The Flickcast

Will Smith and Son Jaden Join M. Night Shyamalan’s New Sci-Fi Epic

Posted on April 5, 2011

Will Smith is a movie star in the truest sence of the word. His charm and charisma are palpable in just about everything he does. Even the horrible films in his filmography have the faintest amount of watch-ability due to Smith. That track record is about to be put to the ultimate test.

Deadline is reporting that Will Smith and his son Jaden have signed on to star in M. Night Shyamalan’s currently untitled sci-fi epic. Here’s the scoop:

The story takes place far in the future where a young boy has to navigate an abandoned planet on a space ship that has crashed. On board is his estranged father.

War Movie Mondays: ‘The Final Countdown’

Posted on April 4, 2011

This week’s pick is the 1980 military/science fiction classic The Final Countdown directed by Don Taylor, which stars Kirk Douglas (Capt. Matt Yelland), Martin Sheen (Warren Lasky), James Farentino (Air Wing Cmdr. Richard Owen/Richard Tideman), Katherine Ross (Laurel Scott), Ron O’ Neal (Cmdr. Dan Thurman), Charles Durning (Senator Samuel Chapman) and Co-Troma Films creator Lloyd Kaufman (Lt. Cmdr. Lloyd Kaufman).

The film opens in 1980 where a civilian analyst Warren Lasky (Sheen) is sent aboard the U.S.S. Nimitz (America’s largest nuclear powered aircraft carrier) on a fact finding mission. The ship’s commanding officer, Capt Matt Yelland (Douglas) sees Lasky’s presence as a nuisance but tries to extend him as much courtesy as possible while he’s there to report for the Department of Defense.

Things appear to be running smoothly as the Nimitz and several other escort ships are on a routine training exercise in the Pacific Ocean when a fierce storm comes out of nowhere. The Nimitz passes through a storm unlike any ever recorded. A piercing sonic shrill throws the crew into disorientation and wreaks havoc on the ship as it passes through to calmer seas. At first the crew is dazed and unaware of what has happened to them. Capt. Yelland sounds general quarters and the ship goes to battle stations. Capt. Yelland, Lasky, Cmdr. Thurman (O’Neal) and Cmdr. Owen (Farentino) try to piece together just what has happened to the ship and to them.

The Captain calls for a meeting of all his department heads to find out why they are unable to contact their escorts, Pacific Command, or anyone for that matter. Capt. Yelland orders an F-8 Crusader photo reconnaissance flight to make a run over Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to see if there was a possible nuclear strike.

‘Supernatural: The Anime Series’ Coming to the U.S. In July

Posted on April 4, 2011

Supernatural is a popular show, or so I am told. My TV watching principles force me to avoid shows that air on The CW. It is nothing personal, I just have an important man card renewal hearing coming up and I don’t want to take any risks.

Aside from my unfair avoidance of the show, Supernatural has done an excellent job of finding its core audience and growing its fan base over six seasons of well crafted TV. The show has also been a hit overseas, especially in Japan, which prompted Warner Home Video and animation studio Madhouse to develop an anime series based on the show.

Marking the first time a live-action American TV show has been adapted into a Japanese anime, Supernatural: The Anime Series mirrors the events of the first two seasons of the show. The series, however, isn’t just a retelling of those stories, it is a supplement to the main show.

Offering side tales, prequel stories and spin-offs from different episodes during the first two years, this series stays true to the series continuity, while telling new stories from this era.

Supernatural: The Anime Series stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, reprising their roles as the Winchester brothers from the main series. The full 22 episode series hits the US July 26, 2011.

Thunder! Ho! New ‘Thundercats’ WonderCon Footage Hits The Web

Posted on April 4, 2011

Who knew Thundercats would still be such a hot topic nearly 20 years later? A while back, we brought you some interesting “test footage” of Warner Bros.’ alleged lost CGI film with our favorite feline warriors. Now we’re getting the first footage of Cartoon Network’s upcoming revamped series.

Don’t expect much of a change from the original, except for some great new animation and voice talent. Even some old friends are returning, such as the original Lion-O, Larry Kenney, who is coming along now to voice Claudus. From the official release.

Based upon the iconic 1980s action classic, ThunderCats tells the epic tale of Lion-O and his battle against evil in the quest for the fabled Stones of Power. The series is executive produced by Sam Register (Teen Titans, Ben 10, Batman: The Brave and the Bold).

Over the weekend at San Francisco’s WonderCon, Cartoon Network held a very special panel for the upcoming series and showed fans the first footage EVER. And for those who couldn’t make the show, we’ve got it here for you.

Check out the new Thundercats footage after the jump. Ho!

TV RECAP: ‘The Killing: Pilot, The Cage’

Posted on April 4, 2011

AMC has quickly become a go-to source for high quality, unconventional television. They built their reputation on Mad Men and Breaking Bad, now they are adding some genre fare to their lineup. Last fall we had The Walking Dead, now comes The Killing. The series will unfold over 13 hours; the first two episodes premiered on Sunday evening.

The premiere episode of The Killing wastes no time establishing a dark and dreary atmosphere. Homicide detective Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) is jogging on a trail in Seattle. Her peaceful excursion is juxtaposed with scenes of a teenage girl being pursued through the woods at night by an unseen assailant.

It’s Sarah’s last day on the job before she moves to sunny California with her son to get married. Wouldn’t you know, a local girl has gone missing, forcing Sarah to take one last case before her replacement arrives in a few hours. Rosie Larsen is 17, and has been missing for the whole weekend.

Sarah is tiny, pale, contemplative and reserved. Mireille Enos captures the nature of Sarah perfectly. You might recognize Enos as Jodeen on Big Love.

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Brian Austin Green’s Superhero Flick ‘Cross’ Coming to DVD This May

Posted on April 4, 2011

Direct-To-DVD features have developed a certain negative stigma. Usually they have significantly smaller budgets, B to Z level actors and scripts that make Tyler Perry read like Shakespeare.

So when Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announces the upcoming release of their new direct-to-DVD superhero movie Cross, we take a very skeptical mentality. It would take at least a solid concept, well rounded cast and a fun trailer to instill the slightest bit of enthusiasm for the project. So you can imagine our surprise when this film offers up all three!

Yep. You heard that right: Cross has a straightforward–albeit interesting–core concept that allows a surprisingly strong cast to let lose and have some fun making a pulpy sci-fi action B-movie. This movie isn’t going to be The Dark Knight, or even its big screen cousins Constantine and Push. No, Cross looks like it knows it’s place and revels in the absurdity inherent in being direct-to-DVD.

The movie stars Brian Austin Green (The Sara Connor Chronicles), Vinnie Jones (X-Men: The Last Stand), Jake Busey (Starship Troopers), Michael Clark Duncan (Daredevil) and Tom Sizemore (Strang Days), and hits DVD on May 31st.

Check out the first full-length trailer after the jump!

Watch the First 15 Minutes of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ Premiere

Posted on April 4, 2011

This summer may have 90% of fantasy audiences salivating at a brand new theatrical blockbuster every weekend, but there is one epic story that we can’t wait to happen, and it’s on HBO. We’re talking, of course, about this April’s upcoming serialized adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Son of Fire and Ice fantasy novels, now simply called Game of Thrones.

The adaptation looks to borrow some visuals from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, while bringing new lift to Martin’s world of magic and Medieval politics. David Benioff, who helped bring the books to the screen, jokingly referred the adaptation to “The Sopranos in Middle-Earth.”

Needless to say, it’s already drawing some pretty big attention.

The series begins on April 17th, only a few weeks away, but HBO has graciously brought us the first 15 minutes of the pilot, in which we get fully inundated in Martin and Benioff’s world of kings and magic. Take a look at the sneak preview after the jump.

Box Office: ‘Hop’ Thumps the Competition

Posted on April 4, 2011

The top two movies this week showed a huge disconnect between critical reviews and audience satisfaction. Case in point, Hop. The Easter tale about an adorable rabbit who is the heir to the Easter Bunny empire was soundly denounced by most critics, earning a measly 24% on Rotten Tomatoes.

However, that didn’t scare audiences away from the film, which handily won the weekend box office, earning about $38.1 million. Considering the fact that Easter is still several weeks away, and audiences loved the film (those polled by Cinemascore gave it an A-), this film could end up earning quite a bit of money. This is the second film from new studio Illumination Entertainment. They released Despicable Me in 2010.

The feat is also impressive because there is not a lot of star power behind the film, which is a mix of live action and animation. James Marsden is not exactly a household name, and kids don’t know or care who Russell Brand is.

A big surprise to a lot of box office prognosticators was the under-performance of Source Code. Many of us thought it was a shoo-in for first place, particularly since it is one of the most well-reviewed films of the year. However, audiences didn’t agree, and gave the film a B on Cinemascore. When it was all said and done, Source Code made about $15.1 million, just under half the cost of its budget.

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