The Hush-Hush News Report 11.3.09: The Case of the Premature Sequel

Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 11.03.2009

This week we look at Hollywood's rising trend of prematurely pushing for sequels before the dust has settled, and one man's opposition to it! Plus news on the Terminator franchise sale, a third Blair Witch, the Ouija movie, Roman Polanski's bail offer, a new Critic's Corner and more!

Welcome one and all, to the Hush-Hush News Report! I'm your host as always, Jeremy Thomas, and before we get into the news I just have to take a second and talk about how much I love Blockbuster closings. Not that I love seeing a company go under, or people get laid off, but I love picking the rental giant's bones for cheap. I know, I'm a mercenary that way. This Friday a Blockbuster in a major traffic spot in my area closed, and thanks to my evil twin I got a heads up. I walked in, spent twenty minutes there, and walked out with seven films—none of them cheap straight-to-video junk—and Season Five of Sex in the City for the wife and spent all of $55. That included films like Infernal Affairs, the two-disc version of Heat, The Wrestler and Licence to Kill. It was a very good Friday for yours truly, needless to say. So anyway, shall we get right into it?

Before you start reading, have you bookmarked 411Mania.com yet? It's the easiest thing in the world to do, and it'll get you your daily dose of entertainment news that much quicker! Typing the URL out in the address bar is such a pain, don'tcha think? Hell, make it your home page and it'll be that much easier for you!

Terminator On The Auction Block



The Financial Times is reporting that the rights to the "Terminator" franchise will be auctioned this month. The sale has reportedly sparked considerable interest because "Terminator" is a rare example of a blockbuster franchise not controlled by a big studio.

FT says several financial buyers have expressed interest in Terminator, including Platinum Equity, the Beverly Hills firm that owns Delphi, the auto parts maker. All the big film studios have also registered interest in the rights, with Sony Pictures a leading contender. Summit Entertainment, the company behind the "Twilight" series, is tracking the sale, as is Media Rights Capital, which produced Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno.

The rights are being sold by Halcyon, the production company behind Terminator Salvation. The auction does not cover earlier Terminator films. The rights will give the buyer to make new films, TV series and other spin-offs.

This news doesn't come as a surprise, as Halcyon's rights to the franchise have been in jeopardy since before Terminator: Salvation came out. The economy has of course hit many companies hard, even in Hollywood, and Salvation's disappointing grosses were pretty much the death knell for the company's hold on the rights. The big question now is who picks up the franchise and for how much. Sony wouldn't be a bad choice at all, considering the studio's strong sci-fi record with films like District 9, Men in Black and Total Recall…not to mention that they distributed a little film known as T2: Judgment Day. Summit would be much lower on my favored list of choices, as they've only yet made a serious franchise out of Twilight. Of all potential choices, the last I would want would be Fox, who canned The Sarah Connor Chronicles and has a proven track record of screwing up franchises like the X-Men series. This could go very well for the franchise or very bad; either way, one must wonder if the contracts that Christian Bale and McG signed with sequel provisions would follow along. We can hope not in McG's case, at least.

In late-breaking news, Joss Whedon has made an offer for the franchise that can only be described as pure awesomeness. You can read the full letter here, but suffice it to say that if Sony doesn't pick it up, Halcyon would stand to collect a cool 10 G's. And seriously, Bale needs that throat lozenge like no one's business.


Mirren Goes Red With Willis and Freeman



An article over at ScreenDaily.com about some of the American movies looking for distribution and financing at the American Film Market's AFI Fest this week mentions that Robert (Flightplan) Schwentke's adaptation of Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner comic book Red is slated to start shooting on January 11, 2010 with the previously announced cast of Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman joined by British Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren.

Willis will be playing retired CIA agent Paul Moses who must fight a hit team sent by the new leader of the CIA (Freeman) who wants to clean up loose ends i.e. former agents like Moses who know too much. More than likely, Mirren will be playing Freeman's predecessor, Moses' handler who he has kept in touch with over the phone while living in seclusion after retiring. It would likely be a small role, and there's no indication whether we might actually see Mirren's character on screen in the movie.

Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian, the film is slated to shoot in Toronto and Louisiana.

Helen Mirren makes almost any movie better just by being in it. She can't always save a movie from mediocrity—Raising Helen, I'm looking at you—but she always does well for her part, and that gives me more reason to hope for this series. I must admit that I'm not familiar with Red, even though as I should be as a Warren Ellis fan, but the plot sounds like pretty typical Willis fare and Freeman seems to be playing a character similar to his one in Wanted. That's not a bad thing at all and I have a lot of optimism for this to be good.


Freeman and Segal are Dirty Old Men



Warner Bros. Pictures is picking up an untitled comedy script by Josh Cagan and Greg Coolidge to which Morgan Freeman is attached to star and Peter Segal is eying to direct, says The Hollywood Reporter.

The script, which had a working title of "Dirty Old Men," revolves around an aging playboy who finally meets the love of his life and his best friend and wingman for the past 40 years (Freeman) who does everything to break up the new couple.

The trade says the tone is described as similar to Wedding Crashers and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. It adds that the studio would love to have Morgan Freeman reteam with his The Bucket List co-star Jack Nicholson on the film.

It's a Morgan Freeman news week apparently. While I said Red is very much standard Freeman fare, this is a very different kind of role for him and that has me intrigued. Freeman's always played more distinguished, noble types and this sounds very contrary to that. Segal has made some good films (50 First Dates, Get Smart) and some bad (Nutty Professor 2, The Longest Yard) so his involvement could take this either way. The success might well depend on who Freeman is acting opposite, and how much chemistry they have with the venerable actor. Buddy comedies often fail without that chemistry, no matter how funny the gags are, but in the right hands this could be gold.


Tron Scribes Play Ouija



Universal has tapped "Tron Legacy" writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz to pen the board game-to-screen adaptation of "Ouija," which is being produced by Platinum Dunes' Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form as well as Brian Goldner and Bennett Schneir of Hasbro.

The studio is looking at the project as a supernatural action-adventure movie. It is possible that certain rules of the game — never use it alone, never use it in a graveyard, always say good-bye — figure into the plot.

Ouija boards, also known as spirit or talking boards, have been used to communicate with the spirit world for more than 200 decades. The board as it is known today was manufactured by William Fuld in the 1890s, then acquired by Parker Bros. in 1966. Since then, 12 million copies have been sold, according to Hasbro, which acquired Parker Bros. in 1991.

Universal senior VP of production Scott Bernstein and director of development Franklin Leonard will oversee the project. In addition to "Tron," Kitsis and Horowitz are writers/executive producers on ABC's "Lost."

Michael Bay and Hasbro have such a special relationship, don't they? First they had Transformers and now it's Ouija. I will say that I think this movie is an atrociously bad idea. There are a thousand movies that use Ouija boards as a plot element within them; we just saw one recently in Paranormal Activity. Others include Exorcist, the Witchboard films, What Lies Beneath and the 2007 Filipino horror film Ouija. So what will make this one any different? Hasbro has shown a terrible track record in developing movies from their products, particularly this year's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra. They have several more on the way as well. My problem with this is that I suspect it will be a generic horror film that will come off as a big-budget version of Witchboard, which is not a good idea at all. Let sleeping ghost taking boards lie, guys.


Haley Talks Elm Street Tone, Internet Support



MTV recently sat down and had a brief chat with Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen, Little Children) about tackling the iconic role of Freddy Krueger for Platinum Dunes upcoming remake of A Nightmare On Elm Street. (Due in theaters April 30th, 2010)

The actor was surprised and thankful for the on-line support from fans when it came to casting and it paid off as this reporter claims he was Platinum Dunes only choice.

As far as the new approach to this Nightmare? "I think where [director] Sam [Bayer] is coming from is a darker, more serious place," he says. "It's still fun, but I think it's going to be a little darker, and a little more serious."

Jackie Earle Haley, Rooney Mara, Kyle Gallner, Thomas Dekker and Katie Cassidy star in this reboot of the Nightmare franchise.

This has some good news in it, as I appreciate the enthusiasm Haley's showing for the role and he seems to appreciate the level of respect the fans have for the character. I also don't mind the idea that the film is going to be a bit darker and more serious piece then most of the Elm Street films. The first was nice and dark, but they quickly went to camp after that and while I enjoyed that camp it wouldn't work for a Freddy Krueger in this day and age. At the same time, some early reviews have started surfacing of rough cuts of the film and they haven't been encouraging. One supposed person who went to a test screening reported that it was more style than substance, stating "The beautiful scenes in the trailer led me to believe this remake might be a serious Hellraiser caliber horror film... maybe not Jacob's Ladder but possibly Midnight Meat Train. I'm afraid to say as it's in The Unborn territory: slick production value with little meat to sink your teeth into." Let me say that if there's ANY comparison that can be made between this film and The Unborn, I'm going to be fit to be tied. I appreciate that the filmmakers want to make something good, but it doesn't sound like that's happening.


Myrick and Sanchez Back To Blair



In an interview with The Star, original Blair Witch co-writer and co-director Eduardo Sanchez revealed that he has prepped a pitch for a third entry with Daniel Myrick. They've worked up a treatment for a new story, which would involve original cast members Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams, albeit in smaller roles.

"We're at the step where we're about to pitch to Lionsgate, which owns the movie rights now. It's pretty much up to them. They can completely squash it or greenlight it."

Sanchez says the proposed story would ignore the events of the second film.

I know this news is going to get crapped on by a lot of people, but I don't mind this. The original Blair Witch is not a great film, but it also gets more flack than I think it deserves as backlash against the hype. Yes, undoubtedly Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows was a terrible film, but it must be noted that Myrick and Sanchez had nothing to do with that project. This pitch has been talked about by the duo for a while now and I'm not surprised to see them trying to get it greenlit, especially coming on the heels of Paranormal Activity. My big question is how you involve Donahue, Leonard and Williams when they're now much older and, in theory, dead. This could well be a disaster but I won't tear it apart quite yet until I know more.


Mark Millar: Director?



Mark Millar, who created the comic books that Wanted and the upcoming Kick-Ass were based on, has announced that he is lining up a superhero movie that will mark his directorial debut. He posted the following on his official forums:

"Bet you didn't see THAT coming, laddies and lassies!

But this is one of several big surprises planned for next year and you'll hear a bit more about this in February when we start to release details. What is it? Who is it about? Well, that's all a secret for now, but I learned a lot from Kick-Ass and love having the same creative freedom I have with comics when I work in cinema. I never want to be a studio bitch and go in there pitching for them to love me. The closest I came to this was a couple of calls regarding Superman, but pretty much none of my plans ever revealed as I didn't like the idea of anyone nicking them.

Similarly, I don't like the idea of asking for funding and justifying scenes with the money-men so I'm doing what Matthew Vaughn did with Kick-Ass and just making it outside the system with private investors. The financing is all secured and the movie stands or falls on how good I can make it, doing what Matthew did and just selling it once completed.

As you can imagine, I couldn't be more excited. More as it happens, but this might just beat out War Heroes and American Jesus as my follow-ups to the Wanted and Kick-Ass movies. Have two other pictures about to go into development (and Wanted and Kick-Ass 2, of course), but I think you need to scare the Hell out of yourself every once in a while and something totally new like directing should do the trick."

Well, this seems to pretty much nix the idea that Millar is doing Superman, which is good news to me. Millar's pitch for Superman—something about a multi-film project that "goes dark" and ends with Supes watching the world end as the climax—was a terrible idea, and I imagine his comments about not being a "studio bitch" means he wouldn't be willing to kowtow to Warner Bros.'s inevitable demands surrounding the film. At the same time, I would rather not see Millar direct at all. Yes, he wrote the basis for a great film with Wanted and Kick-Ass seems like it will be fun, but let's just remember what happened to another Miller who went from comics to directing—he made The Spirit. Millar is not the visionary that Miller is, and his skills as a director are something that, to me, are guilty until proven innocent.


Polanski Seeks Bail



A French lawyer for director Roman Polanski, imprisoned in Switzerland, says a new bail offer will be filed Monday and it will be a "very, very significant" cash amount.

Swiss authorities rejected an offer Friday, considering the 76-year-old filmmaker awaiting a decision on extradition to the United States a high flight risk. They noted it was not a cash offer.

Herve Temime told France-Info radio Sunday the latest offer is in cash. He wouldn't say how much. He said Polanski would accept the extradition decision "whatever it is" and assured his client would never behave "like a fugitive."

Polanski, arrested Sept. 26, is wanted in the U.S. for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in Los Angeles in 1977. Polanski fled the U.S. before sentencing.

Okay, so before everyone goes to town on me, let me make myself clear here. I am not defending Roman Polanski. There. Now, before we all talk about Polanski "buying his freedom," let's make one thing clear. We're talking about bail. This is something that everyone gets to pay so they can avoid just sitting in jail before a trial or hearing starts, unless they're remanded without bail. So he's not trying to buy the hearing, just put his security deposit down until they can have their hearing to see if he would be extradited or not. So let's stop shouting to the highest walls about being able to have money and get free, because this is as much a part of our legal system as it is Switzerland's. And anyone focusing on the "cash" part—well, would you accept a check from a guy about to potentially go away again for a long, long time?

Now, with that being said, I don't think Polanski should be shocked if his bail offer is declined. High flight risk? Well, let's see. He's the most famous flight risk of all time, so I think that the Swiss authorities are not out of line in saying that he is in fact a flight risk. It would sure as hell look back on the Swiss government if Polanski did skip bail and end up back in France where he wouldn't be extradited, so I can't imagine he'll get bail—and that is the government's right. I don't think Temime is doing his client any favors by saying things like he would never behave like a fugitive. I may wish the whole thing to just finally be over, but that doesn't change the fact that Polanski has behaved like a fugitive for the last thirty years. Since…you know…he was a fugitive. I do hope that Polanski is being sincere here though, and that he will accept the extradition if Switzerland rules for the U.S. One way or another, this has gone on too long and needs to end.

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Check below for some of the excellent work here on-site you should be reading if you haven't already:

Ask 411 Movies: Leonard Hayhurst answers your questions about the seven basic plotlines, the best use of popular songs in film, Prefontaine and more!
The October Zombie-Thon 2009: Trevor Snyder concludes the Zombie-Thon with the new classic Zombieland!
Around the World in 24 Frames: Len Archibald continues his journey through Japan with Yasujirō Ozu's Late Spring!
Ten Deep: Owain Brimfield's countdown of the top 50 Sci-Fi films has cracked the top twenty; see who made that cut!
Al Norton interviews V's Joel Gretsch!
The Gratuitous B-Movie Column: Bryan Kristopowitz takes a look at the 2004 Dolph Lundgren "classic" Retrograde!





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From The Great Capt. Smooth:
I got the "green slime" joke. That was such a fun show! I wish Nick would have a retro channel that would play reruns of YCDTOTV, Mr. Wizard, Double Dare, Out of Control, etc.

Well at least I'm not the only old guy here. I would kill for an old Nickelodeon channel. But alas, it probably wouldn't do as well as Nick at Night. Which is kind of sad really, when you think about it.


From Spaghett:
I was referring only to The Dude, Donny, and Walter (to a somewhat lesser extent) being relatable. I'm also biased because my all time favorite actor, Sam Elliot is in the movie.

Fair enough. And don't get me wrong, Sam Elliott is the man without question. He's much like Helen Mirren in that he can make any film better just by being in it. Well...except Prancer. That movie was terrible.



From M:-X:
Blade: Trinity sucked, but I was an avid reader of the Nightstalkers comic (the one before Blade went solo), and Hannibal King was one of my favorite comic characters back in high school (mid 90s), so it was nice to see him in a film even if it sucked.

There never should have been a Crow sequel.

Rambo 3, like The Siege, took on new relevance after 9/11

Bloodline was fun, in its own way. Much more enjoyable, at least, than 3 with the stupid "Camera Cenobite" and "CD Cenobite"... plus, I know it's an unpopular opinion but a Hellraiser movie with a happy ending just felt a bit fresher for the franchise...

Oh, don't get me wrong. In my opinion, Bloodline is worlds better than Hell on Earth. I am a big fan of the franchise and have even appreciated a couple of the direct-to-video films, but Hell on Earth had me pissed off. I just meant that audiences still flocked out to see that one, unfortunately, while they didn't care about Bloodline and that killed the franchise. Sometimes a franchise-killer has nothing to do with its quality. As for Blade Trinity, I thought that Ryan Reynolds was pretty good as Hannibal and he was one of the few parts of the movie that worked. His problem was that Wesley Snipes played Blade way too serious, and it meshed poorly. And yes, there should never have been a Crow sequel. Or a remake, for that matter. Screw Stephen Norrington.


From Will_Helm:
Is it just me, or does Neill Blomkamp look like the love child of Jim from The Office and Bob Geldoff in that pic?

Gee, thanks Will. Now I'll have that image stuck in my head for days.

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3 Extremes: This horror anthology, containing stories directed by Fruit Chan, Chan-wook Park and Takashi Miike, comes with a whole new definition of the word "horror" for American audiences. Forsaking mindless gore for truly disturbing story and thematic elements, the stories touch on some of the most extreme elements of human behavior to maximum effect. Chan's story "Dumplings" is certainly the attention-getter and the most horrifying, to the point that it was adapted into a full-length film in its own right. That is to take nothing away from Park's "Cut" which has its own psychotic charm, or Miike's beautifully-shot surreal "Box" which is more difficult to follow yet good in its own right. Featuring excellent acting by such individuals as Bai Ling, Miriam Yeung, Byung-hun Lee & Kyoko Hasegawa and some beautiful film work, the film is undeniably challenging, but it is also exceptional for those who can handle what it has to offer.

Final Rating: 8.5

Dance of the Dead: As a teen horror comedy, Dance of the Dead mostly succeeds. It's doesn't have the bite of other horror comedies such as Zombieland, Drag Me to Hell or Shaun of the Dead and occasionally it hews too close to the teen movies it is trying to emulate. Some good gags lift it however, and it balances the laughs and the gore fairly well. The acting by the adults is over the top and the performances of the teenagers range from good (Jared Kusnitz, Carissa Capobianco and Randy McDowell) to tolerable (Greyson Chadwick). The movie aims to be less of a satire than it is a joint homage to zombie films and teen coming-of-age comedies, and while it doesn't always work, it does so enough to be entertaining on a fairly consistent basis.

Final Rating: 7.0

The Substitute: Not the Tom Berenger movie, this Danish film is known as Vikaren in its native country. While it doesn't break any new ground--the idea of a school class being threatened by alien teachers was done before with Robert Rodriguez's The Faculty--it is well-acted and contains enough comedy to keep audiences amused. Jonas Wandschneider is effectively cast as Carl, the leader of the school kids who set out to stop Ulla from world domination, and Ulrich Thomson is also quite good and sympathetic as the father. The best performance by far though comes from Paprika Steen, who gives a delightfully villainous turn as the alien in teacher form. The special effects are above what one might expect for a relatively low-budget sci-fi horror comedy, allowing the story and Ole Bornedal's direction to work as well as it can.

Final Rating: 7.0

Mighty Aphrodite: Mira Sorvino's performance as the prostitute birth mother of Lennie Weinrib's adopted child garnered most of the attention in Mighty Aphrodite, and deservedly so. Sorvino's work in this, her breakout role, is top-notch comedy and a delightfully warm and sympathetic portrayal. That being said, it's far from the only thing to enjoy in Woody Allen's Pygmalion-inspired comedy. The script is not the strongest of Allen's career but is still quite good, blending lighthearted comedy with some more serious melodrama. The result is something that occasionally feels a bit overdone, but Sorvino's performance is backed up nicely by Allen himself as the protagonist, Helena Bonham Carter as his driven wife who moves ahead without any thought to his desires and F. Murray Abraham as the leader of the Greek chorus who narrates in the style of tragedies of old. Full of wit and light on flaws, this is one that most Allen fans will certainly enjoy.

Final Rating: 8.0

Noises Off!: A marvel of comic timing, Noises Off is gold for anyone who's a fan of physical humor. The story about the on-stage and off-stage hijinks that occur during a production of a sex face that is headed toward Broadway loses some in the translation from stage to screen without a doubt; it is just not as funny knowing that the scenes were accomplished with multiple takes rather than the single chance the live play has. Still, the performances from a host of very talented comic actors—including Michael Caine, Carol Burnett, John Ritter, Christopher Reeve, Denholm Elliot and Marilu Henner—wring the maximum amount of laughs from the slapstick-laden script and Peter Bodganovich directs it all with a snappy sense of rhythm. Some scenes written specifically for the screen version don't deliver as well as the rest of the film and the final act isn't as funny as it could be, but otherwise this is a laugh riot that's great for someone looking for a very funny show.

Final Rating: 8.0

Management: The idea of a hotel night manager who works for his parents and decides to follow a woman he barely knows across the country because she let him grope her sounds far more like a cheesy thriller than it does an independent comedy. Nevertheless, Stephen Belber (The Laramie Project) has fashioned the latter and not the former. The plot tries hard with its quirky humor and earnest emotions, but it never manages to progress past the viewer's realization that any normal person would be getting a restraining order against Steve Zahn's hapless obsessed loser. Still, Zahn and Jennifer Aniston give excellent and understated performances, Woody Harrelson shows up to play an ex-punk yogurt mogul to humorous effect and Fred Ward and Margo Martindale are very good as Zahn's parents. They almost lift this from an average and forgettable indy rom-com into something greater, but it never quite rises above, despite some very good intentions by everyone involved.

Final Rating: 6.5

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The Hush-Hush Editorial Section: The Case of the Premature Sequel

Amongst the bevy of news articles presented above, one of the things that didn't make the cut was the rumor that Sony Pictures is pushing for Peter Jackson and Neil Blomkamp to develop a sequel to their summer blockbuster hit District 9, which has crossed the $200 million mark worldwide. The news article in question notes—correctly, as a matter of fact—that Jackson is engaged with several projects and Blomkamp is a director in demand, so that sequel may by quite a ways off. Still, this comes on the heels of the news reported last week that Paramount is already looking at developing a sequel to their own runaway hit, Paranormal Activity. With these two surprise hits getting instant sequel buzz before the dust has even settled and news this year of films such as The Hangover getting sequels greenlit before the picture even opened, I thought I might talk a bit about Hollywood's increasing desperation to capitalize on their breakaway hits before they even know whether they're going to be hits or not.

The idea of sequels is of course no new development by any stretch. Film franchises have been around for nearly as long as film has, with great classics like The Thin Man in the 1930's spawning a host of sequels, not to mention the Universal horror pics which crossed over with each other into new levels of character dilution by the mid-1940's. The age of the internet, however, has brought a new level to sequels. Sometimes it seems like the Hollywood studios are no longer content to develop new and interesting ideas, especially when they know they have hit upon a golden goose that they can mine into a franchise. While even this is somewhat of a misnomer—the idea of franchises as blatant cash cows is no new phenomenon either—it can certainly be said that Hollywood has accelerated the process. Besides those films mentioned above, Dragonball Evolution and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra had sequels greenlit by their respective studios before the first film reel had rolled for a paying audience. Considering the low quality (and relatively meager performances domestically) of these two films, one has to wonder why their studios were so willing to take a chance on them.

The answer, unfortunately, is very simple—as bad as these films were (and judging by the decisions not to screen them for critics before their releases, the studios knew how bad they would be), they come from bankable franchises. The Dragonball media franchise is part of the anime market, one that is worth well over $4 billion; likewise, G.I. Joe has been a huge and consistent money-maker for Hasbro. The same can be said for the Saw series, which had a seventh film greenlit before production had even finished on the sixth film. And with audiences clearly growing weary of remakes and reboots, the men behind the movies are starting to realize that something new needs to be done.

And by "something new," I mean "something old that looks kind of new." The unfortunate fact is that even when the original films do well and produce something of quality, the sequels are unlikely to replicate that success. That rule can apply to sequels as a whole of course—the unwritten rule that a sequel will not be as good as its predecessor is nearly inviolate—but it seems to especially be the case when sequels are greenlit too early. Does anyone think that The Hangover II will ever be able to repeat the same perfect combination of timing, humor, bawdiness and fun that the original did? Or will it just be bigger and louder, and somehow less funny at the same time? District 9 and Paranormal Activity worked very well as single stories and brought in droves of movie-goers, but how can they continue to tell a story that seems natural and not just like a crass money grab? Perhaps Dragonball and G.I. Joe will benefit, simply because these movies can't get a whole hell of a lot worse. But even films which made a fair amount of money have failed when sequels have been filmed too quickly or back-to-back; the Matrix and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises stumbled some when they tried to make two movies together. The Harry Potter series seems a little long in the tooth, even if they have more or less maintained quality with some exceptions. Only the Lord of the Rings franchise seems to have pulled the whole thing off without sacrificing in the way of quality, critical reception or fan adoration. And that franchise is a series that comes along once in a generation, if then. The odds of anyone replicating that kind of success are slim to none.

So what is the point of this particular rant, you ask? It's simple. It's easy to hope, when you hear about quick-to-jump sequels, to get excited. I warn you against this, for rarely does it work out right. Yes, Neil Blomkamp and Oren Peli had lighting strike in the most favorable of ways for them, and each made something quite exceptional given what they had to work with. But I can promise you won't find me camping out in front of a studio for District 10 or Paranormal Activity: The Rise of The Ouija Board. So don't bother saving me a place.

And now I present, before we go, the Random Video of the Week. This week it is the second sales trailer from Survival of the Dead, the latest in the Romero Dead series. The film has been getting good buzz around the fanboys and other places, but has yet to earn American distribution. Do you think it should be brought to domestic shores? Check it out below!



And that's all we have for this week! Until next Tuesday, this is Jeremy Thomas, off the record, on the QT…



…and definitely, "Hush Hush!"