by The Flickcast, Jul 29 2015 // 10:00 AM

You guessed it! We’ve got an all-new episode of The Flickcast for you. And it’s on time again this week. Two in a row! We’re on a roll again.
On this week’s show Chris and Joe discuss all sorts of new and recurring topics, as you would expect. Some of these topics include more on the new Ant-Man movie, more on their current favorite TV show Mr. Robot, upcoming Marvel movies and casting rumors, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, more love for the Alamo Drafthouse and still more, more, more.
Picks this week include Chris’ pick of the Coen Brothers film No Country for Old Men and Joe’s pick of the Fox series Wayward Pines.
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, Google+ or via email.
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Posted in: News · Podcasts
Tagged: Alamo Drafthouse, Ant-Man, Carla Gugina, Christian Slater, Ethan Coen, Fox, Javier Bardem, Joel Coen, Josh Brolin, M. Night Shyamalan, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas, Mr. Robot, No Country for Old Men, Paul Rudd, Peyton Reed, Rami Malek, Sam Esmail, Terrence Howard, the Coen brothers, USA, Wayward Pines
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by Chris Ullrich, Sep 20 2012 // 12:00 PM

Before you get too excited, no this isn’t a story about an X-Men movie featuring the character Gambit and starring Colin Firth as Professor X. Sorry. It is, however, a story about a remake of a 1966 movie starring Michael Cain and Shirley McLaine. And yes, Michael Cain played Alfred in the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy.
See, we can bring it home and find a hook for our audience. That’s you, btw. Plus, as a bonus, this remake also stars Alan Rickman, who played Snape in the Harry Potter films. Boom!
Anyway, enough of that. There’s a trailer out for the remake, which was written by the Coen brothers (not just the trailer, the whole movie in fact), and it features, along with Alan Rickman, Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz.
The film? It’s about a terrible man (Rickman) and his long-suffering assistant (Firth) who finally snaps and hatches a scheme to sell his boss a fake painting and steal the cash when he sells the real one. He attempts this with the help of a country bumpkin (Diaz) who also has scemes of her own. Don’t they all?
Look for Gambit in theaters November 21st. Check out the trailer after the break.
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Posted in: Movies · News · Trailers
Tagged: Alan Rickman, Cameron Diaz, Colin Firth, Con Men, Ethan Coen, Gambit, Joel Coen, Michael Cain, Movies, the Coen brothers, Trailer
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by Shannon Hood, Jan 10 2011 // 7:30 AM
It’s very rare for a film to hit the number one spot at the box office several weeks after its release, but that is exactly what the Coen Brothers’ True Grit accomplished this weekend. The film finally shook the monkey (Little Fockers) off its back for a clear shot at the number one slot.
Grit made about $15 M over the weekend, and because it was a god-awful weekend at the box office, that was good enough for a first place finish. Business was down almost 30% from last weekend. Entertainment Weekly reports that it could be the worst January weekend since 2000!
The good news is that the Coen Brothers just surpassed the $100M milestone for the very first time. This is the first film they have made that has made it to into the club, so to speak. Good for them. True Grit will surely continue to succeed in theaters, particularly if the film receives any Oscar nominations.
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Posted in: Box Office · Movies · News · Reboots and Remakes · Westerns
Tagged: Black Swan, Box Office, Country Strong, Little Fockers, Season of the Witch, the Coen brothers, Tron Legacy, true grit
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by Shannon Hood, Jan 6 2011 // 12:00 PM

So yesterday, we ran part one of this post. In case you missed it, here were my picks:
- Waiting for Superman
- Winter’s Bone
- The Company Men
- Rabbit Hole/Blue Valentine (tie)
- The Fighter
Now, without further ado, are the rest of my picks for best movies of the year.
5. The Kids Are All Right
This quirky drama won me over in no time. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore play a lesbian couple raising two children who were the product of an anonymous sperm donor. When the kids are old enough, they seek out and find their donor, who is played by Mark Ruffalo.
His character Paul is a perpetually laid-back restaurateur who drives a motorcycle and lives a bohemian lifestyle. The kids are instantly captivated, and develop a relationship with the guy, much to the chagrin of their uptight mom Nic (Bening).
I admire writer/director Lisa Cholodenko for her sensitive handling of the subject matter. A lesser director could have turned this into a slapstick farce, but ultimately the film is funny, touching, and wholly original. It is also universally relatable. Bening is a standout in the film for her performance.
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Posted in: Best of 2010 · Movies · News
Tagged: 127 Hours, 2010 best movies, Aaron Sorkin, Annette Bening, Aron Ralston, Barbara Hershey, Black Swan, Danny Boyle, Darren Aronofsky, David Fincher, hailee steinfeld, James Franco, Jeff Bridges, jesse eisenberg, Julianne Moore, Justin TImberlake, Lisa Cholodenko, mark ruffalo, Matt Damon, Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman, the Coen brothers, The Kids Are All Right, The Social Network, top ten movies of 2010, Trent Reznor, true grit
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by Shannon Hood, Jan 5 2011 // 9:00 AM
I was surprised at how much trouble I had narrowing down my top ten movies this year. My top 20 were all very close, but here are the movies that I ultimately enjoyed the most. I readily admit that I did not see near as many foreign films as I would have liked, but by the time I cover most of the mainstream fare, there is simply no time left.
Honorable Mentions: Fair Game, Tiny Furniture, Greenberg, Cyrus, The Tillman Story, The American, Mother and Child, Scott Pilgrim.
10. Waiting for Superman
This Documentary was equal parts frustrating, inspirational, and heartbreaking. Director Davis Guggenheim (No End in Sight) sheds light on the dismal state of our public school system. He follows the plight of several children who live in various geographic regions who are placing all of their hope for an decent education into lottery systems for charter or private schools. Guggenheim relies on their compelling stories for a narrative, while interspersing lots of graphics and cartoons illuminating some pretty harrowing statistics.
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Posted in: Best of 2010 · Exclusive · Features · Flickcast Presents · Movies
Tagged: 127 Hours, Aaron Eckhart, Aaron Sorkin, Amy Adams, Annette Bening, Aron Ralston, Ballet, Barbara Hershey, Ben Affleck, Blue Valentine, Chris Cooper, Christian Bale, Danny Boyle, Darren Aronofsky, David Fincher, Davis Guggenheim, Debra Granik, Facebook, hailee steinfeld, James Cameron Mitchell, James Franco, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Lawrence, jesse eisenberg, Julianne Moore, Justin TImberlake, Lisa Cholodenko, Maria Bello, mark ruffalo, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, Melissa Leo, Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman, Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole, Revenge Movies, Rosemarie DeWittBlack Swan, Ryan Gosling, Swan Lake, the Coen brothers, The Company Men, The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right, The Social Network, Tommy Lee Jones, Trent Reznor, true grit, Waiting for "Superman", Westerns, Winter's Bone
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by Tom Mahoney, Dec 23 2010 // 3:00 PM
If the noontime opening day crowd for True Grit is any indication of how this film will do at the box office, I think I can safely predict a couple of things. First, seasoned citizens, like myself, who saw the 1969 original starring John Wayne, Glen Campbell, Robert Duvall, and Kim Darby, will warily pay for senior-citizen discounted tickets in large numbers and then proceed to give the movie a CSI-like scrutiny searching for any hint of anti-Wayne blasphemy.
Second, I feel just as strongly that people who have not seen the Duke’s portrayal of U.S. Marshal Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn, will come away from this iteration well-satisfied that they have been well and truly entertained. No one from either demographic should be disappointed with this version of Charles Portis’ 1968 serialized Saturday Evening Post of family duty, determination, and revenge.
In a recent interview, frequent John Wayne co-star, Maureen O’Hara, spoke about the 1963 movie, McLintock! One memorable scene had Ms. O’Hara running through town, being chased by Wayne, wearing only her bloomers. When, prior to shooting this scene, she asked Wayne if the bloomers could be shortened to display her dancer’s legs, he adamantly refused, stating, “We make family pictures!” And therein lies the genesis of many of the films’ differences.
There are several scenes in the 2010 Coen brothers’ version of True Grit that would never have made it past The Duke. Wayne’s Batjac Productions wouldn’t have allowed severed fingers, an outhouse interview, or snakes crawling from a desiccated corpse, to mention just a few things. But that doesn’t make one version better or the other worse, it only makes them different.
While some might say that John Wayne’s Oscar-winning performance as Rooster Cogburn could best be described as a little over-the-top (and it was), Jeff Bridges is able to provide a slightly more somber approach to this complicated, demon-driven character, while still being able to deliver an occasional light-hearted moment. It would be foolish, however, for anyone to try and compare the two actors as Mr. Bridges takes command of his role from the very beginning leaving all thoughts of a Wayne-Bridges comparison in the obscuring dust of the trail.
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Posted in: Movies · News · Reviews · Westerns
Tagged: Barry Pepper, Drama, Ethan Coen, hailee steinfeld, Jeff Bridges, Joel Coen, Matt Damon, Reviews, the Coen brothers, true grit, Westerns
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by Chris Ullrich, Dec 31 2009 // 2:00 PM

2009 was a great year for films in general, particularly if you’re a fan of the sci-fi genre. The year also saw the return of a beloved franchise to the big screen as well as the latest film by one of our best modern directors. And even with the current condition of the country and the economy, audiences still managed to fill theaters and the movies enjoyed record breaking successes that hopefully will continue on into the new year.
Even with all the great movies in 2009, there were also some not so great ones. Sadly, there will always be some real bombs, but that’s to be expected. Fortunately, there were also quite a few standouts that helped keep us entertained, enthralled and excited about going to the movies in 2009.
As usual with lists of this type, I need to disclaim and say this is my list of what I felt were the best films of 2009. Nobody can see everything and opinions vary. Your list may be different.
Differing opinions and the freedom to express them are one of the things that make this country great. There’s always something new and different to see and do and we all get to choose what’s best for us. What movies we watch and enjoy is no exception.
That said, here then is my list, in no particular order, of the films I feel were the best of 2009.
Inglourious Basterds — 2009 saw the return of director Quentin Tarantino and the release of this amazing film. Some might consider it overlong or self-indulgent, but it showcases Tarantino’s filmmmaking skills at their finest and serves as an example of one filmmaker’s singular vision and immense storytelling craft.
This film provides the audience with something they never got from real life: closure. To finally see the Nazis, and in particular Hitler, get the ending they deserve is a testament to the power of this film and to its creator.
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Posted in: Action · Best of 2009 · Drama · Movies · Sci-Fi
Tagged: A Serious Man, A Single Man, Avatar, Best of 2009, District 9, Drag Me to Hell, Inglourious Basterds, James Cameron, John Hillcoat, Katherine Bigelow, Movies, Quentin Tarantino, Sam Raimi, Star Trek, the Coen brothers, the hangover, The Hurt Locker, The Road, Tom Ford, Up in the Air, Zombieland
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by Shannon Hood, Oct 30 2009 // 10:00 AM

You know how you feel when everyone is in on the joke but you? That’s how I felt about A Serious Man, the latest film from the talented Coen brothers (most recently known for the Oscar winning No Country For Old Men). Dubbed their first “Jewish” film, this movie begins with a Yiddish parable about a dybbuk.
So you don’t know what a “dybbuk” is? Neither did I, because I’m not Jewish. The film doesn’t tell you what that word means, I had to go look it up later. I’m not going to go so far as to say you won’t enjoy the movie if you are not Jewish, but I think you will have an inherently better understanding and appreciation for the movie. I found it frustrating that the Coen brothers seem to take at face value that you know all about Jewish traditions and mannerisms, and I felt a little left out.
I admire the fact that the prolific brothers clearly wrote this film as an homage to their Jewish roots, and I got the sense that there was definitely a biographical component to the film. Essentially, this is a modern-day retelling of the Book of Job, which is one of the books of the Hebrew bible.
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Posted in: Comedy · Drama · Focus Features · Movies · Reviews
Tagged: A Serious Man, Michael Stuhlbarg, the Coen brothers
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