ParaNorman

What a sweet movie!  Sweet but still totally scary.  I actually jumped a couple of times. 

I saw the panel for ParaNorman at Comic-Con this year and got really excited about seeing the film.  In a slightly tangential side note, have you noticed the kids movies coming out (ParaNorman, Hotel Transylvania, and Frankenweenie) all have supernatural slants to them? Nifty.  Anywhoodle, ParaNorman has been getting great reviews but not doing incredibly well at the box office.  It got a respectable $14 mil its opening weekend but kids' movies usually do better.  I wonder if the subject matter is keeping them home.  It's a shame because subject matter (aka zombies) aside, it's a story that all kids should see.

Speaking of story, ParaNorman's is this:  Norman is an 11-year old outcast who sees ghosts and is made fun of by everyone, even his sister.  He's misunderstood by his father who just wishes Norman could be more normal.  Norman's gift of seeing and conversing with the dead comes in handy because it's his turn to keep the town's witch at bay.  On the anniversary of her death a story must be read at the place where she was buried to keep her quiet until next year and to keep the puritanical zombies in their graves.  Unfortunately Norman isn't given all the pertinent information and the story doesn't get read in time. Norman, who knows that spirits stuck on earth have unfinished business, decides to get to the witch's real problem.  Why does she keep bugging them? Norman, his sister, his friend, Neil, Neil's brother, and school bully Alvin band together to rid the town of its zombie problem.   

Those puritanical zombies are the lesson here.  Norman's town of Blithe Hollow is repeating history until he steps up and tries to fix things.  Since the beginning of time people fear what they don't understand and often punish or bully a person for their differences.  That's a lesson enough right there but ParaNorman goes a step further and admonishes the bullied person for taking revenge on stupid people who don't know how to deal with their fears. Seeking revenge through violence is never the answer and this film does a great job discussing that.

There was plenty of humor and lots for the adults who usually escort kids to these things.  Not me, though.  I'm that creepy, old broad in the back corner of the theater with no kids anywhere near her.  Actually I went with my mom so we were two creepy, old broads in the theater without any kids.  One thing I got a kick out of was hearing what made the kids laugh and what made the adults laugh.  The scene that made me laugh out loud was the reaction the puritanical zombies had when seeing what the world is like now:

I was impressed not only with the story but with the film making involved in this stop-motion animated film.  I have little to no patience. I try to muster some for old people and little kids but beyond that I think things should be done (correctly) and quickly.  I would be the worst stop-motion animator ever.  I am truly amazed at what they do.  If you've seen Coraline then you know how absolutely beautiful it can be when it's done well.  And thanks to the good folks at Laika (who gave us Coraline and ParaNorman) we get to experience some truly amazing artistry on screen.

Pictured above is Laika president and animator, Travis Knight.  And in his hands is a wee Norman figure.  Travis was Comic-Con and I found myself wanting to get to know him, uh, a bit better.  He's funny and tall and incredibly talented at what he does.  Also, it turns out his dad is Phil Knight of Nike fame.  Not that that's an important piece of information but it does explain why Nike was doing a ParaNorman shoe tie-in.  I've totally lost where I was going with this paragraph.  Well I will say that I am massively impressed by Laika's films to date and can't wait to see what they come up with next.  But with how long each film must take I guess it'll be a few years.

Day 4 and Wrap up - San Diego Comic-Con 2012

Really the only thing to share about Sunday, for me was the Fringe panel.  For my friend Jennifer it would be the Supernatural panel, which I left just before.  For my friend Lisa it would be the Doctor Who panel, which Jennifer left just before.  For Dana, it would be the Merlin panel happening WAAAAYYYY on the other side of the convention center.  After a very emotional Fringe panel (where everyone except for Pacey, er, Joshua Jackson cried) I hit the convention floor one last time. Luckily for me, half the attendees were still in line for the Doctor Who panel so the floor wasn't so horrible.  Usually Sundays are the worst because it's Kids' day and that usually equates to a packed convention floor with TOO MANY DANG STROLLERS!  I hate strollers.  In fact this year strollers were banned from the panel rooms, which was a start.  Actually this is a good bridge to my overall thoughts about this year's con.

IT WASN'T GREAT.  It wasn't awful but it wasn't great. 

Last year was pretty great.  Most people didn't know to get in line for a panel before the sun came up.  Now they do.  In fact now they get in line the night before when the sun hasn't bothered to go down quite yet. 

Last year we got TONS of swag, which is pretty standard.  This year, not so much.  Studios are tightening their belts.  Whatever.  We paid tons of money to be there.  They owe us.  Ok, not really but sometimes it feels that way.  Last year an attendee could walk up to a booth and get handed anything ranging from a set of full-sized posters to a tiny button.  Sure, things would get a little crazy but it worked.  This year if you wanted swag you had to go to some room, stand in line for over an hour, get a ticket, and go back to the booth to stand in line again to be handed a poster or button or whatever.  It was obnoxious.  The lines would wrap around the booth ensuring the losers without tickets couldn't actually walk into said booth.  I came home with a suitcase only 1 lb. heavier than when I left.  Wow, I sound really greedy.  First world problems, y'all!  Thank goodness for HBO and their love of giving things away.  They rock.  In fact this is what typical True Blood swag looks like.  Game of Thrones stuff is almost identical but all to do with GoT and not TB, but you know what I meant. 

The difference from last year to this was the presence of the original line buddies, Jennifer and Lisa.  We met them two years ago in line for Psych and formed an immediate bond.  They couldn't get tickets last year so we made sure that didn't happen again.  We even stayed in the same hotel this time around.  We love these girls and they made this year totally worth it.  Plus we met a new couple, Tanya and Saad.  I hope we get to see them next year because they were great too.

If you'd like to take a look at my crappy photos (most are out of focus and grainy), you can go to the google+ album I created just for you guys.  You can see plenty of in focus and less crappy photos all over the web but they're so impersonal.  Mine, however, evoke the image of me sitting way in the back of a room with a camera over my head just hoping the celebs would sit still so my slow shutter would catch them before they move.

Day 3-San Diego Comic-Con

I'm in line again for Hall H. Today is a huge day for many fans here. It's Doctor Who day. I'm not here for the good Doctor though. I'm here for the first panel, Fringe. We'll be heading in soon so this will be brief.

Yesterday- first up was Django Unchained. It's going to be just as good as the best Tarantino films. It's got humor, violence and even some heart. Plus Christophe Waltz!!!

Then was Jake Gyllenhaal's End of Watch. He wasn't there (Boo!) but recorded a message. I'm still unsure of this movie because of the camera techniques but the material sounds good. After that was Silent Hill 2 (officially Redemption or Revolution or Retribution or something). Apparently Sean Bean was in the first one but I had never heard of it. It's based on a scary video game and looks creepy. It has Jon Snow from Game of Thrones if that helps. He wasnt there though and sent no recorded message. The girl in it looks JUST like Michelle Williams.

After that things really got going. Warner Brothers/Legendary pictures did their huge presentation. They even revealed huge wrap around screens up front. The place went bonkers.

First was Pacific Rim with uber-film god, Guillermo Del Toro. When he's in the room you feel like you're in the presence of greatness. The footage for Pacific Rim is sick. Unfortunately we have to wait until July 2013 to see it and Del Toro is going radio silent for at least 6 months to finish it up. I'm placing all my hopes on this being the movie that knocks Avatar out of the top of the $ list.

Then was The Campaign with Will Ferrell (who I enjoy much more in person than in films) and Zach Gallifinakis. We saw a bit more footage than what's in the trailer and it's gonna be a funny film.

After that was the reveal of Effing Godzilla (not the official title). The teaser showed a demolished city and had a grim voice over. We see claws peeking out of the ground, the screen goes black and then you hear that unmistakable shriek. More destruction with a shot of feet emerging from the dust of the city and we see an angry head turns and the shriek again. I think there was more screaming then there was for Twilight. How have they been secretly filming a Godzilla movie?

Man of Steel was next and I think director Zach Snyder is making up for Sucker Punch. It looks great and damn Henry Cavill is hot.

Ugh, the line is moving before I get to The Hobbit. Um we saw some more behind the scenes footage. The cast (Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage!, Sir Ian McKellen!!!, and even Elijah Wood) came out and we got to see over 12 minutes of footage from part 1 and 2!!!!! It looks incredible. I was on such a high yesterday.

I'll really try to post more detail later.

Day 2 of San Diego Comic-Con

I am so sleepy. My back hurts too. I'm writing this, again on Dana's iPad, as I sit in line for another panel. This is the first day that I'm alone but I make friends quickly so when I'm done typing I'll befriend the kinda cute Brit in front of me who does a killer Alec Guinness.

So yesterday...

First up in massive Hall H was Paranorman. Again I apologize for a lack of links and pics. It's just too much work for my brain at this time. Paranorman (ParaNorman maybe?). It's a stop motion movie from the folks who brought you the incredible Coraline. They've gotten even better at what they do and it shows. The time it takes for a stop motion film is insane and the patience from each animator is something I can't even comprehend. The film looks great and has a great story. Norman is an outcast kid who can see ghosts. He, along with his sister and a few others get a chance to save their town from the undead. Voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee(from Let Me In), Anna Kendrick, McLovin, and more. This is one I won't miss.

After that was The Big Bang Theory. Johnny Galecki's flight was delayed and Jim Pasons is on stage in NYC (Harvey, which I bet he's great in). However Parsons appeared on a tv screen that they wheeled in. I had hoped they'd hang a Green Lantern shirt from it butq alas they did not. The panel was fun and had lots of laughs. They gave away a trip to space, which was pretty dang cool.

After that was The Walking Dead. We saw some footage of what Michonne can do with a sword and then Inside the prison and a bit around Woodbury. We were introduced to David Morrisey (a fave Brit actor of mine) who is playing the Governoe and his only complaint is the Georgia heat. Heh. Poor guy. Sarah Wayne Callies made no excuse or apologies for Lori's Lady Macbeth actions. Anyway they assured us that season 3 will start at the amped up level season 2 ended at. I still have no complaints about the show whatsoever so I'm not worried.

Following that was Game of Thrones. They've just started filming season 3 but George RR Martin, who moderated as usual, promised us a teaser. We got it. We got a title card and a voice over of (I think) Catelyn saying "war is just beginning" or something. That was it and it got a big laughs from the audience. We did get a recap of Season 2 and Robb, Theon, Catelyn, Danerys, and Ygritte were on the panel. They were all very cool folks. The girl who plays Ygritte (who was also Gwen on Downton) actually grew up in a castle. Martin told us a cute story about only being able to have turtles as a kid in a housing project. They lived in a plastic castle and he used to make up medieval-type stories about them. So technically GoT was first done by turtles. Fanfic writers should have a field day with that. So someone get on it.

After GoT we moved forward to get closer for the other movie panels. first up was Resident Evil:Retribution (#5!). Milla Jovovich is a goofball and completely dorky, which makes me love her more. I should be ashamed for my love of the RE movies but I'm not. I find them entertaining and this one looks as good as the others. So take that as you will. Next up was a better look at Total Recall. They were there last year but didn't have much finished footage to show. I know people get tired of remakes, reboots, etc but I didn't love the original and this is gonna be a good movie. It looks better. It's not tongue-in-cheek, which is a requirement with Ahnold movies. And I like the cast. I'm predicting now that I will love it. Then was Looper, directed by one of my faces, Rian Johnson. Its a time travel-ish movie and I was impressed. Plus, it helps that my beloved Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in it. So are Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, and Jeff Daniels so it has to be good. We bugged out right before the Matt Damon/Jodi Foster panel for Elysium (directed by the dude who did District 13). So no pics of them :(

Wow, I've written enough. I'm gonna try and get some pics posted later.

Day 1 of San Diego Comic Con

There is a disturbing lack of swag this year. Plus the studio booths are making it really difficult to get their swag too. You have to get in line to get a ticket to then go get in line again to get a free button, pin, or poster. Boo!

We saw one of our favorite panels yesterday, Psych. I love that show for it's humor and the cast is so great. Plus they love each other and their job.

After that was a pilot and Q&A for the new CW'S reboot of Beauty and the Beast. I like the concept (Beast is a military test program gone wrong) but the pilot was trying too hard and ended up in melodramatic territory. Pretty cast tho if that helps.

Then we saw a pilot and Q&A for the American network version of an updated Sherlock Holmes. I'm incredibly satisfied with the BBC one (except that it's not on enough). I liked it a lot. Jonny Lee Miller was solid as was Lucy Liu as a female Dr. Watson. My friend Dana said it felt a lot like House but then one could argue that House is just a version of Holmes.

Later that night we went to w00tstock and freaking LeVar Burton came out and led the audience in the "Reading Rainbow" song. When I'm back on my computer I'll try to link to some other w00tstock stuff. It was pretty great.

Stay tuned for more from SDCC '12! Also I'm posting from Dana's iPad do I have no idea where those pics will go.