That huge and oh so subtle image above is an invitation Apple has recently sent out to press the world over. Apple is having an event on the 12th of September and we wonder what on earth they could possibly be unveiling. Besides of course from the rumored iPod Touch Maxi, or iPad Mini, which ever you prefer.

Usually there is a little bit of a guessing game when ever an expected major Apple product is near, but this is clear. Some one over at the Apple marketing department must have gone on an all day DaVinci Code and National Treasure bender to come up with this brain buster.

Mockery aside, finally getting real news about the iPhone 5 will be welcome. We have been speculating about this mythic beast of mass commercialism for a long time now, and it will be nice to put some of the crazier speculation to rest for a little while.

For those unfamiliar with Apple’s general release strategy, you can expect the iPhone 5 to hit stores within a month or so of the announcement. So if you have visions of being a first adopter to this technology of the gods than you might want to go stake out a spot in front of your local Apple store right now.

The Telltale Back to the Future adventure game was a lot of fun. Working as a sequel to the film trilogy, it clearly wore it’s love and respect for the original trilogy on its sleeve, even going so far as to getting Christopher Llyod to play the Doc and original Jennifer, Claudia Wells, back as Marty’s flame.

While the episodes might not have been the greatest work from Telltale, any fan of the series had a lot to love in the monthly installments. Despite its success, after the ‘season’ ended we didn’t hear much in regards to a new set, prompting people to believe that maybe Tell Tale was done playing in that universe.

Thankfully Christopher Llyod let slip some info at FanExpo in Canada that suggests otherwise. Talking at a panel, Llyod told the crowd that he will once again be voicing Doc Brown in a new set of episodes from Telltale. Of course the game is still unannounced so we wont be able to get any info from Tell Tale, but you can lend the statement some credit because Llyod would certainly be in the know.

As for confirmation and release details, those are still a ways off, so stay tuned to The Flickcast where will keep you up to date on this potential new game.

One of the interesting ironies in recent pop culture is that the visually stunning and vibrant Scott Pilgrim vs the World is based on a manga style comic that was actually released in black and white. Of course Bryan Lee O’Malley’s fantastic series is full of many of the same stylistic tropes of Edgar Wright’s film, but it does so with out the help of color.

That is all about to change as Oni Press, with O’Malley’s support, is about to re-release the Scott Pilgrim books in premium, full color editions. These color editions are also going to be hardcover, so beyond the gimmick of full color, this will also represent the best versions of these books for long-term storage and multiple re-readings.

The idea is to release the first volume of the series, Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, in August and volume two later in October. The rest of the series will then hit twice a year for the next couple of years.

To help assuage any worries you might be developing on how this will look, we have a few screen shots of full color pages for you after the jump.

E.T. is a film that was massively influential in its time. In the early 80’s this film transcended genres to become one of the most beloved movie experiences of a generation. It still resonates today as an important coming of age tale for all ages.

This year is the 30th anniversary of the original release of this classic tale, and Universal decided now would be the perfect time to finally bring one of Spielberg’s most beloved masterpieces to the world of High Definition.

The anniversary edition is centered around the original theatrical version of the movie, which means those menacing guns will be intact. It is good to see Spielberg reconsider some of his Lucas-esque mistakes during the 20th anniversary window. That said, because leaving anything out on a Blu-Ray seems rather silly, you can still see the added scenes from 2002 in deleted scene format.

The Blu-Ray will be hitting store shelves on October 9th, and will include the Blu-Ray disc, a DVD and an ultra-violet digital copy. You can check out the full list of features for the upcoming Blu-Ray release after the jump.

Wes Anderson is a fantastic filmmaker. He has a such a flare for visuals, and a knack for beautiful symmetry that is unparalleled among working directors today. However, since his style has a very distinct look and feel, he is usually on the fringes of the mainstream.

That was until the master of indy quirk joined forces with the master of main stream quirk for his next film. Deadline is reporting that Anderson just landed a very notable new star:

Johnny Depp will star in The Grand Budapest Hotel, the next film that Wes Anderson wrote and will direct. Anderson is going right back into business with his collaborators on Moonrise Kingdom, which is heading toward a $40 million gross to be among this summer’s art house hits. 

It seems a rather obvious choice really, and one that is sure to excite hipsters and Depp-ites the world over. As for the rest of us it is exciting to see Anderson get some possible main stream traction, and for Depp to fall back from the blockbusters into a more interesting role.

It is not often Hollywood provides you with a win-win scenario for the filmmakers and the audience, but that seems to be what we have here.

Stay tuned to The Flickcast for the inevitable announcement of four more Pirates films to offset this arty choice for Depp.

John Lasseter once said that no sequel would ever be made at PIXAR with out the original director’s involvement or explicit permission. It is that mandate that has caused the biggest no brainer at PIXAR, Incredibles 2, to not happen… yet.

I say yet because it almost seems as if PIXAR is now dead set on returning to all of its former glorys. Deadline is reporting that Finding Nemo Director Andrew Stanton might be returning to the ocean for another Nemo based adventure:

[Deadline has] been hearing for months that he would come aboard to direct the sequel to Disney-based Pixar‘s Finding Nemo, with the idea that Disney would give him another shot behind the camera on a live-action film.

Finding Nemo is my favorite of the PIXAR catalog and often ranks among my top five favorite films of all time. So I like to think I can speak with some authority on the film, and a sequel is kind of baffling to me.

I have immense trust in Andrew Stanton, and I don’t hate the concept of a return to the sea, it is just hard for me to see the scenario for a return. Nemo ends in kind of a perfect place, and given the character growth in the film, another adventure to find Nemo would seem rather cheap.

It is said that Stanton has a concept that Disney loves, so perhaps he cracked that code. Or maybe he is just returning to the Nemo ‘universe’ and has a whole different type of story to tell. We can only wait and see.

Last week HBO debuted their newest show, The Newsroom from Aaron Sorkin. The pilot sets a tone that hearkens back to the prime eras of The West Wing and the criminally underrated Sports Night. We hoped that being on a channel like HBO gives this show a better chance than Studio 60 got.

Well HBO is quick to deliver a season two verdict as Deadline is reporting a green-light has happened:

The renewal of Newsroom comes just over a week after the debut of the series starring Jeff Daniels — the June 24 premiere drew 2.1 million viewers at 10 PM. That result actually put Newsroom ahead of the 1.4 million viewers True Blood drew for its 2008 series premiere.

Exciting stuff for fans of dialogue heavy, walking through corridors, intellectual drama with a pinch of comedy. You will also notice that True Blood also got another season too, but that is as much of a no brainer as you can possibly get.

So HBO adds another hit to an already strong stable of current hour-long dramas that include Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, and the previously mentioned True Blood. It also gives HBO a smaller scale hit series to go along side the other big productions that should help enable the channel to keep making all of these great shows forever.

Nintendo doesn’t sit on their laurels when it comes to their handhelds. Ever since the release Game Boy Pocket back in ’96, Nintendo can’t seem to go very long with out re-releasing and improving on their portable devices. Perhaps this ever evolving strategy is why, despite strong competition from Sony and smart phones, Nintendo has never fallen from the top of the portable gaming mountain.

It was reported that Nintendo was going to announce North American plans for the upcoming 3DS XL, but when nothing was said at their conference rumors began to spread that we might not see it officially in the states. In retrospect it was probably pretty dumb to think Nintendo wouldn’t release a new 3DS in the wake of the successful Vita launch last year.

This is an important time for Nintendo’s portable gaming division. The initial launch of the 3DS was underwhelming, and Sony’s Vita is the most impressive direct competition Nintendo has ever faced. In fact, for the first time since the SEGA Game Gear another company actually owns a respectable share of the market. A market that is shrinking in the age of smart phones and app store games providing much better value for gamers on the go.

For now Nintendo is still the king, and the launch of the 3DS XL should only solidify that. You can expect the newer, larger 3DS to hit shelves in North America August 19th, a few weeks after our Japanese and European brothers get their hands on it, July 28th.

I have been vocal in opposition to the intensely wrong-headed internet overreaction to the Michael Bay produced Ninja Turtles reboot. A single misinterpreted statement and geek level distrust of Bay led to a firestorm of misinformation and backlash.

Unfortunately we will never get a definitive answer to who was right in that debate as Paramount has shut down this particular reboot and pushed it’s release date:

The effects-heavy film, which was in pre-production in Vancouver, was set for release in December 2013. That date is being pushed to May 2014, according to sources…The issue is said to be the script… Now it has halted work on its planned holiday movie for 2013, temporarily laying off pre-production staff and informing those prepping the film that the work stoppage is “indefinite,”

I really think we are missing out on what could have been a fun take on the characters. That said, anytime a movie like this is pushed in pre-production to work on the script is a good sign. It would have been very easy for them to rush production and fix the script as they go along, which rarely works for these types of films.

In the interim Ninja Turtle fans have a new TV series to look forward to that will have to keep you satisfied until the movie gears back up. Keep your eyes peeled to The Flickcast for more updates on this project in the coming weeks.

OK, the likelihood of this story actually fermenting into an actual film is pretty slim, but it is still fun to dream. In The Army Now is Pauly Shore’s third best film, behind Son-in-Law and Biodome, which is kind of like saying it is a one-hit wonder’s third best song. But I think there is merit in the idea.

Recently during Andy Dick’s internet talk show Pauly and Andy were waxing poetic about heading back to the Army in a sequel to their mid-90s comedy:

Pauly Shore loved the idea. “We just need a script and someone to back the project and I’m in.”… Billionaire and FilmOn.TV CEO Alki David jumped in, “I’ll back it if both of you star in it.” Right there streaming live, film history was made. Andy Dick says a treatment is already written and they will be writing the script as soon as possible.

So yeah, not an imminent green-light, but some fun potential none-the-less. A lot of places online will tell you how horrible this idea is, but here on The Flickcast we want to share a more positive perspective. Andy Dick and Pauly Shore were popular and fun back in the day, and recently both have fallen on harder times. A return to that era might do them some good, and if they can drag Lori Petty and David Allen Greer out of obscurity too, then we all win right?

Pixar has set into a pretty stead pattern of releasing one film a year. This summer we have Brave to look forward too, and next year brings us Monsters University. But what about 2014 and beyond? Worry not, Pixar is not letting up anytime soon.

Variety is reporting that Pixar has come clean on several projects targeted for 2014 and 2015:

Pixar has announced its latest project in development, setting a 2015 release target for a toon based on the Mexican holiday of Dio de los Muertos… Other Pixar news from Las Vegas: The studio has titled its dino pic “The Good Dinosaur,” set for May 30, 2014; and has dated its “Untitled Pixar Movie that Takes You Inside the Mind” for June 19, 2015.

So The Good Dinosaur for 2014 and a potential double dip in 2015. What is most exciting is the news of the newly announced film that is based on the Day of the Dead. There is a wealth of culture and history to be mined out of the Mexican holiday, and of all the studios willing to go down that hole, Pixar is by far the most capable of giving it the proper due.

We here at The Flickcast will keep a close eye on this future project, but in the mean time we can all brace for the potential awesomness that is Brave this summer.

Once the marquee mascot for the XBox generation of gamers, Master Chief has taken a step back in recent years. In hopes to regain the original glory of the FPS, Microsoft announced last year that they were moving a head with a brand new numbered Halo game.

Today Microsoft set Halo 4’s official street date, November 6th, 2012. This unsurprisingly puts one of the most anticipated games of the year in the middle of the juiciest video game release window. The real question now is can this 4th installment recapture the magic of the original trilogy?

FPS games have grown leaps and bounds since Halo: Combat Evolved rejuvenated the genre. Added to that, one of the original Halo’s greatest strengths was it’s story, and it will be hard for the developers to come back with a compelling and authentic Halo story based on where the franchise currently sits.

Of course that is all doom and gloom from a registered PlayStation fanboy. The truth of the matter is, if Master Chief is truly an iconic mascot in the same way Sonic, Mario, Link and Crash Bandicoot Kratos are than Halo 4 will be a rousing success, at least commercially. Heck, I will be rooting hard for this game myself, if for no other reason than to wash away that grimy layer of muck that is Gears of War being the 360s marquee exclusive.