The Flickcast

AMC Cancels ‘Rubicon’

Posted on November 11, 2010

AMC has announced that they will not be renewing Rubicon for a second season. Rubicon was an original series that began in August, but never really got a foothold with audiences.

This is the first original series that AMC has canceled. The network has done quite well their other shows, including Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and now The Walking Dead.

The official statement given by the network was, “Rubicon gave us an opportunity to tell a rich and compelling story and we’re very proud of the series. This was not an easy decision, but we are grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such a phenomenally talented and dedicated team.”

Rubicon was a twisty series in the vein of a detective/spy thriller. It starred Miranda Richardson, James Badge Dale, and Arliss Howard.

[via AMC TV ]

New Trailer for ‘Little Fockers’ Arrives

Posted on November 11, 2010

Say what you want about Ben Stiller or his talent, the man still manages to turn out some pretty entertaining and often successful films. Sure, his brand of humor may not be for everyone or his choice of films might not seem all that inspired, but he still keeps going and still often brings the funny.

This time around Still is back with another chapter in the “Fockers” family comedy series. This new one, called Little Fockers, takes the story of Greg the male nurse (Stiller) and his obsessive father-in-law Jack (Robert De Niro) to the next level: children. Of course, once that happens hilarity and the associated sight gags, misunderstandings and people getting hit in the eye with something ensues.

For more of an explanation of the story, here’s the official synopsis from Universal:

It has taken 10 years, two little Fockers with wife Pam (Polo) and countless hurdles for Greg to finally get “in” with his tightly wound father-in-law, Jack. After the cash-strapped dad takes a job moonlighting for a drug company, however, Jack’s suspicions about his favorite male nurse come roaring back.

When Greg and Pam’s entire clan-including Pam’s lovelorn ex, Kevin (Owen Wilson)-descends for the twins’ birthday party, Greg must prove to the skeptical Jack that he’s fully capable as the man of the house.

Check out all the hijinks in this new trailer after the jump, courtesy of our pals at Yahoo. Look for Little Fockers to invade a theater near you on December 22.

Fox Gives ‘The Simpsons’ a 23rd Season

Posted on November 11, 2010

I was thinking about long running TV shows the other day and having a discussion with some colleagues. We were impressed to realize that The Simpsons has been on the air for 22 years. That’s longer than some staffers on this site have been alive. Amazing.

Well, the amazing can now continue because Fox has officially given the green light for a 23rd season of the venerable animated comedy featuring Homer, Marge, Lisa, Maggie, Bart and their host of friends and neighbors in beautiful Springfield. The 23rd season will get the show to the impressive 500th episode milestone and then beyond, bringing the total number of episodes to 515. That’s a lot of chalkboards and sofa gags.

“Like many 22-year-olds, The Simpsons is extremely happy remaining at home, on Fox, and hopes it doesn’t have to go out into the real world for many years to come,” said The Simpsons executive producer Al Jean. I’m sure that’s true because, really, what a great gig it must be for the people who make the show.

Sure, it might get a bit tiring doing the same thing for 22 years but in Hollywood, this kind of lengthy work doesn’t come along all that often — especially if your show happens to be on the Fox network. Just ask Joss Whedon.

As an added bonus, I dug up a video of The Simpsons first season opening credits. It’s fun to see how the characters and situations have changed but also stayed remarkably the same as well. Check it out after the jump.

First Images From Disney’s New ‘Winnie The Pooh’ Film Hit The Web

Posted on November 11, 2010

Good news, Disney fans! That honey-loving bear, Winnie the Pooh is making his way back to the big screen, and he’s staying in 2D! Just when you thought Disney was out to take their classic films and rehash them in 3D, some classics just can’t be touched.

The film is set to hit theaters next summer, unfortunately against films like Captain America, Cowboys & Aliens, Transformers 3, and the final Harry Potter film. With the built-in family following of Disney and co-directors Stephen J. Anderson (Meet the Robinsons) and Don Hall (The Princess and the Frog), this Pooh should still retain an audience. Here’s the film’s official synopsis.

Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with “Winnie the Pooh,” the first big-screen Pooh adventure from Disney animation in more than 35 years. With the charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Kanga, Roo—and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail.

“Well a tail is either there or it isn’t there,” said Pooh. “And yours isn’t… there.” Owl sends the whole gang on a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit. It turns out to be a very busy day for a bear who simply set out to find some hunny.

We’ve got two brand new stills from the upcoming film, which show some of the classic animation style that got us to fall in love with the whole gang from the Hundred Acre Wood a long time ago. Check them out after the jump, and catch Winnie the Pooh in theaters on July 15th.

Game Review: ‘Dance Central’ for XBox 360

Posted on November 11, 2010

We are not exactly what you’d call a group of talented dancers. For the most part, many of us wouldn’t even be good enough to be considered bad dancers. But that didn’t stop us from picking up the most anticipated Kinect launch title, Dance Central, not surprisingly a game that involves dancing.

At Comic Con, we got our first chance to experience Dance Central and even though it was fairly embarrassing showing our moves to a room full of fellow press, we quickly realized we weren’t the only ones who couldn’t dance (with the once exception being one guy who looked like he was a professionally trained hip hop dancer who was rocking out to “Poison” by Bell Biv DeVoe). And most importantly, it was fun.

But the question remained if it would be able to sustain itself as a full game and not just a quick burst of enjoyment for a song or two. We are happy to report that the answer is an astounding yes.

Gameplay:

Dance Central is the most perfect use so far of a world without a controller. Using the Kinect, Dance Central monitors every movement a player makes as they try to mimic the on screen dances of the expert dancer characters. Unlike other Kinect games like Kinect Adventures or Kinect Sports, the on screen character is not a direct representation of the player. Instead, it acts as a model of what the player should be doing.

There is a small box on the right of the screen showing a silhouette of what the player is actually doing. When a player deviates from the correct moves, the on screen character model will glow red over the body part that isn’t doing what it should be doing. There is also a Freestyle section of each song where players see a glowing outline of themselves dancing on screen with no direction. To add to the self-deprecation of the non-dancing crowd, the Kinect makes sure to take pictures of you during this portion.

Channing Tatum is A Roman Soldier In a New Trailer for ‘The Eagle’

Posted on November 11, 2010

Many people believe Channing Tatum is a one-trick pony. To the contrary, the man has plenty of range. We’ve seen him as a soldier leading the fight against villainous terrorists, a soldier who carries his love through letters with Amanda Seyfried and a relieved soldier who is sent back into duty. Now, we’re getting something totally different as Tatum stars as a soldier on a mission to fight his father….in Ancient Rome.

A story like this is pretty epic, so we won’t take anything away from the official synopsis.

In 140 AD, two men – master and slave – venture beyond the edge of the known world on a dangerous and obsessive quest that will push them beyond the boundaries of loyalty and betrayal, friendship and hatred, deceit and heroism…The Roman epic adventure THE EAGLE stars Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell and is directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald. 20 years earlier, Rome’s 5,000-strong Ninth Legion, under the command of Flavius Aquila, marched north carrying their treasured golden Eagle emblem.

They never returned; Legion and Eagle simply vanished into the mists. Hearing a rumor that the Eagle has been seen in a tribal temple in the far north, Flavius’ son Marcus (Tatum), determined to restore the tarnished reputation of his father, is galvanized into action. Accompanied only by his slave Esca (Bell), Marcus sets out into the vast and dangerous highlands of Scotland – to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father’s memory, and retrieve the hallowed Eagle.

Along the way Marcus realizes that the mystery of his father’s disappearance may well be linked to the secret of his own slave’s identity and loyalty – a secret all the more pressing when the two come face-to-face with the warriors of the fearsome Seal Prince (Tahar Rahim).

Plus side? Donald Sutherland. Check out the full trailer for the film after the jump and catch The Eagle in theaters on February 5.

Working Title Planning A Modern ‘Merlin’ Remake

Posted on November 11, 2010

While Hollywood has proven that magicians may look cool, they definitely don’t always rake in the big bucks across the globe. It’s been shown time and time again with films like The Prestige, The Illusionist, and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Though, for that last one, we blame Nic Cage.

It looks like Working Title films, the company behind the series The Tudors and the film Hot Fuzz, are now working on a brand new adaptation of the classic Merlin tale, which will take the old wizard to modern day.

The script comes from historical novel author Jay Basu, who plans on rebooting King Arthur’s spiritual wizard in a “contemporary setting.” Expect to see the film to keep a prominent British cast, as most of the films from Working Title are done out of the UK.

Not much is known about the script or what we can expect from the film, but you can expect to see plenty of respect paid to the character, as legendary actors like Sam Neill, Ben Kingsley, and Donald Pleasence have donned the robe and pointy hat at one point.

Keep it here for more news on this film as it develops.

Apple Releases OS X 10.6.5

Posted on November 10, 2010

As of a few minutes ago, Apple released its Mac OS X 10.6.5 update to its flagship Mac operating system. Some of the bug fixes, improvements, etc. in this release include:

• improve reliability with Microsoft Exchange servers
• address performance of some image-processing operations in iPhoto and Aperture
• address stability and performance of graphics applications and games
• resolve a delay between print jobs
• address a printing issue for some HP printers connected to an AirPort Extreme
• resolve an issue when dragging contacts from Address Book to iCal
• address an issue where dragging an item from a stack causes the Dock to not automatically hide
• resolve an issue with Wikipedia information not displaying correctly in Dictionary
• improve performance of MainStage on certain Mac systems
• resolve spacing issues with OpenType fonts
• improve reliability with some Bluetooth braille displays
• resolve a VoiceOver issue when browsing some web sites with Safari 5

Some good improvements there to be sure. Also, be on the lookout for an update to the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch pretty soon in the form of iOS 4.2, coming soon . . .

If you update today be sure and let us know if you have any issues. We’re firing up Software Update as we speak. Or, you can always wait for the combo update if you feel like it. Should probably be along shortly.

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