Do you like video games? How about The Running Man? If your answer to both of these questions is yes, then you're in luck because a Gerard Butler fan site has provided a scan of the July issue of Empire magazine, which includes a sneak peek at the video game thriller, Game, starring Butler and Michael C. Hall (Dexter). OK, so they aren't the greatest photos, but they will remind audiences that the film will at least have stuff blowing up. Crank creators Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor wrote the script and also directed, and I can only assume the two will be doing what they do best: ridiculous action set pieces and over the top machismo.

Game centers on a 'not too distant future' where the most popular past time is an online game called Slayers. But this isn't your usual MMORPG; instead, gamers get to control real-life convicts. Butler stars as Kabel, the most popular contestant who has caught the eye of resistance fighters looking to bring down the games creator, Castle (played by Hall). The cast also includes Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), Alison Lohman (Beowulf), John Leguizamo, and Christopher 'Ludacris' Bridges.

Game is scheduled to arrive in theaters this fall.

First we reported that Ellen Page would be starring in Sam Raimi's first horror flick in many a moon: Drag Me to Hell is what it's called. Then a few days ago, we learned that Ms. Page's schedule was way too booked with other stuff, so the horror flick is what had to go. Oh well, Page's loss looks to be Alison Lohman's gain.

According to Variety, production on Drag Me to Hell will be delayed only two weeks, which gives Ms. Lohman a little time to learn her lines. Alison's actually 28 years old, but dang she looks a lot younger than that -- which is good since she'll soon be playing a high school student. (Or maybe Mr. Raimi will move his story to college?) The good news is that not only is she very pretty, but Alison Lohman has proven to be quite the fine actor. (You'll remember her stuff from White Oleander, Matchstick Men, Big Fish, Where the Truth Lies, and Beowulf.)

So while I definitely look forward to Ellen Page's new flicks, it's cool to see Alison Lohman snag a starring role ... in a horror flick. Production begins in L.A. at the end of the month.

Satire is not a blunt instrument. In the hands of an overzealous filmmaker, jokes and pointed barbs can readily fly over your head, leaving you to think "Hey, wait, was that supposed to be funny? Cuz it kinda was." (Or, even worse, the satire is presented in such a ham-fisted fashion that the insight ends up buried beneath moronic punchlines) Such is quite definitely not the case in Delirious, a poker-faced but insightful and amusing comedic drama that takes square aim at pop stars, paparazzi and stargazers without ever settling for the obvious joke or the predictable punchline. This comes as no big surprise to me, considering that the writer/director of Delirious is Tom DiCillo, frequent Jim Jarmusch cinematographer and rather astute filmmaker in his own right. (DiCillo gave us Johnny Suede, The Real Blonde and -- one of my favorite movies about filmmakers -- the excellent Living in Oblivion)

Delirious is the tale of a kind-hearted but depressingly unfocused homeless kid called Toby (played brilliantly by Michael Pitt) who starts an unlikely friendship with a fast-talking paparazzi photographer named Les (Steve Buscemi, as good as he's ever been) and somehow manages to find himself in close proximity to K'harma Leeds, a teen idol pop sensation who is as beautiful as she is obtuse. (As the pop star, Alison Lohman is nothing short of stellar; she avoids the really obvious digs on Lindsay, Brittney and Paris ... but she sure does nail 'em to the wall anyway)

In this day and age of over-the-top CGI animation and stop-motion technology, how refreshing it was to take my daughter and her friend to a Saturday morning screening of Flicka. There's no CGI in Flicka, no nifty special effects, no cool characters destined to end up as toys in kiddie meals at your local fast food restaurant. Flicka is one of those family films I might have seen in my own girlhood: A simple story about a misfit girl, an unwanted horse, and a father who doesn't see that his daughter is more like him he wants to admit.

This adaptation of the 1941 Mary O'Hara book My Friend Flicka is an updating and reworking of the classic tale. The basic elements of the story remain the same, but in the 2006 version, the role of young Ken McLaughlin (played by Roddy McDowell in the 1943 version of the film) has become Katy McLaughlin (Alison Lohman), a high school student who spends most of her time at her stuffy Wyoming boarding school daydreaming about her family's ranch and horses. Katy, the only daughter in a long line of male ranchers, is a bit of a rebel; she doesn't finish her history final exam because she's convinced the teachers only want to her to parrot what they've taught in class, not hear what she really thinks. Unfortunately, Katy's failure to pass the exam means the headmaster wants her to repeat the entire year -- and with her family already sacrificing financially to send her to a private school, this is bad news.

Currently filming in Vancouver, Thing We Lost in the Fire (AKA Halle Berry's desperate attempt to recapture her long-lost Oscar magic) has finally rounded out its cast with the addition of Alison Lohman. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lohman will play the girlfriend of Benicio Del Toro's character, a messed up dude who shacks with his dead best friend's wife. I know -- it sounds incredibly sordid, right? Oddly, all the summaries in the trades make it sound like this is a totally normal -- even productive -- move by the ex and the best friend.

Let me back up. For those of you who have missed our thrilling previous reports on the movie (For shame!), it focuses on a woman (Berry) whose husband (David Duchovny) dies unexpectedly, and how she handles the horrible aftermath of his death. Del Toro plays the husband's best friend, whose presence in Berry's household both helps him straighten out and also "helps the grief-stricken family confront their loss." Oh, and Lohman? She's co-dependent, so her departure is likely to be part of Benicio pulling himself together.

The movie is being directed by Dane Susanne Bier, and Dreamworks hopes to have it in theaters sometime next year.