Kevin’s Korner is your weekly wrap-up of all things Hollywood. There was plenty of news this week, including casting changes, 3-D updates, a LeBeouf mea culpa and so much more. I also have your box office report and a great trailer of the week. So, let’s get started with the news, and add a side of snark!
Check it out at Creative Loafing.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
A week in podcasting
So, it's been a crazy week over at TheHopp.NET headquarters. You should be able to see this week has had quite a few posts, and I'm pretty sure Creative Loafing has thrown up the white flag for the week. So, did you see the posts this week? I had Super 8, some zombie love, the news wrap up and oh yeah, the podcasts!
As you know, I do two TV podcasts, Chuck and Glee. Both were exceptional shows this week, and the podcasts reflected the awesomeness. I also did a special Holy FAIL podcast for MacGruber this week. Let me know what you think of the FAIL in podcast form. Finally, I also appeared on Loafing's Reel Projections podcast to talk about everything from zombies, to NASCAR, to Robin Hood, Iron Man 2, indie film making and a lot more. I think all of these podcasts were a lot of fun to make, and I hope they are fun to listen to. Check back next week for even more podcasting goodness.
3 Guys & Glee - Dream On, with NPH and director Joss Whedon
3 Guys & Chuck - a double shot this week, leading up to Monday's season finale!
3 Guys & the Quest for the Holy FAIL - Classic MacGruber edition
Creative Loafing's Reel Projections - your one stop for everything movie related...
keepin' it reel!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Star Tours is closing?!? Nooo.....
Disney's wonderful simulator called Star Tours is closing soon. The simulator that took you into the trenches of the Death Star will be closing in Florida on September 8th, and in California on July 27th according to Gizmodo.com
There is already news of the 20 year olds replacement; another Star Wars themed 3-D simulator based on the pod race seen in Star Wars: The Phantom Menance.
That's right, you saw that correctly, they are replacing a dip into the death star with the podrace, because that first movie was just so wonderful. I guess the first movie appeals to the younger audience, where as the classic ride appeals to the audience that less frequents the lines of Disney, but it will be a day long remembered, seeing the closing of Star Tours, and one very fond childhood memory.
Super 8 is a super mystery
EDITORS NOTE: This appeared in Creative Loafing! Check it out HERE.
After the viral marketing success of Cloverfield, it’s obvious Abrams is looking to strike gold again. No one seems to know anything about this mysterious Super 8, making the trailer even more fun. The viral website is www.ScariestThingIEverSaw.com, and going there and typing in a command WikiBruce and Unifiction discovered, “.PRINT RSCOM8” will result in a couple of images that will yield some clues, and some fake products.
On the images of the newspaper seen below, if you line up the ‘X’ you can find patterns that lead to unlocking a sentence. The sentence gives a nice ominous message:
no certainty if a live may be after us we go underground
If that doesn’t get you intrigued I don’t know what will. And since the movie allegedly hasn’t started principal photography yet, don’t expect too many secrets to come out until the opening of the movie. Until then, prepare for a wave of viral marketing; it ought to be a fun ride.
Best prank ever!
Movie news site /Film has a great post up about how Improv Everywhere staged a prank at the New York Public Library. Now, for most film geeks, that particular library can mean only one thing....
Yep, you guessed it! Check out the video!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Kevin's Korner is back!
In case you forgot about Kevin's Korner, it's back, baby! Kevin's Korner (yes, I know it's spelled wrong, it's meant to be comical) is a weekly-ish column wrapping up the weeks news, review, and box office chatter. This week, we had a couple of movie reviews, some news about James Cameron, and a really cool trailer of the week.
So, it's on Creative Loafing's site, check it out HERE!
Joss Whedon Audio Commentary song
As you all know, I'm a huge Joss Whedon fan. That being said, I'm likely to geek out over any tidbit of the now official Avengers director, so when I saw this video of Whedon singing a song about audio commentary, well, of course I was excited. So, check it out, it has the humor that makes Whedon famous, and ya know, it's musical, so that helps.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
George Romero's Survival of the Dead
Survival of the Dead
EDITORS NOTE: This review also appeared on Creative Loafing's website. Check it out HERE
George Romero and the zed word (zombies) go hand in hand. Romero is credited as being the grandfather of the zombie movie, and his latest incarnation, Survival of the Dead is released on X-Box Live, Playstation Network, and soon in theaters, but has the zombie king reclaimed his thrown after a few lackluster performances, or has he simply faded into obscurity?
Survival of the Dead takes place some time after Land of the Dead, and has some typical zombie elements, such as the ability for zombies to jump out of nowhere, plenty of gore, and some sick humor. The big element of Romero's earlier work that seems to be missing however, is the social commentary. While Dawn of the Dead is famous for the undertones in the movie, this movie seems to lack any such undertones, and rests on it's script and used premise, which is hardly sturdy.
The movie seems to simply be a retelling of the old Hatfields and McCoy's tale; a tale of two families feuding on an island, with zombies. I would love to say there is more, or that it is an allegory for something, but sadly, it's just about two Irish families that argue over the proper method of disposing zombies.
The cast is pretty weak, the delivery is rough and the script is very rudimentary. The grandfather of zombies seems to have spent a couple hours on the script, and hoped to rather progress zombie carnage, for he seemed to work very hard at the different headshots for zombies, using CGI, stop-motion and good old fashion latex. The CGI seemed promising, but not quite there. There seemed to be similar scenes of zombie carnage to the first few movies he's done, leaving me wanting something new.
Overall, there are plenty of zombie movies out there better than Survival, and movies far more entertaining. I would recommend you avoid this one, and hope Romero learns from his now several failures and returns to his former glory sooner rather than later.
George Romero and the zed word (zombies) go hand in hand. Romero is credited as being the grandfather of the zombie movie, and his latest incarnation, Survival of the Dead is released on X-Box Live, Playstation Network, and soon in theaters, but has the zombie king reclaimed his thrown after a few lackluster performances, or has he simply faded into obscurity?
Survival of the Dead takes place some time after Land of the Dead, and has some typical zombie elements, such as the ability for zombies to jump out of nowhere, plenty of gore, and some sick humor. The big element of Romero's earlier work that seems to be missing however, is the social commentary. While Dawn of the Dead is famous for the undertones in the movie, this movie seems to lack any such undertones, and rests on it's script and used premise, which is hardly sturdy.
The movie seems to simply be a retelling of the old Hatfields and McCoy's tale; a tale of two families feuding on an island, with zombies. I would love to say there is more, or that it is an allegory for something, but sadly, it's just about two Irish families that argue over the proper method of disposing zombies.
The cast is pretty weak, the delivery is rough and the script is very rudimentary. The grandfather of zombies seems to have spent a couple hours on the script, and hoped to rather progress zombie carnage, for he seemed to work very hard at the different headshots for zombies, using CGI, stop-motion and good old fashion latex. The CGI seemed promising, but not quite there. There seemed to be similar scenes of zombie carnage to the first few movies he's done, leaving me wanting something new.
Overall, there are plenty of zombie movies out there better than Survival, and movies far more entertaining. I would recommend you avoid this one, and hope Romero learns from his now several failures and returns to his former glory sooner rather than later.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Iron Man 2 Review
Tony Stark had some really big boots to step into for the second Iron Man movie. After the surprise hit that was Jon Favreau's Iron Man, he had the really difficult task of topping one of the greatest superhero movies of all time. So, the big question is, did he top it. I keep hearing the anwser is no, but my anwser may surprise you.
The second movie is a mix of stories from the comic book, including the famed demon in the bottle, which confronts Stark's alcoholism. It starts off with Mickey Rourke's character making the whiplash whips you see in the trailer, we also find out the glowing arc reactor in Stark's chest is poisoning Tony, and despite the fact he is on top of the world, he realizes it's just a bigger fall as Whiplash and rival weapons maker Justin Hammer, played by Sam Rockwell, come together against Tony. At the same time, Tony is trying to figure out a mystery left by his father and the Stark expo.
The question, however, is whether or not it's better than the first, and I say the answer is that it is as good, but the answer is that the two movies are quite different, and director Favreau shows his mastery of more than just an origin story, he shows the mastery of an action popcorn flick. The movie reduces the witty banter of Robert Downey Jr., and adds a bit more drama, while cranking the action way past eleven.
The characters are the biggest part of the movie, for better and worse. While it was extremely tough to juggle the multiple characters, which is the one minor flaw in the movie, I was still amazed with what they did with the different characters. In the movie, we have James Rhodes, who puts on the War Machine armor, Pepper Potts in an upgraded role, Scarlett Johanson's Black Widow, and Nick Fury. We also have good villains in this flick in whiplash and Justin Hammer. I'm a huge fan of Rockwell, and he didn't disappoint here.
Overall, it was a bigger, more action packed movie with more explosions, laser blasts and robots, and I loved every second of it. It seemed as thought everyone was on the top of their game, despite struggling slightly in the middle of the movie with the crazy amounts of characters.
Overall, a great start to the summer, with a very high bar to reach, and if this is any indication, a great start to the Avengers. Iron Man has quickly put itself on the top of the superhero list!
Oh, and make sure you stay until the end of the credits, and you can see the next step in the Avengers.
FUN TRIVIA: The design of Dr Vanko's whips were heavily inspired by the Star Wars (1977) lightsaber
The second movie is a mix of stories from the comic book, including the famed demon in the bottle, which confronts Stark's alcoholism. It starts off with Mickey Rourke's character making the whiplash whips you see in the trailer, we also find out the glowing arc reactor in Stark's chest is poisoning Tony, and despite the fact he is on top of the world, he realizes it's just a bigger fall as Whiplash and rival weapons maker Justin Hammer, played by Sam Rockwell, come together against Tony. At the same time, Tony is trying to figure out a mystery left by his father and the Stark expo.
The question, however, is whether or not it's better than the first, and I say the answer is that it is as good, but the answer is that the two movies are quite different, and director Favreau shows his mastery of more than just an origin story, he shows the mastery of an action popcorn flick. The movie reduces the witty banter of Robert Downey Jr., and adds a bit more drama, while cranking the action way past eleven.
The characters are the biggest part of the movie, for better and worse. While it was extremely tough to juggle the multiple characters, which is the one minor flaw in the movie, I was still amazed with what they did with the different characters. In the movie, we have James Rhodes, who puts on the War Machine armor, Pepper Potts in an upgraded role, Scarlett Johanson's Black Widow, and Nick Fury. We also have good villains in this flick in whiplash and Justin Hammer. I'm a huge fan of Rockwell, and he didn't disappoint here.
Overall, it was a bigger, more action packed movie with more explosions, laser blasts and robots, and I loved every second of it. It seemed as thought everyone was on the top of their game, despite struggling slightly in the middle of the movie with the crazy amounts of characters.
Overall, a great start to the summer, with a very high bar to reach, and if this is any indication, a great start to the Avengers. Iron Man has quickly put itself on the top of the superhero list!
Oh, and make sure you stay until the end of the credits, and you can see the next step in the Avengers.
FUN TRIVIA: The design of Dr Vanko's whips were heavily inspired by the Star Wars (1977) lightsaber
Friday, May 7, 2010
Leah Michelle back in the day
Alright, so its hard to hide my crush for Glee star Leah Michelle. She plays the diva Rachel on the show, and is one of the brightest talents on the show. Apparently, she's always had "the gift" as you can tell from this kinda crappy video of her singing at a very young age on Sally Jesse Raphael. Check it out, she was adorable even back then!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Sue Sylvester's Sue's Corner - Sneaky Gays
Check out this video of Jane Lynch, as Glee's mortal enemy, Sue Sylvester in a bit that has been missing from Glee lately; Sue's Corner. This one was great, and funny, and the NPH reference was hilarious!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Legos and Star Wars...in 2 minutes
Legos and Star Wars, two of my favorite things, and when they combine, it's always magical. This summary of the original Star Wars trilogy is no exception. Check out the video and admire the the Legos in all their Lego-ness, along with some a great summary of Star Wars. Is it a problem it only takes two minutes to summarize seven hours of film?
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
J.J. Abrams and the Mystery Box
J.J. Abrams is one of the guys I would most like to meet. And, with the announcement he has a mysterious trailer appearing before Iron Man 2 that no one knows about, I figure this really great video of Abrams talking at a conference would be appropriate. Check it out, and marvel in this guys genius...it's a wonder he's Hollywood's golden boy.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Review - Kick Ass
Ever since Blade and X-men, comic book movies have been all the rage, reinvigorating Spiderman, Batman, Superman and even Iron Man. But, as we get more and more saturated with super hero movies, there become more and more people who look to push the envelope on what is a super hero, and what are the rules of the genre are. Last year's Watchmen was one of those movies, and this years Kick Ass is another, but Kick Ass pushes the envelope even further, and it makes for a much more enjoyable experience overall; oh, and there is no giant blue dong.
Kick Ass is about a kid (Aaron Johnson) in the real world, who wonders why no one tries to be a superhero in real life. After his first attempt results in him getting...well, his ass kicked, he tries again, and inspires the world. After three more superheroes start really fighting crime, Kick Ass realizes he is way over his head, as Mob bosses try to take him out.
While Kick Ass was good, there is no mistaking the real star of the movie, Hit Girl, played amazingly by 11 year old Chloe Moretz. The hard hitting, ass kicking, potty mouth action star steals the show with her shocking brutality in both language and graphic kills. She is reason enough to watch this movie, and every second she's on the screen, is cinema gold. Not that there isn't others jewels to be had, such as Nicholas Cage, playing Hit Girls father, Big Daddy. Cage does the best Adam West impression I've seen in awhile, which was great.
While I thought the movie was great both in concept and in execution, the pushing of the envelope will very clearly turn some people off, and rightfully so. Some of the moments I laughed at, I felt kind of wrong for laughing at, and some of the action scenes, involved an 11 year old girl either killing people or fighting people, which, for some will be a bit off-putting. The graphic kills and sexual undertones of some scenes added entertainment and realism value, but again, aren't for everyone.
After nearly a year of hype online about this movie, I feel like a finely tenderized piece of meat, ready for the cooking, with crazy amounts of advertising and talk about the movie, but despite the huge buildup, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and while the envelope has been pushed, I feel the more entertained for it.
I'm giving it a 8 out of 10
FUN FACT: After Kick-Ass first meets Hit-Girl, we see Big Daddy standing in front of a billboard featuring Claudia Schiffer, wife of director Matthew Vaughn.
Kick Ass is about a kid (Aaron Johnson) in the real world, who wonders why no one tries to be a superhero in real life. After his first attempt results in him getting...well, his ass kicked, he tries again, and inspires the world. After three more superheroes start really fighting crime, Kick Ass realizes he is way over his head, as Mob bosses try to take him out.
While Kick Ass was good, there is no mistaking the real star of the movie, Hit Girl, played amazingly by 11 year old Chloe Moretz. The hard hitting, ass kicking, potty mouth action star steals the show with her shocking brutality in both language and graphic kills. She is reason enough to watch this movie, and every second she's on the screen, is cinema gold. Not that there isn't others jewels to be had, such as Nicholas Cage, playing Hit Girls father, Big Daddy. Cage does the best Adam West impression I've seen in awhile, which was great.
While I thought the movie was great both in concept and in execution, the pushing of the envelope will very clearly turn some people off, and rightfully so. Some of the moments I laughed at, I felt kind of wrong for laughing at, and some of the action scenes, involved an 11 year old girl either killing people or fighting people, which, for some will be a bit off-putting. The graphic kills and sexual undertones of some scenes added entertainment and realism value, but again, aren't for everyone.
After nearly a year of hype online about this movie, I feel like a finely tenderized piece of meat, ready for the cooking, with crazy amounts of advertising and talk about the movie, but despite the huge buildup, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and while the envelope has been pushed, I feel the more entertained for it.
I'm giving it a 8 out of 10
FUN FACT: After Kick-Ass first meets Hit-Girl, we see Big Daddy standing in front of a billboard featuring Claudia Schiffer, wife of director Matthew Vaughn.
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