list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around X-Men on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/X_Men/140800/default.aspx Title: X-Men
Year: 2000
Director: Bryan Singer
Plot: One of the most popular superhero teams in comic book history finally comes to the screen in this big-budget adaptation of the long-running Marvel Comics series. Psychic Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) leads a school of skilled mutants called X-Men, a peacekeeping force to safeguard the world against a race of genetically mutated humans known as Homo Sapiens Superior. However, Magneto (Ian McKellen), a mutant with a powerful magnetic charge, has also begun to organize a team to strike first against what he believes to be a threat from humanity. When he kidnaps Rogue (Anna Paquin) from the X-Men's compound, Xavier and his forces must rescue her, even as they continue to vie with Magneto for the fearsomely strong mutant battler Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). Both Xavier and Magneto also have to contend with Senator Kelly (Bruce Davison), a heartless political leader who wants a final solution against mutants on both sides. Fighting for the forces of virtue with the X-Men are Famke Janssen as Jean Grey, Halle Berry as Storm, and James Marsden as Cyclops; Rebecca Romjin-Stamos as Mystique, Ray Park as the Toad, and Tyler Mane as Sabretooth are the minions of Magneto. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 61
Number of Lists: 118
Number of blog posts: 60
Number of discussion threads: 7
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:02:21 GMTX-Men2000Bryan SingerOne of the most popular superhero teams in comic book history finally comes to the screen in this big-budget adaptation of the long-running Marvel Comics series. Psychic Professor Xavier (<a href="/players/P____68265/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Patrick Stewart</a>) leads a school of skilled mutants called X-Men, a peacekeeping force to safeguard the world against a race of genetically mutated humans known as Homo Sapiens Superior. However, Magneto (<a href="/players/P____47684/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Ian McKellen</a>), a mutant with a powerful magnetic charge, has also begun to organize a team to strike first against what he believes to be a threat from humanity. When he kidnaps Rogue (<a href="/players/P___198605/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Anna Paquin</a>) from the X-Men's compound, Xavier and his forces must rescue her, even as they continue to vie with Magneto for the fearsomely strong mutant battler Wolverine (<a href="/players/P___269258/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Hugh Jackman</a>). Both Xavier and Magneto also have to contend with Senator Kelly (<a href="/players/P____17454/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Bruce Davison</a>), a heartless political leader who wants a final solution against mutants on both sides. Fighting for the forces of virtue with the X-Men are <a href="/players/P____35232/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Famke Janssen</a> as Jean Grey, <a href="/players/P_____5863/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Halle Berry</a> as Storm, and <a href="/players/P___232716/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>James Marsden</a> as Cyclops; Rebecca Romjin-Stamos as Mystique, <a href="/players/P___270267/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Ray Park</a> as the Toad, and <a href="/players/P___277100/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Tyler Mane</a> as Sabretooth are the minions of Magneto. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide61Tag Target (>10)1186073http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t75980txfdv.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/X_Men/140800/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/3/9/40898.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 3/9/2009 10:01:13 AM
Body: There are those who think it’s time for a moratorium on Holocaust movies, and there are those who stand by the belief that there won’t be enough until there’s been 6 million produced and released. As of 2003, we were up to at least 442 titles, according to Annette Insdorf’s book Indelible Shadows. And due to last year’s boom of Holocaust-related features, it seems as though Insdorf could easily add another 100 more to the list in her next edition. But there’s no need to put an end to Holocaust films, anymore than there’s a need to cease making any genre of movie. A good film is a good film, no matter if it’s set in a concentration camp, features Nazis or merely alludes to the Shoah. And a bad movie is a bad movie, an exploitative movie is an exploitative movie and Oscar bait is Oscar bait. Beginning this Tuesday, when The Boy in the Striped Pajamas arrives on DVD, those hungering for more Holocaust movies will get another shot at seeing 2008’s contributions to the genre, but they’ll also start to see why critics were getting tired of these films. It wasn’t the subject matter, though, and it wasn’t necessarily the quantity so much as it was the quality. These days, Holocaust films are more dependent on clichés and are adversely affected by trends than ever before, even when they appear to be intent on breaking with conventions. Here is an excellent bit from a Mr.Cranky review of Defiance: Here’s the thing: the more bad Holocaust films you make, the more Holocaust clichés you employ, the more the Holocaust itself becomes a cliché. The first few Holocaust films had a message and were probably intended to be meaningful. The last hundred were commercial vehicles designed to play on audience sympathies and line the producers’ pockets with money. Ultimately, Hollywood has done what every Jew on the planet pleas desperately to never happen: made the Holocaust meaningless on a pop culture scale. As soon as filmmakers can completely abandon all ten of the following problems with the Holocaust genre, the better off we’ll be in getting to those 6 million titles without further protest. 10. The Academy Awards Cliché “The fact that it was recently nominated for a best picture Oscar offers stunning proof that Hollywood seems to believe that if it’s a ‘Holocaust film,’ it must be worthy of approbation, end of story,” wrote Ron Rosenbaum in a Slate piece earlier this year requesting that the Academy not to honor The Reader. Not every Holocaust film has a shot at winning or even being nominated for an Oscar, though. Notice the lack of Academy love this year for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Adam Resurrected, Good, Valkyrie and, most surprisingly, the documentary Blessed is the Match. But there is nonetheless continued reason to believe that Holocaust=Oscars. The Reader snuck in with some shocking nominations, and Defiance managed a single nod, while Kate Winslet proved her own Extras gag by winning one. And then there was the predicable honoring of live-action short Spielzeugland. Why is this tradition negative? Because it encourages too many safe, conventional, mediocre contributions to the genre produced solely and clearly as Oscar bait. It’s possible The Reader might have been better if Harvey Weinstein hadn’t rushed it for a release date that would be best at acquiring Academy recognition. And the rest of 2008’s titles could have benefited as well. Hollywood needs to go a couple years without handing out a single Oscar to any Holocaust film (even if Spielberg makes Schindler’s List 2 and it’s even better than the first) to break free of the genre’s reputation for Oscar favoritism. 9. Music Cues That Stress Tragedy There are a few Holocaust movie clichés that are fine to stick around. Trains carrying Jews to their doom is an easy symbol for any WWII-set film that doesn’t directly involve concentration camps yet wants to remind the audience that it’s going on. Bleak cinematography and production design and costuming limited to a cold color scheme, particularly blues and grays, just fits the history and the tone of these films too well to eliminate (a bright, colorful Holocaust movie is so wrong that it goes passed the point of breaking conventions to instead demolish recognized truths). However, music cues in Holocaust movie scores (such as Marius Ruhland’s for The Counterfeiters) that are used to stress specific tragedies or emphasize especially harrowing moments are unnecessary and distracting. After all, these are Holocaust movies, and nothing will ever be more tragic or harrowing in the Western consciousness than the extermination of 6 million Jews. So there’s no need to enunciate the melodrama of a single character being shot or a certain event occurring, because the audience should already be feeling emotional and, unless they are robots, will respond appropriately to what’s shown rather than from what’s cued. This is of course an issue to be had with many Hollywood movies, but applies especially to their Holocaust films. 8. The Child’s Perspective While it makes sense for a lot of Holocaust films to be seen through the eyes of a child, because those children grow up to ultimately tell their Survivor story, it’s also a major cliché of any film about intolerance to involve a children’s perspective merely for the sake of having an innocent, naive and possibly precocious view of what’s happening. Certainly no youth has ever abstained from asking, “Why are they being mean to that black man, Mommy?” or “When will the Russians rescue us, Daddy?” However, such characters are more often mere narrative tools useful to filmmakers who prefer to pander to the audience, via other characters’ pandering to these children. Even a film that has the guts to have a prominent child character die in the death camps will counter with a child on the other side of the fence who has to ask the unnecessary question of, “Why are we killing the striped pajama boy, Father?” 7. The Happy-Go-Lucky Concentration Camp Prisoner Fortunately, there hasn’t been much to this trend since Robin Williams tried his shtick in the ghetto in the Jakob the Liar remake, but it’s enough that it existed. And enough that Life is Beautiful was actually quite popular. And should have been enough when Jerry Lewis tried bringing comedy to the concentration camps in The Day the Clown Cried. But Hollywood will probably resurrect the death camp comic relief for some film or other, because there’s just so much desire to lift the tension and actually entertain audiences. Yet Holocaust movies aren’t for entertainment, no matter if there were indeed some prisoners in real life that told a joke or goofed around once in awhile in order to remain positive. So Hollywood, Roberto Benigni and everyone else need to knock it off with this trend and keep the stories sad. It’s not like they put harrowing concentration camp scenes in broad comedies, after all. So why do the opposite? 6. The Good Nazi As with the happy-go-lucky prisoner, good Nazis may have existed in real life. But cinema is not supposed to be a complete representation of real life anyway, and everyone is better off just holding on to the idea that all Nazis were bad guys. The very word “Nazi” is forever equated with evil, and for eternity it will be easy to involve Nazis as villains, even in fantasy films set in modern times, without the audience questioning whether or not this one or that one was really a kindhearted man who was just doing his job or being forced to be a Nazi by his government. Good Nazis have turned up recently in the varied forms of the not-quite-Schindlerific Bernhard Kruger (Devid Striesow, pictured above) in The Counterfeiters, the relatively saintly and sexy Ludwig Muntze (Sebastian Koch) in Black Book and, of course, the half-blind, wannabe Hitler assassin Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) in Valkyrie. 5. The Morally Ambiguous Nazi Supporter Even more prevalent lately than the good Nazi is the morally ambiguous or ambivalent character who is either a Nazi or working for the Nazis in order to survive and/or because he or she will later claim ignorance to the evils being committed. Examples include Kate Winslet’s character in The Reader, to an extent, as well as Ronnie (Halina Reijn, pictured above) in Black Book and the protagonist of The Counterfeiters, Salomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics). Again, it might have been a common reality for such persons to exist, but they shouldn’t be so populous in every Holocaust film made nowadays, because then it seems more excusable to believe that a good percentage of opportunist Nazi supporters weren’t all that bad. 4. The Really, Really Bad Nazi It seems that this stereotype has become a modern Holocaust movie cliché due to the increased employment of both good Nazis and morally ambiguous Nazi supporters. In Black Book, for instance, the sadistic Gunther Franken (Waldemar Kobus) is the yang to Muntze’s yin, and similarly in The Counterfeiters, Hauptscharführer Holst (Martin Bramback, highlighted in the picture above) contrasts against Kruger. As a counter-trend, though, it’s even worse than the initial clichés. Sure, it makes sense on some narrative level for there to be a really, really bad Nazi, one who’d go so far as to literally piss on the head of a protagonist (a la Holst), to make up for the fact that there’s a likable Nazi character. But why not just do away with the good Nazi trend and either return to having all Nazi characters assumed evil or merely act like three-dimensional human beings — that is, if they must be humanized? Once again, it’s best just to keep to the Nazis=evil convention, because it’s tried and true and doesn’t complicate things or cause controversies. 3. The Holocaust As Weight in Non-Holocaust Movies The fact that X-Men’s Magneto is a Holocaust survivor enriches his character, but that’s a back-story that existed and has been developed in comics long before making an appearance in the movie adaptations. But non-adapted films, particularly horror flicks, attempting to be taken more seriously due to a Holocaust subplot or back-story just seems exploitative. Take the recent movie The Unborn, for example. In her review for Tiger Online, Melissa Kim makes a good point regarding the misguided intent to give a movie more weight by involving the Holocaust, noting that the tragedy is much too important to be cast in a bit part. “The Unborn is so ridiculous,” she writes, “it actually diminishes the prestige of the Holocaust, reducing it to little more than the weak punch line in a wholly un-funny joke.” 2. The Desire to Kill Hitler This isn’t so much of a movie trend, since aside from Valkyrie the only other Hitler assassination plot movies are others based on the same 20 July plot, but it’s still something of a cliché. Really it has to do with the typical response and discussion people have regarding the possibilities and ethics of time travel. Everyone’s first realistic idea is to go back and kill Hitler before he can come to power and exterminate the Jews, right? Well, it’s quite a futile hypothetical, because there is no time travel. But, filmmakers have the power to at least visualize the hypothetical a little more by, time and time again, adapting the 20 July story for the screen. Of course, it does no good, either, because the plot was unsuccessful and no film version, even with a changed ending, will change that. And anything else would simply be wishful thinking. However, there is at least Downfall, which was surprisingly not as popular despite this idea. Viewers can take pleasure in the literal downfall and demise of Hitler in the film. It doesn’t erase what happened with the Holocaust, but there is some satisfaction to be had. 1. Claiming a Holocaust Film Isn’t a Holocaust Film Harvey Weinstein attempted to have his cake and eat it too this past awards season. He marketed The Reader to certain groups under the assumption that it is a Holocaust movie, but he also attempted to sell it off as not a Holocaust movie by including this Elie Wiesel quote in the well-distributed Reader-defense statement: “it is not about the Holocaust; it is about what Germany did to itself and its future generations.” And many critics and journalists were in agreement, that the movie doesn’t belong grouped in with the others. In a way, the film actually is and isn’t a Holocaust movie, but attempting to deny that it’s one in order to escape the genre’s inaccessibility is still misleading and somewhat dishonest marketing. Anyone going in expecting not to see a concentration camp or survivors or Nazis will be greatly disappointed. A few of 2008’s Holocaust films were also more marketable as other kinds of films than Holocaust films, probably to detach from the stigma attached to them. And at least one, Valkyrie, is for the most part not a Holocaust film at all. But it seemed to work for Weinstein, both with Academy favor and box office success. So this could be a continued trend, even with films that are clearly Holocaust Oscar-bait or films attempting to gain weight through slight Holocaust connections. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:01:13 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com3/9/2009 10:01:13 AMThere are those who think it’s time for a moratorium on Holocaust movies, and there are those who stand by the belief that there won’t be enough until there’s been 6 million produced and released. As of 2003, we were up to at least 442 titles, according to Annette Insdorf’s book Indelible Shadows. And due to last year’s boom of Holocaust-related features, it seems as though Insdorf could easily add another 100 more to the list in her next edition. But there’s no need to put an end to Holocaust films, anymore than there’s a need to cease making any genre of movie. A good film is a good film, no matter if it’s set in a concentration camp, features Nazis or merely alludes to the Shoah. And a bad movie is a bad movie, an exploitative movie is an exploitative movie and Oscar bait is Oscar bait. Beginning this Tuesday, when The Boy in the Striped Pajamas arrives on DVD, those hungering for more Holocaust movies will get another shot at seeing 2008’s contributions to the genre, but they’ll also start to see why critics were getting tired of these films. It wasn’t the subject matter, though, and it wasn’t necessarily the quantity so much as it was the quality. These days, Holocaust films are more dependent on clichés and are adversely affected by trends than ever before, even when they appear to be intent on breaking with conventions. Here is an excellent bit from a Mr.Cranky review of Defiance: Here’s the thing: the more bad Holocaust films you make, the more Holocaust clichés you employ, the more the Holocaust itself becomes a cliché. The first few Holocaust films had a message and were probably intended to be meaningful. The last hundred were commercial vehicles designed to play on audience sympathies and line the producers’ pockets with money. Ultimately, Hollywood has done what every Jew on the planet pleas desperately to never happen: made the Holocaust meaningless on a pop culture scale. As soon as filmmakers can completely abandon all ten of the following problems with the Holocaust genre, the better off we’ll be in getting to those 6 million titles without further protest. 10. The Academy Awards Cliché “The fact that it was recently nominated for a best picture Oscar offers stunning proof that Hollywood seems to believe that if it’s a ‘Holocaust film,’ it must be worthy of approbation, end of story,” wrote Ron Rosenbaum in a Slate piece earlier this year requesting that the Academy not to honor The Reader. Not every Holocaust film has a shot at winning or even being nominated for an Oscar, though. Notice the lack of Academy love this year for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Adam Resurrected, Good, Valkyrie and, most surprisingly, the documentary Blessed is the Match. But there is nonetheless continued reason to believe that Holocaust=Oscars. The Reader snuck in with some shocking nominations, and Defiance managed a single nod, while Kate Winslet proved her own Extras gag by winning one. And then there was the predicable honoring of live-action short Spielzeugland. Why is this tradition negative? Because it encourages too many safe, conventional, mediocre contributions to the genre produced solely and clearly as Oscar bait. It’s possible The Reader might have been better if Harvey Weinstein hadn’t rushed it for a release date that would be best at acquiring Academy recognition. And the rest of 2008’s titles could have benefited as well. Hollywood needs to go a couple years without handing out a single Oscar to any Holocaust film (even if Spielberg makes Schindler’s List 2 and it’s even better than the first) to break free of the genre’s reputation for Oscar favoritism. 9. Music Cues That Stress Tragedy There are a few Holocaust movie clichés that are fine to stick around. Trains carrying Jews to their doom is an easy symbol for any WWII-set film that doesn’t directly involve concentration camps yet wants to remind the audience that it’s going on. Bleak cinematography and production design and costuming limited to a cold color scheme, particularly blues and grays, just fits the history and the tone of these films too well to eliminate (a bright, colorful Holocaust movie is so wrong that it goes passed the point of breaking conventions to instead demolish recognized truths). However, music cues in Holocaust movie scores (such as Marius Ruhland’s for The Counterfeiters) that are used to stress specific tragedies or emphasize especially harrowing moments are unnecessary and distracting. After all, these are Holocaust movies, and nothing will ever be more tragic or harrowing in the Western consciousness than the extermination of 6 million Jews. So there’s no need to enunciate the melodrama of a single character being shot or a certain event occurring, because the audience should already be feeling emotional and, unless they are robots, will respond appropriately to what’s shown rather than from what’s cued. This is of course an issue to be had with many Hollywood movies, but applies especially to their Holocaust films. 8. The Child’s Perspective While it makes sense for a lot of Holocaust films to be seen through the eyes of a child, because those children grow up to ultimately tell their Survivor story, it’s also a major cliché of any film about intolerance to involve a children’s perspective merely for the sake of having an innocent, naive and possibly precocious view of what’s happening. Certainly no youth has ever abstained from asking, “Why are they being mean to that black man, Mommy?” or “When will the Russians rescue us, Daddy?” However, such characters are more often mere narrative tools useful to filmmakers who prefer to pander to the audience, via other characters’ pandering to these children. Even a film that has the guts to have a prominent child character die in the death camps will counter with a child on the other side of the fence who has to ask the unnecessary question of, “Why are we killing the striped pajama boy, Father?” 7. The Happy-Go-Lucky Concentration Camp Prisoner Fortunately, there hasn’t been much to this trend since Robin Williams tried his shtick in the ghetto in the Jakob the Liar remake, but it’s enough that it existed. And enough that Life is Beautiful was actually quite popular. And should have been enough when Jerry Lewis tried bringing comedy to the concentration camps in The Day the Clown Cried. But Hollywood will probably resurrect the death camp comic relief for some film or other, because there’s just so much desire to lift the tension and actually entertain audiences. Yet Holocaust movies aren’t for entertainment, no matter if there were indeed some prisoners in real life that told a joke or goofed around once in awhile in order to remain positive. So Hollywood, Roberto Benigni and everyone else need to knock it off with this trend and keep the stories sad. It’s not like they put harrowing concentration camp scenes in broad comedies, after all. So why do the opposite? 6. The Good Nazi As with the happy-go-lucky prisoner, good Nazis may have existed in real life. But cinema is not supposed to be a complete representation of real life anyway, and everyone is better off just holding on to the idea that all Nazis were bad guys. The very word “Nazi” is forever equated with evil, and for eternity it will be easy to involve Nazis as villains, even in fantasy films set in modern times, without the audience questioning whether or not this one or that one was really a kindhearted man who was just doing his job or being forced to be a Nazi by his government. Good Nazis have turned up recently in the varied forms of the not-quite-Schindlerific Bernhard Kruger (Devid Striesow, pictured above) in The Counterfeiters, the relatively saintly and sexy Ludwig Muntze (Sebastian Koch) in Black Book and, of course, the half-blind, wannabe Hitler assassin Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) in Valkyrie. 5. The Morally Ambiguous Nazi Supporter Even more prevalent lately than the good Nazi is the morally ambiguous or ambivalent character who is either a Nazi or working for the Nazis in order to survive and/or because he or she will later claim ignorance to the evils being committed. Examples include Kate Winslet’s character in The Reader, to an extent, as well as Ronnie (Halina Reijn, pictured above) in Black Book and the protagonist of The Counterfeiters, Salomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics). Again, it might have been a common reality for such persons to exist, but they shouldn’t be so populous in every Holocaust film made nowadays, because then it seems more excusable to believe that a good percentage of opportunist Nazi supporters weren’t all that bad. 4. The Really, Really Bad Nazi It seems that this stereotype has become a modern Holocaust movie cliché due to the increased employment of both good Nazis and morally ambiguous Nazi supporters. In Black Book, for instance, the sadistic Gunther Franken (Waldemar Kobus) is the yang to Muntze’s yin, and similarly in The Counterfeiters, Hauptscharführer Holst (Martin Bramback, highlighted in the picture above) contrasts against Kruger. As a counter-trend, though, it’s even worse than the initial clichés. Sure, it makes sense on some narrative level for there to be a really, really bad Nazi, one who’d go so far as to literally piss on the head of a protagonist (a la Holst), to make up for the fact that there’s a likable Nazi character. But why not just do away with the good Nazi trend and either return to having all Nazi characters assumed evil or merely act like three-dimensional human beings — that is, if they must be humanized? Once again, it’s best just to keep to the Nazis=evil convention, because it’s tried and true and doesn’t complicate things or cause controversies. 3. The Holocaust As Weight in Non-Holocaust Movies The fact that X-Men’s Magneto is a Holocaust survivor enriches his character, but that’s a back-story that existed and has been developed in comics long before making an appearance in the movie adaptations. But non-adapted films, particularly horror flicks, attempting to be taken more seriously due to a Holocaust subplot or back-story just seems exploitative. Take the recent movie The Unborn, for example. In her review for Tiger Online, Melissa Kim makes a good point regarding the misguided intent to give a movie more weight by involving the Holocaust, noting that the tragedy is much too important to be cast in a bit part. “The Unborn is so ridiculous,” she writes, “it actually diminishes the prestige of the Holocaust, reducing it to little more than the weak punch line in a wholly un-funny joke.” 2. The Desire to Kill Hitler This isn’t so much of a movie trend, since aside from Valkyrie the only other Hitler assassination plot movies are others based on the same 20 July plot, but it’s still something of a cliché. Really it has to do with the typical response and discussion people have regarding the possibilities and ethics of time travel. Everyone’s first realistic idea is to go back and kill Hitler before he can come to power and exterminate the Jews, right? Well, it’s quite a futile hypothetical, because there is no time travel. But, filmmakers have the power to at least visualize the hypothetical a little more by, time and time again, adapting the 20 July story for the screen. Of course, it does no good, either, because the plot was unsuccessful and no film version, even with a changed ending, will change that. And anything else would simply be wishful thinking. However, there is at least Downfall, which was surprisingly not as popular despite this idea. Viewers can take pleasure in the literal downfall and demise of Hitler in the film. It doesn’t erase what happened with the Holocaust, but there is some satisfaction to be had. 1. Claiming a Holocaust Film Isn’t a Holocaust Film Harvey Weinstein attempted to have his cake and eat it too this past awards season. He marketed The Reader to certain groups under the assumption that it is a Holocaust movie, but he also attempted to sell it off as not a Holocaust movie by including this Elie Wiesel quote in the well-distributed Reader-defense statement: “it is not about the Holocaust; it is about what Germany did to itself and its future generations.” And many critics and journalists were in agreement, that the movie doesn’t belong grouped in with the others. In a way, the film actually is and isn’t a Holocaust movie, but attempting to deny that it’s one in order to escape the genre’s inaccessibility is still misleading and somewhat dishonest marketing. Anyone going in expecting not to see a concentration camp or survivors or Nazis will be greatly disappointed. A few of 2008’s Holocaust films were also more marketable as other kinds of films than Holocaust films, probably to detach from the stigma attached to them. And at least one, Valkyrie, is for the most part not a Holocaust film at all. But it seemed to work for Weinstein, both with Academy favor and box office success. So this could be a continued trend, even with films that are clearly Holocaust Oscar-bait or films attempting to gain weight through slight Holocaust connections. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/2/5/40271.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 2/5/2009 12:01:20 PM
Body: Are you one of the many sci-fi and comic book geeks who’d be more interested in Push were it not for Dakota Fanning? Sure, the precocious child star is now a teen actress (she’s about to turn 15), yet that probably makes you even more worried about her appearance in the movie. But what can you do? She’s literally everywhere this week – voicing the title character in the animated Coraline and starring in two new video releases, Hounddog and The Secret Life of Bees, both of which were released Tuesday. In the tradition of child actors continuing careers into adolescence, it’s only a matter of time before she ruins a movie that would have been better without her. We’ll have to wait until this weekend to see if that time is now, with Push, but in the meantime let’s take a look at some of the past offenders in this tradition. Most of the following former child actors (our definition: actors that began their career below the age of 13) have done great things in their adulthood, but each has done at least one film that could have been better without him or her. You may disagree with some of these picks, and you may think we’ve forgotten some (was Christian Bale really the worst part of The Dark Knight? did Mary-Kate Olsen’s disturbing kiss with Ben Kingsley take away from The Wackness?), so do share your own thoughts on former child stars below. We just ask that you keep your comments somewhat tasteful and law-abiding. BUtterfield 8 (1960) Elizabeth Taylor won her first Oscar for her performance in this film, and that’s basically the problem. Everyone knew then as they know now that she only won the award because she came down with a near-fatal illness weeks prior to the ceremony. Of course, she was nominated without such sympathy being the reason, so shouldn’t that mean the performance is still great? Well, that’s certainly debatable, but many critics today claim this to be one of the worst best actress wins of all time. So, if you go into BUtterfield 8 expecting an Oscar-worthy film, it’s going to be ruined for you. The Cat’s Meow (2001) Kirsten Dunst, who made her debut at age 7 in Woody Allen’s segment of New York Stories, got to work with another ‘70s cinema great, Peter Bogdanovich, in this comedic telling of an infamous Hollywood scandal. She portrays silent film actress Marion Davies, who becomes the catalyst in the scandal when her boyfriend, newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst (Edward Herrmann), discovers she’s having an affair with Charlie Chaplin (Eddie Izzard). The irony is that Dunst is so annoying in the role that it’s hard to believe any guys would fight over her. Many Dunst fans continually defend her performance in the film, but if it’s not her acting that ruins The Cat’s Meow, it’s at least her singing, which can be heard during the closing credits. Donnie Darko (2001) Drew Barrymore may be the most adorable thing to happen to romantic comedies since Jean Arthur, but occasionally she tries to make us believe she can do other roles. Unfortunately, she’s just not fit for most jobs, and English teacher is certainly one of them. Somehow in Donnie Darko her awkward speaking voice is even worse than usual, and she comes off sounding like she knows this and is attempting to enunciate as best she can in spite of the problem. Well, Drew, there’s a reason Spielberg hasn’t cast you in a sci-fi flick since E.T., you simply can’t pull off the dialogue. Garden State (2004) Natalie Portman didn’t make her film debut until she was 13 (in Leon, aka The Professional), but she did begin acting three years earlier, so we’re allowing her to make the list. How can we not? There isn’t a Garden State hater out there who doesn’t blame Portman and her obnoxious, flaky love interest character for ruining the film. Yet she was once the young girl that made tons of these cinephiles relate to a questionably friendly Timothy Hutton in Beautiful Girls. A year after Garden State, fellow former child starlet Kirsten Dunst (see above) played a similarly obnoxious and flaky love interest in the similarly plotted Elizabethtown. But at least Dunst had Orlando Bloom to make her seem talented by comparison. Portman is all alone in her ruination here. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) Ron Howard, child star-turned-Oscar-winning filmmaker, has a special circumstance that warrants his inclusion on this list. Unlike the other nine, he managed to ruin a movie he wasn’t even involved in. Notice both the title and the date above. Or click on the link. That’s the old animated adaptation of the Dr. Seuss holiday classic, which Howard ruined by directing his live-action version. You could also say that he ruined the book, and you could say that he ruined his own movie by making the latter so terribly horrendous. But it’s Chuck Jones’ earlier film that was most adversely affected by the release of 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas (often listed simply as The Grinch), because how many children will now grow up with the ugly Jim Carrey-starring version instead of the wonderful Boris Karloff-narrated one? Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) Shia LaBeouf, like Natalie Portman, barely makes the child actor cutoff, but he needs to be included because we need to keep chastising him for ruining not only the latest Indiana Jones movie, but also the whole franchise. Maybe there were indeed other faults with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Plenty of people credit the “nuke the fridge” scene as the downturn in both the film and the series, for instance. But most of us were forgiving up until Shia swung through the trees like Tarzan. So, he’s clearly to blame. It’s quite a shame, too, because he’s pretty much the only thing that really saves the Transformers movies. Inside Man (2006) Jodie Foster has often seemed out of place in movies. She doesn’t feel right in period romances, such as Sommersby and Anna and the King, but she’s a good enough actress that she’s forgiven for such casting faults. As for Inside Man, well, even her Oscar-winning talent couldn’t keep her from appearing ill fit for her role. Part of the problem is the character itself, that of a woman who comes off far less intelligent and tough than she should (the same kind of character ruined The Bourne Supremacy a year earlier). You want Foster, a smart and strong woman in real life and typically on screen, to be more and do more. But she hardly contributes to the film and if anything slows it and dumbs it down too much. Hopefully the rumors are correct that her character will not return in Inside Man 2. Monster (2003) Christina Ricci is not really a good actress to begin with, but if you cast her opposite a great performance she comes off as seeming a downright terrible actress. This is what happened with Monster, in which Charlize Theron does her Oscar-winning best at becoming unrecognizable. Next to that transformation, Ricci just looks like Ricci, and a really untalented Ricci at that. For the amount of screen time Ricci’s lesbian love-interest character is allotted, Patty Jenkins really should have gotten someone better. Because not only does the performance end up awful next to Theron’s, it ruins a film that is otherwise worth watching for the acting. Silver Screen Confidential (1996) Scott Schwartz actually won an award for this adult film, in which he gives a non-sex performance. It wasn’t his first porn nor was it his last, but because of the recognition he received for this one, it’s being used as the exemplary title. While creepy people out there tend to count down to the day that female child stars reach the age of 18, probably in the hopes that the girls will quickly appear in their first legal nude scene, it is unlikely that anyone was waiting for the day the kid from The Toy, A Christmas Story and Kidco would enter a career in porn. To be honest, we haven’t actually seen any of Schwartz’s adult titles, but we can imagine his appearance is quite distracting to anybody who recognizes him as “Flick” while otherwise trying to get off watching Jenna Jameson. Still, Schwartz does star in his very own title, Scotty’s X-Rated Adventure, so maybe he’s somehow a draw? X-Men (2000) Anna Paquin is the prime reason why the Academy needs to stop allowing child actors Oscar nominations. Yes, Paquin was terrific in The Piano, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. But then look what happened: she grew up to be an irritating starlet who could ruin a film by Spike Lee, Cameron Crowe or Gus Van Sant with just a single whiny-voiced line while playing the same nymphet character over and over and over. So what if she can claim to have confirmed her talent with a recent Golden Globe win (for TV work)? That still doesn’t take back the fact that she stunk up the first X-Men, one of her rare deviations from her typecast Lolita roles, enough to make it a huge disappointment. Fortunately with the sequels, not even her lack of talent could depreciate X2, and she was far from the worst thing about X-Men: The Last Stand. Thankfully she won’t be in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, nor will she likely be given her own spin-off. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:01:20 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com2/5/2009 12:01:20 PMAre you one of the many sci-fi and comic book geeks who’d be more interested in Push were it not for Dakota Fanning? Sure, the precocious child star is now a teen actress (she’s about to turn 15), yet that probably makes you even more worried about her appearance in the movie. But what can you do? She’s literally everywhere this week – voicing the title character in the animated Coraline and starring in two new video releases, Hounddog and The Secret Life of Bees, both of which were released Tuesday. In the tradition of child actors continuing careers into adolescence, it’s only a matter of time before she ruins a movie that would have been better without her. We’ll have to wait until this weekend to see if that time is now, with Push, but in the meantime let’s take a look at some of the past offenders in this tradition. Most of the following former child actors (our definition: actors that began their career below the age of 13) have done great things in their adulthood, but each has done at least one film that could have been better without him or her. You may disagree with some of these picks, and you may think we’ve forgotten some (was Christian Bale really the worst part of The Dark Knight? did Mary-Kate Olsen’s disturbing kiss with Ben Kingsley take away from The Wackness?), so do share your own thoughts on former child stars below. We just ask that you keep your comments somewhat tasteful and law-abiding. BUtterfield 8 (1960) Elizabeth Taylor won her first Oscar for her performance in this film, and that’s basically the problem. Everyone knew then as they know now that she only won the award because she came down with a near-fatal illness weeks prior to the ceremony. Of course, she was nominated without such sympathy being the reason, so shouldn’t that mean the performance is still great? Well, that’s certainly debatable, but many critics today claim this to be one of the worst best actress wins of all time. So, if you go into BUtterfield 8 expecting an Oscar-worthy film, it’s going to be ruined for you. The Cat’s Meow (2001) Kirsten Dunst, who made her debut at age 7 in Woody Allen’s segment of New York Stories, got to work with another ‘70s cinema great, Peter Bogdanovich, in this comedic telling of an infamous Hollywood scandal. She portrays silent film actress Marion Davies, who becomes the catalyst in the scandal when her boyfriend, newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst (Edward Herrmann), discovers she’s having an affair with Charlie Chaplin (Eddie Izzard). The irony is that Dunst is so annoying in the role that it’s hard to believe any guys would fight over her. Many Dunst fans continually defend her performance in the film, but if it’s not her acting that ruins The Cat’s Meow, it’s at least her singing, which can be heard during the closing credits. Donnie Darko (2001) Drew Barrymore may be the most adorable thing to happen to romantic comedies since Jean Arthur, but occasionally she tries to make us believe she can do other roles. Unfortunately, she’s just not fit for most jobs, and English teacher is certainly one of them. Somehow in Donnie Darko her awkward speaking voice is even worse than usual, and she comes off sounding like she knows this and is attempting to enunciate as best she can in spite of the problem. Well, Drew, there’s a reason Spielberg hasn’t cast you in a sci-fi flick since E.T., you simply can’t pull off the dialogue. Garden State (2004) Natalie Portman didn’t make her film debut until she was 13 (in Leon, aka The Professional), but she did begin acting three years earlier, so we’re allowing her to make the list. How can we not? There isn’t a Garden State hater out there who doesn’t blame Portman and her obnoxious, flaky love interest character for ruining the film. Yet she was once the young girl that made tons of these cinephiles relate to a questionably friendly Timothy Hutton in Beautiful Girls. A year after Garden State, fellow former child starlet Kirsten Dunst (see above) played a similarly obnoxious and flaky love interest in the similarly plotted Elizabethtown. But at least Dunst had Orlando Bloom to make her seem talented by comparison. Portman is all alone in her ruination here. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) Ron Howard, child star-turned-Oscar-winning filmmaker, has a special circumstance that warrants his inclusion on this list. Unlike the other nine, he managed to ruin a movie he wasn’t even involved in. Notice both the title and the date above. Or click on the link. That’s the old animated adaptation of the Dr. Seuss holiday classic, which Howard ruined by directing his live-action version. You could also say that he ruined the book, and you could say that he ruined his own movie by making the latter so terribly horrendous. But it’s Chuck Jones’ earlier film that was most adversely affected by the release of 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas (often listed simply as The Grinch), because how many children will now grow up with the ugly Jim Carrey-starring version instead of the wonderful Boris Karloff-narrated one? Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) Shia LaBeouf, like Natalie Portman, barely makes the child actor cutoff, but he needs to be included because we need to keep chastising him for ruining not only the latest Indiana Jones movie, but also the whole franchise. Maybe there were indeed other faults with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Plenty of people credit the “nuke the fridge” scene as the downturn in both the film and the series, for instance. But most of us were forgiving up until Shia swung through the trees like Tarzan. So, he’s clearly to blame. It’s quite a shame, too, because he’s pretty much the only thing that really saves the Transformers movies. Inside Man (2006) Jodie Foster has often seemed out of place in movies. She doesn’t feel right in period romances, such as Sommersby and Anna and the King, but she’s a good enough actress that she’s forgiven for such casting faults. As for Inside Man, well, even her Oscar-winning talent couldn’t keep her from appearing ill fit for her role. Part of the problem is the character itself, that of a woman who comes off far less intelligent and tough than she should (the same kind of character ruined The Bourne Supremacy a year earlier). You want Foster, a smart and strong woman in real life and typically on screen, to be more and do more. But she hardly contributes to the film and if anything slows it and dumbs it down too much. Hopefully the rumors are correct that her character will not return in Inside Man 2. Monster (2003) Christina Ricci is not really a good actress to begin with, but if you cast her opposite a great performance she comes off as seeming a downright terrible actress. This is what happened with Monster, in which Charlize Theron does her Oscar-winning best at becoming unrecognizable. Next to that transformation, Ricci just looks like Ricci, and a really untalented Ricci at that. For the amount of screen time Ricci’s lesbian love-interest character is allotted, Patty Jenkins really should have gotten someone better. Because not only does the performance end up awful next to Theron’s, it ruins a film that is otherwise worth watching for the acting. Silver Screen Confidential (1996) Scott Schwartz actually won an award for this adult film, in which he gives a non-sex performance. It wasn’t his first porn nor was it his last, but because of the recognition he received for this one, it’s being used as the exemplary title. While creepy people out there tend to count down to the day that female child stars reach the age of 18, probably in the hopes that the girls will quickly appear in their first legal nude scene, it is unlikely that anyone was waiting for the day the kid from The Toy, A Christmas Story and Kidco would enter a career in porn. To be honest, we haven’t actually seen any of Schwartz’s adult titles, but we can imagine his appearance is quite distracting to anybody who recognizes him as “Flick” while otherwise trying to get off watching Jenna Jameson. Still, Schwartz does star in his very own title, Scotty’s X-Rated Adventure, so maybe he’s somehow a draw? X-Men (2000) Anna Paquin is the prime reason why the Academy needs to stop allowing child actors Oscar nominations. Yes, Paquin was terrific in The Piano, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. But then look what happened: she grew up to be an irritating starlet who could ruin a film by Spike Lee, Cameron Crowe or Gus Van Sant with just a single whiny-voiced line while playing the same nymphet character over and over and over. So what if she can claim to have confirmed her talent with a recent Golden Globe win (for TV work)? That still doesn’t take back the fact that she stunk up the first X-Men, one of her rare deviations from her typecast Lolita roles, enough to make it a huge disappointment. Fortunately with the sequels, not even her lack of talent could depreciate X2, and she was far from the worst thing about X-Men: The Last Stand. Thankfully she won’t be in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, nor will she likely be given her own spin-off. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/8/27/34465.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 8/27/2008 4:01:05 PM
Body: Twitter, the popular micro-blogging service, has turned into a powerful tool in the hands of not only consumers but marketers of all stripes as well. Comcast, Paramount Pictures and a handful of others have all latched on to it as a way to communicate with customers, acting not only as a distribution platform but a conversation hub and customer service hub as well. Some of the biggest names in the social media marketing world are spending serious time brainstorming how to use Twitter for marketing, debating its usefulness and otherwise hashing out a series of best practices for utilizing the service. Media outlets have also turned to Twitter for many of the same reasons. TV Guide, Fox News and even Spout have a presence there to, again, promote their content and, in some cases, even engage in a back-and-forth with readers. But did you know that Darth Vader is twittering? How about Cobra Commander? In one of the most widely-discussed instances of fictional characters with Twitter accounts, the staff of Sterling Cooper - the ad agency in the hit AMC series Mad Men - have all been posting 140 charcter status updates. Initially thought to be an official effort by the cable channel, it was later found that no, these were fan efforts that almost fell victim from what was later construed as “miscommunication“, but which at first apparently looked like a take-down notice filed under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. With all these movie and TV characters expressing themselves, we thought it would be fun to see who our followers on Twitter thought should make their thoughts known in 140-characters or less. Here’s what we got back. Characters played by Val Kilmer appeared twice in the feedback. @treobenny put in his vote for Doc Holiday from Tombstone and Ryan Budke nominated Gay Perry from Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. @sabine24 put forth a bunch of names, including Frank N. Furter, Stanley Kowalski and Jack Sparrow. The Big Lebowski’s The Dude got the nod from @povertyjetset and @champura went deep into the well to bring out Daniel Plainview from There Will Be Blood. @tigershungry went even further for Pistachio Disguisey, Dana Carvey’s character from 2002’s Master of Disguise. Finally, @ryananderson will be taken out back and horse-whipped for suggesting Jar Jar Binks. In addition to this worthy list of nominations, here’s who we’d like to see on Twitter: The Guru Pitka (The Love Guru): Yes, the movie might have bombed and forced Mike Myers back into re-evaluating Austin Powers 4, but the pithy Pitka’s bumper-sticker life lessons are made for the format. Carl Dehham (King Kong): “Rough day. Locals speak of something we think translates to ‘big angry monkey.’ But filming continues. Ann seems wary, tho.” Capt. Jeffrey T. Spaulding (Animal Crackers): Come on. I’m a little ashamed of everyone - and myself - that a Groucho Marx character wasn’t among the first ones I thought of. I’m going with Spaulding simply because I think he gets off some better one-liners than my other choice, Duck Soup’s Rufus T. Firefly. Wolverine (X-Men): “Stabbed guy with claws. Had beer.” (repeat time and time again.) Gypsy (Mystery Science Theater 3000): The robot in charge of the Satellite of Love’s operations would be the ideal candidate to report on how Joel, Crow and Servo are holding up, as well as throw the occassional “@drforrester: You suck.” Master Control Program (Tron): Every post would conclude with “end of line.” Plus, he could brag about how easy it is to crack into Windows servers. Isaac Davis (Manhattan): Imagine the possibilities of Woody Allen’s character obsessing over the minutia of his relationships as well as sending missive after missive about his love of New York City and Ingmar Bergman film to all his followers. (Side note: Mariel Hemingway’s character Tracy would, on the other hand, have a Tumblr blog.) Peter Gibbons (Office Space): Maybe it’s a cop-out to think of Gibbons venting on his frustrations with his boss on Twitter (likely under a pseudonym to protect his shaky job) but it would still be pretty funny. Matt Hooper (Jaws): “Got call from some hick sheriff with what’s probably just an over-active imagination. At least he’s paying for the trip.” Chris Kelvin (Solaris): Just because every other post would be “Did I just see my dead wife? WTF!!!”" So who do you think would make a good presence on Twitter? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:01:05 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com8/27/2008 4:01:05 PMTwitter, the popular micro-blogging service, has turned into a powerful tool in the hands of not only consumers but marketers of all stripes as well. Comcast, Paramount Pictures and a handful of others have all latched on to it as a way to communicate with customers, acting not only as a distribution platform but a conversation hub and customer service hub as well. Some of the biggest names in the social media marketing world are spending serious time brainstorming how to use Twitter for marketing, debating its usefulness and otherwise hashing out a series of best practices for utilizing the service. Media outlets have also turned to Twitter for many of the same reasons. TV Guide, Fox News and even Spout have a presence there to, again, promote their content and, in some cases, even engage in a back-and-forth with readers. But did you know that Darth Vader is twittering? How about Cobra Commander? In one of the most widely-discussed instances of fictional characters with Twitter accounts, the staff of Sterling Cooper - the ad agency in the hit AMC series Mad Men - have all been posting 140 charcter status updates. Initially thought to be an official effort by the cable channel, it was later found that no, these were fan efforts that almost fell victim from what was later construed as “miscommunication“, but which at first apparently looked like a take-down notice filed under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. With all these movie and TV characters expressing themselves, we thought it would be fun to see who our followers on Twitter thought should make their thoughts known in 140-characters or less. Here’s what we got back. Characters played by Val Kilmer appeared twice in the feedback. @treobenny put in his vote for Doc Holiday from Tombstone and Ryan Budke nominated Gay Perry from Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. @sabine24 put forth a bunch of names, including Frank N. Furter, Stanley Kowalski and Jack Sparrow. The Big Lebowski’s The Dude got the nod from @povertyjetset and @champura went deep into the well to bring out Daniel Plainview from There Will Be Blood. @tigershungry went even further for Pistachio Disguisey, Dana Carvey’s character from 2002’s Master of Disguise. Finally, @ryananderson will be taken out back and horse-whipped for suggesting Jar Jar Binks. In addition to this worthy list of nominations, here’s who we’d like to see on Twitter: The Guru Pitka (The Love Guru): Yes, the movie might have bombed and forced Mike Myers back into re-evaluating Austin Powers 4, but the pithy Pitka’s bumper-sticker life lessons are made for the format. Carl Dehham (King Kong): “Rough day. Locals speak of something we think translates to ‘big angry monkey.’ But filming continues. Ann seems wary, tho.” Capt. Jeffrey T. Spaulding (Animal Crackers): Come on. I’m a little ashamed of everyone - and myself - that a Groucho Marx character wasn’t among the first ones I thought of. I’m going with Spaulding simply because I think he gets off some better one-liners than my other choice, Duck Soup’s Rufus T. Firefly. Wolverine (X-Men): “Stabbed guy with claws. Had beer.” (repeat time and time again.) Gypsy (Mystery Science Theater 3000): The robot in charge of the Satellite of Love’s operations would be the ideal candidate to report on how Joel, Crow and Servo are holding up, as well as throw the occassional “@drforrester: You suck.” Master Control Program (Tron): Every post would conclude with “end of line.” Plus, he could brag about how easy it is to crack into Windows servers. Isaac Davis (Manhattan): Imagine the possibilities of Woody Allen’s character obsessing over the minutia of his relationships as well as sending missive after missive about his love of New York City and Ingmar Bergman film to all his followers. (Side note: Mariel Hemingway’s character Tracy would, on the other hand, have a Tumblr blog.) Peter Gibbons (Office Space): Maybe it’s a cop-out to think of Gibbons venting on his frustrations with his boss on Twitter (likely under a pseudonym to protect his shaky job) but it would still be pretty funny. Matt Hooper (Jaws): “Got call from some hick sheriff with what’s probably just an over-active imagination. At least he’s paying for the trip.” Chris Kelvin (Solaris): Just because every other post would be “Did I just see my dead wife? WTF!!!”" So who do you think would make a good presence on Twitter? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_Cast_BATMAN_3/563/33806/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: jonnygotham
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 8/9/2008 8:05:19 PM
Body: Hello Everyone: I realize this has been said before, as I'm joining a bit late in the game, but I agree that the next solid and fitting character for the Batman movies would draw from the story arc of HUSH, by Jeph Loeb. Nolan has a knack for cutting and piecing together story elements, which is going to come in handy when the need arises to cut out a great deal of characters from this story line - which is practically Batman versus his entire Rogues Gallery. Further, it's something that would need to be done. Some characters would simply be too fantastic to fit the grit of the world that Nolan took so long to create, and for the sake of creating a strong and enjoyable film, you need to focus on the concentrating things rather than diluting the story with too many characters. That being said, the main villain is HUSH. Thomas Elliot. As it has already been described, Thomas Elliot is an excellent character foil for the Batman/Bruce Wayne character. While having several parallels to both sides of the Batman/Bruce Wayne character, Elliot also has a small, but powerful set of ties and links to the Dark Knight character that make for a great story. The end of "The Dark Knight" saw the hero finally turn into a villain. Presumably, opinion is now going to be split on the Batman character, with far more of its citizens fearing the hero than begging for his help. This takes the main character away from the previous story push and aim to create a symbol that inspires people, allowing a story shift and pursuance of another avenue that is equally compelling. The hero is locked-in now. No one to pick up the mantle, its just him to save the people... and they don't necessarily want his help. As a now isolated character without aid or allies, it is conceivable that Batman pushes beyond his limits and actually suffers the injuries that introduce the Hush character to the story (Elliot, childhood friend, is a world-renounce surgeon - the best in his field and the only one they can trust to handle the operation and potential questions about the nature of the injuries). There is a very engrossing story that is possible there, between a hero that's been cutoff and the renewing of an old friend. The equalities of the Elliot character to Bruce Wayne in intelligence, success, and discipline provide interactions that were as interesting, if not more, as the love triangle dinner we saw in "The Dark Knight". The fact that he knows the hero's secrets and is smart enough to exploit the weaknesses Batman has in the wake of the last movie make the story less Superhero flick, and more revenge thriller (as the last film capitalized on making a crime drama, rather than the standard superhero movie). The costumes are solid and realistic. For much of the story, the Hush character appears as a face-bandaged, trench-coat figure and shadow. This helps, because with the unknown status of the Two Face character, we have an identity mystery - is the villain Harvey Dent? - Now completely mad and face-fully bandaged similar to the hospital scenes in the Dark Knight, or is it someone completely new? Further, with the relative unknown nature of the Hush villain until very recently, this ambiguity helps, because everyone is going to wonder who the next big costume villain is going to be - and they aren't going to get it. There are a myriad of supporting characters to aid this new story and complementary direction, and I leave their inclusion and exclusion to Nolan. There is something to be said about the possibilities of this new villain though. We gain a friend that the isolated hero needs. We gain a character interaction that is similar to the friendship between Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne that was left out of "The Dark Knight", and only slightly exploited in the Love Triangle dinner scene. We have an equal, if not smarter adversary, with a distinct advantage over the hero in that he knows the full playing field and all the players, where Batman does not because of the events at the end of the last movie. Finally, we have a good story that isn't filled with Super-ness. It's a pure revenge-angled crime story. Plenty of options with psychosis, flash-backs, inner struggles, finding control within doing good and dealing with anger and violence, etc. So with the case presented, comes the problem of casting. The character has to match in charisma, acting talent, and needs to be able to switch between friend and foe without the cliches of cinema. He can be the villain without a sinister laugh, vocal change, or costume - the worst villains don't have to LOOK like villains, they're the friends that are trusted and wreak havoc by exploiting their unique positions. Hugh Jackman would be great because of stature and talent - not Wolverine, but more The Fountain and Prestige. Problem is resurrecting the Bale/Jackman duo without reminding the audience of their previous collaboration, similar in revenge aspect. Further, I'm not sure what happens with contracts and acting in multiple superhero franchises. Tom Cruise is great, except for stature. While a lot of people have issues with him, he matches in charisma, looks, and seriousness that would be needed. Unfortunately, he doesn't command the same weight in presence due to his size, especially relative to Bale. He would do well though, given the psyche exploits in Vanilla Sky and other work. I do not like Gerard Butler, as previously noted. I feel like it would become too reminiscent of his previous villain and hero roles and fall victim to the cliches stated before. I had to wrack my brain, and I'm still on the fence a bit (because there might be someone more fitting), but among the many options in Hollywood, perhaps James Caviezel would suit the role well. He has strength in previous roles: Thin Red Line, Count of Monte Cristo, Passion of the Christ, etc. He has similar stature to Bale, if only slightly taller than Bale (according to IMDB), and he evokes a feeling of sympathy for his characters, no matter the act - which helps when crafting a villain. You don't just need Batman to trust him, you need the audience to trust him. There is enough in the HUSH story to bring old characters and villains back to help minimize "noise" in the story, while it also has enough options to introduce new characters to help with transitions and plot development. Hopefully, you'll all see some merits in this, and maybe find a more suitable player to fill the shoes, but either way, the villain of Hush presents a pretty strong case to fill out and end Nolan's work with the Batman franchise. Three films is enough for the current ensemble - enough to be great, and still has potential to leave its fans wanting more. Thanks for the patience in reading. Best. jonny.gotham
]]>Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:05:19 GMTjonnygothamFilmgaming8/9/2008 8:05:19 PM Hello Everyone: I realize this has been said before, as I'm joining a bit late in the game, but I agree that the next solid and fitting character for the Batman movies would draw from the story arc of HUSH, by Jeph Loeb. Nolan has a knack for cutting and piecing together story elements, which is going to come in handy when the need arises to cut out a great deal of characters from this story line - which is practically Batman versus his entire Rogues Gallery. Further, it's something that would need to be done. Some characters would simply be too fantastic to fit the grit of the world that Nolan took so long to create, and for the sake of creating a strong and enjoyable film, you need to focus on the concentrating things rather than diluting the story with too many characters. That being said, the main villain is HUSH. Thomas Elliot. As it has already been described, Thomas Elliot is an excellent character foil for the Batman/Bruce Wayne character. While having several parallels to both sides of the Batman/Bruce Wayne character, Elliot also has a small, but powerful set of ties and links to the Dark Knight character that make for a great story. The end of "The Dark Knight" saw the hero finally turn into a villain. Presumably, opinion is now going to be split on the Batman character, with far more of its citizens fearing the hero than begging for his help. This takes the main character away from the previous story push and aim to create a symbol that inspires people, allowing a story shift and pursuance of another avenue that is equally compelling. The hero is locked-in now. No one to pick up the mantle, its just him to save the people... and they don't necessarily want his help. As a now isolated character without aid or allies, it is conceivable that Batman pushes beyond his limits and actually suffers the injuries that introduce the Hush character to the story (Elliot, childhood friend, is a world-renounce surgeon - the best in his field and the only one they can trust to handle the operation and potential questions about the nature of the injuries). There is a very engrossing story that is possible there, between a hero that's been cutoff and the renewing of an old friend. The equalities of the Elliot character to Bruce Wayne in intelligence, success, and discipline provide interactions that were as interesting, if not more, as the love triangle dinner we saw in "The Dark Knight". The fact that he knows the hero's secrets and is smart enough to exploit the weaknesses Batman has in the wake of the last movie make the story less Superhero flick, and more revenge thriller (as the last film capitalized on making a crime drama, rather than the standard superhero movie). The costumes are solid and realistic. For much of the story, the Hush character appears as a face-bandaged, trench-coat figure and shadow. This helps, because with the unknown status of the Two Face character, we have an identity mystery - is the villain Harvey Dent? - Now completely mad and face-fully bandaged similar to the hospital scenes in the Dark Knight, or is it someone completely new? Further, with the relative unknown nature of the Hush villain until very recently, this ambiguity helps, because everyone is going to wonder who the next big costume villain is going to be - and they aren't going to get it. There are a myriad of supporting characters to aid this new story and complementary direction, and I leave their inclusion and exclusion to Nolan. There is something to be said about the possibilities of this new villain though. We gain a friend that the isolated hero needs. We gain a character interaction that is similar to the friendship between Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne that was left out of "The Dark Knight", and only slightly exploited in the Love Triangle dinner scene. We have an equal, if not smarter adversary, with a distinct advantage over the hero in that he knows the full playing field and all the players, where Batman does not because of the events at the end of the last movie. Finally, we have a good story that isn't filled with Super-ness. It's a pure revenge-angled crime story. Plenty of options with psychosis, flash-backs, inner struggles, finding control within doing good and dealing with anger and violence, etc. So with the case presented, comes the problem of casting. The character has to match in charisma, acting talent, and needs to be able to switch between friend and foe without the cliches of cinema. He can be the villain without a sinister laugh, vocal change, or costume - the worst villains don't have to LOOK like villains, they're the friends that are trusted and wreak havoc by exploiting their unique positions. Hugh Jackman would be great because of stature and talent - not Wolverine, but more The Fountain and Prestige. Problem is resurrecting the Bale/Jackman duo without reminding the audience of their previous collaboration, similar in revenge aspect. Further, I'm not sure what happens with contracts and acting in multiple superhero franchises. Tom Cruise is great, except for stature. While a lot of people have issues with him, he matches in charisma, looks, and seriousness that would be needed. Unfortunately, he doesn't command the same weight in presence due to his size, especially relative to Bale. He would do well though, given the psyche exploits in Vanilla Sky and other work. I do not like Gerard Butler, as previously noted. I feel like it would become too reminiscent of his previous villain and hero roles and fall victim to the cliches stated before. I had to wrack my brain, and I'm still on the fence a bit (because there might be someone more fitting), but among the many options in Hollywood, perhaps James Caviezel would suit the role well. He has strength in previous roles: Thin Red Line, Count of Monte Cristo, Passion of the Christ, etc. He has similar stature to Bale, if only slightly taller than Bale (according to IMDB), and he evokes a feeling of sympathy for his characters, no matter the act - which helps when crafting a villain. You don't just need Batman to trust him, you need the audience to trust him. There is enough in the HUSH story to bring old characters and villains back to help minimize "noise" in the story, while it also has enough options to introduce new characters to help with transitions and plot development. Hopefully, you'll all see some merits in this, and maybe find a more suitable player to fill the shoes, but either way, the villain of Hush presents a pretty strong case to fill out and end Nolan's work with the Batman franchise. Three films is enough for the current ensemble - enough to be great, and still has potential to leave its fans wanting more. Thanks for the patience in reading. Best. jonny.gotham http://www.spout.com/blogs/bigjefflebowski/archive/2008/7/18/32734.aspx Post By: BigJeffLebowski
Post To: BigJeffLebowski Blog
Post Date: 7/18/2008 2:44:08 PM
Body: The Dark Knight, the most anticipated picture of the year for myself and innumerable others, has finally arrived following a trail of hype that would crush almost any film. But miraculously, just as Moses wielded his stone tablets, Christopher Nolan has handed us a true gift from the cinematic gods. His second Batman is so visceral, so propulsive, so maddeningly perfect in its execution that it should come with a warning; you do not simply watch The Dark Knight, you surrender your pulse to Christopher Nolan. And even if an intended triptych has been tragically cut short (as Mel Brooks might contend those aforementioned commandments were) what remains is wholly qualified to stand on its own not as a great Batman film, not as a great superhero film, and not as a great action film, but as one of the most distiguished pieces of filmmaking of its generation. This decade, more so than any other, has seen comic-to-film adaptations mature from vacuous thrills to serious art. Sam Raimi gave them their candy colored coming-of-age angst with his Spider-Man series; Jon Favreau gave them their sociopolitical meta-narrative with his first Iron Man; and Bryan Singer has alternately given them their conflicts of appearance/intention and assimilation/assertion (X-men, X2) and their visual and tonal poetry (Superman Returns). But by taking one of the most psychologically rich and practically feasible comic book heroes and stripping him of all remaining contrivance and camp, Nolan has arguably bested them all by instilling his Gotham -- and its inhabitants -- with a gritty realism that absolutely demands as much emotional and technical veracity as an escapist action-adventure will allow. Perhaps Nolan's greatest asset as a filmmaker is his unwavering dedication to making his characters' actions and emotions utterly believable within the constricts of his chosen narrative. One needn't look any farther than Nolan's breakthrough sophomore film, Memento, to see that what sets him apart from almost every other filmmaker working today is his complete command of both the internal and external machinations of his characters. Rarely, if ever, do you see a writer-director working in Nolan's genres with such an assured and astute grasp on human emotion and interaction. His application of binary opposition in both plot and theme is unmatched in today's cinema. There is a constant tug of war in Nolan's films, a philosophical debate between chance and fate, between reason and impulse, between light and dark, etc. Any screenwriter can set up archetypes and let them stand in contrast to one another, but the beauty of a Nolan script is that the true conflict lies inside the characters. Nolan understands that the line between friends and enemies is moveable, based more on circumstance than on the people themselves. And what people they are. Christian Bale's Batman has become beautifully economic in both word and action. Gary Oldman's Lieutenant Gordon is an even stronger edifice of morality and decency. Maggie Gyllenhaal's Rachel Dawes is a noteworthy trade-up from the first film, with composure, confidence, and sexuality in equal measure. Michael Caine's Alfred is humane, silently compassionate, and so much more than the stuffy butler to which he is all too often reduced. But Heath Ledger's Joker. I'm really not sure what I can add to the innumerable accolades already heaped upon this utterly unnerving, raw, feral, fearless, unshakeable performance. Nothing is done out of vanity, nothing for cheap thrills. True, I feel the talk of Oscar gold is both premature and hyperbolic, but I would be surprised to not see Ledger on the list of nominees. The Dark Knight is that rare genre film that changes the vocabulary of its genre -- no small feat given the leaps and bounds comic book films have already taken over the past few years. That The Godfather, Heat, A Clockwork Orange, and Unforgiven have all been cited as influences on the film is no surprise; what all of these exceptional pictures share in common with one another is an intellectual maturity that nonetheless refuses to compromise entertainment for intelligence. Whether or not the few muffled criticisms that the film is too long, too packed with characters and information, too frenetic, or too climactic are valid is up to the viewer to decide on an individual basis. While I will agree that the film is denser and more earnest than its peers, I refuse to accept that this is to its detriment. Nolan has taken a lofty gamble, and we have all walked away from the table with more chips than we can carry.
]]>Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:44:08 GMTBigJeffLebowskiBigJeffLebowski Blog7/18/2008 2:44:08 PMThe Dark Knight, the most anticipated picture of the year for myself and innumerable others, has finally arrived following a trail of hype that would crush almost any film. But miraculously, just as Moses wielded his stone tablets, Christopher Nolan has handed us a true gift from the cinematic gods. His second Batman is so visceral, so propulsive, so maddeningly perfect in its execution that it should come with a warning; you do not simply watch The Dark Knight, you surrender your pulse to Christopher Nolan. And even if an intended triptych has been tragically cut short (as Mel Brooks might contend those aforementioned commandments were) what remains is wholly qualified to stand on its own not as a great Batman film, not as a great superhero film, and not as a great action film, but as one of the most distiguished pieces of filmmaking of its generation. This decade, more so than any other, has seen comic-to-film adaptations mature from vacuous thrills to serious art. Sam Raimi gave them their candy colored coming-of-age angst with his Spider-Man series; Jon Favreau gave them their sociopolitical meta-narrative with his first Iron Man; and Bryan Singer has alternately given them their conflicts of appearance/intention and assimilation/assertion (X-men, X2) and their visual and tonal poetry (Superman Returns). But by taking one of the most psychologically rich and practically feasible comic book heroes and stripping him of all remaining contrivance and camp, Nolan has arguably bested them all by instilling his Gotham -- and its inhabitants -- with a gritty realism that absolutely demands as much emotional and technical veracity as an escapist action-adventure will allow. Perhaps Nolan's greatest asset as a filmmaker is his unwavering dedication to making his characters' actions and emotions utterly believable within the constricts of his chosen narrative. One needn't look any farther than Nolan's breakthrough sophomore film, Memento, to see that what sets him apart from almost every other filmmaker working today is his complete command of both the internal and external machinations of his characters. Rarely, if ever, do you see a writer-director working in Nolan's genres with such an assured and astute grasp on human emotion and interaction. His application of binary opposition in both plot and theme is unmatched in today's cinema. There is a constant tug of war in Nolan's films, a philosophical debate between chance and fate, between reason and impulse, between light and dark, etc. Any screenwriter can set up archetypes and let them stand in contrast to one another, but the beauty of a Nolan script is that the true conflict lies inside the characters. Nolan understands that the line between friends and enemies is moveable, based more on circumstance than on the people themselves. And what people they are. Christian Bale's Batman has become beautifully economic in both word and action. Gary Oldman's Lieutenant Gordon is an even stronger edifice of morality and decency. Maggie Gyllenhaal's Rachel Dawes is a noteworthy trade-up from the first film, with composure, confidence, and sexuality in equal measure. Michael Caine's Alfred is humane, silently compassionate, and so much more than the stuffy butler to which he is all too often reduced. But Heath Ledger's Joker. I'm really not sure what I can add to the innumerable accolades already heaped upon this utterly unnerving, raw, feral, fearless, unshakeable performance. Nothing is done out of vanity, nothing for cheap thrills. True, I feel the talk of Oscar gold is both premature and hyperbolic, but I would be surprised to not see Ledger on the list of nominees. The Dark Knight is that rare genre film that changes the vocabulary of its genre -- no small feat given the leaps and bounds comic book films have already taken over the past few years. That The Godfather, Heat, A Clockwork Orange, and Unforgiven have all been cited as influences on the film is no surprise; what all of these exceptional pictures share in common with one another is an intellectual maturity that nonetheless refuses to compromise entertainment for intelligence. Whether or not the few muffled criticisms that the film is too long, too packed with characters and information, too frenetic, or too climactic are valid is up to the viewer to decide on an individual basis. While I will agree that the film is denser and more earnest than its peers, I refuse to accept that this is to its detriment. Nolan has taken a lofty gamble, and we have all walked away from the table with more chips than we can carry. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/7/15/32571.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 7/15/2008 10:01:05 AM
Body: In case you aren’t anticipating Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards tooooo badly, you can now be sure that you can wait and see it eventually on Showtime, with which The Weinstein Co. now has a seven-year deal. I guess this is good news for the cable channel after the Viacom-subsidiary coup back in April, but as I’m reminded daily, Showtime is the “network of the year” as far as series go. So, why should anyone care if they have exclusive rights to just-confirmed Scream 4 and the remake Piranha 3-D, which won’t even be of interest on a 2-D television anyway? Hopefully none of you Xbox 360 owners already bought the Roku box for streaming Netflix movies on your television. Yesterday, at the E3 video game conference, Microsoft announced that you can now do pretty much the same thing with your gaming console. In other E3 news, there will be an official announcement today about Warner Bros.’ plan to adapt the hit video game Lost Planet, which will be written by X-Men scribe David Haytner. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:01:05 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com7/15/2008 10:01:05 AM In case you aren’t anticipating Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards tooooo badly, you can now be sure that you can wait and see it eventually on Showtime, with which The Weinstein Co. now has a seven-year deal. I guess this is good news for the cable channel after the Viacom-subsidiary coup back in April, but as I’m reminded daily, Showtime is the “network of the year” as far as series go. So, why should anyone care if they have exclusive rights to just-confirmed Scream 4 and the remake Piranha 3-D, which won’t even be of interest on a 2-D television anyway? Hopefully none of you Xbox 360 owners already bought the Roku box for streaming Netflix movies on your television. Yesterday, at the E3 video game conference, Microsoft announced that you can now do pretty much the same thing with your gaming console. In other E3 news, there will be an official announcement today about Warner Bros.’ plan to adapt the hit video game Lost Planet, which will be written by X-Men scribe David Haytner. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/shaunhuston/archive/2008/7/15/32561.aspx Post By: ShaunHuston
Post To: ShaunHuston filmblog
Post Date: 7/15/2008 12:00:47 AM
Body: In Hellboy (2004), writer-director Guillermo del Toro developed his adaptation by stitching together a story from two major arcs in the comics (those collected in Seed of Destruction and The Conqueror Worm)*, and re-imagining the characters (Liz and Hellboy in love, Abe Sapien as a mystical brain-y guy), but without changing their basic qualities (Liz's biography is more or less intact up to the point we meet her, as is Hellboy's, Abe is still a fishman of unclear origin; Bruttenholm dies differently, but is essentially the guy you meet in the books). With Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), del Toro takes Hellboy and the BPRD and transports them into a world almost entirely of his own making, which is not only within the spirit of the texts, but also produces something unique and special for comic book adaptations: an original story. Most of the time these projects end up being created in the manner of the first Hellboy, that is, built largely from elements taken from the books. There is nothing wrong with this, and when done well (see also, for examples, Iron Man, 2008, and Spider-Man, 2002) the approach can produce entertaining and thoughtful interpretations of the source material, but in addition to being safe and conventional, also has the taint of interference from corporate rights holders. However, in the case of the latest Hellboy film, the use of a new story intensifies questions that I have about del Toro's handling of Mike Mignola's characters. Spoilers for Hellboy II to come. First off, it needs to be emphasized that any questions or ambivalence I might have about the choices that del Toro has made are offset by his obvious love for the books and, particularly in the case of the new film, the imagination he brings to his work on these adaptations. I don't think that there is a single wasted frame in Hellboy II. del Toro does everything with care and creativity, putting thought into details that lesser film makers would just gloss over (consider, as examples, the fact that he gives the tooth fairies personalities instead of just treating them as a horde of interchangeable pieces, or the way the death of the forest elemental is envisioned; in most cases the creature would have just gone splat, and that would be the end of it. Here, the death actually becomes a meaningful part of the narrative). del Toro also bothers to create a moral universe where the nature of the characters and the choices they make are rarely clear cut. Indeed, it is probably fair to say that the writer-director has a certain amount of sympathy with Nuada (Luke Goss), even though he is the putative villain. As with Sam Raimi and Bryan Singer, del Toro further demonstrates the value of hiring real artists to handle comic book material. Of course, one of the risks of hiring auteurist directors is that they may make choices that don't sit well with the already existing fandom for a set of books or characters. And, so here I am to prove that point, but I don't want to overstate my objections. I don't hate any of the choices I comment on below, but I am unsure about them. Liz and Hellboy. In the books, there is no Liz and Hellboy. Hellboy is, I think, best described as asexual. His friendship with Liz is no more romantic or intense than is his friendship with Abe or Roger or Kate, who is, it should be noted, more likely to be his field partner than is Liz. Liz's sexuality isn't much of an issue in the texts either. Indeed, in the hands of Mignola and Guy Davis, Liz is about as far from the stereotypical comic book babe as you can get without making her “ugly” – she dresses sensibly, and looks like a normally proportioned woman. Of course, "normal" here is pretty relative. Mignola's work is often described as expressionist for a reason, while I would describe Davis' work on BPRD as a sort of cartoonish realism with characters drawn on a very human, as opposed to super human, scale. Even given the “canonical” treatment of these characters, as evident in the Weird Tales books, del Toro is hardly the first guest artist to show a fascination with Hellboy's and Liz's sexualities, although their relationship is unique to the movies. And re-imaginings of both that seek to explore or invent such dimensions of the characters are entirely understandable, if predictable where Liz is concerned (the whole fear-attraction dynamic of girl “firestarters” lends itself to sexual/romantic imaginings, for both better and worse). del Toro takes Liz and Hellboy's relationship to another level in The Golden Army not only by having Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and Liz (Selma Blair) living together as a couple, but also by making Liz pregnant. Making a central female character either pregnant or having them be raped is a cliché in the superhero world. The effect, or maybe explicit purpose, of these devices is to mark the character as irreducibly different from the real, that is, male, heroes. No matter what her skills or powers, rape and/or pregnancy emphasizes that she is ultimately, “just a chick”, and as a chick, she is inherently limited by her body. These are tools which maintain male supremacy in the comics by rendering women as always more vulnerable and less capable than men (and, just to be clear, I'm not saying that women actually are inherently more vulnerable and less capable than men; I'm saying that rape and pregnancy are often used so as to affirm that impression, at least in comics, and in fantasy and science fiction more broadly. They are narrative tools which ensure that female characters remain within the predominant comfort zones of the presumptively hetero-male audience/readership). I'm not sure that these purposes necessarily hold on a conscious level in Hellboy II. There isn't a single moment in the film where Liz is sidelined by some male authority figure because of her pregnancy. Hellboy doesn't even make a special point of facing down Nuada and the Golden Army for his unborn children (yes, he is motivated to “get up” by Liz's love and the prospect of being a father, but there is no big moment where he overtly tries to protect Liz from harm due to the pregnancy, nor does he issue his challenge to Nuada with some declaration about his woman or his children; he pretty much just does what he always does, which is to take on the big bad with fearlessness and wise-cracks). And, arguably, it even pays off in a nice scene where Liz literally stands by her man and outs herself as a “freak” when she doesn't need to (unlike the other BPRD “freaks” she can pass as normal, at least until she loses control of her power and burns a city block down or some such thing). But the fact remains that there is a certain predictability to moving from Hellboy and Liz being romantically involved to Liz being pregnant. In del Toro's favor is that fact that, despite the actual suggestion of sex, he doesn't tart Liz up. While her BPRD uniform is hardly a sack, it is entirely functional, the best index of which is her military-styled boots; not a stiletto in sight. Even with the two “lingerie shots” in the new film, Liz is wearing underwear that seems entirely appropriate to how she dresses for field missions; sexy, yes, but only insofar as anything relatively slight and formfitting is going to look good on Blair (think the undergarments that the pilots on Battlestar Galactica wear). And, to be fair, both Abe and Hellboy are shown walking around in nothing more than their boxers, or, at least, shorts than might as well be boxers. On balance, the influence of the “male gaze” on Liz is pretty muted, especially alongside most comparable characters in other superhero comic book films and TV. This is true even as compared to the Liz in the animated movies where she is visualized as much more of a “hottie”, pun not intended. In that regard, it also should be noted that she is very much an active field agent, and not a victim, especially in the new film (you can argue about the extent to which she doesn't get to be in on the action, but I don't think she's any less marginal relative to Hellboy than any other agent. She's a strong, assertive personality with a power that is only dwarfed by what Hellboy reputedly contains within him). I think that the gender dynamics broached by the Hellboy-Liz relationship in the movies is complicated. What Liz's pregnancy actually portends for the films will probably have to wait for Hellboy III (should it come to be). I think it would be interesting to see a comic book or comic book movie take seriously the question of pregnancy, instead of simply using it to render a character as vulnerable or passive. Probably more than anything, my current ambivalence about making these two characters romantically involved is that it sets this relationship apart from Hellboy's other friendships at the BPRD. In the books, Hellboy is everyone's good friend and is a defender of all of the agency's freaks (a key reason why he leaves the BPRD). I'm also sure that one reason why Kate Corrigan is not in the films is to keep things simple with regards to Liz and Hellboy, which is a pity, because Kate's a good character (I also have to say that the BPRD is generally a very male operation in the films, which it isn't necessarily in the books). Characterization of Abe. In the books, Abe Sapien is just an expert field agent. The only thing supernatural about him is, well, him. In the movies, as played by Doug Jones and voiced by David Hyde Pierce in the first movie, he's more of a researcher and mystic than an action-oriented agent. If I had to choose, which, of course, I don't, I'd probably pick the Abe of the books over the Abe of the films, but that's only because I feel I know the guy in the comics better than I know the guy in the movies, or maybe I'm just sticking with the familiar. In any case, the changes that del Toro has made are perfectly understandable. As a narrative medium, film is more intensive than comics are or can be, and making Abe the “brains” of the operation probably gives him more to do than if he was largely another action man like Hellboy. In the comics, there is more time and opportunity to show Abe in the field, and even given that, it was likely necessary to split Hellboy from the BPRD to give the other characters more room to breathe. Most importantly, nothing that del Toro has done with the character changes anything basic about him. However, the introduction of Johann Krauss (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) puts the initial characterization of Abe in a different light. So ... Characterization of Johann Krauss. I would argue that del Toro takes more liberties with Krauss than he does with any of the other core characters. This starts with his look. In both cases he remains an ectoplasmic man, but the suit for containing his essence is radically different between the books and the movie. In the comics, his containment suit is fairly simple and modern in design, and, indeed, he often is able to dress in standard BPRD wear on top of it when he needs to. By contrast, del Toro has outfitted in him in what looks like a Victorian era diving suit with an insectoid head. I warmed up to the new look over time, or maybe just to the character, but it does imply a very different timeline for Johann. In the comics, he finds himself bereft of his body in 2003, well past when you would come up with a get-up like in the movie. Of course, given that Bruttenholm (John Hurt) is supposed to have created the suit, maybe del Toro just likes the way the suit looks. To be sure, it is not the only evidence of a steam punk aesthetic in Hellboy II, nor is Victoriana unseen in the Hellboy/BPRD universe. The look aside, the officious German team leader in the film is pretty different from the more introverted medium in the comics. In fact, in the books, I would characterize Johann as being more heart than head, very different from the rationalistic bureaucrat in the new movie. del Toro comes back around to this characterization by the end of Hellboy II, but by that point he had already fundamentally changed the nature of the character. In relation to Abe, what Johann does, which is to animate and speak to the spirits of the dead, is similar to the former's mystical sensory powers. One way of distinguishing between the two is through the decision to ramp up Johann's power, making him into a kind of self-willed poltergeist as well as a medium. As a result, he and not Abe, or Liz, gets to fight the Golden Army next to Hellboy, not to mention smacking the big red guy around a little in an earlier scene. As with Liz's pregnancy, it will take another film to see how Johann pans out, and what his presence portends for Abe's role. The secrecy of the BPRD. While not strictly speaking a character issue, it is also the case that one of the major differences between the books and the films is Manning's (Jeffrey Tambor) emphasis on the team operating on the QT. It isn't so much that the BPRD of the books is operating out in the open, but that the issue of secrecy just doesn't come up. We rarely see them interacting with people who haven't already seen some pretty weird things that, I suppose, make Abe, Johann, Liz et al seem fairly believable. In other words, in the comics Hellboy and the BPRD are both firmly in and of the world, whereas in the films the conceit is that they are in the world, but not quite of it. Where this focus on secrecy is most problematic for me is in how it is treated as a fixation of Hellboy's. I don't actually feel his desire to be embraced by the world, nor do I think it adds much to the character to give him that desire. I prefer the way that the Hellboy in the comics simply acts without much regard to such questions. Either people accept him in the same honest way he does them or they don't. There's a charming innocence to the paper character that is at least diminished by the movie character's celebrity desire, however slight and fundamentally about acceptance it is. And while there are some good tabloid jokes in the first movie that come from this premise, I'm actually more intrigued by the idea of the BPRD operating in a world where they may be unique, but not entirely alien. Aside from these adaptation questions, the one additional nit I would pick about Hellboy II is that its underlying mythology can't quite be contained by a single film. As the beautifully rendered prologue/bedtime story indicates, del Toro certainly understands this and takes steps to address the problem, but I don't think he quite manages to convey the depth of the world that must exist in his head and notes, and probably in Mignola's as well. At the end of the film, I felt like I had only grazed the surface of the deep mythic structure of the narrative. Of course, this problem also points to enormity of del Toro's imagination, and I'd much rather see a film maker of his intelligence and skill managing the cinematic Hellboy than some hack who slavishly hews to the print canon of a beloved character. (For another take on the differences between the comics and the movies, see Mike Russell's latest CulturePulp comic). *He also plays around with elements from smaller stories, such as this. Belated post-script: I was ever so slightly bummed that the scene with young Hellboy watching TV wasn't taken as an opportunity to sneak in a reference to Lobster Johnson (maybe Dark Horse is saving him for his own film. Hmmm. Doubtful, but still ...). Originally posted on:Short-Circuit Signs
]]>Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:00:47 GMTShaunHustonShaunHuston filmblog7/15/2008 12:00:47 AMIn Hellboy (2004), writer-director Guillermo del Toro developed his adaptation by stitching together a story from two major arcs in the comics (those collected in Seed of Destruction and The Conqueror Worm)*, and re-imagining the characters (Liz and Hellboy in love, Abe Sapien as a mystical brain-y guy), but without changing their basic qualities (Liz's biography is more or less intact up to the point we meet her, as is Hellboy's, Abe is still a fishman of unclear origin; Bruttenholm dies differently, but is essentially the guy you meet in the books). With Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), del Toro takes Hellboy and the BPRD and transports them into a world almost entirely of his own making, which is not only within the spirit of the texts, but also produces something unique and special for comic book adaptations: an original story. Most of the time these projects end up being created in the manner of the first Hellboy, that is, built largely from elements taken from the books. There is nothing wrong with this, and when done well (see also, for examples, Iron Man, 2008, and Spider-Man, 2002) the approach can produce entertaining and thoughtful interpretations of the source material, but in addition to being safe and conventional, also has the taint of interference from corporate rights holders. However, in the case of the latest Hellboy film, the use of a new story intensifies questions that I have about del Toro's handling of Mike Mignola's characters. Spoilers for Hellboy II to come. First off, it needs to be emphasized that any questions or ambivalence I might have about the choices that del Toro has made are offset by his obvious love for the books and, particularly in the case of the new film, the imagination he brings to his work on these adaptations. I don't think that there is a single wasted frame in Hellboy II. del Toro does everything with care and creativity, putting thought into details that lesser film makers would just gloss over (consider, as examples, the fact that he gives the tooth fairies personalities instead of just treating them as a horde of interchangeable pieces, or the way the death of the forest elemental is envisioned; in most cases the creature would have just gone splat, and that would be the end of it. Here, the death actually becomes a meaningful part of the narrative). del Toro also bothers to create a moral universe where the nature of the characters and the choices they make are rarely clear cut. Indeed, it is probably fair to say that the writer-director has a certain amount of sympathy with Nuada (Luke Goss), even though he is the putative villain. As with Sam Raimi and Bryan Singer, del Toro further demonstrates the value of hiring real artists to handle comic book material. Of course, one of the risks of hiring auteurist directors is that they may make choices that don't sit well with the already existing fandom for a set of books or characters. And, so here I am to prove that point, but I don't want to overstate my objections. I don't hate any of the choices I comment on below, but I am unsure about them. Liz and Hellboy. In the books, there is no Liz and Hellboy. Hellboy is, I think, best described as asexual. His friendship with Liz is no more romantic or intense than is his friendship with Abe or Roger or Kate, who is, it should be noted, more likely to be his field partner than is Liz. Liz's sexuality isn't much of an issue in the texts either. Indeed, in the hands of Mignola and Guy Davis, Liz is about as far from the stereotypical comic book babe as you can get without making her &ldquo;ugly&rdquo; &ndash; she dresses sensibly, and looks like a normally proportioned woman. Of course, "normal" here is pretty relative. Mignola's work is often described as expressionist for a reason, while I would describe Davis' work on BPRD as a sort of cartoonish realism with characters drawn on a very human, as opposed to super human, scale. Even given the &ldquo;canonical&rdquo; treatment of these characters, as evident in the Weird Tales books, del Toro is hardly the first guest artist to show a fascination with Hellboy's and Liz's sexualities, although their relationship is unique to the movies. And re-imaginings of both that seek to explore or invent such dimensions of the characters are entirely understandable, if predictable where Liz is concerned (the whole fear-attraction dynamic of girl &ldquo;firestarters&rdquo; lends itself to sexual/romantic imaginings, for both better and worse). del Toro takes Liz and Hellboy's relationship to another level in The Golden Army not only by having Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and Liz (Selma Blair) living together as a couple, but also by making Liz pregnant. Making a central female character either pregnant or having them be raped is a clich&eacute; in the superhero world. The effect, or maybe explicit purpose, of these devices is to mark the character as irreducibly different from the real, that is, male, heroes. No matter what her skills or powers, rape and/or pregnancy emphasizes that she is ultimately, &ldquo;just a chick&rdquo;, and as a chick, she is inherently limited by her body. These are tools which maintain male supremacy in the comics by rendering women as always more vulnerable and less capable than men (and, just to be clear, I'm not saying that women actually are inherently more vulnerable and less capable than men; I'm saying that rape and pregnancy are often used so as to affirm that impression, at least in comics, and in fantasy and science fiction more broadly. They are narrative tools which ensure that female characters remain within the predominant comfort zones of the presumptively hetero-male audience/readership). I'm not sure that these purposes necessarily hold on a conscious level in Hellboy II. There isn't a single moment in the film where Liz is sidelined by some male authority figure because of her pregnancy. Hellboy doesn't even make a special point of facing down Nuada and the Golden Army for his unborn children (yes, he is motivated to &ldquo;get up&rdquo; by Liz's love and the prospect of being a father, but there is no big moment where he overtly tries to protect Liz from harm due to the pregnancy, nor does he issue his challenge to Nuada with some declaration about his woman or his children; he pretty much just does what he always does, which is to take on the big bad with fearlessness and wise-cracks). And, arguably, it even pays off in a nice scene where Liz literally stands by her man and outs herself as a &ldquo;freak&rdquo; when she doesn't need to (unlike the other BPRD &ldquo;freaks&rdquo; she can pass as normal, at least until she loses control of her power and burns a city block down or some such thing). But the fact remains that there is a certain predictability to moving from Hellboy and Liz being romantically involved to Liz being pregnant. In del Toro's favor is that fact that, despite the actual suggestion of sex, he doesn't tart Liz up. While her BPRD uniform is hardly a sack, it is entirely functional, the best index of which is her military-styled boots; not a stiletto in sight. Even with the two &ldquo;lingerie shots&rdquo; in the new film, Liz is wearing underwear that seems entirely appropriate to how she dresses for field missions; sexy, yes, but only insofar as anything relatively slight and formfitting is going to look good on Blair (think the undergarments that the pilots on Battlestar Galactica wear). And, to be fair, both Abe and Hellboy are shown walking around in nothing more than their boxers, or, at least, shorts than might as well be boxers. On balance, the influence of the &ldquo;male gaze&rdquo; on Liz is pretty muted, especially alongside most comparable characters in other superhero comic book films and TV. This is true even as compared to the Liz in the animated movies where she is visualized as much more of a &ldquo;hottie&rdquo;, pun not intended. In that regard, it also should be noted that she is very much an active field agent, and not a victim, especially in the new film (you can argue about the extent to which she doesn't get to be in on the action, but I don't think she's any less marginal relative to Hellboy than any other agent. She's a strong, assertive personality with a power that is only dwarfed by what Hellboy reputedly contains within him). I think that the gender dynamics broached by the Hellboy-Liz relationship in the movies is complicated. What Liz's pregnancy actually portends for the films will probably have to wait for Hellboy III (should it come to be). I think it would be interesting to see a comic book or comic book movie take seriously the question of pregnancy, instead of simply using it to render a character as vulnerable or passive. Probably more than anything, my current ambivalence about making these two characters romantically involved is that it sets this relationship apart from Hellboy's other friendships at the BPRD. In the books, Hellboy is everyone's good friend and is a defender of all of the agency's freaks (a key reason why he leaves the BPRD). I'm also sure that one reason why Kate Corrigan is not in the films is to keep things simple with regards to Liz and Hellboy, which is a pity, because Kate's a good character (I also have to say that the BPRD is generally a very male operation in the films, which it isn't necessarily in the books). Characterization of Abe. In the books, Abe Sapien is just an expert field agent. The only thing supernatural about him is, well, him. In the movies, as played by Doug Jones and voiced by David Hyde Pierce in the first movie, he's more of a researcher and mystic than an action-oriented agent. If I had to choose, which, of course, I don't, I'd probably pick the Abe of the books over the Abe of the films, but that's only because I feel I know the guy in the comics better than I know the guy in the movies, or maybe I'm just sticking with the familiar. In any case, the changes that del Toro has made are perfectly understandable. As a narrative medium, film is more intensive than comics are or can be, and making Abe the &ldquo;brains&rdquo; of the operation probably gives him more to do than if he was largely another action man like Hellboy. In the comics, there is more time and opportunity to show Abe in the field, and even given that, it was likely necessary to split Hellboy from the BPRD to give the other characters more room to breathe. Most importantly, nothing that del Toro has done with the character changes anything basic about him. However, the introduction of Johann Krauss (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) puts the initial characterization of Abe in a different light. So ... Characterization of Johann Krauss. I would argue that del Toro takes more liberties with Krauss than he does with any of the other core characters. This starts with his look. In both cases he remains an ectoplasmic man, but the suit for containing his essence is radically different between the books and the movie. In the comics, his containment suit is fairly simple and modern in design, and, indeed, he often is able to dress in standard BPRD wear on top of it when he needs to. By contrast, del Toro has outfitted in him in what looks like a Victorian era diving suit with an insectoid head. I warmed up to the new look over time, or maybe just to the character, but it does imply a very different timeline for Johann. In the comics, he finds himself bereft of his body in 2003, well past when you would come up with a get-up like in the movie. Of course, given that Bruttenholm (John Hurt) is supposed to have created the suit, maybe del Toro just likes the way the suit looks. To be sure, it is not the only evidence of a steam punk aesthetic in Hellboy II, nor is Victoriana unseen in the Hellboy/BPRD universe. The look aside, the officious German team leader in the film is pretty different from the more introverted medium in the comics. In fact, in the books, I would characterize Johann as being more heart than head, very different from the rationalistic bureaucrat in the new movie. del Toro comes back around to this characterization by the end of Hellboy II, but by that point he had already fundamentally changed the nature of the character. In relation to Abe, what Johann does, which is to animate and speak to the spirits of the dead, is similar to the former's mystical sensory powers. One way of distinguishing between the two is through the decision to ramp up Johann's power, making him into a kind of self-willed poltergeist as well as a medium. As a result, he and not Abe, or Liz, gets to fight the Golden Army next to Hellboy, not to mention smacking the big red guy around a little in an earlier scene. As with Liz's pregnancy, it will take another film to see how Johann pans out, and what his presence portends for Abe's role. The secrecy of the BPRD. While not strictly speaking a character issue, it is also the case that one of the major differences between the books and the films is Manning's (Jeffrey Tambor) emphasis on the team operating on the QT. It isn't so much that the BPRD of the books is operating out in the open, but that the issue of secrecy just doesn't come up. We rarely see them interacting with people who haven't already seen some pretty weird things that, I suppose, make Abe, Johann, Liz et al seem fairly believable. In other words, in the comics Hellboy and the BPRD are both firmly in and of the world, whereas in the films the conceit is that they are in the world, but not quite of it. Where this focus on secrecy is most problematic for me is in how it is treated as a fixation of Hellboy's. I don't actually feel his desire to be embraced by the world, nor do I think it adds much to the character to give him that desire. I prefer the way that the Hellboy in the comics simply acts without much regard to such questions. Either people accept him in the same honest way he does them or they don't. There's a charming innocence to the paper character that is at least diminished by the movie character's celebrity desire, however slight and fundamentally about acceptance it is. And while there are some good tabloid jokes in the first movie that come from this premise, I'm actually more intrigued by the idea of the BPRD operating in a world where they may be unique, but not entirely alien. Aside from these adaptation questions, the one additional nit I would pick about Hellboy II is that its underlying mythology can't quite be contained by a single film. As the beautifully rendered prologue/bedtime story indicates, del Toro certainly understands this and takes steps to address the problem, but I don't think he quite manages to convey the depth of the world that must exist in his head and notes, and probably in Mignola's as well. At the end of the film, I felt like I had only grazed the surface of the deep mythic structure of the narrative. Of course, this problem also points to enormity of del Toro's imagination, and I'd much rather see a film maker of his intelligence and skill managing the cinematic Hellboy than some hack who slavishly hews to the print canon of a beloved character. (For another take on the differences between the comics and the movies, see Mike Russell's latest CulturePulp comic). *He also plays around with elements from smaller stories, such as this. Belated post-script: I was ever so slightly bummed that the scene with young Hellboy watching TV wasn't taken as an opportunity to sneak in a reference to Lobster Johnson (maybe Dark Horse is saving him for his own film. Hmmm. Doubtful, but still ...). Originally posted on:Short-Circuit Signs http://www.spout.com/groups/Comic_Con/Comic_Con_Schedule_Thursday_July_24th/611/32281/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: lopezdash
Post To: Comic-Con
Post Date: 7/8/2008 12:09:09 PM
Body: The schedule is up on the Comic-Con site, but isn't being linked anywhere. Copied here, for your convinience. (h/t Shawna Benson on FriendFeed) Thursday, July 24 10:00-11:00 Click & Clack’s As the Wrench Turns—Behind the scenes at PBS’s hilarious new primetime toon, based on the famous radio show Car Talk, direct from Car Talk Plaza! Catch a sneak peek of a new episode, plus Q&A with the creators: Tom Sito (The Lion King, Osmosis Jones), Bill Kroyer (Tron, Garfield the Movie), Stephen Silver (Kim Possible), Floyd Norman (101 Dalmatians), Helen Jen (TMNT), Tom Minton (Pinky and the Brain), and executive producer Howard Grossman. Extra bonus feature: a special message for Comic-Con from the real Tom & Ray, the Tappet Bros! Room 2 10:00-11:00 75 Years of Doc Savage—Anthony Tollin (editor/publisher of Doc Savage and The Shadow double-novel reprints) leads a panel discussion on the pulp era's greatest superhero and the Man of Bronze's iconic influence on comic book superheroes, including Superman and Batman., Panelists will also discuss what's coming up next in Nostalgia Ventures’ pulp reprint series. Panelists include movie producer/popular culture historian Michael Uslan. Room 5AB 10:00-11:00 Kings: Exclusive Sneak Peek Screening and Q&A with Cast and Executive Producers—Kings is a contemporary re-imagining of the timeless tale of David and Goliath, an epic story of greed and power, war and romance, forbidden loves and secret alliances, and a young hero who rises to power in a modern-day kingdom. Be the first to see an exclusive sneak peek from the two-hour pilot. Moderated by Greg Grunberg (Heroes), the panel includes a Q&A with creator/executive producer Michael Green (Heroes), director/executive producer Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend), executive producer Erwin Stoff (I Am Legend), and the cast: Golden Globe winner Ian McShane (Deadwood), Chris Egan (Resident Evil: Extinction), Susanna Thompson (Star Trek: Voyager), Sebastian Stan (Gossip Girl), and Allison Miller (Seventeen Again). Room 6B 10:00-11:00 Fans’ Guide to Comic-Con—Wesley Strawther, Matt Jeffery, Jesse Lopez, and Johann Joseph host your guide to the largest comics convention around. Designed to help rookie convention goers have the most fun possible, this panel offers even a gem or two for veteran attendees! Room 8 10:00-11:00 The Gene Roddenberry Legacy: Roddenberry in the 21st Century—Building on his father’s legacy with Star Trek, Rod Roddenberry and Roddenberry Productions are bringing the Roddenberry philosophy into the 21st century, through their work on the forthcoming feature documentary Trek Nation, as well as the development of original content in webcomics such as Rod & Barry and Gene’s Journal. This panel features exclusive Comic-Con looks at new Roddenberry content and projects currently in development. Featuring Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry, Trevor Roth (COO of Roddenberry Productions), and Paul Keller. Room 10 10:00-11:00 Masters of the Web—For the second year in a row the biggest genre and movie websites are coming together to discuss how new media have affected movie making, what it takes to run a popular site, and much more in a panel discussion and Q&A session. Participants include Robert Sanchez (IESB.net), Garth Franklin (Darkhorizons.com), Mike Sampson (Joblo.com), Erik Davis (Cinematical.com), John Campea (TheMovieBlog.com), Brad Miska (Bloody-Disgusting.com), Eric "Quint" Vespe (Aintitcool.com), Devin Faraci (CHUD.com), Paul Christensen (Movieweb.com), and Kellvin Chavez (Latinoreview.com). Moderated by directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (Crank 2, The Game). Room 32AB 10:30-11:30 Tripwire—The staff of Tripwire and some friends discuss Tripwire Annual 2008 and the future of genre fiction, with special panelists Pat McGreal, Jamie McKelvie, and others. Moderated by Joel Meadows (editor-in-chief) and Andy Grossberg (associate editor, U.S.). Room 3 10:00-11:00 DC Talent Search Orientation—Learn what DC Comics looks for in artists and how to improve your chances of becoming a working professional! Panelists will discuss the different needs of the DC Universe, Vertigo, WildStorm, MAD magazine, Minx, and Zuda. This informative orientation session will explain how DC’s Talent Search works and provide numerous tips and tricks on how to improve your work and explore opportunities. In order to have your work reviewed, attendance at this orientation session is mandatory. (Please note: Not all attendees are guaranteed a one-on-one review.) Room 4 10:30-11:30 Freaks, Geeks, and Tiny Toons—Warner Home Video brings the hit animated television series Tiny Toon Adventures and Freakazoid! to DVD on July 29. This panel features Bruce Timm (storyboard artist, character designer), John McCann (Douglas Douglas, Hero Boy story editor), Paul Rugg (Freakazoid writer), Sherri Stoner (writer, producer, story editor), Paul Dini (writer, story editor), Jean MacCurdy (executive producer), Rich Arons (producer, writer, director) and Andrea Romano (voice director). They’re tiny, they’re toony, they’re all a little loony! Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Tiny Toon Adventures is a Daytime Emmy Award animated series that spawned a whole new generation of madcap Looney Toons characters, including Buster Bunny, Babs Bunny, Plucky Duck, and Hamton J. Pig, among others. Freakazoid! aired for two seasons. Also executive produced by Spielberg, this Daytime Emmy Award–winning series chronicles the adventures of Freakazoid, a manic, insane superhero who battles a vast array of supervillains. Room 6A 10:30-11:30 Spotlight on Noel Neill—She’s celebrating her 60th anniversary as America’s favorite superhero sweetheart! Comic-Con special guest Noel Neill first took on the role of ace reporter Lois Lane in the 1948 Superman serial from Columbia, and she went on to provide the definitive depiction of the character in the popular 1950s TV show, Adventures of Superman, with George Reeves. Superman historian John Field interviews Ms. Neill about her life with the man in the cape and the rest of her amazing career! Room 7AB 10:30-11:30 Comics Arts Conference Session #1: Guerilla Warfare and Sneak Attacks: The Politics of Representing War in Film and Comics of the 1950s—Rocco Versaci (Palomar College) discusses his book This Book Contains Graphic Language: Comics as Literature, in which he champions comics as a legitimate literary artform and argues that comics as a marginalized medium have been uniquely suited to subvert dominant ideologies in ways impossible for more highly regarded media. In the 1940s and 1950s, when both the comics and film industries were hard at work representing war, comics—because they were considered a marginal entertainment media—were "freer" to deliver subversive and even incendiary political messages. Room 30AB 10:30-12:00 Comic Book Law School 101: Let’s Get It Started—A very good place to start...to start learning how to protect your intellectual property rights, that is! Learn the basics of copyright and trademark law in this popular interactive lecture series brought to you by noted attorney Michael Lovitz, author of The Trademark and Copyright Book comic book. This first workshop covers the basics of protection and ownership of ideas, works of authorship, characters, and names from conception through publication and beyond. Attendees will participate in an interactive discussion about basic rights provided under U.S. copyright and trademark laws, as well as new decisions and changes in the law and how they could affect those rights. Along the way, there will be plenty to learn about the protections, and pitfalls, of the U.S. trademark and copyright systems. Note: The Comic Book Law School seminars are designed to provide relevant information and practice tips to practicing attorneys, as well as practical tips to creators and other professionals who may wish to attend. [This program is approved for one (1) credit of California MCLE.] Room 30CDE 10:45-11:45 Reinventing the Page: Stan Lee and Grant Morrison Talk Virgin Comics—Two of the most important creators in the history of comic books team up to discuss the bold new frontiers being explored in the art of storytelling. Legendary creator Stan Lee (Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, X-Men) shares his insights on the world of comics and presents never-before-revealed hints of his new superhero universe with Virgin Comics. Joining Stan is prolific creator Grant Morrison (New X-Men, All Star Superman, Final Crisis), contemporary comics’ most active mind, who will discuss his new Virgin Comics animated online series MBX while offering his own insights on comics and engaging with Stan in a once-in-a-lifetime conversation about the long history and boundless future of their beloved medium. Ballroom 20 11:00-12:00 Indies in Comics—Do you intend to create the next great comic book, action figure, or the like? If so, you know that doing so as an independent can be difficult. What should you do? How do you get started? The Antidote Trust is here to answer many of your questions. TAT, the ultimate independent creators’ collective, produces comics, action figures—nearly anything—and rivals the industry’s top companies in quality and professional outlook. TAT is a diverse group, including men and women from across the country and from all ethnicities. Their projects range from sci-fi to standard superhero to Asian/Indian mythology to noir to twists on today’s society. These trailblazers will discuss making independent projects that challenge the majors in production value, originality, and professionalism. Room 2 11:00-12:00 Professional Writing: Threat or Menace?—Let's talk writing, creativity, and selling (and selling out), and what the world of professional writing is like. Questions that you've always wanted to ask? Creative blocks bugging you? Wondered what the H*O*L*L*Y*W*O*O*D life is really like? Show up and get answers to those questions. This no-holds-barred talk is moderated by J. Michael Straczynski. Room 5AB 11:00-12:00 The Comic Art of J. G. Jones—One of the most popular artists working in comics today, Comic-Con special guest J. G. Jones talks about his projects, including the summer blockbuster movie hit Wanted and DC’s Final Crisis, with Ian Sattler, senior story editor, DCU. Room 8 11:00-12:00 LGBT Portrayals in Comics—With the increased number of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) characters in both mainstream and indie comics today, it's time to examine how they're faring. Has this increased presence meant better and more complex portrayals, or is there more to be explored? Has the call for "positive" portrayals been beneficial, or has it left LGBT characters one-dimensional? And what can we expect in the future? Join moderator Patricia Jeres (Prism board member and talent and industry relations chair) and panelists Perry Moore (author of Hero, winner of the Lambda Literary Award; executive producer of Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia series), Gail Simone (Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman), and Bob Schreck (group editor, DC Comics) for this insightful discussion. Room 10 11:00-12:00 The Disney Animation Story Process—Nathan Greno (head of story, Bolt), Don Hall (head of story, The Princess and the Frog), Mark Kennedy (head of story, Rapunzel), Joe Mateo (story artist, Bolt), Michael LaBash (story artist, Bolt), Paul Briggs (story artist, The Princess and the Frog), and Josie Trinidad (story artist, The Princess and the Frog) offer an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look into the story process at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Coming together exclusively at Comic-Con, these story team leaders will take you from first concept to final story approval as they discuss the art of storyboarding, re-create story pitches, and share boarding styles from their upcoming animated features. Don’t miss this revealing and humorous panel and your chance to get a sneak peek at Disney's next animated feature, Bolt! Room 32AB 11:15-12:15 30th Anniversary Battlestar Galactica Panel—Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek/Apollo), Bear McCreary (BG composer), producer Tom DeSanto (Transformers, X-Men), Dr. Kevin Grazier (science consultant), and surprise guests present an in-depth discussion of the Battlestar universe from the classic to the re-imagined and beyond, including BSG trailers and Q&A. Room 6B 11:30-12:30 Spotlight on Neil Googe—From Welcome to Tranquility to WildCats: World’s End, it’s no secret that artist Neil Googe is a talent on the rise! Find out all you want to know about this up-and-coming star artist with moderator and WildStorm senior editor Ben Abernathy, including plans that will surely change the WildStorm Universe! Room 3 11:30-12:30 From the K Chronicles to The Knight Life: Keith Knight—Help celebrate the release of Comic-Con favorite Keith Knight's The Complete K Chronicles, a 500-page omnibus collection of the Harvey Award–winning comic strip. Knight will present his hilarious slideshow, chronicling his jump from self-published zines to award-winning comic strip, ending with his new syndicated daily strip, The Knight Life, recently launched by United Features Syndicate. Room 4 11:30-12:30 SPORE: One-on-One with Will Wright—Will Wright is best known for creating the SimCity and The Sims video game franchises, the latter of which has sold more than 100 million games to date. In 2007, he was given the Vanguard Award from the Producer’s Guild of America, making him the first person in the videogame industry to receive such an honor. Wright’s next video game, SPORE, is scheduled for release on September 7. Join Will Wright for his first-ever appearance at Comic-Con! Room 6CDEF 11:30-12:30 Hasbro: GI Joe—As Hasbro ramps up for the summer 2009 blockbuster movie release of GI Joe, Aaron Archer (Hasbro Design), Michael Ritchie (Hasbro Marketing), and Michelino Paolino (Hasbro Design) discuss this year’s product line, entertainment, and other initiatives. Panelists will include special guests that you won’t want to miss, plus Q&A! Room 7AB 11:30-1:00 Comics Arts Conference Session #2: Comics Pedagogy—As comics find more mainstream acceptance, they are increasingly being incorporated into higher education. This panel looks at comics in the classroom both as texts and as tools. Jeffrey Kahan (University of Laverne) and David Baldizon (School of Arts and Enterprise) discuss their use of comic books to teach English composition and to foster greater cultural awareness more generally through the exploration of comics’ social, historical and literary significance. Patrick Jagoda (Duke University) considers how to incorporate comics as a medium into an otherwise "high literary" and theoretical curriculum. Chris "Tof" Eklund, Aaron Kashtan, and James Reaves (University of Florida) present the innovative approaches to comics studies currently being practiced by graduate students in the University of Florida’s Department of English, focusing on the uses of Lovecraft adaptations, Scott Pilgrim’s video game logic, and art spiegelman’s funny animals. A professional development certificate for teachers is available for this session. Room 30AB 11:30-1:00 20th Century Fox: The Day The Earth Stood Still and Max Payne— Stars Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly, plus director Scott Derrickson and producer Erwin Stoff, present an exclusive look at The Day The Earth Stood Still, Fox’s contemporary reinvention of its 1951 classic. Keanu is Klaatu, an alien whose arrival on our planet triggers a global upheaval. As governments and scientists race to unravel the mystery behind the visitor’s appearance, a woman (Jennifer) and her young stepson get caught up in his mission—and come to understand the ramifications of his being a self-described "friend to the Earth." Klaatu Barada Nikto. The legendary interactive video game Max Payne comes to the big screen, telling the story of a maverick cop determined to track down those responsible for the brutal murder of his family and partner. Hell-bent on revenge, his obsessive investigation takes him on a nightmare journey into a dark underworld. As the mystery deepens, Max is forced to battle enemies beyond the natural world and face an unthinkable betrayal. "Max Payne" himself—Mark Wahlberg—will be on hand with Mila Kunis, Ludacris, and director John Moore to discuss turning the game’s noirish, hard-hitting, and complex world and characters into a movie event. Hall H 11:45-12:45 Knight Rider: First Look at the New Series and Q&A with Cast and Executive Producers—On the heels of NBC's hit sequel movie based on the iconic 1980s television classic, Knight Rider has been reinvented as a supercharged action series showcasing the new KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand). Be the first to see exclusive footage from the new series. Moderated by Television Week deputy editor/columnist Josef Adalian, who participates in a Q&A session with executive producer/showrunner Gary Scott Thompson (The Fast and The Furious, Las Vegas); executive producer David Bartis (Heist, The OC); and the cast: Justin Bruening (Cold Case), Deanna Russo (NCIS), Sydney Tamiia Poitier (Veronica Mars), Paul Campbell (Battlestar Galactica), Yancey Arias (Kingpin), Bruce Davison (X-Men) and Smith Cho (Blades of Glory). Room 6A 12:00-1:00 Sideshow Collectibles—Sideshow Collectibles is a leading manufacturer in the world of figure collectibles, with an award-winning artistic team. Sideshow’s product development team offers insights into the newest products and licenses, as well as a Q&A session. Room 2 12:00-1:00 The New Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s: English-Language World Premiere—Be the first on the planet to see the English language version of the new Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s television series. Plus, meet the team behind the show, including—straight from Japan—producer Teruaki Jitsumatsu (Transformers: Robots in Disguise). Yumi Hoashi of Konami, and representatives from UpperDeck, 4KidsEntertainment, and Playmates Toys will also reveal what’s in store for Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s fans and, while supplies last, offer a few surprises for lucky attendees! Room 5AB 12:00-1:00 Spotlight on Paul Gulacy—One of the most exciting artists working in comics, Comic-Con special guest Paul Gulacy has a career spanning over 30 years. Famous for his cinematic style on books such as Master of Kung Fu, Gulacy talks about his work, past, present, and future. Room 8 12:00-1:00 How Not to Break into Comics—There have been countless articles and panels on how to break into comics, but very few on how not to. Randal C. Jarrell (managing editor at Oni Press), Jennifer de Guzman (editor-in-chief of SLG Publishing), and other industry insiders discuss the common and often-hilarious mistakes people make when trying to pitch or get work in the comics industry. This unique inside perspective will help any prospective creator learn how to navigate the potential pitfalls that doom far too many in their attempts to break into comics. If you want to work in comics, you do not want to miss this panel! Room 10 12:00-1:00 Doctor Who—Writer Russell T Davies (Doctor Who), executive producer Julie Gardner (Torchwood), and writer Steven Moffat (Doctor Who) discuss their creative process and experience working on the BBC’s Doctor Who—Britain’s most successful sci-fi franchise—with exclusive clips and a Q&A session. Ballroom 20 12:00-1:00 Classics Illustrated—Classics Illustrated is back, and it’s got company! Publishers ranging from Marvel to the Bible house Thomas Nelson are offering James Bond adaptations, manga versions of Shakespeare, and everything in between. How do writers and artists face the scary task of making the classics fresh while living up to the original works’ greatness? Rick Geary, Roy Thomas, Charles Kochman, and David Seidman reveal how they’ve been doing it. Room 32AB 12:30-1:30 Spotlight on Eddie Campbell—Comic-Con special guest Eddie Campbell talks about his books, including From Hell, The Fate of the Artist and his latest, due for release at Comic-Con, The Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard, His co-writer on the latter, Dan Best, will also be on hand to answer questions. Room 3 12:30-1:15 Humor in Science Fiction—Learn the secrets of the humor game from some top insiders in the field, including David Gerrold ("The Trouble With Tribbles"), William F. Nolan (Sam Space, Logan’s Run), John Truby (Anatomy of Story), George Clayton Johnson (Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Ocean’s 11, Logan’s Run), and Marc Scott Zicree (executive producer, Sliders; author of The Twilight Zone Companion). Moderated by Chas Holloway with Shadowstar Games president Mark O’Bannon. Room 4 12:30-1:30 DC: Superman: Man of Tomorrow—The groundwork is being laid now for the next phase of Superman’s heroic career. The architects of Superman’s future are here to give you a glimpse of what is to come. Featuring Superman senior editor Matt Idelson, Geoff Johns (Action Comics), James Robinson (Superman), Renato Guedes (Superman), and more! Room 6B 12:30-1:30 William Katt: Greatest American Hero Comic—Join Alex, Justin, and Pete from Pulp Secret for one of the biggest announcements at this year’s Comic-Con, an event that’s been 25 years in the making. Catastrophic Comics’ William Katt (Greatest American Hero), Christopher Folino (Gamers), and Derek McCaw (Fanboy Planet) along with Arcana Studios’ Sean O'Reilly (The Clockwork Girl) are on hand for an interview and Q&A. Room 7AB 1:00-2:00 Spotlight on Steve Purcell—Join Sam & Max creator—and Eisner Award winner and Comic-Con special guest—Steve Purcell on a visual tour from his first scratchy Sam & Max strips through his career as an illustrator, game designer, and concept artist to his current role as a Pixar storyteller. Q&A to follow. Room 2 1:00-2:00 Modern Masters: Live!—Modern Masters editor Eric Nolen-Weathington brings together three of the greatest artists in comics—Frank Cho (Liberty Meadows, Mighty Avengers), Michael Golden (Micronauts, The 'Nam), and Mark Schultz (Xenozoic Tales, Superman: Man of Steel)—for a conversation about art, comics, and beyond! Room 5AB 1:00-2:00 Activision with Stan Lee—From webslinging to forming the ultimate alliance of superheroes, Marvel and Activision continue to bring many of the world’s most popular and beloved comic book heroes to life like never before. Explore, behind the scenes, how the teams draw inspiration from a generation of Stan Lee’s legendary Marvel comics to re-create the most authentic heroes and advanced superpowers in high-definition for today’s gamer. Stan Lee, members from Activision’s development studios Shaba Games and Vicarious Visions, and former game designer and current comic writer Brian Reed present an engaging discussion and preview of the imagination, creative process, and technology used to develop the most advanced superhero games ever. Room 6A 1:00-2:00 Mark and Sergio—The world’s fastest cartoonist joins forces with the Comic-Con 2008 weekend record holder for panel moderation! Yes, it’s Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragonés together again. Expect lots of talk on Groo and anything else these two whirlwinds are conspiring to bring us in the near future. Room 8 1:00-2:00 Bongo Comics—Celebrate 15 years of mischief and merriment with Bongo Comics. Be a party to the party as managing editor Terry Delegeane and creative director Bill Morrison host a panel featuring the writers and artists who create the comics and books based on Matt Groening’s phenomenal TV shows. Find out what’s in the future for the upstart comic book company that Bart built. This is a "must-attend" panel for all fans of The Simpsons and Futurama. Room 10 1:00-2:00 Torchwood—Writer Russell T Davies (Doctor Who), executive producer Julie Gardner (Torchwood), writer Steven Moffat (Doctor Who), and actors John Barrowman, Gareth David-Lloyd, Naoko Mori and Burn Gorman discuss their creative process and experience on working on BBC America’s highest-rated show ever—Torchwood— followed by a Q&A session. Ballroom 20 UPDATE: 1:00-2:00 Comics Arts Conference Session #3: Comics and the Law—TBD 1:00-2:00 Hi-Fi Coloring Workshop—Brian Miller (Superman) and Kristy Miller (Hi-Fi Color for Comics) share their tips, tricks, and techniques for coloring comics. Want to learn how to color? Join Brian and Kristy for a coloring demonstration and Q&A session. Room 30CDE 1:00-2:00 The Future of the Comics Pamphlet—Are serialized comics in a death-spiral? Is the graphic novel the sole shape of comics to come? Retailers including Carr D'Angelo (Earth 2 Comics), publishing representatives including Joe Keatinge (Image Comics), and cartoonists discuss the state of the periodical with moderator Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics). Room 32AB 1:15-2:00 How to Tell a Story—Get a deep insight into the craft of storytelling from these masters in the field: David Gerrold (TV writer, author of 30+ novels), William F. Nolan (TV and film writer, author of over a dozen novels), George Clayton Johnson (Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Ocean’s 11, Logan’s Run), John Truby (owner, John Truby’s Writer’s Studio, author, Anatomy of Story), and Marc Scott Zicree (TV writer, executive producer, Sliders; author of The Twilight Zone Companion). Moderated by Chas Holloway with Shadowstar Games president Mark O’Bannon. Room 4 1:15-2:45 Summit Pictures—Summit Entertainment presents a sneak peek of exclusive footage of some of its upcoming major film releases: Push—In this futuristic sci-fi thriller set in Hong Kong, a group of young American ex-pats with extraordinary psychic abilities must band together and use their different talents on a final mission to escape a clandestine government agency forever. Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Djimon Hounsou, Camilla Belle and director Paul McGuigan present a first look at exclusive footage and answer questions about the film. Knowing—An action thriller of global proportions. Director Alex Proyas appears in person to introduce never-before-seen footage for his new major motion picture starring Nicolas Cage. Twilight—Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling book series, Twilight is an action-packed, modern-day love story between a vampire and a mortal. Director Catherine Hardwicke, author Stephenie Meyer, and the cast—including Robert Pattinson (Edward), Kristen Stewart (Bella), Cam Gigandet (James), Rachelle LaFevre (Victoria), Edi Gathegi (Laurant), and Taylor Lautner (Jacob)—answer your questions about bringing the world of these beloved characters to life on the big screen and show exclusive footage from the film. Hall H 1:30-2:30 Conan Comics and Beyond—Dark Horse Comics revitalized Conan in 2004—now it's set to launch stunning interpretations of Robert E. Howard heroes Kull and Solomon Kane in 2008. Conan editor Philip Simon moderates a discussion of the upcoming titles with creators who've worked on Howard comics past and present—Scott Allie (Solomon Kane), Will Conrad (Kull), Dave Stewart (Solomon Kane), and José Villarrubia (Conan)—focusing on the company's new series and adapting Howard's works to comics. Room 3 1:30-3:00 Artemis Fowl—Eoin Colfer, author of the blockbuster Artemis Fowl series, launches his sixth book in the series, Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox, with Fairies, Fiends and Flatulence, a hilarious one man live show that explains to fans the genesis of each of Eoin's characters in the books—both good and evil—all of which come from his four Irish brothers. Room 7AB 1:45-2:45 Marvel: X-Men—The X-Men have a new home and a new direction in Manifest Destiny. This star-studded, must-attend panel features the writers of the X-Verse, including Ed Brubaker (Uncanny X-Men), Matt Fraction (Uncanny X-Men), Chris Yost (X-Force), Craig Kyle (X-Force), Daniel Way (Deadpool), Marjorie Liu (NYX), and Duane Swierczynski (Cable), plus Axel Alonso (X-Men group editor) and Nick Lowe (X-Men editor). Room 6B 2:00-3:00 Science Fiction That Will Change Your Life—A discussion of science fiction stories intended to make you rethink your whole life or alter your perceptions. With Annalee Newitz (editor-in-chief, io9.com; contributor, Wired), Austin Grossman (author, Soon I Will Be Invincible), Charlie Jane Anders (news editor, io9.com; contributor, Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet), Graeme McMillan (weekend editor, io9.com, contributor, Newsarama), and Patrick Lee (editor, Sci-Fi Wire). Room 2 2:00-3:00 Spotlight on Signe Wilkinson—Comic-Con special guest Signe Wilkinson, Philadelphia Daily News editorial cartoonist and creator of the new comic strip Family Tree, will talk and show slides about juggling politics, family humor, and hate mail. Famed editorial cartoonist Ted Rall introduces the discussion. Room 4 2:00-3:00 The Middleman—Creator and executive producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost) and The Middleman actors Matt Keeslar (Dune) and Natalie Morales (CSI: Miami) discuss the bizarre world of The Middleman. Based on the graphic novels by Javier Grillo-Marxuach, The Middleman follows the surreal life of twenty-something Wendy Watson as she gets recruited by a top secret agency to fight comic book-esque criminals under the guidance of her straight-laced boss, The Middleman. Room 5AB 2:00-3:00 Red Sonja: One-on-One—Robert Rodriguez (Sin City), Rose McGowan (Grindhouse), Doug Aarniokoski (2nd unit director, Resident Evil 3) and David White (Undisputed 2) are teaming up to bring back the red-headed warrior woman known as Red Sonja. Join Robert, Rose, Doug, and David for this one-on-one interview and Q&A session! Room 6CDEF 2:00-3:30 Spotlight on Todd Klein—Eisner award-winning letterer and logo designer Todd Klein (Sandman, Fables) is joined by moderator Mark Evanier (Fanboy, Kirby: King of Comics) for a discussion of his 30-plus years in comics, from early days on staff at DC and lettering by hand to his present-day freelance career on many titles for DC, Marvel, and others, mainly on the computer. Focus will be on the intricacies of lettering, logo design, and more, as Todd and Mark show and discuss images of classic comics logos. Todd will also cover his recent self-published signed prints by Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman and give away several copies of each. Room 8 2:00-3:00 Spotlight on Jim Woodring: Please Stand By—Comic-Con special guest Jim Woodring (The Frank Book) presents a slide show with commentary providing a rare overview of his life, career, motivations, methods, and dark personal secrets. Q&A session to follow. Room 10 2:00-3:30 Comics Arts Conference Session #4: Superman’s 70th Anniversary—Price Hamilton (American Falls High School) compares three different versions of the Superman origin story and three versions of the Jewish folk tale "The Golem of Prague" to demonstrate how certain images begin to appropriate larger meanings through their consistent repetition. Liam Burke (National University of Galway) asks what makes some heroes "super," examining the superhero archetype to uncover the superhero secret identity and to discover who are the "Men of Tomorrow." Ben Saunders (University of Oregon) suggests that the essence of Superman’s appeal—the core of his mythic significance—may have nothing to do with his superpowers and everything to do with the most serious and profound issues of philosophical ethics. Room 30AB 2:00-3:30 Animation on a $hoestring—Learn the down and dirty tricks on how to create your own animation studio on a low budget, from Larry Loc, the author of Animation on a ShoeString. Find out how to assemble the equipment you will need, how to build or buy equipment, and what software to use to edit and composite your project. Room 30CDE 2:00-3:00 Clickwheel: On-Demand Digital Comics for iPod and iPhone—Is the new comic shop right in the palm of your hand? Join Clickwheel editor-in-chief Tim Demeter for a demonstration of the latest in mobile comics' technology. Tim will discuss the emergence of mobile content and digital delivery in the comic book industry and how it's changing the landscape of the business. Learn how to download and sync comics on your iPod or how to receive them on demand on your iPhone or iPod Touch! Creators interested in taking advantage of these new methods of distribution won't want to miss the site demonstration, as Clickwheel.net is free for anyone to use. Room 32AB 2:15-3:15 Halo Wars and the Halo Universe—Prima Games, Tor Books, McFarlane Toys, and Microsoft Games Studio bring you an in-depth panel discussion on all things Halo. Panelists include Eric Nylund, author of Halo: The Fall of Reach and Halo: First Strike Onyx; Tobias Buckell, author of the upcoming novel Halo: The Cole Protocol; game universe writers Graeme Devine (Halo Wars) and Frank O’Connor (Halo Trilogy); and Jon Goff and Corrinne Robinson, McFarlane Toys’ brand management team for Halo action figures. Room 6A 2:15-3:15 Anchor Bay: Jack Brooks Monster Slayer Artists Panel—Preview the upcoming DVD release of Jack Brooks Monster Slayer with star/producer Trevor Matthews, director/co-writer Jon Knautz, producer Patrick White, composer Ryan Shore, creature designer David Scott, and horror icon Robert Englund! Then hear writer/director Daniel Waters (Heathers), Oscar-nominated screenwriter Josh Olson (Masters of Science Fiction), and writer/director Robert Hall (Laid to Rest) discuss their latest Anchor Bay projects! Moderated by Shock Til You Drop’s Ryan Rotten. Ballroom 20 2:30-3:30 Dumbrella—Artists from Dumbrella, one of the most popular online comics collectives, discuss webcomics, independent publishing, and subverting popular culture. Feel free to quiz Andrew Bell (The Creatures in My Head), Sam Brown (explodingdog), Jon Rosenberg (Goats), and Richard Stevens III (Diesel Sweeties), along with special guests M.C. Frontalot and Meredith Gran (Octopus Pie), about anything your Internet heart desires. Room 3 3:00-4:00 Spotlight on Bill Willingham—Both a master storyteller and an incredible artist, Bill Willingham has created a huge following for his books. His credits range from DCU’s Salvation Run and Shadowpact to the already classic Vertigo Fables and Jack of Fables and the new House of Mystery. Hosted by superstar Fables artist Mark Buckingham, this panel is sure to thrill! Room 2 3:00-4:00 Comic-Con Talkback 1—Here’s your chance: talk to Comic-Con representatives about your first day and Preview Night. Have a complaint, a question, a suggestion or even some praise? Bring it! Room 4 3:00-4:00 DVD/Blu-ray Producers 2008—Bill Hunt, Todd Doogan, and Adam Jahnke (The Digital Bits.com, Geek Monthly) discuss the latest DVD and Blu-ray Disc developments and look ahead at upcoming releases. Panelists include Javier Soto (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy II: The Golden Army), Charles de Lauzirika (Blade Runner, Twin Peaks), Andy Mangels (The Real Ghostbusters, Slimer), Cliff Stephenson (Rambo, Crank 1 & 2), and Robert Meyer Burnett (Shoot ’Em Up, Free Enterprise 2). There will be lots of Q&A, so be sure to bring your questions! Room 5AB 3:00-4:00 Wizard’s First Rule—Sam Raimi (Spider-Man) and Ken Biller (Star Trek: Voyager) give you a first look at the upcoming television series Wizard’s First Rule. The one-hour weekly series, premiering in late fall, is based on Terry Goodkind’s bestselling epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth, which follows the extraordinary transformation of woodsman Richard Cypher into a magical leader who joins with a mysterious, beautiful woman to stop a bloodthirsty, sinister tyrant. Join Sam and Ken for a moderated interview and audience Q&A session! Room 6B 3:00-4:00 Spotlight on Ed Brubaker—The Comic-Con special guest Ed Brubaker is the Eisner Award–winning writer (Best Writer 2007, Best New Series 2007—Criminal) whose work on Captain America, Daredevil, X-Men, and Criminal has catapulted him into the upper echelon of today’s best comic writers. Ed talks about what’s next in this Spotlight presentation. Room 7AB 3:00-4:00 TwoMorrows Publishing Today—Join the crew from TwoMorrows Publishing for a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into creating all their fan-favorite books and magazines on the art and history of comics! Publisher John Morrow, Modern Masters' Eric Nolen-Weathington, Write Now!'s Danny Fingeroth, Brick Journal's Joe Meno, and Keith Dallas, author of TwoMorrows' new Flash Companion book unveil new products and offer exclusive previews of upcoming items. Room 10 3:00-4:00 How to Break into Comics: Freddie E. Williams II—A few years ago, Freddie E. Williams II (artist on Robin, The Flash, Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle, and others) broke into comics through DC Comics’ Talent Search. Since that time, Freddie has worked on some of DC’s top-selling books. In this panel, Freddie lends his unique insights about breaking into comics by describing what editors are looking for, what you should include in your portfolio, and how to hang on to a job once you’ve gotten it. Room 32AB 3:00-4:00 Disney: Race to Witch Mountain—What secrets does Witch Mountain hold? Stars Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino and director Andy Fickman talk about the mysterious, paranormal activity around Witch Mountain. Dwayne, Carla, and Andy will present the first look at the movie and answer audience questions as they talk about the thrilling action-adventure that is set to hit theatres in March 2009! Hall H 3:15-4:15 Capcom: The Making of Street Fighter IV—Producer Yoshinoro Ono (Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams) and associate producer David Crislip deliver an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek at the making of the much-anticipated Street Fighter IV video game, featuring the design of classic and new characters, creating compelling gameplay. Also, a sneak peek at the animated SFIV minimovies being created to complement the game. There will be a Q&A session as well as Street Fighter-related surprises! Street Fighter cosplayers are highly encouraged to attend this event, as it marks the 20th anniversary of the Street Fighter franchise. Room 6CDEF 3:30-4:30 Manga: Lost in Translation—America loves foreign comics, especially manga. And as more and more movies based on these properties are produced, the way these comics are translated becomes an integral part of their success. Join experienced translators, editors, and manga and anime experts in a discussion of the art and craft of helping to make these stories the mega-hits they are today. Panelists include William Flanagan (Fairy Tail), Jonathan Tarbox (Switch), Jason Thompson (Manga: The Complete Guide), Mari Morimoto (Naruto), Stephen Paul (Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad), Julie Davis (Anime Classics Zettai!), and Mark Simmons (Gundam 00)! Room 3 3:30-4:30 Entertainment Weekly’s The Visionaries: Comic Creators—Jim Lee (All-Star Batman & Robin), John Cassaday (The Astonishing X-Men), Matt Fraction (Casanova), Mike Mignola (Hellboy), Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead), Colleen Doran (A Distant Soil), and Grant Morrison (Final Crisis) are the writers and artists blazing a path into the future of comics. Coming from both the mainstream and the independent worlds, these men and women can provide unique insights into the comics landscape. Moderated by Entertainment Weekly staff editor Nisha Gopalan. Room 6A 3:30-5:00 Golden and Silver Age of Comics—It’s the amazing annual gathering of the resident greats from the Golden and Silver Ages of comics! Moderated by Mark Evanier, this year’s list of luminaries includes Al Feldstein (EC editor/writer/artist), Victor Gorelick (Archie Comics editor and writer), Al Jaffee (MAD magazine cartoonist), comics writer/artist Larry Lieber, Harvey Comics writer/editor Sid Jacobson, and artists Russ Heath (G.I. Combat, Sgt. Rock) and Jerry Robinson (Batman). Filled with personal reminiscences and anecdotes, this panel promises to be a treasure trove of comics history! Room 8 3:30-4:30 Quantum Quest—This science fiction/science fact, 3D, large-format CGI-animated film will take you on a fantastic atomic journey through space. Quantum Quest combines a captivating science fiction story with a mind-blowing real safari through the solar system (created using radar data and extraordinary imagery from seven NASA missions). The film is the only one to be initiated by JPL/NASA and is sponsored by JPL/NASA and Digimax Animation Studios (Taiwan). Co-directors Harry Kloor (Star Trek Voyager, Earth Final Conflict, Godzilla) and Dan St. Pierre (Everyone’s Hero, Shark Tale, Tarzan) show exclusive footage from the film, which will be released in late summer, 2009 in both large-format and Real D theaters worldwide. Watch for surprise appearances by some members of the voice cast, which includes legendary astronaut Neil Armstrong, Chris Pine, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Alexander, Sandra Oh, William Shatner, Brent Spiner, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, and Abigail Breslin. Ballroom 20 3:30-4:30 Bat-Manga! Chip Kidd and the Secret History of Batman in Japan—Chip Kidd (Mythology) lifts the veil on officially licensed, original Batman manga stories from 1966 Japan, not previously collected or translated in over 40 years. Narrated slide show, with Q&A to follow. Room 30AB 3:30-5:00 Resin Casting and Silicone Mold-Making—Jeff Broz has presented six previous seminars about plastics and casting. Sam Girgis has loved spaceship design since the Apollo missions. Whether you want to produce a garage kit model or reproduce a broken part for your vintage toy, this year's seminar will cover material choices and advance into more complex silicone mold design and casting techniques that should offer secrets to the novice and the working Joes in the trenches for short run 3D duplication, and for garage kits or industrial design. Plus, more about vendors and material choices to cast your sculptures and models. Room 30CDE 4:00-5:00 Dark Horse Horror—Dark Horse Comics is home to some of the best horror comics ever produced, from Mike Mignola’s Hellboy and Steve Niles’ Criminal Macabre to upcoming collections of the classic horror magazines Creepy and Eerie. Dark Horse editors Scott Allie and Shawna Gore and a handful of our top creators take a look ahead at their spookiest projects for 2008, including a sneak peek at the 25th anniversary edition of Bernie Wrightson’s Frankenstein and a special appearance by the artist. Room 2 4:00-5:00 TV Costume Designers—Characters created by writers and comic book illustrators are made real for the screen via the artistry of costume designers. Meet the women and men who are the costume designers on this year’s most popular television productions. Panel moderator Hope Hanafin, costume designer and VP of the Costume Designers Guild, Local 892, hosts costume designers Shawna Trpcic (Firefly), Roland Sanchez (Lost), Debra McGuire (Heroes), Amanda Friedland (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), and Cynthia Bergstrom (Buffy, The Vampire Slayer). Room 4 4:00-5:00 Superhero Superfiction—Superheroes don't appear just in comics anymore. Authors discuss how to write superhero prose. Panelists include superhero prose authors Kevin J. Anderson (Last Days of Krypton), Michael Carroll (Quantum Prophecy: The Awakening), Professor Christopher Chambers (The Darker Mask), Vicki Pettersson (The Signs of the Zodiac series), Gary Phillips (The Darker Mask), Melinda M. Snodgrass (Wild Cards), Caroline Spector (Wild Cards) and Doselle Young (The Darker Mask). Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy. Room 5AB 4:00-5:00 Minx: Your Life in Pictures—In its first year, Minx found a whole new audience by creating original graphic novels for teenage girls. This year, Minx is breaking all the rules with another onslaught of amazing books. Panelists include group editor Shelly Bond and creators Cecil Castellucci (Janes in Love), David Hahn (All Nighter), Ryan Kelly (New York Four), Deborah Vankin (Insta-Life), and Brian Wood (DMZ, New York Four). Room 10 4:00-5:00 Star Trek Without a Blueprint: How Books and Comics Keep Expanding the Boundaries of the Star Trek Universe—Andy Mangels (moderator and Star Trek author), Margaret Clark (executive editor, Pocket Books), Andy Schmidt (senior editor, IDW) and Star Trek authors Kevin Dilmore, Dave Mack, Scott Tipton, and Dayton Ward discuss the future of Star Trek publishing. Room 32AB 4:15-5:15 Afro Samurai: Resurrection Exclusive Worldwide Premiere!—Afro Samurai picks up his sword once again for the second installment of this critically acclaimed, funktastic anime! This action-packed panel features the creators behind the hit, including star and executive producer Samuel L. Jackson (The Spirit), original creator Takahashi Okazaki, musical artist The RZA (Kill Bill), and executive producer Leo Chu (Spike TV). Be the first to see the worldwide premiere of the exclusive Comic-Con trailer, dazzling artwork from the manga, and never-before-seen demos of the pulse-pounding video game. Room 6B 4:15-5:15 Lionsgate/Marvel: Hulk vs. Wolverine—Alberta, Canada: Over the past week, the Incredible Hulk has been tearing a line across the Canadian wilderness, leaving a swathe of destruction in his wake. He has to be stopped, and there’s only one man up to the job. He’s the best at what he does, but what he does isn’t very nice. He’s Wolverine, an elite agent of Canada’s top secret Department H, and he’s been put on Hulk’s trail with a single objective: stop the green goliath...at all costs. Hulk and Wolverine are about to enter the fiercest battle of their lives. And they have no idea that there are a few unpleasant surprises waiting for them on the other side. Meet Craig Kyle (supervising producer/co-writer), Frank Paur (producer/supervising director), Christopher Yost (co-writer), and others involved in this Marvel Animation milestone and watch the complete Hulk vs. Wolverine months before its January 2009 Blu-ray and DVD release! Hall H 4:30-5:30 Episodic Games: Rewriting the Adventure Genre—With the first installment of Penny Arcade Adventures launched, the season finale of Sam & Max Season Two in the bag, and the recent debut of Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People, episodic adventure gaming has emerged as a viable new medium for interactive entertainment. Learn about episodic storytelling, adapting the humor and gameplay of the traditional adventure genre for a new generation of gamers, and the challenges of both as Joel DeYoung (Hothead Games), Arthur We (Hothead Games), Dan Connors (Telltale Games), and Dave Grossman (Telltale Games) sound off in this panel and Q&A session moderated by Frank Cifaldi (Gametap). Room 3 4:30-5:30 HBO’s True Blood—Based on the popular Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris, True Blood is created by Alan Ball, creator of HBO’s Emmy-winning series Six Feet Under. The series takes place in the not-too-distant future, when, thanks to the invention of synthetic blood, vampires no longer need humans for their fix and can walk freely, if not yet comfortably, among their living counterparts. With their integration into a small Louisiana town causing a stir, a love story ensues between Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin, the X-Men films; Academy Award winner for The Piano), an innocent waitress with the unusual ability to read minds, and vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer, The Starter Wife). The series also features Ryan Kwanten (Summerland), Rutina Wesley (How She Move), Sam Trammell (Judging Amy), and Nelsan Ellis (The Inside). True Blood debuts September 7 exclusively on HBO. Room 6CDEF 4:30-5:30 UClick: Mobile Comics—GoComics, the leader in online and mobile comics and manga, looks at a market truly coming in to its own. Panelists will discuss the evolution of comic strips and comic books in the digital age and examine new publishing platforms that make mobile viewing part of a complete comics experience. They’ll introduce new content from their partners: Stan Lee, Tokyopop, Virgin Comics, IDW, Devil’s Due, Papercutz, TMNT and more. Learn about what the future of mobile comics promises for fans and creators alike. Room 30AB 4:45-5:45 Mondo Marvel—2008 has already been a huge success for Marvel in all corners of the Universe. Now, join top editors and creators, including Greg Pak (Skaar, Son of Hulk), Matt Fraction (Invincible Iron Man), Ed Brubaker (Captain America), Jeff Parker (Agents of Atlas), Warren Simons (editor), Mark Paniccia (editor), and Jim McCann (publishing), to find out what's to come for Iron Man, Hulk, Daredevil, the FF, and all things Marvel. Room 6A 4:45-5:45 "SCREAM" Like a Girl—Spike loves women. And the coolest women on the planet are the ones who destroy aliens, defeat serial killers and battle evil villains with their superpowers! In honor of Spike's Scream Awards 2008—the first and most important televised event that celebrates the genius creative talent behind the powerhouse Hollywood genres of comic books, science fiction, fantasy and horror—Spike brings you a candid discussion of these genres from the women they love, who are poised to rule the fanboy's universe! Moderator Kevin Smith (Clerks), the brilliant writer, director, and comic book genius hosts an all-female panel of actresses, artists, writers, directors, and producers in a discussion about working in these genres from their unique point of view. Twenty lucky panel attendees will win tickets to the 2008 Scream Awards. Ballroom 20 5:00-6:00 The Making of the Vertigo Encyclopedia—Dig into the wealth of information DC Comics, Vertigo, and DK Publishing have and find out how a comic book imprint’s encyclopedia is created, from getting the material to organizing it and putting it out on the shelves. Get the down and dirty info from Karen Berger (senior VP/executive editor—Vertigo), Alastair Dougall (senior editor—DK Publishing), and Alex Irvine (author), and watch the world premiere of the documentary The Making of the Vertigo Encyclopedia. Room 2 5:00-6:00 Bandai Entertainment’s Anime Invasion—In 2008, Bandai Entertainment has put together an amazing line up of anime titles: Code Geass, Lucky Star, Gurren Lagann, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Sword of the Stranger, Ghost Slayers Ayashi, Gundam 00, and many more. Join Bandai Entertainment president Ken Iyadomi and director of marketing Robert Napton to hear all the latest news on the company’s releases, learn some tidbits about what’s coming, up and maybe get some free stuff! Room 4 5:00-6:00 The Pitching Hour—Michael Polis (WildBrain Studios, YoGabbaGabba), Jermaine Turner (director, Disney/ABC Cable Networks Group), Jill Sanford (manager, original series, Disney Television Animation), Sam Humphries (MySpace Comics), Paula Gould (PEG PR), Jeremy Love (writer/producer, Gettosake Studios), and moderator Dan Evans (freelance development exec) will take an idea from conception through production for various media. This process will include creating a pitch document, obtaining agents, and getting a pitch meeting. The panelists will explain, through hypothetical example and humorous stories, the process that new creators should adapt to make their way into the Hollywood creative battleground. Knowing that each project is unique, there will be a Q&A to allow the audience to really hone in on the solutions to obstacles they may encounter. Also on hand will be IP lawyer Brendan McFeely to give creators insight on protecting their ideas as they navigate Hollywood! Room 5AB 5:00-6:00 Spotlight on Floyd Norman—Comic-Con special guest Floyd Norman talks about his long and varied career in feature film and television animation. His work includes Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pixar’s Toy Story 2 and Monsters Inc., and many more fan favorites. Moderated by cartoonist and animation artist Scott Shaw! Room 7AB 5:00-6:00 Looking at Our World: Eye on the Past—Authors discuss how they use and abuse history to inform their fictional stories. Panelists include Connie Willis (Passage), Jacqueline Carey (Kushiel's Legacy), Max Allan Collins (Deadly Beloved), Peter David (Tigerheart), Naomi Novik (Victory of Eagles), and Jess Winfield (My Name Is Will: A Novel of Sex, Drugs, and Shakespeare). Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy. Room 8 5:00-6:00 Spotlight on Mike W. Barr—What would comics in the ’80s and ’90s have been without Camelot 3000, Batman and the Outsiders, The Maze Agency, and Mantra. The creator of those titles, Comic-Con special guest Mike W. Barr, will answer that question and pretty much any others, as well as what he's up to nowadays. (Just don't ask him what the "W." stands for.) With a special guest moderator...maybe. Room 10 5:00-6:00 Comics Experience: How to Write a Pitch!—Hosted by Andy Schmidt (IDW senior editor, GI Joe, Star Trek), panelists Mark Waid (BOOM! Studios editor-in-chief, Flash, Kingdom Come), James Lucas Jones (Oni Press editor-in-chief), Rob Levin (Top Cow Entertainment editor-in-chief), Chris Gage (The Authority, Invincible Iron Man), C. B. Cebulski (Drain, Wonderlost, X-Men: Divided We Stand) and Nick Lowe (Marvel X-Men editor) offer tips on writing pitches, pitching verbally, and getting your pitch read! Want to write a comic? Don’t miss this panel! Questions from the audience welcome. Room 30CDE 5:00-6:00 The Third Annual Comics Podcasting Panel—The best of the best in comics podcasting returns to San Diego for the third annual discussion of comics podcasting and how it’s affected the comics media. Rick Remender (writer of Fear Agent, Punisher War Journal, The End League) moderates a no-holds-barred discussion with comics podcasters Bryan Deemer and Peter Rios (Comic Geek Speak), Charlito and Mr. Phil (Indie Spinner Rack), Joe Gonzalez and Jimmy Aquino (Comic News Insider), Josh Flanagan and Conor Kilpatrick (iFanboy), and John Mayo and Bob Bretall (Comic Book Page). Room 32AB 5:30-6:30 Action Figure Times Toymaker Q&A—Ever wanted to know why your favorite character figure was limited, or just what toy companies are thinking? How about the recent movement of toy licenses from one manufacturer to another? Or the effect of the rising costs of fuel on the manufacturing of figures on the market? Here's your chance to ask the manufacturers (both big and small) about their favorite figures and statues. What questions have been burning in your mind? Come to Action Figure Times’ annual collectors’ panel to find out! Room 3 5:30-6:30 The Science Behind Science Fiction—Celebrate the world of science fiction when Jaime Paglia (writer and producer of Eureka) and Phil Plait (badastronomy.com) lead a panel discussion with Discover Magazine editors exploring when science becomes good science fiction. Join Jaime, Phil and other special guests for an exciting discussion followed by Q&A. Room 6B 5:30-6:30 Comics Arts Conference Workshop: Language Arts and Cross Curriculum Comics Seminar—Lisa Vizcarra (Carquinez Middle School) demonstrates the application of comics in the K-8 environment in Language Arts classes as well as across the curriculum. Using a step-by-step approach, she explains how comics—both published and student-created—can be used as pedagogical tools to explain plot, setting, and dialogue; to demonstrate the laws of physics; to learn the operation of new technology; and to develop skills in public speaking. Room 30AB 5:30-6:30 Dark Castle Entertainment—Launched by producer Joel Silver and director Robert Zemeckis, Dark Castle Entertainment was founded to create a unique brand of horror movies inspired by the works of filmmaker William Castle. Recently, Dark Castle entered into an arrangement with CIT Group Inc. to broaden Dark Castle into a full genre label that will include feature films (London-based crime thriller RocknRolla, directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Gerard Butler, scheduled to be released in October; Ninja Assassin directed by James McTeigue and starring Korean pop sensation Rain; and Whiteout, starring Kate Beckinsale), home video (The Hills Run Red starring Sophie Monk, William Sadler, and Tad Hilgenbrinck) and comic books (Ferryman by Marc Andreyko and Jonathan Wayshak). Hall H 5:45-6:45 Showtime: Dexter—Showtime presents exclusives from the set of the highly anticipated third season of Dexter. Moderator Kristin Dos Santos (E!) presides over this revealing interview and Q&A session with the top stars and executive producers of Dexter, featuring Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Clyde Phillips, and John Goldwyn, plus a special guest! Room 6CDEF 6:00-7:00 Life, Death, Life of Star Trek—You've heard a lot of hype about sci-fi's first franchise lately, now it's time to see what it's all about and celebrate an illustrious 40 years of boldly going with this regular panel of unpaid, uncensored Treksperts, who pay homage to Trek's past and future with some special surprises and exclusive audio-visual treats you'll only see here. Daren Dochterman (ST: TMP Director's Cut Special Edition), Robert Meyer Burnett (Free Enterprise), Jeff Bond (The Music of Star Trek), and moderator Mark A. Altman (Free Enterprise) talk Trek like no one else can...or will. Room 2 6:00-7:00 The Secret History of Manga in the U.S.—It's been 30 years since the first manga was translated into English. From MixxZine to Raijin, from Astro Boy to OEL, join Jason Thompson (Manga: The Complete Guide) on a visual time machine full of dreamers, censors, antiwar activists, and other weirdness. Including ninja. Lots of ninja. Room 4 6:00-7:00 Spotlight on Frank Beddor—Comic-Con special guest Frank Beddor, author of the best-selling "Looking Glass Wars" series, and creator of the Hatter M graphic novel, talks about the creation of his books, gives the story behind the story, and presents concept art from a wide array of artists who have visualized his text: Ben Templesmith (30 Day of Night), Doug Chiang (Star Wars), and Stephan Martiniere (I, Robot). He'll reveal the new online game The Card Soldier Wars, show a special effects trailer for The Looking Glass Wars movie, and discuss how each of these mediums connect and extend The Looking Glass Wars universe. Room 5AB 6:00-7:00 DC Nation—DC Senior VP/executive editor Dan DiDio hosts this gabfest with Keith Giffen (Reign in Hell, Ambush Bug: Year None), Geoff Johns (Action Comics, Green Lantern), Brad Meltzer (DCU: Last Will and Testament), and some of the top talent in the industry, talking and teasing upcoming stories! Come learn the secrets behind the most talked about events of the summer! Room 6A 6:00-7:00 Bill Plympton’s Idiots and Angels—Independent animator Bill Plympton (The Tune, Mutant Aliens) will screen the first 20 minutes of his just-completed animated feature Idiots and Angels, plus his new short, Hot Dog, the latest sequel to the Oscar-nominated Guard Dog. Join Bill for a look at his latest projects, plus a Q&A session to follow. Room 7AB 6:00-7:00 Devil’s Due Presents: Hack/Slash and Beyond!—Hollywood screenwriter Justin Marks (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li) joins Hack/Slash creator Tim Seeley (Halloween: Nightdance) to talk about the new H/S film and his new DDP/Capcom comic book series Bionic Commando. Also featuring director Todd Lincoln, Hack/Slash Annual stars from The Suicide Girls, and a blockbuster surprise guest you won’t want to miss! Room 8 6:00-7:00 Random House Publishing—Staff from the Random House Publishing Group—including Betsy Mitchell (editor-in-chief, Del Rey), Dallas Middaugh (associate publisher, Del Rey Manga), Mutsumi Miyazaki (director of licensing and acquisitions, Del Rey Manga), Chris Schluep (senior editor, RHPG), and Tricia Narwani (editor, RHPG)—discuss upcoming titles from Del Rey, Del Rey Manga, Ballantine, and Villard Graphic Novels. Room 10 6:00-7:00 From Fan to Creator: Goal Setting for Creative Types—Which side of the convention table do you want to be on: artist or fan? And what’s keeping you from getting there? If you have an idea in your head that you’ve had trouble bringing into reality, you might benefit from this fun and practical goal-setting workshop, designed specifically for the Comic-Con crowd. Teacher and life purpose coach Douglas Neff will give you simple, proven techniques for achieving your most important goals. And this year, a surprise guest panel will fill your head with inspiration before you leave. Whether you want to write your own screenplay, draw your first comic, or shoot your independent film, you’re sure to get something useful from this informative and energizing workshop. Room 30CDE 6:00-7:00 The Comics Blogosphere—The blog explosion has opened up a new frontier for comics criticism. This lively (and inevitably bloggable) discussion features David Brothers (4thletter!), Jeff Lester (The Savage Critic(s)), Laura Hudson (Myriad Issues), Tim Robins (Mindless Ones) and moderator Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics). Room 32AB 6:30-7:30 So You Want to Do a Graphic Novel—Writer and publisher Larry Young assembles a team of writers and artists to unlock the secrets and unveil the mysteries of completing your own graphic novel. Panelists Adam Beechen (Final Crisis), Steven Grant (Two Guns), Kirsten Baldock (Smoke and Guns), Matt Silady (The Homeless Channel), and Manny Bello (Dugout) kibbitz, cajole, and inspire you. Room 3 6:30-7:30 Adventures in Game Development—Have you ever dreamed of making your own video game? Are you a writer with a great story? Is there a place in video games for a traditional artist? Or do you just want to get into the industry? Veteran designer Alex Jimenez (Battletanxs, Darkstalkers), artist David DeVries (The Monster Engine), and author Blake Hutchins (The Sword from the Sea) answer all your questions and take you inside the video game industry. Find out what it takes to break into this competitive but rewarding field. Attendees will also get a special sneak peek at the upcoming title Blueshift. Room 30AB 6:45-7:45 Robotech Industry Panel—Tommy Yune, director of Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, covers the history of the animated series that introduced a generation to anime and discusses upcoming new releases in the wake of the announcement of the live-action feature film. Room 6B Nighttime Programs 7:00-9:00 Comedy Central TV Funhouse with Robert Smigel—Robert Smigel (Saturday Night Live) and Dino Stamatopoulos (Morel Orel) reunite to discuss the most groundbreaking show to ever hit (and subsequently disappear) from basic cable. Join the guys to relive the glory of the best show you barely remember. Room 6CDEF 7:00-9:00 Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist—Get a look behind the mask of The Spirit creator in this feature-length documentary movie. With a triumphant world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, the production features the legendary writer/artist Will Eisner with Frank Miller, Stan Lee, Jules Feiffer, Jack Kirby, Kurt Vonnegut, and many others. Following this unique free movie screening, director/producer Andrew D. Cooke and writer/producer Jon B. Cooke will be available for a dynamic Q&A session. Room 7AB 7:15-8:15 Adventures in Anime—Quinton Flynn (Axel from Kingdom Hearts, Reno from Final Fantasy, Raiden from MGS) and Emmy winner Jeff Nimoy (director of Digimon, Naruto, Wolfwood from Trigun) talk about their careers and their adventures on tour, answer your questions, and sing their famous Yaoi Song from AdventuresInAnime.com! Room 6A 7:30-8:30 Geek Roundtable Live— Be a part of a live podcast with the guys from GeekRoundTable.com, the coolest geek podcast on the Internet. The guys will discuss the latest and hottest in comics, movies, television, DVDs, and games. Put your two cents in and get free prizes to boot, and maybe the guys will let you sit in the empty chair! Featuring Ned Cato Jr., Jesse Lopez, Chris Sturhann, Mary Sturhann, Matt Jeffery, Wesley Strawther, and Johann Joseph starring as himself. Room 10 8:00-8:30 Lionsgate and Marvel: Punisher: War Zone!—Producer Gale Anne Hurd (The Incredible Hulk) and stars Ray Stevenson (Rome) and Julie Benz (Rambo, Dexter) take you into the world of the Punisher for an exclusive first look. You won't be prepared! Room 6B 8:30-9:00 Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures: Saw 5—Join director David Hackl, along with the filmmakers and cast for an exclusive first look at the latest terrifying installment of the most successful horror series in history! Room 6B 8:30-10:00 Star Wars Fan Film Awards—It’s the galaxy-spanning return of a Comic-Con favorite! The Star Wars Fan Film Awards come back to Ballroom 20 as the Thursday night big event. Ballroom 20 9:00-10:00 Repo! The Genetic Opera First Look—See what director Darren Lynn Bousman has been up to since directing the last three Saw movies: Repo! The Genetic Opera. Check out the phenomenon that is this Goth Rock musical with sneak peeks and the new trailer plus stories from Darren and the actors themselves, including Alexa Vega (Spy Kids), Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects), and Ogre (the band Skinny Puppy), among others. Room 6B 9:00-12:00 10th Annual Superhero Kung-Fu Extravaganza —Martial Arts movie master Ric Meyers (Inside Kung-Fu) celebrates a decade's worth of bringing you the funniest, fastest, and most amazing film clips by creating an anniversary show of the greatest kung-fu fights of all time, complete with surprise guest stars and freebies! If you attend only one "Extravaganza" in the next ten years, make this the one! Room 6CDEF 10:00-12:00 Warner Premiere and Warner Home Video: World Premiere of Lost Boys The Tribe—Prepare to sink your teeth into the long-awaited and highly anticipated next chapter of the cult phenomenon started by the 1987 cult classic, and be the first to see Lost Boys The Tribe before its July 29 DVD release at this special world premiere. More than 20 years in the making, Lost Boys The Tribe is an homage to the original 1987 cult hit and stars Corey Feldman as vampire hunter Edgar Frog, along with Tad Hilgenbrinck, Angus Sutherland, and Autumn Reeser, with appearances by Jamison Newlander and Corey Haim. Meet the cast and filmmakers as director P J Pesce and original Lost Boys star Corey Feldman are joined by Tad Hilgenbrinck, Angus Sutherland, and Autumn Reeser to answer questions and talk about the making of this new horror classic. Ballroom 20.
]]>Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:09:09 GMTlopezdashComic-Con7/8/2008 12:09:09 PMThe schedule is up on the Comic-Con site, but isn't being linked anywhere. Copied here, for your convinience. (h/t Shawna Benson on FriendFeed) Thursday, July 24 10:00-11:00 Click &amp; Clack&rsquo;s As the Wrench Turns&mdash;Behind the scenes at PBS&rsquo;s hilarious new primetime toon, based on the famous radio show Car Talk, direct from Car Talk Plaza! Catch a sneak peek of a new episode, plus Q&amp;A with the creators: Tom Sito (The Lion King, Osmosis Jones), Bill Kroyer (Tron, Garfield the Movie), Stephen Silver (Kim Possible), Floyd Norman (101 Dalmatians), Helen Jen (TMNT), Tom Minton (Pinky and the Brain), and executive producer Howard Grossman. Extra bonus feature: a special message for Comic-Con from the real Tom &amp; Ray, the Tappet Bros! Room 2 10:00-11:00 75 Years of Doc Savage&mdash;Anthony Tollin (editor/publisher of Doc Savage and The Shadow double-novel reprints) leads a panel discussion on the pulp era's greatest superhero and the Man of Bronze's iconic influence on comic book superheroes, including Superman and Batman., Panelists will also discuss what's coming up next in Nostalgia Ventures&rsquo; pulp reprint series. Panelists include movie producer/popular culture historian Michael Uslan. Room 5AB 10:00-11:00 Kings: Exclusive Sneak Peek Screening and Q&amp;A with Cast and Executive Producers&mdash;Kings is a contemporary re-imagining of the timeless tale of David and Goliath, an epic story of greed and power, war and romance, forbidden loves and secret alliances, and a young hero who rises to power in a modern-day kingdom. Be the first to see an exclusive sneak peek from the two-hour pilot. Moderated by Greg Grunberg (Heroes), the panel includes a Q&amp;A with creator/executive producer Michael Green (Heroes), director/executive producer Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend), executive producer Erwin Stoff (I Am Legend), and the cast: Golden Globe winner Ian McShane (Deadwood), Chris Egan (Resident Evil: Extinction), Susanna Thompson (Star Trek: Voyager), Sebastian Stan (Gossip Girl), and Allison Miller (Seventeen Again). Room 6B 10:00-11:00 Fans&rsquo; Guide to Comic-Con&mdash;Wesley Strawther, Matt Jeffery, Jesse Lopez, and Johann Joseph host your guide to the largest comics convention around. Designed to help rookie convention goers have the most fun possible, this panel offers even a gem or two for veteran attendees! Room 8 10:00-11:00 The Gene Roddenberry Legacy: Roddenberry in the 21st Century&mdash;Building on his father&rsquo;s legacy with Star Trek, Rod Roddenberry and Roddenberry Productions are bringing the Roddenberry philosophy into the 21st century, through their work on the forthcoming feature documentary Trek Nation, as well as the development of original content in webcomics such as Rod &amp; Barry and Gene&rsquo;s Journal. This panel features exclusive Comic-Con looks at new Roddenberry content and projects currently in development. Featuring Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry, Trevor Roth (COO of Roddenberry Productions), and Paul Keller. Room 10 10:00-11:00 Masters of the Web&mdash;For the second year in a row the biggest genre and movie websites are coming together to discuss how new media have affected movie making, what it takes to run a popular site, and much more in a panel discussion and Q&amp;A session. Participants include Robert Sanchez (IESB.net), Garth Franklin (Darkhorizons.com), Mike Sampson (Joblo.com), Erik Davis (Cinematical.com), John Campea (TheMovieBlog.com), Brad Miska (Bloody-Disgusting.com), Eric "Quint" Vespe (Aintitcool.com), Devin Faraci (CHUD.com), Paul Christensen (Movieweb.com), and Kellvin Chavez (Latinoreview.com). Moderated by directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (Crank 2, The Game). Room 32AB 10:30-11:30 Tripwire&mdash;The staff of Tripwire and some friends discuss Tripwire Annual 2008 and the future of genre fiction, with special panelists Pat McGreal, Jamie McKelvie, and others. Moderated by Joel Meadows (editor-in-chief) and Andy Grossberg (associate editor, U.S.). Room 3 10:00-11:00 DC Talent Search Orientation&mdash;Learn what DC Comics looks for in artists and how to improve your chances of becoming a working professional! Panelists will discuss the different needs of the DC Universe, Vertigo, WildStorm, MAD magazine, Minx, and Zuda. This informative orientation session will explain how DC&rsquo;s Talent Search works and provide numerous tips and tricks on how to improve your work and explore opportunities. In order to have your work reviewed, attendance at this orientation session is mandatory. (Please note: Not all attendees are guaranteed a one-on-one review.) Room 4 10:30-11:30 Freaks, Geeks, and Tiny Toons&mdash;Warner Home Video brings the hit animated television series Tiny Toon Adventures and Freakazoid! to DVD on July 29. This panel features Bruce Timm (storyboard artist, character designer), John McCann (Douglas Douglas, Hero Boy story editor), Paul Rugg (Freakazoid writer), Sherri Stoner (writer, producer, story editor), Paul Dini (writer, story editor), Jean MacCurdy (executive producer), Rich Arons (producer, writer, director) and Andrea Romano (voice director). They&rsquo;re tiny, they&rsquo;re toony, they&rsquo;re all a little loony! Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Tiny Toon Adventures is a Daytime Emmy Award animated series that spawned a whole new generation of madcap Looney Toons characters, including Buster Bunny, Babs Bunny, Plucky Duck, and Hamton J. Pig, among others. Freakazoid! aired for two seasons. Also executive produced by Spielberg, this Daytime Emmy Award&ndash;winning series chronicles the adventures of Freakazoid, a manic, insane superhero who battles a vast array of supervillains. Room 6A 10:30-11:30 Spotlight on Noel Neill&mdash;She&rsquo;s celebrating her 60th anniversary as America&rsquo;s favorite superhero sweetheart! Comic-Con special guest Noel Neill first took on the role of ace reporter Lois Lane in the 1948 Superman serial from Columbia, and she went on to provide the definitive depiction of the character in the popular 1950s TV show, Adventures of Superman, with George Reeves. Superman historian John Field interviews Ms. Neill about her life with the man in the cape and the rest of her amazing career! Room 7AB 10:30-11:30 Comics Arts Conference Session #1: Guerilla Warfare and Sneak Attacks: The Politics of Representing War in Film and Comics of the 1950s&mdash;Rocco Versaci (Palomar College) discusses his book This Book Contains Graphic Language: Comics as Literature, in which he champions comics as a legitimate literary artform and argues that comics as a marginalized medium have been uniquely suited to subvert dominant ideologies in ways impossible for more highly regarded media. In the 1940s and 1950s, when both the comics and film industries were hard at work representing war, comics&mdash;because they were considered a marginal entertainment media&mdash;were "freer" to deliver subversive and even incendiary political messages. Room 30AB 10:30-12:00 Comic Book Law School 101: Let&rsquo;s Get It Started&mdash;A very good place to start...to start learning how to protect your intellectual property rights, that is! Learn the basics of copyright and trademark law in this popular interactive lecture series brought to you by noted attorney Michael Lovitz, author of The Trademark and Copyright Book comic book. This first workshop covers the basics of protection and ownership of ideas, works of authorship, characters, and names from conception through publication and beyond. Attendees will participate in an interactive discussion about basic rights provided under U.S. copyright and trademark laws, as well as new decisions and changes in the law and how they could affect those rights. Along the way, there will be plenty to learn about the protections, and pitfalls, of the U.S. trademark and copyright systems. Note: The Comic Book Law School seminars are designed to provide relevant information and practice tips to practicing attorneys, as well as practical tips to creators and other professionals who may wish to attend. [This program is approved for one (1) credit of California MCLE.] Room 30CDE 10:45-11:45 Reinventing the Page: Stan Lee and Grant Morrison Talk Virgin Comics&mdash;Two of the most important creators in the history of comic books team up to discuss the bold new frontiers being explored in the art of storytelling. Legendary creator Stan Lee (Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, X-Men) shares his insights on the world of comics and presents never-before-revealed hints of his new superhero universe with Virgin Comics. Joining Stan is prolific creator Grant Morrison (New X-Men, All Star Superman, Final Crisis), contemporary comics&rsquo; most active mind, who will discuss his new Virgin Comics animated online series MBX while offering his own insights on comics and engaging with Stan in a once-in-a-lifetime conversation about the long history and boundless future of their beloved medium. Ballroom 20 11:00-12:00 Indies in Comics&mdash;Do you intend to create the next great comic book, action figure, or the like? If so, you know that doing so as an independent can be difficult. What should you do? How do you get started? The Antidote Trust is here to answer many of your questions. TAT, the ultimate independent creators&rsquo; collective, produces comics, action figures&mdash;nearly anything&mdash;and rivals the industry&rsquo;s top companies in quality and professional outlook. TAT is a diverse group, including men and women from across the country and from all ethnicities. Their projects range from sci-fi to standard superhero to Asian/Indian mythology to noir to twists on today&rsquo;s society. These trailblazers will discuss making independent projects that challenge the majors in production value, originality, and professionalism. Room 2 11:00-12:00 Professional Writing: Threat or Menace?&mdash;Let's talk writing, creativity, and selling (and selling out), and what the world of professional writing is like. Questions that you've always wanted to ask? Creative blocks bugging you? Wondered what the H*O*L*L*Y*W*O*O*D life is really like? Show up and get answers to those questions. This no-holds-barred talk is moderated by J. Michael Straczynski. Room 5AB 11:00-12:00 The Comic Art of J. G. Jones&mdash;One of the most popular artists working in comics today, Comic-Con special guest J. G. Jones talks about his projects, including the summer blockbuster movie hit Wanted and DC&rsquo;s Final Crisis, with Ian Sattler, senior story editor, DCU. Room 8 11:00-12:00 LGBT Portrayals in Comics&mdash;With the increased number of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) characters in both mainstream and indie comics today, it's time to examine how they're faring. Has this increased presence meant better and more complex portrayals, or is there more to be explored? Has the call for "positive" portrayals been beneficial, or has it left LGBT characters one-dimensional? And what can we expect in the future? Join moderator Patricia Jeres (Prism board member and talent and industry relations chair) and panelists Perry Moore (author of Hero, winner of the Lambda Literary Award; executive producer of Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia series), Gail Simone (Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman), and Bob Schreck (group editor, DC Comics) for this insightful discussion. Room 10 11:00-12:00 The Disney Animation Story Process&mdash;Nathan Greno (head of story, Bolt), Don Hall (head of story, The Princess and the Frog), Mark Kennedy (head of story, Rapunzel), Joe Mateo (story artist, Bolt), Michael LaBash (story artist, Bolt), Paul Briggs (story artist, The Princess and the Frog), and Josie Trinidad (story artist, The Princess and the Frog) offer an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look into the story process at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Coming together exclusively at Comic-Con, these story team leaders will take you from first concept to final story approval as they discuss the art of storyboarding, re-create story pitches, and share boarding styles from their upcoming animated features. Don&rsquo;t miss this revealing and humorous panel and your chance to get a sneak peek at Disney's next animated feature, Bolt! Room 32AB 11:15-12:15 30th Anniversary Battlestar Galactica Panel&mdash;Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek/Apollo), Bear McCreary (BG composer), producer Tom DeSanto (Transformers, X-Men), Dr. Kevin Grazier (science consultant), and surprise guests present an in-depth discussion of the Battlestar universe from the classic to the re-imagined and beyond, including BSG trailers and Q&amp;A. Room 6B 11:30-12:30 Spotlight on Neil Googe&mdash;From Welcome to Tranquility to WildCats: World&rsquo;s End, it&rsquo;s no secret that artist Neil Googe is a talent on the rise! Find out all you want to know about this up-and-coming star artist with moderator and WildStorm senior editor Ben Abernathy, including plans that will surely change the WildStorm Universe! Room 3 11:30-12:30 From the K Chronicles to The Knight Life: Keith Knight&mdash;Help celebrate the release of Comic-Con favorite Keith Knight's The Complete K Chronicles, a 500-page omnibus collection of the Harvey Award&ndash;winning comic strip. Knight will present his hilarious slideshow, chronicling his jump from self-published zines to award-winning comic strip, ending with his new syndicated daily strip, The Knight Life, recently launched by United Features Syndicate. Room 4 11:30-12:30 SPORE: One-on-One with Will Wright&mdash;Will Wright is best known for creating the SimCity and The Sims video game franchises, the latter of which has sold more than 100 million games to date. In 2007, he was given the Vanguard Award from the Producer&rsquo;s Guild of America, making him the first person in the videogame industry to receive such an honor. Wright&rsquo;s next video game, SPORE, is scheduled for release on September 7. Join Will Wright for his first-ever appearance at Comic-Con! Room 6CDEF 11:30-12:30 Hasbro: GI Joe&mdash;As Hasbro ramps up for the summer 2009 blockbuster movie release of GI Joe, Aaron Archer (Hasbro Design), Michael Ritchie (Hasbro Marketing), and Michelino Paolino (Hasbro Design) discuss this year&rsquo;s product line, entertainment, and other initiatives. Panelists will include special guests that you won&rsquo;t want to miss, plus Q&amp;A! Room 7AB 11:30-1:00 Comics Arts Conference Session #2: Comics Pedagogy&mdash;As comics find more mainstream acceptance, they are increasingly being incorporated into higher education. This panel looks at comics in the classroom both as texts and as tools. Jeffrey Kahan (University of Laverne) and David Baldizon (School of Arts and Enterprise) discuss their use of comic books to teach English composition and to foster greater cultural awareness more generally through the exploration of comics&rsquo; social, historical and literary significance. Patrick Jagoda (Duke University) considers how to incorporate comics as a medium into an otherwise "high literary" and theoretical curriculum. Chris "Tof" Eklund, Aaron Kashtan, and James Reaves (University of Florida) present the innovative approaches to comics studies currently being practiced by graduate students in the University of Florida&rsquo;s Department of English, focusing on the uses of Lovecraft adaptations, Scott Pilgrim&rsquo;s video game logic, and art spiegelman&rsquo;s funny animals. A professional development certificate for teachers is available for this session. Room 30AB 11:30-1:00 20th Century Fox: The Day The Earth Stood Still and Max Payne&mdash; Stars Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly, plus director Scott Derrickson and producer Erwin Stoff, present an exclusive look at The Day The Earth Stood Still, Fox&rsquo;s contemporary reinvention of its 1951 classic. Keanu is Klaatu, an alien whose arrival on our planet triggers a global upheaval. As governments and scientists race to unravel the mystery behind the visitor&rsquo;s appearance, a woman (Jennifer) and her young stepson get caught up in his mission&mdash;and come to understand the ramifications of his being a self-described "friend to the Earth." Klaatu Barada Nikto. The legendary interactive video game Max Payne comes to the big screen, telling the story of a maverick cop determined to track down those responsible for the brutal murder of his family and partner. Hell-bent on revenge, his obsessive investigation takes him on a nightmare journey into a dark underworld. As the mystery deepens, Max is forced to battle enemies beyond the natural world and face an unthinkable betrayal. "Max Payne" himself&mdash;Mark Wahlberg&mdash;will be on hand with Mila Kunis, Ludacris, and director John Moore to discuss turning the game&rsquo;s noirish, hard-hitting, and complex world and characters into a movie event. Hall H 11:45-12:45 Knight Rider: First Look at the New Series and Q&amp;A with Cast and Executive Producers&mdash;On the heels of NBC's hit sequel movie based on the iconic 1980s television classic, Knight Rider has been reinvented as a supercharged action series showcasing the new KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand). Be the first to see exclusive footage from the new series. Moderated by Television Week deputy editor/columnist Josef Adalian, who participates in a Q&amp;A session with executive producer/showrunner Gary Scott Thompson (The Fast and The Furious, Las Vegas); executive producer David Bartis (Heist, The OC); and the cast: Justin Bruening (Cold Case), Deanna Russo (NCIS), Sydney Tamiia Poitier (Veronica Mars), Paul Campbell (Battlestar Galactica), Yancey Arias (Kingpin), Bruce Davison (X-Men) and Smith Cho (Blades of Glory). Room 6A 12:00-1:00 Sideshow Collectibles&mdash;Sideshow Collectibles is a leading manufacturer in the world of figure collectibles, with an award-winning artistic team. Sideshow&rsquo;s product development team offers insights into the newest products and licenses, as well as a Q&amp;A session. Room 2 12:00-1:00 The New Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D&rsquo;s: English-Language World Premiere&mdash;Be the first on the planet to see the English language version of the new Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D&rsquo;s television series. Plus, meet the team behind the show, including&mdash;straight from Japan&mdash;producer Teruaki Jitsumatsu (Transformers: Robots in Disguise). Yumi Hoashi of Konami, and representatives from UpperDeck, 4KidsEntertainment, and Playmates Toys will also reveal what&rsquo;s in store for Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D&rsquo;s fans and, while supplies last, offer a few surprises for lucky attendees! Room 5AB 12:00-1:00 Spotlight on Paul Gulacy&mdash;One of the most exciting artists working in comics, Comic-Con special guest Paul Gulacy has a career spanning over 30 years. Famous for his cinematic style on books such as Master of Kung Fu, Gulacy talks about his work, past, present, and future. Room 8 12:00-1:00 How Not to Break into Comics&mdash;There have been countless articles and panels on how to break into comics, but very few on how not to. Randal C. Jarrell (managing editor at Oni Press), Jennifer de Guzman (editor-in-chief of SLG Publishing), and other industry insiders discuss the common and often-hilarious mistakes people make when trying to pitch or get work in the comics industry. This unique inside perspective will help any prospective creator learn how to navigate the potential pitfalls that doom far too many in their attempts to break into comics. If you want to work in comics, you do not want to miss this panel! Room 10 12:00-1:00 Doctor Who&mdash;Writer Russell T Davies (Doctor Who), executive producer Julie Gardner (Torchwood), and writer Steven Moffat (Doctor Who) discuss their creative process and experience working on the BBC&rsquo;s Doctor Who&mdash;Britain&rsquo;s most successful sci-fi franchise&mdash;with exclusive clips and a Q&amp;A session. Ballroom 20 12:00-1:00 Classics Illustrated&mdash;Classics Illustrated is back, and it&rsquo;s got company! Publishers ranging from Marvel to the Bible house Thomas Nelson are offering James Bond adaptations, manga versions of Shakespeare, and everything in between. How do writers and artists face the scary task of making the classics fresh while living up to the original works&rsquo; greatness? Rick Geary, Roy Thomas, Charles Kochman, and David Seidman reveal how they&rsquo;ve been doing it. Room 32AB 12:30-1:30 Spotlight on Eddie Campbell&mdash;Comic-Con special guest Eddie Campbell talks about his books, including From Hell, The Fate of the Artist and his latest, due for release at Comic-Con, The Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard, His co-writer on the latter, Dan Best, will also be on hand to answer questions. Room 3 12:30-1:15 Humor in Science Fiction&mdash;Learn the secrets of the humor game from some top insiders in the field, including David Gerrold ("The Trouble With Tribbles"), William F. Nolan (Sam Space, Logan&rsquo;s Run), John Truby (Anatomy of Story), George Clayton Johnson (Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Ocean&rsquo;s 11, Logan&rsquo;s Run), and Marc Scott Zicree (executive producer, Sliders; author of The Twilight Zone Companion). Moderated by Chas Holloway with Shadowstar Games president Mark O&rsquo;Bannon. Room 4 12:30-1:30 DC: Superman: Man of Tomorrow&mdash;The groundwork is being laid now for the next phase of Superman&rsquo;s heroic career. The architects of Superman&rsquo;s future are here to give you a glimpse of what is to come. Featuring Superman senior editor Matt Idelson, Geoff Johns (Action Comics), James Robinson (Superman), Renato Guedes (Superman), and more! Room 6B 12:30-1:30 William Katt: Greatest American Hero Comic&mdash;Join Alex, Justin, and Pete from Pulp Secret for one of the biggest announcements at this year&rsquo;s Comic-Con, an event that&rsquo;s been 25 years in the making. Catastrophic Comics&rsquo; William Katt (Greatest American Hero), Christopher Folino (Gamers), and Derek McCaw (Fanboy Planet) along with Arcana Studios&rsquo; Sean O'Reilly (The Clockwork Girl) are on hand for an interview and Q&amp;A. Room 7AB 1:00-2:00 Spotlight on Steve Purcell&mdash;Join Sam &amp; Max creator&mdash;and Eisner Award winner and Comic-Con special guest&mdash;Steve Purcell on a visual tour from his first scratchy Sam &amp; Max strips through his career as an illustrator, game designer, and concept artist to his current role as a Pixar storyteller. Q&amp;A to follow. Room 2 1:00-2:00 Modern Masters: Live!&mdash;Modern Masters editor Eric Nolen-Weathington brings together three of the greatest artists in comics&mdash;Frank Cho (Liberty Meadows, Mighty Avengers), Michael Golden (Micronauts, The 'Nam), and Mark Schultz (Xenozoic Tales, Superman: Man of Steel)&mdash;for a conversation about art, comics, and beyond! Room 5AB 1:00-2:00 Activision with Stan Lee&mdash;From webslinging to forming the ultimate alliance of superheroes, Marvel and Activision continue to bring many of the world&rsquo;s most popular and beloved comic book heroes to life like never before. Explore, behind the scenes, how the teams draw inspiration from a generation of Stan Lee&rsquo;s legendary Marvel comics to re-create the most authentic heroes and advanced superpowers in high-definition for today&rsquo;s gamer. Stan Lee, members from Activision&rsquo;s development studios Shaba Games and Vicarious Visions, and former game designer and current comic writer Brian Reed present an engaging discussion and preview of the imagination, creative process, and technology used to develop the most advanced superhero games ever. Room 6A 1:00-2:00 Mark and Sergio&mdash;The world&rsquo;s fastest cartoonist joins forces with the Comic-Con 2008 weekend record holder for panel moderation! Yes, it&rsquo;s Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragon&eacute;s together again. Expect lots of talk on Groo and anything else these two whirlwinds are conspiring to bring us in the near future. Room 8 1:00-2:00 Bongo Comics&mdash;Celebrate 15 years of mischief and merriment with Bongo Comics. Be a party to the party as managing editor Terry Delegeane and creative director Bill Morrison host a panel featuring the writers and artists who create the comics and books based on Matt Groening&rsquo;s phenomenal TV shows. Find out what&rsquo;s in the future for the upstart comic book company that Bart built. This is a "must-attend" panel for all fans of The Simpsons and Futurama. Room 10 1:00-2:00 Torchwood&mdash;Writer Russell T Davies (Doctor Who), executive producer Julie Gardner (Torchwood), writer Steven Moffat (Doctor Who), and actors John Barrowman, Gareth David-Lloyd, Naoko Mori and Burn Gorman discuss their creative process and experience on working on BBC America&rsquo;s highest-rated show ever&mdash;Torchwood&mdash; followed by a Q&amp;A session. Ballroom 20 UPDATE: 1:00-2:00 Comics Arts Conference Session #3: Comics and the Law&mdash;TBD 1:00-2:00 Hi-Fi Coloring Workshop&mdash;Brian Miller (Superman) and Kristy Miller (Hi-Fi Color for Comics) share their tips, tricks, and techniques for coloring comics. Want to learn how to color? Join Brian and Kristy for a coloring demonstration and Q&amp;A session. Room 30CDE 1:00-2:00 The Future of the Comics Pamphlet&mdash;Are serialized comics in a death-spiral? Is the graphic novel the sole shape of comics to come? Retailers including Carr D'Angelo (Earth 2 Comics), publishing representatives including Joe Keatinge (Image Comics), and cartoonists discuss the state of the periodical with moderator Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics). Room 32AB 1:15-2:00 How to Tell a Story&mdash;Get a deep insight into the craft of storytelling from these masters in the field: David Gerrold (TV writer, author of 30+ novels), William F. Nolan (TV and film writer, author of over a dozen novels), George Clayton Johnson (Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Ocean&rsquo;s 11, Logan&rsquo;s Run), John Truby (owner, John Truby&rsquo;s Writer&rsquo;s Studio, author, Anatomy of Story), and Marc Scott Zicree (TV writer, executive producer, Sliders; author of The Twilight Zone Companion). Moderated by Chas Holloway with Shadowstar Games president Mark O&rsquo;Bannon. Room 4 1:15-2:45 Summit Pictures&mdash;Summit Entertainment presents a sneak peek of exclusive footage of some of its upcoming major film releases: Push&mdash;In this futuristic sci-fi thriller set in Hong Kong, a group of young American ex-pats with extraordinary psychic abilities must band together and use their different talents on a final mission to escape a clandestine government agency forever. Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Djimon Hounsou, Camilla Belle and director Paul McGuigan present a first look at exclusive footage and answer questions about the film. Knowing&mdash;An action thriller of global proportions. Director Alex Proyas appears in person to introduce never-before-seen footage for his new major motion picture starring Nicolas Cage. Twilight&mdash;Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling book series, Twilight is an action-packed, modern-day love story between a vampire and a mortal. Director Catherine Hardwicke, author Stephenie Meyer, and the cast&mdash;including Robert Pattinson (Edward), Kristen Stewart (Bella), Cam Gigandet (James), Rachelle LaFevre (Victoria), Edi Gathegi (Laurant), and Taylor Lautner (Jacob)&mdash;answer your questions about bringing the world of these beloved characters to life on the big screen and show exclusive footage from the film. Hall H 1:30-2:30 Conan Comics and Beyond&mdash;Dark Horse Comics revitalized Conan in 2004&mdash;now it's set to launch stunning interpretations of Robert E. Howard heroes Kull and Solomon Kane in 2008. Conan editor Philip Simon moderates a discussion of the upcoming titles with creators who've worked on Howard comics past and present&mdash;Scott Allie (Solomon Kane), Will Conrad (Kull), Dave Stewart (Solomon Kane), and Jos&eacute; Villarrubia (Conan)&mdash;focusing on the company's new series and adapting Howard's works to comics. Room 3 1:30-3:00 Artemis Fowl&mdash;Eoin Colfer, author of the blockbuster Artemis Fowl series, launches his sixth book in the series, Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox, with Fairies, Fiends and Flatulence, a hilarious one man live show that explains to fans the genesis of each of Eoin's characters in the books&mdash;both good and evil&mdash;all of which come from his four Irish brothers. Room 7AB 1:45-2:45 Marvel: X-Men&mdash;The X-Men have a new home and a new direction in Manifest Destiny. This star-studded, must-attend panel features the writers of the X-Verse, including Ed Brubaker (Uncanny X-Men), Matt Fraction (Uncanny X-Men), Chris Yost (X-Force), Craig Kyle (X-Force), Daniel Way (Deadpool), Marjorie Liu (NYX), and Duane Swierczynski (Cable), plus Axel Alonso (X-Men group editor) and Nick Lowe (X-Men editor). Room 6B 2:00-3:00 Science Fiction That Will Change Your Life&mdash;A discussion of science fiction stories intended to make you rethink your whole life or alter your perceptions. With Annalee Newitz (editor-in-chief, io9.com; contributor, Wired), Austin Grossman (author, Soon I Will Be Invincible), Charlie Jane Anders (news editor, io9.com; contributor, Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet), Graeme McMillan (weekend editor, io9.com, contributor, Newsarama), and Patrick Lee (editor, Sci-Fi Wire). Room 2 2:00-3:00 Spotlight on Signe Wilkinson&mdash;Comic-Con special guest Signe Wilkinson, Philadelphia Daily News editorial cartoonist and creator of the new comic strip Family Tree, will talk and show slides about juggling politics, family humor, and hate mail. Famed editorial cartoonist Ted Rall introduces the discussion. Room 4 2:00-3:00 The Middleman&mdash;Creator and executive producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost) and The Middleman actors Matt Keeslar (Dune) and Natalie Morales (CSI: Miami) discuss the bizarre world of The Middleman. Based on the graphic novels by Javier Grillo-Marxuach, The Middleman follows the surreal life of twenty-something Wendy Watson as she gets recruited by a top secret agency to fight comic book-esque criminals under the guidance of her straight-laced boss, The Middleman. Room 5AB 2:00-3:00 Red Sonja: One-on-One&mdash;Robert Rodriguez (Sin City), Rose McGowan (Grindhouse), Doug Aarniokoski (2nd unit director, Resident Evil 3) and David White (Undisputed 2) are teaming up to bring back the red-headed warrior woman known as Red Sonja. Join Robert, Rose, Doug, and David for this one-on-one interview and Q&amp;A session! Room 6CDEF 2:00-3:30 Spotlight on Todd Klein&mdash;Eisner award-winning letterer and logo designer Todd Klein (Sandman, Fables) is joined by moderator Mark Evanier (Fanboy, Kirby: King of Comics) for a discussion of his 30-plus years in comics, from early days on staff at DC and lettering by hand to his present-day freelance career on many titles for DC, Marvel, and others, mainly on the computer. Focus will be on the intricacies of lettering, logo design, and more, as Todd and Mark show and discuss images of classic comics logos. Todd will also cover his recent self-published signed prints by Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman and give away several copies of each. Room 8 2:00-3:00 Spotlight on Jim Woodring: Please Stand By&mdash;Comic-Con special guest Jim Woodring (The Frank Book) presents a slide show with commentary providing a rare overview of his life, career, motivations, methods, and dark personal secrets. Q&amp;A session to follow. Room 10 2:00-3:30 Comics Arts Conference Session #4: Superman&rsquo;s 70th Anniversary&mdash;Price Hamilton (American Falls High School) compares three different versions of the Superman origin story and three versions of the Jewish folk tale "The Golem of Prague" to demonstrate how certain images begin to appropriate larger meanings through their consistent repetition. Liam Burke (National University of Galway) asks what makes some heroes "super," examining the superhero archetype to uncover the superhero secret identity and to discover who are the "Men of Tomorrow." Ben Saunders (University of Oregon) suggests that the essence of Superman&rsquo;s appeal&mdash;the core of his mythic significance&mdash;may have nothing to do with his superpowers and everything to do with the most serious and profound issues of philosophical ethics. Room 30AB 2:00-3:30 Animation on a $hoestring&mdash;Learn the down and dirty tricks on how to create your own animation studio on a low budget, from Larry Loc, the author of Animation on a ShoeString. Find out how to assemble the equipment you will need, how to build or buy equipment, and what software to use to edit and composite your project. Room 30CDE 2:00-3:00 Clickwheel: On-Demand Digital Comics for iPod and iPhone&mdash;Is the new comic shop right in the palm of your hand? Join Clickwheel editor-in-chief Tim Demeter for a demonstration of the latest in mobile comics' technology. Tim will discuss the emergence of mobile content and digital delivery in the comic book industry and how it's changing the landscape of the business. Learn how to download and sync comics on your iPod or how to receive them on demand on your iPhone or iPod Touch! Creators interested in taking advantage of these new methods of distribution won't want to miss the site demonstration, as Clickwheel.net is free for anyone to use. Room 32AB 2:15-3:15 Halo Wars and the Halo Universe&mdash;Prima Games, Tor Books, McFarlane Toys, and Microsoft Games Studio bring you an in-depth panel discussion on all things Halo. Panelists include Eric Nylund, author of Halo: The Fall of Reach and Halo: First Strike Onyx; Tobias Buckell, author of the upcoming novel Halo: The Cole Protocol; game universe writers Graeme Devine (Halo Wars) and Frank O&rsquo;Connor (Halo Trilogy); and Jon Goff and Corrinne Robinson, McFarlane Toys&rsquo; brand management team for Halo action figures. Room 6A 2:15-3:15 Anchor Bay: Jack Brooks Monster Slayer Artists Panel&mdash;Preview the upcoming DVD release of Jack Brooks Monster Slayer with star/producer Trevor Matthews, director/co-writer Jon Knautz, producer Patrick White, composer Ryan Shore, creature designer David Scott, and horror icon Robert Englund! Then hear writer/director Daniel Waters (Heathers), Oscar-nominated screenwriter Josh Olson (Masters of Science Fiction), and writer/director Robert Hall (Laid to Rest) discuss their latest Anchor Bay projects! Moderated by Shock Til You Drop&rsquo;s Ryan Rotten. Ballroom 20 2:30-3:30 Dumbrella&mdash;Artists from Dumbrella, one of the most popular online comics collectives, discuss webcomics, independent publishing, and subverting popular culture. Feel free to quiz Andrew Bell (The Creatures in My Head), Sam Brown (explodingdog), Jon Rosenberg (Goats), and Richard Stevens III (Diesel Sweeties), along with special guests M.C. Frontalot and Meredith Gran (Octopus Pie), about anything your Internet heart desires. Room 3 3:00-4:00 Spotlight on Bill Willingham&mdash;Both a master storyteller and an incredible artist, Bill Willingham has created a huge following for his books. His credits range from DCU&rsquo;s Salvation Run and Shadowpact to the already classic Vertigo Fables and Jack of Fables and the new House of Mystery. Hosted by superstar Fables artist Mark Buckingham, this panel is sure to thrill! Room 2 3:00-4:00 Comic-Con Talkback 1&mdash;Here&rsquo;s your chance: talk to Comic-Con representatives about your first day and Preview Night. Have a complaint, a question, a suggestion or even some praise? Bring it! Room 4 3:00-4:00 DVD/Blu-ray Producers 2008&mdash;Bill Hunt, Todd Doogan, and Adam Jahnke (The Digital Bits.com, Geek Monthly) discuss the latest DVD and Blu-ray Disc developments and look ahead at upcoming releases. Panelists include Javier Soto (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy II: The Golden Army), Charles de Lauzirika (Blade Runner, Twin Peaks), Andy Mangels (The Real Ghostbusters, Slimer), Cliff Stephenson (Rambo, Crank 1 &amp; 2), and Robert Meyer Burnett (Shoot &rsquo;Em Up, Free Enterprise 2). There will be lots of Q&amp;A, so be sure to bring your questions! Room 5AB 3:00-4:00 Wizard&rsquo;s First Rule&mdash;Sam Raimi (Spider-Man) and Ken Biller (Star Trek: Voyager) give you a first look at the upcoming television series Wizard&rsquo;s First Rule. The one-hour weekly series, premiering in late fall, is based on Terry Goodkind&rsquo;s bestselling epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth, which follows the extraordinary transformation of woodsman Richard Cypher into a magical leader who joins with a mysterious, beautiful woman to stop a bloodthirsty, sinister tyrant. Join Sam and Ken for a moderated interview and audience Q&amp;A session! Room 6B 3:00-4:00 Spotlight on Ed Brubaker&mdash;The Comic-Con special guest Ed Brubaker is the Eisner Award&ndash;winning writer (Best Writer 2007, Best New Series 2007&mdash;Criminal) whose work on Captain America, Daredevil, X-Men, and Criminal has catapulted him into the upper echelon of today&rsquo;s best comic writers. Ed talks about what&rsquo;s next in this Spotlight presentation. Room 7AB 3:00-4:00 TwoMorrows Publishing Today&mdash;Join the crew from TwoMorrows Publishing for a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into creating all their fan-favorite books and magazines on the art and history of comics! Publisher John Morrow, Modern Masters' Eric Nolen-Weathington, Write Now!'s Danny Fingeroth, Brick Journal's Joe Meno, and Keith Dallas, author of TwoMorrows' new Flash Companion book unveil new products and offer exclusive previews of upcoming items. Room 10 3:00-4:00 How to Break into Comics: Freddie E. Williams II&mdash;A few years ago, Freddie E. Williams II (artist on Robin, The Flash, Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle, and others) broke into comics through DC Comics&rsquo; Talent Search. Since that time, Freddie has worked on some of DC&rsquo;s top-selling books. In this panel, Freddie lends his unique insights about breaking into comics by describing what editors are looking for, what you should include in your portfolio, and how to hang on to a job once you&rsquo;ve gotten it. Room 32AB 3:00-4:00 Disney: Race to Witch Mountain&mdash;What secrets does Witch Mountain hold? Stars Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino and director Andy Fickman talk about the mysterious, paranormal activity around Witch Mountain. Dwayne, Carla, and Andy will present the first look at the movie and answer audience questions as they talk about the thrilling action-adventure that is set to hit theatres in March 2009! Hall H 3:15-4:15 Capcom: The Making of Street Fighter IV&mdash;Producer Yoshinoro Ono (Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams) and associate producer David Crislip deliver an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek at the making of the much-anticipated Street Fighter IV video game, featuring the design of classic and new characters, creating compelling gameplay. Also, a sneak peek at the animated SFIV minimovies being created to complement the game. There will be a Q&amp;A session as well as Street Fighter-related surprises! Street Fighter cosplayers are highly encouraged to attend this event, as it marks the 20th anniversary of the Street Fighter franchise. Room 6CDEF 3:30-4:30 Manga: Lost in Translation&mdash;America loves foreign comics, especially manga. And as more and more movies based on these properties are produced, the way these comics are translated becomes an integral part of their success. Join experienced translators, editors, and manga and anime experts in a discussion of the art and craft of helping to make these stories the mega-hits they are today. Panelists include William Flanagan (Fairy Tail), Jonathan Tarbox (Switch), Jason Thompson (Manga: The Complete Guide), Mari Morimoto (Naruto), Stephen Paul (Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad), Julie Davis (Anime Classics Zettai!), and Mark Simmons (Gundam 00)! Room 3 3:30-4:30 Entertainment Weekly&rsquo;s The Visionaries: Comic Creators&mdash;Jim Lee (All-Star Batman &amp; Robin), John Cassaday (The Astonishing X-Men), Matt Fraction (Casanova), Mike Mignola (Hellboy), Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead), Colleen Doran (A Distant Soil), and Grant Morrison (Final Crisis) are the writers and artists blazing a path into the future of comics. Coming from both the mainstream and the independent worlds, these men and women can provide unique insights into the comics landscape. Moderated by Entertainment Weekly staff editor Nisha Gopalan. Room 6A 3:30-5:00 Golden and Silver Age of Comics&mdash;It&rsquo;s the amazing annual gathering of the resident greats from the Golden and Silver Ages of comics! Moderated by Mark Evanier, this year&rsquo;s list of luminaries includes Al Feldstein (EC editor/writer/artist), Victor Gorelick (Archie Comics editor and writer), Al Jaffee (MAD magazine cartoonist), comics writer/artist Larry Lieber, Harvey Comics writer/editor Sid Jacobson, and artists Russ Heath (G.I. Combat, Sgt. Rock) and Jerry Robinson (Batman). Filled with personal reminiscences and anecdotes, this panel promises to be a treasure trove of comics history! Room 8 3:30-4:30 Quantum Quest&mdash;This science fiction/science fact, 3D, large-format CGI-animated film will take you on a fantastic atomic journey through space. Quantum Quest combines a captivating science fiction story with a mind-blowing real safari through the solar system (created using radar data and extraordinary imagery from seven NASA missions). The film is the only one to be initiated by JPL/NASA and is sponsored by JPL/NASA and Digimax Animation Studios (Taiwan). Co-directors Harry Kloor (Star Trek Voyager, Earth Final Conflict, Godzilla) and Dan St. Pierre (Everyone&rsquo;s Hero, Shark Tale, Tarzan) show exclusive footage from the film, which will be released in late summer, 2009 in both large-format and Real D theaters worldwide. Watch for surprise appearances by some members of the voice cast, which includes legendary astronaut Neil Armstrong, Chris Pine, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Alexander, Sandra Oh, William Shatner, Brent Spiner, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, and Abigail Breslin. Ballroom 20 3:30-4:30 Bat-Manga! Chip Kidd and the Secret History of Batman in Japan&mdash;Chip Kidd (Mythology) lifts the veil on officially licensed, original Batman manga stories from 1966 Japan, not previously collected or translated in over 40 years. Narrated slide show, with Q&amp;A to follow. Room 30AB 3:30-5:00 Resin Casting and Silicone Mold-Making&mdash;Jeff Broz has presented six previous seminars about plastics and casting. Sam Girgis has loved spaceship design since the Apollo missions. Whether you want to produce a garage kit model or reproduce a broken part for your vintage toy, this year's seminar will cover material choices and advance into more complex silicone mold design and casting techniques that should offer secrets to the novice and the working Joes in the trenches for short run 3D duplication, and for garage kits or industrial design. Plus, more about vendors and material choices to cast your sculptures and models. Room 30CDE 4:00-5:00 Dark Horse Horror&mdash;Dark Horse Comics is home to some of the best horror comics ever produced, from Mike Mignola&rsquo;s Hellboy and Steve Niles&rsquo; Criminal Macabre to upcoming collections of the classic horror magazines Creepy and Eerie. Dark Horse editors Scott Allie and Shawna Gore and a handful of our top creators take a look ahead at their spookiest projects for 2008, including a sneak peek at the 25th anniversary edition of Bernie Wrightson&rsquo;s Frankenstein and a special appearance by the artist. Room 2 4:00-5:00 TV Costume Designers&mdash;Characters created by writers and comic book illustrators are made real for the screen via the artistry of costume designers. Meet the women and men who are the costume designers on this year&rsquo;s most popular television productions. Panel moderator Hope Hanafin, costume designer and VP of the Costume Designers Guild, Local 892, hosts costume designers Shawna Trpcic (Firefly), Roland Sanchez (Lost), Debra McGuire (Heroes), Amanda Friedland (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), and Cynthia Bergstrom (Buffy, The Vampire Slayer). Room 4 4:00-5:00 Superhero Superfiction&mdash;Superheroes don't appear just in comics anymore. Authors discuss how to write superhero prose. Panelists include superhero prose authors Kevin J. Anderson (Last Days of Krypton), Michael Carroll (Quantum Prophecy: The Awakening), Professor Christopher Chambers (The Darker Mask), Vicki Pettersson (The Signs of the Zodiac series), Gary Phillips (The Darker Mask), Melinda M. Snodgrass (Wild Cards), Caroline Spector (Wild Cards) and Doselle Young (The Darker Mask). Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy. Room 5AB 4:00-5:00 Minx: Your Life in Pictures&mdash;In its first year, Minx found a whole new audience by creating original graphic novels for teenage girls. This year, Minx is breaking all the rules with another onslaught of amazing books. Panelists include group editor Shelly Bond and creators Cecil Castellucci (Janes in Love), David Hahn (All Nighter), Ryan Kelly (New York Four), Deborah Vankin (Insta-Life), and Brian Wood (DMZ, New York Four). Room 10 4:00-5:00 Star Trek Without a Blueprint: How Books and Comics Keep Expanding the Boundaries of the Star Trek Universe&mdash;Andy Mangels (moderator and Star Trek author), Margaret Clark (executive editor, Pocket Books), Andy Schmidt (senior editor, IDW) and Star Trek authors Kevin Dilmore, Dave Mack, Scott Tipton, and Dayton Ward discuss the future of Star Trek publishing. Room 32AB 4:15-5:15 Afro Samurai: Resurrection Exclusive Worldwide Premiere!&mdash;Afro Samurai picks up his sword once again for the second installment of this critically acclaimed, funktastic anime! This action-packed panel features the creators behind the hit, including star and executive producer Samuel L. Jackson (The Spirit), original creator Takahashi Okazaki, musical artist The RZA (Kill Bill), and executive producer Leo Chu (Spike TV). Be the first to see the worldwide premiere of the exclusive Comic-Con trailer, dazzling artwork from the manga, and never-before-seen demos of the pulse-pounding video game. Room 6B 4:15-5:15 Lionsgate/Marvel: Hulk vs. Wolverine&mdash;Alberta, Canada: Over the past week, the Incredible Hulk has been tearing a line across the Canadian wilderness, leaving a swathe of destruction in his wake. He has to be stopped, and there&rsquo;s only one man up to the job. He&rsquo;s the best at what he does, but what he does isn&rsquo;t very nice. He&rsquo;s Wolverine, an elite agent of Canada&rsquo;s top secret Department H, and he&rsquo;s been put on Hulk&rsquo;s trail with a single objective: stop the green goliath...at all costs. Hulk and Wolverine are about to enter the fiercest battle of their lives. And they have no idea that there are a few unpleasant surprises waiting for them on the other side. Meet Craig Kyle (supervising producer/co-writer), Frank Paur (producer/supervising director), Christopher Yost (co-writer), and others involved in this Marvel Animation milestone and watch the complete Hulk vs. Wolverine months before its January 2009 Blu-ray and DVD release! Hall H 4:30-5:30 Episodic Games: Rewriting the Adventure Genre&mdash;With the first installment of Penny Arcade Adventures launched, the season finale of Sam &amp; Max Season Two in the bag, and the recent debut of Strong Bad&rsquo;s Cool Game for Attractive People, episodic adventure gaming has emerged as a viable new medium for interactive entertainment. Learn about episodic storytelling, adapting the humor and gameplay of the traditional adventure genre for a new generation of gamers, and the challenges of both as Joel DeYoung (Hothead Games), Arthur We (Hothead Games), Dan Connors (Telltale Games), and Dave Grossman (Telltale Games) sound off in this panel and Q&amp;A session moderated by Frank Cifaldi (Gametap). Room 3 4:30-5:30 HBO&rsquo;s True Blood&mdash;Based on the popular Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris, True Blood is created by Alan Ball, creator of HBO&rsquo;s Emmy-winning series Six Feet Under. The series takes place in the not-too-distant future, when, thanks to the invention of synthetic blood, vampires no longer need humans for their fix and can walk freely, if not yet comfortably, among their living counterparts. With their integration into a small Louisiana town causing a stir, a love story ensues between Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin, the X-Men films; Academy Award winner for The Piano), an innocent waitress with the unusual ability to read minds, and vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer, The Starter Wife). The series also features Ryan Kwanten (Summerland), Rutina Wesley (How She Move), Sam Trammell (Judging Amy), and Nelsan Ellis (The Inside). True Blood debuts September 7 exclusively on HBO. Room 6CDEF 4:30-5:30 UClick: Mobile Comics&mdash;GoComics, the leader in online and mobile comics and manga, looks at a market truly coming in to its own. Panelists will discuss the evolution of comic strips and comic books in the digital age and examine new publishing platforms that make mobile viewing part of a complete comics experience. They&rsquo;ll introduce new content from their partners: Stan Lee, Tokyopop, Virgin Comics, IDW, Devil&rsquo;s Due, Papercutz, TMNT and more. Learn about what the future of mobile comics promises for fans and creators alike. Room 30AB 4:45-5:45 Mondo Marvel&mdash;2008 has already been a huge success for Marvel in all corners of the Universe. Now, join top editors and creators, including Greg Pak (Skaar, Son of Hulk), Matt Fraction (Invincible Iron Man), Ed Brubaker (Captain America), Jeff Parker (Agents of Atlas), Warren Simons (editor), Mark Paniccia (editor), and Jim McCann (publishing), to find out what's to come for Iron Man, Hulk, Daredevil, the FF, and all things Marvel. Room 6A 4:45-5:45 "SCREAM" Like a Girl&mdash;Spike loves women. And the coolest women on the planet are the ones who destroy aliens, defeat serial killers and battle evil villains with their superpowers! In honor of Spike's Scream Awards 2008&mdash;the first and most important televised event that celebrates the genius creative talent behind the powerhouse Hollywood genres of comic books, science fiction, fantasy and horror&mdash;Spike brings you a candid discussion of these genres from the women they love, who are poised to rule the fanboy's universe! Moderator Kevin Smith (Clerks), the brilliant writer, director, and comic book genius hosts an all-female panel of actresses, artists, writers, directors, and producers in a discussion about working in these genres from their unique point of view. Twenty lucky panel attendees will win tickets to the 2008 Scream Awards. Ballroom 20 5:00-6:00 The Making of the Vertigo Encyclopedia&mdash;Dig into the wealth of information DC Comics, Vertigo, and DK Publishing have and find out how a comic book imprint&rsquo;s encyclopedia is created, from getting the material to organizing it and putting it out on the shelves. Get the down and dirty info from Karen Berger (senior VP/executive editor&mdash;Vertigo), Alastair Dougall (senior editor&mdash;DK Publishing), and Alex Irvine (author), and watch the world premiere of the documentary The Making of the Vertigo Encyclopedia. Room 2 5:00-6:00 Bandai Entertainment&rsquo;s Anime Invasion&mdash;In 2008, Bandai Entertainment has put together an amazing line up of anime titles: Code Geass, Lucky Star, Gurren Lagann, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Sword of the Stranger, Ghost Slayers Ayashi, Gundam 00, and many more. Join Bandai Entertainment president Ken Iyadomi and director of marketing Robert Napton to hear all the latest news on the company&rsquo;s releases, learn some tidbits about what&rsquo;s coming, up and maybe get some free stuff! Room 4 5:00-6:00 The Pitching Hour&mdash;Michael Polis (WildBrain Studios, YoGabbaGabba), Jermaine Turner (director, Disney/ABC Cable Networks Group), Jill Sanford (manager, original series, Disney Television Animation), Sam Humphries (MySpace Comics), Paula Gould (PEG PR), Jeremy Love (writer/producer, Gettosake Studios), and moderator Dan Evans (freelance development exec) will take an idea from conception through production for various media. This process will include creating a pitch document, obtaining agents, and getting a pitch meeting. The panelists will explain, through hypothetical example and humorous stories, the process that new creators should adapt to make their way into the Hollywood creative battleground. Knowing that each project is unique, there will be a Q&amp;A to allow the audience to really hone in on the solutions to obstacles they may encounter. Also on hand will be IP lawyer Brendan McFeely to give creators insight on protecting their ideas as they navigate Hollywood! Room 5AB 5:00-6:00 Spotlight on Floyd Norman&mdash;Comic-Con special guest Floyd Norman talks about his long and varied career in feature film and television animation. His work includes Disney&rsquo;s Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pixar&rsquo;s Toy Story 2 and Monsters Inc., and many more fan favorites. Moderated by cartoonist and animation artist Scott Shaw! Room 7AB 5:00-6:00 Looking at Our World: Eye on the Past&mdash;Authors discuss how they use and abuse history to inform their fictional stories. Panelists include Connie Willis (Passage), Jacqueline Carey (Kushiel's Legacy), Max Allan Collins (Deadly Beloved), Peter David (Tigerheart), Naomi Novik (Victory of Eagles), and Jess Winfield (My Name Is Will: A Novel of Sex, Drugs, and Shakespeare). Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy. Room 8 5:00-6:00 Spotlight on Mike W. Barr&mdash;What would comics in the &rsquo;80s and &rsquo;90s have been without Camelot 3000, Batman and the Outsiders, The Maze Agency, and Mantra. The creator of those titles, Comic-Con special guest Mike W. Barr, will answer that question and pretty much any others, as well as what he's up to nowadays. (Just don't ask him what the "W." stands for.) With a special guest moderator...maybe. Room 10 5:00-6:00 Comics Experience: How to Write a Pitch!&mdash;Hosted by Andy Schmidt (IDW senior editor, GI Joe, Star Trek), panelists Mark Waid (BOOM! Studios editor-in-chief, Flash, Kingdom Come), James Lucas Jones (Oni Press editor-in-chief), Rob Levin (Top Cow Entertainment editor-in-chief), Chris Gage (The Authority, Invincible Iron Man), C. B. Cebulski (Drain, Wonderlost, X-Men: Divided We Stand) and Nick Lowe (Marvel X-Men editor) offer tips on writing pitches, pitching verbally, and getting your pitch read! Want to write a comic? Don&rsquo;t miss this panel! Questions from the audience welcome. Room 30CDE 5:00-6:00 The Third Annual Comics Podcasting Panel&mdash;The best of the best in comics podcasting returns to San Diego for the third annual discussion of comics podcasting and how it&rsquo;s affected the comics media. Rick Remender (writer of Fear Agent, Punisher War Journal, The End League) moderates a no-holds-barred discussion with comics podcasters Bryan Deemer and Peter Rios (Comic Geek Speak), Charlito and Mr. Phil (Indie Spinner Rack), Joe Gonzalez and Jimmy Aquino (Comic News Insider), Josh Flanagan and Conor Kilpatrick (iFanboy), and John Mayo and Bob Bretall (Comic Book Page). Room 32AB 5:30-6:30 Action Figure Times Toymaker Q&amp;A&mdash;Ever wanted to know why your favorite character figure was limited, or just what toy companies are thinking? How about the recent movement of toy licenses from one manufacturer to another? Or the effect of the rising costs of fuel on the manufacturing of figures on the market? Here's your chance to ask the manufacturers (both big and small) about their favorite figures and statues. What questions have been burning in your mind? Come to Action Figure Times&rsquo; annual collectors&rsquo; panel to find out! Room 3 5:30-6:30 The Science Behind Science Fiction&mdash;Celebrate the world of science fiction when Jaime Paglia (writer and producer of Eureka) and Phil Plait (badastronomy.com) lead a panel discussion with Discover Magazine editors exploring when science becomes good science fiction. Join Jaime, Phil and other special guests for an exciting discussion followed by Q&amp;A. Room 6B 5:30-6:30 Comics Arts Conference Workshop: Language Arts and Cross Curriculum Comics Seminar&mdash;Lisa Vizcarra (Carquinez Middle School) demonstrates the application of comics in the K-8 environment in Language Arts classes as well as across the curriculum. Using a step-by-step approach, she explains how comics&mdash;both published and student-created&mdash;can be used as pedagogical tools to explain plot, setting, and dialogue; to demonstrate the laws of physics; to learn the operation of new technology; and to develop skills in public speaking. Room 30AB 5:30-6:30 Dark Castle Entertainment&mdash;Launched by producer Joel Silver and director Robert Zemeckis, Dark Castle Entertainment was founded to create a unique brand of horror movies inspired by the works of filmmaker William Castle. Recently, Dark Castle entered into an arrangement with CIT Group Inc. to broaden Dark Castle into a full genre label that will include feature films (London-based crime thriller RocknRolla, directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Gerard Butler, scheduled to be released in October; Ninja Assassin directed by James McTeigue and starring Korean pop sensation Rain; and Whiteout, starring Kate Beckinsale), home video (The Hills Run Red starring Sophie Monk, William Sadler, and Tad Hilgenbrinck) and comic books (Ferryman by Marc Andreyko and Jonathan Wayshak). Hall H 5:45-6:45 Showtime: Dexter&mdash;Showtime presents exclusives from the set of the highly anticipated third season of Dexter. Moderator Kristin Dos Santos (E!) presides over this revealing interview and Q&amp;A session with the top stars and executive producers of Dexter, featuring Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Clyde Phillips, and John Goldwyn, plus a special guest! Room 6CDEF 6:00-7:00 Life, Death, Life of Star Trek&mdash;You've heard a lot of hype about sci-fi's first franchise lately, now it's time to see what it's all about and celebrate an illustrious 40 years of boldly going with this regular panel of unpaid, uncensored Treksperts, who pay homage to Trek's past and future with some special surprises and exclusive audio-visual treats you'll only see here. Daren Dochterman (ST: TMP Director's Cut Special Edition), Robert Meyer Burnett (Free Enterprise), Jeff Bond (The Music of Star Trek), and moderator Mark A. Altman (Free Enterprise) talk Trek like no one else can...or will. Room 2 6:00-7:00 The Secret History of Manga in the U.S.&mdash;It's been 30 years since the first manga was translated into English. From MixxZine to Raijin, from Astro Boy to OEL, join Jason Thompson (Manga: The Complete Guide) on a visual time machine full of dreamers, censors, antiwar activists, and other weirdness. Including ninja. Lots of ninja. Room 4 6:00-7:00 Spotlight on Frank Beddor&mdash;Comic-Con special guest Frank Beddor, author of the best-selling "Looking Glass Wars" series, and creator of the Hatter M graphic novel, talks about the creation of his books, gives the story behind the story, and presents concept art from a wide array of artists who have visualized his text: Ben Templesmith (30 Day of Night), Doug Chiang (Star Wars), and Stephan Martiniere (I, Robot). He'll reveal the new online game The Card Soldier Wars, show a special effects trailer for The Looking Glass Wars movie, and discuss how each of these mediums connect and extend The Looking Glass Wars universe. Room 5AB 6:00-7:00 DC Nation&mdash;DC Senior VP/executive editor Dan DiDio hosts this gabfest with Keith Giffen (Reign in Hell, Ambush Bug: Year None), Geoff Johns (Action Comics, Green Lantern), Brad Meltzer (DCU: Last Will and Testament), and some of the top talent in the industry, talking and teasing upcoming stories! Come learn the secrets behind the most talked about events of the summer! Room 6A 6:00-7:00 Bill Plympton&rsquo;s Idiots and Angels&mdash;Independent animator Bill Plympton (The Tune, Mutant Aliens) will screen the first 20 minutes of his just-completed animated feature Idiots and Angels, plus his new short, Hot Dog, the latest sequel to the Oscar-nominated Guard Dog. Join Bill for a look at his latest projects, plus a Q&amp;A session to follow. Room 7AB 6:00-7:00 Devil&rsquo;s Due Presents: Hack/Slash and Beyond!&mdash;Hollywood screenwriter Justin Marks (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li) joins Hack/Slash creator Tim Seeley (Halloween: Nightdance) to talk about the new H/S film and his new DDP/Capcom comic book series Bionic Commando. Also featuring director Todd Lincoln, Hack/Slash Annual stars from The Suicide Girls, and a blockbuster surprise guest you won&rsquo;t want to miss! Room 8 6:00-7:00 Random House Publishing&mdash;Staff from the Random House Publishing Group&mdash;including Betsy Mitchell (editor-in-chief, Del Rey), Dallas Middaugh (associate publisher, Del Rey Manga), Mutsumi Miyazaki (director of licensing and acquisitions, Del Rey Manga), Chris Schluep (senior editor, RHPG), and Tricia Narwani (editor, RHPG)&mdash;discuss upcoming titles from Del Rey, Del Rey Manga, Ballantine, and Villard Graphic Novels. Room 10 6:00-7:00 From Fan to Creator: Goal Setting for Creative Types&mdash;Which side of the convention table do you want to be on: artist or fan? And what&rsquo;s keeping you from getting there? If you have an idea in your head that you&rsquo;ve had trouble bringing into reality, you might benefit from this fun and practical goal-setting workshop, designed specifically for the Comic-Con crowd. Teacher and life purpose coach Douglas Neff will give you simple, proven techniques for achieving your most important goals. And this year, a surprise guest panel will fill your head with inspiration before you leave. Whether you want to write your own screenplay, draw your first comic, or shoot your independent film, you&rsquo;re sure to get something useful from this informative and energizing workshop. Room 30CDE 6:00-7:00 The Comics Blogosphere&mdash;The blog explosion has opened up a new frontier for comics criticism. This lively (and inevitably bloggable) discussion features David Brothers (4thletter!), Jeff Lester (The Savage Critic(s)), Laura Hudson (Myriad Issues), Tim Robins (Mindless Ones) and moderator Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics). Room 32AB 6:30-7:30 So You Want to Do a Graphic Novel&mdash;Writer and publisher Larry Young assembles a team of writers and artists to unlock the secrets and unveil the mysteries of completing your own graphic novel. Panelists Adam Beechen (Final Crisis), Steven Grant (Two Guns), Kirsten Baldock (Smoke and Guns), Matt Silady (The Homeless Channel), and Manny Bello (Dugout) kibbitz, cajole, and inspire you. Room 3 6:30-7:30 Adventures in Game Development&mdash;Have you ever dreamed of making your own video game? Are you a writer with a great story? Is there a place in video games for a traditional artist? Or do you just want to get into the industry? Veteran designer Alex Jimenez (Battletanxs, Darkstalkers), artist David DeVries (The Monster Engine), and author Blake Hutchins (The Sword from the Sea) answer all your questions and take you inside the video game industry. Find out what it takes to break into this competitive but rewarding field. Attendees will also get a special sneak peek at the upcoming title Blueshift. Room 30AB 6:45-7:45 Robotech Industry Panel&mdash;Tommy Yune, director of Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, covers the history of the animated series that introduced a generation to anime and discusses upcoming new releases in the wake of the announcement of the live-action feature film. Room 6B Nighttime Programs 7:00-9:00 Comedy Central TV Funhouse with Robert Smigel&mdash;Robert Smigel (Saturday Night Live) and Dino Stamatopoulos (Morel Orel) reunite to discuss the most groundbreaking show to ever hit (and subsequently disappear) from basic cable. Join the guys to relive the glory of the best show you barely remember. Room 6CDEF 7:00-9:00 Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist&mdash;Get a look behind the mask of The Spirit creator in this feature-length documentary movie. With a triumphant world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, the production features the legendary writer/artist Will Eisner with Frank Miller, Stan Lee, Jules Feiffer, Jack Kirby, Kurt Vonnegut, and many others. Following this unique free movie screening, director/producer Andrew D. Cooke and writer/producer Jon B. Cooke will be available for a dynamic Q&amp;A session. Room 7AB 7:15-8:15 Adventures in Anime&mdash;Quinton Flynn (Axel from Kingdom Hearts, Reno from Final Fantasy, Raiden from MGS) and Emmy winner Jeff Nimoy (director of Digimon, Naruto, Wolfwood from Trigun) talk about their careers and their adventures on tour, answer your questions, and sing their famous Yaoi Song from AdventuresInAnime.com! Room 6A 7:30-8:30 Geek Roundtable Live&mdash; Be a part of a live podcast with the guys from GeekRoundTable.com, the coolest geek podcast on the Internet. The guys will discuss the latest and hottest in comics, movies, television, DVDs, and games. Put your two cents in and get free prizes to boot, and maybe the guys will let you sit in the empty chair! Featuring Ned Cato Jr., Jesse Lopez, Chris Sturhann, Mary Sturhann, Matt Jeffery, Wesley Strawther, and Johann Joseph starring as himself. Room 10 8:00-8:30 Lionsgate and Marvel: Punisher: War Zone!&mdash;Producer Gale Anne Hurd (The Incredible Hulk) and stars Ray Stevenson (Rome) and Julie Benz (Rambo, Dexter) take you into the world of the Punisher for an exclusive first look. You won't be prepared! Room 6B 8:30-9:00 Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures: Saw 5&mdash;Join director David Hackl, along with the filmmakers and cast for an exclusive first look at the latest terrifying installment of the most successful horror series in history! Room 6B 8:30-10:00 Star Wars Fan Film Awards&mdash;It&rsquo;s the galaxy-spanning return of a Comic-Con favorite! The Star Wars Fan Film Awards come back to Ballroom 20 as the Thursday night big event. Ballroom 20 9:00-10:00 Repo! The Genetic Opera First Look&mdash;See what director Darren Lynn Bousman has been up to since directing the last three Saw movies: Repo! The Genetic Opera. Check out the phenomenon that is this Goth Rock musical with sneak peeks and the new trailer plus stories from Darren and the actors themselves, including Alexa Vega (Spy Kids), Bill Moseley (The Devil&rsquo;s Rejects), and Ogre (the band Skinny Puppy), among others. Room 6B 9:00-12:00 10th Annual Superhero Kung-Fu Extravaganza &mdash;Martial Arts movie master Ric Meyers (Inside Kung-Fu) celebrates a decade's worth of bringing you the funniest, fastest, and most amazing film clips by creating an anniversary show of the greatest kung-fu fights of all time, complete with surprise guest stars and freebies! If you attend only one "Extravaganza" in the next ten years, make this the one! Room 6CDEF 10:00-12:00 Warner Premiere and Warner Home Video: World Premiere of Lost Boys The Tribe&mdash;Prepare to sink your teeth into the long-awaited and highly anticipated next chapter of the cult phenomenon started by the 1987 cult classic, and be the first to see Lost Boys The Tribe before its July 29 DVD release at this special world premiere. More than 20 years in the making, Lost Boys The Tribe is an homage to the original 1987 cult hit and stars Corey Feldman as vampire hunter Edgar Frog, along with Tad Hilgenbrinck, Angus Sutherland, and Autumn Reeser, with appearances by Jamison Newlander and Corey Haim. Meet the cast and filmmakers as director P J Pesce and original Lost Boys star Corey Feldman are joined by Tad Hilgenbrinck, Angus Sutherland, and Autumn Reeser to answer questions and talk about the making of this new horror classic. Ballroom 20. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/5/14/29179.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 5/14/2008 4:00:52 PM
Body: There’s been a lot of talk lately about all the mutant cameos appearing in the X-Men spin-off X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but we haven’t heard much about any characters set to show up in the other spin-off, X-Men Origins: Magneto. Until now. According to George “El Guapo” Roush at The Latino Review, the Magneto film will feature either Beast or Nightcrawler. The uncertainty over which lies in the fact that, while on a visit to a creature effects shop, Roush saw a photo (or rendering) of a blue-costumed character who he was told is a young Beast (played by Kelsey Grammar in X-Men: The Last Stand). Yet the character is described by Roush as having a tail, which suggests that the effects person was mistaken and that it’s really a young Nightcrawler (played by Alan Cumming in X2: X-Men United). Roush has printed an update acknowledging the Nightcrawler possibility but doesn’t understand why the effects guy would have had it wrong. Of course, fans of the Marvel comic books should see the greater logic of having Nightcrawler (aka Kurt Wagner) in the film, as he and Magneto both originally come from Germany. Plus, there might then be room for a cameo from Mystique (played by Rebecca Romijn in the film series), who happens to be Nightcrawler’s mom. Featuring a young Beast, on the other hand, has no relevance except for in the whole mutant-human relations aspect. Plus, if he shows up in Magneto, he probably won’t get to show up in The Avengers, as I’ve suggested. After all, Marvel Studios really needs to intro Magneto’s kids, who grow up to be Avengers members Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, and there’s really no need to have toooo much crossing-over going on. Anyway, I guess we’ll just have to wait a bit to find out which character is actually appearing in Magneto (if Marvel had wanted the info out already, it would have announced it, right?). For now, we can only damn Marvel for creating so many blue-skinned/furred characters. [via JoBlo] Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 14 May 2008 20:00:52 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com5/14/2008 4:00:52 PMThere’s been a lot of talk lately about all the mutant cameos appearing in the X-Men spin-off X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but we haven’t heard much about any characters set to show up in the other spin-off, X-Men Origins: Magneto. Until now. According to George “El Guapo” Roush at The Latino Review, the Magneto film will feature either Beast or Nightcrawler. The uncertainty over which lies in the fact that, while on a visit to a creature effects shop, Roush saw a photo (or rendering) of a blue-costumed character who he was told is a young Beast (played by Kelsey Grammar in X-Men: The Last Stand). Yet the character is described by Roush as having a tail, which suggests that the effects person was mistaken and that it’s really a young Nightcrawler (played by Alan Cumming in X2: X-Men United). Roush has printed an update acknowledging the Nightcrawler possibility but doesn’t understand why the effects guy would have had it wrong. Of course, fans of the Marvel comic books should see the greater logic of having Nightcrawler (aka Kurt Wagner) in the film, as he and Magneto both originally come from Germany. Plus, there might then be room for a cameo from Mystique (played by Rebecca Romijn in the film series), who happens to be Nightcrawler’s mom. Featuring a young Beast, on the other hand, has no relevance except for in the whole mutant-human relations aspect. Plus, if he shows up in Magneto, he probably won’t get to show up in The Avengers, as I’ve suggested. After all, Marvel Studios really needs to intro Magneto’s kids, who grow up to be Avengers members Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, and there’s really no need to have toooo much crossing-over going on. Anyway, I guess we’ll just have to wait a bit to find out which character is actually appearing in Magneto (if Marvel had wanted the info out already, it would have announced it, right?). For now, we can only damn Marvel for creating so many blue-skinned/furred characters. [via JoBlo] Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/cinemarian/archive/2008/5/14/29105.aspx Post By: CinemaRian
Post To: CinemaRian Blog
Post Date: 5/14/2008 1:01:37 AM
Body: I first saw this movie in high school as part of a Liturature through Films class. The teacher figured that after all the serious adaptions we had looked at, she might as well choose something fun (for us, not for her). I was not impressed, but seeing a widescreen action film in pan and scan over the course of five days is not the optimum veiwing experince. I had also heard that the studio cut out about forty minuets from Singer' director's cut. I wanted to watch somethign breezy and light, and figured that I might as well give it another chance. Before I continue with the review, I feel I must go into a neccessary aside about my history with comics. I am not enough of a snob to argue that I am "above" comics, or that the medium is inherntly flawed. I love reading Superman and Donald Duck comics when I kid. But now that I am older, I have to say that I don't have much enthusiusam for the format anymore. A while ago, while cleaning my room at home I found my old stash of comics in a drawer. The happy memories of many afternoons spent enthralled in the stories as a kid were dashed as I noticed the storys in book after treasured book simply consisted of elaborate ways to get the characters to fight each other. When they did attempt psychogical realism, it just came off as rediclous. I can remember being really shook up as a kid when I saw on the magazine rack that Superman had died. Re-reading the same story,was stuck at how perfunctory the death was. Did anybody REALLY think he was dead? Since I have been in college I have read comics written by my friends and classmates. I also read an excellent series of graphic novels called A Treasury of Victorian Murder, which proved to me that yes, comics can indeed be an art form. It's just that so much of it is commercial junk about people shooting lasers out of their eyes at each other or the Joker escaping from the mental institution for the nine millionth time or whatever. The point of this walk down memory lane is that my main problem with comics is my main problem with X-Men. Bryan Singer is trying to tell an essentially rediclous story serouisly. At one point he has Hugh Jackman as Wolverine make a joke about it, but it's kidding on the square. There is so much plot that he can never get us to care about the characters, even the ones that could be interesting, like the villain, Magneto (Ian McKellan). The movie's attempts at characterzation makes it worse than if they hadn't tried. A character is given a psycholical trait- Wolverine is a troubled loner with a heart of gold, Cyclops (James Marsden) is a smartass, their leader, Captain Picard-oh excuse me, Dr. X (Patrick Stewart) is a father figure and so on. The movie gets really uninteresting as we watch grown adults with names like Storm and Rogue get into conversations about their lonley childhood or how Cyclops loves somebody that Wolverine likes and blah blah blah. The promised cut scenes don't help at all- just more of the same. Even worse, the dialouge is incredibly cliched, I was able to guess many of the lines before they were spoken and got them exactly right. I realize that some might argue that I'm expecting too much from an action movie, but it doesn't even work on that level. The visual effects look fake, even after just six years, and the action sequences are not very exciting, since you don't care about what happens (it's not like thier going to kill off anyone important in the first movie anyway). To make a good superhero movie, I now realize, you must end any attempt at realism. The best superhero movie ever made and the genre's only masterpiece, Superman (1978, Richard Donnor), creates a fantasy world where we can beleive that a man in tights really can be a great, all-American hero. The excellent Daredevil (2003, Mark Steven Johnson), one of the few others in this genre I liked, also worked because I bought the neo-noir world the character was in. The world of X-Men is a lot like ours, except it's more shallow. The reason why Dr. X can read everyone's mind could because not much is there. X-Men (2000)
]]>Wed, 14 May 2008 05:01:37 GMTCinemaRianCinemaRian Blog5/14/2008 1:01:37 AMI first saw this movie in high school as part of a Liturature through Films class. The teacher figured that after all the serious adaptions we had looked at, she might as well choose something fun (for us, not for her). I was not impressed, but seeing a widescreen action film in pan and scan over the course of five days is not the optimum veiwing experince. I had also heard that the studio cut out about forty minuets from Singer' director's cut. I wanted to watch somethign breezy and light, and figured that I might as well give it another chance. Before I continue with the review, I feel I must go into a neccessary aside about my history with comics. I am not enough of a snob to argue that I am "above" comics, or that the medium is inherntly flawed. I love reading Superman and Donald Duck comics when I kid. But now that I am older, I have to say that I don't have much enthusiusam for the format anymore. A while ago, while cleaning my room at home I found my old stash of comics in a drawer. The happy memories of many afternoons spent enthralled in the stories as a kid were dashed as I noticed the storys in book after treasured book simply consisted of elaborate ways to get the characters to fight each other. When they did attempt psychogical realism, it just came off as rediclous. I can remember being really shook up as a kid when I saw on the magazine rack that Superman had died. Re-reading the same story,was stuck at how perfunctory the death was. Did anybody REALLY think he was dead? Since I have been in college I have read comics written by my friends and classmates. I also read an excellent series of graphic novels called A Treasury of Victorian Murder, which proved to me that yes, comics can indeed be an art form. It's just that so much of it is commercial junk about people shooting lasers out of their eyes at each other or the Joker escaping from the mental institution for the nine millionth time or whatever. The point of this walk down memory lane is that my main problem with comics is my main problem with X-Men. Bryan Singer is trying to tell an essentially rediclous story serouisly. At one point he has Hugh Jackman as Wolverine make a joke about it, but it's kidding on the square. There is so much plot that he can never get us to care about the characters, even the ones that could be interesting, like the villain, Magneto (Ian McKellan). The movie's attempts at characterzation makes it worse than if they hadn't tried. A character is given a psycholical trait- Wolverine is a troubled loner with a heart of gold, Cyclops (James Marsden) is a smartass, their leader, Captain Picard-oh excuse me, Dr. X (Patrick Stewart) is a father figure and so on. The movie gets really uninteresting as we watch grown adults with names like Storm and Rogue get into conversations about their lonley childhood or how Cyclops loves somebody that Wolverine likes and blah blah blah. The promised cut scenes don't help at all- just more of the same. Even worse, the dialouge is incredibly cliched, I was able to guess many of the lines before they were spoken and got them exactly right. I realize that some might argue that I'm expecting too much from an action movie, but it doesn't even work on that level. The visual effects look fake, even after just six years, and the action sequences are not very exciting, since you don't care about what happens (it's not like thier going to kill off anyone important in the first movie anyway). To make a good superhero movie, I now realize, you must end any attempt at realism. The best superhero movie ever made and the genre's only masterpiece, Superman (1978, Richard Donnor), creates a fantasy world where we can beleive that a man in tights really can be a great, all-American hero. The excellent Daredevil (2003, Mark Steven Johnson), one of the few others in this genre I liked, also worked because I bought the neo-noir world the character was in. The world of X-Men is a lot like ours, except it's more shallow. The reason why Dr. X can read everyone's mind could because not much is there. X-Men (2000) http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Loved-It/MemberTagFilms.aspxLoved-It
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