'Harry Potter' Impresses Critics, Breaks Records

Despite being the sixth film in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has continued to dazzle audiences. Overall, the critical reception has been positive, with the cast being praised and the visuals praised as well. Among the top complaints was the confusion that newcomers likely felt watching the movie and the film "dragging" during the first half.

In the box office, Half-Blood Prince has been even more successful, breaking opening day records with $22.2 million and 5-day records at an astounding $394 million, beating Spider-Man 3 by $12 million. It is quite possible that the film might break even more box office records, considering the fact that the original movie in the series is the fifth highest grossing film of all time.

Image credit: Reading Cinemas (here).

'Batman 3' Updates

According to some recent rumors, director Christopher Nolan may not be attached to the next installment in the Batman trilogy. Batman-On-Film, the leading source on the latest Batman films, has reported that, despite his already working on a script, Nolan may not return for the end of the trilogy.

Christopher Nolan was apparently hit "hard" by Heath Ledger's death - this is understandable, as the two had been working together on the film for many months (Ledger passed away near the end of the production of the film). But is this enough to keep Nolan from returning to direct the next film?

Right now, no one knows if Nolan will return, though the signs say he will. However, Warner Bros. is preparing, just in case he doesn't come back. Warner Bros. listed Zack Snyder, the director of films Watchmen and 300 as a possible candidate to replace Nolan.

Personally, I could see this happening. While his style is certainly different the epic feel of 300 could easily be transferred to the Batman series, even if it would mean the loss of some of it's "darkness". However, most fans would be very upset at the change of directors - this would mean major changes, and cast members might be wary to return if the director has changed.

Image credit: pickmore.com (here).

Updates On "Spider-Man 4"

Spider-Man 4, announced months ago, has had rumors flying around it for quite awhile now. And while we don't have many new details, we have some quelled rumors.

Todd Black, producer of the next iteration of the Spider-Man series, has shot down the rumor that Morbius The Vampire will be a villain, claiming that the villain of the movie will, "be a big part of New York".

Black denied the rumor that Peter Parker (Tobey MacGuire) will marry his girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), while also confirming that Dunst will reprise her role as "MJ" Watson.

Image credit goes to spiderman.ugo.com.

The 'Shift' Series Continues

One of the most popular flash games on the internet, the "Shift" series is made up of unique puzzle-solving games, with the twist being the ability to flip the world upside down and walk in new terrain - thus the title, "Shift".

The "Shift" series is unique in it's strange dialouge, treating the player like a test subject

Made by Armor Games (the leading creator of flash games), another installment (Shift 4) in the series is due this Tuesday, May 19. Along with this new sequel, the original "Shift" game will be made available for iPhone, as well as a great deal of bonus material.

The "trailer" for "Shift 4" and screenshots from the iPhone release can be found here.

Sequel-itis

Movie makers aren't always fans of creativity. That's why, when a movies sells well (or even if it doesn't), you can bet that a sequel is on the way. And while these sequels are often a fulfilling continuation of a great movie, there is also the possibility that a sequel might be a cheap, shallow movie that was thrown together in a pathetic attempt at your dollars. To help you with all these sequels, I'll show you which ones will be blockbuster hits, and which ones will fall in the dust.

Super Sequels: Chances are you've seen at least one superhero blockbuster in the last one or two years. And if you're like me, you're excited for a sequel. Here's a little info on these super sequels.

Here Comes the Spider-Man: A new movie featuring everyone's favorite spider-themed superhero is in the works, and if it's any indication I'm excited. Although Sam Raimi didn't do his best with Spider-Man 3, a fourth movie featuring (hopefully) The Lizard and Carnage could bring the series back with a bang.


The Knight Returns: You may remember my previous post where I spoke of a sequel to the Dark Knight. While not much has changed, we can be sure that this series, still "young", will give us another smash hit that will leave us dazzled once more.

I Am Iron Man 2: While The Avengers is coming up, there are still plans to make a sequel to Iron Man. With two realistic villains already casted (see below), this movie certainly isn't going to fly under the radar, and we will definitely gets some more news on it before it's release next May.

Whiplash (top), played my Michael Rourke, and Black Widow (bottom), played by Scarlett Johansson (who will also play Black Widow in the upcoming Avengers movie)

The (Hopefully) Even More Incredible Hulk: Although this movie hasn't actually been confirmed, there is really no doubt - a sequel is happening. In the movie, Dr. Samuel Sterns is affected by gamma radiation, and his head is seen bulging... upon just a few seconds of investigation on the internet (or known by comic geeks), you can tell that he will become a supervillain known as "The Leader". Once more info is known on this sequel, it will be posted immediately.

The Not-So-Exciting Sequels: Unfortunately, amongst all these potential block-busters, there are a few planned sequels that just aren't going to be able to hit the popularity or sales of others. I'll show you just a few to stay away from.

Shrek Goes Too Far: I loved Shrek. It was a great movie - well done, an original type of humor, it had everything. In fact, it could have gone done as an animated classic. Unfortunately, it was just too good - they had to make a sequel. So, they threw together something they thought could work. Shrek 2 was ridiculous. It lost it's original, fairy-tale parody humor, and opted for cultural humor (as seen in TV shows like The Simpsons). Then came Shrek The Third and that hurt the series even farther. It seems pretty obvious to me that Shrek Goes Fourth will be the final nail in the coffin.


Somewhere in Africa: Is where every copy of this movie series should end up. Okay, so maybe the first one wasn't bad. But there was really no reason to continue it - the animals ended up in Madagascar, and that should have been it. And really - did the "Move it Move it" thing have to be used so heavily in the sequel? It was a little funny thing in the first movie, but they used that too much, and quickly destroyed it's humor. Now that a third movie is planned for 2012, it seems obvious what will cause the end of the world.

Jeepers Creepers! Another Jeepers Creepers!: Ridiculous. I'll admit, the first movie wasn't bad - I'd even go as far as to say it was "enjoyable". However, the second movie just wasn't that scary, and was poorly done, especially compared to the first one. If this trend continues, Jeepers Creepers 3 will end up being the worst of all. We can, however, be thankful that this is a direct-to-DVD movie, so it won't be being projected anywhere (I hear the projection of terrible sequels can cause cancer).


Some Other Sequels To Watch: Although it seems like most movie sequels end up being terrible, there are a few that aren't superhero movies that deserve being watched. You should definitely see these upcoming sequels, as they might be blockbusters in themselves.

Untouchable Blockbuster: Okay, so it's not a sequel, but still; this prequel to 1987 classic The Untouchables is definitely on my watch-list. It will tell the story of Al Capone's arrival in Chicago and his rise to power. It will also tell the story of whether or not you can build on a classic movie made over 20 years ago, and I'm hoping that it can.

It's Raining... Sequels: You may have seen the movie Cats & Dogs (2001). Well, it wasn't a blockbuster, but something about is stuck with me, and I was very excited to hear that a sequel was coming out. And although it was a children's movies, I was 7 when the first one came out. And even though the sequel might not be the best, I'm still happy. You might not know this, but this movie starred (through voice only) Tobey Maguire, best known for playing Spider-Man. However, he will not be returning for the sequel.

I... am... Spider-Man!

Roll Out: Yes, it's almost time. Just a few months away, the sequel to the smash hit Transformers will be released, and it's almost assured that this movie will be adored by all, assuming Michael Bay has fulfilled his promise of fixing the problems with the first one. For more info on my thoughts about this movie, click here.

Blast From The Past: A Bug's Life

Just a few short years after the box office hit (not to mention the first three dimensional animated movie) Toy Story, a great (and in my opinion under-rated) movie was released: A Bug's Life. This movie told the story of the ant Flick and his attempt to warn and protect his colony. Now, the reason I bring this up is because there has been recent news on a Toy Story 3, 11 years after the second one was released. I feel that A Bug's Life should have a sequel; however, I am also not sure a sequel would benefit the movie. While I understand that not enough people have seen this movie, a sequel could introduce a bunch of a brand new characters with no real "meat". An idea I had was to simply create a new villian - spiders. It could be done easily, but this could bring it on a bad road... like Shrek, the once potential animated classic, with half a dozen sequels and spin offs to suck the money out of it like a vacuum operated by an anteater. Although it's obviously old, I'd like to give A Bug's Life an 8/10.