The Flickcast

Toy Fair 2011 Show Floor Pics Gallery

Posted on February 15, 2011

It’s that time of year again when we all gather together to see our loved ones… that’s right. The Con season has begun. Whether it’s SXSW, Toy Fair, C2E2 or Comic Con in San Diego, if you are a reader (or writer) of the Flickcast, it’s likely you are going to end up at least one, if not all, of the Cons this season. Our first one up on the east coast is Toy Fair. Now while Toy Fair isn’t open to the general public, we made sure to get in and get a peek at some of the hottest new toys of the season.

We got to take a peek at the new models for the Walking Dead action figures alongside our friends from MTV Splashpage as the legendary Todd McFarlane himself explained how the zombie bodies will literally explode in the customer’s hands. We can’t wait to see the final versions in action.

There was a plethora of Green Lantern merchandise that we were unfortunately unable to snag pictures of as well as the brand new Thundercats line which is coming out soon. We were able to sneak a few pictures though of some of the Mezco Green Lantern products though.

The video game world was represented strong with Sonic The Hedgehog, Halo, Deus Ex, Street Fighter, Final Fantasy and Little Big Planet. Activision also announced to the world Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure for the Wii where toys and video games come together in a very interesting new way. Check back later this week for a full post including video of the product in action.

Check out all of our pics from Toy Fair below and keep checking back this week for more from the show (including an appearance on this week’s podcast discussing it with Matt and Chris)!

Check Out Previews for Tonight’s ‘Chuck’, ‘The Cape’ and More

Posted on February 14, 2011

It’s Monday so that means all new episodes of one of our favorite shows, Chuck, and one of our favorite new shows, The Cape. Plus, a preview of another new show, Harry’s Law, we haven’t had much time to watch yet but from what we’ve seen looks pretty good. It’s from David E. Kelly and stars Kathy Bates, so what more do you really need?

Of course, that also means we’ve got previews and other stuff to get you ready for tonight’s fun. First up on Chuck, Sarah’s old teammates return and Lou Diamond Phillips guest stars on an episode that’s sure to please fans. Oh, did we mention that Sarah’s old teammates are three hot babes who like to kick ass? Yeah.

Plus, Lou Diamond sporting a goatee for the ladies. What more could you want? Something for everyone, right?

Then, The Cape goes supernatural as an old killer threatens Orwell and the entire city. I’ll bet you can guess that The Cape doesn’t like that very much. Plus, Summer Glau is, as always, a delight. Check out some behind the scenes action for this episode.

And, finally, Harry risks disbarment when she refuses to stand up for a guilty defendant on tonight’s Harry’s Law. Oh that Harry, always getting into trouble and bucking the system. Let’s hope she doesn’t have a sledge hammer or anything. That could get messy.

All the Monday action starts at 8/7C tonight with Chuck. Check out all the previews and such after the jump.

Spider-Man Reboot Now Oficially Called ‘ The Amazing Spider-Man’, New Photo Released

Posted on February 14, 2011

Well fans, it’s official. The name of the upcoming reboot of the Spider-Man franchise is The Amazing Spider-Man. After a long bout of speculation and rumors, Sony broke the news today and we can now at least put that question to rest.

But wait, there’s more. As if finding out the official title isn’t enough, Sony also decided that today is the day to release an official photo of the new web slinger as well. In this photo we get our first good look at Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man and from the look of things he’s been hitting the weight room since playing Facebook Co-Founder Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network.

Before this photo there had been speculation about the full Spider-Man costume as well as how the web shooters were going to be portrayed in the new film. Well, from the photo we can clearly see the shooters are mechanical in nature and, at least to us, the mask looks pretty good as well.

As you may already know (especially if you’re reading this site) the film stars Garfield as Spider-Man/Peter Parker and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy. It also features Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen, and Sally Field and is directed by Marc Webb. Look for it to be released in 3D on July 3, 2012.

Check out a larger version of the new photo after the jump. Okay Spidey fans, what do you think of this?

War Movie Mondays: ‘The Lost Battalion’ (2001)

Posted on February 14, 2011

This week’s pick is the 2001 A&E original The Lost Battalion directed by Russell Mulcahy (Highlander) which tells the story of the U.S. Army’s 308th battalion, 77th Infantry Div. and their amazing five day struggle against fierce German opposition in the Meuse-Argonne offensive during the tail end of World War I. The story was written by James Carabatsos (Hamburger Hill).

Rick Schroder turns out a rather good performance as Major Charles Whittlesey, a New York lawyer turned citizen soldier who led his men to victory in this almost forgotten moment in history. The film also stars Phil McKee (Capt. George McMurty), Jamie Harris (Sgt. Gaedeke), Jay Rodan (Lt. Leak), Adam James (Capt. Nelson Holderman, K Company, 307th Inf. Div.), Daniel Caltagirone (Pvt. Phillip Cepeglia), Michael Goldstrom (Pvt. Jacob Rosen), and Wolf Kahler (General von Sybel).

In October 1918, U.S., French, and British armies were beating back the Germans after nearly four years of everlasting trench warfare which stretched from the Swiss border to the North Sea. After only just one year of fighting, the United States had suffered thousands of casualties and was gaining a reputation as “fierce and unpredictable” by their German adversaries. American intelligence believes that the Germans are planning a major offensive in the Meuse-Argonne sector, and plans are underway to cut them off before they can overrun the American lines.

Game Review: ‘DC Universe Online’ for PC

Posted on February 14, 2011

After years of waiting (and reporting) DC Universe Online has finally made its way to both the PC and PlayStation 3 console. And we are happy to see it has lived up to the hype. While DCUO isn’t a ground breaking experience that will redefine the MMORPG genre, it does provide an addictive and fun super hero world for people to play in.

Taking a few lessons learned from previous super hero titles like City of Heroes and Champions Online, DCUO allows players to experience an MMO world in an iconic universe with well known locations and super hero and villain compatriots at their side. Unlike SOE’s previous iconic MMO with Star Wars Galaxies, players are actually able to fight alongside their favorite heroes and villains instead of just receiving missions from them. The game also has a fully voiced cast, a much notable difference to players of past titles like classics like Everquest or Galaxies.

Gameplay:

DC Universe Online plays similar in many ways to most other successful MMOs. It is to be expected since those formulas have proven successful for the type of game. Players move using the traditional WASD format combined with their mouse for changing directions and looking around and aiming. Different tap and hold button combinations on the mouse (unlocking more as players increase in level) release different attacks on foes. Additional super powers are unlocked and assigned to the 1 through 8 keys that can be used during combat.

Combat itself is fast paced and fun without much down time between. Unlike many MMORPGs, combat is not item-centric where players must worry about equipping tons of healing items to use after each combat instance. As long as players don’t run through like a lunatic kamikaze, they should be able to take a breather between fights to allow their character to quickly heal up before heading into the next encounter.

SXFantastic and SXSW Midnight Movies Announced

Posted on February 14, 2011

Lots of exciting news is coming out of Austin as the town braces for the SXSW Film, Interactive, and Music festivals. The official midnight movies have been announced, and they are sure to offer up some of the usual scares and surprises.

Midnighters

Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – provocative after-dark features for night owls and the terminally curious.

ATTACK THE BLOCK (UK-England)

Director & Writer: Joe Cornish A funny, frightening action adventure movie that pits a teen gang against an invasion of alien monsters. It turns a tower block into a sci-fi playground. It’s inner city versus outer space. Cast: Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones, Simon Howard, Luke Treadaway, Jumayn Hunter and Nick Frost (World Premiere)

THE DIVIDE (US-Canada)

Director: Xavier Gens, Writers: Karl Mueller & Eron Sheean To survive the end of the world…you must first survive each other. Cast: Michael Biehn, Milo Ventimiglia, Lauren German, Rosanna Arquette, Courtney B. Vance (World Premiere)

HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN

Director: Jason Eisner, Writer: John Davies A Hobo finds himself in an urban hell. When he witnesses a brutal robbery, he realizes the only way to deliver justice is with a shotgun. Cast: Rutger Hauer, Gregory Smith, Molly Dunsworth, Brian Downey, Nick Bateman

First Footage Of ‘Thundercats’ CGI Movie Hits The Web

Posted on February 14, 2011

This is something that should be filed under “?”, as some alleged test footage of the once shelved Thundercats project out of Warner Bros has surfaced on the web and it looks….good? About a year ago, the project was announced to be dead (or at least “postponed”) due to budget constraints. A new anime-style cartoon reboot is currently in the works over at Cartoon Network, but it looks nothing like this.

Flixter first had the video, saying that it’s an official CG test from the project back when it was still in the works, and we have to admit, it doesn’t look half bad. Sure, it’s appealing to a younger crowd, with a comical, puerile Lion-O, but it’s got the action, and the animation looks quite impressive.

We’ll be pretty upset if this turns out to be a fake, but at least we know that fans everywhere are still thinking about Lion-O and his band of butt-kicking cats. Check out the footage after the jump.

Amber Heard as Red Sonja, The Real Life Robocop, & All Your Favorite Super Bowl Trailers are On The Radar

Posted on February 11, 2011

Welcome to another edition of On the Radar where we delve into all corners of the entertainment, tech and geek Internets for news, views and whatnot that may have escaped our regular coverage during the week. Let is know if we missed something interesting.

Let’s get started!

• In case you were under a rock and missed the Super Bowl on Sunday, Apple has all of your favorite trailers from the telecast in glorious HD.

• Russell Brand is back in action, this time with a remake of the classic film Arthur. We can buy Luis Guzman as Robin, but Jennifer Garner being seductive? No way.

• Detroit is taking a page from their fictional history and trying to raise money to put a RoboCop statue in the center of town. That should stop all the crime.

• Amber Heard is in talks to play Ren Sonja in the upcoming remake. She already has the red hair and Amazonian body down, so she sounds like a fit!

• Now that he has that political mid-life crisis out of the way, Arnold Schwarzenegger is looking to get back into acting. Do we smell a sequel to Jingle All The Way?

• Alex Borstein has returned to play Ms. Swan to bring us a Black Swan spoof. Totally topical, right?

• For the diehard film fanatic: 100 of the greatest Noir posters ever created.

• Supercut of the Week: Because Valentines’ Day is coming up, we bring you the Epic TV Kisses Supercut.