/Filmcast Ep. 65 - World's Greatest Dad (GUEST: Anne Thompson from Indiewire)

In this week's /Filmcast, Dave Chen, Devindra Hardawar and Adam Quigley reflect on Disney's absorption of Marvel Entertainment, wonder if Terminator Salvation could be improved with some R-rated action, get excited about some action movie sequels, and assess the state of the Redbox legal battle. Special guest Anne Thompson from Indiewire joins us for this episode.

You can always e-mail us at slashfilmcast(AT)gmail(DOT)com, or call and leave a voicemail at 781-583-1993. Join us next Monday at 9 PM EST / 6 PM PST at Slashfilm's live page as we review Gamer.

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Shownotes

Introduction

• (00:42) Anne Thompson from Indiewire

What Have We Watched

• Devindra (06:00): Being Human
• Anne Thompson (09:22): Extract, The Age of Stupid
• Adam (14:02): The Final Destination (3D)

News Discussion

• (30:19) Disney to Acquire Marvel for $4 Billion
• (39:19) Terminator Salvation Director's Cut to be Rated R
• (44:30) Redbox vs. Hollywood
• (55:02) Angelina Jolie Considering Wanted Sequel
• (1:00:13) Spielberg Developing Unpublished Crichton Novel
• (1:06:45) Rambo 5 and Bad Boys 3

Featured Review

• (1:12:29) World's Greatest Dad

Credits

• The Scene Unseen Podcast is great! Check out their website and listen in!
• A big thanks to our sponsor, Bonaroo.co.uk (use the code "filmcast" for free shipping to the U.S.!)
• Our music comes from Point 22 courtesy of the Podsafe Network, and Brad Sucks
• If you'd like advertise with us or sponsor us, please e-mail slashfilmcast@gmail.com.
• Contact us at our new voicemail number: 781-583-1993
• You can donate and support the /Filmcast by going to www.slashfilmcast.com and clicking on the left-hand side "Donate" links! Thanks to all our donors this week!

• Beavis and Butt-head Return to Promote Extract
• Rambo 5 Gets The Greenlight
• MPAA Rates Terminator Salvation Director's Cut R For 'Some Violence and Brief Nudity'
• Sam Worthington Looks Back at Terminator, Forward to Avatar
• Bobcat Goldthwait To Make Kinks Musical
• /Filmcast Ep. 61 - Funny People (GUEST: C. Robert Cargill from Aint It Cool News)

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Kick-Ass and The Expendables Release Dates Announced

Lionsgate Films has made two big movie release announcements today, for the R-rated comic book film Kick-Ass and the action throwback The Expendables. Details after the jump.

Matthew Vaughn's big screen adaptation of Mark Millar's Kick-Ass will hit theaters on April 16th 2010, scheduled up against Piranha 3-D and MacGruber, and a week after the Sylvain White adaptation of the DC/Vertigo Comics series The Losers. As many of you know, the film was independently funded because none of the studios wanted to tackle the story which fused ultra-violence with children (the be more specific, a 10 year-old who chops bad guys in half and spews vulgar obscenities). The film was bought by Lionsgate after sneak preview footage rocked San Diego Comic-Con International 2009, topping most top ten lists for the Con. We raved about the footage in a previous video blog. After the film sold, I speculated that the movie would take the Mid-March Zack Snyder 300/Watchmen slot, and I wasn't too far off.

Kick-Ass tells the story of (beware of possible comic book spoilers) "Dave Lizewski, a kid growing up in a rundown suburb of Americ. He isn't a gamer, he isn't a jock, he isn't a mathlete, he's just a regular kid. When he is not hanging out at the local comic store with his friends Todd and Marty, he is fantasising about his school teacher and Katie Deauxma, the class hottie. The only thing that is unusual about Dave is that about a year ago his Mother died. But somehow through this blend of normality, teenage angst and irritation at being continually mugged, Dave makes the decision to become a superhero' KICK ASS! Dave's first foray into being a Superhero results in him being stabbed and run over. When Dave recovers he realises he can't walk away from being a hero, and when he successfully steps in on a mugging he brings himself to the attention of the US media and Frank D'Amico could this be the guy who knicked his coke? As Dave gets sucked into the dark world of vigilante crime fighting he gains a sidekick named 'Red Mist'."

Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables will hit theaters on August 20th 2010. It sucks that we'll have to wait so long to see this film, but the fact that Lionsgate is booking the film for August (even late August), shows that the studio believes they have a Summer movie on their hands. The film features a who's who list of action film stars, which includes: Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, and cameo appearances by Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The story follows a highly-trained team of deadly combat mercenaries, to go on a mission to South America to overthrow and execute a villainous dictator. Here is the official plot synopsis:

Expendable: capable of being sacrificed in order to accomplish a military objective.

THE EXPENDABLES is a hard-hitting action/thriller about a group of mercenaries hired to infiltrate a South American country and overthrow its ruthless dictator. Once the mission begins, the men realize things aren't quite as they appear, finding themselves caught in a dangerous web of deceit and betrayal. With their mission thwarted and an innocent life in danger, the men struggle with an even tougher challenge - one that threatens to destroy this band of brothers.

Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) is a man with nothing to lose. Fearless and void of emotion, he is the leader, the sage and the strategist of this tight-knit band of men who live on the fringe. His only attachment is to his pickup truck, his seaplane and his team of loyal modern-day warriors. His is a true cynic who describes what he does as "removing those hard to get at stains." The team behind him is made up of Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), former SAS and a savant with anything that has a blade; Yin Yang (Jet Li), a master at close-quarter combat; Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), who has known Barney for ten years and is a long-barrel weapons specialist; Toll Road (Randy Couture), a skilled demolitions expert and considered the intellect of the group; and Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), a combat veteran and an expert in precision sniping who struggles with his own demons.

When the mysterious Church offers Barney a job no one else would take, Barney and his team embark on what appears to be a routine mission: overthrow General Gaza

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Movie Review | 'American Casino': Meltdown on Wall Street, and Homeowners Left in the Lurch on Main Street

The dire financial statistics paraded in the documentary "American Casino" are infuriating.

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MTV's Teen Wolf Remake is a TV Series?

When MTV announced plans a couple months ago to remake/reboot the Michael J Fox film Teen Wolf, I assumed the intent was to create a feature film. That evidently isn't the case, as the network has ordered a pilot for a television series. What the hell does MTV plan to do with their high school lycanthropes?

THR reports that execs liked the script that was cobbled together, and ordered the pilot. (Thanks, THR…we guessed as much.) This version will once again be a high school drama that has horror and werewolf lore, and there will be a romantic angle as well. The latter being a given if the network is going to draw out a series.

Liz Gateley, MTV's senior VP of series development, tries out her comedy act while talking up the series: "It has a fresh take and is very different from the original. It has more of an 'American Werewolf in London' feel to it. It's a dramatic thriller with two best friends in the center who provide a great comedy element: They are two very relatable characters on the outer circles of popular cliques."

The emphasis there is mine. Why, when talking about your Teen Wolf series, would you push a thin thematic relationship to a totally different film? And why do I feel like she just described a Buffy clone? Not that any of this is a surprise, once you think about MTV making this as a series and not a feature. With a feature remake it's easy enough to just go back to the basic story, with a few updates. But a series requires a lot more open-ended story work. Oddly enough, if I forget the whole comparison to American Werewolf, I'm more interested in what MTV can do with this as a series than as a feature. By which I mean 'barely interested, and only in the most passive sense' rather than not at all.

• Teen Wolf Remake In The Works. Sigh.
• VOTD: Wolverine ENTIRE MOVIE Leaked Online
• Did a Background Extra Expose Himself in Teen Wolf?
• VOTD: Summer of Tears in Teen Wolf
• Bad Ideas: Superman to star in Teen Wolf Remake

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Toy Movies 101: A How-To Guide To Make Them More Watchable

With the success of Transformers and G.I. Joe, Hollywood is scrambling to find the next toy that can be adapted for the big screen. This is both exciting and a little scary,

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Rep: Demi Moore Not Appearing On 'The Beautiful Life'

A rep for The CW told Eonline.com that Demi Moore won't be appearing on her husband's show The Beautiful Life.

Read more!

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Spaghetti Storm in New 'Cloudy With a Chance' Clip

Introduced by Neil Patrick Harris, the brand new clip from 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs' features the scene where Flint Lockwood comes face to face with a spaghetti tornado.

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Sneak Peek to Blake Lewis' 'Sad Song' Music Video

Blake Lewis goes behind the wheel of a vintage car as seen in the sneak peek to 'Sad Song' music video.

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Celebrity Birthdays, September 1

Happy Birthday to:

TV talk show host Dr. Phil (1950)

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FlashForward: Three To Five Seasons Planned, New Sneak Preview Released

For those of you who aren't paying attention to the barrage or recent advertising and promotion, ABC will begin airing a new television series called FlashForward on September 24th at 8pm. Based on the 1999 novel by Robert J. Sawyer, the story involves a global event which causes everyone to simultaneously experience, for two minutes and seventeen seconds, his or her life six months in the future. Everyone who survived is left wondering if what they saw will actually happen. Many people are already calling it the new Lost. That said, there is the concern that the creators might not know how to deliver on this initial concept.

Well, not only does David S Goyer claim to have a plan for the entire series, something he says is a must when presenting a pilot pitch in this post-Lost era, but he also knows when the endpoint should happen. The plan is to have the story told over the course of five seasons. It could, however, be shortened down to three, or "accordioned" out to last even longer. Five years is a good length for any series, any more is usually overkill. Especially with a non-sitcom television show, with a story that is less episodic and more serial/concept based.

If you haven't seen the initial trailer that was released in early August, check that out below. ABC has also released a new two and half minute sneak preview from the pilot, a scene where the team compares what they saw and plan their course of action. That video is embedded below, second video down.

Trailer:

Sneak Preview:

source: tvovermind

• Comic-Con: Sneak Peak at David Goyer's New ABC Series, FlashForward; Dominic Monagan Joins Cast
• Jumper: Photos and Information Revealed

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