The Flickcast

Is ‘Pirates 4’ a Sinking Ship?

Posted on September 21, 2009

At Disney‘s recent D23 conference the company announced that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides would be going into production. Perhaps more importantly, the film would set sail with the man who really made the franchise what it is, Johnny Depp. Depp even went so far as to attend the announcement in character as his Pirate alter ego Jack Sparrow. Staggering out on stage Depp joked about drinking and having a light snack, Kermit, who “probably tasted like chicken. ” Classic Sparrow.

Of course, the audience went wild when Depp arrived. That’s simply the effect the actor, and character, have. It’s also one of the main reasons the franchise has grossed over two billion dollars worldwide. Unfortunately, Disney may have ruined their chances for continuing the very lucrative franchise with the departure (some would say ousting) of Dick Cook, now former chairman of Walt Disney Studios.

Depending on what you read, there are different theories as to what happened. Read the official Disney press statements and Cook’s resignation sounds like it was his decision. In contrast, other sources say he was fired by Disney’s chief executive Bob Iger, who cited dwindling profits for his decision:

‘Avatar’ Goes Viral With New Site

Posted on September 21, 2009

The world of viral marketing has become quite it’s own beast over the past five years. Many remember 2007’s Dark Knight viral marketing and how clowns took over dozens of cities in the U.S., and how the Cloverfield marketing had everybody stirring for weeks on what the movie was actually about. It looks like James Cameron and his team at Fox have now started up the viral machine for his newest film, Avatar.

The site, which is aptly named AVTR.com, follows the government program that puts humans into their AVATAR bodies, allowing them the edge they need to fight on the alien planet Pandora. AVTR.com is pretty bare-bones at this point, leaving us with some set designs of Pandora, a “recruiting” page where you can sign up for the program (or just a mailing list), a viral video convincing you to enlist, and links to the Twitter and Facebook.

As far as viral marketing goes, this site isn’t breaking ground. There is only one video on the page, and just because you throw some static at the beginning and end of a trailer, doesn’t make it “viral”. Fox hasn’t been the best at marketing to begin with, considering their work on X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li.

The attempt at going viral is only proof that gorilla or viral marketing shouldn’t be left in the hands of gigantic studios or companies like Coca-Cola. Instead, leave this side of movie promotion to independent studios and films like District 9 and Paranormal Activity.

New Trailer for ‘From Paris with Love’

Posted on September 21, 2009

Following John Travolta’s film career is like watching a screaming child on a roller coaster. He looks like he’s having a lot of fun, but after a while, you begin to realize he’s just screaming to get your attention. We all remember when he was having fun in Grease, and then years later when he wasn’t in Battlefield Earth.

On that note, a new trailer for From Paris With Love has hit the webs and looks to be a bit of everything. There’s the girl-candy Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, there’s fight scenes for the dudes, explosions for the kids, and lots of innuendo for people who like that kind of thing. And then there’s John Travolta, who for some reason looks quite a lot like Denzel Washington. Could it be that this role was originally meant for Denzel and Travolta has that good of an agent? Or is he that good of an actor to make us believe that he, in fact, is Denzel Washington.

Check out the trailer after the jump and be the judge. From Paris with Love, written by Luc Besson (The Transporter) and directed by Pierre Morel (Taken), hits theaters in all of it’s almost-Denzel glory on February 9th, 2010.

2009 Emmy Wrap Up

Posted on September 21, 2009

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Hey, remember the Emmys last year when five different reality show hosts tackled the duties of hosting the show? Yeah, me either. Dismal ratings required a change of course, and this year the Emmys were…dare I say it…entertaining! Thanks in large part to Neil Patrick Harris’s impeccable charm and wit, the 2009 Emmy Awards were enjoyable start to finish.

A dapper Neil Patrick Harris (let’s call him NPH for brevity’s sake) was the perfect host. He started off the show with a musical number that was not awful, and kept the show going at a steady clip throughout the night. His performance garnered accolades from Ricky Gervais and John Stewart, along with millions of us watching at home. A few highlights from the evening:

Awards were presented in categories. A genre had all its awards given out before moving on to the next. Comedy, Drama, Miniseries, Reality and Variety were all represented. The show producers definitely pushed a comedic theme this year. Hilarious pre-taped clips of nominees showed them giving advice or answering a question.

XBLA Review: ‘Bubble Bobble Neo’

Posted on September 21, 2009

Score: 7.0 – XBox Live Arcade – 800 Microsoft Points ($10.00)

If you’ve been following weekly XBLA announcements on XBox Community Manager Major Nelson’s site you’d know that on a weekly basis he has been plagued by requests for when Bubble Bobble would come to XBox Live Arcade since the game’s announcement. The anticipation was palpable for the re-release of the classic 1986 NES game where two little dinosaurs Bub and Bob jumped through levels catching their enemies in bubbles and popping them all while eating fruit and bubblegum. In addition to updated graphics, Bubble Bobble Neo also came with new play styles, new dinosaurs and four player multiplayer for the first time.

Review: ‘Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs’

Posted on September 19, 2009

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Don’t be so quick to write this movie off as conventional kiddie-fare. Smart, beautiful and prescient, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is bound to become an animated classic. It tackles the timely topic of obesity and our insatiable appetite for consumption with grace and wit. The story is adapted from the children’s book of the same title that was originally published in 1978.

Flint (Bill Hader) has been an aspiring inventor his entire life. More often than not, his whimsical inventions go awry, irritating the put-upon inhabitants of Swallow Falls. They have plenty to be irritable about, as they subsist mainly on sardines, the town’s only claim to fame. They understandingly don’t embrace his rat/bird hybrid or other misbegotten inventions. Flint’s father (James Caan), a fisherman, is disgusted that his son doesn’t fall in step and help run his tackle shop. He can’t express himself without using fishing metaphors, and his eyes are hidden behind a bushy unibrow.

Check out ‘The A-Team’s’ New Ride

Posted on September 19, 2009

The A-Team Van Typically film remakes come with a lot of changes. As new creators step into production roles they have their own vision for the content and make full use of their creative license. This being the case, it’s a refreshing change to see something stay the same. Case in point, the van in the upcoming The A-Team movie.

Photos of the van were taken on set in British Columbia, Canada and it looks great. That is to say, the “new” van is nearly identical to the old van. Even down to the red racing stripe. This gives me hope that director Joe Carnahan (Smokin’ Aces) is preserving at least some of the essence of the original series, while bringing a more mature tone to the once campy show.

I’m taking this a good thing considering some other directors (I could cite names but will refrain) would have certainly changed the iconic van. Fortunately, Carnahan didn’t, which means we’re spared from seeing a pimped out black Hummer with gatling guns and rocket launchers on it. Now that I mention it, that sounds kind of cool but it just isn’t The A-Team. Getting ready to see the van in action next June when The A-Team comes to theaters.

Review: ‘Jennifer’s Body’

Posted on September 18, 2009

Jennifer’s Body is the eagerly awaited follow up to 2007’s indie film juggernaut Juno. Screenwriter Diablo Cody exploded onto the pop culture landscape, became an overnight sensation, and won an Academy Award for penning the story. Almost immediately after her catapult to fame, a backlash began against the writer. The anti-establishment proclaimed her over-rated. So the question riding on this film is this: Is she a one-hit-wonder or is she a legitimately talented screenwriter?

I don’t believe she ever had a chance of lightning striking twice and you can only star in a Cinderella story one time. However, Cody wisely chose to distance herself from her freshman debut and completely changed genres for her second movie. The result is this comedy/horror hybrid about a voracious vamp who develops an unhealthy appetite for the flesh of male classmates. Since the movie revolves around teenagers, Cody is able to drop plenty of her trademark dialogue, (or Cody-isms as we bloggers like to call them). Hot boys are “salty morsels” , boobs are “smart bombs” and Jennifer (Megan Fox) sneers “you’re so Jell-o” to someone she thinks is jealous. If you were annoyed by the snarky dialogue in Juno, you won’t be doing yourself any favors by seeing this movie. However, I enjoyed the dialogue and found that it added a deliciously campy feel to the movie.

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