Despite the fact that the Final Destination series was supposed to have come to an end with Final Destination 4, here we are again.  New round of kids, same ol’ specter o’ death, always up to some sort of Rube Goldberg-ian shenanigans.  By now, this franchise has established itself as the go-to series for “seeing people killed in inventive, gruesome ways”, and there’s nothing wrong with that.  But Final 4 was genuinely terrible, the first film in the series to make me question whether or not all the scenes that weren’t drenched in viscera were worth suffering through in order to get to the money shots.  Would Final Destination 5 return the franchise to its “not great, not even good, but watchable for the kills” glory?  Find out in my review, after the jump.

Jack and Jill gained some ground on Saturday, though not enough to slay the Immortals.  The 3D action/fantasy film finished first with an estimated $32 million from 3,112 locations. Considering that the film’s distributor was expecting a top opening of $26 million that has to be seen as a win.  And even if the film’s total does look somewhat anemic compared to past 3D hits, with the year we’ve had I’d prefer to focus on the positive.

After two weeks on top, Rise of the Planet of the Apes swapped places with last week’s number two The Help on top of the weekend box office.  That left places 3-5 for the major new releases, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, Conan the Barbarian, and Fright Night.  Even One Day managed only a middling per-screen average in its smaller release.  Details after the jump.

So much for a slow-pace in these final weeks of summer.  Along with a strong holdover performance from Fox’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes at number one, the box office was crowded with four new releases: one which seriously over-performed (The Help), one which very seriously underperformed (Glee The 3D Concert Movie) and two which fell somewhere in between.

It was another photo finish at the box office as holdover champion Rise of the Planet of the Apes battled The Help on the latter’s first Friday.  Apes was just barely ahead with an estimated $7.6 million to The Help’s $7.5 million.  Even with Friday so close, Rise should win the weekend with a projected $25 million.  The Help, which has been overperforming since its Wednesday debut, is expected to earn $23 million from Friday through Sunday.  Friday’s number three was not far behind the top two films.  Final Destination 5 took in an estimated $7.3 million from 3,155 locations for what should equal a first weekend of just under $20 million.  Friday’s final new releases put a bit more distance between their estimates and the top spots: 30 Minutes or Less earned an estimated $4.5 million from 2,888 locations while Fox’s Glee: The 3D Concert Movie fell short of the top five with just $2.5 million from 2,040 venues.  Full details and analysis tomorrow.

Hitting theaters this Friday is Final Destination 5, a film that is approximately 10,000 times more fun and creative than you are probably expecting. While it follows the same structure as the last four, this time inserting a young chef as the lead and a suspension bridge failure as the initial disaster, the film as a whole is actually very, very well made and shockingly well written and acted. If you like darkly humorous horror films, this is not one to skip.

Last weekend, I sat down with Jacqueline MacInnes-Wood, Ellen Wroe and Miles Fisher (who is about to be a very big star) to discuss the film. In our interview, we talked about the brutal and funny death scenes, how much of the gore is done practically, the Saved by the Bell influenced music video that Fisher conceived to help sell the film, and we got a quick update on Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

Sometimes you get what you want. If you have been a fan of the previous entries in the Final Destination series, the fifth entry is ready to prove that this franchise hasn’t given in to death just yet. A sequel like this one could feel like more of the same, yet the magnificence of going over the top with ridiculous deaths is half of the charm of the series. People are going to die, in a certain order, but the other appeal is that you never know what is going to get them and when. At least, that should be the setup, and that’s exactly what Final Destination 5 gets right. Director Steven Quale and screenwriter Eric Heisserer embrace the inevitability of the deaths, but don’t telegraph the how. Along the way we are treated to two outstanding set pieces, even more deaths, and pleasing use of 3D where it counts. The film plays as more black comedy than horror, but there are cringe worthy moments that don’t involve the gore. Hit the jump for my full review.

Hitting theaters this Friday is Final Destination 5, a disgusting and uproarious pitch black comedy featuring eye-popping 3D, literally.  I know what you’re thinking, but this movie is really something special. It has an above par cast, a script that smartly skips over the elements fans already know in favor of new angles and way, way above the call of duty direction courtesy of James Cameron protégé and co-director of Aliens of the Deep, Steven Quale.  It’s honestly one of maybe three movies I have ever seen that is worthy of the 3D surcharge.

Last weekend I sat down with the film’s main protagonist, Nicholas D’Agosto, his love interest Emma Bell and franchise mainstay Tony Todd to discuss the film.  During our conversation Todd revealed a bit about the back story of his mysterious Coroner, Mr. Bludworth, Bell and D’Agosto described their history with the franchise and tell us which deaths would be the most horrible to suffer.  Hit the jump to watch.

With Warner Bros. Final Destination 5 hitting theaters this weekend, we’ve been provided with a number of FD5 related items to giveaway.  Included are hats, hand towels, iPhone skins, shot glasses, posters, a duffle bag and more.  Final Destination 5 stars Emma Bell, Nick D’Agosto, Miles Fisher, Arlen Escarpeta, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, P.J. Byrne, Ellen Wroe, Courtney B. Vance, David Koechner, and Tony Todd.

On a separate note, I’ve heard Final Destination 5 was really good and ridiculously violent.  Also, the film was shot in 3D, so make sure to see it in that format.  Hit the jump for details on the giveaway.

The online discussion of Final Destination 5, hitting theaters this Friday, has been largely dominated by complaints that this fifth film tells the exact same story as the previous four entries. And indeed it does: this time inserting a young chef into the lead and a bridge collapse into the premonition. But the dark comedy of the film elevates the rote plot elements of the franchise to the level of high-low art, turning what should be a schlocky cash-in sequel to a past-its-prime horror franchise into something more akin to an especially memorable rendition of the “The Aristocrats”.  You know the set up, you know the punch line, but it’s the gory details in between that you actually care about.  If this is your genre, this is a movie worth seeing in a packed theater and in 3D.  And I never recommend 3D.

A few days ago I sat down with Arlen Escarpeta, P.J. Byrne and Courtney B. Vance to discuss the film. During out interview we talked about the visceral impact of seeing the film with an audience, the effect of reading the script for the first time, the development of the death scenes, Bryne’s real life lothario antics, how the film cleverly subverts tokenism in its’ portrayal of minority characters and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

With director Steven Quale’s Final Destination 5 opening this weekend, we’ve been provided with 5 clips from the film.  Since we all know what a Final Destination movie is about, I’m not going to try and explain the story.  The important thing to know is the movie was shot in 3D and based on the footage I saw at Comic-Con, it’s really worth paying the extra money to see it in 3D.  Trust me, the footage looked fantastic and 3D is the only way I’d see this movie.  In addition, Hunter covered the press junket yesterday and he told me that the film was great and the 3D added a lot.  Look for his video interviews with the cast in the coming days.  Until then, check out the 2D footage after the jump.

Final Destination 5 stars Emma Bell, Nick D’Agosto, Miles Fisher, Arlen Escarpeta, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, P.J. Byrne, Ellen Wroe, Courtney B. Vance, David Koechner, and Tony Todd.

Final Destination 5 star Miles Fisher’s is also a musician and creator of viral parodies.  He’s blended both for his single “New Romance” where he and his fellow Final Destination 5 stars take on a Saved by the Bell look and promptly get slaughtered in a variety of hilarious ways.  It’s yet another acknowledgement that these movies may not be intended to scare as much as they’re designed for grotesque laughs.  Also, if you ever wanted to see Jessie Spano get destroyed by her own locker, this is the video for you.

Hit the jump to check out the parody.  The film and music video also stars Nicholas D’Agosto, Emma Bell, Arlen Escarpeta, P.J. Byrne, Ellen Wroe, Jacqueline MacInnes-Wood, and David Koechner in the Mr. Belding role.  Final Destination 5 opens in 3D on August 12th.

Last week I posted a ton of Final Destination 5 set visit coverage, but I’ve still got one more on set interview and it’s with P.J. Byrne and Miles Fisher.  In the film, the two play fellow office workers and in a surprise to no one, they’ll get killed.  Come on…it’s a Final Destination movie.  Did I need a spoiler warning?  During the interview they talked about who they play, making the movie, working with the 3D cameras, the previous films, their death scenes, and a lot more.

In addition, if you’re going to Comic-Con this week, Warner Bros. is holding a big Final Destination party and I’ve got a pair of tickets to giveaway!  The cast will be at the party and I’d imagine it will be open bar.  What I’m trying to say is…this is a contest you want to win.  Details on how to enter after the jump.

I’m letting everyone know right out of the gate that I’m cheating a little on this week’s “Top 5.” As you may know by now, every week I do my best to condense all of our weekly coverage into what the editorial staff deems our “Top 5″ stories. This week, I find that we have a plethora of coverage for various titles. As a result, after the jump you’ll find that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, John Carter, and Final Destination 5 all have multiple links. Also included in this week’s installment is The Dark Knight Rises teaser poster and Matt’s take on Netflix’s announced price increase. Hit the jump for brief recaps and links to each.

The set visit video blogs I post are usually professional.  We usually stay on topic. We usually just talk about what we did on set, the highlights from who we interviewed, and what we thought.  But when I recorded a video blog with Devin from Badass Digest after getting back from the set of Final Destination 5 in Vancouver last December…let’s just say that it was a lot looser than what I usually post.  Of course it might have been because we’d been drinking.  It could have been because Dolph Lundgren was sitting at a table near us as it started.  Or it could have been because it’s a video blog about Final Destination and everyone knows it’s all about the new and innovative ways to kill people.

However, while I might have scared some of you off, during our loose and rambling conversation, we still talked about what we did on set, what we learned, who we interviewed, and what you should be looking forward to.  In addition, we even had one of the cast members (PJ Byrne) join us towards the end, as he was on his way to the bar and we convinced him to jump in.  Watch the antics after the jump.