The Flickcast

NYCC10: ‘Captain America: Super Soldier’ Trailer & First Impressions

Posted on October 12, 2010

At New York Comic Con, we had the pleasure of stopping by the Sega booth to take peeks at both the new Captain America game as well as the upcoming Thor title (stay tuned for that story!). When we got to the Sega booth we were given a hands off demo from Brandon Gill from Next Level Games, the developers of Captain America: Super Soldier which is being published by Sega.

We were told right off the bat that one of the most fun parts of the creative process was working with Christos Gage on an original story as opposed to being shackled to the storyline of the movie. The version we saw will be on the XBox 360 and PlayStation 3 but there will be a Wii and Nintendo DS version as well.

The entirety of the title takes place during World War II after his origin. One thing that quickly stood out was the change of Nazi villains to Hydra. In keeping with Marvel’s family friendly image and the youth skew that game may take, it isn’t surprising that they went this route. The entire game takes place with Hydra entrenched in a Bavarian castle with Cap running in to tear them down.

Rhys Ifans Cast As ‘The Big Bad’ In Spider-Man Reboot

Posted on October 12, 2010

As of last week, we officially have our Director (500 Days Of Summer’s Marc Webb), our Gwen Stacy (Zombieland’s Emma Stone), and our Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Social Network’s Andrew Garfield) locked in for the upcoming untitled Spider-Man reboot from Sony Pictures. Now, word is coming in that Welsh actor Rhys Ifans has been cast as the film’s unnamed villain.

It’s been said that Ifans’ most popular role was alongside Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant in 1999’s Notting Hill, but fans of cheesy genre comedies remember him from such fare as Little Nicky, The Replacements, and Pirate Radio. Now Ifans is taking on more of a colorful role as he battles with Garfield’s Spider-Man in the upcoming reboot.

The film is said to have little-to-no correlation with the previous Sam Raimi trilogy and will reboot the entire franchise for a whole new audience. As we said, Ifans may be locked into the film, but Sony is keeping a pretty tight lid on which exact villain we can see him as.

Who would you cast Rhys Ifans as? Could he out-goblin Willem Defoe’s Green Goblin? Or is it time that Electro finally makes it to the silver screen?

Sound off and let us know what you think. Spectacular Spider-Man (tentative title) is currently slated for a July 3rd release date in 2012.

Microsoft Unveils First Windows Mobile 7 Powered Smartphones

Posted on October 12, 2010

We knew that Microsoft’s launch date was nearing for their mobile strategy re-boot. Designed to go head-to-head with the current heavy-weights of the smartphone arena — the Apple iPhone and the myriad Google Android-powered devices — what we didn’t know is what the new Windows Mobile 7 would look like and what sort of handsets would be available on launch day. That officially changes today with a big media shindig in New York hosted by CEO Steve Ballmer.

Microsoft is really hitting the ground running, with 9 new handsets that will run Redmond’s newest flavor of mobile OS. For those of us in North America, we have a total of 5 to choose from depending on your intended network. If that choice is AT&T, your selections will be limited to the HTC Surround, Samsung’s Focus or the LG Quantum (pictured). T-Mobile customers will have one fewer option with either the new HTC HD7 or the Dell Venue Pro.

All of the forthcoming Windows Phone 7 phones will include the high-performance Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm, the processor of choice for most Android-powered phones these days. Microsoft has indicated that the new phones will begin shipping in time for the holidays this year with even more choices arriving in 2011, including phones from both Sprint and Verizon Wireless.

NYCC10: ‘The Thing’ 2011 Preview Panel

Posted on October 12, 2010

This past weekend at New York Comic Con, we got the opportunity to sit in on the panel for director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.’s prequel of John Carpenter’s 1982 classic The Thing. Carpenter’s 1982 classic was a remake of Howard Hawk’s 1950’s classic The Thing From Another World which was based on a short story entitled “Who Goes There” by John W. Campbell.

Heijningen’s film covers the three days prior to Carpenter’s version. A Norwegian research team discovers an alien body frozen in Antarctica. Much like the Carpenter film, the alien is thawed and soon begins to wreak havoc on the research team who discover that it is a shape shifting being that now wants to copy life on Earth.

Very quickly, the team doesn’t know which of them is human or the thing. The film stars Joel Edgerton as the main hero, Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World), Eric Christian Olsen (Community), and Ulrich Thomsen also make up the cast.

‘Call of Duty: Black Ops’ Single Player Trailer

Posted on October 12, 2010

As we mentioned yesterday, there was a reveal trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops single player campaign during the Monday Night Football game between the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings. Due to the late start on the game, it was late in the night when the trailer aired during the game’s third quarter.

And while Brett Favre and the Vikings may have disappointed a lot of people, the trailer sure didn’t. Make sure to take a peek below at the full trailer and give us your thoughts on everything Call of Duty: Black Ops as it gets closer to release.

We have already confirmed with Activision we will be reviewing a copy of the game for the site so keep your eyes peeled for that as well! Check out the full trailer after the break.

War Movie Mondays: ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’

Posted on October 11, 2010

This week’s pick is the Tony Richardson 1968 remake of The Charge of the Light Brigade which tells the story of a British expeditionary force sent to the Crimean peninsula in 1854 to halt the spread of Russian dominance over the vastly deteriorating Ottoman Empire. The Crimean War (1853-56) was considered to be the first modern war of the Victorian age. It was also a war fought by those which represented Christendom throughout Eastern Europe and throughout the holy lands.

The film stars some of Britain’s most celebrated actors: Trevor Howard (Maj. Gen. James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan), Sir John Gielguld, (Field Marshal James Henry Somerset, 1st Baron of Raglan), Vanessa Redgrave (Clarissa), Harry Andrews, (Lt. Gen. The Earl of Lucan), and David Hemmings, (Capt. Louis Edward Nolan).

The film opens with beautiful illustration which shows the mighty Russian bear terrorizing a Turkey wearing a fez hat. The other nations of Europe such as Italy, and the French Eagle look towards England, the sleeping Lion which awakens, lets loose a tremendous roar, and puts on a policeman’s helmet as a show of force that England will flex its might in this international affair.

The opening sequence which is done entirely through animation shows how Britain represents progress, industry, might, and the where with all to conduct policy in the name of the queen. It is a fabulous opening sequence which helps to establish the film and to allow the viewer to witness this pivotal time in Victorian history.

Watch These Amazing Banksy Opening Credits for ‘The Simpsons’

Posted on October 11, 2010

As we’ve done in the past, we’ve got another video for you that we think you should see. Often we will make comments or provide context but in this case, we think the video speaks for itself.

Okay, maybe a little hint. It’s the title sequence for The Simpsons, one of Fox’s longest running shows ever. However, this particular one is a bit different. Really different, in fact. It was directed by noted street artist Banksy if that that help give you a clue to what you are going to see.

It takes you deeper and shows you more than any other one of these ever done for the show. And if you know the show and know how much work they put into the opening titles, that’s saying a lot.

So, click through to check out this amazing video. Let us know what you think in the comments.

‘Doctor Who’ to Film in US for the First Time

Posted on October 11, 2010

If you’re a big fan of the BBC show Doctor Who and live in, or are willing to travel to Utah, this story is especially for you. According to the BBC, the upcoming Season 6 of its flagship sci-fi drama will open with a two part episode set and partially filmed in the U.S.

The opener, written by the show’s head writer and showrunner Steven Moffat, will be co-produced by BBC America, with key scenes being filmed in Utah in November. The story is set in the late ‘60s and finds the Doctor (Matt Smith), Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) on a secret mission “that takes them on an adventure from the desert in Utah – right to the Oval Office.”

Also joining the show for the opener will be Alex Kingston, who reprises her role as River Song. “The Doctor has visited every weird and wonderful planet you can imagine, so he was bound get round to America eventually,” Moffat said. “And of course every Doctor Who fan will be jumping up and down and saying he’s been in America before. But not for real, not on location – and not with a story like this one! Oh, you wait!”

Okay Mr. Moffat, we’ll wait. But it won’t be easy. We don’t like waiting.

What do you guys think about Doctor Who filming in the US and Torchwood moving to the US permanently?