With the screen adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows getting split into two films, the first of which hits theaters next November, we’re just now getting a glimpse at the first scenes from the film.

The book was claimed to be too epic in size by Warner Bros. to be released as one film, so it will be split between two films on November 19 of 2010 and July 15 of 2011. This is the final chapter in the book’s series, and according to IMDb, the premise alone is pretty heavy.

Voldemort’s power is growing stronger. He now has control over the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide to finish Dumbledore’s work and find the rest of the Horcruxes to defeat the Dark Lord. But little hope remains for them, so everything they do must go as planned.

Check out the first featurette and teaser for the film after the jump, in which producer David Heyman and director David Yates discuss working on the project. The next films also star John Hurt (Alien, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) reprising his role as Mr. Ollivander.

Continue Reading →

With Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th getting remade and rebooted these days, it’s only inevitable to hear about a remake of arguably one of the scariest horror films of the 1980s in Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist.

About two years ago, it was announced that MGM Studios was working on the remake, and then a year later they announced that House of Sand and Fog director Vadim Perelman would take the helm. Even later, MGM picked up  Stiles White and Juliet Snowden, the team behind 2005’s Boogeyman and this year’s Knowing, would be penning the script.

It has now been announced that the film will have a release date of November 24 of next year. Not a terrible draw, being Thanksgiving weekend, and also one week after the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. You can expect to see more November releases in the coming years after the success of the Twilight franchise and it’s positioning.

No word yet on casting, but it has to be asked whether or not the studio is worried about the legendary Poltergeist Curse, which allegedly took the lives of several cast and crew members over the years. With a release date only 14 months away, we are sure to hear more about casting and when shooting begins in the coming weeks.

If you’re one of the millions waiting impatiently to catch a glimpse at James Cameron’s Avatar, then you may want to clear your schedule. Starting next Monday (August 17th) you’ll be able to get a free ticket for an 16-minute IMAX trailer on August 21. From The Hollywood Reporter:

The extended trailer, featuring an on-camera intro by director James Cameron, hits 101 Imax venues in the U.S. and Canada on Aug. 21 in a promo push announced at the recent Comic-Con International confab in San Diego. On the same date, theaters worldwide will begin showing more conventional 2D and 3D “Avatar” trailers.

Since Hpnotiq’s release party a few years ago, a popular drink rising up on the club scene has been the Incredible Hulk. Created in Sean Combs’ New York restaurant, Justin’s, this became one of the first popular superhero inspired drinks. Years ago, no one ever would have uttered the names of comic book characters or sci-fi movies in a popular nightlife hotspot. It was just unheard of. But now with the acceptance of geek culture becoming mainstream, these kinds of drinks are on the rise.

The Incredible Hulk

Much to the delight of guests at the Hilton Bayfront at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, the hotel decided to cater to this rising trend, coming up with their own customer drinks for convention goers and we at The Flickcast were lucky enough to snag one of their recipe charts to share with you.

Some of these are very specific calling for name brand products but most can be substituted for a similar alcohol.

Drinks for the Kids (Non-Alcoholic, obviously)

“Muggle Juice” inspired by Harry Potter
Strawberries, fresh mint, lime, ginger syrup, fill with Soda – served in a highball (8 oz.) or Collins (12 oz.) glass

“Yoda’s Swamp Water” inspired by Star Wars
Cucumber, fresh mint, fill with ginger beer – served in a highball or Collins glass

Martinis

“Golden Lasso” inspired by Wonder Woman
1 1/2 oz. Rum, 1/2 oz. Velvet Falernum (sweet syrup liqueur), 1/2 oz. 99 Bananas (banana liqueur), 1/2 oz. Dole pineapple juice, Pechaud’s Bitters

“Mystique” inspired by the X-Men
3 oz. Van Gogh Acai Blueberry Vodka, lemon, blueberries, cane sugar

Continue Reading →

In the world of young adult fantasy, you could make the argument that Harry Potter, and his cinematic incarnation Daniel Radcliffe, still reign supreme. However, in recent years, another young man has made great strides up that hill of tween fandom and has become a major player and a force to be reckoned with. I’m talking, of course, about Twilight’s Edward Cullen, as played by Robert Pattinson.

So, who’s more popular? Who do thirteen-year-old girls love more? Its hard to say. But one thing you can say about these two actors is that they don’t seem to like each others movies very much — at least according to this video from last night’s Jimmy Fallon Show.

Even with all the apparent bad feelings, rest assured both franchises will still be around for many years to come. Because no matter what actors, critics or the man on the street feels about a movie, the fact that both franchises make a ton of money is enough to insure their continued presence on bookstore shelves, in theaters and in the hearts of fans everywhere.

Check it out after the jump.

Continue Reading →

Warning: This review CONTAINS SPOILERS. Seriously. Don’t read if you haven’t seen the movie or read the books.

I grew up with Harry Potter. Alongside him, is more appropriate actually. I picked up the first book from Barnes and Noble at the age of 9, and I remember the anticipation as each book came out. Each midnight release as my friend Emma’s mom, Ann, bought us root beers and cookies at the Barnes and Noble café while we trooped around in big rimmed glasses with lightning bolt scars drawn on our heads, awaiting 12 AM when the book would finally be in our hands.

As Harry grew and adventured and experienced, I did too. I felt the pangs of first love, the loss of old friends, the joys of new ones with a fictional character who was as real as anything to me. As I read the seventh and final book cover to cover last year, I felt like a piece of my childhood was gone. I was finally grown up.

The movie franchise, however I might feel about them, has been a bit backwards. As each film has been released I’ve been less and less excited. I thought they started out splendidly. I remember tearing up in the theater at the age of thirteen when I heard Sir Richard Harris mutter the line, “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” I was terrified of the basilisk, and in love with Kenneth Branaugh as Gilderoy Lockhart. But as the kids grew up in the films and the CGI was relied on more and more, the magic was slowly lost for me. Especially in Movie 5, Order of the Phoenix.

Continue Reading →

Back in 2001, legendary director of “family friendly” films Chris Columbus teamed up with Warner Bros. to bring the works of J.K. Rowling to the silver screen with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. They managed to do so with such amazing prestige and results that the rest of the films were sure to follow in line. This trend stayed true for a few more years with Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban. The movies were getting better and darker as the titular character grew older. Sadly, with the latest installment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the only thing the audience gets this time is awkward emotions and a sense of loss.

With The Half-Blood Prince, which is based on the sixth book in the Harry Potter series, the viewer is treated differently. Rather than open their minds to a secret world of magic and wizardry, they are already inundated with such things We have all just gotten over the loss of Harry’s “uncle”, Sirius Black, and the very first battle is waged between good and evil. This movie should carry on the excitement and those feelings, right? Sadly, not in this case.

Continue Reading →

Now packed with even more Harry and Dumbledore, this new Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince featurette, um, features some extended scenes of Harry and his mentor/father figure trying to decide just what to do about the things going on these days at Hogwarts and in the world of Muggles. Of course, they don’t decide to just sit around and talk but instead embark on a perilous journey to retrieve the one final piece of the puzzle that will help them destroy Voldemort. Did you really think they wouldn’t?

Plus, as this is a “behind the scenes” video we also get some cast and director interviews explaining some of the finer plot points as well as a further look at the filmmaking process itself. All in all, a rather interesting video that adds even more fuel to the fire of excitement for this movie to finally be released. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait much longer as the film will hit theaters on July 15.

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, be sure to watch the full video after the jump.

Continue Reading →

In honor of the upcoming film Blood The Last Vampire and its plaid skirt wearing protagonist, over at io9 they’ve put together a little gallery of other schoolgirls who kick considerable butt and look good in the process. Among the list of notables are the girls of D.E.B.S. (including Devon Aoki), the chicks from the schoolgirls versus zombies film Uniform Sabaigaru, Go Go from Kill Bill and Hermione Granger of Harry Potter fame.

Of course, as much as girls in schoolgirl uniforms are cool, I might expand the list to include other types of killer girls in uniform like cheerleaders and nurses. But that’s just me. Maybe that’s a topic for another gallery? Perhaps. In the meantime, check out some of the pics after the break.

For the full gallery, head over to io9.

Continue Reading →

Hey there, did you happen to catch the show Merlin on Sunday night? If not, then you missed the awesome extended Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince preview that ran during the show. However, fear not because we here at The Flickast have your back. How? We’ve got the extended preview to bring you right now, courtesy of NBC.

In this clip we’re given a further glimse into the world of this new film and how the gang has changed, and stayed the same, since the last movie. All your favorites are in attendance including Ron, Hermoine, Dumbledore, Snape, Voldemort and, of course, Harry himself. They’re just a bit older, wiser and slightly worse for wear.

We also get to see that this Harry Potter film is pretty dark and the stakes have risen quite high for our heroes. In fact, the fate of their world, and ours, hangs in the balance. It looks pretty good to me, I have to say.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens everywhere on July 15th. Click through to check out the extended trailer. Its worth a look.

Continue Reading →