by Douglas Barnett, Dec 5 2011 // 1:30 PM
In celebration of the holiday season, this week’s pick is the 1984 cult classic Night of the Comet written and directed by Thom Eberhardt. Night of the Comet is a terrific throwback to 1950′s horror and sci-fi with a unique 80s spin to it. The film stars Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney, Robert Beltran, Mary Woronov, and Geoffrey Lewis.
With Christmas right around the corner, the world prepares for the arrival of a comet that predicts a stellar light show that will be seen all around the world. As billions gather to await the arrival of the comet, a group of scientists have secured themselves in a secret research facility in the California desert fearing that the last time a comet like this arrived on Earth, spelled extinction for the dinosaurs.
Stewart stars as Regina Belmont, a movie theater usher who awakens the morning after the comet passes over a deserted LA. Things seem amiss when Reggie gets locked out of the theater and discovers that her boyfriend, who went to pick up some rare film cans belonging to the theater, has not yet arrived back.
Reggie sees Larry’s (Michael Bowen) motorcycle still parked in the alley and she is attacked by a zombie in overalls. Regina fights him off and takes off on the motorcycle.
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Posted in: Comedy · Cult Cinema · DVD · DVD Reviews · Holiday · Horror · MGM · Monday Picks · Movies · Netflix · Sci-Fi
Tagged: Catherine Mary Stewart, Geoffrey Lewis, Kelli Maroney, Mary Woronov, Michael Bowen, Robert Beltran
by The Flickcast, Dec 5 2011 // 12:00 PM
JC and WallE are back with the 7th epic edition of the Bitcast. In the News of the Week, the two discuss the announcement of the PlayStation 3 Smash Brothers inspired brawler Title Fight and the characters that may be coming to it. They also talk about a recent study that links violent video games to slower brain activity. Finally, they look at how Angry Birds developer Rovio passed on a $2.25 billion dollar offer from social media games developer Zynga who incidentally lost almost a million players in their game Mafia Wars 2 in just one month.
In the second edition of The Long Grind featuring The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, JC discusses the story (spoiler free) and the open world adventuring aspects of the game.
In this week’s Topic of the Week, social media in gaming such as Facebook integration and community sites like Raptr are brought up. Finally, in Now Playing, JC gives some more insight into his longer than expected play sessions on Saints Row: The Third and WallE discusses his review of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
Make sure to subscribe to The Flickcast iTunes feed to get each weekly episode of the Bitcast downloaded right to your iOS device.
Posted in: Capcom · Games · News · Nintendo · PC Games · Playstation 3 · PlayStationNetwork · Social Networking · THQ · Video Games · Wii · Xbox 360
Tagged: Angry Birds, Capcom, Facebook, Farmville, Mafia Wars 2, Marvel, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Playstation 3, Raptr, Rovio, Saints Row, Saints Row: The Third, Skyrim, Social Media, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Long Grind, Title Fight, Twitter, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Video Games, Violence in Video Games, Xbox 360, Zynga
by Joe Gillis, Dec 5 2011 // 10:30 AM
In what could be called a bit of sci-fi synergy, original Robocop actor Peter Weller is reportedly joining the cast of J.J. Abrams upcoming sequel to Star Trek. While no other details are available at the moment as to what type or size of role Weller will be taking on in the film, you can be assured it will probably not be that of a robot or cyborg.
Of course, now that Weller is being cast in the film, speculation as to his role can begin in earnest, even without any “official” word. That’s just part of the fun. In addition to him most likely not being any sort of robot, bad or otherwise, It’s likely Weller will not play Kahn Noonian Singh — even if that role also doesn’t go to Benicio del Toro.
Weller will more likely take on a smaller yet pivotal role as a Starfleet officer or recognizable alien species who helps (or hinders) Kirk and company’s fight to destroy the greater evil threatening them and Earth. We have nothing to base that on of course, just spitballing here and trying to fill some column inches. That’s just how we roll. Who do you think Weller should play?
Paramount will release the Star Trek sequel May 17, 2013. Weller joins recently announced new cast members Alice Eve and del Toro and the returning Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, John Cho and Simon Pegg.
Posted in: Casting · Movies · News · Star Trek
Tagged: Alice Eve, Benecio del Toro, Chris Pine, J.J Abrams, John Cho, Karl Urban, Peter Weller, Star Trek, Star Trek 2, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana
by John Carle, Dec 5 2011 // 9:00 AM
Holy $#!^. It really is a challenge to clean up your mouth after playing Saints Row: The Third. It’s not because you are going to say the game is $#!^ or a waste of your &@*%ing time, but because there are so many moments where you burst out with, “Did that $#!^ really jut happen?” that the game’s foul mouth and your own just get blended together.
Saints Row: The Third is the end of a trilogy of progressively more extreme satires of the original Grand Theft Auto experience. The first Saints Row was somewhat grounded in reality while the second added a more fantastic storyline and more head scratching plot twists and more “Can they really get away with that?” moments.
Saints Row: The Third is like the Spinal Tap of the series. Take everything they have built… and turn it up to 11.
Gameplay:
Saints Row: The Third controls much like a standard third person open world action game on the surface. Players punch, shoot and carjack their way through various missions or just reign chaos upon the poorly defended denizens of Steelport. What Saints Row: The Third has done to change things up is a constant stream of mix and match gameplay mechanics to keep the player constantly feeling like they are doing something new.
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Posted in: Game Reviews · Games · PC Games · Playstation 3 · Reviews · THQ · Video Games · Wrestling · Xbox 360
Tagged: Butthole Surfers, Hulk Hogan, Johnny Gat, PC Games, Playstation 3, Reviews, Rob Van Dam, Saints Row, Saints Row: The Third, Sublime, The Saints, THQ, Video Game Reviews, Video Games, Xbox 360
by Eric Medina, Dec 5 2011 // 7:30 AM
Daniel Day Lewis is a badass. The There Will Be Blood star is infamous for never breaking character during a film’s production, and it seems that his latest portrayal of the iconic American president in Steven Speilberg’s Lincoln is no exception.
Spotted at a local cafe in Richmond, Virginia by Michael Phillips, this image has been making the rounds as the first glimpse of what this film could look like. Even though he’s enjoying his meal in jeans and a turtleneck, his hair an makeup certainly make a spot-on Abraham Lincoln.
Take a look at the candid image in full after the jump.
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Posted in: Biopic · Casting · Drama · Exclusive · Historical Dramas · Movies · News · Photos
Tagged: Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Day Lewis, John Hawkes, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, lincoln, pic, picture, Sally Field, Steven Spielberg, Tommy Lee Jones, Twitter
by Joe Gillis, Dec 2 2011 // 4:34 PM
Liam Neeson is at the age many actors start to slow down and turn to safe, non-action roles. However, he’s obviously having none of that and is continuing to kick considerable ass.
His latest film The Grey, which is directed by Joe Carnahan, sees him as an expert in survival skills whose plane crashes in the arctic wild. He must lead a group of survivors to safety while fighting off some big, bad wolves.
Even if that doesn’t sound too interesting, you can bet Neeson will take it to the next level and do some serious damage to any wolf foolish enough to mess with him. After all, he does have a particular set of skills.
Check out the new trailer after the break. Look for The Grey to hit theaters on January 27.
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Posted in: Action · Movies · News · Trailers · Video
Tagged: Dermot Mulroney, James Badge Dale, Joe Carnahan, Liam Neeson, Movies, The Grey, Trailers
by Jonathan Weilbaecher, Dec 2 2011 // 1:30 PM
Alberto Iglesias is a fantastic composer. He has two Oscar nominations under his belt, and now that he is getting higher profile work it wont be long before this Spanish composer gets a win. His most recent score is for the spy drama Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy, starring a who’s who of the best British actors working today.
The music for a thriller like this is essential in selling the mood and tension. A great score can be all the difference a movie like this needs to really breakout. So it is with great excitement that I take a listen to the Iglesias’ music, knowing that if he nails it this could be one of the best scores of the year.
My first reaction to this score is that it’s simple, piano heavy tones are perfect for a hard boiled spy thriller. I appreciate the minimalist approach which really heightens the moments of suspense in the score. The music is also not afraid to get big and exciting, most notably on the titular final track. There is a great since of intrigue in this music, really capturing the vibe you what to hear in a movie such as this.
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Posted in: Adaptation · Film Music Reviews · Film Score Friday · Movies · Music · News · Reviews
Tagged: Alberto Iglesias, film music review, Film Score Friday, Music, review, Spy, Thriller, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
by Matt Raub, Dec 2 2011 // 12:00 PM
For those who can’t stop talking, reading, or imagining what Chris Nolan’s ultimate film in the Batman franchise will be like, you’ll be in luck on December 16th, as a specific 16 theaters, all 70mm IMAX capable, will be screening a 6-minute Dark Knight Rises prologue attached to the front of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Deadline‘s got the report.
The prologue for The Dark Knight Rises will not screen with digital Imax or regular digital or 35mm film presentations of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Regular, non-Imax versions of Ghost Protocol open December 21. The list of theaters follows. Moviegoers should confirm theaters will be playing the prologue for The Dark Knight Rises before purchasing tickets.
That last note is especially important, because not many theaters may be supporting this, even if they say they will. Be sure to check out the full list after the jump, and find out which theater works for you, and which to skip when seeing Tom Cruise scale a skyscraper.
Dark Knight Rises hits theaters on July 12, 2012.
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Posted in: Action · Announcements · Comics · Dark Knight Rises · DC · DC Entertainment · Drama · IMAX · Movies · News · Trailers · Warner Bros
Tagged: Bane, Batman, Chris Nolan, Christian Bale, Dark Knight, Dark Knight Rises, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Prologue, Warner Bros
by Joe Gillis, Dec 2 2011 // 10:30 AM
You may have heard of a little game called Call of Duty: Black Ops. In fact, before the more recent Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, it was the best selling first person shooter game of all time on the XBox 360, PS3 and PC.
But what if you didn’t have and XBox or were on the road and wanted to play it on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch? Well, up until today you were out of luck. Fortunately, your luck is changing . . . for the better.
That’s right kids today Activision has released Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Here’s all the scoop from the official press release:
Adapted from Treyarch’s best-selling console hit, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and built specifically for Apple mobile devices, Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies delivers a Zombies experience never before seen on mobile along with 50 levels of cult-favorite Dead-Ops Arcade, providing the ultimate undead challenge for fans of Call of Duty’s signature Zombies mode. Featuring Voice Chat for a true Call of Duty style multiplayer experience, the title allows gamers to play solo or join a team of up to four to take down hordes of zombies.
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Posted in: Activision · Apple · Games · News · Video Games
Tagged: Activision, Apple, Call of Duty, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies, Games, iOS, iPad, iPad 2, iPad Games, iPhone 4, IPhone Games, iPod Touch, iTunes, Treyarch, Zombies
by Sebastian Suchecki, Dec 2 2011 // 9:00 AM
If there’s one thing modern action films lack that their predecessors of the 80s and 90s had it’s gratuitous chick fights. They may have been a bit tacky at times, but they please about 90% of the audience going to see the film, and sometimes, just sometimes, they were even more violent than the rest of the film.
That’s exactly what we’re getting in this brand new clip from the upcoming action blockbuster Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol. Sure, the ladies will get Simon Pegg, Tom Cruise, and Jeremy Renner. But for the fellas, we’ve got Déjà Vu starlet Paula Patton kicking some serious ass.
Take a look at the intense fight sequence after the jump, and be sure to catch Cruise pass the proverbial torch over to Jeremy Renner in Mission: Impossible -Ghost Protocol, in theaters and IMAX on December 21st.
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Posted in: Action · Geek · Movies · News · Video
Tagged: Chick Fight, Jeremy Renner, Mission Impossible, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Paramount, Paula Patton, Tom Cruise
by Matt Raub, Dec 2 2011 // 7:30 AM
While DC Universe Online may be doing well in its own right, and churning out tons of new downloadable content, there has been rumors of a Marvel-based online multiplayer for nearly a decade. With the help of Gazillion entertainment, that’s becoming more of a reality.
Now, under the temporary title of Marvel Universe (temporary for obvious reasons), the game is set to give gamers complete control over some of their favorite heroes and villains from the Marvel Universe.
Much like DC, the game will be available online to everyone, but the two major differences are the playability of classic characters, and the fact that the game will be available on PC and XBox 360, which will be a direct competition to Sony Online’s deal with DC Universe Online and the PlayStation 3.
While the game doesn’t have a solid release date, that isn’t stopping Gazillion from releasing tons of new details and goodies from the game. We’ve got a bunch of new character designs straight from the game designers. Take a look after the jump and keep it here for more details on the game as they develop.
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Posted in: Action · Comics · Exclusive · Marvel · News · PC Games
Tagged: DC Universe Online, Gazillion Entertainment, Marvel, Marvel Universe, MMO, Sony Online Entertainment, Xbox 360
by Jonathan Weilbaecher, Dec 1 2011 // 3:00 PM
Reading comics digitally on a tablet is the future. The size of tablets, and their vibrant images, make it an almost perfect reading experience. Well, Marvel Comics has an app for that and it has just received a new face-lift!
Marvel Comics app 3.0 is available now and it offers a ton of upgrades, making the the digital comics reading experience all the better:
“The future of Marvel Digital Comics is here—download the Marvel Comics app 3.0 for your iOS device RIGHT NOW! This all-new update takes the unparalleled Marvel Comics app experience to the next level a stunning new interface; broader array of search and browse functions; improved performance and stability; easier management of purchases and downloads; and more! In celebration of this exciting new upgrade, the Marvel Comics app is offering a special sale on the biggest new launches of 2011, including FF, X-Men Schism, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man and more until next Tuesday, December 6th (11pm EST)! So what are you waiting for? Upgrade your Marvel Comics app now to take advantage of this unprecedented offer!”
This update is a great step forward for the Marvel Comics app, and just in time for the holiday influx of new tablet users. If you have the app now make sure you download this update, and take advantage of the great sales Marvel is running. Digital comics are great, but cheaper digital comics are so much better.
Posted in: Announcements · Apple · Comics · Marvel · Mobile · Mobile Apps · News · Tech
Tagged: Apple, iOS, iPad, iPhone, Marvel, Marvel Comics App, News, Tablet, Tech, Update