Film remakes are something that we’ve all grown accustomed to over the years but with two major releases last week both being remakes, Footloose and The Thing, have we reached the breaking point? Is no film safe from a remake? Is it only time before we see Howard the Duck remade with a CGI duck a la The Smurfs? The new pop-culture debate show GeekDown discuss the pitfalls and necessary evils of remaking classic, or not so classic, films.

Jonathan London of Geekscape.net sits in the guest chair this week to give his insight on why piracy is causing the massive influx of remakes in recent years.

The trailer for Joss Whedon’s Avengers hit the internet this week and fanboys around the world had to change their pants. We manage to calm ourselves for a few minutes and dissect the trailer to make sense of why Thor is about to bring the hammer down on Captain America, why there’s so much Tony Stark, and why Loki hates cars so much.

If that wasn’t enough for one show, Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer is also up for discussion. After a drawn out “will they, won’t they” situation worthy of any sitcom, BioWare finally announced that they will have multiplayer in next year’s hotly anticipated Mass Effect 3.

Is it the final step towards making the game of the year or is it just an afterthought to sell more $10 online passes? Find out what we think on this episode of GeekDown after the jump.

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For those who thought this weekend would be a relapse into the mid 1980s with the Footloose remake and reboot/prequel of The Thing, they should have taken into account how awesome gigantic, fighting robots are.

That’s right, after receiving mixed reviews for the first week of the film’s release, Real Steel managed to steal the #1 spot once again, bringing in $16.3 million for the weekend, and a total worldwide gross of $73.8 million so far. Not totally unexpected for a movie starring Wolverine, Evangeline Lilly, AND robots.

Taking the #2 and #3 spots this weekend were the send-offs to the 1980s. Paramount’s Footloose pulled in $16.1, just inches behind the #1 spot, where as the prequel/reboot venture of The Thing from Universal managed to underwhelm audiences and only make $8.7 million.

Finally, the indie comedy The Big Year, starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson, and Steve Martin just squeaked into the top 10 with $$3.3 million. Hard to believe the film made that much considering the complete lack of a marketing strategy Fox made for it.

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Is it a sequel? A prequel? A remake? A premake? Yes.

Director Matthijs van Heijningen, Jr. (yes, that is a real name) takes a lot of inspiration and most of the story from John Carpenter’s 1982 classic, the only ostensible difference being that this film takes place in the Norwegian camp immediately before the events of Carpenter’s.

The Norwegians unearth the titular Thing and call in some American paleontologists, among them the comely Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a young graduate student whose major qualification is that she provides a reason for the movie to be in English.

And from there, it plays out as you’d expect.

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We love video mashups, but this is insane, several songs and score segments come together to make one excellent music video and mashup.

Stop motion plus some favorite retro toys equals one awesome video titled The King of LEGOland. And yes, Micronauts are still cool.

Talked about for months, the official Dragon Age webseries, titled “Redemption”, hits the web. Enjoy it here!

In getting you ready for this weekend’s prequel/reboot of The Thing, here’s a flashy musical that wraps up John Carpenter’s classic film nicely.

In what should become a regular prank at Madame Tussauds, Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu put the scare into some unsuspecting football fans.

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Remakes get a bad reputation in the fan community. Mostly for good reason, but a few bad eggs like Gulliver’s Travels or The Honeymooners ruin the concept for the whole group, which is just unfortunate. These days, a few remakes are welcome with the current technological advances we have in CGI or, heaven forbid, 3D.

That’s where a remake like The Thing comes into play. Some call it a remake, others a “prequel/reboot hybrid”. All we know is that we’re getting to see some pretty badass scenes that we never got in the original from 1982. For all 8 of you who haven’t seen the original or need a refresher, here’s the premise of the film.

Taking place three days before the events of the John Carpenter film, paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) joins a Norwegian scientific team that has stumbled across a crashed extraterrestrial spaceship buried in the ice of Antarctica. They discover a creature that seems to have died in the crash eons ago.

When an experiment frees the alien from its frozen prison, Kate joins the crew’s pilot, Carter (Joel Edgerton), to keep it from killing and imitating them one at a time, using its uncanny ability to mimic any life form it absorbs through digestion, and potentially reaching civilization.

The trailer manages to keep the film’s creepy and shock-tastic tone while still looking like an intriguing science-fiction piece. Check it out after the jump and be sure to catch The Thing in theaters October 14th.

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• People may be agains the upcoming reboot/prequel to The Thing, but this brief clip may just restore faith in the film for those.

• For those who didn’t know, there was an old rumor that Barbara Streisand surprised the cast of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in a classic blooper. That footage is finally seeing the light of day

• Those who love the new Doctor Who will love this a capella song done to the show’s theme. This time with lyrics!

• It’s a sign of hard economic times when even Doc Brown has to stoop low and act in a commercial for an Argentinian electronics store. Hey, we’re just happy to see him back doing what he loves.

• We brought you a footage-free trailer for Human Centipede 2, but that doesn’t hold a candle to the intense imagery that the first teaser brings us.

• The new Rise of Nightmares game looks so good that the video game comedy troop Mega64 is schilling it in this awesome web short. Our verdict? Sold.

• Who doesn’t love a good ol’ fashioned loop cover? We do, so check out this loop cover of the Gorillaz’ “Feel Good Inc.”

• Justin Timberlake hasn’t been around the music scene for a while, as he’s been busy boning Mila Kunis and sabotaging Facebook. These mega fans want to see him bring sexy back….again.

Apparently, today is turning out to be new trailer day. What with the first one for John Carter already being released and now a brand new one for The Thing just coming out as well.

Of course, we’ve got it for you right here, curtesy of the folks over at MSN Movies. Here’s some info on the film for you.

It’s directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. and stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton. It was originally set for release on April 29th but that was changed to October. Not a good sign that this film will be any good.

Still, the trailer looks pretty awesome so perhaps the movie will end up being better than expected? Could happen. Although, the fact that the director hasn’t done any other feature film, let alone one with this many effects, doesn’t bode well either. Oh Hollywood, will you never learn.

In case you’re not familiar, here’s a brief synopsis of The Thing:

Paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Winstead) has traveled to the desolate region for the expedition of her lifetime. Joining a Norwegian scientific team that has stumbled across an extraterrestrial ship buried in the ice, she discovers an organism that seems to have died in the crash eons ago. But it is about to wake up.

When a simple experiment frees the alien from its frozen prison, Kate must join the crew’s pilot, Carter (Edgerton), to keep it from killing them off one at a time. And in this vast, intense land, a parasite that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish.

Check out the trailer after the jump. The Thing arrives in theaters on October 14th, 2011.

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With the Fantastic Four, and the rest of the Marvel U, in chaos it was only a matter of time before things came to a head with an epic battle. Now, that time has come with Marvel’s Fear Itself: FF.

Written by Cullen Bunn with art by Tom Grummett, FI: FF tells the story of Ben Grimm (aka The Thing) who has been deemed “worthy” by the villainous Serpent and now it’s up to the FF to put an end to his rampage.

But do the FF have a prayer at prying their friend from the God of Fear’s grasp? I’m going to guess it end up being a lot harder than they think. Plus, there will probably be a lot of damage, both physical and emotional, before its all done. Whatever happens, it looks to be epic.

We’ve got preview pages for this comic for you today. Naturally, you can check them out right after the break.

Fear Itself: FF #1 hits comic book stores on August 3rd. We’ll be reading.

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As we discussed on this week’s episode of The Flickcast, the Human Torch is dead and a new member has apparently joined the group previously known as the Fantastic Four. That character is, of course, the Amazing Spider-Man.

Now, thanks to Marvel, we’ve got a preview of the first issue of this comic featuring the new team for you today. Called FF, the new series comes from the creative team of writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Steve Epting and is described this way by Marvel:

“In the wake of the Human Torch’s heroic sacrifice, Marvels’ first family has re-emerged as the Future Foundation. Spider-Man may their newest teammate, but who else has signed up to protect the future from itself? And what does their presence portend for the world at large?”

I’m not sure, but it does sound interesting. Okay Marvel, you’ve got me. I’m hooked and will read — at least the first few issues.

Check out several pages from the comic after the jump. Marvel’s FF #1 hits comic book stores on March 23rd.

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Like many good things sometimes they have to come to an end. Even though we might not want them to it is often the case that a story and characters have run their course.

So it is with Marvel’s Fantastic Four who, after the recent tragic death of Johnny Storm (aka The Human Torch) are nearing the end of their comic book run. Of course, Marvel isn’t going to let them go out with a whimper. From the Marvel release:

Huge choices that dramatically impact the Marvel Universe are made this February in Fantastic Four #588, from the superstar creative team of Jonathan Hickman, Nick Dragotta and Mark Brooks! Following up on the sold-out hit Fantastic Four #587, Marvel is pleased to present your first look at the FINAL issue of the long-standing series, guest starring all your favorite Marvel heroes!

But the story isn’t over yet because where one door closes, another opens. It’s now up to Reed, Sue, and Ben to make life-changing decisions of their own volition that set them on a course destined to change the Marvel Universe in Johnny’s honor!

“The reaction from fans and retailers to Fantastic Four #587 was overwhelming and we’re excited to show fans, who have been chomping at the bit, to see what’s next!” exclaims SVP of Sales, David Gabriel. “It may be the end of the series, but it’s the beginning of something much bigger.”

Look for this comic to hit store shelves on February 31st. In the meantime, check out some preview pages after the jump.

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This week on The Flickcast, Chris and Matt do things a bit differently as they take the show on the road and record while driving to and from a secret location. Sure, it might be dangerous, but your two favorite hosts are always willing to go the extra mile to entertain and inform.

Some of the topics discussed during this special show include Spider-Man bad guy casting, the Thing prequel, Call of Duty: Black Ops, the new TV season and the state of the comic book industry. The boys also talked about the Banksy Simpsons opening credits, the new Captain America game and other movie franchise video games.

And, as always, picks were made with Matt picking a surprise you will have to listen to the show to find out and Chris’ pick of the terrific TiVo Premiere for all your home DVR needs.

With X-men: First Class scheduled to start filming next week, 20th Century Fox has turned their focus to the their next Marvel film. That film? A reboot of Fantastic Four.

Rumors about the films casting have started with news that The Thing will be completely CGI and Sue Storm being played by Alice Eve or Amber Heard, and it seems the film’s star power will be stemming from the group leader Mr. Fantastic. The two actors in the running for Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards are Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Adrien Brody.

While Jonathan Rhys Meyers is probably best known for his starring role in the Showtime series The Tudors, he also has From Paris With Love in which he starred opposite John Travolta under his belt. He’s also been seen in film such as Mission Impossible III, Match Point and Bend It Like Beckham.

The bigger get would obviously be Adrien Brody, who is quietly growing into an action film with the recent releases of Predators and Splice. Brody is also the forerunner for Edgar Wright’s Ant-man for Marvel Studios. Having the Oscar winning actor attached to the film would add some credibility to the project.

The title of the film will not be Fantastic Four Reborn as previously report, but the actual title has not been released. Now that Chiklis is moving on to No Ordinary Family on ABC and Evans is headed over to work on that other Marvel movie, who would YOU cast as The Thing and Human Torch in the upcoming reboot?