Today’s featured DVD in Jane’s September Contest Slam (the last one!) is a fun one for anyone who loves innocent movies filled with music:

THE DVD: High School Musical 2: 2-Disc Deluxe Dance Edition (released on DVD Sept. 23, 2008). Directed by Kenny Ortega, this fun flick catches up with the Wildcats as they head off for a summer of work and play at Lava Springs Country Club, owned by the family of Sharpay and Ryan Evans. [Official Site] [DVD Site]

BONUS FEATURES: Interactive Dance-Along; Deleted Scenes; Music Video: “All For One”; Making-Of Featurette; Cast Favorites: Behind-the-Scenes Featurette; On-Location Shoot; In the Kitchen: Set Tour; High School Confidential: Never-Before-Seen Scrapbook; High School Musical 3 Sneak Peek.

THE GIVEAWAY: I have ONE “High School Musical 2″ DVD to give away. To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post by midnight on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008. Be sure to include a valid email address. A winner will be drawn randomly. I’ll email the winner for their snail-mail address after the contest ends. Good luck!

Image: Amazon.com

There’s been speculation about whether Kirsten Dunst would reprise her role of Mary Jane in Spider-Man 4 and 5. But she accidentally revealed to MTV recently that she would indeed be returning to the series.

“I’m in,” she said. But when pressed further, Dunst changed her tone, adding, “I’m not saying anything, I know there’s rumors…”

Then again, she has a history of spilling rumors about “Spider-Man” movies, including confirming rumors that Sandman and Venom were the villains of Spider-Man 3.

So would the casting be a good thing? I like the romance between Peter and Mary Jane, but some would rather he took up with Gwen Stacy, played by Bryce Dallas Howard in the last film. No word yet if she’ll be returning. Spider-Man 4 is scheduled for a May, 2011 release.

Image: Kirsten Dunst, Spider-Man 3, Columbia Pictures, 2007

Ok, first of all, do we really need a remake of Fame? I’m trying to wrap my head around it, mainly because I’m sick of remakes, but also because the original movie stands pretty well on its own. Unless they come up with something really innovative and character-driven, I’m just not sure.

Not sure about the possible lead either. Thomas Dekker is great as the mopey savior of the world on Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles, but it’s hard to envision him in a movie like “Fame,” probably because I’m used to seeing him as John Connor.

The Hollywood Reporter says he’s gunning to play Marco, a a working-class kid who dreams of being an actor and competes with thousands of others to get into the elite New York Academy of Performing Arts. Written by Allison Burnett and directed by Kevin Tancharoen, the revamp is on tap for a 2009 release.

Image: Thomas Dekker, FoxFlash.com, 2007 

No, not Dr. House, as in the grumpy doc who makes peoples’ lives miserable while saving their lives. This is the poster for Roadside Attraction’s House, in theaters Nov. 7, 2008 (limited release). It’s scary, but I’ve seen worse.

Based on the best-selling book by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker, the horror thriller follows two couples into a killer’s deadly game. In short, the only way to win is to lose. Stars Allana Bale, Michael Madsen, Leslie Easterbrook, Bill Moseley, and Lew Temple.

Image: House, Roadside Attractions, 2008

Today’s featured giveaway in Jane’s September Contest Slam (only two days left!) is a fun Owen Wilson flick. Like Owen Wilson? Me, too.

THE DVD: Drillbit Taylor: Extended Survival Edition. Owen Wilson plays a low-budget bodyguard hired to project three kids from schoolyard bullies. Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen produced and wrote the film, if that tells you anything. Probably not the funniest movie you’ll ever see, but still a fun flick. Read more about it here.

THE GIVEAWAY: I have one “Drillbit Taylor” DVD to give away. To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post by midnight on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008. Be sure to include a valid email address. Winners will be drawn randomly. I’ll email the winners for their snail-mail address after the contest ends. Good luck!

Image: Amazon.com

I saw Eagle Eye on Friday, and we both enjoyed it. Check out my review here, and listen to Shia LaBeouf talk about the movie. He seems tired, doesn’t he? Like he’s thinking, oh god, another interview! Maybe he needs a vacation, after all the movies he’s done lately.

She’s a mega-hot movie star (Bolt and the upcoming Hannah Montana movie, to name two), but Miley Cyrus seems to do just fine when a zillion cameras are pointed in her direction. I’m hoping — as I’m sure others are across the country — that she’ll be able to grow up as normal as possible under the pressures of fame.

Ever since I heard about this movie, I thought, oh great, another movie with Tom Cruise doing his Tom Cruise thing. But given the intense subject matter — along with Tom Cruise doing his Tom Cruise thing — it could actually work.

It doesn’t hurt that it’s directed by Bryan Singer and also stars Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Patrick Wilson, Terence Stamp, and Tom Wilkinson. You can’t ask for a better team.

More after the jump, including a trailer…

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Is it good that Max Payne has gotten a PG-13 rating? The trailer makes it seem pretty violent, and if it’s that violent, maybe they should have gone for an R rating. They’re probably doing their best to appeal to the teenage-boy-video-gamer crowd, though.

At any rate, the movie IS rated PG-13, and in a Game Daily interview, director John Moore says he didn’t have to change much. “We trimmed some frames, more for the sake of trimming frames than anything, but we got the rating without any major changes at all.”

More after the jump…

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When I think of Clive Owen, I usually think of tough-guy films — The Bourne Identity, Sin City (and upcoming sequel), Derailed, Shoot ‘Em Up, Inside Man (and upcoming sequel), and Duplicity (2009 release).

Then again, he played Sir Walter Raleigh in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, so he’s definitely done some varied work over the years.

Now he’s set to star in The Boys Are Back, for which Miramax just acquired North American and Western European rights. It’s an adaptation of Simon Carr’s novel, and Owen plays a widow struggling to raise his two sons. Laura Fraser and Emma Booth also star, with Scott Hicks directing.

“I had been wanting to continue the relationship with Scott Hicks I had started so long ago on Shine,” said Miramax president Daniel Battsek. “Once Clive signed on, all of the pieces fell into place.”

Principal photography begins today in Australia.

Image: Duplicity, Universal Pictures, 2009