Movie Review: "Final Destination 5"

Seen on: August 12, 2011

The players: Director: Steven Quale, Writer: Eric Heisserer, Cast: Nicholas D’Agosto, Emma Bell, David Koechner, Tony Todd

Fact of interest: Actor Cory Monteith appeared in “Final Destination 3” as a student at McKinley High School… (the geeks should get the joke)

The plot: Death sets its sights on a group of people who miraculously survive a tragic bridge collapse.

Our thoughts: One could make the argument that, for horror franchises that go on for multiple films, the fifth film is generally considered a low point (case in point:"Friday the 13^th Part 5," where Jason isn’t really even Jason, or "Nightmare on Elm Street," where Freddy has a kid).

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As expected: 'Transformers 3' reaches $1 billion

Ever since the stunning opening of Michael Bay's 3D spectacle "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," it was only a matter of time until the third film the series hit $1 billion. As Paramount Pictures just annouced, "Dark of the Moon" reached the mark this week.

Domestically, the movie has pulled in $338 million. Internationally, it has grossed $663 million. It's also important to point out that "Dark of the Moon" is the first billion dollar grossing movie in the history of Paramount Pictures.

“We are grateful for the extraordinary work of  Michael Bay and his film-making team, executive producer Steven Spielberg, and everyone at Paramount around the globe...," said Brad Grey, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Pictures.

The prices of 3D tickets obviously helped "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" to reach $1 billion that fast, but the solid performance proves fans were indeed ready to give Bay another shot, especially after the negative response generated by "Revenge of the Fallen."

New 'Final Destination 5' trailer hits

Another trailer for Steven Quale's upcoming "Final Destination 5" has hit the Web, and you can check it out after the jump. Kind of looks similar to the previous one, but we get more of that mystery man who seems to know a whole lot about Death's dirty plans.

The franchise is still very popular, considering the previous entry, "The Final Destination," grossed $186 million worldwide. By the way, that was actually supposed to be the last film in the series. Now I think they'll keep coming until they totally run out of steam.

Nicholas D'Agosto, Emma Bell, Tony Todd, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood and Miles Fisher star in the fifth film of the franchise. Release date is set for Aug. 12, 2011, and "Final Destination 5" will open in 3D, of course. Death really is a pain in the ass...

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Alexandra Daddario boards 'Chainsaw Massacre 3D'

Back in the days when it came to casting "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," actress Alexandra Daddario caused quite the debate when it was announced she would play Annabeth. This time, I doubt something like that will happen.

Daddario is now set to star in the upcoming "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D," which John Luessenhop ("Takers") will direct. Adam Marcus and Debra Sullivan wrote the script, which picks up after the 1974 film, according to Variety.

"Chainsaw 3D" is set for release Oct. 5, 2012, and Daddario is set for the lead character, who's running from Leatherface. She also starred in "Hall Pass," and she should be back as Annabeth in "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters."

Movie Review: "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"

Seen on: June 29, 2011

The players: Director: Michael Bay, Writer: Ehren Kruger, Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Patrick Dempsey Tyrese Gibson

Fact of interest: None.

The plot: The Decepticons attempt to pull the damaged planet of Cybertron into Earth's atmosphere. Sam and the Autobots must stop them.

Our thoughts: Here’s the good news: Michael Bay’s latest sci-fi spectacle “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” is a tad better than its utterly forgettable predecessor “Revenge of the Fallen.” That said, the not-so-good news is that the latest installment in the popular (and ridiculously profitable) big-screen franchise isn’t exactly a memorable experience either.

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New trailer for 'Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World'

Robert Rodriguez's upcoming "Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World" hits theaters Aug. 19, 2011, and a brand-new trailer for the family flick has landed on the Web. Check it out after the jump; it's just as silly as the previous trailer.

In the film, Jessica Alba plays a retired spy reactivated to participate in a dangerous mission to bring down the evil Time Keeper. She is also the mother of two stepchildren, who will be the new Spy Kids. Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara co-star.

Judging by this footage, this 3D sequel will be a tad better than the previous film, even though it looks likek we're in for terrible performances and bad dialogue. But yes, the kids will love it, making sure their parents drop some cash on the thing.

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'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' bags $37M

Paramount's "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" jumped to the top of the North American box office Wednesday, earning a solid $37.3 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates. The film scored the biggest opening day so far this year.

Michael Bay's crazy 3D sequel, however, failed to beat the stellar performance of its predecessor, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." That sequel took home a strong $62 million. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" is now playing at 4,011 locations.

Needless to say, the third film in the franchise will make a lot of moola this weekend, and it will probably rank somewhere between the first "Transformers" and "Revenge of the Fallen." Wednesday midnight showings, by the way, only brought in $8 million.

New photos from 'Shark Night 3D'

I gotta tell you, "Shark Night 3D" is not among the films to get me excited right now this summer, but the David R. Ellis-helmed horror flick will open Sept. 2, 2011, and of course, I'll give a fair chance. New photos from the film have surfaced online, and you can see them here.

Arriving by boat at her family’s Louisiana lake island cabin, Sara and her friends quickly strip down to their swimsuits for a weekend of fun in the sun. But when star football player Malik stumbles from the salt-water lake with his arm torn off, the party mood quickly evaporates.

You get to see some swimsuits in these pics for sure, including a rather decent butt. The film stars Sara Paxton, Chris Carmack and Joel David Moore. The question is: can the sharks be more fun to watch than the recent piranhas? We'll find out soon. (Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com)

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LaBeouf says new 'Tranformers' is 'Greatest 3D film ever made'

With a little over a week away from the release of the third installment of the "Transformers" series, star Shia LaBeouf seems to be churning out grandiose statements in hopes to pack theaters. With the recent trend of theatergoers opting for a 2D rather than a 3D experience, LaBeouf must feel the need to dabble in hyperbole in order to get people excited for the film. 

According to Moveline, not only did he recently state that this newest installment was the "Greatest 3D film ever made", he went on to say, “The last hour of this movie is the greatest action sequence of Mike’s career, which would put it on the same level as the greatest action ever made,” LaBeouf said.

“You don’t breathe for the last hour. There’s just no letup, but it’s also not completely overwhelming and disconnected, as the second movie was. You didn’t know what was fighting what or where you were geography-wise.

There was no way to be able to tell a story, whereas this is very ‘Black Hawk Down’ action. The geography is very clear. There’s only four or five dudes you need to be following. The enemy is very clear. The second movie was so … complicated. The best movies are simple.”

I wonder if he will have to backpeddle a little bit when the first batch of negative reviews start coming in...

Cameron says 'Avatar' will not be a trilogy

For fans of James Cameron's parade of visuals known as "Avatar," you must have frothed over the news of not one but two upcoming sequels to the mega blockbuster. Well, it appears  Cameron is not intending for these two films to form a trilogy. 

In an interview with Fox News, Cameron said, "We’re shooting two films back-to-back, so I’m writing two scripts, not one, which will complete a [three]-film story arc – not really a trilogy, but just an overall character arc so I’m pretty excited about that.

"We’re doing a lot of preliminary work right now on new software and new animation techniques and so on. We’re creating a new facility in Manhattan Beach so everybody that’s not already dead is coming back."

Does that mean the story is not limited to three pictures, but could ostensibly go on as long as the franchise makes money? Is Cameron taking cues from the creators of the "Saw" franchise? Well, let's hope not! (via Dark Horizons)