Korner 17

Welcome to this weeks Kevin's Korner, your one stop for all that is geeky, right here on 411mania. This week has more sequel info, even more Batman scoop and a whole bunch more. So, enough screwing around, let's get to the good stuff.

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

Spoilers are good - The first story of the week is about spoilers. In a new study from USCD, they tested to see if spoiling a story had an impact on the enjoyment of the study. The results were slightly surprising. The study finds that knowing the end ahead of time, actually made the story more enjoyable. The story says that it's because knowing the end allows you to focus on the writing more, meaning your less worried about the end game. I suppose it makes sense, in any movie where it's "based on a true story" and you know the person makes it out, since they helped write it, it allows you to enjoy the journey that much more. The biggest example I just recently experienced is 127 Hours. In the film, you knew before the story ever started that the guy was about to go all Luke Skywalker and lose a hand, but the journey was the rewarding part.

So, do you agree? Do spoilers make it better? Sound off below.

Haven't we done this before? It's sequel time...

Smurfs 2 - Yes, you heard it right, it's planned already, after the success of the first Smurfs movie. The sequel is set for Aug. 2nd, 2013. It's really not much of a surprise, considering the first film made more than it's budget back, by a significant amount, and it's still in theaters. No word on whether Neil Patrick Harris will return for the sequel, which I hope will be entitled "Smurfs 2: Secret of the Ooze."

Austin Powers 4 - The rumor persisting for awhile was made official, Mike Myers has signed on for a fourth Austin Powers film. There's no word on the plot yet, but there were plenty of rumors. All we know right now is that a script has a draft, and that Myers will reprise his roles as both Austin Powers, and Dr. Evil. While I liked the first film, it's one of those movies that quickly dropped out of favor with me. The other two films seemed to be just more of the same, which probably just added to my eventual distaste for the film. Maybe a new, fresh movie will reinvigorate me.

Resident Evil 5 - The latest Resident Evil movie confirmed writer Paul W.S. Anderson will return, along with star Milla Jovovich. While Jill Valentine will be back, the actress who played her two previous times, Sienna Guillory has not been signed to play her. Ali Larter has also been reported to return for the fifth film scheduled out next year.

Riddick 3 - While the film was already confirmed, after actor Vin Diesel made a big deal about the film, the plot details have finally been leaked. It seems the film will go 'full circle,' coming back to the events of Pitch Black as the basis for the film. Apparently, the person hunting Riddick will be a relative of one of the characters from the first film, but the film will not pretend the sequel didn't exist, making at least a mention of Riddick's events after the second film.

Harold and Kumar 3 - This Christmas themed third film has been talked about for awhile, but we finally got a trailer this week, for better or worse. I personally liked the series so far, but it's hard to tell if this will be good, or be another Scary Movie 23. The film seems to break the fourth wall a bit, which I find entertaining, and it mocks the fact it's in 3D, which could result in some good 3D usage, or some really bad usage, depending on your sense of humor. Either way, at least this won't be your traditional Christmas movie. Besides, NPH is back, that has to provide for a few laughs.

Harry Potter makes some dough - The final Harry Potter film passed the billion dollar mark, currently at $1.14 billion to pass Lord of the Rings as the third highest grossing film of all time, behind Titanic and Avatar. The film also moved past Transformers: Dark of the Moon to be the biggest grossing film of 2011. It's a worthy mark for the finale of such a big franchise.

Prepare to roll your eyes in 3...2...1...

In some slightly odd news bits this week, Keanu Reeves is directing a film called the Man of Tai Chi, in which he will play the villain. Finally, he can show he really does known Kung Fu.

The Situation wants to get into movies, apparently. He said he would like to make great movies like Leonardo DiCaprio and idolizes Robert DeNiro, but sees himself more like the Rock. Yep, I can see him making movies as soon as Jersey Shore is over, can't you?

Hong Kong Phooey gets the big screen treatment, and a voice. The voice is that of Eddie Murphy. I loved the original cartoon, but Eddie Murphy? I'm assuming they thought that the character of Donkey from Shrek was a success, so naturally Murphy is a good choice here. If that's the kind of decisions we are dealing with, than this movie could be rough. Get the beer.

Snakes, why does it have to be Snakes? - Blastr has a story about Elstree Studios, which originally was used to film Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, and apparently, some of the snakes used from that movie escaped and are still around. Is this true? Maybe, but I thought it was cool to share.

Del Toro praises studio for not being cowards and staying R - Director Benecio Del Toro was a big fan of the original Don't Be Afraid of the Dark and has been trying to get a remake for over ten years. Finally, he got his wish, and produced the remake with first time director Troy Nixey. When the film was rated R, not for gore or nudity, but simply because it was too intense, Del Toro considered it a praise, and was happy the studio stuck by the original material instead of watering it down for a possibly more profitable PG-13 rating.
"I actually like that. Thankfully we have Bob Berney at FilmDistrict saying 'Let's do it as an R.' Most other distributors would say 'Let's cut it, let's go back to the PG-13' but [they didn't.] Everybody praises always how brave filmmakers are but what's great is when distributors are brave...I think this movie mutilated into a PG-13 would be a shame. It's not overt, it's not gory, it has every right to be scary. And I think we need to make like, the scary pride parade and say 'We want to be super scary and we don't have to be ashamed of it.' PG-13 is the refuge of many cowards."

I really agree with Del Toro here. I think the guy has some serious talent, and it seems like so often, his or other talent is watered down for a better rating. I get that it's all about business, but there's a fine line between someone trying to make a great movie and someone trying to make money. You can have both, and ideally, if the movie is good, it will make money. I'm not one of those that say a horror movie has to be R to be good, but if the story requires it, make it R.

Doctor Who goodies - We got a new teaser trailer this week for the Doctors return in two weeks. On BBC America this week, we also got a special with the best of the Doctor, just basically summing up some of the better parts of the season. We also had rumor that Amy and Rory would be leaving the TARDIS by the end of the season. While they are supposed to make appearances throughout the next season, they won't be full time companions. I am not sure if I believe the rumors, and I don't know if I like it, but I can understand, with next season being the big, epic, anniversary season, that a standard companion format could be tricky.

Man of Steele starts filming! - That's really the extent of the news on this one. They are finally starting the filming of Man of Steele. Last week, we got a pretty dramatic photo, and I hope more are to come.

Batman news of the week-

Anne Hathaway defends the costume - After the photos of the Catwoman costume came out last week, a lot of people were apparently not impressed. I actually liked it for it's real-world features, meeting the sexy, leathery, Michelle Pfeifer-ey look of the previous comics and movies. Hathaway said that we haven't seen a tenth of what it can do, so we should reserve judgement. She also talks in a video about how much work she did to look like a sexy cat burglar for the film. You can check out the video HERE.

Over at Screenrant.com, they had some speculation about a bit of misdirection regarding Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character. They are just geekily wondering at this point if maybe his character, thought to be a cop could actually be Edward Nigma, AKA The Riddler. I say it's a possibility, but I hope it's not true. I think, with that many villains, the third Batman film would look too much like the third Spiderman film, but it's fun to speculate, and Gordon-Levitt could make an amazing Riddler.

We also get a nice close shot of Bane, played by Tom Hardy. This costume seems to be going for more of a real-world thug look. While this is before any camera or CGI trickery, I can say, I'm a little bit disappointed so far. I have no doubt that Nolan has a few tricks up his sleeves, though.

Finally, the big news regarding what is now, the worst kept secret ever is an appearance by the Batwing. You can see the videos HERE, that show them filming a scene with what is rumored to be the Batwing flying through the streets. It makes sense, considering the appearance of multiple tumblers throughout the city, that Batman upgrade his gear from the Batpod seen in the previous film. Besides, we see Catwoman riding it, which means Batman probably left the keys in it by mistake.


Box Office Breakdown - Monkeys are still winning.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes was once again on top this week, with an average drop of around 50%, pulling in $27 million, with The Help bringing in pretty good numbers to finish second, and Final Destination 5 coming in a dismal third.

1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes - $27.5 million ($104.9 million total)
2. The Help - $25.5 million ($35.4 million total)
3. Final Destination 5 - $18.4 million ($18.4 million total)
4. The Smurfs - $13.5 million ($101.5 million total)
5. 30 Minutes or Less - $13.0 million ($13.0 million total)
6. Cowboys and Aliens - $7.6 million ($81.5 million total)
7. Captain America: The First Avenger - $7.1 million ($156.9 million total)
8. Crazy, Stupid, Love. - $6.9 million ($55.4 million total)
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - $6.9 million ($357.0 million total)
10. The Change-Up - $6.2 million ($25.8 million total)

DVD's hitting the shelves this week -

Amy Winehouse in Concert 2007

Dexter: Season 5

The Conspirator

Paranormal State: Season 5

Jane Eyre

Trailer of the Week - Footloose - The Remake

Anytime a studio decides to remake a movie, there are devoted fans of the original that cry fowl. This trailer, however, has me crying fowl, too, and I am no fan of the original. So, if you want, check out the all new, teen-angst filled remake of Footloose, with all the moping teens, and none of the Bacon.