FilmMonthly » Jessica Machen

Centre Place

Jessica Machen — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:45:42 +0000

Centre Place, directed by Ben Shackleford, is an Australian romantic comedy with an emphasis on the comedy side of things. The romance is really lacking in the story.
Lizzie, the protagonist, is having a hard time with her life. Her boyfriend, whom she had plans to move to Paris with, dumps her, her brother unintentionally causes her apartment to burn down and she is working in a dreadful fashion store that barely sells a thing. She is an artist who thought she was living the life until it all came crashing down upon her. Not until then does she realize that she hasn’t been living, but just being.
Lizzie gets dumped by her boyfriend in the beginning of the film because he is bored with her. She becomes very depressed and the clothing store she works at embodies her emotions. Very dark and dull. Halfway through the story, an ex comes back into her life and falls for her all over again, quite suddenly, too. Things just seem to happen to Lizzie rather than her making things happen for herself. She really doesn’t make any choices to move forward in her life with the exception of when she takes initiative while her boss is out of office and leaves her in charge. She is very day and night, making it hard to believe she actually changes on the inside. Her epiphanies come about all too sudden.
Another area where the story lacks is that viewers never get a chance to get to know the male half of the story. There are numerous men in this film and because there are so many, viewers can’t learn enough about them all to care deeply enough for their story. There is the story between Lizzie and her brother, Lizzie and her boyfriend, Lizzie and her ex and Lizzie and her estranged father. The relationships seem to exist to push Lizzie forward rather than just existing helping her grow. The relationships seem very forced. For this film to have been amazing, picking one of those relationships and focusing on that would have made all the difference. Really, with all the relationships, it almost seems that it would make a better television series than a feature film.
All in all, this isn’t a great film, but it is entertaining and will put a smile or two on your face. Centre Place will be released on DVD on Valentine’s Day 2012.

Imagine It! (2011)

Jessica Machen — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:02:48 +0000

Rudy Poe and Richard Tavener have crafted a great new documentary called Imagine It! aimed at encouraging children and teens to utilize their creativity to better the world. It urges the youth that what they do matters and will affect the world they grow up in. Experts and thought leaders such as Sally Ride (first American woman in space), Chris Wink, Phil Stanton, Matt Goldman (co-founders of the Blue Man Group) and Charles Vest (former president of MIT) along with select youth of today discuss why imagination is so important and how science and creativity work hand in hand to move ideas forward.
This film will be a great tool teachers can use for students in grade school through early high school. It’s smart enough for the older students yet visually stimulating and empowering enough to reach out to the younger kids. Imagine It! is available on DVD and digital download on Tuesday, October 25.

The Beaver

Jessica Machen — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 21:04:26 +0000

The Beaver, written by Kyle Killen, was ranked at the top of the Hollywood Black List in 2008 as the best unproduced script in Hollywood. Upon watching the film, you can easily see why.
Filled with raw emotion, smart dialogue, and unique situations, The Beaver brings you to tears and laughter as it unfolds. Walter Black (Mel Gibson) experiences a severe mental breakdown, losing himself and his family until he finds a beaver puppet. With the Beaver, Walter is able to begin to put the pieces of his life back together: rekindling his marriage to his wife, Meredith (Jodie Foster), and being a role model for his children, Porter (Anton Yelchin) and Henry (Riley Thomas Stewart).
Jodie Foster does an amazing job both acting and directing the film. And despite what your personal opinions of Mel Gibson may be, you cannot deny that he does one heck of a job acting in The Beaver.

Make Believe by J. Clay Tweel

Jessica Machen — Sun, 29 May 2011 23:36:46 +0000

The documentary, Make Believe, directed by J. Clay Tweel, will make you believe in the power of magic. The film follows six teens competing in the World Magic Seminar’s Teen Competition in Las Vegas. This prestigious competition is extremely tough to be accepted into, but once young magicians are in, they know they have talent.
According to the documentary, magic is something that gives teens a voice and helps them find their true selves. It’s a way to communicate. It’s something that transcends the language barrier–all can be amazed and entertained by a good magic act. Watch the film to find out more about the world of magic and how it affects these teens’ lives.
Make Believe is on Showtime and On Demand through the end of May. It premiered at the NY Friar’s Club in New York City on May 11, Facet’s Cinemateque in Chicago on May 16 and Laemmle Sunset 5 in Los Angeles on May 25. If you’d like a DVD copy, you can purchase it at www.makebelievefilm.com.

CROPSEY

Jessica Machen — Sat, 07 May 2011 13:07:19 +0000

Filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio both grew up knowing the urban legend of Cropsey, an escaped mental patient living in the abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution who kidnaps and murders children on the streets. As teenagers, they believed the stories to be just that: stories. However, when one particular young girl in their town went missing in 1987, their myth seemed to become a reality.
This documentary focuses on Andre Rand, the man linked to the disappearances of five missing children, including twelve year old Jennifer Schweiger, who’s body was recovered near the Willowbrook Mental Institution. None of the other bodies, to this day, have been found.
Although this is a very eerie and scary situation that the people of Staten Island have been dealing with, the documentary itself is not a horror story, though it may give you chills as the filmmakers walk along in abandoned buildings in the pitch black. The film’s music gives you a heightened awareness of everything taking place, keeping you on your toes, much like how the television show Unsolved Mysteries did. If you were a fan of that television show, you will enjoy watching Cropsey.
Cropsey can be found on DVD May 10th.

You Again (2010)

Jessica Machen — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:32:01 +0000

You Again is a film that most people will be able to relate to. Starring Kristen Bell, Odette Yustman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver and Betty White, this is a story about rivalry, arch nemeses and grudges. Bell plays Marnie, a successful woman who falls apart upon learning that her older brother is marrying her high school enemy. When Marnie brings the problem up with her mother (Curtis), she is advised to let it go. Her mother finds it’s not so easy to just let it go when she comes face to face with her own high school nemesis played by Weaver.
The film will keep you laughing the whole way through. It’s a great cast and a great story. You Again is now available on DVD and Blu-ray courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Bonus features on the DVD include deleted scenes, a Funny Or Die spoof and a segment following the director, Andy Fickman around the set. The Blu-ray special features include more deleted scenes plus bloopers! Get your copy of You Again today and relive your high school horror stories in a much lighter way.

Valerie Cruz discusses ABC’s new show Off The Map

Jessica Machen — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 17:07:12 +0000

FilmMonthly: What did you want to be when you were a young kid?
Valerie Cruz: Gosh, I don’t know. It wasn’t an actor early on. I didn’t want to be an actor until the end of high school and that’s when I went off on that path. Growing up, I think there was a point where I wanted to be a veterinarian. It only lasted a few years. I think that was something that I wanted to do. I think I wanted to help people. I mean, I think I’ve always grown up thinking that I want to help people in some way or another. I think it sort of took shape in acting but that was sort of always at the center of what I wanted to do, I think.
FM: How did you get into acting?
VC: I started acting at the end of high school. I did a play and kind of just decided that was the route that I wanted to go or the road I wanted to go down so I went to school and I studied. I auditioned for a bunch of theater programs and different schools and then I chose to go to Florida State. Then midway through college, I auditioned for the BFA program that they have there and did that. And it’s kind of how I got started. I had gotten into USC at a time and now in hindsight, I’m really glad that I had the type of schooling that I did. I think because I came to it later and that I didn’t go after being in a city that was associated with acting, it really gave me the opportunity to learn about the craft more and what it takes to be an actor. And from sort of the inside out rather the outside in and I think that, I mean, I still miss school to this day. I just remember learning so much and absorbing so much and learning about all this great playwrights of our time and directors. We had amazing guest speakers and teachers at my school and it really was a great place to have my eyes opened to that whole world. So I would say that’s how I started.
FM: What would you say is the easiest and hardest part of acting?
VC: I think the hardest part is not knowing. I think that’s the hardest part. The nature of the business. You know, not knowing where your next job is going to come from. Making plans and then having to suddenly be cancelled because you have a new job. There’s a lot of moving around involved and needing to be flexible with your schedule. And I think that’s the hardest part because sometimes you feel like your schedule isn’t entirely your own. You know, you don’t have a nine to five job where you go in and there’s the security of you know when you’re getting your paycheck, and you know when you’re going to be going to work or when you’ll be leaving and when you’re getting your vacation time. I say that’s the hardest part of the job and the easiest part, I think, is actually getting the work because if you have a real joy for it. You know, I don’t think everyone always has that opportunity to love what you’re doing every single day you go to work. You know and you have some days that are harder than others but there’s definitely, especially with working on this show, those days where I’ve gotten in my car grinning from ear to ear because in the scene it’s been pouring down rain on our heads and being knee deep in the mud and facing whatever physical challenges we had for that day, late shooting, I’ll go home feeling really great. Like I’ll have a scene with Jason (George) and I’ll feel like we found something special, and be completely excited and happy about it driving home in my car. So I think the actual work work component is easy. I mean, you love it. They say if you love what you do, it’s to a degree, effortless in some way.
FM: How did you get involved with Off The Map?
VC: I’ve worked on something for Shonda (Rhimes) before. I think with all the pilots a lot of times, they have people they’re looking at, but I had to go in and audition. I mean, the part wasn’t just offered to me. I had to go in and audition for it and test for it and go through the normal hoops one has to go through to get a job during pilot season.
FM: What drew you to this show in particular?
VC: It’s a Shonda Rhimes show. She’s not only incredibly successful over at ABC, I think that she’s an incredibly talented woman, smart woman. And to be honest–and Jenna (Bans), who is the creator of our show, and Betsy Beers, who is Shonda’s partner over at Shondaland. You know you have a show that’s headed by, spearheaded by three women essentially, and to me, being a woman in this business, that was, to me, sort of a big appeal to me right from the get-go. We’re in a very male dominated industry and to have the opportunity, which I hadn’t before, to work on a show that’s spearheaded, the executives were women, I thought was interesting and rather inspiring, so that was definitely a huge thing for me in the beginning. And you know, reading the script, it was interesting. It was something that wasn’t being done currently on television and I thought it had a lot of potential for a lot of different types of people and could tell a lot of different stories.
FM: What do you think audiences will love the most about the show?
VC: Other than Martin (Henderson) taking his shirt off? I don’t know. (laughing) I’m just kidding. You know, I think like all of Shonda’s shows, it’s very character driven and I think at the end of the day, there’s tons of cool things that happen. People jump off cliffs and there’s hang gliding accidents. You know all kinds of action and stuff. But at the end of the day, I think that the base component of any good story telling, whether it’s our show or other shows, are you know, the character and that’s what I think that’s what people are going to love the most and be drawn to the most are the characters and what’s going on in their lives. Everybody will be drawn to specific ones, but I think that’s what makes people come back every week to watch a television show.
FM: Do you think viewers of current medical dramas will find comfort in Off the Map or will push away from it?
VC: It’ll probably be a little bit of both. I think both are accurate observations. I think some people embrace change and some people are really resistant to it, so I think we’ll find a new audience and we’ll also be taking from the pool of people that are interested in medical dramas. You know you would hope that people would be interested in seeing, because a lot of the stories, I mean, they’re absolutely, what are true in the way that doctors have to improvise, given the situations. And you know, it’s definitely glossier than like, I’m sure doctors are experiencing out in the middle of the Amazon and doctors without borders. It is a TV show. But the content and the subject matter are actually what people are dealing with in other parts of the world. And we hope that we’ve gotten to be such a global culture. That’s another reason why I think this show is so topical. We’re thinking more outside of our living rooms. People are traveling more and getting more involved with the world and I think we really have to, you know, since 9-11 things have really changed. So I would hope that people would be interested in the show for those reasons alone because we are thinking more globally as a culture.
FM: Do you feel a personal connection to your character, Dr. Zee Alvarez?
VC: I feel pretty well connected to all of my characters. You know, I think you start to really–they’re kind of like your children in a way, because you put so much time and effort into creating and fleshing out who these people are. So I feel, by the time I’m done, my character is like another sibling, definitely a kindred spirit. [Dr. Zee Alvarez and I are] alike in some ways and different in a lot of different ways. And I think that she’s dynamic and strong and, you know, a bit of a type A personality and a little controlling. And then what’s interesting about her is when she’s in situations that she can’t control, sort of, how she evolves, you know, what happens when life throws you curveballs and you can’t really anticipate them; you can’t change them, and I think that’s where you start to see a little more of her vulnerability. I think she definitely is emotionally challenged in some areas of her life. I think I have some of her strengths, some of her weaknesses. For sure I can identify with them, but we’re definitely different people also.
FM: What do you hope that audiences will learn from your character?
VC: I guess, at the end of the day, maybe, that it’s okay to be vulnerable. It’s okay to open up and let yourself go. I think that they’ll kind of gleam inside from that. It doesn’t make you emotionally weak to care. And then, I don’t know. Some jungle medicine. (laughing) Hopefully I’ll learn some jungle medicine from her.
Off the Map airs on Wednesdays at 10/9CT on ABC. You can catch up on previous episodes on abc.com.

Screenwriter Angus MacLachlan on Stone

Jessica Machen — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:48:28 +0000

FilmMonthly: Where did the idea for Stone originate?
Angus MacLachlan: Stone actually came from a play that I wrote in 2000 and it came in a strange way. A lot of times my plays come from a specific thing that I’ve read or something that happened to me or something someone’s told me or something I’ve dreamed, but this one came very strangely with the two main characters and then four incidents that are still in the film. I sort of popped it into my head and then I took a long time sort of formulating it. Then I wrote this play that was done actually as a stage reading in about 2002 I think, in LA with Stacy Keach playing the Robert DeNiro role and Zachary Quinto played the Edward Norton role. So that’s where it originally came from.
FM: What compelled you to adapt the play into a feature film?
AM: I actually was at Sundance in 2005 with my film Junebug and was approached by Robert Redford’s people, production company, and said you know, if you have anything for Redford, we’d love to see it because we really liked Junebug. And so I thought, you know, he actually could play that role, that eventually DeNiro played, in my piece, so I adapted it then in 2005 to a screenplay and sent it to them. He eventually, they sort of didn’t think it was the right thing for him and then we got it to another producer and eventually it became the film.
FM: Do you find it more difficult to adapt your own material to a screenplay as opposed to material of others?
AM: No, they’re kind of different. It just depends on whether. Some of them, my plays, I don’t feel they could be films and then I don’t even attempt it really. Some I feel like, yeah, this could be a film. It would be interesting to see more aspects of these people in space. You know, that’s what you can do in a film, because a play is sort of limited in that way. And also, a film can go really, really close and inside human beings in a way that plays can’t. And then in terms of other people and adaptations of other people’s pieces, that just, it just requires, for me, that I have something. That there is something in the other person’s book or play, which I haven’t adapted someone else’s play, something that I respond to, that I feel I can bring to it, that hooks me to it in some way. You know, you’re just hoping that something is going to drag you along and inspire you to have some passion.
FM: What differences do you see between the play and film versions of Stone?
AM: You know, if one was to read the play, you would say, yeah, I can see the film. There’s of course less dialogue, although Stone is kind of a dialogue, it has a lot of intense scenes with people just talking in a room. But I think there is perhaps some of the ideas and themes are a little bit more explored in the play, because in a film, you have to be. The poetic realm is a little different in film than it is in plays. And because you’re actually seeing everything, things become very concretized. So perhaps for me to say there is any difference, the play might have a slightly more poetic aspect to it than the film.
FM: Did you get to visit the set of Stone during filming? What kind of role did you play during the filmmaking process?
AM: Yeah, I was on the set a couple times. Their shooting was, I don’t remember how many weeks, but I was there about a total of two weeks which was you know, kind of thrilling and exciting to be there. I had met Bob DeNiro earlier when we first did a reading of it, but to get to know him a little bit more. I had never met Milla (Jovovich). I never actually got to meet Frances (Conroy) on the set because her scenes were filmed in the weeks that I wasn’t there. I didn’t to meet her until Toronto and she is such a lovely person that I’m glad to get to know her now. And does such a beautiful job in the film. So it was thrilling to be there.
FM: What’s your process to writing?
AM: Generally, I go kind of. I take a notebook and it takes me a long time to sort of jot down ideas. And a lot of times when I start, when I say, okay it’s time for me to write something original, I want to write something original, I’ll start writing down just ideas of things I have or incidences or maybe I cut things from the newspaper or from magazines or something. And then I also write down the quality of whatever work that inspires me or actors. Not like I want to write a role for this actor but I’ll write down Gene Hackman. To me he is a great actor who has never given a bad performance. And I would like to have work that aspires to that. Or I’ll write down great films that inspire me or plays or something else, so it’s like those are the goals to sort of aim for. And then eventually I’m hunting for a story and characters and maybe like with Stone, the characters come and then the story emerges around it. Or sometimes a story starts to form and then I have to explore what the characters are. So I spend a lot of time doing that. A long time. And then I will then start to write a scenario, an outline of what the story it and then I will go to the script and start writing the dialogue.
FM: Do you ever get writer’s block and how do you overcome it?
AM: Nope. Not quite. I’ve never done that. I’ve always. I really truly believe in the process of the unconscious doing a lot of the work in an artistic endeavor, and so I’m always wishing that there was another idea or that I had another idea, that I feel that you can’t push it. Even when you don’t think that anything’s happening, something is happening underground, like you planted seeds onto the ground. You can’t tell if anything is going to grow, and you’re not sure if it is, but you’re hoping it will. So I never really. I don’t think in terms of whether it’s a writer’s block or not. I always sort of believe what will come, will come. And of course I’m always like, oh no, I never think of anything, it’s not going to come, it’s not going to be any good. So you’re always worried about that. That’s sort of the frustration.
FM: What’s the most challenging part of writing for you?
AM: I think the most challenging part is that no one pays you to do it, or no one pays me to do it. The chances are what you do will not be made, so the value of what you spend your life doing has to be instilled by yourself. Because in our country and I guess the world now, you’re either measured by money or fame and if you don’t have either one of those, it’s very hard to think that when I go to my office and sit down and write anything, that it has any value. And that’s really the hardest thing about it, I think. Being a writer or artist in America is just to continually say what you do has value when it may never come to. I don’t write, like a book, I don’t write it just to be read. I write it to be embodied. So when a play isn’t produced or a film isn’t completed, you haven’t finished your work. And there are so few films made that it’s very frustrating.
FM: At what point in your life did you know you wanted to be a writer and what was that like for you?
AM: You know, I never particularly wanted to. I was educated as an actor and had been an actor for a long time. I actually just started writing monologues for myself and then I thought, well, maybe I’ll try to write a play. And then I tried to write a play and I got it produced. I always loved film, so I actually wrote screenplays at the same time, but I thought it ridiculous that I would ever be able to get something made. So it’s not like I grew up wanting to be a writer. I would also, I directed a lot on stage. And like every writer in Hollywood, I would like to direct my own work as well, in film. So writing is just sort of a medium that it takes now. At one point I was a visual artist, I was an actor, and I’ve been a director, so writing is just another way of getting a story out there, of expressing something.
FM: When people watch the DVD, what kinds of feelings do you hope to invoke in them?
AM: Oh gosh, well, interest, entertainment, excitement, maybe puzzlement, challenge, intrigue, maybe some hilarity. I think there’s some funny stuff, particularly in the beginning with the way Norton talks. You know, and then I actually, from a lot of people who’ve seen the film who appreciated it have said to me, ‘I thought about it a lot afterwards. I kept talking about it. I kept wondering did I really understand this? What is it about? What does it really mean?’ And then I thought about it. That kind of reaction is something that you want. You want to churn people up and have them continue to chew on the material after they’ve finished watching it.
Stone is now available on DVD and BluRay for your viewing pleasure.

Richard Jenkins “Let Me In” Interview

Jessica Machen — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:12:58 +0000

In Let Me In, a bullied, young boy named Owen (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee) gets a new neighbor and a new friend in Abby (played by Chloe Moretz) who underneath her girlish exterior secretly is a vampire. She is able to keep her secret so well because of the help of her guardian or “Father.” Richard Jenkins has been in films such as The Visitor, Burn After Reading, Eat Pray Love and now adds Let Me In to his credits as The Father.
FilmMonthly: What’s your process for getting into character and preparing for a role such as ‘The Father’ in Let Me In?
Richard Jenkins: Well, you just look at the script and see what’s there. You try to get all your clues from you know, what’s there on the page and take it from there, you know. One thing leads to the next. It’s a process. It’s kind of gradual, but it all starts with what’s written.
FM: What interested you in the role of ‘The Father’?
RJ: Oh I liked the fact that he didn’t talk a lot. I liked it that you had to learn about him from looking at him. And the way he dresses, what he does, the way he responds to things and I like that. I like that. That’s what film can do so well and Matt Reeves is just great with the camera. Letting it be very still and telling a story you know, through the actors. That was a challenge, but it was fun. Really fun.
FM: What was the audition like?
RJ: I didn’t audition.
FM: So how did you get the role? Did they call you?
RJ: I met Matt at a party once during press for The Visitor and he talked about the movie. And then they offered it to me.
FM: What was it like working with the child actors on this film? What’s it like working with child actors in general?
RJ: Well, there’s a reason they’re starring in movies. They’re exceptional kids. You know, it’s. For their age, they’re pretty amazing. It’s a big responsibility to carry a film. These two kids are incredible kids. But I find most young actors are pretty, really smart, a lot of fun, very good. Not like I was when I was their age.
FM: What’s your favorite scene from Let Me In?
RJ: Oh gosh, I don’t think of it that way. Let me see, my favorite scene. I like the scene in the kitchen. When I’m packing to go out. Do it. Get some blood for her. I like that scene. That was nice.
FM: What was the biggest challenge working on this film?
RJ: Physically, it was a lot of running around in the snow at 12,000 feet. So it was a challenge physically, but it was fun. It was interesting you know, being the oldest person on the set. But it was fun. But I knew it was going to be and I wanted to do my own stuff, I didn’t want anybody else doing it for me.
FM: Do you find that horror films are easier to do or are they more difficult?
RJ: I don’t think it’s. I didn’t have to, wearing the makeup for the burn, that took forever. That was difficult. But no, I don’t think so, I don’t think that they’re any more difficult than any other film from my perspective. But I haven’t done a lot of it, so, I’m not really sure.
FM: Do you scare easy? Would you get nightmares from working on the set at all?
RJ: No, it doesn’t bother me. I don’t see a lot of horror films but as a kid I used to see them all the time. It scared me a few times when I was watching it, but I don’t mind being scared.
FM: How did you get into acting?
RJ: I went to college and I saw a production of Hamlet and thought I’d like to do that. Started in school. I’ve always, as soon as I began, I knew this is what I wanted to do.
FM: What did you want to be when you were a little kid? Did you want to be an actor?
RJ: I did. I did. I didn’t quite know. I grew up in a fairly small town and there really wasn’t any theater there. And we used to go to the movies all the time. I’d go to movies. I loved movies, but I didn’t think it was possible that you could do that. I didn’t, you know. So, but I always wanted to be in some kind of performing life. When I went to college, I saw this whole theater world in college and became a part of it. But I always wanted to do movies. That was always in the back of my head.
FM: How did your parents feel about you wanting to be an actor?
RJ: My parents are very supportive. They really were. They were never. If they ever disapproved, I never knew about it. It’s helpful. Very helpful. One less thing to worry about.
FM: What are you looking for role-wise in the future?
RJ: I don’t have any criteria except I just have to be interested in it when I read it and think I can bring something to it if I played it. That’s about it.
Let Me In is now available on DVD at a store near YOU.

Death Race 2 (2010)

Jessica Machen — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 20:10:43 +0000

Death Race 2. Sounds like it should be a sequel, but instead, it’s a prequel. If you were a fan of the first Death Race (2008) starring Jason Statham, this would be a good addition to your collection. The prequel has the action. It has the cars. It has the girls. It has the violence. It does not have a good plot line, however.
Death Race 2, starring Luke Goss as Carl Lucas, appears to exist for the sole purpose of explaining how death race started and where the infamous inmate/driver Frankenstein came from. The film does attempt to get an actual story line going in the beginning with a bank robbery gone wrong, putting Lucas behind bars, but it doesn’t go much further than that. As soon as this happens, his boss, played by Sean Bean, becomes enraged and offers money in exchange for Lucas’s life.
Compared to Death Race (2008), Death Race 2 just seems too jammed up with details to make more sense out of the original. There’s no exceptional amount of motivation to make Goss’s character a strong leading role. In Death Race (2008), Statham’s character was fighting to get revenge for his wife’s death, to get out of prison on wrongful charges and to regain parental control of his daughter. In Death Race 2, Goss’s character is rightfully charged and put in prison and merely goes on with life as usual. Carl Lucas needed more motivation coming from outside sources or the powers within the prison to pull the story together.
The DVD and Blu-ray combo pack bonus extras include a commentary with director Roel Reine, a look at the cars of Death Race 2, deleted scenes, a behind the scenes look at the stunts and more. So if you like fast cars and violence and enjoyed Death Race (2008), you can get Death Race 2 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment on January 18, 2011.