The Flickcast

Monday Freeview: ‘Memorial Day Barbeque Mayhem’ for iOS

Posted on May 27, 2013

When I went to the Apple App Store last night looking for something for the Mondayy Freeview, I figured I would help put everyone in the Memorial Day spirit and looked for the first App to pop up to pop up with Memorial Day in the title that was free. The one I came across was Memorial Day Barbeque Mayhem and had a four star rating with fifteen reviews.

I figured even at only fifteen ratings, it couldn’t be that bad if it still had four stars, right? Plus, who doesn’t love a Memorial Day BBQ? Oh, how wrong I was.

Memorial Day Barbeque Mayhem is what I like to refer to as a “jumper” where a player has the screen moving for them as their character travels left to right at whatever pace the game wants. It isn’t a full platformer because the X axis motion is completely out of the player’s control.

Instead, they just control when and how high they jump. Unlike games like Robot Unicorn Attack 2 which features additional actions like charging, Memorial Day Barbeque Mayhem keeps itself limited to just jumping. Now as a mechanic, this can work except for the hordes of issues that plague the game.

Movie Review: ‘Fast & Furious 6’

Posted on May 24, 2013

So Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew are back. Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and his crew are back. And some new faces, Hobbs’ partner Riley (Gina Carano) and villain Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) dd to the franchise’s ever-growing roster.

I thought the vast number of characters would be too much of a distraction in the last installment, and, to an extent, it was. But I liked Fast 5, and I’m happy to say that 6 is even better.

The premise is all but unnecessary. Hobbs recruits Toretto to take down Shaw, a gangster/terrorist/arms dealer whose goal is not particularly clear, but then it doesn’t need to be, does it? Shaw’s latest plan is to steal a military whatsit that can cause blackouts, and his gang of thugs, the minute you meet them, seem like the evil twins of Toretto’s — and it’s a credit to the movie’s cleverness that they actually address the parallels and get some great character beats in from Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Chris Parker), two fellows whose roles in the previous films were to stand around and wait for something to do.

Friday Shorts: ‘Batman: Death Wish’

Posted on May 24, 2013

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.

Movie Review: ‘Before Midnight’

Posted on May 24, 2013

For a film that relies almost exclusively on dialogue (the rapport of Delpy and Hawke cannot be left aside), I’m stumbling to explain it.

Hawke and Delpy play Jesse and Celine, two people who met 18 years ago, by chance, on a train from Budapest. They clicked and spent a day together, but other obligations forced them to part, agreeing to meet again in six months. Nine years later, Jesse is a renowned novelist following the publication of his book This Time, based on his day with Celine.

On tour in Paris, he delivers a reading at Shakespeare and Company and sees her in the crowd. Once again, their time together is limited, but the flame is immediately rekindled. It’s revealed that they never met after those six months; Jesse is now married, albeit unhappily, and stays with his wife because of his son. Celine is in a similarly unhappy relationship, and…

…and Midnight picks up nine years after that. Jesse and Celine are now married, living in Europe, and raising their two daughters.

Jesse is divorced from his first wife and trying to maintain a relationship with his son, who’s spent the summer with his father, and we pick up with the two at the airport. Jesse plays the overly worried father, making sure his son has enough to eat on his flight and pushing him to put down his game console and read a book and all those things parents press on their kids while they’re a hair’s breadth away from admitting that they wouldn’t themselves. Driving home with Celine and their daughters, Jesse wishes out loud that he could spend more time with his son while Celine tries to turn the discussion toward her new career.

For The Love of the Game – Issue #5: “Call of Booty?”

Posted on May 24, 2013

So I think my boyfriend and I are a bit of a slump. We’ve been together for a year and things just aren’t what they were. We used to go out every weekend or at least stay over each others’ apartments but now I feel like he’d rather hang out with his friends and play Call of Duty than do anything with me. I really care about him and he tells me that he cares about me but I want to solve this but don’t want to come across as all needy, ya know? – 2ndtoCoD

It’s normal for relationships to wax and wane, but empty professions of strong amorous feelings aren’t enough to propel a relationship forward.

It isn‘t needy to want to spend time with your significant other. Right now he’s not being an available partner – physically or emotionally – which is what relationships are all about.

Comics: Get Your First Look at Marvel’s ‘Age of Ultron’ 10 A.I.

Posted on May 24, 2013

Comics Friday (well, it is Friday at least) kicks off with previews of Marvel’s upcoming next issue Age of Ultron #10A.I.. Yes, we realize that’s a rather odd title for a comic but when you consider what’s inside, you’ll understand.

Speaking of inside, we’ve got prevew pages for the new isue after the break. Meantime, here’s what you need to know about this issue’s story:

From Eisner Award winning writer Mark Waid & red-hot artist Andre Araujo, founding Avenger Hank Pym, stands at a crossroads! Faced with a dilemma only he can solve, Pym must gamble his past AND his future! By the end of this issue, one of the smartest men in the Marvel Universe will have an entirely new role, but will he have been redeemed?

Age of Ultron #10 A.I. hits comic book stores and digital on June 26.

TV: Alien Allies Highlight Season Three of ‘Falling Skies’

Posted on May 24, 2013

Fans of Falling Skies can expect more twists, a few answers, and plenty more questions from the third season of the TNT show. We had a chance to chat with series star Noah Wyle, newcomer Doug Jones, and executive producer Remi Aubuchon about the return of the aliens vs. humans drama this June.

Calling this the toughest shoot he has ever done, Wyle, who plays former history professor Tom Mason, is extremely proud of how the season has come together. Indeed, there is a lot of change this season with Tom, who at the end of season two wanted to stay with Second Mass. When we see him next, it is seven months later, he is the President of the United States, and he has formed an alliance with a new race of aliens, known as the Volm, and their leader, Cochise (Jones).

Tom and Anne’s (Moon Bloodgood) baby is also born, his sons Matt (Maxim Knight) and Ben (Connor Jessup) enjoy more independence, and his eldest son Hal (Drew Roy) deals with the eye worm that is causing him to lose control of himself and possibly be used as a spy for the enemy aliens.

But what happened in those seven months and can the Volm really be trusted? Wyle says audiences will have to tune in to find out.

Games: Get a First Peek at the Law of the Jungle Trailer for ‘Destiny’

Posted on May 24, 2013

It looks like Sony has found its Call of Duty slayer to compete with the XBox’s domination of the shooter genre. Interestingly enough, it is coming from Activision. You know, the publishers of Call of Duty. Back at the PS4 reveal, Destiny was shown. In this latest trailer which will hit broadcast Saturday night, May 25th on TNT during Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Finals that you can check out below, they announce that the first look at Destiny gameplay will take place at the Sony E3 conference.

So even though Destiny will be coming out on the XBox 360 and XBox One, it will be featured at the Sony press conference meaning there is no doubt some timed exclusivity deal with Destiny content coming to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, since that is how Activision rolls.

I will say of what I have seen so far from Destiny, this is the first time the Destiny trailer has actually gotten me excited. There was some form of context to what was happening and the characters for the first time felt interesting. While this is still a CGI cutscene, it is still a gorgeous world in Destiny with both the blackness of space and the harsh and cruel desert. Plus, there are speeder bikes.

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