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Comic-Con: Supernatural

By Timothy|2019-05-25T14:42:39-08:00August 3rd, 2010|

The panel for Supernatural brought out actors Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, and Jim Beaver; along with creator Eric Kripke, show runner Sera Gamble, and writer Ben Edlund.

Season five wrapped the five-year-long story arc that Kripke wrote for Supernatural, and he considers the upcoming season to be a sequel that won’t be hindered by the prior story. Kripke stepped down from his creative role, but he will still be involved with the direction of the show in some capacity with the writers, and as he put it, “I’m like delightful hemorrhoids, fuzzy hemorrhoids.” He believes the new team has great ideas that will further the show’s success.

With a fresh start ahead for the show, Gamble told the audience that they want to bring in more monsters on the show, but instead of the typical monster of the week, the monsters will have more of an impact on the overall storyline.

With Heaven in disarray, Castiel has been assigned to “clean up duty” according to Misha Collins. He compared it to when Russia had a crumbling government many years ago, and joked that Castiel will speak with a Russian accent — going as far as suddenly speaking with the accent.

Season six will pick up a year after the events of the prior season, with Dean Winchester living a domesticated lifestyle. Then, of course, being pulled back into a life as a hunter. It’s quite the reversal from the first season when Dean was the one pulling Sam back into the fray.

The cast were relentless on teasing each other. Jared at one point admitted that he didn’t watch the last three episodes, which later caused Misha to say, “Jared is still watching the first season; he can’t answer that question.” Jensen, on directing an episode revolving around Bobby Singer, joked that directing Jim Beaver was extremely difficult. Jim was quick to praise Jensen’s directing, and he became sentimental at one point discussing it — only to quickly add, “Did you really believe that crap?” getting a laugh out of the cast, crew, and audience.

Supernatural returns on September 24th, and will be airing on Fridays at 9 PM. It’ll be exciting to see the direction they’ll be taking the show — they clearly enjoy their work, and the passion for it is as strong as ever.

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Comic-Con: The Avengers

By Timothy|2019-05-25T14:42:39-08:00August 2nd, 2010|

After the panel for Thor came to a close, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told us that he knows it’s getting late, but there’s a quick surprise he wants the audience to see. The lights dimmed and a video began to play with a voice over by Samuel L. Jackson.

“And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth’s mightiest heroes and heroines found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, the Avengers were born.”

Samuel L. Jackson then hit the stage much to the audience’s delight. He approached the podium and said that there’s a group he wants to introduce us to — he began his role call: Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, and Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man.

With all of them on stage, Robert Downey Jr. took over the podium and introduced the audience to Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk. He went on to introduce Joss Whedon as the director.

The crowd went completely nuts for the cast and director of the Avengers. Downey was barely able to contain himself, giggling and saying that he can’t help himself. He was too excited. Joss Whedon went on to say that he had a dream his whole life, but it wasn’t this good. He told the audience that he’s afraid he’ll blow it and needs our support. Whedon and the cast were given a standing ovation.

Marvel Studios really wanted to bring something special for Comic-Con, and they brought something very memorable. Days ago I said that the panel for Captain America: The First Avenger was one of the landmarks for Comic-Con this year, but the surprise role call for the Avengers is the landmark for Comic-Con.

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Comic-Con: Thor

By Timothy|2019-05-25T14:42:39-08:00August 1st, 2010|

Director Kenneth Branagh went on stage and immediately geeked out about seeing references to Thor in the footage we saw earlier in Captain America: The First Avenger. He then told the audience that Thor is his favorite American comic book character and went after the project the moment it became available. He said he feels comfortable directing Thor since it deals with a lot of the same issues as his film Henry V; mainly family issues, war, and politics.

Joining Branagh for the panel were cast members Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Kat Dennings, and Clark Gregg.

To prepare for the role of Thor, Chris Hemsworth read Norse mythology and Thor comics to gain an understanding of the character and the world he’s immersed in. Joking, he said he gained muscle by lifting Thor’s hammer . . . a lot.

When asked about Asgard as opposed to the real world, Branagh and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige decided to show instead of tell — presenting footage much to the audience’s overwhelming approval. Asgard had a very ethereal feel with rich environments. It looks like it does the comic justice. The footage was immersing and is shot in 3D, and it really works well with the feel of the film. The crowd loved every minute of the footage we were shown.

Reprising his role as Agent Coulson, Clark Gregg told a story about delivering the line in Iron Man 2 about going to New Mexico, but at first didn’t know what the significance was until Feige told him that it’s the location where Thor is. He went on to tell the audience that he loves that he’s practically “the glue of the Marvel Universe”. Suffice to say, the audience cheered during the footage when the Destroyer is on screen followed by an agent of SHIELD asking Agent Coulson, “One of Stark’s?” and his nonchalant reply, “I don’t know — that guy never tells me anything.”

Branagh decided to go with the classic hammer for Thor and promises that there will be surprises for Thor fans, alluding to Donald Blake. One surprise we were treated to was seeing both Thor and Loki in their helmets from the comic books, which is a nice touch no one was expecting. Thor is turning out to be a very fun film, and the panel was a success getting the audience pumped for it.

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Comic-Con: Captain America

By Timothy|2019-05-25T14:42:39-08:00July 31st, 2010|

The panel for Captain America: The First Avenger brought out director Joe Johnston, and actors Chris Evans and Hugo Weaving. Johnston went on to explain that they only began filming five days ago, but they really wanted to share footage with us. He cued the clip and World War II propaganda footage played superimposed on Captain America’s shield. As it ended, it showed Chris Evans in the costume turning towards the camera — the audience went crazy. The title showed, then we suddenly see Captain America throwing his shield at the camera — thunderous applause from the crowd.

What we saw was a costume test, but from our reactions, they’re very much on track with its direction.

Chris Evans wasn’t shy about talking about some people’s apprehension about him portraying Captain America, but he believes that if the movie is good, people will be accepting of him. Evans feels the pressure, but he’s trying not to think about how big the scope is due to the character being one of the biggest names in Marvel Comics — saying he might have a panic attack if he thinks about it too much. He went on to say that he really likes the costume and hopes to do the character justice.

Hugo Weaving refused to do his German accent, but did inform the audience that he’s been working with the Red Skull mask. It’s a series of lightweight pieces on his face, enabling him to convey emotions — though in V for Vendetta he’s proven that he doesn’t need his facial expressions to emote.

The president of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige wanted to show us rough footage despite it still having the time-stamp on it. It begins with Hugo Weaving as Johann Schmidt (before he becomes Red Skull) leading a group of Nazi soldiers to open a sarcophagus, looking for something that belonged to Odin. The jewel in the sarcophagus ends up being a fake, but it doesn’t affect Schmidt who quickly finds it in a secret compartment on a wall.

The feel of the footage felt a lot like Indiana Jones, which is exciting to me. After all, the movie does entirely take place during World War II, and it’s a perfect fit. Hugo Weaving is very effective as the antagonist with a demanding screen presence. And the footage we were shown was already tying in with Thor, furthering the universe Marvel Studios is creating with their films. The audience went crazy for it. It’s a highly anticipated film and one of the landmarks for Comic-Con this year.

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Comic-Con: Sucker Punch

By Timothy|2019-05-25T14:42:39-08:00July 30th, 2010|

Directed by Zack Snyder and co-written by him and Steve Shibuya is the original film, Sucker Punch.

The basic premise is that Babydoll is brought to an asylum by her father to keep her quiet about the abuses he put her through. There, she meets other patients by the names of Rocket, Sweet Pea, Blondie, and Amber. A psychologist by the name of Mrs. Gorsky specializes in sound therapy and uses music and dance to help her patients.

The dances the girls use act as a cinematic gateway into their elaborate fantasies to procure the items they believe they need to escape the asylum. It doesn’t make their actions inconsequential — making mistakes in the fantasy has consequences in reality. Suffice to say, the fantasies are out there and tread into anime territory. I’d compare the feel of the movie to Casshern.

Snyder was accompanied at the panel by his cast, Emily Browning, Jena Malone, Jamie Chung, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, and Carla Gugino. We were told that the girls were trained by Navy SEALs in a twelve week training course to prepare for their roles. Before the teaser was shown, the girls said they haven’t seen the footage yet and were excited to finally watch it. They hinted at wanting to sit in the audience, so Snyder laughed and gave them the go ahead. Geeking out, they practically ran off the stage to find a seat to watch the teaser.

Snyder was humorously asked what’s it like going from directing practically an all male cast in 300 to directing an all female cast in Sucker Punch — he chuckled and said he had to change the dynamic a little bit.

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Comic-Con: Green Lantern

By Timothy|2019-05-25T14:42:39-08:00July 29th, 2010|

Warner Bros.’ Green Lantern panel kicked off with director Martin Campbell who went on to bring out stars Ryan Reynolds, Mark Strong, Blake Lively, and Peter Sarsgaard. Reynolds was wearing a Green Lantern ring which many in the audience were quick to notice.

Campbell referred to the EW cover of Green Lantern while describing the costume. It’s done entirely in CG, and he informed the audience that it’s still a work in progress and it’ll look really cool in the finished product.

The teaser of the movie had a cosmic feel, traveling to the home planet of the Green Lantern Corps. and showed glimpses of them. A scene was shown of Reynolds brandishing the ring and conjuring a giant, green fist knocking out a bunch of guys. We didn’t see Reynolds in the costume — most likely because it’s still being worked on.

During the Q&A a boy asked Reynolds to recite the Green Lantern oath, who was more than willing and got into character gravely performing the monologue. The boy was in awe and reacted by making a fist up at Reynolds displaying his Green Lantern ring. Reynolds in return made a fist back and pretended that their rings were at odds. He then proclaimed that the child is so cute and he wants to give him an autograph. The audience cheered for the kid — I’m sure it’ll be a very cherished memory for him.

At the close for the panel, Ryan Reynolds told the attendees that he had kept the ring during production and hasn’t parted with it, but he felt that Comic-Con was the perfect place to pass it down. He had us reach under our chairs, and a lady who found the paper Reynolds described earned the ring from the man himself. It was a successful panel and got all of us stoked for the film.

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Comic-Con: The Expendables

By Timothy|2019-05-25T14:42:39-08:00July 28th, 2010|

Courtesy of Hickey

The panel for the Expendables stole the show for me on Thursday. Sylvester Stallone led the charge with his action-packed cast to answer questions from the fans and share stories with us — in no particular order:

Terry Crews told the audience a story about his manager telling him that Stallone wants him for a movie and he was quick to say yes. He arrived at a dark office and heard Stallone’s voice say, “Why don’t you take a seat over there?” Right after he mimicked Stallone’s voice, Stallone leaned towards his mic and exclaimed, “That’s not how it happened!” much to the laughter of the cast and audience.

Dolph Lundgren spoke of when he had to perform a monologue telling a joke he didn’t think is funny; that Stallone kept making him do take after take. Lundgren then said he started doubting himself and questioned if his career as an actor is over since he can’t seem to nail the monologue how Stallone wanted. Days later Stallone mischievously told Lundgren, “Guess what take I used? The first take!”

Randy Couture excitedly talked about how he loved working with the stuntmen. He claimed that he’d smack them around but they’d get right back up with a smile; that the harder he hit them, the more they’d smile.

Stallone was quick to point out that these are 200-pound men who gradually became scared of Couture; men who became on edge if you get too close and said in a high pitch voice, “Get away from me!” Steve Austin then added that Couture put four stuntmen in the hospital before his fight scene with the man, and he was worried to face him. Austin said with a laugh that it turned out to be fun working with Couture and that he’s a gentleman.

Couture then told that the most scary moment filming for him was when he practiced a monologue with an acting coach for five months . . . only to arrive on set and receive rewrites from Stallone which he had to memorize in an hour. In his trailer he nearly freaked out, afraid that he was going to ruin the film — Terry Crews being a trailer away came to his rescue and coached him.

Steve Austin depicted a story of when he had to run across bombs setting off behind him. On a take he began to run but the person controlling the bombs let the first one blow too soon that launched Austin into the air. He barely landed on his feet and kept running, afraid that falling would mean falling on a bomb. “I thought I was gonna die,” Austin told the audience with a laugh. “I thought you were dead,” Stallone quickly added.

Stallone being a great storyteller told of how he believes that getting injured on a set is a good omen; that the movie will be successful because he was hospitalized. He told of how he broke his neck during a fight scene with Austin. He then recounted the time when Lundgren punched him in the chest as hard as he could for Rocky . . . then woke up in intensive care.

Stallone was asked if he enjoys acting or directing more — he told the audience that he now enjoys directing more; that it must be because he’s a control freak. He believes his career as an action star is coming to a close and he really wants to begin focusing on directing action films and bringing in new blood — namely Terry Crews as an example.

He then named off other actions stars he tried to get in the Expendables with the new name thrown out being Chuck Norris. If only.

Courtesy of Hickey

Bruce Willis made a quick appearance to show his appreciation to Sylvester Stallone for the movie, much to the roaring cheers from the audience. Stallone then told a story about ideas he came up with to have Arnold Schwarzenegger in a scene with himself; then another scene with himself and Willis — who then bluntly told Stallone, “Why not have all three of us in a scene together?” We were told to thank Willis for that.

Stallone earnestly told of how he worked on the last Rocky film without much hope, but really wanted to end the series with dignity. He was surprised with the outcome and thought he should end Rambo on a high note as well. Stallone then bluntly said that he got greedy and made the Expendables, which garnered laughter and cheers from the audience and cast members.

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Comic-Con: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

By Timothy|2019-05-25T14:42:39-08:00July 27th, 2010|

The panel for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was entertaining, with a lot of the reason being the director himself, Edgar Wright. He called each cast member out on stage while forcing them to describe their feelings in one word — and had an obsession to ask the audience in attendance if they love chocolate.

Courtesy of Hickey

After all the cast members at hand were situated, Wright informed the attendees that there’s two very special guests that he wanted to introduce — he then announced Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. They walked on stage with arms victoriously raised while the crowd erupted with uproarious cheers. Just before shaking hands with the director, Wright then informed the audience, “And they will not be in the movie . . . nor are they special guests.” Pegg and Frost acted disappointed and sad, pathetically walking backstage while the lights dimmed — with “Aww!” from the crowd in unison.

Courtesy of Hickey

Edgar Wright then finally introduced the star of the film, Michael Cera — who came out in a crude Captain America costume; it was a way to tease cast member Chris Evans who couldn’t make it to the panel due to filming Captain America, and the fans ate it up.

Asked of when he first heard of Scott Pilgrim, Edgar Wright answered that he first caught wind of the comic in 2004 when it came out and instantly fell in love with it. He got in talks with the creator Bryan Lee O’Malley (who participated in the panel) and began work to bring a film adaptation of the comic into fruition.

Wright then went into detail about the fight scenes being approached as video game levels; and that the actors were trained by the likes of accomplished stuntmen — one namely being Brad Allen.

Michael Cera talked about a kiss scene and how he was worried about it — since it was a kiss with another guy — so Edgar Wright did the sensible thing and took him aside and casually kissed him on the lips and said, “See? That isn’t so bad!” Wright then cut in, jokingly adding, “I bet Stallone didn’t kiss any of his cast members!”

At the end of the panel Edgar Wright informed us that the film is shot in 2D and that tickets will be at regular price; the audience cheered; then he excitedly said, “So see it twice!” which garnered louder cheers. The panel came to a close when Wright announced that those in attendance who have a 1-Up button will get to see a screening with him and the cast.

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