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Ok, children…I’m finally back after the Con and I am just spent. Really, I got home last Sunday and still haven’t found the kind of energy that kept me going for twelve straight hours a day as I was working the floor. Here then are some of my half-assed highlights from Comic-Con 2007:
A) I find it very amusing that, in this space, mere months ago, I bagged on the SUPERBAD trailer. I honestly could not find one iota of inspiration within its 2 and 1/2 minute frame. Now that I am back from Comic-Con I can say it was one of the best comedies I’ve seen this year, even better than the over-hyped KNOCKED UP. Just an observation.
B) Two words: Press Line. I know there are hundreds of us around the Con and by us I do mean journalists. I don’t think it would be that much of an imposition for there to be a few seats in order to help those of us who aren’t in the studio’s pocket and need a little courtesy to cover a story. That’s fine, though, the way it is now. All I know is that if I can’t see it, I can’t cover it.
C) The bread that I broke with the cast of G4 was perhaps one of the better memories I will carry with me in all the years I have done this. All I can say was that that the cheese plate was delicious.
D) Big ups to Rogue Pictures for hosting one great breakfast in support of DEATH SENTENCE, directed by James Wan of SAW fame, on Saturday morning. Not only was this a well-managed event but it put this film on my radar as one that I must/have-to check out.
E) While a lot of other sites were busy chasing their need for exclusive A-list material, I am genuinely pleased at the coverage for MONSTER SQUAD I obtained.
F) Missy Peregrym. I’ve talked to her once, twice and now three times; you’ll feel her flavor soon enough again right in this space.
G) I am glad I ditched the audio interviewing in lieu of video. You’re all going to be subjected to video of my Ray Romano-esque voice as I chat up those who I met; Blair Butler was absolutely wonderful.
Z) If there are any writers out there who tell you that Comic-Con is an overblown affair almost not worth covering needs to be checked into the boards by a rabid mongoloid on ice with a hardwood hockey stick. Yes, you can make a case for all things lame and all things sucky and all things shitty but to be perfectly honest there was a sense of geek delight to be able and partake, and report on, everything I was privy to because I know there are people who only get the lo-fi experience; they have to stand in line, they don’t get to do 1:1s with anyone, they have to endure being huddled in with the rest of the crowd, they don’t get invited to parties and they sure don’t get invited to press screenings. If I were to go as a casual fan I would dream of being able to do what I did last weekend. I’ll be honest: It was nice to be recognized as an actual writer, reporter, on events going on and there is really nothing that can compare to having a little recognition and respect tossed my way when I got introduced as a, “writer for Kevin Smith’s….”
Comic-Con was absolutely still worth it…even though I did get shafted for being able to see that footage for IRON MAN. That part sucked. That part I would give back. Everything else, though, was golden. Sorta.
I AM LEGEND (2007)
Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Willow Smith, Charlie Tahan Olsen
Release: December 14, 2007
Synopsis: Robert Neville (Will Smith) is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable…and manmade. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City…and maybe the world. But he is not alone. He is surrounded by “the Infectedâ€â€”victims of the plague who have mutated into carnivorous beings who can only exist in the dark and who will devour or infect anyone or anything in their path. For three years, Neville has spent his days scavenging for food and supplies and faithfully sending out radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there.
All the while, the Infected lurk in the shadows, watching Neville’s every move, waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind’s last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But his blood is also what The Infected hunt, and Neville knows he is outnumbered and quickly running out of time.
View Trailer:
* Medium (QuickTime)
Prognosis: Positive. I know I’m not the only one who finds Will Smith, when he’s being Will Smith, to be an utterly exacerbating rash in a film.
Sure, you can have Will Smith being Will Smith in INDEPENDENCE DAY and not mind so much because, really, everyone else is half-assing it as well; even Jeff Goldblum isn’t as creepy as is his want.
This all said, however, I find his turn in this trailer refreshing to the point that the man has some resonance long after you’ve seen it. I found myself thinking, ensconced in the confusion of what I was watching. For those who have no idea of what it is, do yourselves a favor and not look before you leap into this preview. What makes the moments here so compelling are the purposeful ways in which information is withheld from us as an audience.
For instance, y por ejemplo, you’ve got Will curled up inside a bathtub with a shotgun splayed across his shoulders and legs. We don’t know what the deal is or why the odd sleeping position, I can only imagine the crink that not even a vat of Icy Hot would be able to get out the following morning, although maybe he’s one of those drunken guys who have sunk to chugging green rubbing alcohol in the bathroom. It could happen.
Will’s voiceover isn’t as grating as you would think. He’s reserved, pulled back, and this is just a treat to be able and hear because there is no need for him to “project†to anyone. The visuals, as well, compliment the action on the screen as chaotic as it is: there’s a city in full-on evacuation mode, a la INDEPENDENCE DAY, and of course there is a wife and kid involved, none of which I am guessing is going to make it past the 1st act. (We need our heroes to have lived and lost in order for them to seem compelling!)
What I like, what I really like about this trailer is the total clusterfuck that the incoming missiles do to the narrative. For you eggheads who read you already know what’s what but, for me, I liked the anomie, the chaos, and the eventual quiet that follows. The aftermath of what seems like a thermonuclear war that has devastated everything and everyone. It’s a brilliant rendering and I am quite impressed that Johnny Voiceover didn’t come running into the room to spoil the fun.
“Day 1001â€
Now, again, Will gets behind the mic to continue the voiceover and I couldn’t be more impressed at the restraint. As he moves through a barren and hollow New York City I can’t help but feel actual trepidation as he skulks his way with his pump action friend at the ready. And I have no clue, still, about what he’s so on guard for but you feel something under the surface.
The end, where you know there is something hiding in the darkness? This is where the payoff just comes right you. Yeah, you don’t see what’s coming or what it is that has Will so uptight but so what. There’s enough here to warrant the feeling that this is a movie worth keeping track of.
Director: Michael Moore
Cast: Michael Moore
Release: Now Playing…At A Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Site Near You
Synopsis: Following on the heels of his award winning hit “Fahrenheit 9/11†and his Oscar® winning film “Bowling for Columbine,†acclaimed filmmaker Michael Moore’s new documentary sets out to investigate the American healthcare system. Sticking to his tried-and-true one-man approach, Moore sheds light on the complicated medical affairs of individuals and local communities. SICKO promises to be every bit as indicting as Moore’s previous films.
View Trailer:
* Large (QuickTime)
Prognosis: Positive; Or, One Of The Best Arguments For BitTorrent. This trailer’s inclusion almost seems perfunctory.
I don’t think that you could easily dismiss the story about Michael Moore paying the insurance costs for one of the country’s biggest outspoken Moore critics as anything less than a nice, calculated move to start the PR machine into overdrive or the recent dust-up about Moore going to Cuba to help out some workers from 9/11 get the kind of medical care that they just couldn’t here in the states but what you can get angry about with great prejudice is that not only do we have people staying at awful jobs simply for the health insurance but we have created the mindset that healthcare only goes to those who can afford to pay it. I realize we’re a capitalist country and as someone who has had to pay hundreds of dollars to my PPO, seething with every dime I have to turn over, I just think that the system of organized healthcare is a broken machine. From privatized drug companies who are lining their coffers with millions of dollars and excuses about R&D to millions of Americans who have to get a referral from a physician in order to see the kind of specialist they know they need.
Sometimes,
“We got an issue in America…â€
It’s way too easy to pick apart sound clips and snippets where Moore uses Bush against himself but George is right-on when he says that physicians are getting out of the game simply because of issues of liability. You can’t help but feel a twinge of something as George Bush starts this trailer and then have a laugh as George mentions that OB/GYN’s are no longer able to…“practice their love with women.â€
As you wonder what the hell he meant we launch into the short and sweet about where this movie is going to take us. We traipse into the halls and steps of companies who make their livelihood by adding a subjective element into the twisted world of insurance claims administration. It’s hard to imagine just what’s going on as we move at a breakneck pace through the trailer but, yes, the first volley Moore has in his arsenal is something we all should know: the more claims you can deny the better overall health of the corporation. Nothing is more important than the health of the corporation and that resonates loud and clear.
What’s more is Moore is well stocked in his quick facts. Hauling out old footage of Nixon declaring that he’d like to see America have the best health-care coverage in the world only to quickly use modern footage of some members of congress with accompanying Pop-Up Video symbols about how much each one of them received from health-care lobbyists to say nothing of the bow he puts on it all: we’re far enough down on the health-care list that we’re just inches above Slovenia in terms of quality.
Quick moment of a congressional hearing of a high-level medical insurance reviewer who says that, yes, she denied a necessary operation for a man, who subsequently died, just so she could continue to ensure her ascension within the corporation in question. It’s appalling.
The humor strikes up at about this time. This is where Moore takes his 9/11 workers to Guantanamo Bay in order to get them the medical care that the Bush Administration is taking issue with as he decided to go to nearby Cuba. It’s part showmanship and part factual farce as nothing makes hard cold reality go down better than a little absurdity. This trailer works on all levels. If it doesn’t get your blood simmering then I can’t imagine what would.
Director: John Carney
Cast: Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova
Release: Now Playing
Synopsis: A modern day musical set on the streets of Dublin. Featuring Glen Hansard and his Irish band “The Frames,” the film tells the story of a street musician and a Czech immigrant during an eventful week as they write, rehearse and record songs that reveal their unique love story.
View Trailer:
* Large (QuickTime)
Prognosis: Positive. This represents one of the most pertinent reasons why there is such an interest in Before Vs. After.
When I initially saw this trailer I was bemused in a way, seeing all the superlatives heaped upon the film by those who have seen it during the festivals in which it has played, but there just had to be something, right, in all the people who are quoted in this piece saying something to the effect of its sheer genius?
I, you, cannot be sure because we’re only presented with the trailer but see how we’re led down a unique path during this trailer’s exposition. Initially we’re offered the very simplistic stylings of Glen Hansard as a busker on the streets of Dublin. (One of *the* best places to get plastered if ever there was one such a place that could earn such a distinction) The tone is implicitly melodic as we’re shown not only the Sundance award it won but our first quote from mainstream media, here played by Kenneth Turan of the LA Times, that heralds this movie as the second coming of Christ.
The trailer is allowed to take over and in a matter of seconds, sheer seconds, we’re let into the tiny world between a man and a woman. The one, as we’ve seen, is a street performer and the other uses the streets in order to make a living. It’s bright as day, clear as crystal, to everyone watching this trailer that these two definitely have something. Whether it’s chemistry or something else entirely as you see them interact with one another you can’t help but feel that this trailer establishes a good amount of personality in a tightly packed amount of time.
In the musical interlude, with one of the best original songs I’ve ever heard placed within an advertisement, the happy-happy joy-joy moments these two kids share just feels real, if nothing else. The way we see them touch one another and get close to one another just feels natural and doesn’t ever stray into forced intimacy.
This is where the drama comes in.
The young girl not only has a husband but the guy is coming to Ireland to check up on his old lady. This is where, even in the brief moment we’ve been exposed to these two individuals, there’s tension and a quick quote from the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and Rolling Stone just blowing their collective wad over this film. It’s enough to make you think, “Shit, I need to see this film.†The music isn’t bad, the people seem nice as fuck and the location seems awfully nice to look at.
This is where the feeling to drop everything just takes over and the need to see the film overrides any objection to how far you need to travel to see it. For any trailer to be able and do that not only deserves my money but deserves other people’s as well.
After seeing the movie and seeing how it is deserving of a superlative of some sort, be that of best musical, best love story you’ll get dragged to yet be pleasantly surprised at from the first frame, there is no question that this movie will stay with you long after you’ve seen it. It’s the best thing, after SUPERBAD, that I’ve seen this summer.
Director: Possibly A Guantanamo Detainee
Cast: Who Cares
Release: Unfortunately, It Will Be
Synopsis: I pity you if you actually care.
View Trailer:
* Large (QuickTime)
Prognosis: Negative. Enjoy, this is the worst trailer I’ve never had to review.
Comments: None
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