by Cortney Zamm, Jul 24 2009 // 10:00 AM
One of the coolest announcements during Microsoft’s E3 press conference a couple months ago was the Netflix Party Play. This new feature means that friends with Xbox Live Gold and Netflix memberships can watch movies together, regardless of whether they’re in the same room. Viewer’s Xbox Avatars sit together on the screen during the movie and can talk to each other silently during the viewing.
Unfortunately, Kotaku reports that not all movies will work- specifically ones from Disney or Starz. Worse still, the films aren’t even marked as not usable with the service. Microsoft did confirm to Kotaku that they are aware of the problem. “We are working closely with our partners and studios to deliver Xbox LIVE Parties for as much content as possible,” a spokesman said.
“We offered the Xbox LIVE Party feature to all content owners, and what’s up on the service reflects what the rights holders are comfortable with. We’re confident that the community will be pleased with the great selection of Party-enabled content.”
The new Netflix features will be available on Xbox Live on August 11th.
Posted in: Games · Gear · Microsoft · Movies · News · Video Games
Tagged: Netflix, XBox, Xbox 360, XBox Live
by Chris Ullrich, Jul 24 2009 // 9:15 AM
There’s not doubt that Stan Lee is one of the most successful, talented, creative and beloved figures in comics around. His creations, including Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The X-Men and Iron Man, are among the most successful and well-known characters ever to grace the pages of comics and the silver screen.
More recently, Lee has been hard at work on a new project with his partners at Disney, the multi-platform series Time Jumper, which will appear online and on portable devices such as iPods and iPhones. This new project concerns the character of Terry Dixon, who is an agent of a secret government organization known as HUNT (short for Heroes United, Noble and True).
He has a cellphone called The Articulus that has the one feature you can’t get — yet — from Apple’s iPhone: a time machine. I had a chance to talk with Lee during Comic-Con and we discussed, among other things, his new project, his thoughts on current Marvel movies and what he think the future holds for comics.
QUESTION: Stan, hi. Can you describe the process of how Time Jumper began?
STAN LEE: Time Jumper began as an idea that I had. I wanted to do a time travel story and my little company Pow Entertainment has a deal with the Walt Disney Company, it’s called a “first look” deal. Everything that we do that we wanna do we have to offer to Disney first and if they like it they do it. If they don’t wanna do it then we’re free to take it elsewhere.
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Posted in: Action · Animation · Comic-Con · Geek · News · Sci-Fi · TV · Web
Tagged: Natasha Henstrige, SDCC09, Stan Lee, Time Jumper, Time Travel
by Chris Ullrich, Jul 24 2009 // 8:39 AM
What would Comic-Con in San Diego be without some new things like posters dubuting during the Con? And what would Comic-Con be without something from Joss Whedon? Fortunately, we get to combine those two things into one right now by bringing you the brand new posters for Whedon’s upcoming film Cabin in the Woods, directly from the folks at MGM.
The film, written by Whedon and directed by Drew Goddard, is what could commonly be described as a horror/comedy, at least judging from the rather funny tag lines on the three posters. Still, as this film has been shrouded in secrecy, its not quite clear what the exact plot will be.
Fortunately, Whedon and Goddard have pretty good track records when it comes to bringing the action, the horror and the funny, so I’m pretty sure we will be in good hands here. Cabin in the Woods, which features Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford and Brian White, hits theaters in February 5, 2010.
Check out the full posters after the jump.
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Posted in: Comedy · Comic-Con · Horror · MGM · Movies · News · Posters · Whedon
Tagged: Bradley Whitford, Cabin in the Woods, Chris Hemsworth, Cloverfield, Drew Goddard, Joss Whedon, Lost, SDCC09
by Cortney Zamm, Jul 24 2009 // 8:30 AM
Earlier on in our Comic Con coverage we reported that the sequel to Disney’s TRON finally had a title: Tron Legacy. Now, Disney (or an enterprising fan) has finally released the first trailer for Tron Legacy, which impressed Disney executives so much that they screen tested it at last year’s Comic-Con.
Tron Legacy centers around Sam Flynn (Garrett Helund), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), as he looks into the mysterious disappearance of his father. Sam finds himself pulled into the same digital world where his father had been lost.
Tron Legacy just finished production and is slated for a 2011 release. You can watch the trailer after the jump. Although, you might want to hurry before it goes away.
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Posted in: Comic-Con · Disney · Trailers
Tagged: Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde, SDCC09, Tron, Tron Legacy
by Matt Raub, Jul 24 2009 // 8:00 AM
We’ve got plenty of things coming to you straight from the convention floor at Comic-Con in San Diego this weekend, and we’re proud to also have some great gameplay footage as well.
One of the games we got to check out at the con was the new Sony game DC Universe Online, the new MMORPG set in the DC Universe, where you get to fight side-by-side with your favorite heroes and take down some of your favorite villains.
In the video after the jump, you can see a level as the created main character, in which he takes down Bizarro and gets some help from Batman, Wonder Woman, and a few others.
Check it out!
video by contributor John Carle.
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Posted in: Comic-Con · DC · Geek · Microsoft · PlayStationNetwork · Sony · Video Games
Tagged: DC Universe Online, Gameplay, PS3, SDCC09, Sony, Video Game
by Cortney Zamm, Jul 24 2009 // 7:30 AM
Marvel has partnered with Japanese animation studio Madhouse and multiple-Eagle Award winner Warren Ellis to create four all new anime versions of classic Marvel Super Heroes. We at The Flickcast have gotten a great look at the first two shows, Iron Macn and WOLVERINE!
These two look like an awesome blend of the iconic stories and characters we know and love from Marvel and the quality animation we’ve come to expect from Madhouse, who have brought us shows like Vampire Hunter D, Death Note, and Trigun as well the 2006 film Pprita?
The series, which will include two other anime in adition to Iron Man and Wolverine, is expected to begin appearing on the Animax channel in Japan in spring of 2010.
Keep reading for a full version of the exclusive Marvel Anime Comic Con poster.
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Posted in: Marvel · Movies · News · Video
Tagged: Anime, Iron Man, Wolverine
by Jennifer Tomooka, Jul 24 2009 // 7:15 AM
The first full day at San Diego’s Comic-Con featured revelations and first looks at Tron Legacy, New Moon, Alice in Wonderland and a little film called Avatar. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? James Cameron offered fans an impressive 24 minute 3-D screening of his forthcoming, highly-anticipated film, and by all accounts, especially SciFiWire’s, the material more than lives up to heavy expectations.
The footage clearly impressed the crowd, who made no secret of their appreciation of what they saw. Cameron seemed quite pleased by this and told the crowd, “Everybody always asks: So where’ve you been? Well, that’s where I’ve been. Pandora.”
Avatar’s preview centered around Jake (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic grunt who enlists for the military’s avatar program, which allows the personality of humans to be projected into clones of the Na’vi people, an indigenous race of alien creatures. Once on the surface of Pandora, Jake gets into trouble with native creatures, is reluctantly befriended by a female Na’vi native named Natiri (Zoe Saldana) and learns how to mindmeld and control a pterodactyl-like monster.
Cameron also revealed that 15 minutes of material will available for free at IMAX 3D and regular 3-D theaters across the globe on August 21.
Avatar stars Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Zoe Saldana and Giovanni Ribisi and will be released on December 18, 2009.
Posted in: 3-D · Comic-Con · IMAX · Movies · News · Sci-Fi
Tagged: Avatar, Giovanni Ribisi, James Cameron, Michelle Rodriguez, Sam Worthington, SDCCD09, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
by Jennifer Tomooka, Jul 24 2009 // 6:30 AM
Variety is reporting that veteran visual effects supervisor Matthew Gratzner (Hancock, Iron Man, Alien: Resurrection) will be making his directorial debut on an adaptation of the 1970s British TV series, UFO.
Like the original Gerry Anderson series, the film will revolve around Shado (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization), a covert military operation hidden beneath a Hollywood studio. Shado operatives continually battle an alien race that are kidnapping and killing humans for body parts.
“The story, characters and situations Mr. Anderson created in ‘UFO’ are timeless and engaging,” Gratzner said. “My vision is to utilize visual effects as a supportive storytelling device that draws audiences into this universe.”
Posted in: Adaptation · Movies · News · Sci-Fi
Tagged: Gerry Anderson, Matthew Gratzner, UFO
by Jennifer Tomooka, Jul 23 2009 // 7:45 PM
Have you had a chance to look at Google’s homepage today? To celebrate the first full day of the San Diego Comic-Con, Google changed their iconic logo into a truly inspired piece by DC artist Jim Lee. The temporary logo features Batman, Plastic Man, Wonder Woman, Robin and Green Lantern’s Hal Jordan.
Aside from the homage to and recognition of Comic-Con as an event in American pop culture, Google is also promoting their new iGoogle comics theme. You can now personalize your homepage with themes ranging from superhero and alternative comics to manga and more.
With over 50 different themes to choose from (Superman, Iron Man and TOKYOPOP to name a few), every comic lover is sure to find a character that suits them. A full list of available themes can be found here.
Posted in: Comic-Con · Comics · Google · News · Web
Tagged: Batman, Green Lantern, iGoogle, Jim Lee, Plastic Man, Robin, SDDC09, Wonder Woman
by Jennifer Tomooka, Jul 23 2009 // 7:00 PM
Disney announced the title of the Tron sequel at Comic-Con today: Tron Legacy. In addition to the title announcement, early footage of the movie was shown in the famed Hall H, where Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde, the producers and director of the film were all on hand to answer questions and excite the crowd.
Among the announcements, director Joseph Kosinski promised fans of the 1982 original there would be plenty of easter eggs in the 2010 sequel, although the 27-and-under crowd will still be able to enjoy a fresh new movie.
“I think fans of the original film, there will be a lot in there for them to discover,” Kosinski said in a press conference. “It’s a movie that even if you haven’t seen the original Tron, you’ll be able to watch this and get totally wrapped up in the world. If you are a hardcore fan, there are a lot of things hidden in the film you will enjoy. Our crew worked really hard to make sure everything lined up perfectly.”
Tron Legacy, which features Olivia Wilde, Garret Hedlund, Beau Garrett and Jeff Bridges, wrapped principal photography last week and will be in post production until 2011 with an expected release date late in that year. We’ll have more on Tron Legacy tomorrow right here at The Flickcast.
Posted in: Adaptation · Comic-Con · Disney · Movies · Prequels and Sequels
Tagged: Jeff Bridges, Joseph Kosinksi, Olivia Wilde, SDCC09, Tron, Tron Legacy
by Chris Ullrich, Jul 23 2009 // 6:23 PM
Its day one here in San Diego for the 40th annual San Diego Comic-Con. There’s many different things that bring people to the Con and one of them is the opportunity, nay the almost near necessity, of showing up dressed as your favorite character from movies, manga, anime, comics, novels or TV.
Naturally, as we’re here in San Diego to cover all the festivities and bring them to you, what better way to highlight the fun then by showing you some of the costumes, both good and not-so-good, we encountered today on the floor, in the hallways and out in front of the convention center.
So, without further to do, here’s a good selection of costumed fans from today right after the jump. Be sure to check back right here at The Flickcast for all your Comic-Con 2009 coverage.
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Posted in: Comic-Con · Events · Fandom · Geek · News
Tagged: Costumes, Day One, Photos, SDCC09
by Jennifer Tomooka, Jul 23 2009 // 5:15 PM
After a US District Court judge brokered a settlement between the heirs of the Superman creators and DC Comics and Warner Bros., mandating that a new Superman must go into production by 2011, or a new legal battle would ensue, fans everywhere began wondering which Superman Returns cast members would be back for the long awaited sequel. An interview with Kevin Spacey posted on MTV Splashpage helps to shed some light on the future of Lex Luthor.
“They have me,” Spacey explained while promoting Shrink, an indie film about a pot-smoking Hollywood therapist. “We made a several picture deal.”
Sadly the recent court developments haven’t been able to jump-start a dialogue between Spacey and the studio. There isn’t a script and Bryan Singer has not been confirmed as the flick’s director.
Singer’s involvement is key to his reprisal. “If they make the movie and Bryan Singer’s directing the movie, then I will do it,” Spacey says. “If they make the movie and they go in a completely different direction and they decide they want other actors, then obviously that’s their purview.”
Relax, Superman fans, this doesn’t mean that Spacey isn’t looking forward to reprising his roll. “I’d be up for it,” he explains. “I had a great time doing it and it’s one of the great iconic parts.”
Posted in: Action · Casting · DC · Movies · News · Prequels and Sequels · Warner Bros
Tagged: Kevin Spacey, Lex Luthor, Superman Returns