Comic-Con 2010 Recap: Part 3

Time to wrap this sucker up! You have heard me blab on about Comic-Con enough (I know my family has!) but we had a pretty cool last day and I have some overall thoughts of the event that I would like to share. A week ago today, I was in the gorgeous city of San Diego and this unreal humidity back in KC makes me miss it tremendously. I mowed my grandparents lawn today and less than 30 min after I started, I turned to liquid like the bad guy from Terminator 2. So, taking a few minutes to fondly reflect on my time in Cali, is a welcomed opportunity.


Day 3 (Friday; final day for us)

Today started a little later. Most days, the first panel was at 10:00 a.m. but today's starting time was 11:45. So, we decided this meant we could sleep in a little and show up a little later. BIG MISTAKE. We arrived at about 9 and the line was extended across the street from the convention center, along the port of the ocean. A security guard estimated we were around 8,000 people back in line. The hall only houses 6,500. We decided to wait it out though. The last two panels of the day were the two most important to us for the entire Con, so we just hoped to get in before then.

The first panel featured Warner Bros. and showcased three upcoming movies; "Green Lantern", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part I)" and "Sucker Punch." Sadly, we did not make it in the hall for this panel. I was bummed out. I wanted to especially hear about the Green Lantern. All I can report on is what I heard from people once we got in the hall and what I read on the internet later. "Harry Potter" only had Tom Felton (who plays Draco Malfoy) there and they pretty much just played a ton of footage from the film. Buzz was that it looked great. "Sucker Punch" is the newest movie from Zach Snyder (director of "300" and "Watchmen"). He was there along with a lot of the cast. Buzz was that it was underwhelming. The played a trailer, which I have seen since then, and no one could tell what it was about and no one was especially excited about it. I know I'm not after seeing the trailer. The "Green Lantern" section was supposedly great. They played footage but none of it featured Ryan Reynolds in the Green Lantern suit. (This doesn't surprise me after the recent backlash from photos published in Entertainment Weekly a few weeks ago. They were asked about it and the response was that they are "tweeking" with it.) The most touching moment came from this panel though and I encourage you to seek it out online. During the Q & A portion of "Green Lantern", a boy, no older than 12, dress in a Green Lantern t-shirt with a Green Lantern ring on, asked Reynolds how it felt to say the Green Lantern oath. Ryan responded by looking the boy in the eyes and reciting the oath in a deeper, hero-type voice. The boy was clearly overwhelmed by this and showed his ring to Reynolds, who replied by doing the same. He then signed a limited edition Green Lantern book for the boy. Just a very cool moment for everyone in the room but especially that young fan.

At the conclusion of this panel, all the Harry Potter people left the hall, so we were able to get in. This began the strangest day of Comic-Con for me and my dad...


"LET ME IN"

Coming in late meant having to seat near the rear of the gigantic hall. This was not a huge deal though because we got to sit on the aisle and had two huge screens right in front of us. After getting settled in, an announcer came over the PA and told us that they were having technical issues and would be delayed. Just what you want to hear after waiting in line for 4 hours. This first panel (for us) on this day was one I was personally looking forward to seeing. It was Overture Films panel about "Let Me In". This is a remake of a Swedish film that came out a couple years ago entitled "Let the Right One In" and it was one of my favorite films of that year. It don't really want to summarize it because this film is best experienced knowing as little as possible but I will give you a heads up that it involves a vampire. (but this is from right before they became the BIG thing and I promise you won't be disappointed!)

This new version is directed by Matt Reeves (who directed "Cloverfield") and stars HitGirl from "Kick-Ass", the boy from "The Road" and one of the best character actors of our time, Richard Jenkins ("The Visitor"). These are the people that made up the panel as well. They played a trailer and some footage, all of which looked great. I am very excited to see this film. The thing that diminished my excitement a bit, however, was how much director Matt Reeves talked. Seriously! He would not stop talking. He gave the most long-winded answers in the history of people asking each other questions and those asked having responded. Near the end of the panel, you could hear a groan when the moderator would ask him a question. The kids were cute though and Jenkins brought a little humor, so we survived!


3D Trailer Park

The title for this section is the same title this segment had in the schedule. Its not a movie called "Trailer Park" in 3D, it was an hour in which they played trailers, four of which were in 3D. Most were boring because I have seen them before, some got cheers (like "Tron:Legacy") and some got boos. Those were my favorite. Especially when M. Night Shylaman's name came up in the middle of a trailer for a movie called "Devil" and there was a very loud groan of disappointment followed by uproarious laughter and applause of approval of the groan. Besides that there is nothing else to say about this hour of my life!


"Resident Evil: Extinction"

The next panel was for what is like the fourth or fifth movie in the "Resident Evil" series. Neither my dad or I cared at all about this. We sat through it because we wanted to have a seat for what came afterward. I didn't think it would be that bad to sit through for 45 min. but I was wrong. It was brutal. Not only was the footage boring and uninteresting to me but to hear the director and the actors talk was painful. This was clearly the most simple-minded, one-note panel of the convention and we were so happy when it finally ended.


"EYE" Survived Comic-Con

So, this is where I will interject with what little I can share about the infamous "stabbing" at Comic-Con this year. I bet many of you heard about it because it made national news. If you didn't, you really didn't miss anything.

After the "Resident Evil" panel, there was a burst of noise and excitement about 50 yards to our right and a little in front of us. Everyone stood up but you couldn't see a thing. All I could see was a bunch of commotion and people taking pictures. I figured it was just a celebrity coming out onto the floor. About 10 minutes later, a lady from our section who had gone to the bathroom, came back and told us someone had been stabbed. The next thing we know, the PA announcer is asking everyone (unsuccessfully) to return to their seats and some medics entered the hall right by us, rolling a gurney and asking everyone to clear the way. A representative from the convention then came out and told us that there was going to be another delay as police came in to do their work and the hall was to be locked down temporarily. To help kill time though, they decided to replay the trailers from an hour earlier, while they kept the lights on. This was met with a LOUD chorus of boos, that continued through the trailers and for about 30 min until they turned them off.

Eventually, a gentleman was led out of the hall in handcuffs. He was limping pretty severely, his shirt was stretched and torn and he had a decent amount of blood all over his shirt. He walked literally right by me on the way out and he looked extremely sad and regretful. I knew there had to be more to the story and I felt a bit sorry for him as people yelled unkind things. The whole incident delayed everything for a little over an hour but we were grateful to see that no one left on the gurney.

We later found out that it was a dispute between two guys about seats where the attacker had his leg stomped on pretty hard and he responded by stabbing the guy with a pen up near his eye. The victim chose to go the hospital and thankfully in the end, it was nothing too serious but it did provide for a good source of levity at the end of a packed, sweaty and at times, tense 3 days of Comic-Con.


"Paul" and "Cowboys & Aliens"

Once things got going again, there was not a more perfect panel to bring the fun back to Hall H. It featured a group of true all-stars and ended up being my favorite panel of the entire convention. It was about the upcoming film "Paul", written by and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the stars of "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz." It is about two friends who decide to take a cross-country trip in an RV. They start the trip at, of all places, Comic-Con and then go to Area 51, where they meet an alien named Paul and help him to escape the government. Besides Pegg and Frost, the panel featured director Greg Mottola ("Superbad"), Jason Bateman, Will Forte, Jo Lo Truglio, Jeffery Tambor, Sigourney Weaver and Seth Rogen. It was moderated by the "Nerdist" himself, Chris Hardwick. Pegg and Frost talked about how the film is a love letter to the amazing fans at Comic-Con and proceeded to play us a 4-minute trailer from the film. It looks...HILARIOUS! My dad and I are still quoting lines from it. It is an amazing cast working together in a film written by two ultimate fanboys who made two of my all-time favorite movies. "Paul" comes out in March and I will be one of the first in line. Unfortunately, this panel was cut short because of the issues of the day so far.

After the "Paul" panel left, it seemed like that was the end until the Marvel panel. About 3 minutes later, Jon Favreau just walked out without an introduction and immediately got the crowd hyped. Favreau, if you don't know, directed both "Iron Man" movies and has become a hero of Comic-Con. He is directing a new film called "Cowboys & Aliens" about, well, cowboys fighting aliens. They have only been shooting for 4 weeks, but he wanted to come talk about it with the fans. He said that he is shooting it like a traditional western (a la John Ford) while incorporating classic Sci-Fi elements. Then, to everyone's surprise, he said that he was able to bring a couple members of the cast with him. First, he brought out Daniel Craig (the current James Bond), then there was Olivia Wilde ("House"), Sam Rockwell ("Moon") and Adam Beach ("Flags of Our Fathers"). Seeing Daniel Craig and Sam Rockwell was very cool to me but Favreau wasn't done. Then, making his Comic-Con debut, came Hans Solo, Indiana Jones himself...Harrison Ford!!!

I have never been a part of a crowd that reacted how we all did in that moment. The roof literally rippled at the thunderous cheer that we let loose. He received an over 2 minute straight ovation. It was such a cool moment. Jon Favreau himself could not contain his genuine joy and excitement. You could tell that all the other members of the panel were in awe of him and couldn't believe they were working with him. What made it even better was that he came out in handcuffs, surrounded by security guards. His little joke on the stabbing. So so so funny and such a thrill to experience in person. It may sound silly to people that a movie star would do that but you need to think about it. He has been a huge factor in the imaginations and experiences of millions of people. He was the star of two of the biggest franchises of all time. So exciting...

Favreau then played us about an 8 minute package from the film. This is something he specially put together for Comic-Con with music and special effects. They had only been shooting for 4 weeks and it shows how much he appreciates the fans. Plus, the footage looked great. Daniel Craig is clearly the star of the film but it looks very fun and exciting. It comes out at the end of next summer. I'm sure you will start to hear more and more about it as the year goes on.


"Captain America" and "Thor" (plus a HUGE surprise!)

The final panel of the day (and of Comic-Con for my dad and I) was the whole reason my dad even wanted to come. It was the Marvel panel and featured the upcoming "Captain America" and "Thor" film adaptations. They started with "Captain America" by premiering a teaser trailer. It was mainly a voiceover with WWII graphics. At the end, there is a circular shot of him in the suit and right after the title, there was a 1/2 second shot of him throwing the shield. The crowd went nuts. It was very cool. I think my dad was peeing his pants at this point. They then introduced the director Joe Johnston (G.I. Joe), Hugo Weaving ("The Matrix") and Captain America himself, Chris Evans ("Fantastic Four").

There wasn't much they could talk about. They have only been shooting about a week. The teaser trailer footage was actually from Evans' costume tests. They all talked about wanting to do the origin story and the character justice. They then played a scene they had shot just a couple days earlier with Hugo Weaving. Its too early to tell what this film will be like but I do like the cast and the director seemed to know what he was talking about.

After they were done, they immediately jumped into the "Thor" panel. They brought out the director first, Kenneth Branagh. When they announced he was directing it a little over a year or so ago, I could not have been more estatic. I think he is the perfect fit to do this film. The story requires the balance of the heavenly world of the gods with the reality of Earth and more specifically, New Mexico. Branagh talked about his love for the comic book and has always been prepared to make this movie. A good portion of the cast was then brought out. This featured the star, Chris Hemsworth ("Star Trek"), Kat Dennings ("Nick and Norah...") and Natalie Portman. Again, Q & A was cut short but they did premiere the first trailer for the film and, again, it looked great. The tone seems to be there as well as the balance. The crowd loved it so much that they played it a second time. It was also the first time any of the cast had seen it and you could tell they were excited as well. When the lights came up after the second time, the stage was clear, so people thought it was over and started to leave.

But...

The president of Marvel jumped back on the stage and asked if everyone had a couple minutes so he could talk about something else. People quickly sat down, the lights dimmed and a trailer started. It was a teaser that slowly zoomed out on a logo for "The Avengers" with a voiceover. That voiceover was done by Samuel L. Jackson, who was brought out right when the trailer ended and the audience went bananas. Loud rock music started to play and before we knew it, Jackson is introducing people onto the stage. First was the actor that plays the partner to his Nick Fury character (ok...we've seen him before), then Scarlett Johansson as The Black Widow (kinda cool), now Chris Evans as Captain America (sweet), and Chris Hemsworth as Thor (thats neat but they were already there). Then, he brings out the original Avenger himself, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man (Are you serious?! Is this going to happen?!) Downey then takes the mic and introduces the new members to the group; first was Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker") as Hawkeye (perfect choice) and then the much-anticipated announcement of who was taking over for Edward Norton to play The Hulk and it is going to be Mark Ruffalo (I love this choice!). But who is going to direct this movie that is incredibly ambitious? Only one of the most powerful geek gods on the planet, Joss Whedon!

So, there is was, not but a few hundred feet in front of us, the entire cast of "The Avengers"!!!! INSANE!!!!!!!!! This moment made the entire trip worth every frustration and delay. I won't forget that for a long, long time.



WRAP-UP

So, that was Comic-Con. Will I go again? Maybe. But if I don't, that's alright. It was a great experience. Sure, we get to watch all these people and their art on screen but we never get to see them in person or hear developments before anyone else. It is a place where over 100,000 people gather who have the same interests and passions. It is immensely enjoyable and pretty affordable. I have rambled on too much about it all but I'll leave you with a few final thoughts...

Lines: Sure, they were long but the convention was prepared for them and as long as you brought something to entertain yourself, it is not nearly as bad as you fear it may be.

People: There are A LOT of people. It is probably the biggest downside to the experience. There are too many there to be honest. But it also adds to the atmosphere and you know they aren't going to change it.

Freebies: As a newbie, we weren't prepared for how to best take advantage of the freebies but we still got our share. The coolest were probably the Scott Pilgrim and Captain America t-shirts we got.

Best Moments: Seeing "Scott Pilgrim", Seeing certain people in person (Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis, Simon Pegg, etc.), and shaking hands with Joss Whedon (that's a story for another time)


If you read all of my correspondence, I thank you. I have enjoyed sharing and I apologize for the word vomit form it came out in. I had a very memorable time and maybe if this blog venture ever becomes what I want it to become, I will go again and get to share more stories.

Comic-Con 2010 Recap: Part 2

I returned home to Kansas City late on Sunday night and this is not getting posted to Tuesday. This is just an example of how much this mega-event can wipe you out. Even as I write this, I feel under the weather. Hours in lines around nerds who don't necessarily keep the best hygiene can carry the risk of coming down with a bug. I still would not change how I feel now if it meant that I'd have to miss out on this past weekend. I had an absolute blast. Sure, there were frustrations and some not-so-fun times but overall, those three days were packed with once in a lifetime opportunities.

This recap of Comic-Con will come in several parts. There is just too much to share and my thoughts are endless. I already wrote a review of our first day, so this post will cover the events of the second day. Also note that you can probably find everything I talk about on YouTube or elsewhere on this sprawling interweb. I'll include picture and video highlights as well. So....let's go!

FRIDAY (Day 2)

The first day was all movies, today's panels were all television. These were held in smaller rooms but required us to be at the convention center just as early as we were the first day. This meant another 7:30 a.m. arrival for the first panel that started at 10:15. The pleasant surprise to all of this is that they knew how to handle the lines. We were lined up in a comfortable space outside, under tents. If you bring an iPod or book or company, this makes the wait seem not nearly as long. We were allowed into the room at 9:45 and my dad and I grabbed a spot on an aisle just 10 rows back from the stage.

"HAWAII FIVE-O"

The first panel of the day was held by CBS to feature their upcoming reboot of the classic cop show, "Hawaii Five-0." My parents were big fans of the original show starring Jack Lord. So, my dad was looking forward to this panel. Also, it stars Daniel Dae-Kim, who played Jin on "LOST", and we were both excited about that. The show is also being run and produced by Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci. These guys come from J.J. Abrams camp and wrote/produced such things as "Star Trek", "LOST" and next summer's "Cowboys and Aliens."

The show started on time and all those mentioned above were there, as well as the director of the pilot, Len Wiseman ("Underworld") and the female lead, Grace Park ("Battlestar Galactica"). There was a lot of talk about how great filming in Hawaii is and how they used the original musicians to play the theme song again. There was not much talk about what they are doing different from the original series or what they are keeping the same. They also didn't seem to discuss why they are even doing this remake. All the Q & A was focused on "LOST" and "Battlestar Galactica." They whole point of this panel's presence seemed to say, "Hey look! We are doing this show again that was popular in the '70's and there is a guy from LOST in it!."

They did show some footage, most of which was just your standard CBS cop show. The chemistry between the leads seemed pretty strong. Scott Caan specifically seems to bring a nice lightness to the show. It should be noted though that what we saw of Grace Park was especially weak. That is probably what my dad took from the panel more than anything else. We both agreed though that we would probably give it a shot when it premieres this fall but we aren't overly excited about it or anything.

"THE WALKING DEAD"

The next panel was one that I was extremely excited to see. "The Walking Dead" is a TV show premiering in October on AMC. It is based on a series of graphic novels by the same name and is about a small group of people in Georgia trying to survive a post-apocolyptic world that is overrun by zombies. That's right...ZOMBIES!!! If that isn't reason enough to be excited, there are plenty more. The network producing the show is the same that houses current great shows, "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad." Also, Frank Darabont (director of "The Shawshank Redemption") is running the show and the zombie make-up is being done by the same guy that did the great George Romero films.

Darabont was there, along with the cast (no big names), the writer of the graphic novels and the head of make-up/special effects. You could tell how excited they all were about the show and were touched to see all the people there just as excited and being completely supportive and trusting. They showed some footage from the show, which was in the form of an extended trailer, and it looks so stinkin' cool! My dad, who doesn't get the zombie/sci-fi stuff at all, thought it looked great and is excited himself about it. The biggest thing I pulled from it was my amazement that this show is going to be on basic cable television. From the look of the footage, they don't seem to be sacrificing anything from the world developed in the books, but in order to air on cable, some stuff would have to change. I am curious to see what they do.

I am reading the books right now and I can tell you that I see why people love it so much. The character and story development is so intelligent and thought out, it just happens to be set in the world of the graphic novel. The author, who was there on the panel, appeared to be a younger guy, no older than 35 and they have made him a huge part of the show (he wrote an episode actually, which is never done by the author of source material). I just found his story of creating this work and how it has taken off to be inspiring.

The first season will be six episodes and premieres on AMC in October. Keep on lookout for it. If anything, I can promise that it will entertain you. Plus...its ZOMBIES!

"YO GABBA GABBA"

The last panel we attended was for the children's show, "Yo Gabba Gabba." This one was purely for me. I am an unabashed fan of the show and watch it all the time...alone. That's right; I'm 27, single and without children and one of my favorite shows on television is a show targeted for preschoolers. I was not embarrassed about this on our way to panel but I was definitely not embarrassed after attending. There are many like me out there and it was nice to share in it together.

My dad really didn't want to go to this panel but he said he wanted to know what the big deal was, so he tagged along. The creative team behind the show was doing two panels that weekend. One on Sunday, specifically for the kids with the characters and music and everything. The one we attended was meant to be more behind the scenes and stories of how it began. Parents didn't really understand that and the (very) small room was packed with little kids who were quickly disappointed to see DJ Lance Rock not in his orange track suit.

The panel was pretty short because of time restrictions and the growing volume of crying babies. It was very difficult to hear the panelists. Everyone involved in the show was clearly under 35 and looked straight out of the side tents at a music festival like Coachella or Austin City Limits. These were "my" people and I found it to be another inspiration. They started the show by shooting a pilot in their garage and handing out DVDs to anyone that would take it. They also posted material online and it quickly just took off and they haven't looked back.

Some specially made videos were shown that showed footage of their live performances and videos from the numerous celebrities that rave about the show. They did do an impromptu dance contest, for the kids, but even that just led to horrified, bawling children. It was more entertaining that annoying though! By the end of the panel, my dad kind of understood the coolness and creativity of the show. He stopped making fun of me for loving but still said he was too old for it. He just doesn't get that you are never too old for "Yo Gabba Gabba"!

"SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD"

The reason we only went to three panels this day was because we wanted to see an advance screening of Edgar Wright's "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" starring Michael Cera and based on a series of comic books. Wright's first two feature films are two of my all-time favorites, "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz." This would be the first film he would do without the stars of the other movies, the hilarious Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. I have also read the books and besides "Inception," this was the most anticipated movie of the year for me.

We decided to walk by the theater 3 hours early, just to see if the line had started yet, and we were glad we did. The screening was at 6:30 and at 3:30, there were already 500 people there. So, we got in line and my dad went to grab food. The next 2 hours were the worst of our time at Comic-Con but I will talk about that more in a future post.

The Balboa Theatre holds 1,300 people and every seat was full by 6:00. We were given free popcorn and drinks when we arrived. Kid Koala provided the pre-show entertainment and the buzz was palpable. At 6:30, Edgar Wright came out to welcome everyone, along with most of the cast who said they were staying to watch the film with us. The screening itself was a great experience. There was cheering at everything that resembled the source material and at the first appearance of every character. It was easily one of the top 3 movie-watching experiences of my life.

I will be reviewing the film closer to its release in about 2 1/2 weeks but I will say that if you are excited to see it, you are not wrong!

After the screening, we had tickets to go to a comedy show featuring Patton Oswalt but we were too exhausted, so we sold the tickets and went to bed. We had one more big day ahead of us!

Comic-Con 2010: Day 1 Recap!!!

Fellow nerds! (and closeted fellow nerds!)

I am now a Comic-Con veteran and what a great day to get started! We spent the whole day in the same room, Hall H, the biggest venue at the convention. This is because it is where all the major studio films do their panels. Below is a summary of everything we experienced today. If any of it sounds cool, look it up online, I'm sure you can find footage of it by tomorrow. So, here we go...

We arrived at the convention center at 7:30 in the morning to stand in line for the first panel that didn't start until 10:00. We were probably 3,000 people back in line. The ones at the front camped out all night. It was a cold and misty morning but everyone was excited for the official start of the Con! It was a serious crowd but everyone was kind and patient to each other. It was a really nice example of community.

They opened the doors at 9:30 and the line moved fast. The hall was a very decent size and seated approx. 6,500. We grabbed seats on the aisle of a row right in the middle of the room. We had a solid view of the stage but also had two giant screens in our sightline that overall gave us what felt like a perfect location for the day. We had decided to stay in the hall all day to see all the panels. We quickly learned this was not an original idea and about a few thousand other people would be doing the same thing. This was good to know because if you leave the hall you have to get back in the line to get back in.

"MEGAMIND"

The first panel started about 15 min. late and featured the upcoming Will Ferrell animated comedy "Megamind". Will was there, dressed as his character, crudely painted blue with what looked like a giant playground ball on his head. He brought breakfast for everyone but there were more people than he expected. All he had was 1/2 dozen donuts and a half gallon of orange juice! Tina Fey and Jonah Hill also joined the panel. They were all excited to be there and were hilarious. They played about 5 minutes of the movie in 3-D and a new trailer. The footage showed a different side to the story than what the first trailer portrayed and it is an interesting take. I am quite excited to see this movie now. Brad Pitt, who also has a role in the movie, did not show but luckily Will had a life-size cut-out for the ladies' viewing pleasure!

"TRON: LEGACY"

The second panel was one of the most anticipated of the convention. 27 years after the release of the original "Tron" comes the LONG-awaited sequel. While in line in the morning, I noticed several hundred people wearing FLYNN LIVES shirts. The moderator was Patton Oswalt, best known as the voice of "Ratatouille" and his role as Spencer on "The King of Queens." He is one of my favorite comedians and was the perfect person to moderate this panel. His pure joy and geekdom just seeped from him and engaged us immediately.

They began the panel by introducing the creative team and stars from the movie, the most recognizable being Academy Award winner, The Dude himself, Jeff Bridges. A lot of the talk focused on how far the technology has come from the original installment to now. The creator of the first movie was on hand to give some insight to this discussion and Bridges, being the common factor between the two, tied it all together. Michael Sheen, from "The Queen" and "The Damned United", was also on hand. He is one of my favorite actors today and I found this particularly exciting.

They screen a brand-new trailer and 8 minutes from the film. It looks astonishing! The world they have created is beautifully dark and futuristic. Jeff Bridges plays two characters in the movie, the aged Flynn and the computer living 35 year old Clu. They used a new technology that allowed Bridges to play the 35 year old version of himself and it was eerie. There is a scene where the two characters face off against each other and it is amazing how realistic it all looks.

They also gave all of the attendees to be in the movie. There are several crowd scenes where battles take place. They gave us directions on the screen and recorded us following along. So, when you go see the movie in December, the crowd you hear yelling and cheering at the battles was our audience here at Comic-Con. That is a pretty cool experience to me.

Since Disney sponsored the panel, they dropped two little nuggets on us at the end. They played an exclusive video from Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow talking about the fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, that will release in May. They also announced that they are rebooting the "Haunted Mansion" franchise and Guillermo Del Toro will be taking over. For anyone familiar with his work, "Hellboy" "Pan's Labyrinth" etc..., this is exciting news. He was there and talked a little about how he will make it scary and dark. My favorite line of his was, "We are not returning Eddie Murphy's phone calls." It was hilarious!!!

SALT and BATTLE: LOS ANGELES

The next session covered two different films, one that releases tomorrow and one that comes out sometime early next year. The first was "Salt" starring Angelina Jolie. She was there along with Liev Schrieber, the director and the executive producer. They screened an extended trailer of the film and talked a little in depth about it. I was actually kind of surprised by how personable and intelligent Jolie sounded. She seemed very comfortable and proud of this movie. I won't lie, she kind of won me over and there is a good chance I will go see the film now.

The second half of the presentation was on an upcoming movie called "Battle: Los Angeles". They showed about 7-8 minutes of footage. It was hard to tell exactly what the film is about but from the panel's discussion, their aim is a realistic war movie set in Los Angeles except the enemies are aliens. The stars are Aaron Eckhart and Michelle Rodriguez. Both were there and went on and on about the training for this film and how they wanted it to look very real, like footage from combat in Fallujah. Maybe it will grow on me, but none of it really did anything for me.

"RED"

Next up was a movie from Summit Entertainment entitled "RED." It stars Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Karl Urban and Morgan Freeman. Willis, Mirren, Parker and Urban were all on hand. I mean, this was pretty cool, seeing Helen Mirren and Bruce Willis sitting next to each other not 100 yards from me. The Queen and John McClane! They played a new trailer that was so nice they played it twice. This movie really does look like a lot of fun. It is about a group of retired C.I.A. agents that the government comes after because they know too many secrets. The humor and action they showed give the feel that these great actors had a blast playing with some solid material.

"EW presents THE VISIONAIRIES: J.J. ABRAMS & JOSS WHEDON"

This was my dad's favorite panel of the day. These two creative masterminds spent an hour talking to us about the state of movies, television, internet and just plain storytelling overall. They were extremely candid and you really felt like they were the most relatable to us out of every panelist we had seen thus far.

For those who don't know, these guys created and directed some of the greatest television shows and movies from the last 20 years. Whedon created "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Angel", "Firefly", "Serenity", "Dollhouse" and "Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog". Abrams is behind such hits as "Felicity", "Alias", "LOST", "Cloverfield", "Fringe", "Mission: Impossible 3" and "Star Trek."

Whedon did officially announce that he will be directing "The Avengers" and Abrams talked a little about his upcoming collaboration with Steven Speilberg. There was no footage at this session but it wasn't necessary. These guys were tremendously entertaining and enlightening. In my case I found them to be inspirational. My dad, who barely knows anything of what they have done, was enthralled by what they had to say.

"THE EXPENDABLES"

What does Comic-Con need more of? That's right, manly testosterone driven butt-kicking. Who can best provide that? Well, Sly Stallone of course! The next panel featured Rocky himself, along with other action greats; Terry Crews, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Randy Couture and Dolph Lundgren. That's right...Dolph Lundgren!!! They were there to talk about the upcoming release "The Expendables". Stallone wrote, directed and stars in the film. Besides the other men on the panel, also starring in the movie are Jet Li, Jason Statham. Oh yeah...and cameos from some little guy nicknamed "The Govenator" and some bald dude named Bruce Willis (who dropped in on the panel briefly).

This is meant to be the ultimate action film and let me say, from the two clips they showed us, I won't be surprised if they succeed. The first clip in particular, I can't believe they were allowed to show it at Comic-Con. If you love action, especially something like "Rambo" or "Predator", you are going to be obsessed with this film!

The panel themselves were surprisingly entertaining. I believe this is because they are very excited and proud of the film. They just sat there the whole hour talking about the different injuries they all recieved and how crazy the explosions and action scenes were. The great part is they all sit there laughing and smiling while they talk about this crazy stuff they were doing.

Oh, by the way, did I mention that Dolph Lundgren, aka Drago, was there?!?!?!

"SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD"

The last panel of the day was the one I was most excited about. "Scott Pilgrim" is based on a series of comic/graphic novels by Bryan Lee O'Malley. I got hooked on the books after I read that Edgar Wright was going to be directing a film adapatation of them. Wright is the director of "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz", two of my favorite films of all time. He moderated the panel that included, a too-many, 13 guests; O'Malley and 12 of the actors. Some of the stars who were there included Michael Cera (who plays the title character), Jason Swartzman ("Rushmore"), Brandon Routh (Superman) and Anna Kendrick ("Up in the Air").

Cera came out dressed as Captain America. This was the funniest aspect of what was an entertaining but overall disappointing panel. The biggest ovation of the day did come though when Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (the stars of Wright's other films) made a very brief but funny appearance. This was another immense thrill for me. I love both those actors. I hope to see them at the panel for their new movie on Saturday.

Two clips from the movie were played and they had a video intro for each panelist. All questions came from the audience and no new insight was given. The only note-worthy piece of information came at the end. They handed out buttons to everyone and if you had a certain one, you could follow Edgar Wright from that room to a theatre not far from the center to watch a screening of "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World." I did not have the lucky button. However, all is not lost, they are screening it for free tomorrow and Saturday night. We plan to check it out tomorrow.

Well, that was our day. I apologize for the lack of creativity and craftmanship to this post. It is late and I have had a long day. There is also another early start to tomorrow, so I need to hit the sack but I wanted to make sure this got up before I did. I hope to have some pictures tomorrow. On tap, we hope to make panels for the new version of "Hawaii Five-O", a look at AMC's new zombie series "The Walking Dead", and the one I am most excited about for tomorrow..."Yo Gabba Gabba"!!!!

Thanks for reading, friends. I am wiped but look for another update tomorrow. Hopefully it will include a review of "Scott Pilgrim" and tales of me walking with the living dead and imaginary characters from a boombox!

What I'm Watching...

"THE WEST WING"

Some of you know that my current occupation is teaching computer lab at an elementary school. It is a job I love and I am sure I will talk about it more in the future. However, this has given me what is essentially a summer of "free time." I actually don't watch a ton of television. I'm usually watching movies if I am watching something. I do, though, have a few shows I love; "Breaking Bad", "Mad Men", "Top Chef" (the ONLY "reality" show I watch), and until a few months ago, "24" and "LOST". There also isn't much new programming on during the summer, so I decided to check out a few shows from the past on DVD that I have always wanted to see. "The West Wing" is one of those shows.

I am halfway through the fourth season and I can easily say that it is already in my Top 10 TV shows of all-time. (That is actually a list I will post in the future) It is rare to find the perfect combination of writing and acting. Nowadays, you can pretty much only find that on pay cable channels like HBO or on AMC. Let's start with the cast first...

There is not one weak member of what is most definitely an ensemble cast. There is not one star of this show. I have read that when it was initially being put together, the Rob Lowe character was supposed to be the center of the show but that quickly went away with the creation of the other fascinating characters. This supposedly led to his exit after season 4 and thus the biggest mistake of his career. He was tremendous in this show and I have never said that about "Brat Pack" member Lowe. (Sorry! I digress...)

We'll start with the President since the show is called "The West Wing." If politics was all show, then Martin Sheen would be my choice for president in real life. (I realize politics may be all show but lets not start that barn fire here!) The poise and power he brings to the role is engulfing. He IS the president and you never question that. When his character shows his humanity and weakness, it makes the audience believe in him even more. It reminds us that even the President of the United States is human.

Then there is his staff; Allison Janey as press secretary C.J. Craig, Richard Schiff as Communications Director Toby Ziegler, Rob Lowe as Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn, Dule Hill as the President's body man Charlie, John Spencer as Chief of Staff Leo McGary and Bradley Whitford as Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman. I mention Whitford last because, to me, he is the one I am most drawn to and find the most entertaining. My point is, though, that I believe every one who watches this show has their character/actor they feel that way about and it is always different. I also want to make a separate mention for Dule Hill who has developed into an impressive, admirable and complex performance. I could write a blog post about each and every character (and aspect) of this show but I will spare you. Look for my "West Wing" fan blog soon!

What truly lifts this show above the rest is its writing. Aaron Sorkin is the master of intelligent, yet accessible writing. He also perfected the "walk and talk", meaning when dialogue is done while the characters are walking through the halls of the West Wing. I have heard people say that this is a unique aspect of "Entourage". PLEASE! It is completely lifted and done no where near as well. It may not sound like much but until you watch it and know what it takes to film ANYTHING, you probably think I am being extremely nerdy and over the top!

The other effect the show has had on me is that it has led to me become more interested and involved in politics. I am still not a fan of the current state of our political world but I have realized that I have no right to complain unless I am trying to do something about it. Now I just wish there was a show that made me feel that way about the church like "The West Wing" does about politics. (Sorry "7th Heaven". Not even close.)

I am not only at the midway point of the fourth season but it is also the midway point of the series. I am tremendously excited to see where it all goes. This is one of those shows that defines balance. Every aspect is done well with effort and thought. It makes the negative side of my mind wonder how shows like "Two and a Half Men" and "Grey's Anatomy" can be near the top of the ratings while shows like "Deadwood" and "Arrested Development" barely get three seasons.

"The West Wing" will hook you from the beginning. If you don't like it early, then you are not going to ever get on board but my guess is that pretty soon you'll be wondering who "President Sheen" will be up against in the 2012 election and what will have to be done to keep him in office.

INCEPTION

There are not many studios, directors or actors that we can depend upon these days to always put out quality material. Pixar used to be the only one that came to mind but this past weekend I was reminded of one blaring omission I was making, director Christopher Nolan.

Ever since “Memento”, every film Nolan has directed has not been without considerable creativity and effort. Even his comic book adaptations (“Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight”) have been groundbreaking pieces of cinema. He doesn’t take any easy ways out or use any cheap gimmicks. “Inception” is his most ambitious project to date and without a doubt, also his most successful. Nolan has been working on this script for over 10 years and has used his experience from making his other films, to properly prepare himself for this undertaking.

“Inception” is really a heist film at its core. What makes this one different is that it is centered around the world of dreams. Now, it is best to go into this film knowing as little as possible, so I will not really be writing a synopsis in this review. What I can tell you is that there is not one aspect to this film that I would call weak. If anything, some of the acting performances could have been stronger, knowing the capability of the cast, but none were so bad that they were a distraction.

Leonardo DiCaprio was solid but I would have loved to see a bit more mystery from his character. He had a tendency to overexplain what was happening. Ellen Page held her own as her character serves as the guide for the audience. Joseph Gordon-Levitt definitely looks dapper the entire film but I wish his performance was just as smooth. I love all three of those actors but they were all upstaged by one tremendous performance. It was from a British actor named Tom Hardy. Hardy’s breakout role was in a movie called “Bronson” from a couple years ago. Keep your eye on this actor because he has a very strong future.

Visually, this film is breathtaking. Similar to “The Dark Knight”, Nolan uses the camera perfectly to allow the audience to immerse themselves in this world. This is particularly vital since much of the story takes place in the dream world. He uses aerial shots to overview the scene and his gorgeous setting of the camera depending upon the situation is awe-inspiring. If anything, the visual landscape could have been a bit grittier at times, much like “Memento”, but my guess is that the studio wouldn’t allow that for such a big picture.

The running time is around 2 and 1/2 hours but you would never know it. You are sucked in from the beginning and you do not want to leave the ride. At the screening I attended, you could feel the connection the audience had with the film and when it ended, there was a pause and then a huge ovation. I have never felt a buzz from a group of people like I did while leaving this movie.

“Inception”, along with “Winter’s Bone” (a film I’ll write about soon), are the clear best pictures of the year so far. In my opinion, they are two of the best from the last 10 years. In many ways, “Inception” is the perfect movie. It is creative, beautiful, exciting, smart, intense and accessible. This is an example of why I love film. It is also an example of why I am not ok with movies like “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”. Just because a movie has a huge budget, a lot of explosions, or based on a comic book, it doesn’t mean it can just be mindless and lazy. Nolan knows this and I believe his goal is to prove that fact with every film he does.

Needless to say, if you see any movie in the theater this year, you must go see “Inception”. I realize I have raised expectations here but I have never believed in a film being able to exceed those expectations more. Christopher Nolan is the best director working today and after I see this movie several more times, my countdown will begin to his next film.

There Will Be Blogd

hello minions.

this is the feeble beginning to what i hope, one day, becomes an online community for us who love film, music, TV, literature and anything else creative can gather to discuss and inform each other to that which is making a mark on our culture. the original version of this project, the 1.0 version, the beta launch if you will is as a personal blog from me.

this is where i will share my thoughts about all things i am digging (or not digging) at the moment. there will be reviews, top __ lists, “you’re missing out” posts (where i share something you may not be aware of) and much, much more. then, i want all those who read my ramblings to respond and tell me how i am wrong or how i am the most insightful person you’ve ever read. (it must be one or the other. there is no in between).

so…where would i like this to go? eventually i would love to see this become a website, more than just a blog. i will bring in others to contribute and collaborate. “there will be blogd” will under go a name change in the future. that change will mark the change in the site. there will eventually be a full-fledged site with forums, a podcast, a twitter and much more. a one-stop place to stay connected to all things creative.

the only way these dreams will happen is if you read and respond. then, if you enjoy it, please pass the word. lets see how quickly we can get this going. great things are in store and we’ll achieve them together!

my next post will be my thoughts on “Inception.” stay tuned. there is much in store. thanks for checking this out and come back soon!

~ chaddyp

(ps - i will only write in all lowercase when i am writing a personal note to the readers. everything else will be properly written. i have too much respect for the english language! trying to cut off some early criticism!)