The Flickcast

War Movie Mondays: ‘Flight of the Intruder’

Posted on April 11, 2011

This week’s pick is a salute to U.S. Navy pilots during the Vietnam War with director John Milius’s (Red Dawn, The Wind and the Lion, Rough Riders) Flight of the Intruder (1991), which was based on the novel written by former A-6 pilot Stephen Coonts. The film stars Brad Johnson (Lt. Jake ‘Cool Hand’ Grafton), Danny Glover (Cmd. Frank ‘Dooke’ Camparelli), and Willem Dafoe (Lt. Cmd. Virgil ‘Tiger’ Cole).

The title of the film is based on the A-6 Intruder which was an all weather, low altitude, twin jet engine bomber which was the U.S. Navy’s workhorse throughout the Vietnam conflict. Its primary function was to destroy road junctions, radar and missile installations, and to assist ground troops in combat.

The bomber had no defensive weapons and was vulnerable to other attack aircraft. Certain variations of the fighter are still in use today with the U.S. Navy and it is considered to be one of the finest attack aircraft ever produced for the American military.

The film opens with news audio clips of American involvement in Vietnam since the mid 1960s and how the war has escalated to a standstill, especially for pilots who are restricted to enter North Vietnamese airspace since 1968 during the final months of Lydon B. Johnson’s presidential term.

Apple’s iOS 4.3.2 Update Reportedly to Address Verizon iPad 2 Wireless Issue

Posted on April 11, 2011

Make no mistake, the iPad is the dominant force in the tablet world now and for the foreseeable future. They are pretty much everywhere and selling in record numbers.

However, this kind of success doesn’t come without at least one problem. That problem? Some owners of Verizon Wireless iPad 2’s are reporting wireless connectivity issues.

Chief among these issues is the fact that their devices seem to insist they are roaming on a non-Verizon wireless network even in areas with strong Verizon signal. Bummer.

Fortunately, Verizon doesn’t charge roaming fees in the U.S., but the issue is still annoying to users. But don’t worry, a fix is reportedly coming soon as Apple is apparently aware of it and doing something about it with an upcoming update to iOS.

The update, dubbed iOS 4.3.2, will address this issue and will also include other fixes for FaceTime and other security things. However, in true cryptic Apple fashion, we probably won’t ever know exactly what those fixes are — even after the update comes out.

The update has reportedly already dropped at Apple’s iOS developer site and should be available for all who need it in the coming weeks.

Vampires & Zombies Go Wild In The Trailer for ‘When Harry Met Sally 2′

Posted on April 11, 2011

Billy Crystal is back! After a long and mysterious hiatus from Hollywood, the legendary comedian has taken to the web with a star-studded trailer for his newest flick, When Harry Met Sally 2.

OK, not really. In this spoof video courtesy of Funny or Die, both Crystal and director Rob Reiner are pitching a sequel to an unnamed studio (though we’re going to assume it rhymes with Schmummit Schmentertainment) in which Crystal’s “Harry” falls for Hellen Miren in an old folks’ home. With one tweak. They’re both vampires–sorry, “grampires”.

With a pretty amazing cast, including Adam Scott, Maya Rudolph, Rob Riggle, and Mike Tyson, this spoof of both When Harry Met Sally and where today’s films are headed is both brilliant and hilarious.

We’re just happy to see Crystal back at it again. Maybe this means the attention can be off of Robin Williams dressing like a tiger for a few years.

Check out the video after the jump, and here’s to hoping we can see Billy Crystal in a few more upcoming projects like this!

‘Boardwalk Empire’ Star Michael Shannon Is General Zod In Snyder’s ‘Superman: Man of Steel’

Posted on April 11, 2011

Quite a big weekend for casting in the DC and Warner Bros. world, as it was recently announced that Josh Pence will be playing a young Ra’s Al Ghul in Chris Nolan’s upcoming Dark Knight Returns. However, that’s not the only caped crusader flick to get a villain.

THR is reporting that Boardwalk Empire and Revolutionary Road actor Michael Shannon will be taking on the role of the villain General Zod. Here’s what Snyder had to say about the decision.

“Zod is not only one of Superman’s most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don’t. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role,”

Shannon compliments a pretty rounded out cast including Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, and The Tudors star Henry Cavill playing the titular role. It seems that the role of Superman/Clark Kent is the only role so far to be played by a British actor, which is normally the opposite plan of producer Christopher Nolan.

For those worried that Shannon may be too “mainstream” to play an evil, super powered general, this isn’t the actor’s first foray into the world of comics. Last year, he graced the screen as Doc Cross Williams in DC’s bastard stepchild of a comic adaptation, Jonah Hex.

Now that we have our baddie for the film, we just need some iconic supporting roles like Perry White and Jimmy Olsen filled in. But who will be chosen?

Box Office: Russell Brand Cleans Up With ‘Hop’ & ‘Arthur’

Posted on April 11, 2011

Depending upon your feelings toward Russell Brand, you will be delighted or horrified by the most recent box office weekend totals. Despite the fact that four new films opened on Friday, last weekend’s holdover Hop managed to remain on top for a second week in a row.

Brand voices a rabbit who is the main character in the film. The film dropped about 42% from last weekend, which is a little high for a kiddie flick, but it has earned $68.2 Million in its first two weeks of release.

Coming in at number two was the Arthur remake, also starring Brand in the title role. The film only made about $12.6M. That total is quite low considering the fact that the film played on over 3,276 screens. That’s only a $3,276 per/screen average.

The moody assassin movie Hanna almost overtook Arthur with $12.3 million in ticket sales, while playing on a far fewer screens (2,600). Another newcomer placed fourth. Soul Surfer played on about 2,300 screens, and made $11.1 M. Even more impressive was the fact that the film got a coveted A+ from audiences polled by Cinemascore. That is extremely rare. Sony Pictures reports that over 80% of the audience was female, also rare.

Josh Pence Cast as Young Ra’s Al Ghul in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’

Posted on April 9, 2011

The Social Network was a wonderful film all around, but one of the truly amazing parts of the movie was the dual role played by Armie Hammer. Since Hammer is just one man, another actor had to play opposite him and that faceless hero was Josh Pence. Now, Pence is going to get a chance to stand out on his own because he’s just been cast as Young Ra’s Al Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises according to THR.

In the comics Ra’s Al Ghul is basically immortal, with access to Lazarus Pits around the world, so he always comes backs to torment the good detective. Batman Begins used the character well, but with the added realism Nolan brought to his Gotham, many people assumed we have seen the last of Ra’s in this series.

Lately rumors have been swirling that The Dark Knight Rises would deal with Ra’s daughter Talia (potentially played by Marion Cotillard) who is a long standing love interest of Batman. Casting a young version of Ra’s seems to add credence to this theory.

Based on the character’s history there is still hope that Liam Neeson can return, but this casting suggests that flashbacks are going to be used to flush out the relationship between Talia and her father. That is, of course, speculation. But one thing is certain, Nolan is throwing a lot into his highly anticipated Bat-climax.

Film Review: ‘Hanna’

Posted on April 8, 2011

Hanna is no ordinary assassin. With piercing blue eyes and an angelic countenance, the teenager looks more suited to be homecoming queen than cold blooded killer. Only that was not her lot in life. Hanna has been isolated from the populace in the frigid confines of Northern Finland, learning survival skills from her well versed father Erik (Eric Bana), who is an ex-CIA operative.

It’s obvious that Erik is trying to prepare Hanna for something; in addition to survival skills, he quizzes her in multiple languages, and educates her on topics of science, current events, and literature. Hanna spends her evenings poring over Grimm’s Fairy Tales by candlelight. You could say she is a true Renaissance woman.

The opening scene on the frozen tundra shows Hanna shooting a Reindeer with a bow and arrow. When the creature still writhes about, she calmly shoots it, then dresses it right in the field. She goes about these gruesome tasks with robotic precision and complete detachment.

Later, Erik and Hanna decide it is time to move on from their self-imposed exile; Hanna is ready to go out into the real world. Erik has been honing Hanna’s skills in anticipation of being pursued by Marissa (Cate Blanchett), another CIA agent dead set on getting rid of Hanna. Erik and Hanna go their separate ways, but make plans to meet at a safe-house in Germany.

Check Out the Trailer for Jon Hewitt’s ‘X’

Posted on April 8, 2011

With all the hype and press surrounding big budget studio films, we need to keep in mind the smaller films that don’t have the marketing budget but also need coverage too. This time around that smaller film is director Jon Hewitt’s X.

The film, which tells the story of Holly Rowe, a callgirl on her last night on the job who’s just looking to finish up and get out of the business. Naturally, things don’t go as she planned when she encounters Shay Ryan, a teenage runaway, broke and alone, who just has to get through her first night as a hooker.

Fate throws them together on a job that goes horribly wrong and they’re trapped on an out-of-control roller coaster ride, through the twilight zone of sex-for-sale. Funny, I don’t remember seeing that ride at Disneyland last time I was there. Oh well.

The film stars the terrific Viva Bianca of Spartacus: Blood and Sand and Hanna Mangan-Lawrence, who was in the director’s previous film, Acolytes. IFC has sent us a trailer for the film and we are, of course, going to share it with you right here.

Take a look after the jump. X debuts in select theaters today and then on demand from IFC Midnight, via Comcast, Cox, Cablevision, Time Warner, and Bright House starting April 13th.

Older Posts

Newer Posts