The Flickcast

First Teaser Trailer for James Wan’s ‘Insidious’ Hits

Posted on January 25, 2011

Since he struck gold back in 2004 with Saw, James Wan has taken the horror world by storm. Continuing in that trend, his next major film in the genre, Insidious, is finally making some buzz with it’s first trailer.

Starring Watchmen’s Patrick Wilson and Damages’ Rose Byrne, the film is an interesting take on a child’s possession. Here’s the full synopsis.

INSIDIOUS is the terrifying story of a family who shortly after moving discover that dark spirits have possessed their home and that their son has inexplicably fallen into a coma. Trying to escape the haunting and save their son, they move again only to realize that it was not their house that was haunted.

The first trailer finally hit for the film, which is set to release on April 1st, and needless to say, it’s pretty haunting inside of the 51 seconds we’re given. Check it out after the jump, and be sure to catch Insidious in theaters this April.

First Trailer for ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops’ ‘First Strike’ Map Pack Arrives

Posted on January 25, 2011

Because it’s nice outside and I’m feeling sorta lazy, I’m just going to tell you we’ve got a new trailer for the Call of Duty: Black Ops “First Strike” Map Pack for you today. Previously, we had a preview for the new maps and even had some video. Now, we’ve got a cool trailer that features some great music.

As you probably know from our own John Carle’s exhaustive discussion of the new map pack, the “First Strike” Map Pack will include four traditional multiplayer maps as well as one additional Zombie mode map. Who doesn’t love those zombies? Am I right?

Check out the trailer after the jump. Look for the “First Strike” Map Pack to arrive February 1st for XBox 360 and then later for PS3.

Verizon Confirms $30 Unlimited Data Plan for iPhone 4

Posted on January 25, 2011

One of the most important things when you own and use a smartphone is the data plan. Sure, having the phone to make calls is great (that is when you can make calls. I’m looking at you AT&T) but the real purpose of all that cool phone goodness is to do other things like check email, post on Facebook and Twitter and surf the web while in line at Trader Joe’s.

When the iPhone first hit AT&T, the company offered an unlimited data plan for it. That plan has changed over the years and now features tiered pricing with the word “unlimited” left for the level of frustration many users feel when trying to make a call or, in some cases, send a simple text message.

Fortunately it seems Verizon understands the data needs of smartphone users and will offer a $30 unlimited data plan for the iPhone 4. This was confirmed to The Wall Street Journal by the company’s CEO Lowell McAdam who also said that offering the iPhone with a capped data plan would create an unnecessary barrier for customers looking to switch from AT&T.

“I’m not going to shoot myself in the foot,” he said. Smart man. Verizon will launch the iPhone on February 10th. Will you be getting one?

Classic Batman Brought To The 21st Century As A Limited Edition Flash Drive

Posted on January 25, 2011

Mimobot Flash Drives are a great meeting between the world of geek and the world of tech. Starting off with their line of flash drives based on popular Star Wars characters, the company made it’s way into the hearts of fanboys (and fangirls) everywhere. Now they’re upping the ante and stepping into the realm of comics with a new limited edition flash drive based on the original 1939 Batman comics.

Like all Mimobot drives, this one comes in a variety of sizes, from 2GB to 16GB, and runs relatively cheap compared to other USB 2.0 drives out there.

Unlike those other drives, this one comes pre-loaded with tons of digital content, such as wallpapers (for the computer, iPad, and mobile device), icons, avatars, and even a cool animated screensaver.

If you’re a Batman fan, you’re going to want to pick this one up soon, as this one is limited to 5,000 units. And if you miss out, don’t worry, as Mimoco has a whole line of DC Comics characters planned for upcoming release, including Batman, Robin, Joker and Catwoman.

So what are you waiting for? Pick this limited edition flash drive up today!

‘Spartacus’ Prequel Debuts to Big Numbers on Starz

Posted on January 25, 2011

Even though the show just wasn’t the same without Andy Whitfield as Spartacus (although he did make a small cameo) that didn’t stop Spartacus: Gods of the Arena from debuting to impressive numbers last Friday night on Starz. The premiere episode of SGOTA had over 1.1 million viewers for its first run at 10 PM, 66% higher than the original series’ premiere a year ago.

In addition, the show had 1.9 million viewers combined for the 10 PM and 11 PM showings, 77% above the debut of the original series. Yes, that’s a lot of people indeed.

I’m guessing audiences were probably just hungry for more awesome gladiator action and to learn the story of the rise of the House of Batiatus. Even though, if you’ve seen the original series, you know how it all turns out for many of the characters, it was still fun to watch their first appearances and see how it all comes together.

It was especially interesting to see how Batiatus himself (John Hannah) began as quite a different person and how he will evolve into the evil man he is later in the series. In some ways its too bad this series will only be six episodes.

Although, in the end, that’s probably just enough to get us ready for season two of the original series, which is returning next year with a new actor (Liam McIntyre) taking on the role of Spartacus.

2011 Oscar Nominations Announced

Posted on January 25, 2011

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 83rd annual award ceremony this morning. The King’s Speech was the front-runner with 12 nominations. Overall, there weren’t too many surprises.

Many were disappointed that Christopher Nolan did not receive a best director nod, but as a consolation prize, Inception was nominated as a contender for best picture.
True Grit did quite well, with Hailee Steinfeld nabbing a best supporting actress nod, and nominations for best picture, best director(s), best actor, and best adapted screenplay. Winter’s Bone was recognized for best actress, best picture, and best adapted screenplay. Dogtooth, Jackie Weaver, and Javier Bardem were nice surprises.

Here are the nominees in the order that they were announced.

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld True Grit
Jackie Weaver Animal Kingdom

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale The Fighter
John Hawkes Winter’s Bone
Jeremy Renner The Town
Mark Ruffalo The Kids Are All Right
Jeffrey Rush The King’s Speech

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War Movie Mondays: ‘MacArthur’

Posted on January 24, 2011

This week’s pick salutes the American Caesar, and the hero of the Pacific War. Joseph Sargent directs MacArthur (1977) which is a biopic about famed American General Douglas MacArthur who led Allied forces to victory in World War II and years later in the early days of the Korean conflict. Riding on the studio success of Patton and what it did for Twentieth Century Fox several years earlier, Universal believed that a story about MacArthur would be box office gold as well.

Gregory Peck turns out a tour de force performance as General MacArthur. The film is set as a flashback as he is addressing a graduating class at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. The film also stars Dan O’ Herlihy as President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Marj Dusay as Mrs. Jean MacArthur, and Ed Flanders as President Harry S. Truman.

As the General is addressing the cadet corp at West Point, the film then opens up in the Philippines just before the battle of Bataan is about to begin. MacArthur is holding on and waiting for much needed men and supplies to come to his aid but following the attack on Pearl Harbor, MacArthur and his forces are made to hold on and hope that some relief will come from President Roosevelt and the United States Navy.

Editorial: ‘Dead Space 2: Your Mom Hates This’ Ad Campaign

Posted on January 24, 2011

Take a bunch of women in their late forties to mid-fifties and show them graphic images of violence and mutilation from the upcoming Dead Space 2 (which comes out tomorrow, January 25th) and record their reactions ranging from utter terror to complete revulsion. Then make sure to tell people just how violent your game is over some not so violent in game videos. Slap a “M for Mature” tag on it and there you have your ad campaign with the tag line, “Your Mom Hates This.”

Give me a break. There are so many problems with this campaign that is insulting to the gaming community as well as general consumers. Let’s break this down in a logical manner, even though obviously the advertising agency didn’t.

Dead Space 2 is a rated M game, meaning it should only be targeting players over the age of 18. But, the message of “Your mom hates this” is something that marketers would gear towards a younger self righteous and rebellious person in their early teens. By the age of 18, most people have evolved in to at least somewhat freethinking individuals who make decisions based more on personal preference than just trying to do something to tick their mom off.

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