As a harmonica carrying fan of Disney's classic Witch Mountain movies, I was tickled when I found out they were going all rebooty with the alien siblings. Finally, today's kids would see what a classic family movie with a little heart, a lot of cheese, and a good moral lesson in the end, was all about.

Unfortunately, most of the warmth from the original had to be updated and rejiggered to entertain the modern-day masses. Gone are the heart-to-heart family chats, to make room for explosions and a super space bounty-hunter who looks like the bastard son of Master Chief and Boba Fett. But thankfully (and I can't believe I'm writing this) the rebooted film's star, The Rock, saves the day.

All the goods for a modern day Witch Mountain are included. Two kids are lost on the planet Earth, where they meet the rough-and-tumble Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson). This hard on the outside, soft on the inside cliche takes the prepubescent tykes under his wing, once he discovers that they have crazy mind powers, and are being chased by a black ops government division that wants to cut them up first and ask questions later (led by Rome's Ciarán Hinds). The trio pick up a dog along the way, plus Carla Gugino, who takes on the role of a frazzled astrophysicist who knows just what to do to save the day.

But the cast failed to hit the mark for me, and the film would have been a total wash had Johnson not stepped in and upped the ante.

Between yelling at the junkyard dog and rolling his eyes at the scrapes those crazy kids get him into, Johnson is the heart of this film. You really care about the gigantic man and what happens to him next, more so than the kids. In fact when the kids are actually in the clutches of the evil government agency, I was more worried that Rock would get hurt and not the little ETs.

I used to believe that when Dwayne Johnson is the best part of any film, that proves the film's in big trouble. But I was always entertained, even when the strained chemistry between Gugino and him made me wince for 15 minutes straight. Johnson is a song and dance/entertainer kind of guy, and I really enjoyed watching him save the day over and over and over again. We traded our dynamic duo of g-rated aliens who wear little red suits and save the day with their brains, for a ex-driver for the mob who yells at a dog.

Dwayne Johnson carries this movie on his massive shoulders. And it's entirely thanks to him that Disney most likely has a shot to make another Witch Mountain, and maybe this time with a little more heart. I would go see him again, he was adorable and so were his "'I'm too tough for this" antics.

Sadly I wish they would have backed off a little from the FX oversaturation just a tad. Often times it felt more like a movie created to fill a roller-coaster void on the Magical Kingdom lot, and less like a considerate revamping of a treasured kid's movie. But who knows if kids these days can even be entertained with a tiny harmonica and dancing puppets. I sure as heck was (granted, it was more of a make-the-dancing-puppets-stop terror, but nevertheless I was completely captivated).

So while I was sad to see my Witch Mountain race towards the big boom and farther away from the original's endearing story line of two siblings fighting together against all odds, it was inevitable that it would go this way. So once you let go of the fact that these alien children talk like robots and don't have the same dependency issues as their predecessors, it's a pretty fun ride.

Bottom line: If you have kids, take 'em. They'll be entertained, and you'll laugh a few times. Sure the movie gets a little heavy on the kiddie violence, but I'm guessing they're pretty desensitized to all that by now.

So what did you think when you found out there was going to be a new Witch Mountain movie?

Andy [the director Andy Fickman] called me from the get go... And said, "We're doing a continuation, I would like to get your thoughts on it. I've been a big fan of yours,I loved this movie I loved it when I first saw it. Can you come in and talk to me about this?" So I said, "sure" and I went in and he showed me the original script they gave him. And he started writing some more ideas and that's what we came up with. It's really exciting and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. [Richards has a decent cameo in the new film.]

Did you have any stipulations for the new movie, like it must include this or that from the originals?

Yes, I did. I wanted to make sure that people knew somehow there was a connection to me to them in some way. Which I think you see in the film. I think you kind of get that when Anna Sophia walks away. I think you can kind of feel that. I just wanted the audience to somehow know that not everybody helps these kids get away. I wanted there to be something in that time, in that space, some sort of connection between me and them. That was pretty much me. Andy said to me at one point, "Do you want to be hovering around in a spaceship overseeing everything?" and I didn't want that because wanted to speak, I wanted to talk. I didn't just want to walk in and walk out either. I wanted something between the kids and I. It worked out just the way I wanted.

What was it like teaming up with your alien brother Ike Eisenmann (who is also in the movie with you) again?

That was really fun. It was great seeing him. It felt like we hadn't not done it in a long time, if that makes sense.

Did you two teach the new aliens Sara and Seth any alien tricks?

They didn't have the same kind of powers as us. Their powers were a little more advanced. I was showing them how we used our fingers. And yeah, they didn't need to do any of that, they're more advanced. We used our hands, the harmonica...

There was no harmonica in the new movie, I was sad, did a miss a reference to it somewhere?

No but I did notice that along the way and I told Andy and we were so far into the film and I started thinking: Wait, shouldn't she be carrying something? Or, where's the harmonica? And we were like, "Oops, it's too late now." But I know that Andy would have thought of that if it was important, because he didn't miss a thing. I actually mentioned an animal, and he was like, "we're bringing in a dog." Because I thought there has to be an animal in this thing somewhere. It's a Disney movie!

What memories did shooting this film bring back for you?

Well my favorite movie out of the old movies was Escape To Witch Mountain. We were working with horses and bears, and when you have a great friend like Ike and a great director... it was a great experience. Working in that castle, they told us that there was an ape living downstairs, and I still believe that it's there. And I'm still scared of that basement. Making that movie was so much fun, from the animals to the marionettes.

Are you OK with the updates that were made in the movie? There are a lot more chase scenes and explosions.

It's 2009, things change. I'm a creature of habit, so in the beginning I wanted it to be as much like the original as possible, but that's not reality. And reality is, this is a new generation, and people want to see Witch Mountain again. And they also want to see a big Tron character and explosions. But Andy knows what he's doing. I know my kids want to see it. And if you want to see the originals, they've been rereleased on DVD, you can have the best of all three worlds.

What about the decision to keep the kids powers in their minds, no finger-pointing or purple lights?

I love the movie the way it is, but I liked the little hand stuff. But, as I said, Andy knows what he's doing. But hey, there's always a continuation on for the next Witch Mountain. Who knows what's coming out next. Maybe there could be another movie, with purple lights coming out of kids fingers.

Has there been talk of putting out another Witch Mountain after this one?

You never know.

What's one thing that you noticed that audience members should keep their eyes out for, that references that past Witch Mountains?

Oh I'm not going to tell...there's a camper. Look for me and Ike and look for the Camper.

Race to Witch Mountain is out in theaters on March 13 and the original DVDs Escape To Witch Mountain along with Return To Witch Mountain are on shelves now.

To be honest, for a family flick about aliens, The Rock is selling it. It's not biting social commentary, but his clowning helps lighten the mood properly. After all, he is being chased by an alien bounty hunter who stole Master Chief's look, while trying to get two little blond aliens the heck outta dodge. Judge his ability to entertain the alien masses yourself. Race To Witch Mountain is in theaters March 13th.

Carla Gugino: Fast Talking Scientist


Nuke The Fridge Jokes Be Damned!


"Are You Listening To What I'm Thinking?"


Old People Are Funny


The Rock + A Dog = ??

MTV got their mits on this trailer before it airs on Superbowl Sunday, and I have to say I'm quite intrigued by the whole alien bounty-hunter sub-plot. I mean, that's a dead ringer for Master Chief, right? Disney's Race To Witch Mountain comes out on March 13.

Big Man Japan
A nobody who moonlights as a giant superhero has to battle all sorts of beasties but also has to deal with a growing mob of superhero haters, and an Alzheimer’s-stricken grandfather. BMJ will be out in March.

Pandorum

The amazing, astounding, fantastic Ben Foster is stranded on a spacecraft with his coworker Dennis Quaid — and there's something aboard that wants them dead. Release date is September 4.

The Princess and the Frog

Hooray for old timey animation! Disney returns to the princess animations with a New Orleans set Princess in the Frog fairytale out December 25.

Push

It's like Heroes, the movie. Everyone has a brain power in Push, be they Movers or Sniffers (sadly, no Shakers) The powered film comes out February 6.

Crank: High Voltage

Wow Crank 2 just got a whole lot more insane. Will they be stop motion animating Jason Statham, but huge? God, I hope so. Crank 2 is out April 17.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

Kristin Kreuk masters the high-kicks, in her own Chun-Li Street Fighter origins story, due out February 27.

17 Again


Matthew Perry gets shrunk back down to the age of 17, and injected into his own teen's high school, to try and "fix" his crumbling family. That's in theaters April 17.

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian


Bill Hader and Amy Adams join the museum cast as General Custer and Amelia Earhart (or rather, the wax figures of these historical figures that come to life after the museum closes). Museum 2 is out on May 22.

Fanboys


A group of serious fans try and break into George Lucas' Skywalker ranch, and mayhem ensues, on February 6.

Coraline


Neil Gaiman's story about a young girl who visits an alternate world comes to life in breathtaking 3D stop-motion animation, out February 6.

2012


John Cusack cools his heels while the wold ends around him, in one terrible natural disaster after another, in 2012. It's out on July 10.

Knowing


Nicolas Cage uncovers a time capsule that details in numbers when everything awful will happen on Earth. Knowing will be released on March 20.

They Came From Upstairs


Ashley Tisdale and her family have an awesome spring break, before an alien invasion happens. Or maybe after, it's hard to tell. Either way, we'll find out on July 31.

Race to Witch Mountain


Dang teens and their alien abilities to move things with their minds. This reboot of a an old Disney classic is released on March 13.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince


The magic boys and girls are back in school, and ready for the fight to end all fights, yet again. Harry is out on July 17.

Cirque du Freak


John C. Reilly is a vampire who runs a circus with Salma Hayek, and your chances of seeing Hayek do something sexy are pretty much guaranteed. There is no release date yet.

More pics at the link. [L.A. Times]

Watchmen:

Just how much do you see of Sally Jupiter in her crime-fighting prime? "We have a couple of flashbacks where we see her in her heyday as a costumed crime fighter, but they’re more like photographs," says Carla Gugino. And in case you missed it a while back, here's her Vargas Girl pinup art from the movie. [MTV]

Race To Witch Mountain:

So The Rock is a cab driver who picks up two strange kids with superpowers, being chased by shadowy evil dudes. And they have to reach Witch Mountain in time to stop an alien invasion, and a UFO TV show host (Carla Gugino) helps them. And here are some new stills. [SciFiCool]

Doctor Who:

Digital Spy came up with ten spoilers for the Christmas special (and for once, I think there aren't any annoying fakes.):

1. The mysterious Cybershades can jump quite high.
2. Neither the Doctor nor the Other Doctor recognise each other. But the latter doesn't remember much anyway.
3. There are two words that the Doctor never refuses.
4. The Other Doctor has a TARDIS - and it's magnificent.
5. For a while Rosita becomes the Doctor's companion (but then you'll know that already if you've read our interview with the lovely Velile Tshabalala).
6. The script includes the customary line "what about the children?"
7. At least one previous incarnation of the Doctor makes an appearance.
8. Miss Hartigan (Dervla Kirwan) is a very special lady.
9. The Other Doctor's fobwatch is a very important clue.
10. "I suppose ** *** ***, **** ***** ** *****."

[Digital Spy]

Also, you'll glimpse all nine of the previous Doctors during the Christmas special, most likely in clips or something. And here are a few new pics, I think. [Daily Mirror]

The episode looks quite cheap and talky until the last ten minutes, and then it goes totally "batarse." And there's a whole Oliver Twist thing going on with those kids in the warehouse. And there's a visual allusion to "Earthshock," the famous Cyberman episode where a companion dies, towards the end of the episode. [SFX]

The Christmas special is "Godzilla meets Oliver," says a journalist. And says RTD: "How can this Doctor, the tenth Doctor, be meeting the next Doctor? And it's not just the next Doctor you get to see, you get to see some old ones as well, which is rather exciting. It's a Doctor-fest, in a way. But as to how the two of them can be together, and the very sad story — very sad, Christmassy story — behind that, you've got to watch on Christmas day." (And don't listen to that interview unless you want to hear RTD insult Stargate.) [BBC Radio 5 via Outpost Gallifrey]

More quotes from Rosita actor Velile Tshabalala. Apparently Rosita was "a lady of the night," and "one night she was out earning her living and a Cyberman came to attack her. The other Doctor came to rescue her and it went from there. He wasn't a client, he came and saved her!" Awww. [Digital Spy]

The Doctor takes a ride in the Other Doctor's TARDIS, and there's a new kind of sonic screwdriver. The Cybershades are "dog-like," and there's a "Cyber-King." There's a mysterious man named Jackson Lake. Also, the first of the 2009 specials will take place abroad, in an "exotic" location. (The U.S.? Or Tunisia?) And RTD is co-writing two of the specials, but he'll write Tennant's final two stories. "The big climax is mine, all mine," said the innuendo-proof Davies. [BBC]

There are reports that the Doctor meets Scrooge (and he's an alien) in this episode. And allegedly, Tennant says these lines in the episode:

But you're the Doctor! The next Doctor! Or the next-but-one, a future Doctor anyway. No don't tell me how it happened! Although I hope you didn't just trip over a brick, that would be embarrassing. Then again, painless. Worse ways to go. Depends on the brick.

And there's a major twist at the end of the episode. Also, some speculation that the Other Doctor's fobwatch has the initials "JL" on it, for "Jackson Lake." [Doctor Who Forum]

Bad sign for those of us who are hoping it really is a future Doctor: apparently the Other Doctor's TARDIS is a hot air balloon, and it stands for "Tethered Aerial Release Developed In Style." [Yahoo News via Planet Gallifrey]

Also, I knew that David Tennant's Doctor will not have a companion during the 2009 specials — but he's without a TARDIS as well? Or is that a misprint? Apparently the Radio Times also mentioned this fact. Oh, and the story's climax may remind you of the end of Buffy season six. (The "yellow crayon" thing?) [Guardian]

More on that business of the Doctor being TARDIS-less in 2009. Here's some random Livejournal person who's heard the Doctor's TARDIS gets "TARDIS-jacked" at the end of the Christmas special. By the Other Doctor? Or Dervla?? [Skywaterblue]

Battlestar Galactica:

Here's another new promo, a bit more of that business where Tyrol touches the wall and something weird happens.


[Galactica Sitrep]

Heroes:

It's never too soon for preview clips, I guess. Here's a clip from 2009's first episode.

[Heroes Spoilers]

Lost:

In those jumpsuited set pics we posted yesterday, the eagle-eyed among you might have noticed a bearded figure. That, apparently, is Eric Lange, wearing a jumpsuit that says "Radzinsky" on it. And apparently Lange is playing the "infamous" Radzinsky, in both episodes nine and ten of the new season. [The ODI]



Another new promo. [SpoilersLost]

Sanctuary:

Promo pics from episode 13, "Revelations Part 2." [Spoiler TV]

Knight Rider:

Because you demanded it — more Knight scoopage. Here are the official descriptions of January's episodes which start the show's shakeup (i.e., the disappearance of most of the supporting cast):

Don't Stop The Knight (Airs Jan 7, 2009): MIKE AND KITT TRY TO RESCUE A KIDNAPPED FOREIGN AMBASSADOR FROM A TERRORIST IN TIME FOR PEACE TALKS—Mike (Justin Bruening) and KITT (voiced by Val Kilmer) are sent on an endless string of mini-missions by a crazy terrorist in exchange to keep Ambassador Olara Kumali (guest star Vanessa Williams) alive, but they soon realize that they are part of a bigger plan. Trying to outsmart the terrorist, Rivai (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) and a team of FBI agents find themselves in an explosive situation. Meanwhile, Sarah (Deanna Russo) and Dr. Graiman (Bruce Davison) try to fix a sick robot.

Day Turns Into Knight (Airs Jan 14, 2008): MIKE AND KITT CONTINUE ON THEIR QUEST TO STOP A TERRORIST FROM DETONATING A NUCLEAR WEAPON AND KILLING THE AMBASSADOR—Mike (Justin Bruening) and KITT (voiced by Val Kilmer) are now transporting a bomb in the trunk of the car, but in order for it not to explode they must stay above 100 miles-per-hour. Trying to come up with a plan to disable the bomb, they load KITT onto the plane to buy some time and keep up their speed. Clinging to life, Rivai (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) manages to give a clue to find where the terrorist is hiding. Meanwhile, Sarah (Deanna Russo) receives some upsetting news about her dad. Bruce Davison, Yancey Arias and Paul Campbell star. Smith Cho recurs and Rick Hoffman and Richard Roundtree guest star.

[KRO]

Additional reporting by Katharine Duckett.

So why is the Rock's head so much bigger than the kids' heads? It's the classic movie poster thing of head size arranged according to paycheck. Also, Disney's new poster is clearly striving for that, "come see the Rock" because we paid him a lot.

Race To Witch Mountain is the rebooted children's movie about a couple of tyke aliens with mind powers, who are being hunted by the government (and, in the new one, Master Chief). The kiddies must rely on the kindness of one do-gooding cab driver to get them home before they get exploded by the alien bounty hunter or dissected by the government. Check out the trailer and tell me if you think The Rock is cooking, whatever it is he talks about cooking.

But for now, let's pay homage to the classic floating heads that came before this orange beast, such as Captain EO, many Star Wars one sheets and Indiana Jones. But I can hardly mention the floating head with out showing the hilarious making of clip from funny or die.

Movie Poster Floating Heads - watch more funny videos

Race To Witch Mountain will be out next March.

[via First Showing]

Race To Witch Mountain has a similar plot to the Mountains of its past. A couple of kids with telekinesis are stranded on the planet and entreat a kindly cab driver (Dwayne Johnson) to get them back to Witch Mountain where their spaceship is before the evil government can kidnap them and use their powers for evil. But apparently that wasn't good enough this year so they added Master Chief to hunt down and kill the little tykes with his Texas Chainsaw Massacre sounding gun.

Don't get me wrong, I love kiddie scifi movies. Most of the time they're light handed fun that stretches the boundaries of imagination (like in Flight of the Navigator and the one where Kirk Cameron is a robot and his dad is Alan Thick). But this franchise reboot is such a slick version of a classic it's like if you gave The Apple Dumpling Gang automatic assault rifles and sent them out on an anti-terror mission.

Plus it has to be said again: They spent all that money and not a single freaking harmonica puppet dance? Kids these days.

Here's some old-school Witch Mountain harmonica action:

Race To With Mountain comes out on March 13, 2009

So the Rock admitted to believing in aliens, fine — he should! His new movie is about little kid aliens with mind powers. But what kind of aliens do you believe in Rock, little kid aliens of big slime aliens? He explained, "I think they come in all forms and they increase when you drink."