A (belated) San Diego Comic-Con Report
EDITOR’S NOTE: A BELATED COMIC-CON REPORT. (AND WE’LL HAVE SOME PICS IN THE STAR WARS NEWS COMING UP)
Best and Worst of Comic-Con 2005
What excited us, upset us and surprised us at America's geekiest movie convention
By Gregory EllwoodSpecial to MSN Movies
Fans of all different shapes and sizes flooded the 36th Annual Comic-Con International last weekend. EDITOR'S NOTE: I AM LOSING TRACK OF TIME, BUT I THINK IT WAS TWO WEEKENDS AGO, NOW. With attendance in excess of 94,000 in 2004 and with even more expected this go around, it's no surprise the San Diego convention has become a must-visit for many of Hollywood's biggest upcoming movies and their stars.
This year's convention was no exception, featuring exclusive early looks at director Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns" and Peter Jackson's "King Kong," alongside such star vehicles as Charlize Theron's "Aeon Flux," Kate Beckinsale's "Underworld: Evolution," The Rock's "Doom" and Johnny Depp's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" -- just to name a few.
Many visitors sat all day in the convention center's biggest hall, packing 6,500, just to get a look. In case you couldn't make it, EDITOR'S NOTE: NO. WHIMPER....here are some of the best and worst moments of this year's convention.
Loudest Roar of Approval: It happened immediately following the "Superman Returns" preview. The shots of Superman hovering over earth and then flying straight down into Metropolis definitely wowed the crowd. Kevin Spacey didn't look bad as Lex Luthor either.
Sexiest Star (Female): Kate Beckinsale, "Underworld: Evolution." The tight Rolling Stones T-shirt she wore sealed it. EDITOR’S NOTE: WHICH SHOWS THAT 90,000 FAN BOYS CAN BE OFF-BASE. (BECKINSALE IS TO ACTRESSES WHAT JOSH HARTNETT IS TO ACTORS. SKINNY, CHARISMA-LESS, VAPID, A WASTE OF DIGITAL HARD-DRIVE SPACE. BUT THAT IS JUST MY INCREDIBLY WELL-INFORMED, USUALLY CORRECT OPINION).
Sexiest Star (Male): Jamie Foxx, "Stealth." You could hear girls' screams fill the convention center when he took his jacket off to plug those muscular arms.
Newest Weight Loss Poster Boy: Peter Jackson for "King Kong." Jackson couldn't make it to San Diego, but he sent a long video introduction with a new two-minute unfinished clip. The scene -- featuring Kong battling two dinosaurs while trying to save Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) -- was just as impressive as how amazingly skinny the director has gotten since winning all those Academy Awards 18 months ago.
Best Fan One-liner: "Should I call you Roxy or Foxy?" -- A bold fan to Eva Mendes, whose "Ghost Rider" character's name is Roxanne. EDITOR'S NOTE: FANBOY 'WIT' AT ITS BEST. (SAD TO SAY)
Nicest Surprise: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." Disney surprised everyone by showing the first footage from the new movie. Highlights included shots of the new Flying Dutchman ship, the villainous Davey Jones (played by Bill Nighy) EDITOR’S NOTE: OOO…WHAT FUN CASTING! and Jack Sparrow being worshiped by an island of natives. EDITOR'S NOTE: NOT TO MENTION ME, BOB, JOEL.....
Best Fan/Celebrity Moment: Beckinsale stepping off the stage to hug a fan overwhelmed by her presence. EDITOR’S NOTE: YAWN.
Coolest Convention Floor Item: "Ghost Rider" motorcycle. It's not as cool as the latest Batmobile, but it is damn close.
Best One-liner: "Now Karl knows why they call me 'The Rock.'" -- The actor on whether his new movie "Doom" (with co-star Karl Urban) is more of an action film or a romance. EDITOR’S NOTE: WHAT PASSES FOR WITTY REPARTEE WITH THE ROCK?
Best Audience Bonus: "Sky High" star Bruce Campbell, a fan favorite, throwing real money into the audience.
Worst Trend: Lack of teenagers. According to the San Diego Tribune, the average comic book fan is in their 30s or 40s. That is not a healthy trend for the industry and the teens seemed overshadowed by an older generation.
Only At Comic-Con: From the public address announcer: "We ask that in respect to your neighbors, please refrain from using your lightsabers during all panel presentations." EDITOR’S NOTE: THERE YA GO….A LOUD-SPEAKER MESSAGE I CAN RELATE TO!
Best Costume: General Grievous from "Star Wars: Episode III - The Revenge of the Sith." Incredibly detailed and moved just like the CGI character from the movie.
Sexiest Costume: Little Red Riding Hood, with leather bustier included.
Sexiest Handouts: The "Cry Wolf" girls grabbed everyone's attention in their schoolgirl outfits. So many fans were distracted by their short skirts that they didn't even see the "Cry Wolf" postcard -- promoting the upcoming serial killer horror flick -- that was handed to them.
Gutsiest Fan Question: "Why did 'Daredevil' suck so much?" -- Posed by a guy to Mark Johnson of "Ghost Rider" about his previous film. You try asking that in front of a room filled with 6,500 diehard fans. EDITOR’S NOTE: SO…WHAT WAS THE ANSWER?
Best Sneak Peek: Tie between "The Fountain" and "Doom." Director Darren Aronofsky stunned the crowd by showing the first 10 minutes of his new, hard-to-pigeonhole, sci-fi romance starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. The footage was strange, beautiful and moving. For "Doom," the producers provided a clip showing why their movie is different from any previous video-game-to-movie adaptations. The scene was from the point-of-view of a first-person shooter, just like the real game, and the crowd loved it.
Most Popular Costumes: Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi from "Star Wars: Episode III - The Revenge of the Sith." One duo would have been the spitting image of the characters played by Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, if the Anakin hadn't been 6'4" and the Obi-Wan only 5'7". At least they got everything else right ...EDITOR’S NOTE: HEIGHT MATTERS NOT….. (ASK OUR OWN EVIL ODDBOB, WHO STILL MANAGES TO TERRIFY, THOUGH NOT EXACTLY PHYSICALLY IMPOSING)
Most Impressive Female Costume: Elastigirl from "The Incredibles." One of the best superhero costumes I've seen in a long time. She even had the hair down perfectly.
Best Booth: "The Corpse Bride." The booth for the new Tim Burton animated movie had a live demonstration of stop motion animation with actual models from the movie.
Worst Booth: "Adult Swim." The popular late night programming block for Cartoon Network made fans wait in line for hours to fish for the chance at a T-shirt or a belt. Plus, popular talent like "The Venture Bros." creator Jackson Publick wasn't at the booth during previously announced times. Lame.
Most Disappointing Preview: "Ghost Rider." It was great to see some footage from the movie, but why cut a trailer if there isn't one shot of the flaming rider himself?
Worst Technical Glitch: "The Legend of Zorro." Someone unfortunately played the new trailer at double speed making stars Antonio Banderas and Catherine-Zeta Jones sound more like Alvin and the Chipmunks. EDITOR’S NOTE: NOT THAT IT REALLY MATTERS, SINCE BANDERAS IS SEMI-UNINTELLIGIBLE AT ANY SPEED.
Worst Mistake: "King Kong." A fan mistakenly addressed Adrien Brody as "James Brody" causing the Oscar-winning actor to storm off the panel in mock disgust (he did come back).
Worst Fan: "V for Vendetta." A young man who rambled on about all his personal problems to star Natalie Portman totally crossed the line. Ms. Portman showed true grace in dealing with the situation.
Best Performance by a Rock Duo: Tenacious D. Jack Black and Kyle Gass closed the convention Saturday evening with a set the lords of rock would definitely applaud. When Black found out visitors had paid $35 to get in (some just to see the "D"), they couldn't just perform $10 worth of songs. So instead of a 30-minute set, the "D" performed for almost an hour. The mini-concert featured songs from their new movie "Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny" such as "Dude, I Miss You" and old classics like "Wonderboy."
Best and Worst of Comic-Con 2005
What excited us, upset us and surprised us at America's geekiest movie convention
By Gregory EllwoodSpecial to MSN Movies
Fans of all different shapes and sizes flooded the 36th Annual Comic-Con International last weekend. EDITOR'S NOTE: I AM LOSING TRACK OF TIME, BUT I THINK IT WAS TWO WEEKENDS AGO, NOW. With attendance in excess of 94,000 in 2004 and with even more expected this go around, it's no surprise the San Diego convention has become a must-visit for many of Hollywood's biggest upcoming movies and their stars.
This year's convention was no exception, featuring exclusive early looks at director Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns" and Peter Jackson's "King Kong," alongside such star vehicles as Charlize Theron's "Aeon Flux," Kate Beckinsale's "Underworld: Evolution," The Rock's "Doom" and Johnny Depp's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" -- just to name a few.
Many visitors sat all day in the convention center's biggest hall, packing 6,500, just to get a look. In case you couldn't make it, EDITOR'S NOTE: NO. WHIMPER....here are some of the best and worst moments of this year's convention.
Loudest Roar of Approval: It happened immediately following the "Superman Returns" preview. The shots of Superman hovering over earth and then flying straight down into Metropolis definitely wowed the crowd. Kevin Spacey didn't look bad as Lex Luthor either.
Sexiest Star (Female): Kate Beckinsale, "Underworld: Evolution." The tight Rolling Stones T-shirt she wore sealed it. EDITOR’S NOTE: WHICH SHOWS THAT 90,000 FAN BOYS CAN BE OFF-BASE. (BECKINSALE IS TO ACTRESSES WHAT JOSH HARTNETT IS TO ACTORS. SKINNY, CHARISMA-LESS, VAPID, A WASTE OF DIGITAL HARD-DRIVE SPACE. BUT THAT IS JUST MY INCREDIBLY WELL-INFORMED, USUALLY CORRECT OPINION).
Sexiest Star (Male): Jamie Foxx, "Stealth." You could hear girls' screams fill the convention center when he took his jacket off to plug those muscular arms.
Newest Weight Loss Poster Boy: Peter Jackson for "King Kong." Jackson couldn't make it to San Diego, but he sent a long video introduction with a new two-minute unfinished clip. The scene -- featuring Kong battling two dinosaurs while trying to save Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) -- was just as impressive as how amazingly skinny the director has gotten since winning all those Academy Awards 18 months ago.
Best Fan One-liner: "Should I call you Roxy or Foxy?" -- A bold fan to Eva Mendes, whose "Ghost Rider" character's name is Roxanne. EDITOR'S NOTE: FANBOY 'WIT' AT ITS BEST. (SAD TO SAY)
Nicest Surprise: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." Disney surprised everyone by showing the first footage from the new movie. Highlights included shots of the new Flying Dutchman ship, the villainous Davey Jones (played by Bill Nighy) EDITOR’S NOTE: OOO…WHAT FUN CASTING! and Jack Sparrow being worshiped by an island of natives. EDITOR'S NOTE: NOT TO MENTION ME, BOB, JOEL.....
Best Fan/Celebrity Moment: Beckinsale stepping off the stage to hug a fan overwhelmed by her presence. EDITOR’S NOTE: YAWN.
Coolest Convention Floor Item: "Ghost Rider" motorcycle. It's not as cool as the latest Batmobile, but it is damn close.
Best One-liner: "Now Karl knows why they call me 'The Rock.'" -- The actor on whether his new movie "Doom" (with co-star Karl Urban) is more of an action film or a romance. EDITOR’S NOTE: WHAT PASSES FOR WITTY REPARTEE WITH THE ROCK?
Best Audience Bonus: "Sky High" star Bruce Campbell, a fan favorite, throwing real money into the audience.
Worst Trend: Lack of teenagers. According to the San Diego Tribune, the average comic book fan is in their 30s or 40s. That is not a healthy trend for the industry and the teens seemed overshadowed by an older generation.
Only At Comic-Con: From the public address announcer: "We ask that in respect to your neighbors, please refrain from using your lightsabers during all panel presentations." EDITOR’S NOTE: THERE YA GO….A LOUD-SPEAKER MESSAGE I CAN RELATE TO!
Best Costume: General Grievous from "Star Wars: Episode III - The Revenge of the Sith." Incredibly detailed and moved just like the CGI character from the movie.
Sexiest Costume: Little Red Riding Hood, with leather bustier included.
Sexiest Handouts: The "Cry Wolf" girls grabbed everyone's attention in their schoolgirl outfits. So many fans were distracted by their short skirts that they didn't even see the "Cry Wolf" postcard -- promoting the upcoming serial killer horror flick -- that was handed to them.
Gutsiest Fan Question: "Why did 'Daredevil' suck so much?" -- Posed by a guy to Mark Johnson of "Ghost Rider" about his previous film. You try asking that in front of a room filled with 6,500 diehard fans. EDITOR’S NOTE: SO…WHAT WAS THE ANSWER?
Best Sneak Peek: Tie between "The Fountain" and "Doom." Director Darren Aronofsky stunned the crowd by showing the first 10 minutes of his new, hard-to-pigeonhole, sci-fi romance starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. The footage was strange, beautiful and moving. For "Doom," the producers provided a clip showing why their movie is different from any previous video-game-to-movie adaptations. The scene was from the point-of-view of a first-person shooter, just like the real game, and the crowd loved it.
Most Popular Costumes: Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi from "Star Wars: Episode III - The Revenge of the Sith." One duo would have been the spitting image of the characters played by Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, if the Anakin hadn't been 6'4" and the Obi-Wan only 5'7". At least they got everything else right ...EDITOR’S NOTE: HEIGHT MATTERS NOT….. (ASK OUR OWN EVIL ODDBOB, WHO STILL MANAGES TO TERRIFY, THOUGH NOT EXACTLY PHYSICALLY IMPOSING)
Most Impressive Female Costume: Elastigirl from "The Incredibles." One of the best superhero costumes I've seen in a long time. She even had the hair down perfectly.
Best Booth: "The Corpse Bride." The booth for the new Tim Burton animated movie had a live demonstration of stop motion animation with actual models from the movie.
Worst Booth: "Adult Swim." The popular late night programming block for Cartoon Network made fans wait in line for hours to fish for the chance at a T-shirt or a belt. Plus, popular talent like "The Venture Bros." creator Jackson Publick wasn't at the booth during previously announced times. Lame.
Most Disappointing Preview: "Ghost Rider." It was great to see some footage from the movie, but why cut a trailer if there isn't one shot of the flaming rider himself?
Worst Technical Glitch: "The Legend of Zorro." Someone unfortunately played the new trailer at double speed making stars Antonio Banderas and Catherine-Zeta Jones sound more like Alvin and the Chipmunks. EDITOR’S NOTE: NOT THAT IT REALLY MATTERS, SINCE BANDERAS IS SEMI-UNINTELLIGIBLE AT ANY SPEED.
Worst Mistake: "King Kong." A fan mistakenly addressed Adrien Brody as "James Brody" causing the Oscar-winning actor to storm off the panel in mock disgust (he did come back).
Worst Fan: "V for Vendetta." A young man who rambled on about all his personal problems to star Natalie Portman totally crossed the line. Ms. Portman showed true grace in dealing with the situation.
Best Performance by a Rock Duo: Tenacious D. Jack Black and Kyle Gass closed the convention Saturday evening with a set the lords of rock would definitely applaud. When Black found out visitors had paid $35 to get in (some just to see the "D"), they couldn't just perform $10 worth of songs. So instead of a 30-minute set, the "D" performed for almost an hour. The mini-concert featured songs from their new movie "Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny" such as "Dude, I Miss You" and old classics like "Wonderboy."
posted by QOTD (the Queen of the Dweebs) at 5:00 PM
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