Herbie - Fully Loaded

• Start your engines! Lindsay Lohan (MEAN GIRLS, FREAKY FRIDAY) does the driving when Herbie -- the fun-lovin', free-wheelin', '63 VW Beetle with a mind of its own -- returns better than ever in Disney's all-new, revved-up comedy adventure! Though a third-generation member of a NASCAR family, Maggie Peyton (Lohan) has always been forbidden from following her racing dreams by her over

Start your engines! Lindsay Lohan (MEAN GIRLS, FREAKY FRIDAY) does the driving when Herbie -- the fun-lovin', free-wheelin', '63 VW Beetle with a mind of its own -- returns better than ever in Disney's all-new, revved-up comedy adventure! Though a third-generation member of a NASCAR family, Maggie Peyton (Lohan) has always been forbidden from following her racing dreams by her overprotective father (Michael Keaton â€" FIRST DAUGHTER). But she has no idea her life is about to take a huge u-turn! After discovering th! e irresistible Herbie in a junkyard, they form a magical team that will save her family and rewrite the racing record books! With Breckin Meyer (ROAD TRIP), Matt Dillon (THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY), and an all-star cast along for the ride, you better believe ol’ Number 53 has some new tricks under his hood!The simple pleasure of watching a living car squirt oil in a villain's face just never goes away. Disney, in their effort to revitalize the Herbie franchise, has made the wise choice of not trying too hard--aside from a small bit of skateboarding action, just about every element of Herbie: Fully Loaded would fit right into the 1963 original (groovily titled The Love Bug) or its various sequels. Maggie Peyton (Lindsay Lohan, the fiery-tressed starlet of Mean Girls and Freaky Friday) wants to join her family's dynasty of race car drivers, but her father (Michael Keaton, Batman Returns) worries that she'll get hurt. Instead, as a! college graduation gift, he buys her a junked-out Volkswagen ! Beetle-- which turns out to be Herbie, a car with a mind of its own. Soon Maggie and Herbie are racing against an arrogant racing champion (Matt Dillon, Crash, There's Something About Mary) and duking it out with monster trucks, eventually hoping her father's heart will change. Herbie: Fully Loaded is formulaic fluff, but executed with cheerful enthusiasm; everyone involved has clearly embraced the mix of slapstick hijinks and light family drama. There's even a handful of cameos by NASCAR drivers. The result is every bit as ridiculous yet entertaining as its forebears. --Bret Fetzer

Read more »

Black Christmas (Special Edition)

• The few remaining residents of a Canadian sorority house are celebrating the onset of Christmas vacation when a thirteen year-old girl is found dead in the park. Soon, it is discovered that one of the sorority sisters is missing, which triggers a terrifying chain of murders within the house. Director Bob Clark's (PORKY'S, A CHRISTMAS STORY) tense, effective film is a precursor to the slash

An ill-fated houseful of sorority sisters are stalked by a psychopath during the christmas season. Studio: Koch International Release Date: 12/30/2008 Starring: Olivia Hussey Margot Kidder Run time: 98 minutesYou may never have heard of this neglected 1974 gem, but you've probably seen one of its many imitators. Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder (also look for Andrea Martin of SCTV fame) star as two residents of a sorority house that is emptying out as Christmas approaches. The atmosphere is jolly ! and carefree, except for an ongoing series of menacing telephone calls, and, oh yes, we've just seen someone climb into the attic with apparent ill intent. Kidder does some scene-stealing as the bad girl, Hussey illustrates one of the downsides to having beautiful long '70s hair, and Keir Dullea does a nice turn as the creepy boyfriend. Director Robert Clark knows that the unseen is far scarier than what can be seen and he ratchets up the tension beautifully, making good use of ominous shadows, and putting in nice touches like replacing the sound of a distraught woman's scream with the piercing ring of yet another ominous phone call. This is a terrific, well-made little movie that is genuinely sleep-with-the-lights-on scary. Don't miss it. --Ali Davis

Read more »