Friday, September 23, 2011

Korner 23

Welcome to Kevin's Korner! This week, we have some goodies, so buckle your seatbelts... ok, I guess that doesn't really make sense, given you don't have seatbelts in the office chairs you're sitting in. Anywho, there are some cool things that happened this week, and I'm going to break them all down for you.

I'm in the news business, and business is a boomin...

Doesn't that blow your mind?! - Over at Blastr.com, there was a post talking about Christopher Nolan and his seeming lack of ability to cover up the latest shooting of The Dark Knight Rises. The post talks about how in all the previous films filmed by Nolan, you never saw any leaks of any kind, in fact, his movies were extremely lock and key. Now, you are seeing all this footage right out in the open, with no attempt to hide anything, in fact, you see these tumblers driving down the street with loud exhaust, in an almost parade. The author says it all as to do with a movie called The Prestige. In the movie, Michael Cain's character talks about how a magic trick is broken into three parts, the Pledge, the turn, and finally the Prestige. The author is wondering if all these leaks are the turn, and come next year, we will see the Prestige.
It's a pretty cool idea, right, the idea that all we are seeing is totally B.S., and we have no idea what to expect? I have a feeling it's not quite magic. My opinion would be that things could change slightly, but given the popularity and anticipation of the film, there would be no way to hide certain shots, but I have a feeling what we are seeing is a very small amount of what will be in the actual film. It would be a pretty good trick, to hide the filming of a huge blockbuster film in this day and age, but I don't think Nolan is even capable of that.

Maybe Batman isn't that clever - Alright, so after this anticipation for a new film, we get another video showing us the interrogation of the joker. Or, joker-ish. Yeah, it's another video mocking the Christian Bale growl, but I still find it funny.



One more Batman rumor... - There was another rumor about the film ending in a complete FX scene, which could add all kinds of speculation to the end of the film. Now, the ending of Batman Begins ends with an FX shot, but this could lead to all kinds of speculation. What do you think, a Harry Potter-esque epilogue, or maybe a dead Batman? Leave your idea for the ending in the comments, but in the spirit of Waynes' World, I want the mega-happy ending. Batman gets a girl, Bane gets his own exercise video, Catwoman gets a catnip farm, and everyone learns a lesson.

Netflix trying to un-piss off people - After jacking up the price, then apologizing about it, then saying Netflix is now two different websites, not able to connect with eachother, Netflix is trying to figure out how to make it up to its once happy customers. The CEO said this week that while coupons and temporary price decreases are not out of the question, he said a temporary fix isn't what he is looking for. He also said that the streaming service is still their main focus. Yeah, thanks for the help, Netflix, but we're on a break, and I don't want to talk to you right now.

Steve Martin gives some advice to Eddie Murphy - It was announced that Eddie Murphy would host the Oscars, and previous Oscar host Steve Martin gave the future announcer some helpful tips.


Monster director possibly helming Thor 2 - In another interesting director announcement, Patty Jenkins, the director of the Charlize Theron film Monster is rumored to helm Thor 2. It's an interesting idea, given how well Monster was perceived. Do you think this is a good idea?

Michelle Rodriguez returning to Resident Evil - You're thinking what I'm thinkg, but she's de....umm, wow, that's a really interesting bit of news. I have no idea how they're going to work this in after the results of the first film, but it sounds like the film is coming full circle. I don't know if this means this will be the final film, but I'm interested in the idea of the film returning to its roots.

Mass Effect to be an original story - It was announced this week that the story for the proposed Mass Effect film, based on the video game series will be an original story set in the pre-established universe. I'm assuming Commander Shephard will be the hero, but it isn't clear. What is clear is that Seth Green wasn't set to reprise his role as Joker in the video games. The universe is so big, that is not an issue, but if Green doesn't come back, I would have a hard time taking the film seriously.

Blockbuster rolls out Movie Pass - If you have ever been a fan of the Block, you may be excited about this, or, you could be like me and think it's once again, too little too late. Blockbuster announced this week that they would unleash a streaming service of their own called Movie Pass. No, it has nothing to do with the previously released unlimited movie theater program of the same name, or the unlimited movie rental program Blockbuster had of the same name...it's safe to say Blockbuster has the naming originality of a three year old. It sounds like it could be good, given Blockbuster gets movies before Netflix or Redbox, but the program will currently only be available on the Dish Network.

I have a long, passionate history with the Block, and its reactionary effect is so frustrating. Instead of being innovative, they ride their success until they no longer are and then try to figure out what to do next, while companies like Netflix are trying to be innovative, even though both companies need some serious customer loyalty help. I think with Blockbuster, it's a last-ditch effort by a dead company.

Doctor Who, series 7 pushed back to Autumn, 2012 - A few months ago, it was rumored we would get a highly abbreviated series 7 in anticipation of series 8, the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. The good news is that isn't true, we are getting a full 13 episode season, the bad news is we have to wait until autumn of next year before we get a full season. We are getting a Christmas show this year, which is promised to be very Christmas-ey, and we also get an Easter episode next year, before the series gets 6 episodes in 2012, with the remaining coming in the beginning of 2013, making 2013 a huge year, with a full 13 episodes in the year. I, for one, am kinda bummed. I want instant gratification, and waiting for a full season until next year is rough, considering the high quality of the series currently on its way out, especially with Matt Smith in an incredible groove.

So, speaking of which, who is your favorite Doctor? I have to admit, I haven't seen all of the classic episodes, watching a few stories here and there, but I am a big fan of Matt Smith. There is something about his ability to be young and spry and filled with clever energy, while also having the look of a wise old man. It's brilliant, and I can't think of another actor that can top it.

Riddick 3 concept art - If you haven't heard, they are making a third Chronicles of Riddick film, after Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick. The film was have the reprisal of Vin Diesel's role of Riddick, and according to the rumors, will go for a "Hard R" rating, after a very tame second film.


DVD's hitting the shelves today

Carlos
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (September 30th)
Army Wives: Season 5
How I met Your Mother: Season 6

Box Office Breakdown - Lion King wins... AGAIN!
Lion Kings re-release took first place again this week, with $22 million, beating Moneyball, which came in second place with a respectable $20 million. Dolphin Tale, the story of a dolphin who got a prosthetic tale came in third place with a fantastic $20 million. I'm from the bay area, and with the story happening a half-hour south of here, the entire area is extremely excited to have such an amazing story in our backyard. Killer Elite bombed pretty badly, bringing in $9.5 million. It's a shame, it looks pretty good.

1. The Lion King 3D - $22.1 million ($390.2 million total)
2. Moneyball - $20.6 million ($20.6 million total) Read the review!
3. Dolphin Tale - $20.3 million ($20.3 million total)
4. Abduction - $11.2 million ($11.2 million total)
5. Killer Elite - $9.5 million ($9.5 million total)
6. Contagion - $8.6 million ($57.1 million total)
7. Drive - $5.8 million ($21.4 million total)
8. The Help - $4.4 million ($154.4 million total)
9. Straw Dogs - $2.1 million ($8.9 million total)
10. I Don't Know How She Does It - $2.1 million ($8.0 million total)

Trailer of the Week - The Thing - Redband trailer




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