The Flickcast

Dave’s Weekly Comic Book Recommendations

Posted on October 7, 2009

planetary-27cover We have a decent load this week, from the conclusion to the exceptional Planetary to quite a number of Marvel books worth your time. Planetary #27 is the conclusion to Warren Ellis and John Cassaday’s brilliant series. Combining pop culture commentary, with a twisted spin that Ellis is known for and the direction of Astonishing X-Men artist John Cassaday. There was a preview in the back of Ex Machina #45, which had me excited for this issue.

From Marvel, there is a ton of good stuff. First, we have the premiere of Phil Jimenez on Astonishing X-Men alongside Warren Ellis. Its weird, you know? We have a Planetary/Astonishing X-Men crossover this week and I am looking forward to that ten fold.

Now I’m a giant Rick Remender fan, and this premieres his new ongoing series at Marvel, Doctor Voodoo with Billy Tan. If you like this I strongly recommend Rick’s series Fear Agent and The End League from Dark Horse. Following that we have Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #3. The first two issues were spectacular, and David Lafuente was born to draw Spider-Man. This is easily one of the best reads in comics.

Finally, we have the return of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips Criminal with “The Sinners.” As always, we here at The Flickcast care about what you read, so leave us a comment and let us know what you liked/didn’t like from this week’s comics. For a more complete list of what comes out this week, check out the one at Midtown Comics.

Happy Reading!

Adrien Brody To Be Hunted In ‘Predators’

Posted on October 7, 2009

Century Plaza Hotel Oscar winning actor Adrien Brody is joining the cast of Robert Rodriguez’s upcoming reboot of the Predator franchise, currently entitled Predators. The film, directed by Nimrod Antal, may also get another cast member soon, in the form of Topher Grace who’s currently in negotiation to join Brody in the cast.

In addition to Borday and potentially Grace, Rodriguez and company have already assembled a cast that includes Alice Braga (I Am Legend), Mahershalalhashbaz Ali (The 4400), Walt Goggins (The Shield), Danny Trejo and UFC fighter Oleg Taktarov. In case you’re not familiar with the reboot’s story, written by Rodriguez, Alex Litvak and Michal Finch, it concerns a group of elite warrior-types who have the table turned on them when they become the hunted.

Once this happens, they must struggle to survive as a group of deadly Predators set about decimating their group. According to the trade, Brody ends up inheriting the mantle of leader and is known as a hunter of men. Grace would play an accountant-type whose meek nature masks a dangerous serial killer. Braga is the tough female killer.

Ali is a man not afraid to die, Goggins is the loose canon of the group and Taktarov is a former Russian special ops agent. Trejo, already cast, is Cuchillo, a hardened warrior with twin uzis strapped to his back. Of course he is.

Shooting begins next month in Hawaii then moves to Austin at Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios. Predators hits theaters on July 9, 2010.

Review: ‘Deca Sports 2’

Posted on October 7, 2009

DecaSports_2_FINAL Score: 6.5 – Nintendo Wii – $29.99

Now, I know what you are thinking. Another collection of minigames on the Nintendo Wii. Afterall, it is the defining “genre” of the system right? At San Diego Comic Con, we got the chance to sit down with Hudson and get a first peek at Deca Sports 2. The followup to their million seller, Deca Sports, Hudson didn’t set out in hopes of improving the ten sports of the original. They looked to put out ten new sports that could only be made as fun as possible through the unique control of the Nintendo Wii.

Gameplay:

Gameplay in Deca Sports 2 is going to inevitably going to be compared to WiiSports and WiiSports Resort. Both franchises are collections of sports games, although the original WiiSports has shown it is more of a tech demo than anything else in terms of actual being a “game.” Deca Sports 2 must also overcome the stigma already attached to it from the lack of WiiMotion Plus.

Not because they didn’t wish to include it, Hudson simply didn’t have enough time after the release of WiiMotion Plus to include the new technology in the game and still keep it on schedule for its recent release. Should Deca Sports 2 have the same level of success, it is highly likely that the third in the series would include WiiMotion Plus.

‘The Hobbit’, James Bond Get Their Bailout

Posted on October 7, 2009

bilbobaggins Things looked pretty bleak a week or so ago when lenders to Metro Goldywn Meyer seemed ready to plunge the studio into bankruptcy. Facing over 3 billion dollars in debt and struggling with a recent slate of films that just weren’t bringing in audiences, MGM seemed like a lost cause. Worse, had it gone under two of its biggest properties, The Hobbit and James Bond, would have gone with it (or at least to the highest bidder).

Fortunately, MGM has received a reprive for the time being. While not technically a “bailout,” the studio has reached an interim agreement with lenders to forgo investment payments until mid-December:

“MGM is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into a forbearance agreement with its lender group. The Company is appreciative of its lenders’ ongoing support. Under the terms of the agreement, MGM’s lender group has agreed not to enforce its rights or remedies arising as a result of the Company’s request to not currently pay interest due on September 30, October 31, and November 30, 2009. This agreement, which expires December 15, 2009, provides MGM with additional liquidity as discussions continue regarding the development of an optimal capital structure in support of the Company’s long-term business plan.”

This deal only buys some time but will afford MGM the opportunity to coordinate efforts to turn the company around. I say that with some skepticism considering the studio’s upcoming films: Cabin in the Woods, Hot Tub Time Machine, The Zookeeper, and the remake of Red Dawn.

New On DVD This Week

Posted on October 6, 2009

anna-paquin-trick-r-treat-1

Here’s a list of some of the new movie and TV shows coming to DVD and Blu-ray this week that we’re looking forward to seeing. Also, there’s some classic, and not-so-classic, movies hitting Blu-ray for the first time this week as well.

Of all the new releases, we’re particularly interested in the Blu-ray versions of movies and TV shows like Trick ‘r Treat (pictured above with Anna Paquin), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Chinatown, Bones Season 4 and the complete Stargate: Atlantis series.

Check them out.

Movies

Anvil: The Story of Anvil ~ Robb Reiner (DVD)

Assassination of a High School President ~ Kathryn Morris, Michael Rapaport, Bruce Willis (DVD and Blu-ray)

Chinatown ~ Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston (DVD)

Contact ~ Jodie Foster (Blu-ray)

Dance Flick ~ Damon Wayans (DVD and Blu-ray)

Continue Reading

Cortney’s TV Digest: What To Watch In October

Posted on October 6, 2009

It’s October already, and that means another batch of tv shows are premiering! Cortney’s TV Digest is here with everything worth tuning in for while you’re carving your pumpkins and perfecting your Halloween costumes.

South Park – Premieres October 7th, 10/9c on Comedy Central

Some shows never cease to entertain, shock, or antagonize audiences. South Park is certainly one of those shows, and has been doing so for thirteen seasons. Earlier this season, we saw Kanye West debut his newest single, “Fishsticks”, Cartman made his pirate dreams a reality, and Ike saw some dead people. After a midseason break, South Park returns on Wednesday night.

30 Rock – Premieres October 15th, 9:30/8:30c on NBC

Just after winning its third consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, 30 Rock returns for its fourth season on NBC. The antics are sure to continue behind the scenes of The Girly Show, and whether you’re a long time fan or checking the show out for the first time, 30 Rock, featuring Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski, is sure to keep you laughing until it hurts.

Ugly Betty – Premieres October 16th, 8/7c on ABC

Ugly Betty is on its fourth season, and this is sure to be a dramatic one after the climactic ending of the third season. In the premiere episode, Betty starts her new job as associate features editor and deals with resentful co-workers while she tries to run her own Mode photo shoot.

Southland – Premieres October 23rd, 9/8c on NBC

Returning for its second season, Southland centers around Los Angeles and the members of the LAPD. The OC’s Ben Mackenzie plays rookie Officer Ben Sherman, and while the first season only had a seven-episode run, the show made enough of an impression that NBC renewed it for another season.

Be sure to check back with The Flickcast each month for Cortney’s TV Digest, with the scoop on all the shows you know and love, plus the latest and greatest tv that you need to check out.

Exclusive: John Cho Talks ‘FlashForward’

Posted on October 6, 2009

John Cho has become quite the name in the world of geeks and fanboys over the past few years. From helping to rejuvenate the career of Neil Patrick Harris in Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle to coining the term M.I.L.F. for millions of teens to sweat over.

Let’s also not forget that he’s the pilot of one of the most important fictional ships in American Sci-Fi history, the U.S.S. Enterprise. Cho has now found a new home on ABC’s FlashForward, the newest action mystery series done in the same vain as LOST. In the show, everybody in the world blacks out and gets flashes of images that happen 6 months in the future. The mystery only unravels from there, as more gets revealed week after week.

We recently got a chance to speak with John about his role on FlashForward, as well as a future for Harold and Kumar and even what genre he may like to take on next. Check out the interview after the jump. Be sure to catch FlashForward on ABC every Thursday at 8pm/7pm Central.

ABC Dominates Thursday Night

Posted on October 6, 2009

flash-forward-2

Television network ABC has effectively staked their claim to rule Thursday nights, if the return numbers from The Hollywood Reporter are any indication. But instead of trying to make sense of those numbers, let’s break it down in a more digestible format, and what you really need to know is that ABC crushed the competition.

Both Grey’s Anatomy and the season premiere of Private Practice won their respective time slots while FlashForward tied with CBS’ Survivor in theirs, translating to an almost clean sweep. While most of the other shows couldn’t produce the same viewership, they managed to stay the course and not drop too much. CBS’ CSI: Crime Scene Investigations and The Mentalist, Fox’s Bones and Fringe and The CW’s Vampire Diaries and Supernatural all enjoyed different levels of success.

Left in the cold, however, is NBC and their sinking line-up of programming. Parks and Recreation, Community and SNL Weekend Update Thursday managed to produce poor numbers. Even fan-favorite The Office only managed to do “average,” leading to the former home of “Must See Thursday” placing fourth among the top-tiered networks.

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