by Shannon Hood, Jul 26 2010 // 8:00 AM
Audiences continued to embrace Inception this past weekend, as the Christopher Nolan movie dropped only 30% from its opening weekend, and earned an additional $45 Million at the box office. This bodes very well for the film, which now looks poised to enjoy some staying power at the box office. The cerebral caper has a ten day total of over $143 Million.
Salt proved to be a solid number two film, earning $36.5 Million, with a per screen average of around $10,000. Despicable Me continues to delight audiences, as the film only dropped 26% in its third week, making over $24 Million. The movie has now made over $161 Million in its three week run.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice added almost another $10 Million to its two week total, and came in at number four for the weekend. Holdover Toy Story 3 came in at number five with $9 Million.
Newcomer Ramona and Beezus failed to crack the top five, coming in at number six. The g-rated flick only made about $8 Million, but it should be noted that it only opened on about 2,700 screens. The film reportedly only cost around $15 Million to make, so it should have no problem making a profit.
Indie film The Kids Are All Right continues to have a strong per screen average. This week it averaged over $13,000 on just over 200 screens.
Posted in: Box Office · Movies · News
Tagged: Box Office, Despicable Me, Inception, Ramona and Beezus, Salt, The Sorcerer's Apprentice
by Cortney Zamm, Jul 26 2010 // 7:00 AM
At this year’s San Diego Comic Con, there is arguably nothing bigger than Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. On preview night, the sixth issue of the comic was released. All over the convention there have been posters and advertisements for the upcoming movie, with a heavily attended panel in Hall H on Wednesday night and several screenings of the film throughout the week.
This movie is everywhere here in San Diego, and as a result the videogame is as well, and I was given the chance to check out the game for myself here at Comic-Con. Before even picking up the controller to play Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, I knew it was a side-scrolling co-op game in the same vein as many classic 8 and 16-bit games.
But I didn’t realize just how much fun it would be. Sometimes games use an 8-bit or side-scrolling style as a gimmick, but I can’t imagine this game being done any other way. Playing as Ramona, I punched and kicked my way through a bar, across a stage, and into a bathroom, eventually finding and fighting Todd Ingram, one of the evil ex-boyfriends.
The game itself is easy to pick up and play without any instructions, and, as someone who isn’t too familiar with the Scott Pilgrim universe I was never lost as to what was happening story-wise. Let me just say that even after only a few short minutes with it, this game works so much better when you play it with a friend.
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Posted in: Adaptation · Comic-Con · Comics · Games · Geek · Playstation 3 · PlayStationNetwork · Video Games · XBLA · Xbox 360
Tagged: Comic-Con, San Diego Comic-Con, Scott Pilgrim, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Videogame, SDCC, SDCC10
by Shannon Hood, Jul 25 2010 // 5:00 PM
Veteran television and film actor Alfred Molina will be joining Skeet Ulrich in the new Law and Order spinoff based in Los Angeles. Molina can be seen in theaters right now in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
However, fanboys will forever remember him as ill-fated Satipo from Raiders of the Lost Ark (“Throw me the idol, I’ll throw you the whip!) and, of course, as Dr. Octopus from Spider-Man 2.
Molina will be playing Deputy D.A. Morales. Ulrich will be playing Detective Rex Winters. The show is to begin production August 2, and will premiere on television on September 22 on NBC.
This will be Molina’s first regular television role since Bram and Alice in 2002.
Posted in: Casting · NBC · TV
Tagged: Alfred Molina, Law and Order Los Angeles, NBC, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Spider-Man 2, TV
by Shannon Hood, Jul 25 2010 // 4:00 PM
Marvel pulled out all the stops Saturday night at a San Diego Comic-Con panel featuring actors from three big properties, Thor, Captain America, and Avengers. Hard to believe that all these stars could fit in one room.
Appearing at the panel were Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Clark Gregg (Agent Phil Coulson), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), and Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk). This was also the first time Renner and Ruffalo were “officially” recognized as having been cast in their respective roles in the movie. Plus, this also confirms speculation that Johansson will be reprising her Iron Man 2 role in The Avengers.
Avengers director Joss Whedon and Marvel Studio president Kevin Feige also were on hand. The huge ensemble thrilled the panel audience, and Feige spoke about the challenges of combining characters from different movies into the Marvel Universe. Joss Whedon was self-deprecating about directing Avengers, joking that he was going to blow it.
The panel was treated to footage of an unfinished scene for Captain America, a 3D trailer for Thor, and a teaser for Avengers. According to all reports, said footage was appropriately awesome and greeted enthusiastically by fans.
Posted in: Comic-Con · Marvel Studios
Tagged: Avengers, Captain America, Comic-Con, Joss Whedon, Kevin Fiege, Marvel, SDCC, SDCC10, Thor
by Shannon Hood, Jul 25 2010 // 3:00 PM
Yep, the one and the same Linda Hamilton that we all remember from the Terminator franchise is going to grace a geek property once again. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hamilton will be playing the long lost mother of Chuck (Zachary Levi) and Ellie (Sarah Lancaster.) Right now Hamilton’s character, Mary Bartowski, is listed as being on recurring status.
At a press conference at the San Diego Comic-Con, executive producer Josh Schwartz said that Hamilton was actually inspired by fans who wrote in online. Schwartz added that Hamilton’s character will drive a lot of the plot next season, as Chuck and Ellie search for their mom, whose identity has been a mystery throughout the show.
Hamilton will make her first appearance in the season opener, which will also feature a bit role for Olivia Munn. “Old Spice” phenom Isaiah Mustafa will also appear next season.
I can’t wait to see Hamilton in this role. What do you think?
Posted in: Announcements · Casting · Comic-Con · NBC · TV
Tagged: Chuck, Comic-Con, James Cameron, Linda Hamilton, Movies, Olivia Munn, San Diego Comic-Con, Sarah Lancaster, Sci-Fi, SDCC10, The Terminator, TV, Zachary Levi
by Joe Gillis, Jul 25 2010 // 2:00 PM
With all eyes on San Diego Comic-Con this week we’ve been inundated with all sorts of great costumes, booths, events and more throughout the week. We’ve already shown you some great costume photos and now we’re back with even more for your viewing pleasure.
From Predators to Stormtroopers to Cat Women to Supergirl and Batman and everything in between, you just know tat wherever you go on the Con show floor you’re in for the most innovative and most interesting costumes and booths to be found anywhere.
Check out the new gallery after the jump. Keep it right here for more coverage from San Diego Comic-Con.
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Posted in: Comic-Con · News · Photos
Tagged: Booths, Comic-Con, Costumes, Galleries, Photos, San Diego Comic-Con, SDCC10
by Cortney Zamm, Jul 25 2010 // 1:00 PM
When I was about twelve, I picked up a game for my Playstation 2 called Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racoonus. With its slick cel-shaded animation, humorous storyline, and addictive gameplay, I probably played this game and its subsequent sequels many times. Which is why, when I heard they were re-releasing it for the PS3 in 3D, I had a little fan-girl freak out. I got a chance to try out The Sly Cooper Collection at Comic-Con, and it definitely left an impression.
You’re probably wondering why they’re re-releasing these three games instead of making a brand new one, especially because the graphics in these games are obviously a little bit outdated. The obvious answer to this is that these games are great, but once you get in front of a screen, put on those glasses, and pick up the controller, it pretty much speaks for itself. 3D makes these games look fantastic! The graphics were cleaned up a bit for this release, but there’s so much about the cel-shading from the original games that enhances the 3D.
One particular level we got to try out was a flying level, where Sly had to shoot his way to victory against a bunch of different airplanes and baddies. The depth of the environment around the characters and the way it felt to fly around that 3D environment was pretty awe-inspiring. The third game in the series was actually released in 3D on the PS2, and while the technology now was nothing like it is then, it made a really easy transition to the 3D we’ve come to know and enjoy these days. The 3D graphics in Sly Cooper Collection will even be able to be adjusted to avoid eye strain and headaches as well as change the angle at which the game can be viewed.
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Posted in: 3-D · Comic-Con · Games · News · Playstation 3 · PlayStationNetwork · Sony · Video Games
Tagged: Comic-Con, Games, Playstation, PS3, SDCC, SDCC10, Sly Cooper, Sly Cooper Collection, Video Games
by Chris Ullrich, Jul 25 2010 // 12:00 PM
Last night during San Diego Comic-Con a few hundred creators, fans and supporters gathered at the Bristol Hotel for the Celebrate the Web event to see and experience the latest and greatest content the world wide web has to offer. Those in attendance also got to be involved in panel discussions, moderated by our good pal Sam Proof, with some of the web’s top creators who offered their insight into making content today for the web, the tools of the trade and some of the pitfalls.
In the interest of full disclosure I need to say now that The Flickcast was a proud sponsor of the event along with our partners at Tube Filter and Blip.tv. However, that didn’t stop me from being very impressed with many of the sci-fi, dramatic and comedy programs who’s footage we saw last night.
Some of the creators at the event who showed footage or trailers from their projects included Shawna Trpcic from Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, Melanie Merkosky from Continuum, Kelly Parks from Universal Dead, Christopher Preksta and Curt Wootton from The Mercury Men and The Bui Brothers from Pryce.
In addition, creators such as Paula Rhodes and Craig Frank from A Good Night’s Quest, Matt Sloan and Aaron Yonda from Chad Vader, Rudy Jahchan from A Comicbook Orange, Adam Chambers of I Heart Vampires and David Nett and Stephanie Thorpe of Gold: Night of the Zombie King were also in attendance.
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Posted in: New Media · News · The Internets
Tagged: A Comicbook Orange, A Good Night's Quest, Aaron Yonda, Celebrate the Web, Chad Vader, Continuum, Craig Frank, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Gold: Night of the Zombie King, I Heart Vampires, Jeff Lewis, Kelly Parks, Matt Sloan, Melanie Merkosky, New Media, Pryce, SDCC, SDCC10, The Bui Brothers, The Guild, The Jeff Lewis Five Minute Comedy Hour, The Mercury Men, Universal Dead
by Shannon Hood, Jul 25 2010 // 11:00 AM
Sure, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Picard, Riker and the rest of the “good guys” have always been the primary focus of Star Trek movies, TV shows and even comic based on the series. But what about the cool bad guys?
Well, at least one of them is finally getting his due in IDW’s just announced comic series based on the hugely popular Star Trek villain Khan. First made popular by the late Ricardo Montalban in the priginal Star Trek series, Khan will now live on and continue his story in comic book form.
According IDW:
“What happened to Khan and his followers on Ceti Alpha V? Star Trek: Khan: Ruling in Hell answers just that, explaining how this once proud warrior-king turns into the grizzled maniac seen in Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan.”
In addition to the comic, IDW will also be offering a plush doll in conjunction with the release, available exclusively at comic dealers or via comicshoplocator.com.
Star Trek: Khan: Ruling in Hell will be written by Scott and David Tipton, with Fabio Mantovani bringing the story to life by doing the art. The first comic will be 32 pages and will be released in October.
Posted in: Announcements · Comic-Con · Comics · IDW · News
Tagged: Comic-Con, Comics, DeForest Kelly, Gene Roddenberry, IDW Publishing, Khan: Ruling in Hell, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban, SDCC10, Star Trek, William Shatner
by Jennifer Tomooka, Jul 25 2010 // 10:00 AM
During a Q&A session for Stargate Universe, actress Ming Na opened up about playing recurring character Camille Wray on the popular Syfy series. The actress was quite candid about her hesitations about taking on the role, advocating for a character that had depth beyond the obvious sex appeal.
“I had a small amount of hesitation because I wasn’t sure how they were going to write the character and what would come out of that particular character choice. But, after speaking with (creators) Robert Cooper and Brad Wright, I felt very comfortable that they were going to really give a great deal of respect and thought and it wasn’t just going to be eye candy with these two girls, you know, getting it on!”
Speaking of which, next season will feature more development between Camille and Sharon, her lover on Earth, and how the two of them handle being apart for so long.
“Yes, it gets a lot more complicated because there has been a lot of stress in their relationship, as with any long distance relationship, and this is a REALLY long distance relationship, you know, there’s a lot more tension built up now, even with a solid relationship like theirs, so it will be interesting.”
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Posted in: Action · Drama · News · Sci-Fi · SyFy · TV
Tagged: Ming-Na, Robert Carlyle, Sci-Fi, SDCC10, Stargate, Stargate: Universe, TV
by Matt Raub, Jul 25 2010 // 9:00 AM
Last year, we got the chance to catch up with one of the two funniest guys at Comic-Con, as Zach Levi and Joshua Gomez were in attendance prepping for the third season of Chuck. Due to an overwhelming response from the fans, and the huge support from Subway, the show was greanted another season, and is coming back again this Fall.
We got the chance to catch up once again with the cast, and most importantly, Chuck Bartowski himself, Zach Levi, at this year’s Con. Both he and his on-screen BFF, Josh Gomez, were pretty excited as we discussed the addition of Terminator’s Linda Hamilton to the cast as Chuck and Ellie’s mother.
Check out our interview with Zach after the jump, and be sure to keep it here for more news straight from Comic-Con 2010, and even some exclusive interviews with the rest of the cast of Chuck.
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Posted in: Action · Comedy · Comic-Con · Exclusive · Interviews · NBC · Networks · News · TV · Video
Tagged: Chuck, Chuck Bartowski, Comic-Con, Interviews, Joshua Gomez, Linda Hamilton, NBC, San Diego Comic-Con, SDCC10, Zach Levi
by Chris Ullrich, Jul 25 2010 // 8:00 AM
Remember that movie where the vampires came to the town in Alaska during the 30 long days of night and killed pretty much everyone? Yeah, I liked that one too.
Obviously a few more people must agree with me because now we’ve got a sequel to 30 Days Of Night known as 30 Days of Night: Dark Days. Want to know more of what its all about?
If so, check out all the info you could ever need, including the brand new trailer that just dropped, right here and after the break.
It’s been almost a year since the Alaskan town of Barrow’s population was decimated by vampires during its annual month-long sunset. Riddled with grief over the death of her husband, bound by nightmares and void of all emotions beyond hate and sorrow, Stella (Kiele Sanchez) has spent the past months traveling the world, trying to convince others that vampires exist.
Met with skepticism and laughter, Stella is ready to throw in the towel when a group of lost souls (Rhys Coiro, Diora Baird and Harold Perrineau) offers an incredible opportunity: the chance to exact revenge upon Lilith (Mia Kirshner), the vampire queen responsible for the assault on Stella’s sleepy Alaskan town. With nothing remaining to live for, and nothing left to fear, Stella joins their mission and ventures into the uncharted underbelly of Los Angeles where she pushes herself to the most extreme limits to stop the evil from striking again.
The release will be direct to DVD and Blu-ray and contain a a host of special features including filmmaker commentary and The Gritty Realism of Dark Days, a new featurette that provides an all access behind-the-scenes exploration of the production design, make-up effects and cinematography used to create the gory war on the vampires.
The Blu-ray/DVD combo pack is also enhanced with an exclusive Blu-ray interactive featurette, Graphic Inspirations: From Comic to Film, which compares and contrasts the visuals of the graphic novel with the imagery from the film, with discussion by director Ben Ketai.
Check out the new trailer after the break. 30 Days of Night: Dark Days arrives on DVD and Blu-ray October 5th.
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Posted in: DVD · Movies · News
Tagged: 30 Days of Night, 30 Days of Night: Dark Days, Blu-Ray, Diora Baird, DVD, Harold Perrineau, Horror, Kiele Sanchez, Mia Kirshner, Movies, Ryhs Corio