters Feb. 26, 2010. No rating yet, but I’m guessing R.

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Movie: Fame * Trailer * Official Site	In Theaters: Sept. 25, 2009
Runtime: 107 minutes	Directed by: Kevin Tancharoen
MPAA Rating: PG for thematic material, including teen drinking, a sexual situation, and language	Gecko Rating:

The original 1980 movie “Fame” was rated R, and while I understand the desire to make this one PG (to appeal to the “High School Musical” crowd), it loses a lot in translation.

This modern version could have benefitted from a PG-13 rating; then they could have included more intense material, without trying to dilute it for the younger crowd. As it is, the movie is a little boring and the characters really aren’t fleshed out that well. It’s like “High School Musical,” only with more intense scenes (too intense, really, for a PG rating).

As with the original, this movie follows the lives of several students at the New York Academy of Performing Arts. The original has a famous line from Debbie Allen (who played a dance teacher in that movie and plays the principal in this movie; different character, though): “You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying … in sweat…” That line is said over the opening credits in the new movie.

The only problem is, we don’t really see a whole lot of sweat. We see a kid who doesn’t seem to have much talent in any of the arts (Kay Panabaker’s character), a not-very-good dancer from Iowa who manages to make it past the audition process, and various other talented and non-talented kids. This IS a pretty prestigious school, after all. You’d think most of the non-talented kids would be weeded out in auditions.

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The kids include Alice (Kherington Payne), a dancer from a rich family; Malik (Collins Pennie), a Harlem kid who dreams of a career on the stage; Denise (Naturi Naughton), a classical pianist whose real talent is hip-hop singing (despite the objections of her parents); Victor (Walter Perez), a budding music producer; Kevin (Paul McGill), the aforementioned dancer from Iowa; Joy (Anna Maria Perez de Tagle), an entertainer who scores a gig on “Sesame Street” in her junior year; Jenny (Kay Panabaker), an uptight actress who needs to loosen up; and Marco (Asher Book), a sweet boy who attempts to loosen her up (but in a good way).

The standouts are Book and Naughton, both of whom have beautiful voices and are a pleasure to listen to, even through the movie screen. The teachers include Kelsey Grammer (music), Bebe Neuwirth (dance, and yes, Frasier and his wife!); Megan Mullally (musical theater); and Charles S. Dutton (drama). They all have their moments of tough-love, pep talks and drama.

Despite the promising premise, this movie falls flat in just about every way – even the obligatory lunchroom number which we’re expected to believe is spontaneous (I didn’t believe that with the original movie either). Still, if you want to see something that changed pop culture, see the original 1980 movie. Since it’s rated R, kids can check out the more family-friendly TV series; seasons one and two were just released on DVD.

NOTE TO PARENTS: Some of the dances are sensuous, and there are several kisses between major characters. In one scene, an actor tries to take advantage of a female teen by pretending to film an audition scene in his trailer. (I couldn’t help but think she should have known; even the girl in front of me at the theater said, “Even my grandmother could have seen that guy coming.”)

Violence includes references to a character’s violent past, including his little sister being hit by stray gang-related bullets. A depressed character seems like he’s going to jump in front of a subway, but is stopped in the nick of time. There’s a lot of profanity for a PG movie, including “sh*t,” “a**hole,” “hell,” “goddamn,” and bullsh*t.”

Images: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

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Some of his recent movies, like “Yes Man” and “Fun with Dick and Jane,” were nice, but completely forgettable. In a way, it almost seems like he’s trying to find his footing again. We’ll see if he can do that with “A Christmas Carol,” in which he plays the iconic Ebenezer Scrooge (as well as all three ghosts).

Directed and written by Robert Zemeckis, this CG-animated movie also features the voices of Robin Wright Penn, Colin Firth, Gary Oldman and Michael J. Fox. It’s rated G and arrives in theaters just in time for the holiday season, on Nov. 6, 2009. Here’s the trailer. The animation reminds me of “Polar Express,” which isn’t surprising considering Zemeckis also directed that movie.

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