Death Race 2000 Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Growing up in Los Angeles as an admittedly shallow, callow youth in the 70s, I always wanted a stylish hot rod so I could attract the girls who liked guys in fast cars. Alas, I had to be content with puttering around in very practical, somewhat beat-up used cars (1964 Chevy Corvair, graduating to a 1965 Ford Falcon), but dreams die hard. Even though I'm still driving a very practical, somewhat beat-up used car, I still yearn for a sizzling hot motor vehicle and an attractive lady passenger urging me to go faster, faster.

These thoughts are prompted by the imminent release of the hot rod-loving Fast & Furious, due in theaters tomorrow, which features the return of the gorgeous Jordana Brewster and the equally lovely Michelle Rodriguez, two talented ladies who have a definite need for speed. (Oh, yeah, Paul Walker and Vin Diesel are back, too, and so is director Justin Lin.) In their honor, we present our seven favorite, fabulous hot rod girls.

1. Tracie Thoms, Death Proof

Tracie Thoms packs an unbeatable combination of brains, beauty, and bravado as Kim, a stunt woman in Quentin Tarantino's twisted ode to 70s car chase movies and 80s slasher flicks. Kim is rowdy and rambunctious with her girlfriends, but her hot rod heart starts beating fast when she revs up the engine of a borrowed 1970 Dodge Challenger, with Zoe Bell precariously perched on the hood. Smashing!

To the right, you can check out a small version of the Death Race poster, which you can check out in all its big glory over at ShockTillYouDrop. It's a little too serious for my tastes, but what do you think? I mean, it's obvious that this flick won't be half as campy as the original, but methinks the carnage should be given the most focus, rather than a bunch of actors putting on their best "serious face."

My piqued interest in Death Race was short-lived. After writing about David Carradine getting a cameo in the pic, and how I started to get interested in the flick after seeing the trailer, I did a dumb thing. I watched the original again. It was a very dumb move.

As I watched Frankenstein, Machine Gun Joe Viterbo, and the rest plow over medical professionals, picnickers, and other pedestrians, my interest in the new version was completely zapped. The original story is great, as is the idea behind the remake, but you need the pedestrian points. A lot of them (not just one or two). Without it, it's just a bunch of dudes in cars trying to pull off a Grease-esque car race much too seriously.

• Ralph E. Donnelly (c.1932-2007) - Exhibitor who worked in the cinema business since the 1940s, primarily in New York City, working as a film buyer for City Cinemas, RKO-Stanley Warner Theaters, Creative Film Services and Associated Independent Theaters. He also was former president of Cinema 5 Theaters, he established Manhattan's First Avenue Screening Room and the Mini Cinema in Uniondale, New York and he was one of the founders of the annual ShowEast exhibitors convention. He died September 21 in Palm Harbor, Florida. (Variety)
• Gary Franklin (c.1928-2007) - Film critic and entertainment journalist known for his trademark Franklin Scale ("on a scale of 1-10, 10 being best ... "). He played a radio reporter in the 1977 film Rollercoaster and he appears as himself in An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn. He died October 2 in Chatsworth, California. (Variety)
• Richard Goldwater (c.1936-2007) - President and co-publisher of Archie Comics. He was credited as an executive producer on Josie and the Pussycats, which was based on Archie Comics characters, of which he was also credited as co-creator. He died October 2. (news from me)
• Charles B. Griffith (1930-2007) - Screenwriter and director who worked for producer Roger Corman. Some of Corman's films that he scripted include Death Race 2000 (directed by Paul Bartel), The Little Shop of Horrors, A Bucket of Blood and Not of this Earth. As a director, Griffith made the Jaws knockoff Up from the Depths, the Ron Howard-starred car chase movie Eat My Dust and the 1989 fantasy Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II. He also served as a producer, a production manager, an assistant or second unit director and an actor, appearing as multiple characters in The Little Shop of Horrors and appearing uncredited in Bartel's Eating Raoul. Quentin Tarantino dedicated his recent Grindhouse segment Death Proof to Griffith. He died September 28 in San Diego. (Variety)
• George Grizzard (1928-2007) - Actor (pictured) most recently seen as the older John Bradley in the modern sequences of Flags of Our Fathers (Ryan Phillippe played the young, WWII-era Bradley). He also played Tobey Maguire's father in Wonder Boys, Tawny Kitaen's father in Bachelor Party, a senator in Otto Preminger's Advise & Consent, a governor in Seems Like Old Times and the President in Wrong is Right. He also co-starred in Mark Robson's film of Vonnegut's Happy Birthday, Wanda June as well as the director's From the Terrace, which stars Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward and Myrna Loy. Grizzard was most successful on television, for which he won an Emmy, and on stage, for which he won a Tony. He died of complications from lung cancer October 1, in New York. (AP)

It's taken quite some time for me to wrap my head around a remake of the Roger Corman classic Death Race 2000. But, now that the Hollywood Reporter tells us that action stud Jason Statham is in negotiations to star, I can kind of see where they're going with this. Though it was originally being called Death Race 3000, it seems they've since shortened it to Death Race and, instead of Paramount overseeing the project with Tom Cruise (imagine that one!) in the starring role, pic has since moved to Universal (following the Par/Cruise fallout) with Paul W.S. Anderson attached to write and direct.

For those not familiar with the original (and I don't blame you), Death Race 2000 starred David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone as two guys who race across the country in their heavily armed cars, scoring points by mowing down innocent bystanders. In true Corman fashion, it was classic B-movie, drive-in type fare -- and, seeing how well Grindhouse did at the box office, something tells me Death Race will make a killing (pun intended). Will it be The Transporter meets Alien vs. Predator? Ya know, part of me really hopes so. I've always been a fan of those warped futuristic gaming movies (remember The Running Man?), and so I do think the project has potential. Will it resemble Corman's 1975 version in any way, shape or form? Probably not. After all, they do want some people to show up and buy tickets for this thing. Studio is currently eying a late summer/early fall production start and, though no one else has been cast, is it wrong of me to suggest The Rock to star alongside Statham?