July 2006

Comic-Con 2006 Wrap-Up: News and Notes

Fans in San Diego sure got a great show this year.  Not just for comic book nerds, the four day convention brought in Hollywood film and TV stars and a host of small surprises, rumors, and revelations.  From booths of major networks (CBS, the new CW), to the cable booths (Sci-fi, Spike-TV) to panel discussions from the cast of Veronica Mars, Superman, 300, and The Transformers, there was plenty to see and take in.  Oh yeah, and there were a few comics and games too see as well.  Here’s a recap for those who couldn’t make the trip…

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Where can you go to see people dressed as Klingons, super-heroes, video game characters, and cult figures, AND see them mingle with the very people that created or even starred as that character?  The Comic-Con, baby!  Here are some fun tidbits that came out of this year’s four day event in San Diego.

Revealed:


To what was perhaps the biggest crowd of the convention, Sam Raimi and cast brought with them a new Spider-Man 3 trailer which ended with a look at Venom!  Let’s just say fan reaction was pretty damn positive.  Sadly all the rest of us get is this Topher Grace teaser poster, sigh.

Marvel Comics announced three new movie projects – Captain America (probably not with Matt Salinger), Nick Fury (with or without David Hasselhoff?), and Thor (is Fabio available?).  With Iron Man already in pre-production the possibility of a live-action Avengers movie is also being discussed.

Optimus Prime addressed an audience of Transformers fans who squealed with pleasure to learn that the voice from the 80’s cartoon, Peter Cullen, would be doing the honors in the upcoming film.

Director Jack Snyder and Frank Miller showed up to give fans a five minute look at the movie version of Miller’s graphic novel 300 which tells the tale of the legendary Battle of Thermopylae where 300 Spartans fought against the Persian army.  The applause was so loud they replayed the clips three times!  Fans seemed appreciative that the style and look of the film so matched Miller’s original work (like, say Sin City).  Snyder also talked a little about his early ideas for The Watchmen focusing on the relationships and essence of the book and trying to fit into the time restraints of a single theatrical film with screenwriter Alex Tse.

Discussed:


Frank Miller discussed his future plans after finishing Sin City 2.  So what’s next>  How about a film adaption of Will Eisner’s hero The Spirit.  Miller intends to use the same technology used in the Sin City flicks to make the look as faithful to Eisner as possible, though admits the tone will be darker and more like Eisner’s early stories than the kindler and gentler Spirit of Eisner’s later years.  Eisner and Miller were friends for many years and even collaborated on a short book of interviews shortly before Eisner’s death (read that review here).

Writer/director Jon Favreau stopped by to talk about May 2008’s Iron Man.  Favreau revealed he would start out using the original gray armor which Tony Stark pieced together under captivity in hostile lands, and over the course of the film evolve the look into the classic red and gold armor.  Several different suits should be seen over the course of the film perhaps even War Machine.  Also announced was the villain for the first film which will be the Mandarin (no word yet whether Fing Fang Foom will make an appearance).  As for Tony Starks alcoholism and dark turn, if the film is successful look to see those aspects explored in future films.

J.J. Abrams discussed the work on his Star Trek XI script.  Refusing to give any details he did remark it’s not another sequel but a relaunching of the franchise.

Bryan Singer and Richard Donner stopped by to discuss the next Superman film which might be flying into theaters in 2009 depending on if the Man of Tomorrow can do some more heavy lifting at the box office before this summer ends.

Writer/director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) stopped by to promote and discuss Ant Man.  Wright talked about using both Henry Pym and Scott Lang in the film, incorporating both the 60’s style hero and the later incarnations.

Hulk 2 director Louis Leterrier (instead of Ang Lee) discussed the sequel which will star David Duchovny (instead of Eric Bana) which will see the un-jolly green giant go up against Abomination (rather than his crazy scientist daddy).  The director promised more action and a look at Bruce Banner living with the monster (much like the old TV-show) and “no poodles, promise.”

Speculated:


Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson keep fanning the dim embers of Ghostbusters 3.  The idea for a sequel that would star (then unknowns) Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson was dreamt up almost 20 years ago.  Recently it seems interest has re-piqued and maybe we’ll be asking “Who ya’ gonna call?” sometimes soon (then again, maybe not).

While attending a panel for Guillermon Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth Doug Jones slyly fielded questions concerning the possibility of his casting role as the Silver Surfer for Fantastic Four 2.  After saying “No comment” to the Internet rumors Jones, dressed in a silver shirt, asked, “Do you like this color of shirt on me?  I like this color on me and I hope to be wearing more soon.  I’ve been shopping for outfits and did find one that I really like, but I don’t own it yet because they’re still approving my credit card.”  This wouldn’t be Jones’ first role in a comic book film as he starred as Abe Sapien (with David Hyde Pierce providing the voice) in Hellboy.  Other rumors on Del Toro have him in discussions to adapt the DC character Deadman into a film. 

Biggest rumor to hit Comic-Con?  How about Heath Ledger as the Joker?  Hmm….  Christopher Nolan seems to have chosen Ledger over other finalists which inculded Jude Law, Robin Williams, Paul Bettany, and (my pick for the role) Steve Buscemi.  No official confirmation as yet, but it does seem this rumor may be true.

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New on DVD

We’re here to keep you informed on hot choices for renting or buying new DVD releases. Released this week: Final Destination 3, Ask the Dust, The Benchwarmers, The Boondocks, Pinky and The Brain: Volume 1, Rawhide: The Complete First Season and Jag: The Complete First Season.

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Here’s what is getting released today on DVD:

Film:

Final Destination 3 – Third time isn’t always a charm! Final Destination 3 is close to if not the same as 1 and 2, more dead teenagers, more campy and more bad actors. Death is an unseen force that wants his/her prey, and if chipped, will do anything to get the body count. Death by tanning bed, training bench, an engine and a nail gun, (wow, how original are those deaths?) Wait for it; yes there is a surprise ending and you get to pick your own fate. The DVD comes with a “Choose Your Fate!” version with alternate scenes and ways to die. The DVD also includes a documentary, featurette, original animated short and a look at how they made the roller coaster that started out this thrill ride. Seems to me, that there is more to the extras than the film itself. Enjoy!

Ask the Dust – Is this possible, a film with Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek I have not seen? Two of the sexiest people in Hollywood on screen together, it can’t be all that bad to look at. Robert Towne adapted John Fante’s novel about the depression era. Colin plays a writer out to mask his Italian immigrant identity and Salma is the sassy hot barmaid looking for Mr. Rich American to get out of her own world. The sexy steamy relationship the main characters fall into and the cinematic beauty of the piece will keep you fairly interested, the story isn’t all that bad either. The only extras on the DVD are a featurette, “The Making of Ask the Dust”.

The Benchwarmers – If I say Rob Schneider, David Spade and Jon Heder, do I need to say much more? Adam Sandler created this somewhat comical romp about a 3-man baseball team created to pick on little leaguers. Rob, David and Jon play 3 immature men who never recovered from being picked on in school and in return decide to give it right back to a younger generation. The DVD does have quite a few extras like deleted scenes, commentary by actors David Spade and Jon Heder, behind the scenes with Reggie Jackson, a “Nerds Vs. Bullies” featurette, cast and crew discussions on baseball and Howie’s greatest moments. Here’s a DVD you want to rent just for the extras, the film is slightly comical and light hearted if you are looking for a simply dumb evening.

Animation:

The Boondocks – It’s an uncut and uncensored cartoon, awesome. Produced for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, based on Aaron McGruder’s politically charged comic strip. 2 young brothers give us their view of social and racial issues, never beating around the bush and always satirical. They move from Southside to the suburbs with their crazy grandpa, giving the boys plenty to talk about and experience. The DVD features 15 episodes and some unaired TV promos with commentary.

Pinky And The Brain: Volume 1 – If only a couple of laboratory mice could dominate the world, we might be in a better spot than we are now. Pinky And The Brain is a spin-off from Anamaniacs that started back in 1996. A genius large headed rodent and his crazy insane companion plan world domination every night only to fail and start over the next. From creator and executive producer Steven Spielberg, finally one of the funniest cartoons released on DVD. 22 episodes in all and a featurette.

TV:

Rawhide: The Complete First Season – The only time I’ve ever seen Clint Eastwood looking like a young man, I just assumed he was born wrinkled and hard as nails. Rawhide was Eastwood’s ticket to stardom and his start in the Western film business. There isn’t much to be said about Rawhide, it’s a classic cattle drive western with bad guys, good guys, fistfights and moocows.

JAG: The Complete First Season – Did you know JAG was on for 10 seasons? Neither did I. J.A.G. stands for Judge Advocate General and that is who Lieutenant Commander Harmon ‘Harm’ Rabb Jr. (David James) is. After being grounded from a flying accident in the Navy, Harm and is new team of prosecutors and defenders go on to handle various military cases and solve the mysteries assigned to them. The DVD offers up 21 episodes on 6 discs and 3 featurettes.

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This Week

So what’s out there this week.  Well today we’ll take a look at the films scheduled to be released this week.  On Wednesday (in limited release) Steve Carrell, Alan Arkin, and Greg Kinnear go on a dysfunctional family road trip with Little Miss Sunshine.  And by Friday we will see Michael Mann return to tales of drugs and sex in south Florida with detectives Crockett and Tubbs, Woody Allen and Scarlett Johansson try to get the Scoop, an animated Paul Giamatti will learn to respect ants, and a high school gigolo will get his just deserts.  All that and more; read on…

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Here’s what’s scheduled to hit theaters this week.  Want to know more, just click on the title for film info including a full cast list.  Want a closer look, just click on the poster to watch the trailer.

Opening Wednesday:

Little Miss Sunshine (limited)

Boy, oh, boy.  When the youngest member of a dysfunctional family wins a spot in a beauty pagent the whole crew stumbles on board a VW bus and makes the trek to California.  Directed by the team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Mr. Show), the off-beat script (by first-timer Michael Arndt) stars Steve Carrell as a suicidal gay man, Paul Dano as a Nietche lovin’ mute, Greg Kinnear as the emotionally inaccessible father, Alan Arkin as the smack addicted patriarch, and Abagail Breslin as the adorable Olive.  The film opens in limited release Wednesday and we’ll have the review.

Opening Friday:

Miami Vice

Director Michael Mann goes into the way-back machine and travels to the mid 80’s to bring his once top rated cop drama to the big screen.  Two Miami vice cops, Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Tubbs (Jamie Fox), are still going strong after all this time.  The plot, oh who am I kidding nobody’s going to see this for the plot!  The supporting cast includes Li Gong (2046), Luis Tosar, John Ortiz, Juantia Billue, and RazorFine favorite Naomie Harris.  Without trying it should be better than recent TV-to-film attempts (Bewitched, Dukes of Hazard).  Check back Friday for the review.

The Ant Bully

Young friendless Lucas Nickle (Zach Tyler) loves tormenting the local ant colony, that is until the ants shrink him down to size and turn the tables on the once powerful Ant Bully by putting him to work fixing all the damage he caused.  Ok, Shakespeare it ain’t, but there is a little room for optimism.  The film is written and directed by John A. Davis (Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius) and boasts a nice cast of voices including Paul Giamatti, Nicholas Cage, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Julia Roberts, Larry Miller, Ricardo “Khan” Montalban, Chri Oteri, and Smallville‘s Allison Mack. 

John Tucker Must Die

High school stud and gigolo John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe) is living the good life until all three of his girlfriends (Ashanti, Arielle Kebbel, Sophia Bush) get together and compare notes and decide to give the womanizer some much needed payback by enlisting the help of the school’s newest student (Brittany Snow).  Girl Power!  The film is directed by Betty Thomas who scored with 28 Days but also has I-Spy and Doctor Dolittle to answer for.  The script was penned by sitcom writer Jeff Lowell (Just Shoot Me!, Spin City, Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane).  Check back Friday for the review.

Scoop (limited)

Woody Allen re-teams with Scarlett Johansson (she starred in last year’s Match Point).  She plays an American journalism student, after being visited by a ghost (Ian McShane) who gives her the scoop of a lifetime, begins an affair with an aristocrat (Hugh Jackman) who she thinks might be a serial killer!  The trailer suggests the title Scoop of the Jade Scorpion may be more apt.  Also along for the ride are James Nesbitt, Romola Garai, Colin Salmon, Robyn Kerr, Jody Halse, and Suzy Kewer.  It opens in limited release of Friday, and we’ll have the scoop (heh) review for you.

Brothers of the Head (limited)

The film follows the lives of conjoined twins (Harry and Luke Treadway) who are chosen by a music promoter in the 70’s who turns the pair into a proto-punk rock and roll freakshow boy band.  This is the first feature by directors Keith Fulton and Luis Pepe who gave us the remarkably funny and tragic documentary Lost in La Mancha who chose Tony Grisoni (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, In This World) to adapt the cult novel by Brian Aldiss to the screen.  Not exactly your run of the mill rock film.  It opens Friday in limited release and we’ll have the review; look for it in wider release in the coming weeks.

Another Gay Movie (limited)

Think a gay version of American Pie.  After graduating high school, four gay friends make a pact to lose their anal virginity before going off to college.  They seek the help of their lesbian chick-magnet () to help them score with the guys.  See, gay themed movies can be just as pointless, tasteless and shameful as hetero big budget films!  The film was written and directed by Todd Stephens (Gypsy 83, Edge of Seventeen).  It’s out in limited release on Friday and I’m sure if you want to see this badly enough (please tell us why?) you’ll be able to find it at the local art house in the coming weeks.

America: Freedom to Fascism (limited)

A biography on George W. Bush’s presidency already?  (Heh, yeah, it was a cheap shot – doesn’t make it untrue).  This documentary “explores the erosion of civil liberties in America.”  Producer/director Aaron Russo sets out on a journey to discover why Americans must pay income tax and finds a disturbing trend of the curtailing of American’s civil liberties over the last one-hundred years as he examined subjects such as money creation and voter fraud.  A huge hit at Cannes (it received a standing ovation), the film gets a limited release starting today, look for it in wider areas in the coming weeks (though you’ll probably still have to hunt for it).

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Two Clerks, One Donkey, and No Hobbits

Well, I guess Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back wasn’t the last View Askew picture after all.  Smith returns to the characters that began his career and launched him as a independent film golden boy / lewd Star Wars obsessed fan.  What can I say about Clerks II?  Well, at least for this film, Kevin Smith is back!

Clerks II
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Kevin Smith seems intent on recapturing the spirit of the original Clerks with this sequel.  It’s a dirty little film that will make you laugh your ass off.  The film succeeds in most aspects, though at times Smith seems over ambitious to push through jokes, that if he had a little more patience and trust in the material, he’d understand it’s not necessary to try so hard for every laugh.  Even with such issues, the most surprising thing about Clerks II is how its heart seems to always be in the right place (even during a donkey show).

The film begins with the fiery destruction of The Quick Stop and then jumps ahead in time to find Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) working at the fast food franchise Mooby’s.  Things haven’t changed much for Randal who continues to do as little work as possible while spouting off his unique philosophy.  He also likes to torture his co-worker Elias (Trevor Fehrman), a sheltered and more than a little naive teenager who loves nothing more than Transformers and The Lord of the Rings.

Dante meanwhile has a fiance (Jennifer Scwalbach Smith) and plans on moving down to Florida.  His life seems to be taking shape, but there are a few complications.  As much as he seems ready to leave New Jersey behind, he has to address his feelings for his boss Becky (Rosario Dawson) and the end of his life long friendship with Randal.

Kevin Smith’s latest flick is lewd, disgusting, and very funny.  It’s also a very personal and emotional film about friendship and love. 

The film examines how people change over time, but how they also stay the same.  It won’t be easy for some people to make it through the amount of crude humor that happens over the course of the film, but if you can, the point of the film is rather sweet.

The make-up of the film, much like Clerks, involves debate on pop culture (including a terrific scene about Star Wars versus tLOR), sex (including a donkey show, the prospect of ass-to-mouth, and the discussion of a troll named Pillow Pants), and the use of language (including a laugh out loud scene with Wanda Sykes about a racial slur).

The only problem with the film is Smith seems to be trying a bit too hard at times to get the joke across.  The lead up to the donkey show works so well (as does the politically correct term used to describe it which reminded me strongly of a George Carlin joke about how political correctness can distort language to the point where anything is acceptable).  But we don’t need to actually see the donkey show on film, we already got the joke.  There are a couple places where the script literally beats a joke to death in this manner.

Many of Smith’s old friends show up in cameo appearances including Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, Ethan Suplee, Walt Flanagan, and of course Smith and Jason Mewes return as Jay and Silent Bob, who after the destruction of The Quick Stop, tag along to Mooby’s as well.

I’m glad to see Smith re-embrace his early style of film making and return to crafting films that will make you laugh, feel a little ashamed, but also make you think about relationships and life.  O’Halloran and Anderson seem to fit so naturally into these roles, Jason Mewes has come a long way since the first film, and the newcomers added seem to understand Smith’s style and fit seemlessly as new additoins to the View Askew Universe.  It’s Rosario Dawson who steals the film, and is fast becoming one of my favorite actresses working today.  She’s one to keep your eye on.

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They made bestiality funny.

Clerks II is not the indie revolution that the original Clerks was, but it is something that it’s predecessor wasn’t: an all-around well put together movie.  Sure, Clerks was refreshing and often funny, but the message it was trying to send was a bit to literal and at the same time not entirely established.  Clerks II, on the other hand, shows a clear progression of Kevin Smith—it’s funnier, more touching and most important of all, tops necrophilia with bestiality.  What’s not to love?

Clerks II
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Raunchy comedies are a curse upon this house of mankind.  Sometimes we’ll get a The 40-Year-Old Virgin, but more often than not we’ll get efforts such as Happy Madison’s Grandma’s Boy.  Fortunately for us, Clerks II is one of the former, a comedy with just as many jabs at sex and dorks as there are serious moments that give us more detailed characters.

Clerks II takes up the story where it ended twelve years ago: Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) are best friends stuck together in dead-end jobs neither wants, trying their half-assed best to do what they can with life.  The only changes are their employer (a fast food chain called “Mooby’s” that View Askew fans will remember from Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) and a couple of supporting characters played by Rosario Dawson and Trevor Fehrman.

But matters soon get dramatic as we find that Dante’s not only engaged, he’s moving away to Florida and unintentionally abandoning his best friend Randal.  And it doesn’t help that Dante’s getting a case of the jitters involving his soon-to-be-betrothed.

It’s easy to expect a Kevin Smith movie to make the inner 12-year-old laugh, and in that respect Clerks II makes the grade.  The film brings back racial slurs, furthers pee pee jokes and does something with a donkey that . . . well it does something with a donkey.

But what makes Clerks II such an accomplishment is Smith’s ability to weave this fondness for toilet humor and serious character development into one film.  Smith gives Anderson’s character a serious chunk of a problem to have to face, a problem not only that Anderson tackles with ease, but it’s also something you don’t see too often in films.  We see plenty of tween girl movies about BFFs getting into hard places, but what happens when a grown man has to cut the jokes and tell a friend what he means to the other?

Smith’s Chasing Amy was able to take a look at relationships with insight and intelligence, and probably had more to say that does Clerks II.  But then again, Chasing Amy doesn’t have an epic face-off between Star Wars and Lord of the Rings fanboys that ends in an involuntary bodily function; it’s not half so entertaining as this sixth entry into the View Askwniverse.

If there were a few explosions thrown into the mix, Clerks II might have been the perfect guy movie.  It’ll make you laugh and at the same time make you think about the rarely exploited best friend relationship dynamic.  Just don’t take anyone who doesn’t appreciate a good ol’ fashioned offensive joke, or two, or 47; it might end with an involuntary bodily function.

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