Wednesday Video Spotlight: Joan Allen in “Death Race”
Three-time Oscar nominee Joan Allen (”The Contender,” “The Crucible,” “Nixon”) is celebrating her 52nd birthday today, so I’m dedicating this week’s Video Spotlight to her.
I wonder if she will celebrate this weekend by going to see her new movie: “Death Race.”
That’s right, Joan Allen is in “Death Race.” That’s right, the remake of Roger Corman’s 1975 film “Death Race 2000,” which starred David Carradine and a young Sly Stallone as road rally racers mowing down pedestrians for points.
In the Paul W.S. Anderson (”Resident Evil,” “Alien vs. Predator,” no Oscar nominations) version, Allen plays the refined yet ruthless Warden Hennessey, who rules the Terminal Island maximum security prison with a finely manicured iron fist. She also is in charge of the prison’s death race, a pay-per-view Internet spectacle in which prisoners race in heavily armed and armoured cars for the chance at their freedom, and maybe for the chance to kill one of their rivals without any nasty consequences.
As the title and premise indicate, the movie features a lot of racing and plenty of death. (Incidentally, a writer filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block the release of the movie, claiming that Anderson and Co. ripped off his script for the film. You can read The Hollywood Reporter’s story about it by clicking here.)
Where the movie is going with its timeworn story is a no-brainer. But Allen’s presence is a stumper.
When I heard about Allen’s role in this testosterone fest, I exclaimed “Joan Allen in ‘Death Race’? What is Joan Allen doing in ‘Death Race?”
Five minutes after I exited Tuesday’s preview screening of “Death Race,” I was still exclaiming, “Joan Allen in ‘Death Race’? What is Joan Allen doing in ‘Death Race?’”
I still don’t know the answer. But after seeing the movie, I do know this: Joan Allen could dress in a garbage bag and act out dramatic scenes from “Baby-Sitters Club” books and still turn in a credible, classy performance. Unbelievable.
The video this week is a new featurette, courtesy MySpace Videos, about “Death Race,” in which the crew and cast, including Allen, talk about how cool the tank-like race cars are in the movie. Again, unbelievable.
Also, here’s a trailer for the film featuring Allen and the rest, from the official “Death Race” site.
Don’t forget to visit the blog on Friday to read my review of “Death Race.”
-BAM
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment