Even though we often bring you news of big, expensive Hollywood movies, epic games, cutting-edge tech and more geeky stuff, we don’t want to forget the little guy (or girl) that’s out there making things with nothing more than some friends, some love and maybe a few coins they found under the sofa cushions.

That delightful setup brings us to today’s example of what a few determined fans can do when they set their collective minds to something. The result? The live-action short Batman: Death Wish.

This short tells the story of Batman, Robin and Nightwing “as they investigate a mysterious assailant who is targeting the kingpins of Gotham’s criminal underground. As more of the rogues gallery is ensnared, a disturbing revelation about the attacker’s identity takes shape.”

We have to admit, we watched the entire thing. Twice. Sure, it’s not as epic or polished as a Christopher Nolan Batman film, but that’s okay. They didn’t even have Nolan’s budget for snacks to make this one but they still managed to do a great job.

It would be interesting to see what this creative team could do with an actual budget. Let’s hope they get the chance.

We’ll be watching. And you should too, after the break.

Tenacious D has always represented the very best of what makes us love Jack Black. Together with his unsung partner Kyle Gass their brand of irreverent humor mixed with bad ass rock was always a cocktail best served always.

Unfortunately, Hollywood had to get in the way and it nearly destroyed everyone’s favorite rock duo. Thankfully the keyword here is ‘nearly’, as the band has come together again to make the greatest album ever recorded, Rize Of The Fenix.

To get the world properly prepared for Rize, the D has graced us with a short film that details how these two rock luminaries came back together for this epic rock event.

The short, entitled To be The Best, is a cameo filled reminder that despite their failed attempt at the Box Office, Tenacious D is still a group to be reckoned with in the music world. Of special interest to many of The Flickcast readership will be how awesome Val Kilmer looks in this short.

Seriously, it is as if someone finally popped the Macy’s Day Parade balloon that was impersonating Val Kilmer for the last few years and the original Val is back, and totally bad ass.

Check out the full short after the jump, and look out for Rize Of The Fenix when it is released May 15th.

Community is known for its off the wall plot lines and clever marketing, and the new promotional campaign for NBC’s cult favorite will not disappoint. Your favorite characters from Community will be getting animated for three promotional shorts designed to drum up interest in the show’s March 15 return to NBC’s schedule.

The announcement was one of many made during Community‘s PaleyFest session on Monday. For those of you unfamiliar with PaleyFest, for a quarter century they have held a festival at the Paley Center for Media in LA, which celebrates the best of television with the creative teams who make the breakthrough programs. It allows for interaction between the creative television community, television stars and their fans in a panel type environment.

The shorts, titled Abed’s Master Key, will debut on March 7 on Hulu, Hulu Plus and NBC.com. They were written by Dave Seger (Channel 101) & Tom Kauffman (Lil Wayne’s Big House).

For those Community fans who can’t wait for March 7th, here’s a preview after the jump:

You may not have the chance to see the Oscar-Nominated Live Shorts (or the Animated ones, for that matter), and you probably will not even see who wins at the ceremony.

Hell, you may not even know that there are Academy Awards for shorts. I forget from time to time myself. After all, who goes to see shorts anywhere outside of a film festival? Do they even exist outside of film festivals?

No matter. Honestly, as far as the Academy’s selections, you’re not missing too much this year. I have a bit of a beef with the Academy for overlooking the best short of last year (hell, one of the best movies of last year, Jon Goldman’s fantastic Diplomacy).

There’s some charming films, and the best part is that all five directors look very promising. Only two of the selections (Pentecost and Raju) feel constrained by the running time; the former stretches on too long and the latter needed more. Time Freak andThe Shore are comfortable and left me wanting more, and Tuba Atlantic is a pleasantly self-contained eccentricity that’s totally Norway. Totally.

Anywho, on to the films. I’m going to provide a quick, TV-Guide-style summary and then include my thoughts.

There’s no denying it: we are living in an era at the mercy of the Internet. This very site is proof that many folk’s day-to-day consists of interesting and amazing new treasures they find all over the web, which is growing exponentially every day.

That’s when we like to come across something like today’s find and push it out to everyone who has yet to see it, because use of modern technology has made one of the world’s most treasured pastimes of the cinema more science fiction than anything else.

The folks over at Stargate Studios have put together this short, titled XXIT, which is a little bit Blade Runner and a little bit Terminator, but done with some of the most visually stunning effects and technology to date. For instance, this short film was shot entirely on the Canon EOS C300, which is comparable to the RED that Peter Jackson is shooting The Hobbit with.

The short also stars Nicolette Sheridan, who you may remember from Desperate Housewives and a John Cusack teen comedy from the 80’s called The Sure Thing. Stunning visuals, compelling story, and all made for you to enjoy at your fingertips. Does it get any better?

Take a look at the short after the jump and prove us wrong. We dare you.