The Flickcast

Review: ‘Couples Retreat’

Posted on October 9, 2009

Looking for some highbrow comedy? Keep on looking. If you loved the trailer for this movie, go watch it again. There, now you know the entire plot and you have seen all the funny parts of the film. I just saved you an hour and 47 minutes and at least ten bucks. You’re welcome.

It’s not that this is a terrible film, it just doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Couple’s Retreat tries to be the rom-com version of The Hangover, and fails. The laughs are there, but they are anemic at best and spread too thin over a far too long running time.

Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell) are a tightly wound yuppie couple who pull their friends aside at a child’s birthday party and ask them to attend a quick presentation. Believing that they are going to see another power point presentation about testicular cancer prevention, the friends are stupefied when the couple announces that they are considering a divorce. Seems a year of fertility issues has taken a toll on the couple, and they are ready to part ways.

New Trailer For ‘Bad Lieutenant’ With Nicolas Cage

Posted on October 9, 2009

Not many people are fans of Nicolas Cage. It could be that his hair is a bird, or that he has been known for many poor film choices like Wicker Man, Next, Knowing, Bangkok Dangerous, World Trade Center or Ghost Rider. The trailer for his newest film, however, doesn’t look half bad — even if it is a remake.

Bad Lieutenant is a remake of the 1992 film starring Harvey Keitel about a cop who walks the line of moral and amoral, drinking and gambling along the way. The idea may feel a bit beaten to death for anybody who watched all 6 seasons of FX’s The Shield, but director Werner Herzog is pushing through regardless.

The script was adapted (or copy-and-pasted) by a veteran of the world of police drama, William Finkelstein, who’s writing credits date all the way back to 1990 with Cop Rock. This remake also changes the settings from New York City to a post-Katrina New Orleans, which opens itself up to a series of outdated references and plot points.

Joining Cage in the remake is Val Kilmer, Eva Mendes, Jennifer Coolidge, and Brad Dourif. Catch Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans in limited theaters in November. Until then, check out the first full trailer after the jump.

NBC Cancels ‘Southland’

Posted on October 9, 2009

ben-makenzie-southland Much to our dismay here at The Flickcast, Variety reports NBC has canceled Southland. The cop drama was set to start its second season October 23rd. Insiders say the dark nature of the show was a big factor in the cancellation.

Southland centered around Los Angeles and the members of the LAPD. The OC’s Ben Mackenzie played rookie Officer Ben Sherman, and while the first season only had a seven-episode run, the show made enough of an impression that NBC had renewed it, before its cancellation yesterday.

However, the show may have some hope. “I’m disappointed that NBC no longer has the time periods available to support the kind of critically acclaimed series that was for so many years a hallmark of their success,” said John Wells, the show’s creator. “We remain extremely proud of ‘Southland’ and are actively looking for another home for the series.”

NBC hopes to be able to air the six episodes already shot of season 2. In the meantime, the actors will remain under contract while the producers find the show a new home. With Southland out of the running and Dollhouse still hanging in the balance, we hope here at The Flickcast that all our favorite tv shows stay on the air for our viewing pleasure.

Pre-Order ‘DJ Hero’ Now and Get Cool Extras

Posted on October 8, 2009

We’ve been following the game DJ Hero for some time now and are definitely looking forward to its release. As fans of other games like this, including the original Guitar Hero, Rock Band and the recent Beatles Rock Band which, yes, we purchased with all the extras, these games have certainly become a mainstay of our popular culture. Now, the wait is almost over as you can finally pre-order this must-have game right now from your favorite retailer.

But wait, there’s more. Not only can you now order the game, if you do you can get some extra cool stuff as well, depending upon where you order from. Want to know more? Of course you do.

Fortunately, the folks at Activision have provided all the info you could ever need right here in this handy press release.

Be the first to order the DJ Hero Renegade Edition Featuring JAY-Z and EMINEM and DJ Hero by heading to the following URL: http://www.djhero.com/buy. Those who pre-order DJ Hero from the below retailers will receive the following bonus items:

Amazon.com – Pre-order DJ Hero and DJ Hero Renegade Edition from Amazon.com and get a $5 credit towards the music tracks that inspired the music for the game

Best Buy – Pre-order DJ Hero from Best Buy and receive a free code that unlocks a Daft Punk level

GameStop – Pre-order DJ Hero and DJ Hero Renegade Edition and receive two free playable song downloads

Guitar Hero Store – Pre-order DJ Hero and DJ Hero Renegade Edition and receive free two-day shipping

Hollywood/GameCrazy – Pre-order DJ Hero and receive an exclusive turntable slipmat

Walmart.com – Pre-order DJ Hero at Wal-Mart.com and receive a $10 electronic gift card

DJ Hero and DJ Hero Renegade Edition ship to major retail outlets across North America on October 27th for Xbox 360, Wii, PS3 and PS2.

The Pull List Comic Reviews: ‘Daredevil’, ‘Astonishing X-Men’, ‘Batman and Robin’ and More

Posted on October 8, 2009

Welcome to the new The Pull List Comic Reviews! We’ve expanded our weekly offering of comic reviews to a whopping 10 issues each week, so kick back, enjoy and let us know what caught your eye this week! Also, the prerequisite WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

PULL OF THE WEEK:

dd501 Daredevil #501 – Marvel Comics – $2.99 US
Writer: Andy Diggle Artist: Roberto De La Torre
Score: 9.5

Following the events of Daredevil #500 and the Dark Reign – The List: Daredevil one-shot, Matt Murdock is now in control of The Hand. But what he doesn’t know is that other players are moving their chess pieces into position, and Matt doesn’t like surprises. Meanwhile, Foggy and Dakota try to figure out what Matt’s up to over a box of doughnuts.

Writer Andy Diggle has really amped up the playing field for Daredevil and his little corner of the Marvel Universe, so much so that you might not recognize your favorite horned-hero once you get to the end of this issue. Diggle has managed to dramatically shift the title character into new, uncharted territory, and admittedly it’s a great ride. Sacrifices aside, this is definitely not your daddy’s Daredevil…

I think one of the keys to making a Daredevil story great is the choice of artist. Many artists have come and gone with a few making significant contributions to the character – Frank Miller, Bill Sienkiewicz, David Mack and Alex Maleev come to mind – so it’s no wonder that artist Roberto De La Torre fits right in with some really beautiful work. This could be the run that puts him firmly in the public’s eye.

Overall, a near-perfect issue that’s also suited for newcomers to jump on board. Even if you missed the aforementioned issues leading into this new arc, do yourself a favor and enjoy what most people will be talking about this week.

OTHER PULLS:

Astonishing X-Men #31 – Marvel Comics – $2.99 US
Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Phil Jimenez
Score: 9.0

When S.W.O.R.D. Agent Abigail Brand has a run-in with The Brood, narrowly escapes and is on a collision course for San Francisco, who’re you going to call? That’s right, the Astonishing X-Men! Naturally, Abby’s boyfriend Beast jumps at the rescue mission to save his sweety, but what really raises eyebrows here is the return of Laurie Collins, also known as Wallflower. Not all is how it seems, however…

Superstar writer Warren Ellis has proven that he’s not perfect, if the last arc is any indication. He’s not a superstar for the hell of it, though, as he bounces back in a big way with this first installment. Full of action and those X-Men moments we know and love, this issue’s got everything we could possibly want. But how does new-to-the-title artist Phil Jimenez compare to the previous arc’s Simone Bianchi? It’s a step up, no question about that. Jimenez’ art is dynamic in every sense of the word, which makes it a no-brainer for this title, especially if Ellis continues to make this story as fun as the first chapter was.

Save ‘Dollhouse’

Posted on October 8, 2009

It should come as no surprise that fans of Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse have, due to the show’s sagging ratings, already started a “Save Dollhouse” campaign. Complete with a shiny website, the plan is to keep the low rated show going strong on Fox for as long as possible by spreading the love and making people aware of the show and how good it is.

Of course, we’re big fans of the show here at The Flickcast and hope it goes on for a long time. However, in the past these campaigns have rarely seemed to work, with some notable exceptions like when fans sent pounds of nuts to CBS in an attempt to save Jericho. Sadly, most of the time these decisions are driven by pure economics. Is the time slot on the network making enough advertising money for the network to justify having that particular program occupy that time slot?

If the answer is yes, the program most likely can stay where it is. If the answer is no and reruns of some other show or a thrilling reality program would be more profitable in that time slot, chances are your favorite show is gonna get the axe — even if the network honchos happen to like the show and/or its creators. Like the old saying goes: “It’s not show friends, its show business.” Hopefully, this campaign will help save one of our favorite shows. Do your part and help spread the word.

Jim and Pam’s ‘The Office’ Wedding Promos

Posted on October 8, 2009

office-krazinski-fischer Fan of NBC’s show The Office have no doubt been counting down the months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and yes, even the seconds, until Jim and Pam finally tie the knot. Well, the time is almost at hand becuase those crazy kids are taking the big plunge tonight. But just in case you can’t wait until the show hits the air and you just need to see a hint of what’s going to happen, we’ve got a couple videos to share with you today that will hopefully do the trick.

First up, we’ve got a promo for the episode, which runs a full hour and is entitled “Niagra” because Jim and Pam had wanted to have their wedding at Niagra Falls so none of their office mates could attend. Unfortunately for them, Michael gives the entire office the day off to attend and, of course, hilarity ensues.

Next is a behind the scenes video that gives you some insight into all the time and effort that went into this very special episode of The Office. Finally, we’re bringing you excepts from Pam’s very own Vlog where we can see how happy, and prhaps how nervious, she really is to finally be marrying Jim.

Check out all the videos after the jump. The Office Jim and Pam wedding special airs on NBC tonight at 9/8C.

EXCLUSIVE: Nathan Fillion Wants To Be ‘The Greatest American Hero’

Posted on October 8, 2009

Nathan Fillion has been many things in the eyes of fans, from the cocky superhero Captain Hammer to the captain of Serenity, Mal Reynolds. A few fans even saw him as the Green Lantern. But who does Nathan Fillion really see himself playing on the big screen? Why, the Greatest American Hero, of course!

In a recent interview Fillion did with The Flickcast, he mentioned that he thought he’d be perfect for the role originally made famous by William Katt. The 1980’s TV show was about high school teacher Ralph Hinkley who is asked to become a superhero after being given a special alien suit with powers that he never really learns how to use or control. The show also co-starred the awesome Robert Culp as FBI agent Bill Maxwell and Connie Sellecca as Hinkley’s significant other.

The show went on for three seasons, spawned a spin-off, and eventually made it’s way into 80’s fanboy obscurity along with Jem and Fraggle Rock. The show has recently made a bit of a revival with William Katt working on a comic adaptation.

Check out a clip from our exclusive interview with Nathan Fillion on his superhero aspirations after the jump.

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