Cinematical fought through the massive crowds tonight on the convention floor to bring you tons and tons of photos from the 2008 San Diego Comic Con Preview Night. While we didn't spot too many people dressed in costume (except for a group doing a Batman theme), there were some very, very cool toys, games, statues, posters and movie props. Among the larger attractions was Nite Owl's ship from Watchmen (pictured below -- see inside by clicking through the gallery), a huge Iron Monger statue (in gallery), James Bond's hot set of wheels (in gallery), a ginormous Star Wars exhibit, with Star Wars: The Clone Wars statues alongside dudes in Storm Trooper attire (pictured above), as well as monitors displaying the new video game, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (which looks hella cool).

Check out a few images from Preview Night below, then definitely make sure to head on over to the gallery to see what this year's San Diego Con is all about.

P.S. Masters of the Web panel tomorrow morning, 10am. Be there! Say hello! Make it look like I have friends!



Nite Owl's ship from Watchmen (more images from inside the thing down in the gallery).



Our friends in Batman gear!

Cinematical's Official Comic Con Hub

What can you expect from the MPAA when you make a movie with "some some graphic sexuality"? Yup, the kiss of death. Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a Porno has been slapped with a rating of NC-17 by the MPAA, according to a list posted today by The Hollywood Reporter.

The rating was posted on the MPAA film ratings site at least as early as last Saturday, but News Askew noted that it was marked as "pending appeal" and had received the rating for "some graphic sexuality." I just checked the MPAA's site, and now the film doesn't show up at all. What happened? Was the appeal lost? Will cuts be made to secure the R rating? Who made the "some some" typo -- the MPAA or THR?

The ratings tussle is not entirely unexpected. Seth Rogen complained about the MPAA last month because of the film's difficulty in securing an R rating, and Smith took down a raunchy online-only teaser until the MPAA approved it. I would imagine that Smith is contractually obligated to deliver an R-rated version, but I wonder what nightmares he faces to please the MPAA?

As it happens, Smith will appear at Comic Con on Friday evening to talk about his film, and I'm sure he'll have something to say about the rating. Zack and Miri Make a Porno is still due to hit theaters on October 31.

Some very exciting news has just hit the net (though it's been quietly talked about for a good while now): Fanboys will screen at San Diego Comic Con later this week, on Thursday, July 24, and will apparently hit theaters this September. Finally! First, for the Con news: Tickets for this special screening will be given away to the first 300 people in line at the Lucasfilm's 7th Annual Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge, held on Thursday at 8:30pm in Ballroom 20. Fanboys director Kyle Newman will be on hand to introduce some footage during the awards ceremony before the full-length screening at 10:30pm. Right on!

But then came this quote from the film's producer Kevin Spacey: "I could not be more excited that 'Fanboys' is being released this September and is the version of the film that the fans want. I am enormously grateful to Jedi Knight Harvey Weinstein for having allowed Trigger Street to restore "Fanboys" to its original story and am thrilled that it will first screen during Comic-Con." Unfortunately, an exact date did not follow those words, but it's definitely nice to know the film will arrive (hopefully in theaters and NOT straight to DVD) with its original story in only a month or so from now. Double right on!

You bet Cinematical will be attending this screening, and we'll try our best to get you folks the inside word from the Fanboys creators as it all goes down. May the force be with you ... and feel free to read the official press release after the jump.

[via IESB]

"You're lucky I forgot my water wings biotch!"

In honor of San Diego Comic Con (which starts next week -- OMG!), Entertainment Weekly has thrown together a pretty neat spread on a bunch of the films, TV shows and even comics. Yes, comics. I know, crazy for a comic convention, but what can you do. Although it's not technically part of their Con preview, up above you can see the first image of Jason from the upcoming Friday the 13th remake. The folks behind that flick will host a panel and debut the first trailer at Con.

Below, we've pulled out five of the 26 photos (not including their other First Look photo batch) for you to preview before heading over to EW's site. They also have up a pretty sweet Watchmen piece, which gives another nice look at The Comedian. Featured below: Images from The Spirit, Terminator Salvation, Land of the Lost, Ninja Assassin and Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell.

Which film are you most excited about?

And do I even need to ask twice? Seriously, this party is so hip, rad and ultra cool ... I'm surprised even I was invited! Like, maybe there was a mistake somewhere and they meant to invite Eric Davis the baseball player instead of Erik Davis the movie blogger. Who knows. I ain't saying a thing. Yes, The Wrath of Con party is upon us ... and not only do I have a list of celebs attending, but also info on how you folks can join the fun.

First off, here are some of the peeps you can hang out with at the party:

Jason Statham (Death Race), Rhona Mitra (Doomsday), David Goyer (writer of The Dark Knight), Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes, Rocky Balboa), Derek Mears (Friday the 13th), Bill Nighy (Pirates of the Caribbean, Hot Fuzz), John Cho (Star Trek, Harold & Kumar), Simon Pegg (Star Trek), Sophie Monk (The Hills Run Red), Efren Ramirez (Napoleon Dynamite), Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Lena Headey (300, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Thomas Dekker (Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles, Heroes), Jamie King (The Spirit, Sin City), Kyle Newman (director of Fanboys), Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor (directors of The Game), Corey Haim (Lost Boys: The Tribe), Corey Feldman (Lost Boys: The Tribe), Bai Ling, Edgar Wright (Spaced, Hot Fuzz), Kal Penn (Harold & Kumar) ... and many more.

Find out how to attend after the jump ...

With about a week and half left before myself, Scott Weinberg and Elisabeth Rappe head out to sunny San Diego for this year's Comic Con, organizers have finally unveiled the full line-up of acitivities .. and there's an insane amount of stuff to see and do. Here are some film-related highlights from Friday, Saturday and Sunday; you can check out the entire sched over on the official Comic Con website (Note: We covered Thursday here, and don't say anything, but I've heard there may be a certain fanboy-ish screening that night as well. Hmmm ...)

Friday:

11:55-1:00 Warner Bros.: Watchmen- A complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock"- which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union-is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up -- but no less determined -- masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion-a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers -- Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity...but who watches the Watchmen? Guest appearances TBA. Hall H

2:00-2:30 Universal: The Wolfman- For its upcoming action-horror film The Wolfman, Universal will showcase new footage and a presentation from the title monster's creator, six-time Oscar-winning special effects artist Rick Baker. Hall H

2:45-3:45 Lionsgate and Odd Lot Entertainment: The Spirit- Writer/director Frank Miller and producer Deborah Del Prete are joined by film stars Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, and Eva Mendes in unveiling an exclusive preview of the new film based on the classic comic by Will Eisner. Hall H

6:30-8:00 Kevin Smith Makes a "Porno"- Well, not really, but for the umpteenth time, Smith is back at Comic-Con to talk movies, comics, and whatever else the audience wants to talk about. This year, he'll be highlighting his fall film, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. Expect some special guests. Hall H

More after the jump ...

Not long ago I gave Sony Pictures Classics props for the way they handled promotion on The Wackness, and I'm about to do the same for Focus Features, who've been pimping out Hamlet 2 like there's no tomorrow. Not only will Hamlet 2 have a major presence at this year's San Diego Comic Con (we're still giving away tickets to that private screening, by the way), but they're also sending around these sweet Hamlet 2 goodie bags and have put together a sing-a-long video for the film's hit song, Rock Me Sexy Jesus.

You can check out that video above, and below we put together a gallery of photos from the film, as well as of the official 2008 Comic Con Survival Kit, with a Hamlet 2 bag, a couple t-shirts, some wristbands, coffee, a book called Reading Comics and a whole bunch of candy (including these really addictive Bazooka bubble gum nuggets). I'm not sure what me lady will say when she arrives home and I'm wearing a Rock Me Sexy Jesus t-shirt (especially since I'm Jewish), but I like to keep her guessing; relationships are more fun that way.

Hamlet 2 hits theaters on August 22.

Repeat after me, in a drone-like voice if necessary: "I am very happy that my friends, colleagues, and thousands of complete strangers will be attending Comic-Con while I am stuck at home, pining away pitifully on my battered old laptop." Seriously, even though I won't be in attendance, I am eager to read all the cool movie news that should be emanating from San Diego starting on July 23.

Erik has already detailed the events arranged by 20th Century Fox, and now Cinematical has gotten a look at what Warner Brothers has planned -- and it looks pretty good, my friends. Panels have been scheduled for Watchmen, with director Zack Snyder, Terminator Salvation, with the always entertaining McG, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars, with director Dave Filoni, producer Catherine Winder, and, I'll bet, a large army of Storm Troopers trampling the unwary.

Jeremy Piven, Ludacris (AKA Chris Bridges) and Mr. Madonna (AKA Guy Ritchie) will talk RocknRolla, while Rain (AKA Korean sensation Ji Hoon Jung) will excite fangirls -- though I can't guarantee he'll dress the part -- as Ninja Assassin, with director James McTeigue and fellow star Naomie Harris. The new version of Friday the 13th will also be spotlighted, with Jared Padalecki and Derek Meaks ready to talk Crystal Lake and hockey masks.

As always, film talent is tentative, but the Cinematical talent is confirmed and will be on hand to provide great coverage that should make us all wish we were there.

So, who's going to San Diego Comic Con this year? Are you excited? Pumped up? Mildly interested? Pretending you don't care in order to impress someone of the opposite sex, but deep inside really do care and, as such, are counting down the seconds? It's okay, we're friends -- we can talk. This year, myself, Scott Weinberg and Elisabeth Rappe will be on the ground at Con representing Cinematical, and I think I speak for all of us when I say we're ready to get our geek on.

Aside from the very cool Masters of the Web Panel on Thursday morning (7/24) at 10am (which yours truly will take part in), we've been anxiously waiting to see which studios show up and with what product. Looks like Fox was first out of the gate, as I've been told they'll be there with bells on ... along with panels for Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg, John Moore and Mila Kunis expected to attend so far) and The Day The Earth Stood Still (Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Scott Derickson and Erwin Stoff expected to attend so far). There will also be an advanced screening of The Rocker, with Rainn Wilson in attendance for a Q&A. Of course, this is all tentative until everything is finalized next month.

On the other hand, Anne Thompson brings us the unfortunate news that Paramount will not be hosting a panel or bringing any stars to this year's Con. Apparently, a Paramount spokesman told Thompson that "the timing was off this year." Thus, fans will miss out on potential presentations of G.I. Joe, Star Trek, Transformers 2 and The Last Airbender. Sucks. Though you never know ... plans may change and there could still be a surprise or two. Here's hoping we get something, anything, from one of these highly-anticipated films.

UPDATE: Paramount's fishin' around today, so I don't think they're out just yet. More when we know ...

Over on his blog, Kevin Smith has released another new image from Zack and Miri Make a Porno, promising fans that the film's first internet-only teaser will debut on his site, www.quickstopentertainment.com, when he returns home from a trip to the east coast next week. Additionally, Smith says he'll be at San Diego Comic Con again this year (we missed ya at NYCC, Kev!), and to (most likely) look out for a panel in the big room on Friday night. Panel? Does that mean he'll have a bunch of cast members with him? Does that mean he'll debut the first full-length trailer for the film? Does that mean he'll give out candy?!

From looking at the photo, it appears we'll be getting some fun adult hockey in the flick, which, in case you didn't know (or forgot) tells of two platonic friends (Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks) who, strapped for cash, decide to make a porno. Check out a couple more images from the film in our gallery below. Zack and Miri Make a Porno arrives in theaters this fall.