SDCC 2008 Tagged Articles at Cinematical

As we sat at a rather tame (but fun!) Masters of Web party, Erik Davis kept showing me the comments that were being left on his hotties of con post -- a category that I honestly don't feel I belong in! But I appreciate the compliments of my bosses and our readers, so thanks! Amidst the post-con stupor that is hanging over San Diego today, I thought I'd give you a little insight as to what it's like to hit the floor in costume. If you've been to con, you've probably taken a photo with someone like me, or at least wondered how or why we do it.

Frankly, I can't even explain the why. I like making costumes, I like wearing them, and I like having my obsessive attention to detail appreciated by others. But I still experience a level of total embarrassment upon walking out of my hotel room. Hell, I even experience it as I strap on my guns. I can't believe I'm doing this. Last year, it clung throughout the two days I spent in costume because the responses to Croft and Queen Gorgo were so tepid -- but this year it vanished as soon as I walked in and was mobbed. (Ok, it didn't entirely vanish -- meeting the lovely Lena Headey while dressed this way was pretty cringe-worthy. I wouldn't exactly want to meet Hugh Jackman or Gerard Butler while sporting those implants, either.)

Watchmen was, hands down, the best panel I've seen at con this year. (It also had the best swag -- a "Who Watches the Watchmen?" t-shirt!) I don't think I have been as stunned by preview film footage since Zack Snyder brought 300 two years ago. I don't think even Snyder's detractors can deny that he can turn out some cool footage. And let's just cut to my paltry description of it, as I know all many of you out there would have killed to be in my place. If you haven't read the book, here be spoilers.

The Watchmen scenes were literally goosebump inducing, and so much more than an extended trailer. It was set to a really eerie choir piece (any attendees know the name of that?) and began with a close-up of a certain smiley-face button dripping with blood. We saw a more gruesome version of Vietnam, with Dr. Manhattan's incineration being just a little more vicious somehow, and an extended version of his being stripped away, intercut with Osterman assembling clock pieces, and knocking down milk bottles at a state fair. Rorschach was the center of an especially chilling scene of his examination of the Comedian's apartment, and we saw his mask in action. It looks fantastic and very organic, not CGI at all.

The story behind my RocknRolla coverage could actually be a Guy Ritchie film -- you'd have to add a few car chases and shoot-outs, but I think the framework is there. Due to the insanity of Hall H, I decided I would sit through the next three panels in order to be guaranteed a seat at RocknRolla. My phone rings. "RocknRolla press. Here's the room. You've got five minutes." I grab my tape recorder, and phone, and I run. I run up the escalator, yoga and stomach crunches actually paying off as I arrive with only the minor warnings of a heart attack.

And once I get in, what befalls me? Only an entire slew of strange technical difficulties -- my tape recorder refused to record, as did my cell phone, and my cell phone camera decided to take half the photo in blinding white, half in black. Naturally, everything worked outside the room, so go figure, and thank goodness for good old fashioned pen and paper, eh? There must have been something on my face -- shock, fear, or the paleness of impending death / bad coverage because Gerard Butler took one look at me, and stuck his tongue out in a "Total insanity, right?!" face. (At least, that's how I interpreted it. I hope he wasn't commenting on my appearance or broken tape recorder.)

This was a real accidental panel for me to have attended. The lines proved impossible to navigate for Fox and Summit, and I lacked the studio credentials to bypass the Hall H morass -- so I ducked in as soon as it was quiet and prepared to relax to Disney. But the Race to Witch Mountain panel was anything but relaxing. It wasn't full, but those who were there were serious diehards of the original, so the questions thrown at director Andy Fickman, and stars Carla Gugino and Dwayne Johnson were a little intense. Here's the key points, gleaned from the Q&A:

-- Race is not a sequel or a remake, but a re-imagining. They went back to the original book for inspiration, and tried to incorporate everything, but while writing a new mythology.
-- All were huge fans of the original, which drew them to the project. Johnson is particularly fond of Disney projects due to his young daughter, Gugino jumped at the chance to do a departure from the original.
-- Delving deeply into the UFO movement, essentially a UFO story.
-- More action packed to keep with the book, and also to keep up with the likes of the Harry Potter movies. Fans of the original will find Winnebagos to delight them, new fans won't have to have seen the old ones to get the story.
-- Gugino plays a "discredited astrophysicist" and Johnson a cab driver. The kids are aliens. Much ass is kicked by all the characters.
-- The original kids, Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann, are in it. People went absolutely crazy at this, and it's hinted their part is large, but no other details were forthcoming.
-- Fickman said the closest comparison to the movie was 48 Hrs or the Bourne movies. Seriously.

Tron is back ... and after the jump ...

What a day! It's so awesome to be back in San Diego, quite possibly the prettiest city in the United States. The weather is perfect and breezy, the town bedecked with ComicCon banners, and even the light rail is decorated with the girls of The Spirit. It's mecca for geeks and movie lovers alike. I'm absolutely wiped, though. This is the first Preview Night I've ever attended and surprise, surprise, it's the craziest one on record! As always, the Exhibit Hall is a dizzying wonder.

I toured with two con newbies (one of whom is my fangirl mom) and their bewilderment is hilarious. "I just -- wow. I never thought it was this huge! And so many people!" The hall was already packed, some of whom are already in costume which is a dedication I can't even muster. Every booth had an enormous line and for nothing in particular -- when you ask those waiting so patiently, all you get is "NECA." "Mezco." "Mattel." When you ask what hot exclusive they're waiting for, they just shrug and say "Whatever they've got. It's exclusive." Ah, the collectibles market!