More than a decade ago, James Cameron's hugely expensive Titantic became the biggest movie of all time up until that point.  It was a cultural sensation across all demographics, with pubescent girls in particular flocking to see Leonardo DiCaprio's anachronistic haircut, and boys sitting shocked at the Kate Winslet's earth-shattering nudity.  The film even cleaned up at the Academy Awards.  And yet, within a year or so, the backlash began.  Now that seemingly no one will admit to ever enjoying the film that held them in thrall back in the spring of '98, Titanic will return.  A 3D re-release will hit theaters on April 6, 2012, exactly 100 years after the ill-fated ship set sail.

Just last week, Fast Five director Justin Lin publicly said that the fifth Terminator film, which he's attached to direct with Arnold Schwarzenegger once again starring, did not yet have a studio and that it would need to find a collaborative home.  At the time, he also said that in three to four weeks, things would be much clearer.  Well, they're already considerably clearer, as independent film financier Megan Ellison has won a bidding war for the Terminator rights, and will now begin to look for a distributor on two possible time-traveling robot adventures.

Earlier this week, I praised the marketing team at Warner Bros for the appropriately jawbone-less teaser poster for Final Destination 5.  Despite that poster's note that the fifth entry in the Death-picks-off-young-people-one-by-one franchise will be "in 3D," apparently somebody felt that it didn't properly convey that Final Five (not a real title) will be in 3D.  So there's now another anatomically correct poster, but this time, there's no doubt that three dimensions are involved. 

Netflix's streaming Watch Instantly service is fast becoming America's favorite way to watch movies.  The library of available titles is so vast and mutable that you, the avid instant watcher, could no doubt use a guide as you navigate the streaming frontier.  Luckily for you, we'll be here every Tuesday to update you on the latest titles available for instant-watching, as well as bringing attention some gems and even some enjoyable calamities out there in the instantly watchable wilds.

With Fast Five proving that big money hcan still be wrought from a franchise five films in, is it any surprise that Final Destination 5 is on the way later this summer?  Similarly, no surprises await in the first trailer for the fifth franchise horror flick, which appears to stick pretty squarely to the pattern established four movies ago, with the minor wrinkle of victims-in waiting targeting each other.  The only real surprise is that Warner Bros has yet to change the title to Final Five.  Check out the trailer right here.

Director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, and writer Akiva Goldsman recently locked down Javier Bardem to play the gunslinger Roland Deschain in The Dark Tower, their hugely ambitious adaptation of the Stephen King novel series that will encompass a trilogy of films and pair of limited-run television series, but it appears that Universal Studios has gotten cold feet.  Dripping flop sweat over the fantasy project's necessarily huge budget, the studio has temporarily put the kibosh on preproduction and may abandon the endeavor, allowing Howard and Co. to shop it to other studios.

By now, you're probably well aware that Fast Five director Justin Lin is attached to direct a fifth Terminator film that will see 63 year-old monosyllabic actor and former bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger's return to the indestructible franchise.  Though the potential film does not yet have a studio or a screenwriter, there are naturally plenty of unsubstantiated rumors.  Not only that, but Lin's desire to make a sixth Fast/Furious picture adds some uncertainty, too.  Well, Lin himself has commented on his plans on the film, elaborating on where it will fit into both the Terminator mythology and his own busy schedule.

One of the many, many things that separate Alien and Aliens from their genre counterparts – and indeed the rest of their franchise – are the memorable, fleshed out supporting characters.  Whereas most films with killer monsters are populated by bland meatbags waiting to get eviscerated, Ridley Scott's space truckers and James Cameron's colonial marines make a big impression.  In Aliens, longtime Cameron muse Bill Paxton plays Private Hudson, a blustering jag who falls gloriously to pieces when the feces hit the fan.  A new video compiles every single one of Paxton's over-the-top line readings as Hudson, so you can see his entire catchphrase-packed character arc, without the fuss of, you know, watching a good movie.

Back in 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, despite saying for years that he would not appear in a Terminator film without director James Cameron.  That summer blockbuster put Schwarzenegger back in the public eye after a string of less successful films and undoubtedly helped the former bodybuilder become California's Governor in the 2003 recall election.  Is it any surprise that, after terming out of the office, Schwarzenegger will return to the comforting bosom of the franchise that made him a global star?   Apparently, Schwarzenegger is set to star in yet another Terminator  installment, this time under Fast Five director Justin Lin, who has been a potential helmer for months now.

As you may have heard, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Sony, and Universal have all signed on to participate in a premium Video on Demand service that will allow cable and satellite subscribers to view certain films in their homes just 60 days after the theatrical release, starting with Just Go With It, starring Adam Sandler.  Naturally, the National Association of Theater Owners vociferously opposes this new idea, and now America's foremost popcorn-peddlers have support from a formidable group of 23 filmmakers, including James Cameron, Guillermo del Toro, Kathryn Bigelow, Peter Jackson, Gale Anne Hurd, Robert Rodriguez, Michael Bay, Gore Verbinski, Michael Mann, Robert Zemeckis, and Todd Phillips.  Check out the none-too-happy open letter that these nearly two dozen directors and producers have addressed to those studios.