SDCC: Film and television Roundups
Sgt. Angle Reporting For Duty!
At ease…
This week, I’m giving you a quick summary of some of San Diego Comic Con International’s finer TV/Film moments — the “fringe” moments, not the over-publicized Avengers jargon or even Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch extravaganzas.
1. The Walking Dead – AMC’s newest foray into scripted television looks to be the best new show of the season. With the script written by Frank Darabont, and subsequent season one episodes by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore, Walking Dead will pull no punches, the only limitation being the use of the F-Word in any episode. Everything else is on the table.
At Friday’s Comic-Con panel, Darabont said as much, also adding that the footage shown had to be clipped in terms of the amount of bloodshed because this was a “family-friendly” convention — odd, then, that they included the word “sh*t” and the Expendables footage shown earlier at the Con was bloody violent throughout.
Nevertheless, panel was entertaining and full of information about how great the actors were, weathering the intense heat of on-location filming in Atlanta, and even attempted to answer a local union dude’s question about why Hollywood chooses to shoot outside of Los Angeles and the center of the industry — “we’re starving, too!” It was awkward and his tone was accusatory, but as Darabont handled it, 1) The story takes place in Atlanta, 2) The tax breaks are incredible. Tell California legislature to get off their butts and offer breaks to Hollywood to actually film in the heart of the industry, and we’ll all be able to get out of our own beds in the morning.
Footage looked fantastic, shot on glorious Super 16 mm — apologies for the handheld homevideo quality of the clip on this page, hopefully we can update soon. Darabont told us that, in terms of story, all the moments from the comic that we love will be included, and they’re trying to add some new plot points to keep us guessing. Also, look forward to the DVD release of the season, as they’re going to try and get a full-on black and white version of the pilot included (just like The Mist!). and the list of upcoming episode directors is impressive — directors of Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, and The Shield. One of the two female directors, Michelle Maxwell MacLaren, also directed Breaking Bad’s finest hour, “One Minute.” Looking forward to seeing what she pulls out of her hat.
2. Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World.
The cream of the crop for Con experiences. I missed out on the actual “SPCC Experience”, which was available to badge-holders Thursday — Saturday outside the Hilton Gaslamp. I also missed the Scott Pilgrim Panel, though I’m reading only good things about it.
However, I was lucky enough to enjoy not just one, but TWO viewings of the film, Friday and Saturday night, and both times Edgar Wright was there to introduce the film with multiple cast members.
Both nights, Dan the Automator and Kid Koala spun records and led the crowd to root for fans partaking in pillow-fights and staring contests, all after 1000 + withstood hours in the sun and heat just for a decent seat in the Balboa Theatre.
Night one guests: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anna Kendrick, Jason Schwartzman, Ellen Wong, Satya Bhabha, Brie Larson, and Mark Webber. The standing ovation after the screening lasted about 2.5 minutes, and Edgar Wright was visibly thrilled.
Night Two guests: Brandon Routh, Chris Evans, Kieran Culkin, Mae Whitman, Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anna Kendrick, Jason Schwartzman, Ellen Wong, Satya Bhabha, Brie Larson, and Mark Webber. And Bill Hader. And Thomas Jane.
Writer of the comic Bryan Lee O’Malley also ran out to thundering applause both nights. I’ll have a review of the film for you next week.
Now, onto redder pastures:
3. Machete — Robert Rodriguez’s faux trailer wedged between films in Grindhouse is now a reality. Starring Danny Trejo as a badass Mexican gangster with a love of knives, this movie looks to be a lot of pointless violence for sh*ts and giggles — and ladies. Michelle Rodriguez and Jessica Alba, to be precise.
On Thursday night at a random parking lot in San Diego, Rodriguez (Robert and Michelle) and Trejo served tacos out the back of a truck while the Impala Car Club of San Diego showed off low-riders and lucky Comic-Conners enjoyed free tequila, Tecate, and exclusive footage from the movie.
Footage started off with the trailer as we’ve seen it before, followed by a couple of clips of Trejo about to have a soft moment with a few ladies until gangsters break through the window — causing mass violence and havoc, and eventually a dude’s intestines yanked from his stomach. This was all played on a large screen up high in the parking lot, so people driving by could munch their lousy burgers while watching guts fly out of stomachs. Also in the background were a few dancers up on stage and Michelle Rodriguez spinning records with the DJ. All in all, even if his movies are sometimes just “meh,” Robert Rodriguez knows how to throw a good party.
And your Sgt. got a nice fist-bump at the taco truck from Danny Trejo himself.
4. Hawaii Five-O. Not a panel I was particularly interested in, before or during. The footage of the upcoming series reboot on CBS (guh) looked like a typical cop show…set in Hawaii. It’s supposed to be fun and good-natured, but looks to be something we’ve seen on countless other shows by now. Seriously, when will the quirky cops on TV genre fade away for a few years?
Panel highlights included Grace Park and Daniel Dae Kim, both portraying characters who were only recurring roles in the original series. Oh, and Grace Park was in a bikini in the clip they showed of her character’s introduction. Bikini Park.
And finally, for those of you wondering about “big panels” this year, such as the unveiling of the Avengers and such, here’s a taste of the Green Lantern himself, Ryan Reynolds, reading the Green Lantern Oath:
Until next year, Con!
You are dismissed!
Sgt. Angle