The Flickcast

War Movie Mondays: ‘The Guns of Navarone’

Posted on March 14, 2011

This week’s pick is the classic World War II commando caper The Guns of Navarone (1961) directed by J. Lee Thompson, and written by acclaimed author Alistair MacLean, (Where Eagles Dare). The film stars Gregory Peck (Capt. Keith Mallory), David Niven (Cpl. John Anthony Miller), Anthony Quinn (Col. Andrea Stavrou), Stanley Baker (Pvt. “Butcher” Brown), Anthony Quayle (Maj. Roy Franklin), James Darren (Pvt. Spiro Pappadimos), and Irene Pappas (Maria Pappadimos).

The film is set during the rather forgotten Dodecanese Campaign from September 8th to November 22nd 1943. As the Germans had smashed southerly through the Balkans into Greece beginning in late 1940, their Italian allies held several of the Greek islands in the south-eastern Aegean Sea and used them for staging areas to help the Germans conquer Greece next. Fascist leader Benito Mussolini referred to the island of Leros as “the Corregidor of the Mediterranean.”

It was also hoped that Germany could cajole neutral Turkey to enter the war as a member of the Axis. The Allies tried several attempts to capture the islands in order to counter the German push through the Balkans into Greece.

Get a Sneak Peek At This Week’s Season Finale of ‘Face Off’

Posted on March 14, 2011

Hard to believe it, but Syfy’s newest venture into reality TV, Face Off, is finally coming to an end. We’ve seen some drama, some annoying characters come and go, and some awesome makeup challenges, but this week it all comes down to one last competition, and one final winner.

In this last competition, the final three contestants are taking it back to fairy tales as they reimagine some classic stories. From Syfy:

In this second sneak peek clip of the Season Finale of Face Off, the final four contestants recreate their favorite fairy tales in their last attempt to prove their talent. A werewolf, witch, and other creatures are being finalized. There seems to be a positive overall tone among the contestants as they head down the final stretch, but it wouldn’t be the finals without something going awry. Conor’s final creation appears to have a malfunction and his opportunity at being crowned the winner of Face Off may be over.

Check out the clip after the jump, and enjoy the Face Off season finale on Wednesday at 10pm, 9pm Central.

PAX East 2011: Boston Indie Showcase – Smuggle Truck

Posted on March 14, 2011

The unique thing about PAX and PAX East as compared to all other conventions is the strong presence of independent gaming on the show floor. This year, three exceptional indie titles are being featured in the Boston Indie Showcase, and I took to the floor to check out what these games were all about.

Available for iPad, iOS, Mac, and PC, Smuggle Truck was the first indie game I tried out for myself at this year’s PAX. With very simple controls, you drive a truck full of refugees through side-scrolling barren wastelands, dark caves, and terrifying forests, all in the hopes of reaching the border without losing all your passengers. The path is wrought with obstacles as well as hills and valleys that test your skills against physics.

Smuggle Truck has caused a certain amount of controversy, but don’t let that steer you away, because this game is a ton of fun. And in talking with the game’s creators, the game is less about pointing fun at illegal immigrants and instead does an incredible job of critiquing the absurdity and difficulty of entering the country and legally becoming a citizen.

First ‘Conan the Barbarian’ Teaser Trailer Arrives

Posted on March 14, 2011

We’ve been following this one for quite some time and have been bringing you all the news, including that the film will be in 3D and who would play the legendary character. Now, we’ve got even more in the form of the brand new teaser trailer for the film.

In case you’re not familiar with the story, it concerns “the most legendary barbarian of all time on a quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior but soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters, and impossible odds. During the course of the film Conan realizes he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil.”

Adapted from the original works of Robert E. Howard and “faithful to the mythology and psychology of his iconic character,” Conan the Barbarian stars Jason Momoa, Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Ron Perlman and Rose McGowan. It is directed by Marcus Nispel.

Check out the teaser after the jump. Conan the Barbarian arrives in theaters on August 19th.

SXSW Film Review: ‘The Innkeepers’

Posted on March 14, 2011

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Ti West struck gold with horror fans when House of the Devil came out in 2009. Devil was a fitting throwback to the horror films of the ’80s, and West proved to be a master at creating nail-biting tension and dread, culminating in a doozy of a finale.

West debuted his eagerly anticipated new thriller The Innkeepers at SXSW on Saturday night at a sold-out Paramount theater. If my lack of fingernails are any indication, he’s struck gold once again. I was ready to crawl out of my seat by the end of the movie, and judging by the rest of the audience’s shrieks and gasps, the feeling was collectively mutual.

The Innkeepers tells the tale of a spooky old inn that is in its final season of business before getting razed for development. Most of the rooms have already been retired, and only one floor is available to guests in the final weeks.

Much of the staff has left the premises, leaving Claire ( Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) to hold the fort down. Luke is convinced that there is a ghost haunting the grounds. As legend has it, a lovesick woman hung herself when her fiance left her on their wedding night.

He owns some amateur ghost-hunting equipment and maintains a website with videos and photos he has captured at the inn. He enlists Claire to help him with recording activity at night.

The inn only has a handful of occupants including an eccentric ex-actress turned new age psychic (played by Kelly McGillis). She warns that there are things best not visited lurking in the basement.

Apple Accepting Donations To Red Cross Japan Relief Via iTunes

Posted on March 14, 2011

Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the devastating events taking place in Japan following the magnitude 8.9 earthquake and tsunami. If you’re feeling the same way (and we’re sure you are) and want to do something to help those affected, Apple has made it easier to do so.

The company has posted a donation page on iTunes where you can use your iTunes account to make a secure donation to the American Red Cross and its Japanese relief fund. 100% of donations made this way go to the American Red Cross. Apple is not taking a piece as it does with other iTunes transactions.

Of course, this isn’t the only way you can help. If you don’t have an iTunes account or don’t want to go through Apple, there are many other ways to make a difference.

TUAW contributor Rick Martin, who is currently in Japan, has put together a good list of donation sites where you can go. The list is very comprehensive and you should have no trouble finding a way to help.

Box Office: ‘Battle: LA’ Conquers the Weekend

Posted on March 14, 2011

Not a bad weekend for Hollywood and the domestic box office, as Battle: Los Angeles took the top spot with a decent $36 million for a March opening weekend. That is just about 50% of the $70 Million production budget of the film. You know what that means: expect a sequel.

Other opening weekend movies didn’t fare as well including the family CG-animated film Mars Needs Moms, which opened with an unfortunate $6.8 Million (the budget was over $150 Million) and landed in the 5th spot. Catherine Hardwicke’s re-imagining of Red Riding Hood pulled in $14 Million and came in at the 3rd spot.

Movement from last weekend was quite significant, as Rango moved to the number two spot and went down almost 50%, pulling in $23 Million over the weekend, and $68 Million since it’s opening last weekend.

Matt Damon’s Adjustment Bureau must have had some terrible word of mouth, as it went down 45% since last week, and went all the way down to the number 4 spot, with $11.5 Million.

Next weekend Relativity’s Limitless goes head-to-head with the Matthew McConaughey vehicle, The Lincoln Lawyer, and the fanboy-crazed Paul. Could be an interesting weekend, if Battle: LA doesn’t retain for another weekend.

PAX East 2011: A Love Letter to Kinect

Posted on March 13, 2011

Alright, I know I’m pretty late to the bandwagon since Kinect was released during the holidays, but I genuinely haven’t gotten to spend any time with the device. Until now.

One of the amazing things about Penny Arcade Expo is the expansive freeplay section available to attendees, and Kinect was available in full force. I stepped in front of a television armed with an Xbox 360, a Kinect, Kinectimals, and Dance Central, and I unwillingly and surprisingly fell in love.

Believe you me, I was just as skeptical about this device as I’m sure you all were, or maybe still are. And since Penny Arcade is pretty much my go-to for my videogame advice, and they aren’t the biggest fans of Kinect, I was expecting to be underwhelmed. Oh how wrong I was. Two seconds of tossing a ball around to a baby tiger and I was sold.

Older Posts

Newer Posts