Kevin's Korner 9.20.2011

Welcome to another week in Kevin’s Korner. I’m starting to get a feel for this whole news thing, finally. I’m hitting my stride, and I like it! There is tons of news this week, with so many good things going on. I’m still a little hungover from the weekend. I stayed up way too late watching the Emmy’s, and playing with my new Ipad 2, and I am finding it way too hard getting going.

I finally saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes this past week. I really liked it actually. The emotions of Caesar was incredible, and the CGI in the beginning of the movie was great, along with John Lithgow’s performance. I also really liked the little hints and references to the original Planet of the Apes movie. There were a few things that threw me off of the film, towards the end, mainly one of the characters speaking, and James Franco’s lack of emotion, but for the most part, I found it to be a very good movie. I also think the underlying themes of animal abuse weren’t so underlying in this movie, bringing the similar points of the original film to light in a different way (my fiancée was crying through the first two thirds of the film). So, if you haven’t seen it, and you liked the original Planet of the Apes, not that really bad Tim Burton remake, then you’ll probably enjoy it.

Alright, that’s enough of that, now off to the news…

J.J. is back, baby – J.J. Abrams, the director of the updated Star Trek movie has made it official, he will be back in the directors chair for the sequel, originally set for release in June, 2012, but will be pushed back to Christmas, 2012. Abrams, the master of the mystery box helmed the highest grossing Star Trek film in franchise history, and with him, the script writers and actors are all back, which makes for a promising film if you are a fan of the original. Sure, there were lens flares, but I think, scaled back, it's a fine directors signature.

Harlan Ellison trying to block 'In Time' - Sci Fi author Harlan Ellison is fighting to not only block, but destroy all copies of In Time, a movie starring Cillian Murphy, Amanda Seyfriend and Justin Timberlake. Ellison is claiming copyright infringement for a story of his. I am totally against the idea of destroying a film, but who really thinks this is anything but a way to make some cash?

Who you gonna call? - If you are a fan of '80s comedy Ghostbusters, than you have good taste. If you don't, well, you're just wrong. As a result of the crazy fandom, Ghostbusters is returning to theaters for the first time in over 25 years. The film will hit theaters in October for a limited run. It sounds like a way for studios to gauge enthusiasm for the franchise, in hopes of a third film.

Ever want to know how the rating system works? - If you ever wanted to know how the Nielsen rating system works, take from these, uhh... these... well, these puppets. This video explains the basics of the rating system for TV's, DVR's, and such. It's pretty interesting, and creatively done. Check it out:

JESS3 X ESPN - TV Ratings 101 from JESS3 on Vimeo.

Netflix apologizes for bad communication, and then splits - In the category of mind-boggeling decisions, Netflix issues a letter apologizing to its customers after stories were everywhere earlier in the week that Netflix has lost nearly a million customers after its massive price increase, which is considerably more than predicted (the number they figured was closer to 30,000). So, after apologizing, and not really doing anything about the issue, Netflix unleashed something big, called 'Qwikster.' Qwikster is what Netflix used to be, essentially the direct-mail service that ships DVDs to your house. The pricing package for that is still the same it got adjusted to, but now, you will be going to "www.qwikster.com" for your DVD queue. The streaming side, however, will be something seperate, and if you have that, then you will go to Netflix.com. The downside is the two websites will have nothing to do with each other, so credit card numbers, account information, and movie reviews will be completely independent.

The good news is that Netflix, err, Qwikster, or whatever, which, by the way, is a dumb ass name, will offer video game rentals. Soon, you will be able to rent Wii, PS3 or XBox 360 games, similar to the Blu-Ray rentals now. Despite that small bit of good news, it's just another reason for me to walk away from the company for a bit. Yes, I was one of those million customers. It's not the price, mind you, it's the fact they just jacked up the price by 60% in a recession because they figured they were untouchable. Well, the stock price shows that Netflix is not as untouchable as it thought it was. Will they get the customers back? Possibly, but it could take some clever marketing....maybe they should try flowers, I heard that works.

No Ash? Blasphemy! - According to /Film, the Evil Dead remake will not contain the character of Ash, made famous by Bruce Campbell. While Campbell will most likely have a cameo, the character will not make an appearance. So, it's a remake, but with a different character? It seems kinda silly to me. The more I hear about this remake, the more it seems like a completely different movie. It isn't to say that is a bad thing, but at the moment, I haven't heard anything good.

Batman video explodes - There hasn't been too many Batman videos lately, after weeks of crazy amounts of leaks, but this week, we have something explosive. The video may contain mild spoilers, but it looks like the batwing, or whatever Nolan's latest vehicle is will be going head to head against something else, and shit is going to blow.

John Barrowman thinks the next Doctor should be a female - John Barrowman, famous for playing Who character Captain Jack Harkness, which later spun off to Torchwood thinks the next regeneration of the Doctor should have him regenerate into the female persuasion. It would make things extremely different, given the fact the show has never had a female Doctor before.

So, would you like the see a female Doctor? Do you think Sci Fi is ready for a female Doctor? Sure, you have plenty of other shows that have a female lead, that seems to work just fine, but can she handle the weight of a character nearly 50 years in the making? If so, can you think of anyone who could handle it? I don't think it would hurt the show in viewership, and it could reinvent the show, but I have no problem with the show the way it is now, and I really hope current Doctor Matt Smith doesn't go anywhere anytime soon.

Emmy's was the Mad Men show - I liked the Emmy's last night. I am always excited for the awards shows, but feel let down by how incredibly boring they become. It's always the same formula; actors come out, attempt to make a witty joke, announce the winner, the winner comes up, thanks, God, their cast mates and director and babble a bit, rinse and repeat. This show wasn't much different. There does seem to be a bit of talk about how Mad Men won mostly everything, and whether or not they deserved it. I think it's a fine show, with great actors, but there were some other talents I felt deserved it more. You can check out the full list of winners HERE.

Box Office Breakdown - Audiences feel nostalgic, and rock the circle of life.

The 3D version of Disney's Lion King won the weekend with nearly $30 million total. The film benefited from more expensive tickets, sure, but it's pretty amazing for an older film. For the record, I'm pretty sure The Lion King is one of my favorite Disney films ever. Contagion did really good, and dropped a small amount to take second place. Drive didn't seem to do very well, the action movie came in third with $11 million.

1. The Lion King 3D - $29.3 million ($357.8 million total)

2. Contagion - $14.5 million ($44.2 million total)

3. Drive - $11.0 million ($11.0 million total)

4. The Help - $6.4 million ($147.4 million total)

5. Straw Dogs - $5.0 million ($5.0 million total)

6. I Don't Know How She Does It - $4.5 million ($4.5 million total)

7. The Debt - $2.9 million ($26.5 million total)

8. Warrior - $2.8 million ($9.9 million total)

9. Rise of the Planet of the Apes - $2.6 million ($171.6 million total)

10. Colombiana - $2.3 million ($33.3 million total)

DVD's on Shelves this week

Castle: Season 3

Dead Heat

Invisible Sign of My Own

Bride Flight

Bridesmaids

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

We are the Night

Trailer of the week - The Muppets - A Parody Trailer

This trailer really says it all, they haven't had a parody trailer in awhile, and, well, now that we have one, all is right with the world. If you haven't seen this yet, you are welcome, and if you have, you want to see it again. One thing is for sure, this film is doing some really good marketing. Do you think the film will live up to they hype? I honestly do.

Inception blows my mind
http://blastr.com/2011/09/image-of-the-day-inceptio.php

WHO catbox
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/80s/content/just-what-doctor-ordered-tardis-kitty-condo

Trailer – Twilight: Breaking Dawn
http://www.411mania.com/movies/news/201651

Massive Lego Imperial cruiser
http://blastr.com/2011/09/omg-43000-piece-8-long-18.php

Film Tech – The Russian Arm
http://gizmodo.com/5839932/how-michael-bay-captures-his-most-insane-and-incredible-chase-scenes-kerblooommm

Amanda Seyfried liked Sex scene with Megan Fox
http://www.imdb.com/news/ni15364316/

Amazing new muppet parody trailer
http://www.slashfilm.com/muppets-parody-trailer-the-pig-froggy-tattoo/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+slashfilm+%28%2FFilm%29&utm_content=FaceBook

Superman photos
http://themovieblog.com/2011/09/michael-shannons-zod-costume-clark-on-a-bike

Emmy Award winners
http://www.411mania.com/movies/news/202326

Blair Witch 3
http://www.411mania.com/movies/news/202272

Sigourney Weaver will return for Avatar 2: Secret of the Ooze
http://www.imdb.com/news/ni15568828/

Weaver likes Prometheus..
http://blastr.com/2011/09/sigourney-weaver-confirms.php

Batman Batwing video
http://screenrant.com/dark-knight-rises-batwing-video-tom-hardy-interview-benm-132366/

Box office
http://www.411mania.com/movies/news/202255