Lists are fun. Lists are, at least in some cases, easy to create. In this case, the list in question for today is The Five Best Movies Adapted From Comics.

I know what you’re thinking. Why five? Well, it sorta works with the word “Flickcast” and we’re fans of alliteration around here, so that’s one reason. Of course, it also means I only need to come up with five items to fill the list, so that might have something to do with it too. I’ll never tell.

I’m also in the process of preparing a list of the worst movies adapted from comics as well because what’s a “best” list without a “worst” list, right? Right.

However, in this case, we’re talking best. And do we have a lot of great “best” ones to choose from. That’s not a question, we do.

The ones I’ve chosen are not only great examples of comic book adaptations done right, they’re also great movies too. From a clever screenplay to expert direction, exciting visuals, to compelling characters and performances, these five films deliver on many levels and also manage to demonstrate a real love for their source material.

Okay, enough setup. On with the listing of the things.

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Up yours, Snow White! Fans of dwarves and fantasy alike will be pleased to see the latest photo from Peter Jackson The Hobbit, featuring all 13 dwarves doin’ their dwarf thing.

From the left, they’re Jed Brophy as “Nori,” Dean O’Gorman as “Fili,” Mark Hadlow as “Dori,” James Nesbitt as “Bofur,” Peter Hambleton as “Gloin,” Graham McTavish as “Dwalin,” Richard Armitage as “Thorin Oakenshield,” Ken Stott as “Balin,” John Callen as “Oin,” Stephen Hunter as “Bombur,” William Kircher as “Bifur,” Adam Brown as “Ori,” and Aidan Turner as “Kili.” [Not pictured: Wilford Brimley as “Groin,” Brian Cox as “Drunky,” and Rip Torn as “Farty.”]

Reprising their roles from the Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy are Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Ian Holm, Elijah Wood, and Orlando Bloom. Martin Freeman (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) will star as Bilbo Baggins.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is scheduled for release December 14^th, 2012; The Hobbit: There and Back Again December 13^th, 2013.

Click through for a larger version of the pic.

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When asked about his role in Jaws 4: The Revenge, Michael Caine once said, “I never saw it—but I saw the house it paid for, and it’s fantastic!” I suspect John Turturro’s been saying something similar for the past four years whenever he’s asked about the Transformers movies. Now we can add John Malkovich and Frances McDormand to that group. And maybe Alan Tudyk.

The plot is as labyrinthine as it is unnecessary. Back in the early 1960s, a ship from war-torn Cybertron (if the Transformers spend all their time fighting, how did they ever evolve?) crashed on the moon. Among the cargo were several “Pillars” that have some sort of significance to the war.

Also, a big, tough Autobot named Sentinal Prime. The White House gets wise to this, and thus we have the impetus for the moon landing (apparently, many historical events were due to Transformers; they don’t get around to revealing that car in which Kennedy was shot was an Autobot, but there may be a fourth film).

Fast-forward to the present day, where the Autobots are now working for the Feds to preserve humanity (how did we ever get along without them?). While on a mission to Chernobyl, Optimus Prime discovers some remnant of the Pillars and decides that it’s high time to revive Sentinal. Also, the Pillars are somehow able to teleport things, which means that it can be used to bring an army of invading Decepticons to earth (according to Frances McDormand, National Intelligence Director).

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Sometimes the anticipation and enthusiasm for a movie can be enhanced by a series of great trailers. Unfortunately, anticipation and enthusiasm an also be killed by bad trailers or ones that just don’t resonate with the audience. Green Lantern is a recent example of this.

Fortunately, we don’t have that problem with the latest trailer for Marvel’s upcoming Summer action blockbuster Captain America: The First Avenger. In it we get a better look at the man who is to become Cap and we also get some wise, sage advise from Stanley Tucci’s Dr. Erskine as he tells our hero that “Whatever happens, stay who you are.”

Good advice and a great trailer. This movie continues to look amazing and I can’t wait for it to be released. I’ll be in line before day one if possible.

Check out the trailer after the break. Captain America: The First Avenger hits theaters on July 22nd.

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Welcome to another edition of On the Radar where we delve into all corners of the entertainment, tech and geek Internets for news, views and whatnot that may have escaped our regular coverage during the week. Let is know if we missed something interesting.

Let’s get started!

• We finally get the first sounds of Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull in a new teaser for Captain America: The First Avenger. Funny…he sounds a lot like Megatron.

• It looks like the lawsuit against Warner Bros for use of Mike Tyson’s tattoo on Ed Helms in The Hangover Part II may force them to CG the tattoo out of the DVD’s. This seems like a completely reasonable use of that $400 million the film made in the box office.

• Dark animated film 9 director Shane Acker is planning on a big-screen adaptation of Thomas The Tank Engine. Our hope is that Tim Burton also produces this film and Thomas is now a train…from hell!

• Ever want to know what Raiders of the Lost Ark would be like with Tom Selleck and Sean Young? Here you go, but we warn you: the mustache did not help him in the audition.

• Before we ever get the inevitable leaked pilot, we’ve got a whopping 7 second teaser from the failed NBC Wonder Woman series. Who knew you could sum up the entire reason why it failed in 7 seconds?

• In hoping to leave the kids table and join the big boys, Nintendo has teamed with Ubisoft to work on a new raunchy game for the WiiU, titled Killer Freaks from Outer Space. We’re totally sold.

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Ok fans, here’s the one you’ve been waiting for. The first official full trailer for Captain America has arrived (via ET) and lo it is good.

In it we get a real feel for the story and see all our favorite characters in their full glory. From the scrawny Steve Rogers and Dr. Erskine to the Red Skull, Tony Stark’s dad and the man himself, Captain America, all the characters look awesome and just as they should.

We also get a look at some of the great action scenes from the film and from the trailer we can see that director Joe Johnston and his team have gone to great lengths to make this one a worthy successor to the first two Iron Man films. Kudos to them.

In short, the movie looks great and all of us here at The Flickcast are counting the days until this movie arrives. In case you’re wondering, the number of days is 121.

Click through to check out the trailer. Captain America hits theaters on July 22nd.

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By now, fans of Captain America have seen the official Super Bowl trailer of the upcoming comic-based flick and even caught a glimpse of the official movie poster, but one thing I’ve been curious about is how the movie would portray  the hero’s loyal side-kick, ‘Bucky.’ In a recent interview with director Joe Johnston over at the L.A. Times, it turns out that James “Bucky” Barnes, played by actor Sebastian Stan  (“Gossip Girl,” “Kings”), will have a decidedly darker personality than fans of the comic may be used to.

In the interview, Johnston comments on how Bucky’s personality will receive a Hollywood update:

“Sebastian brought something really interesting and slightly on the dark side and really compelling to watch — when he’s on camera, you’re fascinated by watching him. You know, he was originally up for the lead, for the Steve Rogers role, but he didn’t have quite the same earnest, I-want-to-fight-for-my-country aura that Chris has for this role. Sebastian has a little bit of the bad boy, he’s a little bit of the James Dean type and that goes somewhat counter to the general perception of Steve Rogers. He wasn’t quite right for Captain America,  but I think he’s perfect for Bucky because, really, he can have a little bit of that dark side.”

Certainly an interesting development and somewhat understandable as the boy-wonder-esque sidekick character is unlikely to be received so readily by an audience in 2011. And it certainly seems that the writing team on ‘Captain America,’ including Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely and Joss Whedon, didn’t merely go part-way when putting their own spin on the duo’s partnership. Instead, they practically reinvented it.

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While it may be the ultimate night of TV for sports fans everywhere, the Super Bowl is also the biggest time of the year for great commercials and movie trailers. Some of the biggest upcoming films of the year get seen first during this night, and last night brought us some doozies.

Up first, of course, is the very first footage and trailer for Captain America: The First Avengers. In this 30 second spot, we get some great moments to look forward to, such as Cap (Chris Evans) in full costume, a glimpse at the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), some Stanley Tucci, and some great action shots.

The film is set to release on July 22nd and also stars Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones, and Sebastian Stan as Bucky.

Check out the trailer after the jump. Now that we’ve seen the trailer, what do we think? Sound off in the comments.

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Let the speculation and artist renderings end as we now have the first “official” look at Chris Evens in costume as Captain America in the upcoming film. The pic, which graces the cover of the upcoming issue of Entertainment Weekly, shows Evans in costume, mask off and shield at the ready.

Based on this pic it seems his costume design is quite close to the early concept sketches that leaked online earlier this summer. But its not only the cover of the magazine we’re interested in as Evans also spoke about accepting the role in the film and admitted his reluctance about taking it on.

“At the time, I remember telling a buddy of mine, ‘If the movie bombs, I’m f—ed. If the movie hits, I’m f—ed,’” said Evans, who admitted that his reluctance was based entirely on fear. “I realized my whole decision making process was fear based, and you never want to make a decision out of fear.”

“I was just scared,” he added. “I can’t believe I was almost too chicken to play Captain America.”

Director Joe Johnston, however, had no such reservations about Evans as he described the character as “. . .  an everyman who in the course of a few minutes become a perfect human specimen. That has to create some interesting personal issues.” Good point Mr. Johnston.

Now that we’ve seen Evans as Captain America, what do we think? Also, take a look at a slightly bigger version of the photo after the jump.

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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.

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OK, so this one on the right isn’t an  image from the set of the new Captain America: The First Avenger film, but it looks pretty close. After the jump, check out some actual shots of Captain America from the set of the new film, courtesy of Screen Rant.

The images show off Chris Evans’ stunt double in his classic World War II Captain America garb, and even wearing a fashionable Captain America bike helmet. You know, for safety.

We all hope the costume doesn’t turn out looking like this for the entirety of the film, because let’s face it, it’s pretty terrible, and looks more like the costume from the 1978 Incredible Hulk TV movie, in which Cap basically wore an Evel Knievel outfit.

The cool part of these pics is that we also get a look at some of the H.Y.D.R.A. technology, in the form of their cool steampunk-like motorcycles. We can only imagine what the rest will look like, and we’ll more than likely get a look as the film finishes up principal photography in London.

Captain America: The First Avenger is set to hit theaters  July 22, 2011, and also stars Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Stanley Tucci, Tommy Lee Jones, and Sebastian Stan. Check out the full set pics after the jump, and let us know what you think below!

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Fans of all things Marvel and especially Thor and The First Avenger: Captain America should make their way to San Diego for Comic-Con this week, that is if they want to get things signed by the cast and directors of both upcoming movies. During the Con, Marvel Studios will have actors Chris Hemsworth, Tom Huddleston, Chris Evans and Hugo Weaving as well as directors Kenneth Branagh and Joe Johnston at the Marvel booth during various times so fans can get their favorite merchandise, or body parts, signed.

Here’s the complete scoop according to Marvel’s official press release:

The complete Marvel Studios signing schedule for Saturday July 24th at the Marvel Booth (#2329), is below:

11:15 – 12:00: Thor signing—Kenneth Branagh
12:30 – 1:30: Thor signing—Chris Hemsworth & Tom Hiddleston
2:00—3:00: Captain America: The First Avenger signing—Chris Evans & Hugo Weaving
3:30—4:30: Captain America: The First Avenger signing—Joe Johnston

Each signing is a ticketed event and requires a specific ticket for that individual signing. Fans should come to the Marvel Booth (#2329) as soon the convention opens to the public on Saturday morning for a chance (no purchase necessary) to receive one of the limited number of signing tickets.

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