by John Carle, Aug 26 2011 // 8:00 AM
Anyone who follows The Flickcast knows I’m not the film guy by any means. I’m the video game guy. It is a rare feat to find a strong combination of the two. Portal: No Escape is one of those rare exceptions.
The world of Portal is filled with mystery and though some questions were answered in Portal 2 through the oral history of Aperture Science being explained by the recordings of Cave Johnson, many more questions remained. As a result, the world of Portal is ripe for fan fiction to fill in its many blanks.
That’s where director and editor Dan Trachtenberg’s fan film Portal: No Escape comes in. Though it doesn’t provide any new insight into the world of Portal, it gives a different perspective to its inhabitants. As seen by the events of Portal and Portal 2, the subjects who are used for testing “in the name of science” are not there of their own free will and do whatever they feel they must to escape.
Portal: No Escape follows one of these attempts. With music from Inception trailer composer Mike Zarin, and vision from director Dan Trachtenberg, this fan film is incredibly tense and compelling and can be appreciated by those who are fans of the series or those who may have never seen it before.
Give Portal: No Escape a watch after the jump and make sure to let us know here at the Flickcast what you think of it.
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Posted in: Fan Films · Fandom · Games · PC Games · Playstation 3 · Video Games · Xbox 360
Tagged: Dan Trachtenberg, Danielle Rayne, Fan Film, Fan Film Friday, Mike Zarin, Portal, Portal 2, Valve, Video Games
by Matt Raub, Aug 26 2011 // 7:00 AM
These days when you hear about reboots or sequels to classic 80′s franchises, the only thing that comes to mind is a shutter. With things like Footloose or Fright Night trying to take over theaters, it’s hard to believe that a good idea could float to the top.
That’s where Dan Aykroyd’s script for Ghostbusters 3 comes into play. Rumors have been floating around for over a decade about the proposed third film in the franchise, with names like Steve Carell, Jonah Hill, Eliza Dushku, and Alyssa Milano being thrown about, but Aykroyd is here to tell us exactly what we can look forward to, in an ambiguous sort of way.
In a recent episode of The Dennis Miller Show, Aykroyd finally answered the questions we’ve all been waiting for: Will there be a third film?
Yes, we will be doing the movie and hopefully with Mr. Murray. That is our hope. We have an excellent script. What we have to remember is that ‘Ghostbusters’ is bigger than any one component, although Billy was absolutely the lead and contributive to it in a massive way, as was the director and Harold [Ramis], myself and Sigourney [Weaver]. The concept is much bigger than an individual role and the promise of ‘Ghostbusters 3′ is that we get to hand the equipment and the franchise down to new blood.
So the idea of Jonah Hill or Eliza Dushku may not be too far off. The sad part is when Aykroyd explains what has happened to our favorite members of the team 20 years later.
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Posted in: Action · Announcements · Casting · Comedy · Movies · News · Prequels and Sequels · Sci-Fi
Tagged: Alyssa Milano, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Dennis Miller Show, Eliza Dushku, Ernie Hudson, Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 3, Harold Ramis, Jonah Hill, Steve Carell
by Chris Ullrich, Aug 25 2011 // 11:00 AM
In case you haven’t noticed, HBO has some pretty great shows. Some you’ve probably heard of, like The Sopranos, Game of Thrones or Boardwalk Empire, and maybe one or two you haven’t. One you may not be as familiar with is How to Make it In America.
The show, which takes place in New York and chronicles the exploits of several twenty and thirty-somethings trying to find their way and, well, make it, has a nice blend of humor, drama and some very engaging and charming characters. Plus, it’s well done and really fun to watch.
That’s probably why HBO has given it another season. To help get you ready for season two or to let you see a how that you should be checking out, we’ve got the new trailer and poster for season two for you today.
In them, you get a look at the cast, what they are trying to do and how they are trying to do it. Plus, the poster is pretty cool and helps evoke the “artsy” vibe of the show.
Oh, one more thing, the show also features the great Luis Guzman. That’s all I really needed to start watching it in the first place. That’s all you should need to know too.
Check out the trailer after the jump. How to Make it In America, which also stars Bryan Greenberg, Victor Rusak, Lake Bell, Eddie Kaye Thomas and Shannyn Sossamon, premieres Sunday, October 2 at 10:30PM on HBO.
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Posted in: Comedy · Drama · HBO · News · TV
Tagged: Bryan Greenberg, Drama, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Fashion, HBO, How to Make it in America, Lake Bell, Luis Guzman, New York, Shannyn Sossamon, TV, Victor Rusak
by Joe Gillis, Aug 25 2011 // 10:00 AM
At first, Hulu seemed like a great idea and many trumpeted it as a new way to watch TV programming. Now, Hulu is up for auction and looks to be in real trouble.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, bidders don’t seem to be coming out of the woodwork to buy the online network and the deadline for bidders has been extended to this Friday. At the moment, companies like Yahoo, Google and Amazon are among those looking closely at the online streaming video service owned by News Corp, Disney, Comcast and Providence Equity Partners.
However, that doesn’t mean any of those companies have actually decided to move forward with a bid. They haven’t. Still, with bids expected to be as high as $1.5 billion-$2 billion, things may not be over for Hulu just yet.
Although, even if one of the companied does bid and Hulu is sold, that doesn’t mean it wil continue in its present form. Given the current state of its business, chances are it probably won’t. In fact, I would be surprised to see Hulu in existence in another three years.
Posted in: Movies · News · Tech · TV
Tagged: Amazon, Comcast, Content Streaming, Disney, Google, Hulu, Internet Streaming, News Corp., Yahoo
by Matt Raub, Aug 25 2011 // 9:00 AM
A few weeks ago, we brought you our exclusive interview with both Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick, the creators of The Venture Bros., in which they told us about their upcoming special, From The Ladle To The Grave—The Shallow Gravy Story.
The special is set to hit on Adult Swim this Sunday, and we’ve got one of the stars, Dr. Venture himself, James Urbaniak, to tell us a bit more. Before we go in-depth, here’s a breakdown of what you can expect in the special.
Follow the meteoric rise, the equally meteoric fall, and the decidedly un-meteor-like second coming of the most important band Hank Venture, Dermott Fictel and H.E.L.P.eR. robot have ever been in: Shallow Gravy. If you’re hungry for rock, then open wide, because here comes a ladle of heavy metal fire and metaphoric meat drippings.
Urbaniak was able to give us more of a scoop on the special, as well as some details on what he’d like to see in the upcoming fifth season of the show. Take a look at the interview after the jump, catch the special this Sunday at Midnight on Adult Swim, and grab an official digital download of the songs featured in the special over at AdultSwim.com. Go Team Venture!
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Posted in: Adult Swim · Animation · Cartoon Network · Comedy · Exclusive · Interviews · News · Sci-Fi · Video
Tagged: Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Dermott Fictel, Doc Hammer, Jackson Publick, James Urbaniak, Venture Bros
by Sebastian Suchecki, Aug 25 2011 // 8:00 AM
According to previous reports, Fox was looking at a Fall 2011 start date for the Christopher McQuarrie script for Wolverine 2 starring Hugh Jackman and directed by James Mangold. It now looks like production will not begin until the Spring of 2012.
Even though the studio says it never gave an official production start date, there are many rumored factors that would push back the start date. The bulk of the screenplay takes place in Japan, and most of the shooting would be on location. According to studio insiders, it’s currently very difficult to find suitable shoot locations in Japan due to all of the weather-related considerations and current rebuilding process. It is now being rumored that the shooting will take place in Canada in conjunction with a secondary filming location.
The other factor that is being rumored to affect the start date is that production will wait until after Jackman finishes making Les Miserables.
The production has already faced some set backs, when Darren Aronofsky bowed out as director in March. By June, 20th Century Fox found their director after one of the most highly anticipated announcements of the summer. That set up the studio thinking that it could begin production in the fall.
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Posted in: 20th Century Fox · Action · Announcements · Comics · Marvel · Movies · News
Tagged: 20th Century Fox, Christopher McQuarrie, Darren Arronofsky, Hugh Jackman, James Mangold, Wolverine, Wolverine 2, X-Men, X-Men Origins
by Matt Raub, Aug 25 2011 // 7:00 AM
This day and age, it’s become incredibly difficult to come across a truly innovative and original movie idea. We’re either fighting aliens in a world invasion plot (again) or watching how many ways we can kill off teens in the woods (again) or watching our favorite heroes take out the bad guy (again). We need something fresh.
So when a plot like Blackthorn comes along, we’re stopped in our tracks as to how a film like this managed to float to the top of a pool of unoriginal ideas, giving us something to look forward to. Here’s the premise.
It’s been said (but unsubstantiated) that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were killed in a standoff with the Bolivian military in 1908. In BLACKTHORN, Cassidy (Shepard) survived, and is quietly living out his years under the name James Blackthorn in a secluded Bolivian village.
Tired of his long exile from the US and hoping to see his family again before he dies, Cassidy sets out on the long journey home. But when an unexpected encounter with an ambitious young criminal (Eduardo Noriega) derails his plans, he is thrust into one last adventure, the likes of which he hasn’t experienced since his glory days with the Sundance Kid.
Old Butch Sundance taking a trek across the country to go on one last adventure? Sounds a bit like Mark Millar’s Old Man Logan story if you ask us, but we’re not complaining. Check out the trailer after the jump and catch Blackthorn in theaters on October 7th.
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Posted in: Action · Drama · Movies · News · Trailers · Video
Tagged: Blackthorn, Butch & Sundance, Butch Cassidy, Eduardo Noriega, Magaly Solier, Mateo Gil, Sam Shepard, Stephen Rea, Sundance Kid
by Chris Ullrich, Aug 24 2011 // 3:55 PM
The time we all knew was coming has arrived. Today, in an open letter to the Apple board, CEO Steve Jobs officially announced his resignation from Apple, effective immedietly.
Here’s the text of the letter:
To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:
I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.
I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.
As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.
I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.
I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.
Steve
In addition, Tim Cook has been promoted to CEO to replace Jobs and Jobs will assume the role of Chairman of the Board.
I wonder what this will do to the price of Apple’s stock tomorrow morning. As for what the future holds for the company, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Posted in: Apple · News · Tech
Tagged: Apple, iPhone, iTunes, Mac, Macintosh, Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs Resigns
by Joe Gillis, Aug 24 2011 // 10:00 AM
Perhaps you didn’t realize it but there’s a fine tradition in Hollywood of having actors say the title of the film they are in during the film itself. Sometimes, like in Hot Tub Time Machine, it’s done with a nod to the audience.
Other times, as in Terminator, it’s done in a more off=hand manner and makes sense given the situation in the story. Whetever the reasons or circumstances, this has been happening for along time and will probably go on for a long time to come.
Of course, someone has taken the time to put all these instances together in one video (two, actually). That person is YouTube’s own Honsco and we’ve got the new video, and his first one, to share with you today.
They contain a lot of our favorite movies and after seeing this repeated over 150 times it never really gets old. Check out both videos after the jump.
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Posted in: Movies · News · Video
Tagged: Back to the Future, Hot Tub Time Machine, Movie Titles, Movies, Terminator, The Dark Knight, YouTube
by Sebastian Suchecki, Aug 24 2011 // 9:00 AM
In the coming months, you can expect to see tons of cross promotion between our favorite Muppets and new, hip, pop culture icons of today as we prepare for the release of Jason Segel’s upcoming Muppets movie due out this November.
With that, their brand new soundtrack, The Green Album, fans of the original Muppets get some of their favorite songs covered by modern rock and alternative bands like “Mahna Mahna” performed by The Fray, “Our World” performed by My Morning Jacket, and the original “Muppet Show Theme” sung by OK Go.
We’ve seen OK Go do some wacky videos in the past, but we’re not getting them in full-on Muppet action as they perform the cover of “The Muppet Show Theme” with the full cast of the Muppets.
Check out the video, including the very meta “nightmare ending” at the end, pick up The Green Album in stores and on iTunes now, and see The Muppets in theaters on November 23rd.
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Posted in: Check it Out · Comedy · Disney · Geek · Movies · Music · Musicals · News · Video
Tagged: Alkaline Trio, Disney, Music Videos, My Morning Jacket, OK Go, The Fray, The Green Album, The Muppet Show, The Muppets
by Matt Raub, Aug 24 2011 // 8:00 AM
While all of the drama happened between former star of CBS’s Two and a Half Men, Charlie Sheen, the show’s creator, Chuck Lorre, and the new replacement, Ashton Kutcher, one question never got raised: How do you explain to the fans what happened to Charlie’s character on the show?
That’s one detail Lorre seems to have down all too well, as the details of Charlie Harper’s gruesome death have been revealed to those who saw the taping of the show. Needless to say, it’s not very funny. Here’s the report from ScreenRant.
Charlie is going to be murdered by being pushed in front of a subway car, and his body literally explodes from the impact.
According to those at the taping, here’s how Charlie Harper’s death happens:
• In the Two and a Half Men season 8 finale, Harper flew off to Paris with Rose – his neighbor/stalker.
• Harper and Rose got married (during the fictional summer), but the relationship took a turn for the worse when she found him with another woman in the shower.
• The day after catching Harper in the shower with another woman, they were waiting for the Paris subway when Harper “slipped” in front of a moving car where his body blew apart upon impact.
• It’s implied that Rose pushed Harper in front of the subway and got away with his murder.
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Posted in: Announcements · Casting · CBS · Comedy · Fall Previews · News · TV · TV Previews
Tagged: Ashton Kutcher, CBS, Charlie Harper, Charlie Sheen, Chuck Lorre, Murder, Two and a Half Men
by Joe Gillis, Aug 24 2011 // 7:00 AM
Sure, the Avatar Marketplace isn’t really meant for the hardcore gamers out there, or those who would remember a movie as far back as 1987, but this marketing plan is definitely one for kids of all ages.
Starting tomorrow, August 25th, you can suit up as your favorite Detroit city android policeman RoboCop as a full collection of RoboCop-themed attire makes its way to the Avatar Marketplace.
Go as simple (and bad ass) as dressing up in the full RoboCop suit and upholding your own version of “the law” against your XBox Live friends. Or you can go a little simpler, by just donning the helmet, or wearing a retro OCP t-shirt. How about an obscure “I’D BUY THAT FOR A DOLLAR” shirt or even a pet ED-209?
There’s just about something for every fan of the original RoboCop series in there.
Check out the official trailer for the collection after the jump, and be sure to grab these for a few simple Microsoft Points starting tomorrow, August 25th.
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Posted in: Action · Comedy · Games · Gear · Geek · Microsoft · Movies · News · Sci-Fi · Video · Video Games · XBLA · Xbox 360
Tagged: Avatar Marketplace, Gaming, OCP, Robocop, Robocop 2, Video Games, Xbox 360, XBox Live