University Lipdub (HS Furtwangen) from DASKAjA on Vimeo.
I know this is much delayed, and fairly useless. After all, either you've already seen them, or you never will. But I still thought I'd do a short wrap-up of the big comic book movies of the summer, if only to get back on the blogging horse. And also because I saw most of them BY MYSELF, and thus haven't had much of a chance to talk to anyone about them.
Beyond the good casting, solid acting and obviously top-notch special effects, my favorite thing about Iron Man was that it was the first comic book movie I've ever seen where I said, "You know, all of this could actually happen." I mean, every other movie seems to either have heroes with superpowers or normal humans doing superhuman things (such as when Batman falls eight stories and walks away, or leaps thirty feet in a single bound). But Iron Man had normal humans living under normal human limitations. Sure, the armor did some crazy things, but it's not all that far-fetched. The Army has been working on body armor and jetpacks for years, but can never get past the problems of weight, cost and fuel consumption. Well, Tony Stark figured out all three in the movie. If someone could do that in real life, we could actually see something like the Iron Man armor. More realistically, we could see something like the Iron Monger.
Hey, it's all still just superhero science and suspension of disbelief. But compared to the other movies on this list, and cast with Oscar-winners, it came off as very believable. It was easy to get totally engrossed in the world of the film.
The plot of the movie was very simple, but none of these films tried to be much more than what they were, which was one of the good things about all of them. This one was simply meant to establish the dual identities of this legendary character, and it did an admirable job at that. Like you'll hear me say for at least one of the other movies on this list, I thought the best parts of The Incredible Hulk were the parts that had no superheroics or CGI--Edward Norton on his own is more fun to watch than any green giant. But they did tone back some of the cartoony aspects of the Hulk and made his actions have a bit more weight, which was an improvement on the previous film. Overall, it was a fun ride, and left me wanting more. Which is exactly what Marvel intended when they rebooted the franchise. It didn't make any more money than the last Hulk movie, but it's definitely in better position for big-money sequels.
Anyway, the only thing I should be talking about in regards to The Dark Knight is Heath Ledger's performance. I was sympathetic towards his family and friends when he died, but I won't confess to feeling any great sadness for myself. As shallow as it sounds, however, watching his performance in this movie did make me a bit sad that he won't be around for a sequel. He was so good that I wanted to see much more of that character. I don't think there was enough meat in the role to make it Oscar-worthy, but there was definitely enough to get him some minor awards and even more recognition as a versatile actor. Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart were also good in this film, and when you combine them with Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, you have as solid a cast as any other summer blockbuster. But the movie was definitely Heath Ledger's showcase, and all future Bat-villains will pale in comparison.
Finally, though I wasn't a fan of the way The Dark Knight ended, I had no problem with the fate of Maggie Gyllenhaal's character. I've never really been bothered by writers killing off the wife/girlfriend to incite heroic action. Not because I'm a misogynist, but because it's motivation I can immediately understand. There's nothing that would incite me to violence like losing my wife. It's one of my biggest fears in life. As overused as it is, it almost always works to get me to feel for the hero and root for him.
I just wish it'd been done in the previous movie, when Rachel Dawes was played by Tom Cruise's baby maker.
Next Time: Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, Wanted, and a bonus film for which I forgot to make an image!
Another award-winner from the ace comedy troupe OneTwoThree Comedy.
I started the day with a "comic-con for beginners" panel, which was pretty informative, then took my first walk on the show floor around 11pm. To say it was overwhelming would be an understatement. Imagine a typical convention--booths, booth babes, street marketers handing out bags, pins, posters, etc. Video screens everywhere, minor celebrities signing autographs, product demos going on, contests and competitions being run.
Now imagine that convention five to ten times larger than you'd previously envisioned. Now, you'd really have to pick and choose what you wanted to see, right? Otherwise, you'll never get through the place with your sanity intact. But what if everything on the floor is something you want to see? What's your strategy now?
And what if it's not just the people working the floor? What if most of the attendees were also worth seeing? All of them in crazy costumes, dressed up as characters from your childhood or from your favorite shows, books and movies? Then, how would you be able to focus enough to see everything you want to see?
But wait, that's not all! At the same time all of this is going on, elsewhere, there are panels giving sneak peeks of your favorite shows and guest starring your favorite celebs. But if you go to those, you miss the giveaways, events and people on the exhibition hall floor. And often, there are two panels going on at once covering two of your favorite pop culture phenomenons. How do you fit everything in?
The secret is that you don't. The fact that everything is going on at once is intentional. It's a sort of crowd control. If they only had one panel at a time, or the panels didn't conflict with the big events on the floor, you'd quickly find that all 125,000+ attendees were falling all over themselves to attend each event. By putting the Chuck screening and panel opposite the Pushing Daisies panel (which is exactly what's happening on Saturday), you force the crowd to choose, hopefully ensuring neither room gets too overcrowded. It makes sense, but it still sucks.
I have to admit, I love the exhibition hall floor. I'm a people watcher and I don't mind crowds. And I LOVE to window shop, which is pretty much what you're doing down there--looking at new games, toys, comics, shows, etc. as you walk around. I think there was actually a point where I stopped blinking--it was causing me to miss to much. Of course, my addition to the floor meant I skipped a couple of panels I was interested in. I sort of regret that. Not just because they would've been fun, but also because if I'd have gone to the True Blood panel like I'd intended, I wouldn't have had to wait in line AT ALL for the Dexter panel (which was the biggest event of the Con so far, thus had the largest line).
Now, I'm finally back in my hotel room, having returned to drop off my bags and get something to eat. But I'm doing so at the expense of one of my other intended activities--I'm skipping out on Robert Smigel's Comedy Central TV Funhouse. And I would've had second row seats for that, since it was in the room I was already camped out in for Dexter. But I haven't eaten anything but a pretzel and some water since I woke up this morning, and I figured I'd better get my blood sugar back up before I go to anything else. I have a camel-like ability to go long times without eating or drinking, but even I have my limits.
Wow, look at the time. I think I stayed up here just long enough that I missed my chance to see a sneak peek of the new Punisher movie, which is a shame, since the panel featured Julie Benz, who I was lucky enough to see earlier in the day, and who has already won my award for hottest person at the con. And if I stay another minute or two, I'll miss my chance for the Saw 5 panel.
Oh well, life is full of trade-offs. I think I still have a chance to get a burger and then make it to the world premiere of Lost Boys 2, starring not only a much older Corey Feldman, but Keifer Sutherland's half brother, Angus Sutherland. I'd rather go to the Star Wars fan film awards, but like I said, life's full of trade-offs.
I'm uploading some pics from day one right now. I'll have more tomorrow, along with another report. Goodnight, everyone on the east coast--I'm off to find some food.
It's hard for me to leave town, there is always so much to do or to hand off. This time was no exception--after a short and hectic week, I pretty much pulled an all-nighter last night, trying to finish things up. Since I can't sleep on planes, I arrived in San Diego this afternoon a bit exhausted. I was lucky enough to be able to check into my hotel early, so the first thing I did was take a nap. Bad idea. I didn't have passes to the sneak preview event, so I didn't have anything to do when I got up, but I did have a massive headache.
It may've been fatigue or low blood sugar, but I awoke with the biggest migraine I've had in a while. So I showered and headed out to a pharmacy to get some Advil, then went in search of food.
It's weird (and a little sad) being in a big city by yourself. I wandered the streets and felt like I was the only person not in a group or with a partner. Combine that with a headache, and it was sort of a crappy night. I did eventually find a good place to eat--I had a great applewood bacon cheeseburger at a place called Nicky Rotten's--and then treated myself to an ice cream sundae at Ghirardelli's. I kept myself amused while eating by watching Justice League: The New Frontier on my iPhone. Even with all of that, I was still bored and wandering again by 9pm. Too early to go to bed, and unwilling to walk the streets anymore by myself, I went to see Hellboy II The Golden Army at a local theater.
It was a so-so movie, by the way. Not very well-written--the dialogue was too cheesy and the characters seemed to have become shallow imitations of who they were in the first movie--but Guillermo Del Toro does great creature design, and the fight scenes and special effects were top-notch. It was entertaining, but not great. Exactly the right thing to see when you're bored, I guess.
Anyway, tomorrow the Con officially starts. This may sound weird, but I'm a little nervous. I'm someone who's usually good in crowds, and who has the people skills necessary to easily adapt to new places and unfamiliar situations. But I have so much excitement for this event that I'm actually worried my head may explode when I walk in. I'm nervous that I didn't bring the right stuff, that I won't be able to find my way around, that I'll miss some of the sessions/booths I really want to see, or that I'll once again be faced with that feeling of being alone in a big crowd. That last concern's not my biggest fear. I had zero energy today, so I wasn't being very social. But surrounded by my people and with a good night's sleep, I should be able to make some friends tomorrow.
This trip has made me realize how dependent I am on my friends and family, though. I used to be able to go anywhere alone, but all I can think now is how much I want to come back next year with Alecia. I wonder if she'll be up for it?
Anyway, I plan to get up fairly early tomorrow and be in line around 8:30pm for registration (which begins at 9:30--with the doors opening at 10am). I may still be too late to avoid lines, but Thursday is supposed to be a slower day, and a lot of the people going on Thursday have their passes already because they had to get them for the sneak preview event tonight. So maybe I'll get lucky. If I get in quick/first, I could land some cool swag if I hit the right booths. And I can maybe also buy some of the toys I want to take home without having to deal with huge lines, which will save me from having to stand around waiting for them later.
Here's what I'm hoping to take in tomorrow. See how there are two conflicting events almost every hour? I'm going to have to make some decisions.
10:00-11:00 Kings: Exclusive Sneak Peek of the Pilot Prologue Screening and Q&A with Cast and Executive Producers
10:00-11:00 Fans' Guide to Comic-Con
11:00-12:00 Professional Writing: Threat or Menace?
11:00-12:00 The Disney Animation Story Process
11:30-1:00 20th Century Fox: The Day The Earth Stood Still and Max Payne
12:00-1:00 How Not to Break into Comics
1:15-2:45 Summit Pictures
2:00-3:00 Red Sonja: One-on-One
2:00-3:30 Animation on a $hoestring
3:00-4:00 Disney: Race to Witch Mountain
3:30-4:30 Entertainment Weekly's The Visionaries: Comic Creators
4:30-5:30 HBO's True Blood
4:45-5:45 "SCREAM" Like a Girl
5:00-6:00 The Pitching Hour
5:00-6:00 Comics Experience: How to Write a Pitch!
5:30-6:30 Dark Castle: RocknRolla
5:45-6:45 Showtime: Dexter
6:00-7:00 DC Nation
7:00-9:00 Comedy Central TV Funhouse with Robert Smigel
8:00-8:30 Lionsgate and Marvel: Punisher: War Zone!
8:30-9:00 Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures: Saw 5
10:00-12:00 Warner Premiere and Warner Home Video: World Premiere of Lost Boys The Tribe
Well, time to hydrate up and hit the hay. I'm sure I'll have some sitting around time tomorrow as I wait for a session or two to begin, so I'll try to blog then. I'll also post new pics on my flickr and or facebook account. Because iPhones don't allow cutting and pasting, it's too much of a pain to embed pics here, but I'll try to provide links where I can.
Wish me luck!
I'd been sitting on this info for a few weeks while budget, reservations and travel were all up in the air and indefinite, but I just booked my flights and consider it safe to announce that I'm going to the 2008 Comic-Con in San Diego next week!
As geeky as this is to admit, attending the world's largest comic book convention has always been a dream of mine. Some people dream of traveling the world--I dream of attending mega geekfests. And this one is the king of them all. Even better, it's not just a comic book convention anymore. There are no less than thirty TV shows and over two dozen feature films parading their cast and crew to the convention to show off sneak peeks, meet the fans and try to gain eyeballs for upcoming seasons/releases. It really has become a multimedia extravaganza, drawing celebs from Hollywood as well as game developers, toymakers, and anything else that would remotely appeal to the young male demographic.
I've only looked over the schedules for Thursday and Sunday in detail, but I've already seen a ton of sessions I'd love to attend. Just on those two days, some of my favorite shows (Dexter, Smallville, Battlestar Galactica) are hosting Q&As with their stars. And those aren't even the big days--I can't wait to see what they've got planned for Friday and Saturday.
Turner will have a pretty big presence at the Comic-Con this year, as they always do, but it will once again be mainly Cartoon Network. Cartoon is sending a TON of people to show off all of their kids' shows and their Adult Swim properties. TNT and TBS won't really have a presence--we sort of missed the boat with at least one or two of our new shows--but maybe we'll make a better effort next year.
If you're also going to Comic-Con or you just live in the San Diego area, let me know before next Wednesday and I'll look you up. As excited as I am about the convention, I am a little nervous about being totally alone out there. I have friends at Cartoon Network who are going, but the Cartoon group is notoriously cliquey and (with the exception of my friends, of course) a little stuck up. I think they hear way too often how cool their jobs are, because a lot of them won't give you the time of day, even on campus, where we all work for the same company, eat in the same cafeteria and get our checks from the same source. It will be interesting to see if even the nicer Cartoon people will give me the time of day once they're off-campus, among their snobbier coworkers and surrounded by adoring fans who continue to kiss their feet and tell them how great they are.
Heck, I might even become a snob if faced with that level of worship.
Anyway, I could spend four days wandering the floors of the convention center all by myself, followed by four nights of sitting by myself in screenings before taking a cab back to my lonely hotel room. It could be a very lonely time--despite the hordes of people. If you'll be around that weekend, let me know. I'll be glad to see a familiar face.
I'll post more details when I have more time. I'm anxious to look over the Saturday and Sunday schedules to try to plan my weekend. I'll probably write a post about the sessions I plan to attend, just to get myself organized. If you have recommendations, let me know. This is sure to be an exciting--if overwhelming--event!
OneTwoThree teamed up with with Mike Tapson, Blake Beckstrom and Charlie Smith. Part of the 48 hour film project in Chicago. Winner of "Best Actress" and "Best Acting Ensemble"
All the teams were given:
A Genre (Thriller/Suspense)
Character: Walter or Wilma Western, Repair Person
Prop: an urn or container with a deceased's ashes
Line of Dialogue: "What's the password?"
the jury's still out on whether my new 3G iPhone was worth the $200, the five-hour wait at the store, and the day of frustration while Apple's crashed servers kept the phones dead and us out of contact. But there's at least one thing I can do on the iPhone that I can't do on my old cellphone or even on my blackberry.
I can blog on it!
Now, if only I could get the hang of this keyboard. You wouldn't believe how long it took me towrite this post.
Rather than taking the time to post about our Jamaica trip, I spent most of last night catching up on my own backed up blogroll. For most of the sites I track, I marked the posts as read and called it a day. But there were a few sites that I scanned a bit more thoroughly. One of those was Tastespotting. I can never resist some good food pics, and I always seem to find great recipes through that site.
This time, however, I found something other than recipes. I found this post asking people to list the foods they'd never let into their kitchens. The post was titled "Calling All Food Snobs," and I think it's meant to give foodies a place to rant about processed foods and box meals. But I come from a different place than those gourmands, and thus, have a very different list. (In fact, we have almost ALL of the items on the original post's list in our kitchen right now.)
Here are the ten things you'd never find in my kitchen (if my wife didn't bring them in, that is):
- Soy Milk or other Soy products
- Walnuts
- Okra
- Limburger Cheese
- Fake salt
- Cow Tongue or other Southern bizarro meats
- Grits
- Anchovies
- Cherry tomatoes
- Clean countertops and an empty sink
Supporting
