The Flickcast

‘The Hangover: Part 2′ Finally Gets a Teaser

Posted on February 25, 2011

And we use “teaser” in a very literal sense. We know that The Wolfpack are making their way to Thailand this time around, and that Mel Gibson got bumped from his cameo, but we haven’t seen much in a way of actual footage from the film. At least now we’re getting a little tease.

This new one has just enough to whet our appetites, while still showing some interesting hints as to where the story could be going. Zach Galifiniakis has a shaved head? Ed Helms has a tribal tattoo on his face? Here’s the official synopsis (like it matters really):

In The Hangover Part II, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch.

However, things don’t always go as planned. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can’t even be imagined.

It’s not much, but it’s something so check out the teaser after the jump. Catch The Hangover: Part 2 in theaters on May 26th.

FaceTime for Mac OS X Out of Beta and Ready for Your Close Up

Posted on February 25, 2011

Have you ever wanted to video chat with your iPhone using friends but don’t have an iPhone yourself? Well, if you’ve wanted to use Apple’s FaceTime from the iPhone and only had a Mac, you were out of luck. That is, until this week.

The video chat service from Apple left Beta yesterday and is now a full fledged and polished App available at Apple’s App Store. This update was timed, it would seem, to come out at the same time Apple was refreshing its MacBook Pro lineup.

Now that it’s out of Beta, the App sports a new price, which is only 99¢. In case you’re not familiar with FaceTime, its an Apple provided service that allows Mac, iPhone, iPod touch and soon, iPad users to make video calls for free over land-based Internet connections.

The service itself is free and the App is bundled with any of Apple’s recent iOS devices such as the iPhone. However, as we said above, it cost just under a buck if you want the App for your Mac. However, the App is now pre-installed on all new MacBook Pro models so that’s a nice thing.

The Flickcast Picks: The 83rd Annual Academy Awards

Posted on February 24, 2011

This may be the biggest year for the Academy Awards, as some major Hollywood players are going up against some fresh newcomers. Eyeballs everywhere will be glued to ABC on Sunday, February 27th at 8PM E/5PM P when the awards show goes live. But before that, we decided to do some picking of our own with the staff’s predictions for each award.

For a full list of the nominees, check out our previous article on the subject. Now, on to the predictions.

Best Picture

Shannon Hood-The Social Network. It had early and consistent momentum all year, and the Academy appears to be trying to shake up their stodgy image. This would be the perfect film to put their money where their mouth is.

Matt Raub – True Grit. Not only are the Coens a regular in the “I Have an Oscar” club, but this testament to classic western films is definitely one for record books, between its all-star cast and gritty (no pun intended) visual style, this one definitely deserves the golden statue.

Chris Ullrich – True Grit. Even though this was a pretty great year for movies and there are many excellent choices in this category, True Grit stands on its own as my pick. As an example of pure movie storytelling, this Coen Brothers masterpiece excels on every level and delivers a pure entertainment experience you will want to revisit many more times in the future.

Cortney Zamm – The Social Network. There’s a lot of great films in this category, some of them from my favorite directors and starring my favorite people. But the one that combined all of the essential elements of filmmaking into a truly gorgeous, compelling, and memorable film was The Social Network.

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It’s Finally Here: The Sequel To ‘E.T.’ Has a Trailer (Sort Of)

Posted on February 24, 2011

We show a lot of trailers here at The Flickcast. Most are for movies you will actually be able to go out and see once they hit theaters. Some, like the one we have today from YouTube user blankenheimrobert, are for movies you probably won’t ever see.

Still, that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth watching. In fact, this trailer for the imagined sequel to the classic sci-fi film E.T. is pretty impressive in that the filmmaker had to borrow from so many different movies and add CG touches of his own to make it work. Sure, the visual effects are not exactly perfect nor do all of the scenes exactly fit together without some looking a bit out of place, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t pretty fun to watch.

Plus, you really have to appreciate the shear amount of work that must have gone into making this. So, for that reason and because we love to encourage this kind of thing, check out the full trailer after the jump.

Apple Reveals Details About Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion)

Posted on February 24, 2011

As if new, updated MacBook Pro computers weren’t enough, Apple also decided that today was the day to unveil details on the next version of its flagship Mac operating system OS X. The update, known as OS X 10.7 (aka Lion) is now available to developers. Hopefully, that means a release to the rest of us is only a short time away.

In a press release today touting the developer release, Apple writes that Lion “takes some of the best ideas from iPad and brings them back to the Mac.” Some of the new features we can expect with Lion include Mission Control, Launchpad, and multitouch gestures as well as several others including:

• New Mail application (thank goodness): widescreen layout like the the iPad and Conversations, which automatically groups related messages into one easy to read timeline, more powerful search and support for Microsoft Exchange 2010
• AirDrop: copy files wirelessly from one Mac to another with no setup
• Versions: automatically saves successive versions of your document as you create it, and gives you an easy way to browse, edit and even revert to previous versions
• Resume: brings your apps back exactly how you left them when you restart your Mac or quit and relaunch an app
• Auto Save: automatically saves your documents as you work
• New FileVault: provides high performance full disk encryption for local and external drives, and the ability to wipe data from your Mac instantaneously
• Mac OS X Lion Server: makes setting up a server easier than ever and adds support for managing Mac OS X Lion, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices

Apple is expected to release the Lion sometime during the Summer. In the meantime, check out the full press release detailing the update after the break.

Game Review: ‘Marvel vs. Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds’ for XBox 360

Posted on February 24, 2011

A year and a half ago, we came home from San Diego Comic Con and were given the chance to review the XBox Live Arcade rerelease of one of our top games of the previous decade with Marvel vs. Capcom 2. The game was an instant hit and was quickly brought over to the PlayStation 3 as well.

It’s not surprising that soon after, seeing the game’s tremendous success, that Capcom announced Marvel vs. Capcom 3. With a super stylized trailer, the hype hasn’t died down. Even last week at release, it was almost impossible for players to get a hold of the Special Edition of the game, a problem not usually seen in retail anymore.

As we have talked about with our previous hands-on experience, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 brings the series’ classic feel and action back with a shiny new coat of graphical paint and effects that players expect and demand.

Gameplay:

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds doesn’t change the formula that brought Marvel vs. Capcom 2 so much success. The game relies on single round matches between two 3 on 3 teams. Players have three basic attacks of increasing strength, their special attack button, and two assist buttons. These assist buttons can be used to either call in teammates for a quick attack or to switch the character the player is in control of for the fight.

As players throw more attacks and successfully defend against their opponents, they increase their combo meter which builds at the bottom of the screen to unleash Hyper Combos. These hyper combos are special moves that can deal tremendous damage if successful.

This simple control scheme allows for all levels of players to enjoy the game. Expert players will learn advanced combos, juggling and snap backs to eliminate their opponents while newer players will be able to feel like they are setting off tremendous attacks even by just button mashing.

It is an interesting dynamic compared to other fighting games where experience will almost always prevail. While it may be frustrating for an “expert” to get beaten by a lucky combination from a “newbie”, it also makes the game more exciting that outcomes aren’t always so predetermined in multiplayer.

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Apple Launches New MacBook Pro Computers

Posted on February 24, 2011

As was expected, today Apple updated its lineup of portable Macs with all-new MacBook Pro computers of various sizes and specifications. Although the updates are more evolutionary than revolutionary, that doesn’t mean they aren’t significant.

Some of the new updates include i5 or i7 “Sandy Bridge” processors across the lineup, AMD Radeon HD Graphics, Thunderbolt connector and all of the version have a larger trackpad, have dropped in weight and feature a new “Facetime HD” camera instead of the former iSight camera.

Here’s the full rundown:

13″ MacBook Pro

• 2.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with a 3 MB shared L3 cache or 2.7 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7 processor with 4MB shared L3 cache
• 13.3-inch LED-Backlit with 1280×800 resolution; Glossy only
• 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM clocked at 1333 MHz (2×2 GB), supports up to 8 GB
• 320 or 500 GB, 5400 RPM Serial ATA hard drive; optional 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB solid-state drive
• Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384 MB DDR3 SDRAM shared memory
• FaceTime HD camera, 8X slot-loading SuperDrive, Thunderbolt High-Speed E/A and Mini-DisplayPort, 802.11N WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, SDXC, FireWire 800, USB 2.0.
• Starting at $1199

Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz In a New Red Band Trailer For ‘Bad Teacher’

Posted on February 24, 2011

Many fans may be holding their collective breaths to catch a first glimpse of Jason Segel’s upcoming Muppets film. But before that, he’s getting down and dirty with Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake in Bad Teacher from Columbia Pictures.

From Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story director Jake Kasdan, the film mixes a little bit of Bad Santa and a little bit of Porky’s and throws in even more laughs. Here’s the official synopsis:

The films follows foul-mouthed, money hungry teacher Elizabeth (Cameron Diaz) who sets her sights on her colleague Amy (Lucy Punch) who is dating substitute teacher Scott (Justin Timberlake). Elizabeth, having just been dumped, decides to pursue her new colleague, who also happens to be the scion of a watch fortune.

In case you need more convincing than a cast like that, we also have the official “Red Band” trailer for you to set your eyes on after the jump. Bad Teacher is set to hit theaters on June 17th.

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