At first I was pretty excited to watch the new Fox television series based on the Terminator films, which were originally conceived by James Cameron. Sadly, after the first few episodes, I wasn’t completely hooked and my enthusiasm waned a bit. I did, however, continue to watch the show through the entire first season. Then, the second season began and it seemed the show had finally found its voice and started to really come together.

The show continued for a second season and then, as we know, was canceled by Fox — which renewed the equally low rated Dollhouse instead. But even with the cancellation of the show, it may live on as a DVD movie which will, perhaps, answer some questions poised by the finale of the series. Fortunately, while you wait for the DVD movie to happen, or not happen, you can watch the entire second season on DVD or Blu-ray, which is what I’m going to talk about here.

The second season, set in the time after Terminator 2: Judgment Day, picks up where the first left off telling the story of Sarah Connor (Lena Headey), her son John “the future leader of mankind” (Thomas Dekker) and Cameron, the Terminator (Summer Glau) sent to protect him from other Terminators who want him dead. This season John and Sarah have decided to stop running, which occupied them during the first season, and are instead intent on stopping the birth of Skynet — the super computer that eventually destroys most of humanity.

Continue Reading →

As you’ve seen, there’s been a lot of excitement here on The Flickcast with the two upcoming non-fantasy genre based MMOs. Between Star Wars: The Old Republic and DC Universe Online , the MMO world currently dominated by World of Warcraft is going to be getting a run for its money. To help further the hype, Star Wars: The Old Republic put Beta Key signups live on their website today. This would allow a group of selected players to try out and test the features of the game before it became available to the general public for sale.

The response was so intense to this announcement that the sheer volume of people going to SW: TOR’s site caused the sign up page to crash. Doubtful that Bioware didn’t expect this level of hype, it is still amazing that so many people found out about the Beta signups and came on so quickly in hopes of the limited spots that the site was brought down for repairs by noon on its first day.

On the plus side, it’s better that the developers find out their problems now and get as many testers as they can for the game. As seen in the past, a glitch and bug filled launch day for the retail release can spell doom for many MMO’s.

Stay tuned to The Flickcast for more on Star Wars: The Old Republic and we’ll let you know if we get one of those Beta spots to take an early peek at the game.

I remember when the first Sweet Valley High book came out in 1993. Captivated by the blonde Wakefield twins on the cover, I eagerly snatched a copy up.  The aptly titled “Double Love”  laid the foundation for the series to come. Despite being outwardly identical, the Wakefield sisters  were polar opposites when it came to  temperament and personality.

Long suffering Elizabeth was kind and demure, while sister Jessica was haughty, bitchy , and manipulative. Their adventures with boys, friends and school were chronicled in the books. To date, the series boasts over 150 books (ghostwriters helped creator Francine Pascal),  and  was the basis of  a television series that began in 1994 and lasted 4 seasons.

Last week Variety reported that Diablo Cody had been tapped to adapt the beloved series for the big screen. Sweet Valley High fans the world over secretly smiled, because Cody might the be the ideal scribe for the job. After a stumble with Jennifer’s Body, this could be the perfect vehicle to put Cody back on the map. Cody has indicated that she has no intention of moving the series out of the 80′s, as  many fans feared. Ripe with opportunities for campy fun, Sweet Valley High is well suited for the writer’s quirky style.

It looks as if another franchise could end up being a victim to the economic recession. The rights to the lucrative Terminator movie series are up for sale yet again. The LA Times reports Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek, who acquired the science-fiction franchise in 2007 for $25 million and produced Terminator: Salvation, are looking to sell the rights as they work through a Chapter 11 reorganization.

But fans shouldn’t get too worried about never seeing their favorite Terminator model on the silver screen again. There’s a long history of franchise rights changing hands over the years.

At the time of release in 1984, production company Hemdale Films owned a 50% interest and director James Cameron sold the other half to producer Gale Anne Hurd for $1. Carolco Pictures, owned by producers Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna, bought Hemdale’s stake in 1990 for $10 million, but filed for bankruptcy in 1997.

Kassar and Vajna then created C2 Pictures, which bought their old company’s stake for $8 million and the remaining 50% from Hurd for $7 million. In 2007, Kassar and Vajna sold the rights to current owners, Anderson and Kubicek.

No word yet on how the potential sale will effect Terminator 5 and 6, which Terminator: Salvation director McG is working on, but if box office receipts and ownership history are any indication of what the future might hold, the potential owner is sure to find some way to keep the story going.

Like many of you, I was one of the loyal fans who was sad to see Pushing Daisies end last year; however producer and director Barry Sonnenfeld will soon be returning to the very network that canceled his show with a brand new comedy. Variety is reporting the award-winning helmer will soon be working on a half-hour show for ABC that centers around a harried mother who finds a special suit that gives her super powers.

Hmmm…Greatest American Hero anyone? I’m sure it’s no small coincidence that that popular dramedy also aired on ABC (1981-83). The currently untitled multicamera show will be written by George Lopez scribe Laura House.

While the details of the new comedy still need to see the light of day, one can only hope that it is as quirky and original as Sonnenfeld’s previous work for ABC.  As always, stay tuned to The Flickcast for future developments.

Some early casting news has come out regarding the re-imagining of George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Danielle Harris will be playing the part of Barbara in the reanimated (Yeah, that was a cheap joke, but I had to go for it) CGI film Night of the Living Dead: Origins.  News came right from Harris herself via her Twitter page, “All you’re good luck wishes worked! Guess who’s gonna be Barbara?!”.

Harris is certainly no stranger to the horror genre. She played prey to Michael Myers in Rob Zombie’s Halloween 2 and is set to appear in the vampire film Stake Land coming out next year. With those kinds of credentials, I’m sure she’s well prepared to face the walking dead, even if they are animated this time around.

Hearing that Harris has been cast certainly leaves me anxious to find out who the other roles will go to.  Night of the Living Dead: Origins is being directed by Zebediah de Soto and produced by Simon West (Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider).  No release date as of yet but we’ll keep you posted as more news develops.

As we do each week, we’ve got a list of all the new Marvel comics coming out from the publisher this Wednesday. Among the new ones gracing store shelves this week that we’re excited about are a new issue of X-Force, the latest installment of Secret Warriors and the Deadpool: Suicide Kings trade in hard cover.

Plus, as we always do, we’ve got cool art from some of these upcoming books to share with you as well. So, be sure to click through and check those out and take a look at all the comics on the list from the official marvel press release.

Comics On-Sale:

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #606 CAMPBELL VARIANT

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #607

DARK REIGN: LETHAL LEGION #3

DARK REIGN: THE HOOD #5

DARK REIGN: THE SINISTER SPIDER-MAN #4

DARK TOWER: THE FALL OF GILEAD #5

Continue Reading →

Not many people seem to really enjoy the HBO original series Entourage. It has been bashed by the critic community for being “fluffy,” “uninteresting,” and “just bad,” and many fans have dropped off from the shows first season back in 2004. With that in mind, it seems that one of the main problems with the show is Adrian Grenier’s apparent lack of talent.

In a recent shoot on the set of the show, Matt Damon was directing a commercial for OneByOne.org, a nonprofit that helps people deal with conflicts like war and genocide through dialogue. In the clip, Damon is directing Grenier in a simple, 5-line speech into the camera. Adrian can’t seem to do it, and Damon loses his temper just a little bit.

Do we think this video is staged? Of course we do, but that doesn’t mean it still isn’t fun to watch Jason Bourne tell of Vinnie Chase like it’s his job. Fans of the show will also get Jeremy Piven in his Ari Gold attire trying to defuse the situation, and being unsuccessful. Check out the clip after the jump, and be warned, the language gets a bit graphic.

Continue Reading →

We’ve been pretty excited for NBC’s newest field/hospital drama Trauma, about a group of first responders in San Francisco, and the heroic feats they go through on a daily basis. Last week, we brought you a special sneak peak at the show’s pilot, and now there’s a brand new video podcast showing off Cameron Boone, one of the main characters of the show (played by Miracle at St. Anna’s Derek Luke).

The video podcast is a brief narrative in the voice of Cameron in which he talks about the things that go on for both him and the victims of a trauma. NBC has been on promotions overload with this new program, with the first four minutes of the premiere up on NBC.com. Also, they have stepped up the social networking of Trauma with both Facebook and Twitter pages for fans.

Along with Derek Luke, the show also stars Cliff Curtis (Live Free or Die Hard), Anastasia Griffith (Damages), and Aimee Garcia (The George Lopez Show). The first episode premieres on NBC tonight at 9PM/8PM Central. Check out the first video podcast, Cameron Boon, after the jump.

Continue Reading →

The recent economic downturn has had a ripple effect across the economy and now it’s threatening two of our favorite film prospects: The Hobbit and James Bond. In a conference call to bondholders studio Metro Goldywn Meyer sought funding to shore up the rest of the year and get projects on track. As money dwindles from MGM, management made a desperate plea to creditors:

“…with a request, or forebearance, to waive interest payments on MGM’s $3.5 billion killer debt until February 2010. Because if MGM doesn’t have to make those interest payments, then the studio can afford to use that money instead to fund the production slate.”

Just how bad is MGM at the moment? It needs, “$20M in short-term cash flow to cover overhead, and an additional $150 million to get through the end of year and continue funding its projects, and to start Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit.” Bondholders did not take the news well at all. In fact, reports indicate that they would sooner let the studio go bankrupt as they would be the first creditors to get paid back as assets were liquidated.

Continue Reading →

For the second week in a row, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs garnered the top spot on the weekend box office with around $24 million. The film only dropped about 19% from last week’s total, which is very good by industry standards. Historically, this indicates good word of mouth, and bodes well for staying power at the box office.

Bruce Willis’s sci-fi action romp Surrogates didn’t fare as well as expectations, grossing around $15 million.  With a reported budget of around $80 million, Surrogates looks like it will be a disappointment for Disney’s Touchstone label. In third place was MGM’s remake of Fame.  Seems the likable cast wasn’t enough to get people in the seats this weekend.

Steven Soderbergh’s  The Informant! came in fourth with almost $7 million.  In just two weeks it has almost recouped its $22 million budget, good news for Warner Brothers. Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself scooped up $4.75 million for fifth place.

The new horror/sci-fi release Pandorum made a dismal $4.4 million.  Maybe the studio should have pre-screened the movie for critics after all.  At least people would have been aware it was out there. The next three in the top ten are all considered disappointments, but if you look at what their total gross is versus their budgets, that is hardly the case.  

Love Happens (weekend gross $4.3 million, total gross $14.7, budget $18 million);  Jennifer’s Body (weekend $3.5 million, total $ 12.3 million, budget $16 million) and 9 (weekend $2.8 million,  total $27 million, budget $30 million) all look like they are going to be profitable, due to their smaller budgets. Inglourious Basterds ($2.7 million) rounded out the top ten.

Until next week, there is your weekend breakdown.

WARNING: This review contains minor spoilers, when noted.

It feels like genuine sci-fi, humans vs. aliens films are few and far between these days. Which is why, after seeing the trailer for Pandorum, I was so excited. Fortunately, Pandorum won’t disappoint any die-hard fans of sci-fi, especially if you’re also a lover of the blend of sci-fi and horror.

Pandorum centers around Bower (played quite convincingly by Ben Foster), who wakes up from extended hypersleep on a spacecraft, with no idea who he is or why he’s on the ship. Soon after, Payton (Dennis Quaid), wakes up too, and they join forces to try to figure out where they are and why in the world they’re awake. As they gain back their memories, they realize they’re not the only humans on board…and that humans aren’t the only things on board.

What this film does well (and I was a bit skeptical about this at first) is it puts the viewer right into the action and horror, with little to no backstory or introduction into the world of the film. Other sci-fi/horror films, like Event Horizon or Sunshine, work to make you feel safe and secure in your surroundings before they start scaring you.

With Pandorum, we’re clueless and freaked out from the moment Bower wakes up, and we experience with him the same fear, anxiety, and confusion that he goes through as he explores the ship and learns about the horrors within. We’re on the same page as our main character throughout the whole film, and it makes his journey and discoveries ours as well.

Continue Reading →