The name of this year’s movie game seems to be massive casting. If Expendables was for the slightly older action star, then Summit Entertainment’s RED is definitely skewing much older in terms of casting.

The film stars Bruce Willis as the leader of the greatest CIA agents ever to go through the agency. The only problem? They’re all over the hill and retired. Willis leads a team of Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren, with folks like Ernest Borgnine and Richard Dreyfuss joining along as well. In order no to alienate the viewers under the age of 50, Mary Louise Parker, Julian McMahon, and Karl Urban fill out the cast.

If the action and casting isn’t enough to warrant your $10, then how about the fact that the film is based on a comic of the same name? Originally written by Warren Ellis, the script comes from the Hoeber brothers, who also brought Whiteout to the silver screen.

We’ve got 5 brand new clips for you to check out after the jump, so be sure to enjoy the action, and catch RED in theaters on October 15th.

Continue Reading →

Darren Aronofsky has made a career of choosing interesting, non-traditional material and illuminating the unexpected aspects of his subject matter. Case(s) in point: The Wrestler (a down-trodden wrestler), Pi (mathematicians), Requiem For a Dream (middle-aged drug addiction), and now Black Swan (competitive ballet.)

His knack for taking something completely mundane and elevating it to something tense and dreadful is astonishing.  Who would have ever thought that a movie about mathematicians could be exciting, much less sinister?  It is no surprise that the man who brought us Pi delivers a dark,  provocative, psychological drama, set in the cutthroat (who knew it?) world of competitive ballet.

Natalie Portman stars as Nina, a beautiful ballerina who dances for a New York City ballet company.  Though technically gifted, she has never gotten her big break because the company’s arrogant art director thinks she is too bland to carry a performance.

The film opens with us being privy to some of the cattiness that takes place behind the scenes at the ballet.  The troupe’s principal ballerina, Beth (Winona Ryder),  is being forced into retirement at the ripe old age of 37. Nina finds it sad, and defends the dancer, while the other girls titter on about her age and diminished athletic ability.  It’s immediately established that the women are highly competitive.  There is no sense of camaraderie, everyone is out for themselves.

The perennial classic Swan Lake is set to be the season opener, and Beth’s departure leaves the principal role wide open. Director Thomas (Vince Cassel) pits the girls against one another as they audition for the coveted role of The Swan Queen.

Continue Reading →

With the fan reaction being as negative as it could have been for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, it was expected that the studio and Michael Bay would be very careful in choosing a title for the third film. Fans felt alienated with the way Revenge of the Fallen went down, between the racist robots and robot balls, and now that creeping feeling is returning as the title for the third film has been announced.

It isn’t confirmed just yet, but according to a reliable Transformers fan site, marketing has started for the title Transformers: Dark of The Moon.

Some upcoming books listed at the Amazon revealed what might possibly be, the Title of the 3rd Transformers Movie.
The books are to be released (May 17, 2011) very near the release date of Transformer 3 (July 1, 2011). The author of the books is official and has written books for the 2007 Movie and ROTF. The publisher is none other than HarperColins, which produced similar books for both movies.

So it may sound like a high school adaptation of a Pink Floyd film, but this could bring new depth to Bay’s Transformers universe. It has been confirmed that Megan Fox is not returning, while LaBeouf, Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and Turturro are all coming back. Joining the cast for the first time is Malkovich, Patrick Dempsey, Ken Jeong, Alan Tudyk, and Frances McDormand.

The film is slated to hit on July 1st of 2011, so expect to see a big trailer by year’s end, hopefully along with a confirmed title.

This week on The Flickcast Chris and Matt are together again and ready to tackle a whole bunch of new and exciting topics. This week those topics include Zack Snyder as the director of Superman, more about True Grit and what Aaron Sorkin should write next.

In addition, they discussed casting news from Spider-Man, more TV show cancellations, The Social Network, Boardwalk Empire and the classic Mark Hamill film Corvette Summer. Finally, the boys made some picks again this week including Matt’s pick of the movie Monsters and Chris’ pick of Season 1.5 of Caprica.

As always, if you have comments, questions, critiques, offers of sponsorship or whatever, feel free to hit us up in the comments, on Twitter, at Facebook and MySpace or via email.

If you own an iPhone, and have since the beginning, then you know exactly how frustrating it can be to be an AT&T customer. Dropped calls, terrible service, overall just a terrible experience. Fans of Apple and the iPhone have been protesting for a Verizon phone for years now, and it looks like they’ll get what they were looking for by the end of 2010 with a brand new phone made for the Verizon network. From the Wall Street Journal.

The new iPhone would be similar in design to the iPhone 4 currently sold by AT&T Inc. but would be based on an alternative wireless technology called CDMA used by Verizon, these people said. The phone, for which Qualcomm Inc. is providing a key chip, is expected to be released in the first quarter of next year, according to the same people.

An Apple CDMA iPhone would spell the end of the exclusive U.S. arrangement with Apple that AT&T has had since 2007, when the original iPhone debuted.

So Christmas may just come early for iPhone users, or even those who have been holding out because they hate AT&T’s service. What could this mean for Droid users? And will this be the proverbial nail in the coffin for AT&T’s wireless division? Only time will tell, and we’ll be sure to keep you posted on this new phone as it surfaces.

UPDATE – In the interest of clarity we changed the headline to this post as the iPhone for Verizon is not “technically” official . . . yet. However, this is a strong indicator we will most likely see one. Can’t wait. — Ed.

It’s a good thing when Sci-Fi shows on a mainstream network keep getting further opportunities to be seen. Too often a show doesn’t get a chance to build an audience and is canceled. Fortunately, that’s not the case with Syfy’s Warehouse 13, which has been renewed for a third season.

After weeks of rumors, the cable network is set to announce a 13-episode pickup. Showrunner Jack Kenny will on board for another round and has signed a development deal with Syfy. During its second season, “Warehouse” averaged 3.4 million viewers and 1.5 million in the adults 18-49 demographic, making it Syfy’s most-watched series this year.

“Jack Kenny’s superlative leadership and the incredible talent of his cast and crew delivered an outstanding second season of ‘Warehouse 13,’ ” Syfy programming chief Mark Stern said. “We’re excited to see this successful series return next year and to developing our next hit with Jack.”

The Tuesday night drama follows two Secret Service agents who collect dangerous supernatural artifacts. No, its not the X-Files — but it is sorta similar. Still, a good show we’re glad to see get a third season.

Yesterday, Google announced that its Goggles image search feature is immediately available in the App Store for Apple’s iPhone smartphone. The new feature, which will be bundled into the Google Mobile App, will support iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 devices running iOS 4 or higher.

“Computer vision is a hard problem and Google Goggles is still a Labs product. It works well for things such as landmarks, logos and the covers of books, DVDs and games. However, it doesn’t yet work for some things you might want to try like animals, plants or food,” explains Google. Ok, well, we won’t blame you for that. Maybe it will come in a future update?

This is a pretty darn cool app and makes the iPhone even more useful than it already is. Plus, if you use it correctly, it kinda makes you look really smart. Like you know stuff.

Want to know more? Check out this video from Google after the jump.

Continue Reading →

There’s no way of this news coming across as good. Sony’s revolutionary new MMORPG which players access to the entire DC hero and villain catalog has been pushed back once again, this time to next year. It was originally slated for next month, but due to more tweaking, the game will not hit until Spring of 2011. The good news? There is now more official info for the Beta of the game, which will be out sooner than the game itself.

SOE has also revealed new details regarding the beta program. Players with VIP key cards and those having registered at the DCUO website will receive access on a priority basis starting as early as next week. As an added thank you, everyone that has already pre-ordered the game, and those who do so by November 15, 2010, are assured access to beta by November 30 (North America only).

Anyone pre-ordering the game after November 15 will gain beta access one week prior to the launch date and will be able to participate in the special beta ending event entitled Battle of the Legends with the rest of the beta participants. As an additional bonus, all beta participants will be recognized post release with a special emblem for their character when the game goes live.  Beginning October 7, 2010, instructions on how to qualify and receive your pre-order beta key, visit:  www.dcuniverseonline.com/betakey.

No word on if the Beta is the reason whether the game was pushed back or not, but it is good news to know that the select few of us who preorder the game will get front row seats to the action before everyone else. Even before that, you can get a look at what’s available in the beta with an all-new trailer for the game showing off the beta combat.

Check it out after the jump and keep it here for more news on the game’s release date.

Continue Reading →

Julie Taymor has made quite a lot of progress in Hollywood in the past few years. If bringing Across The Universe to theaters and Beatles music to a whole new audience wasn’t enough, she was one of the driving forces to bring Spider-Man to Broadway (whether we want it or not). Now Taymor is bringing her unique knack for stage adaptation with Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

The movie looks like an intense music video, with elements of mythology, magic, and yes, Russell Brand. Here’s the full synopsis for those who fell asleep during that 9th grade English class.

In her big-screen adaptation of Shakespeare’s mystical thriller “The Tempest,” Academy Award(R)-nominated Julie Taymor (“Across the Universe,” “Frida,” “Titus”) brings an original dynamic to the story by changing the gender of the sorcerer Prospero into the sorceress Prospera, portrayed by Oscar(R) winner Helen Mirren (“The Queen”). Prospera’s journey spirals through vengeance to forgiveness as she reigns over a magical island, cares for her young daughter, Miranda, and unleashes her powers against shipwrecked enemies in this exciting, masterly mix of romance, tragicomedy and the supernatural.

Mirren is followed by an almost Expendable-sized cast such as Alfred Molina, Djimon Hounsou, David Strathairn, Chris Cooper, Alan Cumming, Ben Whishaw, Reeve Carney, Felicity Jones, and Tom Conti.

The film is expected to hit theaters on December 10th, but you can see what we’re going on about with the first trailer after the jump. Enjoy!

Continue Reading →

Comic books are a ripe source of material for video games, yet it seems like it takes a major motion picture in order for singular characters to get their 15 minutes of pixelated fame. It worked with such franchises as Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk and even Iron Man, and now SEGA is going red, white, and blue with Captain America: Super Soldier. From a SEGA press release.

Players will become Captain America as he faces the Red Skull and his army in an epic third- person action adventure set in the darkest days of World War II. Wielding Captain America’s legendary shield, gamers will engage in free-flowing combat and acrobatic platforming to infiltrate Hydra’s mysterious castle and battle the infamous Iron Cross, the forces of Hydra, and a host of nefarious enemies serving the Red Skull.

As the First Avenger himself, players must defeat the evil scientist Arnim Zola and his wartime experiments, combining powerful melee combos and shield attacks to devastating effect. Captain America: Super Soldier combines a highly athletic combat system with fluid platforming and a highly tuned suite of shield attacks, as Cap explores a massive castle turned military installation. His shield can be employed in numerous ways: taking out multiple enemies at once, deflecting incoming fire back at enemies, solving puzzles, and scaling walls.

Comic veteran Christos Cage is penning the story for the game, and will take place inside of the upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger universe. No word on voice talent, but don’t be surprised if you see Hugo Weaving and Chris Evans step in to voice Red Skull and Cap in the game as well as the film.

The game is currently in final development, with an estimated release date close to the film’s release on July 22nd of next year. Expect to see the game hit XBox 360, PS3, Wii, PSP, and Nintendo DS’s everyhwere. In the meantime, you can check out a handfull of great screenshots from the game after the jump.

Continue Reading →

If you’ve been following the marketing for Stone, you are no doubt poised to see a psychological thriller, of sorts. Unfortunately, Stone plays more like a  psychodrama than a psychological thriller.  The movie does a bang-up  job of establishing that something very, very  bad is going to happen.

Through music, imagery and a frightening  flashback we are conditioned to believe that there will be a showdown between good and evil.  I found myself on the edge of my seat, waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop, but it never does.

A strangely meandering story just sort of sputters out, and the film ends abruptly, prompting a “huh, you mean that was it?” It’s a pity, because there was a lot of potential in the movie.

Robert De Niro stars as Jack Mabry, a parole officer who works in a prison, reviewing cases to determine which inmates are qualified for a parole hearing.  He pores over the minutiae of each case, studies the files and conducts in-depth interviews with the potential parolees.  He is about to retire from his position when he is given one last case to review.

Edward Norton plays Gerald Creeson, who goes by the moniker “Stone.”  He is Jack’s last case. He has served ten years for arson, and he is starting to lose his mind within the confines of prison.  He is desperate to get out.  His sex-kitten wife Lucetta (Milla Jovovich) is also eager to have him back in her bed, and she is more than willing to use her sexuality to influence Jack’s decision.

Continue Reading →

In an effort to support the small comic book press, we proudly presents a preview of the upcoming release from Studio Z entitled Z-Girl and the 4 Tigers. The series’ inagural issue #0 will debut this weekend at the New York Comic Con. Z-Girl and the 4 Tigers is a collaboration of artist Kirk Manley and writer Jeff Marsick. Take a peek below at Studio Z’s press release on the upcoming title as well as some preview pages from the issue.

In 300 BC, venerable Lao Tzu, the father of Taoism, looked upon the evil ravaging China and set about finding ancient warrior spirits who would defend humanity and prevent the future zombie apocalypse as foretold in the ancient epic of Gilgamesh. These spirits, his Tigers, would be contained in human hosts. And to lead them, a fifth tiger, the center that commands the others, he selected a special kind of immortal being, a female zombie. If a Tiger is killed, the spirit seeks out a suitable replacement and is then drawn to Z-Girl through the sacred tattoos that bond the team to her. Z-Girl uses an ancient regenerative myst to repair herself as well as keep her more base instincts and hungers in check.

Centuries after their creation, Z-Girl and the 4 Tigers continue to fulfill the prophecies of Lao Tzu, and currently operate as agents of the secretive Department of Irregular Warfare. Outfitted with the latest in high-tech weaponry and capable of engaging threats anywhere on the planet, Z-Girl and the Four Tigers are often called upon to be the last line of defense against unthinkable and unimaginable evils.

Z-Girl and the 4 Tigers #0 will be available at the New York Comic Con at Booth #344 in the small press section. Make sure to check out the preview pages below and stop by the booth and pick up a copy and see the creators this week at NYCC.

Continue Reading →