I’ll be the first to admit that this photo really tell us nothing at all about the upcoming John Landis directed Burke and Hare. Hell, for all we know, it could have been taken while a somewhat fat Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis bar-hopped around London dressed like 19th century Irish murderers. Whatever the case, these pictures prove that Ryan and I did not invent the John Landis comeback story (or Chevy or Pee-wee for that matter), as some rival websites are now claiming…I’m looking at you, Entertainment Tonight Online Experience. See all of the pics over at TotalFilm!
Next week on Critical End!…
Get ready for the Oscars, kids! Oh, and Ryan starts the long road down Alec Baldwin’s “career”!
It’s been a while since we’ve said anything about the upcoming Nightmare on Elm Street remake. Last we spoke, we were excited, with a slight hint of doubt.  Possibly because we didn’t know much about the actual characters. Now that the film is only two months away, the first trailer has hit the internet (myspace, to be exact), and it’s somewhat of a downer mostly due to the fact that I feel like I’ve seen most of the film already. Sure, it’s not as bad as the Death at a Funeral remake, but there’s enough scenes shot the exact same as the original that I’m sure this is going to make a great drinking game for dateless horror nerds. Judge for yourself and feel free to let us know in the comment section:
It's like "Shutter Island", but without the Northern accents.
Tomorrow on the podcast you’ll get to hear our thoughts on this week’s box-office hit Shutter Island. Best start warming up those mp3 players! Until then, plan on spending some time on the only island that’s even more mysterious on tonight’s all new Lost! Get caught up by checking out IGN’s excellent article on what the numbers might mean.
We’ve discussed the possibility before, but after the success (I think) of the recent HomeAway.com short, a new Vacation film is looking more and more likely. This one supposedly features an adult Rusty, taking his family to Wally World one last time before it closes for good, leading me to wonder if they’ll title it Vacation 5: The Final Vacation. The rumor is that the studio hopes to bring Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo along for the ride.
Now, I love Chevy. And I love the Vacation movies. But my question is, would this really be a good idea for Chevy’s career? He’s just now sneaking his way back into the public consciousness with Community. Yes, the HomeAway.com thing wasn’t a total failure, but if Chevy returns to one of his 80’s franchises, one that is generally known for lackluster sequels, might this end up being a step backward in his return to comedy legend status?
I suppose it depends on two things:
The writing, which is reportedly being handled by at least one writer of The Geena Davis Show, so we should be in good hands.
The Rusty. If Rusty is really taking the lead role here, as the plot rumors indicate, we need an adult actor who can fill the roll of the ever-revolving fruit of Chevy’s loins. Ryan Reynolds comes to mind, but he’s probably too high profile for a Vacation sequel. Plus he’ll be busy with Green Lantern and Deadpool. Same problem with Paul Rudd. Jason Lee is another Chevy devotee, and since My Name is Earl got canceled, he’s available. The question is whether or not he’s bankable enough.
Of course this is all moot for me. They’ve already got my money, as does Hot Tub Time Machine and any other Chevy comedy. What about you guys?
Alas, The Descent: Part 2, my theater hardly knew ye.Â
After waiting a few years for this follow up, Lionsgate announced yesterday that the sequel will go straight to DVD on April 27. However, don’t for a second think that this is some made for DVD, shot on DV, crap horror sequel. The Descent: Part 2 actually had a full theatrical run in it’s native UK. It opened to mixed reviews from both fans and critics (most point out that the sequel is played mostly for laughs, which is odd as the original was extremely hardcore horror), but for those of you who loved Neil Marshall’s creepy, claustrophobic, and highly original first film, this sequel is a must.
Expect a review as soon as I can get my hands on a copy. Here’s some info on the DVD.
Hey kids! Let’s play “Make it Better!” Here’s how: First, we take a look at this production still:
Now we pretend that it isn’t from the upcoming Little Fockers, a movie that may officially be a bigger cash grab than Night at the Museum 2: Battle for the Smithsonian (current Critical End! cash grab champ), but instead from a better movie that we make up to work through the pain. I’ll start!
Robert De Niro and his son Ben Stiller haven’t always gotten along, but when Robert De Niro’s ski resort hits hard times, he guilts Ben Stiller into coming back to Colorado to help out the family business. But everything’s turned upside down when Ben Stiller is injured in a freak avalanche and loses his memory! Now, Robert De Niro must take Ben Stiller on a wacky cross-country road trip, visiting every contact in Ben Stiller’s phone in a desperate attempt to help his son remember his life.
The above still is from the pivotal scene in which the pair visit Harvey Keitel, a small-time jewel thief with whom Robert De Niro is shocked to learn Ben Stiller was working. And boy is Harvey Keitel mad about all the jewels Ben Stiller doesn’t remember stealing from him! Coming this Thanksgiving: Pieces of Cake.
I forgot to mention their last name in the movie is Cake. Also, Owen Wilson co-stars as a Sears mannequin. Your turn!
The best part about this video is that you start off thinking Patrick Stewart is going to rail against technology, but he ends up composing his own very personal love letter to it. Take the two minutes, it’s supremely satisfying.
I have a strange love/hate relationship with film critic Roger Ebert. On one hand, he’s always been one of the most constant, opinionated film critics around. I highly valued his opinion even when we didn’t agree. On the other hand, the guy hated Newsies, which says a lot about a person.
All of that said, I was shocked to learn about his recent health issues. Sure, I knew had had heart problems in the past, but are you aware that he can’t even talk anymore? Why am I just now finding out about this?  This news was made all the more shocking when I saw the recent photo of him that Esquire magazine plans to run next month. Take a gander at the ’90’s era photo above, then click here for the full story.
Seriously people, start telling me about these things.
So far, the final season of Lost has me somewhat torn. On one hand, I’m disappointed in the lousy new characters (am I supposed to want to punch Dogen and Lennon in the face?) and let down by the sloppy writing (see: “What Kate Does”), but on the other hand: Last season of Lost! Aghhhh!
Meanwhile, did you know that they’ve already announced the DVD/Blu-Ray/Complete Series release dates? I guess Disney thinks that after all of the hoopla for the final season is said and done people will quickly forget about it if they don’t rush it out. You can find all of the news you need to know (including a sneak at the special features) right here. What you won’t find is the cover art.  This is all they’re giving us, which in typical Lost fashion, looks like a clue of some sort:
Any thoughts from you Lost nerds on what this is supposed to be?
Been to the video store recently? Scan the new release wall and you’ll quickly discover that there is a straight to DVD sequel to a film that you only vaguely remember anyway. Take an extra moment to pick up any one of these and you’ll discover something else: That movie is most likely a straight to DVD sequel of several other straight to DVD sequels that you never cared to see either. I’m not quite sure why Hollywood works this way, but somewhere somebody must be making some serious cash off of The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends (after 13 films, I’m sure there’s lots of wisdom to go around). Here are a few of my favorite DVD sequels that you most likely missed out on in the last year:
Free Willy 4: Escape From Pirate’s Cove How the hell did Free Willy ever become a franchise? Didn’t they free him in the first film? Does he keep getting trapped again? If so, that dumb ass whale deserves to die. What a jerk. Anywho, this movie looks awesome. Check out that trailer! It has that fuzzy “we swear it’s film” look that a lot of straight to DVD films have, the “acting” talents of Bindi Irwin (ten bucks says she finds a way to rap in the film), and poor Beau Bridges stumbling around in what appears to be a homemade pirate costume. Personally? I’m fanning it on Facebook as we speak.
Bring it On 5: Fight to the Finish
Yes, you read that right, this is part 5 of the Bring it On saga. What exactly is this “it” and when do they plan to finally have it brought on? Let’s just hope that putting the word “finish” in the title implies that this is definitely going to be the last film. The space limit on my Netflix queue means I can only hold four Bring it On films. Also, what’s up with the guy on the cover? Even he is all like, “…the hell?”
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Step Up 3D Not really straight to DVD, but I had to put this on here as a warning. Early reviews are calling this the best 3D dance film since Avatar. Oh, and according to the IMDB cast list, the characters have great names like Cable, Moose, Hair, Backround, Jenny Kido, and Press Box Patton. Clearly, if Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo had been in 3D they would still be pumping out sequels to it out as well.
More to come as soon as I catch up on those Land Before Time movies. Wait, Cuba Gooding, Jr. is in the new one?
Oh look! Mr. Postman brought us something from John Travolta. Let’s see here… Ah. He mailed us some garbage. REVIEWED: From Paris with Love. PLUS: Apparently, the Super Bowl?
I’ll be the first to admit that this photo really tell us nothing at all about the upcoming John Landis directed Burke and Hare. Hell, for all we know, it could have been taken while a somewhat fat Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis bar-hopped around London dressed like 19th century Irish murderers. Whatever the case, these pictures prove that Ryan and I did not invent the John Landis comeback story (or Chevy or Pee-wee for that matter), as some rival websites are now claiming…I’m looking at you, Entertainment Tonight Online Experience. See all of the pics over at TotalFilm!
