The Flickcast – Page 470 of 1030 – Stuff Nerds Love

‘Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation’ Map Pack Video Preview and Screenshots Released

Anticipation for the new Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation map pack just keeps building. Last week we let you know the map pack was coming, some clues to what its all about and when it would arrive. Now, thanks to our pals at Activision, we’ve got the screenshots and video to prove it — not that you doubted us.

In this new trailer we go behind-the-scenes with Treyarch as they talk about the Escalation multiplayer maps – Zoo, Convoy, Hotel and Stockpile. Yes, you get a chance to see all the work that goes into these map pack.

But no, you probably won’t get any hints on how to beat the maps. That would be cheating. And nobody likes a cheater.

Anyway, click through and check out the video and screens after the break. Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation hits XBox Live on May 3rd.

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The Complete History of ‘Doctor Who’ In Six Minutes

You make be a huge fan of the BBC series Doctor Who and watch it all the time. However, that doesn’t mean you necessarily know the entire history of the show, especially as its been running on TV for over forty years.

Really, to be a fan and watch it now, nobody expects you to know everything. However, if you’re one of those people who just has to know but doesn’t necessarily want to spend all your time doing the research, these guys have got you covered.

YouTube users The Fine Brothers have taken the time, done the work and put together a very comprehensive history of Doctor Who. In fact, you can get the lowdown on the show’s entire historuy in only six minutes. How’s that for a time saver?

Check out the video after the break. You’ll be happy you did.

Although, be careful as it may contain spoilers. Oh and don’t forget the new season of Doctor Who will premiere on BBC America this Saturday, April 23 at 9/8C.

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Trailer Tuesdays: Cowboys, Aliens, Apes and More

Welcome to the first Trailer Tuesdays where you’re sure to find the best highlights from film trailers released theatrically or virally in the past week.  Plus, we throw in one trailer that’s so ridiculous that it’s awesome.

This week we found two major summer blockbusters that will hopefully prove to be good, not just cool, as well as one indie horror that will hopefully prove to be as scary as it is original.

Cowboys and Aliens

See trailer here

This film is a perfect example of a terrible premise with a cheesy title that is executed so well that it might actually turn out to be good.  The best quote I’ve heard about this film was when director Jon Favreau was being interviewed about why he chose to do this concept, he replied saying that since lots of people believed that aliens visited ancient cultures such as the Mayans and Egyptians, why can it not be believable that aliens visited the Old West?  So as long as he’s sticking by the idea, I’m down.

Certainly the best choices that were made for this film were getting Daniel Craig for the lead and Jon Favreau of Iron Man fame to direct.  This combination is certain to bring some real credibility to this film.  Craig seems to bring an old-school “bad ass-ness” to this part that has been lacking from most modern westerns.

No one could draw an alien side-arm as cool as him.  And Favreau has an uncanny ability to make even the most ridiculous action scenes seem somehow grounded in reality.

Of course you can’t forget Olivia Wilde, who is quickly becoming the hottest female action star; Sam Rockwell, who popped out of nowhere in this newest theatrical trailer but is nothing short of amazing in everything he does; and Harrison Ford, who just goes without saying.

Overall, this trailer is exciting and gets you pumped on some great visuals.  Hopefully this will be even better than Iron Man, as well as the coolest graphics of the summer.

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HBO Renews ‘Game of Thrones’ After Airing One Episode

It must be nice not to have to worry so much about ratings and instead focus primarily on quality. Oh, to have those kinds of problems like premiere cable netwrok HBO. What have they done this time?

Much like they did previously with shows such as Boardwalk Empire and Treme, HBO has given the greenlight for another season to its new drama Game of Thrones after only airing the premiere episode — even though its rating didin’t set any records. The ratings were solid, coming in between other premieres such as True Blood and Boardwalk Empire, but it’s the show itself that earned another season.

“We are delighted by the way David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have brought George R.R. Martin’s amazing book series to the screen, and thrilled by the support of the media and our viewers,” HBO’s head of programming Michael Lombardo said.

For its debut at 9 PM on Sunday, the show drew 2.2 million viewers, down 54% from the September premiere of Boardwalk Empire but up 57% from the 1.4 million who tuned in for the debut of True Blood 3 years ago. Overall, the premiere of Game of Thrones averaged 4.2 million viewers on Sunday for its 3 airings vs. 7.1 million for Boardwalk Empire in September.

So far HBO seems to be doing very well with most of its original programming, especially lately. With True Blood and Treme returning soon and the solid performance of Game of Thrones it looks like DVRs across the country are going to remain full of HBO programming for the foreseeable future. As fans of the new Game of Thrones as well as Treme, Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, Bored to Death and most of the other current HBO series, we’re going to be there too.

Game of Thrones stars Mark Addy, Sean Bean, Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage and Lena Headey. It airs Sundays at 9/8C on HBO.

Thomas Jane & Sly Stallone to Star in Walter Hill’s ‘Headshot’

Not many people know the name, but Walter Hill helped shape Hollywood in the early 80’s with films like The Warriors, 48 Hrs. and Streets of Fire.

He’s recently directed more TV than film and produced quite a lot, but now he’s getting back into the game with the upcoming action thriller, Headshot, which will star both Thomas Jane and Sylvester Stallone. Arrow in the Head explains the details of the film’s plot.

According to Jane, the deal is in place and the “script is fantastic” – although Hill is currently rewriting the piece, which was originally penned by Alessandro Camon (The Messenger).

In the film, Stallone will star as a New Orleans hitman who teams with an NYPD detective (Jane), as they are brought together by two vicious murders. The two proceed to take on all who stand in their way.

Jane said the following: “He’s a hitman, I’m a cop, and we’re just opposite in every f*cking way, and we need each other to get this job done. And of course I’m like, ‘As soon as this job’s over, I’m going to take you to jail, you know, you’re a killer.'”

So between this film and his plans to work on the upcoming Expendables 2, Stallone will be quite busy shooting and dodging bullets in 2012.

Go Behind The Scenes at SEGA’s ‘Thor: God of Thunder’

Only a few weeks away, Thor: God of Thunder crashes down upon store shelves on May 3rd. But before the release of the game that coincides with, but doesn’t depend upon, the Thor movie, SEGA has released a special behind the scenes video for the game. SEGA has been doing everything they can to show the quality of this title before its release to help get the horrid aftertaste of Iron Man 2 out of gamers’ memories.

In this behind the scenes trailer, producers give some insight in to how the game’s combat will be structured. The main crux of Thor: God of Thunder’s action will rely upon his hammer as a melee weapon with the god powers acting as support. The thunder powers seeming will affect enemy statuses with stun effects, wind powers will help control groups of enemies and lighting will act as a damage dealing source. These powers also look to combine with Thor’s famous hammer Mjohnir as can be seen in some of the special attacks in the video.

The grapple system is also an interesting aspect to the game as it seems like a smaller scale version of Shadow of the Colossus. Players don’t just fight these enemies that tower over them. They must actually climb their way up to deal a fatal blow against their opponents. These gigantic fights help players feel like they are a part of the Thor world as these epic encounters are part of what makes Thor different from other “street level” heroes. While Spider-Man or Captain America may occasionally be forced to take on a gigantic monster or robot attacking their city, it is commonplace for Thor. It allows players to feel the power of the god they control on screen.

The only real red flag that comes up from the BTS video is the graphics of the Wii version. While the look of the PlayStation 3 and XBox 360 versions are not exactly mindblowing, the Wii continues to look farther and farther back in time in terms of visual quality as more time passes. As a result, the Wii version of Thor: God of Thunder isn’t a very pretty game at all.

Take a peek after the jump of Thor: God of Thunder and stick to the Flickcast for more news as it becomes available.

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‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ Gets Yet Another Director

If we didn’t know any better, we’d think that an adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was unfilmable.

Since it was announced that the film adaptation was around the way, the film has gone through several directors including Mike White and David O. Russell, but it seems the bottle has finally landed on Craig Gillespie. Deadline has the scoop.

Lionsgate has made it official. Craig Gillespie has been set to direct Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the movie adaptation of the Seth Grahame-Smith novel that mixes the 1813 Jane Austen classic with a legion of bloodthirsty zombies. Gillespie, who directed the critically acclaimed art house film Lars and the Real Girl, most recently directed the Fright Night remake that stars Colin Farrell.

“We are so excited to have Craig Gillespie on board this film,” said Alli Shearmur, Lionsgate president of Motion Picture Production. “His sensibility spans from genre-bending horror to elegant character-driven comedy, which is perfect for this movie.”

With new man on the horror scene Gillespie taking on the film, and Natalie Portman’s handsomecharlie production company, the film may actually turn out to be a great project. Finally.

War Movie Mondays: ‘Gettysburg’

In honor of the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American War between the states, this week’s pick is the 1993 epic Gettysburg directed by Ronald F. Maxwell and adapted from the novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. The film dramatizes the events of the Civil War’s most decisive battle. The film stars Tom Berenger (Lt. General James Longstreet (CSA), Jeff Daniels (Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain (USA), Martin Sheen (General Robert E. Lee (CSA), Kevin Conway (Pvt. Buster Kilrain (USA), C. Thomas Howell (Lt. Thomas Chamberlain (USA), Richard Jordan (Brigadier Gen. Lewis A. Armistead (CSA), and Sam Elliot (Brig. Gen. John Buford (USA).

The film opens with narration and a map concerning the movement of the Confederate States of America’s Army of Northern Virginia which was planning an offensive into the north in order to lure the Federal Army of the Potomac into a decisive action which could end the fighting and allow total succession of the south from the rest of The United States of America. The narrator (Morgan Sheppard) tells how Lee’s army advanced through the mountains of West Virginia into Pennsylvania undetected.

Lee hopes that the army will succeed and if so, A letter has been prepared by Confederate President Jefferson Davis and is to be delivered to the desk of President Abraham Lincoln once the Army of the Potomac is destroyed, and Lee’s army controls a huge area north of Washington D.C. What both armies don’t realize yet, is that the most decisive and bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil is about to commence in and around the small Pennsylvanian town of Gettysburg.

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