The Flickcast – Page 259 of 1030 – Stuff Nerds Love

‘Hannibal’ to Get 13 Episode Run On NBC This Fall

Posted on April 20, 2012

Bryan Fuller, the creative mastermind behind Wonderfalls, Pushing Daises and choice episodes of Heroes and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, might very well have two new shows on the air next season. We already told you about his two new projects likely to hit screens this season.

Now we are getting word from EW that the already greenlit Hannibal series will have a cable-esque 13 episode season one:

Hannibal, which has received a 13-episode series order, features Lecter solving crimes with empathic FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy). For the first time, viewers will spend quality time with Lecter while he’s at large and before the world knows his secrets, working side by side with a similarly brilliant man who is destined to catch him.

What we have is Alfred Hitchcock’s principle of suspense — show the audience the bomb under the table and let them sweat when it’s going to go boom. So the audience knows who Hannibal is so we don’t have to overplay his villainy. We get to subvert his legacy and give the audience twists and turns.

Sounds mighty interesting. If Fuller and company can pull of this tight rope we might have a pretty great show on our hands. Fuller is certainly very capable, but this year will see him tackle two very well known properties. It will be interesting to see how he handles each one.

PAX East 2012 XTRA Hands On: ‘Jack Lumber’

Posted on April 20, 2012

Last year, indie developer Owlchemy Lab’s Smuggle Truck was a part of the Boston Indie Showcase, and I had a blast playing it. Which was why I was pleased to see them back on the show floor this year with a new game for mobile devices, titled Jack Lumber.

There’s a bit of a tragic story behind Jack Lumber– your character, Jack, lost his grandmother at a young age when she was viciously slaughtered by a falling tree. Now, using your supernatural powers, you’re out to avenge your granny’s death by destroying as many trees as you can, armed with your axe and your trusty sidekick Buck the Beaver always by your side.

Jack Lumber is an action arcade game with familiar mechanics, but it’s a lot of fun to play. Flying bits of lumber zip across your screen, and using your finger, your mission is to chop up as many as you can using one fluid motion. The faster you destroy as many logs of wood as you can, the more points you’ll score. Some trees need to be chopped horizontally and vertically, so you’ll soon be frantically dragging your finger across the screen in crazy patterns trying to annihilate the lumber and avenge Jack’s poor grandma. Due to the mechanics of the game, it works best on a touchscreen, but I’d love to see this game someday ported to the Kinect.

Jack Lumber will be released sometime this summer for mobile devices. In the meantime, watch the latest teaser video after the jump.

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Francis Lawrence is ‘Catching Fire’ as ‘Hunger Games’ Sequel Director

Posted on April 20, 2012

If you can forgive us the headline long enough for us to tell you the news, we would appreciate it. The search for a director to take on the Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire after Gary Ross decided to walk away is over.

The man Lionsgate has chosen to take up the torch and continue the blockbuster franchise is Francis Lawrence. Lawrence won the coveted gig after after other directors like Moneyball helmer Bennett Miller had to drop out due to a scheduling problem.

According to the report, he was always a top pick for Lionsgate but his deal finalized when others such as Miller had to drop out of contention. Additionally, Lawrence can get started right away so the film can get into production before star Jennifer Lawrence (no relation) has to head back to the Marvel Universe and suit up for the sequel to X-Men: First Class.

In case you can’t place the director’s name, his previous credits include Water For Elephants, I Am Legend and Constantine as well as music videos for Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Green Day. So, he’s got some directing chops as we like at least two of his movies (no, not the one with RPat).

So, with the sequel to Hunger Games now seemingly on track, look for it to arrive in theaters late in 2013.

New ‘Transformers: Fall of Cybertron’ Trailer Reveals Grimlock in Action

Posted on April 20, 2012

Ever since Transformers: Fall of Cybertron was announced, there was one thing on the minds of Transformers fans: the Dinobots. With the reveal of Grimlock at New York Comic Con, speculation has run rampant about what this in canon story will reveal about the origins of the Dinobots. As we saw with Transformers: War for Cybertron, ideas only hinted at in the show were explained such as the fall and rise of Starscream. Now, the team at High Moon Studios gets to do the same for the Dinobots.

While in the original series, the Dinobots were said to be made on earth by Wheeljack and Ratchet, the Marvel comics series had the Dinobots being of Cybertronian origin. The Marvel series did leave this fairly ambiguous though and not many details were given about these origins. This seems like the space that High Moon will be responsible for filling in as Fall of Cybertron takes place long before the Autobots head to earth.

When playing as Grimlock, as seen in the trailer below, players get to experience a more hack and slash based gameplay as opposed to the more third person shooter with occasional melee combat seen in the characters of Transformers: War for Cybertron. Having both a sword and shield, Grimlock lends himself to a more in your face combat style which transitions into the much anticipated tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur form.

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Reflections on a Life of Geek

Posted on April 19, 2012

There are times in my life when I look at myself in the mirror and ask why? Why don’t I let go of the childish things from my past? Why do I choose to allow myself to be swept away in the adventures of superheroes, dashing knights and evil wizards?

Why do I dream of miracles increasingly fantastic and take for granted the miracles all around me? I never have an answer. I’m nowhere near wise enough to truly understand the machinations of my mind.

That doesn’t stop the asking though, and I would wager that I am not the only one in the geek community who feels the same way. So, if I can’t answer the question why, perhaps I can answer a different question and start the long road to personal understanding? What do I get out of a life as a geek?

It’s a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no telling where you might be swept off to. – Bilbo Baggins

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PAX East 2012 XTRA Hands-On: Trials Evolution Multiplayer

Posted on April 19, 2012

I have a confession to make- I never gave Trials HD a shot. Partly because my Xbox 360 gave me a red ring of death, and partly because of this YouTube video.

But while walking by Microsoft’s booth at PAX East, Trials Evolution was available to play, so I shelved my apprehension and joined three friends to try our hand at the four-player multiplayer, a new feature in this upcoming sequel.

Trials Evolution multiplayer is really really fun. Your goal is to finish the level as quickly as you can, with as few faults as possible. The player with the most points at the end of the heat ends the game. There’s a couple different areas to play in, and if you’re a veteran of Trials HD, you know how different controlling your bike can be. The two Trials HD veterans I played with had no problem picking up the multiplayer and schooling us newbies to the game.

I have a feeling Trials Evolution will soon join the ranks of Mario Party and Smash Brothers as another party game with the power to end friendships.

You won’t have to wait long for the chance to challenge your own friends to Trials Evolutions, as it will be available for download from Xbox Live on April 18th.

First ‘Skyfall’ Video Blog Now Online

Posted on April 19, 2012

For a little while there it din’t seem like we would get another James Bond film after Quantum of Solace. With MGM’s money problems, it looked like James Bond was going to retire from his cinematic exploits while things were sorted out — if they were ever sorted out.

Fortunately, the tide turned and now Bond is back in a new installment called Skyfall, which is filming right now. As is the custom these days with highly anticipated film releases, the production has released the first of what wil no doubt be many videos highlighting the behind-the-scenes action of making a Bond film.

In this particular video blog, the producers and director take us to Shanghi, China for some brief glimpses into the filmmaking process and the sleek cityscapes of that location. Looks good. Can’t wait for this one.

Check out the video after the break. Skyfall, which stars Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Bérénice Marlohe and Judi Dench, hits theaters on November 9.

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Dev Diary: ‘Prototype 2’ Reveals the Leader of the Pack Ability

Posted on April 19, 2012

Just days ago, Radical Entertainment gave us the “Revenge” trailer for Prototype 2 which had the first and only real emotional moment the general public has seen yet for James Keller. Now, Radical goes back to their old tricks with the reveal of the Leader of the Pack ability as you will see in the Developer Diary below.

An ability new to James Keller that Alex Mercer never possessed, whether it be a mutation of the virus as it went from Mercer to Keller or because of Keller’s military background that caused it to happen, is the Leader of the Pack. When Keller uses this ability, he summons a group of Hunters, the hulking beasts that were the bane of many players during the first Prototype , that do his bidding as Keller is able to watch from a safe distance.

Looking at the this Dev Diary for Prototype 2, these Hunters provide massive chaos and damage to nearby targets. Ground troops, tanks and even helicopters aren’t safe as the Hunters rip through flesh and concrete alike. This looks to provide an interesting new gameplay strategy as well with a player directing the chaos from the distance as opposed to being stuck in the middle of it at all times.

Check out the full Developer Diary after the jump and be sure to check back right here for more on Prototype 2.

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