san diego comic-con Tagged Articles at Cinematical

At Comic-Con, legends come a dime a dozen, and those are just the ones on the printed pages of the comics on the exhibition hall floor. But in Hall H, the epicenter of the convention's surprises, revelations and exclusives, true groundbreakers and history-makers are in comparatively short supply. This year, however, there were several, including James Cameron, Peter Jackson, Hayao Miyazaki, and Terry Gilliam; but even in such rarified company, Tim Burton stands head and shoulder above in terms of providing memorable, specific, and ongoing inspiration to the folks who like to look up at these filmmakers' latest projects.

Suffice it to say that a checklist of his most iconic films would be redundant, since virtually all of them qualify, either because of their source material, or his interpretation of it. But the filmmaker has two high-profile projects coming out in the next year or so, each of which applies his inventive style in different ways: first, there's 9, Shane Acker's computer-generated post-apocalyptic odyssey, which Burton is producing; and in 2010, there's Alice in Wonderland, his adaptation of the classic novel by Lewis Carroll.

In between Hall H panels, Cinematical caught up with Burton to discuss his work on 9 and Alice in Wonderland. In addition to talking about the technological opportunities and challenges presented on both films, he offered a few secrets about the forthcoming spectacle of Alice, and reflected on the filmmaking style – and substance – that has made his idiosyncratic body of work a happy home for outsiders and mainstream audiences alike.

After Thursday's Hall H offerings more or less covered the entirety of comic book an genre fandom's future favorite films, among them Tron, Avatar, and the future classic Kick-Ass, it seemed an impossible task for almost anyone to top what was shown, much less to muster enthusiasm from the already punch-drunk crowd. And yet, Warner Brothers made a remarkably strong showing with their presentation of not one or two but six upcoming films, almost all of which looks ready to redefine fans' expectations.

Included in Warner's presentation:

By 6pm on Thursday, I was convinced that Hall H had shown me everything that would possibly be of personal interest, much less professional obligation to cover. And even as the panel for Kick-Ass began, I expected little when director Matthew Vaughn stumbled over his words in an effort to explain what the film was about. But after an introductory clip that featured an aspiring superhero who plummeted to his death after diving off of a skyscraper in a homemade suit, my curiosity was piqued. What was more amazing was that almost all of the clips weren't merely surprising, filthy, and kind of all-around inappropriate, but that they were hugely entertaining, in that way you react to when you're watching something that feels familiar and brand-new at the exact same time.

Among the craziness contained in the Kick-Ass presentation and panel:

Despite the fact that James Cameron took 12 years to produce a fiction follow-up to his blockbuster, award-winning Titanic, he has wasted no time letting folks know that the forthcoming Avatar is destined to be a masterpiece. And yet, given what he showed today at the San Diego Comic-Con, one can hardly blame him for a surplus of confidence. Screening some 25 minutes of material to a capacity crowd for the first time anywhere, Cameron proved that recent interviews, public appearances and hype opportunities are more than just big talk.

Among the information revealed or exposed about Avatar:

Although this year's New York Comic-Con was a disappointment with regards to their coverage of upcoming geek-related films, this summer's San Diego Comic-Con (July 26-29) will be picking up the slack; they've just unveiled a fine list of films that will be giving sneak preview presentations at The Con. Hopefully we'll be getting some tasty footage out of most of these; if not, I'm sure others (which include films that just recently started production) will provide pics, plot info, etc ... The full list of films (which is subject to change at any time, and will probably grow larger as Comic-Con gets closer) is as follows:

Alien vs. Predator 2: No Peace On Earth, American Gangster, Babylon AD, Balls of Fury, Beowulf, The Bourne Ultimatum, Coraline, Fred Claus, Get Smart, The Golden Compass, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, I Am Legend, The Incredible Hulk, Indiana Jones 4, Invasion, Iron Man, National Treasure 2, Resident Evil: Extinction, Speed Racer, The Strangers, Stardust, Star Trek XI, Sunshine, Sweeney Todd, 30 Days of Night, Trick 'r Treat, Wanted, Where The Wild Things Are, White Out.

Right off the bat, I find it interesting that Alien vs. Predator 2 has the title No Peace on Earth attached to it. That seems new, and I wonder whether or not it will stick. Also, where's The Dark Knight? There's no way Warner Bros. is letting their Batman Begins follow-up skip class that day; look for this one to show up unannounced. Some pics that folks will be especially interested in include Star Trek XI (will we finally get a finalized cast list?), Indiana Jones 4 (pics of Harrison Ford as Indy? A title? Sean Connery announcement?), The Incredible Hulk (our first peak at the brand new look of Hulk?) and Where The Wild Things Are (anyone else dying to see what Spike Jonze has done with this classic children's book?). Cinematical will be attending San Diego Comic-Con this year, so stay tuned for lots more as we get closer to the convention.