The Flickcast – Page 527 of 1030 – Stuff Nerds Love

War Movie Mondays: ‘Bataan’

Posted on January 17, 2011

This week’s pick salutes the first American combatants of World War II who began fighting the Japanese in the Philippines following the clandestine attack on American forces at Pearl Harbor. Bataan (1943) was directed by Tay Garnett and stars Robert Taylor (Sgt. Bill Dane, 31st Infantry Div.),Thomas Mitchell (Cpl. Jake Feingold), George Murphy (Lt. Steve Bentley), Lloyd Nolan (Cpl. Barney Todd), Lee Bowman (Capt. Henry Lassiter), Robert Walker (Musician 2nd Class Leonard Pruckett), Desi Arnaz (Pvt. Felix Ramirez), Barry Nelson (Pvt. F.X. Matowski), Phillip Terry (Pvt. Matthew Hardy), Roque Espiritu (Cpl. Juan Katigbak), Kenneth Lee Spencer (Pvt. Wesley Epps), Alex Havier (Pvt. Yankee Salazar), and Tom Dugan (Pvt. Sam Malloy).

The history surrounding the battle for Bataan and Corregidor is one of history’s greatest bookmarks. The Japanese attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, left the United States crippled and unable to protect its vital interests throughout the Pacific theater.

The Philippine Islands were one of the United States’ greatest territories which were coveted by the Japanese who wanted to capture it for symbolic purposes. Just three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese launched a coordinated offensive against the northern island of Luzon.

A few days later they began invading from the east and hoped to capture the capital of Manila and trap the American and Filipino forces now in retreat. To save the civilian population from total annihilation, General Douglas MacArthur, U.S. military governor of the Philippines, declared it an open city. Despite regard for it’s civilian populace, the Japanese bombed the city.

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‘Mortal Kombat: Rebirth’ Short Film To Be Adapted Into Web Series

Posted on January 17, 2011

Back in June, we brought you the very interesting web video that was circulating to just about everyone in the video game and film world. The film was titled Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, and had no legal ties to the Acclaim game, but re-envisioned the classic characters in a modern, crime-ridden world.

The short came from video game diehard Kevin Tancharoen, the director behind 2009’s remake of the classic musical Fame (talk about a leap, eh?). The internets were all abuzz after the video was released, with the most outrageous being that this was actually a trailer for the upcoming Mortal Kombat film, and they had secretly been shooting the thing for months.

Sadly, that wasn’t the case. Yes, Warner Bros. is working on a film reboot of the franchise with Oren Uziel writing a script, but this isn’t it. It looks like the studio is passing on Tancharoen’s vision of the film, and instead he’s taking his idea to the web in the form of a 10-episode web series.

Not much is known about production or distribution, but the webseries is set to begin filming next month in Vancouver. So fear not, MK fans, you’ll still get your gritty, crime-drama world (and possibly Michael Jai White), just not on the big screen.

For those who missed the short film back in June when it hit, you can check it out after the jump.

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Apple’s Upcoming iOS 4.3 Adds Interface Tweaks, New Gestures

Posted on January 17, 2011

Earlier this week, Apple released a beta version of it’s next iteration mobile operating system to developers. iOS 4.3 beta, which is not yet released to the public, incorporates a host of interface refinements and new multi-touch -gesture controls. As for a public release date, Apple isn’t saying, however it should be sometime quite soon as there is never much of a gap between beta releases and public releases of iOS.

The iPad will benefit from several new multi-touch gestures to control various aspects of the tablet. For instance, swiping up with four fingers across the tablet’s surface will cause the multi-tasking drawer to appear. Want to switch between apps? Swipe left or right while working with your current app, and the iPad will move seamlessly between apps that are currently running in the drawer. Want to return to the home screen? Pinch inwards with four or five fingers and you’re there.

Want to learn more about what to expect with iOS 4.3? There’s more after the jump.

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Box Office: ‘Green Hornet’ Stings ‘The Dilemma’

Posted on January 17, 2011

Despite some tepid reviews, Green Hornet ran away with the top spot this weekend.  The Seth Rogan comedy/action hybrid made about $34 M, which is good enough to be the third highest January opening ever. About 69% of the film’s take was from 3D screens. It was a pricey film to make ($110 M), so it will need to build on its opening weekend momentum.

Vince Vaughn’s latest film The Dilemma made about $17 M, placing it solidly in second place. True Grit only dropped 23%, and made an additional $11 M.  This $38 M film just passed the $125 M mark.  Kind of reaffirms your faith in movie audiences, doesn’t it?

If that tidbit of intel warms your heart, then wait for the next news: we had a trifecta of terrific movies occupying the top five this week.  In addition to True Grit, The Kings Speech and Black Swan had great weekends.

The King’s Speech actually surged 41% in its eighth week in release for a cool $9 M. It is still playing on less than 1600 screens, so those are some impressive numbers. Very quietly, the film has made $44 M to date.

Black Swan has also done remarkably well. Made on a shoestring budget of $13 M, Natalie Portman’s star vehicle now totals almost $73 M in box office receipts, without a 3D screen in sight. Gwyneth Paltrow has not been as lucky. Her movie Country Strong fell completely out of the top ten this week, coming in at number twelve. In four weeks, the movie has only made $13 M.

Barney’s Version opened on only four screens, but it managed to make $17,925 per/screen.

New Trailer For ‘Scream 4′ Finally Gives Us The Goods

Posted on January 17, 2011

For the most part, sequels past 3 are rarely any good, let alone big name theatrical releases with an ensemble cast. Especially those films that fall into the “horror” or “slasher” genre. This time, things look to be different, as just about everyone (alive) is coming back for Scream 4.

Even original writer and director Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven are returning to revisit this franchise 10 years later. From what we can tell this far into production, the reasoning is to revamp the franchise for the brand new generation of tweeting, texting, and underage drinking teens. Here’s the plot rundown.

SIDNEY PRESCOTT has been living the last few years of her life in relative silence. Now a guidance counselor for Woodsboro High School, her alma mater, she finally lives her life out of the media spotlight.

But with the discovery of a murdered student, Sidney Prescott’s world will once again be ripped apart by the reemergence of Ghost Face.

We got a less-than revealing teaser a few months back, but now we’re finally getting the goods, and plenty of Hayden Panettiere as the new ditzy blond (who very well could be the new Ghost Face).

Check out the full trailer after the jump, and catch Scream 4 in theaters April 15th.

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The 2011 Golden Globe Awards

Posted on January 17, 2011

The 2011 Golden Globe Awards started off with a bang thanks to host Ricky Gervais, who wasted no time throwing some well deserved punches at some Hollywood bigwigs. Gervais poked some fun at Charlie Sheen, The Tourist’s inexplicable nominations, the allegations of bribery regarding The Hollywood Foreign Press, and closeted Scientology homosexuals.

Yowza, he’s got some balls. Was it sheer coincidence he disappeared for much of the show’s duration?

This show was noticeably tame for a Golden Globe telecast.  In fact, nothing really wacky or notable happened.  Here are a few observations:

  • Worst dressed Tilda Swinton, wearing a potato sack.
  • Best dressed January Jones in that red dress?  Hubba hubba.
  • People who refuse to age Michelle Pfieffer (she’s 53!?) and Jane Fonda (74).
  • Best presenter Robert Downey Junior
  • Most charming flub Andrew Garfield
  • Most shocking transformation Trent Reznor (who was a fresh scrubbed yuppie) and Melissa Leo, who is not really a bleached and teased hag. In fact, she’s quite fetching in real life.

Here are the awards, listed in the order they were presented. Glee came away a big winner with 3 awards.  The Social Network continuing to steam roll through the award season with a win for best director, best picture, and best screenplay. Lovable losers Paul Giamatti and Steve Buscemi both took home awards, and Natalie Portman is one step closer to an Oscar for her role in Black Swan. 

Boardwalk Empire beat out some stiff competition for best television drama. Here’s the rest of the night’s winners:

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Steve Jobs Taking Medical Leave of Absence from Apple

Posted on January 17, 2011

According to Apple PR, Steve Jobs sent out an email to Apple staff this morning stating that he is taking a medical leave of absence. In the email he says Tim Cook is in charge of Apple’s day to day operations. Jobs will remain CEO and weigh in on strategic decisions. The text of the email is below:

Team,

At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.
I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple’s day to day operations. I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011.

I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy.

Steve

As you probably know, Jobs had a liver transplant in 2009 to treat complications from pancreatic cancer. What does this announcement mean for Apple? At least Jobs waited until after the Verizon announcement, which is smart. Plus, the company seems to have a definite roadmap for the next year at least, so it will probably take a stock price hit but keep on going strong.

But whatever happens with Apple, we wish Mr. Jobs all the best and we hope he makes a speedy and complete recovery.

Get The Full Season of Syfy’s ‘Being Human’ In Two Minutes

Posted on January 14, 2011

We live in a fast-paced world where nobody has any time for anything anymore. Even a 30-minute comedy takes up too much time and DVR’s are blowing through most of them. With that in mind, Syfy has broken down the crux of Being Human season one into two solid minutes.

Much like the network has done in the past for such shows as Battlestar Galactica or even sister shows like V or Lost, this is a race through everything you need to know about the upcoming series, breaking it down to literally the lowest common denominator.

Based on the BBC series of the same name, Being Human follows three friends that live together. The only difference here is that one is a vampire, one’s a werewolf, and one is the spirit of the girl who was killed in the apartment.

A little bit Twilight. a little bit Friends. Just the right combination to pull in a crowd from every demographic. Check out the two minute summary after the jump, and catch the premiere on Monday, January 17th at 9/8 central only on Syfy.

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