The Flickcast

Facebook Hosts Special Media Event, Makes Announcements

Posted on October 7, 2010

From their corporate headquarters in Palo Alto on Wednesday, Facebook hosted a special media event to showcase some of their latest updates and changes to the popular social networking site.

While some of these site-enhancements, specifically the ability to upload hi-res images to Facebook and an improved chat feature have leaked out prior to the event, a long list of new features were announced by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The event focused on three major new features including the ability to download your information from Facebook, a revamped application privacy dashboard, and finally the ability to create tightly-controlled groups.

Facebook’s new ‘Download Your Information’ tool allows users to port their data from Facebook in a .zip file format and essentially allows users to take their entire profile from Facebook and do with it what they please.

“People own and have control over all info they put into Facebook and “Download Your Information” enables people to take stuff with them,” Zuckerberg announced on Wednesday.

A one-click process will download everything from your profile, including your list of friends, events, all of your messages, notes, wall posts and all of your photo albums and videos. An intriguing idea, and one that lends credence to Facebook’s claims that they are an open platform concerned about your privacy and user’s ownership of their own personal data.

New ‘The Walking Dead’ Trailer Arrives

Posted on October 7, 2010

Most of the time when we show trailers, clips or other materials associated with a particular TV show, movie or game we tend to talk about the clip, introduce it and otherwise give you some idea of what you are going to see. This time around, however, with this new trailer for the upcoming AMC series The Walking Dead, we’re not going to say anything.

Instead, we’re going to let the undead speak for themselves and as you will see, they do a pretty darn good job of it. Just to remind you, The Walking Dead is based on a comic by Robert Kirkman and is being Exec. Produced by Frank Darabont. So, that givers you some idea of the quality we are expecting from this.

Ok, without further comment, click through to watch the trailer. The Walking Dead premieres October 31st on AMC.

Stan Lee Creating 30 New Super Heroes For Every NHL Team With ‘The Guardian Project’

Posted on October 7, 2010

Hockey Fan? Feel like your favorite team needs the perfect boots-and-cape wearing hero to represent everything that city stands for? Well, Stan “The Man” Lee feels the same way, and is currently working on The Guardian Project for the NHL which will bring a create a brand new superhero for every team in the league. Here’s a press release you have to read to believe.

Stan Lee’s vision for his latest superhero franchise, The Guardian Project, which will encompass the creation of 30 Guardians (one to represent each NHL team) as a new series of superheroes, with a creative concept that organically and authentically incorporates various NHL elements but is not set in the world of hockey. “I’ve always believed that every great plan starts with a great story,” says Mr. Lee. “In the creation of GME and its unique and unprecedented relationship with the NHL, I truly believe we have the perfect combination from which to launch 30 new superheroes and excite young fans around the globe.”

Created and developed by Stan Lee and Tony Chargin, EVP of GME Creative Affairs, and Jake Shapiro, each Guardian has been derived from its corresponding hockey team, complete with special powers representative of each team and city. These 30 Guardians will be unveiled together in a special presentation during the 2011 NHL All-Star Game on January 30 in Raleigh, NC.

While this was just mentioned today, there will already be a teaser package for the project revealed this weekend at New York Comic Con. This plan comes from the idea of bringing a whole new audience to the NHL, and dramatize the interteam rivalry with symbolic heroes and villains battling it out in many forms of media.

Check Out A Scene from Wes Craven’s ‘My Soul to Take’

Posted on October 7, 2010

Horror master Wes Craven is back with another scary film called My Soul To Take. Although some of here are not big fans of 3D, we will still give due respect to the man responsible for the original Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream and so many other great horror films.

Craven knows his way around the horror genre and with this new film he’s telling a new story in a new way. To illustrate that, we’ve got a clip from the film to share with you today that’s almost two minutes long.

To set it up, this film concerns a serial killer who swore he would return to murder the seven children born the night he died. Now, 16 years later, people are disappearing again.

Has the psychopath been reincarnated as one of the seven teens, or did he survive the night he was left for dead? Only one of the kids knows the answer — and you might also from this clip.

Click through to check out the scene after the jump. My Soul to Take, which features Max Thieriot, Denzel Whitaker, Zena Grey and Emily Meade, hits theaters tomorrow.

Interview: ‘Smallville’ Star Cassidy Freeman On The Good, the Bad, and the Future

Posted on October 7, 2010

With the last season of Smallville swiftly moving along, The Flickcast decided to talk to one of the most convoluted characters to reside in the sleepy town, Tess Mercer. She’s been a good girl, bad girl, and somewhere in between- so in essence a real woman.

Popping on the scene as the mysterious heir and CEO to LuthorCorp in Season 8, she’s since been through many tenuous trials. She’s fought to save humanity, albeit killing a few in her way.

She’s survived multiple deaths, multiple kryptonite-fueled personalities of Clark Kent, and multiple conspiracies. The best is yet to come.

The Flickcast: You were first cast in Season 8 of Smallville, did you think the show would continue for many more seasons?

Cassidy Freeman: I thought this was a one year job. I mean they signed me on for three, so they had me if they wanted me for three. But I was told maybe a year and every year we get renewed. It’s almost like a roller coaster ride of a path. I feel like the end of this series has had such strength to it.

I mean, I’ve watched it all in wanting to get familiar with the show and I’m not saying that just because I’m in it, but I think that they’ve taken some chances and we’re more grown-up and I really, really enjoy being in it and watching it.

TF: Tess Mercer’s walked as much on the side of light as that of dark. What are your thoughts on playing this complex character?

Game Review: ‘Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley’ for XBox Live Arcade

Posted on October 7, 2010

Last year, Twisted Pixel earned a place in our hearts with ‘Splosion Man, a quirky game that turned a simple platforming adventure into an hilarious meat filled romp in a secret laboratory. Last year, Twisted Pixel released news on their latest new IP, Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley.

With one of the funniest debut teaser trailers, Comic Jumper instantly had our attention on the Flickcast. After seeing levels and getting some hands on time at San Diego Comic Con, we could not wait for the game’s release yesterday to XBox Live Arcade.

Gameplay:

Unlike ‘Splosion Man which had only one button, jump, Comic Jumper has a much wider variety of gameplay. The majority of the game is a side scrolling shooter. Using the analogs and thumb sticks, players take aim at what sometimes feels like a never ended classic arcade onslaught of enemies. These crushing waves attack Captain Smiley from all angles as he traverses through the level with both melee and projectile attacks. While all these areas can be beaten even if it does take a few tries, it’s near impossible to make it through unscathed. In addition, the game adds shooting gallery sections, quick time events and a simple melee system as well. The melee sections are rewarded with a special “help” power from the team at Twisted Pixel.

Check Out 5 New Explosive Clips From ‘RED’

Posted on October 7, 2010

The name of this year’s movie game seems to be massive casting. If Expendables was for the slightly older action star, then Summit Entertainment’s RED is definitely skewing much older in terms of casting.

The film stars Bruce Willis as the leader of the greatest CIA agents ever to go through the agency. The only problem? They’re all over the hill and retired. Willis leads a team of Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren, with folks like Ernest Borgnine and Richard Dreyfuss joining along as well. In order no to alienate the viewers under the age of 50, Mary Louise Parker, Julian McMahon, and Karl Urban fill out the cast.

If the action and casting isn’t enough to warrant your $10, then how about the fact that the film is based on a comic of the same name? Originally written by Warren Ellis, the script comes from the Hoeber brothers, who also brought Whiteout to the silver screen.

We’ve got 5 brand new clips for you to check out after the jump, so be sure to enjoy the action, and catch RED in theaters on October 15th.

Review: ‘Black Swan’

Posted on October 7, 2010

Darren Aronofsky has made a career of choosing interesting, non-traditional material and illuminating the unexpected aspects of his subject matter. Case(s) in point: The Wrestler (a down-trodden wrestler), Pi (mathematicians), Requiem For a Dream (middle-aged drug addiction), and now Black Swan (competitive ballet.)

His knack for taking something completely mundane and elevating it to something tense and dreadful is astonishing. Who would have ever thought that a movie about mathematicians could be exciting, much less sinister? It is no surprise that the man who brought us Pi delivers a dark, provocative, psychological drama, set in the cutthroat (who knew it?) world of competitive ballet.

Natalie Portman stars as Nina, a beautiful ballerina who dances for a New York City ballet company. Though technically gifted, she has never gotten her big break because the company’s arrogant art director thinks she is too bland to carry a performance.

The film opens with us being privy to some of the cattiness that takes place behind the scenes at the ballet. The troupe’s principal ballerina, Beth (Winona Ryder), is being forced into retirement at the ripe old age of 37. Nina finds it sad, and defends the dancer, while the other girls titter on about her age and diminished athletic ability. It’s immediately established that the women are highly competitive. There is no sense of camaraderie, everyone is out for themselves.

The perennial classic Swan Lake is set to be the season opener, and Beth’s departure leaves the principal role wide open. Director Thomas (Vince Cassel) pits the girls against one another as they audition for the coveted role of The Swan Queen.

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