Comic Con 2012, and why I no longer care

Though I really hope people haven't come to expect this of me, you may be wondering why I haven't been periodically snapping in with conversations regarding the happenings at this year's San Diego Comic Con. Quite often the source of a great deal of buzz regarding major films on the horizon, the convention has in the past been something to aspire towards visiting. The con has over the past two years been receiving a certain downgrading, not only in hype. Much more enthusiasm is being spent on a film that's not likely to crack my top 10 at the end of the year, though will likely still be rather exceptional. But there's quite obviously an outside factor in why I'm no longer as interested in the famed con.

I don't watch trailers anymore. I've made a case of avoiding trailers for films I am rather highly anticipating or have heard good things about. Why? Because, for all intents and purposes, I already have enough reason to believe that the films will be good. Marketing is meant to spark audience interest in a film, and it's only for films that I have major doubts on that I make exceptions with. So since I have set a taboo against a pointless form of media corruption, what is the point of going to a convention that specializes in pushing marketing for films that are, for the most part, not even close to release? The closest thing that comes to mind is hot chicks in cosplay, but even that isn't enticing enough.

Comic Con 2010: Sucker Punch Trailer Online!

This was news that happened a few days ago, but somehow it just slipped past me until now. The trailer for Zack Snyder's period action film, Sucker Punch, dropped onto the internet the other day, and it was something pretty spectacular. This is the first completely original film that Zack Snyder has made, so it'll be interesting to see what is really going on inside Snyder's head. We've gotten glimpses based on the visual look of his films, but now we have something new. His images are just as amazing as they always have been, but now they're not from a graphic novel. Check the trailer out below.

Comic Con 2010: Thor Trailer Arrives! And Is Almost Immediately Gone

In the weeks after Comic Con, the footage that premiered there will start to trickle its way online, and now we have the first instance of that. The Comic Con trailer for Thor wass here for your viewing pleasure, but then it was quickly and predictably taken down due to copyright laws. Of the footage I saw, I'm a little bit split. While it looks cheesy as hell, and it doesn't seem there's anything new here, it looks like the kind of standard action film that pleases audiences in the simplest way. I don't think it will be anything special, but it looks fun. Since it was leaked onto the internet, no matter for how short amount of time, it'll probably still pop up in a few places. Once something makes it to the internet, you can't get rid of it entirely.

Comic Con 2010: Wrap Up!

Alright, let me just wrap up with my thoughts on Comic Con. I was rather disappointed by how little low quality video captured on people's video cameras made its way online. I was hoping to see more, but was disappointed. That's my general feeling from this Comic Con. There wasn't enough material thrown around this year. Nobody real took full use of Hall H as they could have. There weren't many events that had a huge amount of buzz around them. I'm sad I wasn't there this year, but I feel like it wouldn't have be as exciting as I'd have hoped for.

We got some big events from TRON Legacy, Jon Favreau's Cowboys and Aliens (A photo from which can be found at the top of this article), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and Matt Reeves' Let Me In, but there wasn't so much to talk about. Nobody premiered 20 minutes of footage to an eager crowd like James Cameron did last year for Avatar. The film sucked, but at least he took the time to give fans more of what they wanted. It'd have been nice to see the short bits of footage from Thor, Green Lantern, and Captain America, but I'm not as huge a comic book geek as the rest of my family, and I'm really growing tired of the Marvel franchise.

So what can we expect from Comic Con next year? For one thing, you can expect me to be there. It's a long trip across the entire country, and I literally mean the entire country. I live in New Hampshire, so San Diego will be a bit of a long haul, but hopefully I'll be able to make it. As for events, most of the summer will be long gone by the time Comic Con comes around. So what's there to hype about? Will they show an advance screening of Spy Kids 4? I sincerely hope not. There's a chance we'll get a lot more Cowboys and Aliens footage, seeing as the film comes out two weeks later, but there are a few films that come out that fall and the following year that might generate buzz.

Happy Feet 2, Martin Scorcese's Hugo Cabret, Mission Impossible 4, Sherlock Holmes 2, David Fincher's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Stephen Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn will all be dawning in November and December of next year. Not to mention, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1. I'll give you a few minutes to puke, and then you can finish reading. Also be ready for whatever footage from The Avengers Joss Whedon is sure to unveil at Comic Con, because you know he will. Also look for footage from the summer 2012 pics Battleship, Men and Black 3, the Spiderman reboot, and whatever Christopher Nolan feels good with sharing about his next project, whatever it is (The Dark Knight sequel?). Well for now, I leave you with one more poster. It's the third Let Me In poster from Comic Con, and it instantly overshadows the other two.

Comic Con 2010: Panels for Paul, Cowboys and Aliens, Captain America, and Thor!

As much as I'd like to go into extreme depth with this post, I'm just sick and tired of Comic Con by now. I hate hearing about all these things that I wasn't able to witness, and I really hope that I get a chance to be there next year. Until then, I leave you with one more link to In Contention, where you'll be able to find out what Kristopher Tapley thought of yesterday's panels, including that of Paul, Cowboys and Aliens, Captain America, and Thor. So the link is below. Enjoy reading about things you didn't have the pleasure of seeing for yourself.

In Contention

Comic Con 2010: Internet Buzzing About "Let Me In"!

So in case you haven't heard, two horrific events happened in Hall H at Comic Con yesterday. The second was that two adult men got into a fight over a seat, and one of them stabbed the other in the eye with a pen. The victim was carried out of the room on a stretcher, while the attacker wearing a blood-drenched Harry Potter shirt (how much money would you pay to have that?) was walked out by police. Such a horrific event as that should've overshadowed the craze following the Let Me In presentation, but it didn't.

The presentation consisted of a new trailer, two clips, and the cast and crew answering questions. People are right now hailing this as one of the best things to come out of Comic Con, and it may be. I've had my reservations on the film, being one of the people who hasn't seen the original Let the Right One In, but is willing to endlessly attest for its quality nonetheless. However, after seeing the new trailer that just found its way online, I don't think I have much reason to worry. You can check it out at the link below, and I've also left a link for Kris Tapley's piece about the panel at In Contention, so you can find out about the clips played there.

"COMIC-CON: Let Me In isn’t just the rally cry of Hall H lines" at In Contention

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Comic Con 2010: Green Lantern, Harry Potter, and Sucker Punch Panels!

So today Warner Bros. finally got around to advertising their top upcoming movies, which this year is narrowed down to three. Those three are Green Lantern, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and Sucker Punch. As much as I'd like to point you off to one specific site, I just can't, because I planned to send you to Kristopher Tapley's article detailing it at In Contention. What happened? Kris didn't really go that deep into the Potter footage. I understand that he's become fatigued with the franchise, as quite a few people have, and I respect that. It just means I have to send you off to two different sites. One is the previously mentioned article by In Contention, and the other is ComingSoon.net's breakdown of the footage. You can find the links below, and if any of the footage burrows its way online, I'll let you know.

In Contention
ComingSoon.net

Comic Con 2010: Joss and J.J.

If there are two people who have the greatest impact on the geek community, it's Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams, and if you haven't heard of one of them, you likely will soon. Joss Whedon is taking on The Avengers, and J.J. Abrams... seriously, how could you not know him? The guy created Alias, Lost, and Fringe. Don't ask for more reason to know who the hell this guy is. Anyway, footage from Comic Con of the two legends has found it's way online, so it's a good idea to check it out in your spare time. Listening to Joss Whedon is like watching Louie C.K. do stand up. Check it out HERE!

Comic Con 2010: Dexter Season 5 Trailer

To this date, I have not seen a single episode of Showtime's serial killer drama, Dexter, and it's a crime that I haven't. Every time I catch one of these trailers, I tell myself that I will be watching the show this season. I'm going to say right now that I will definitely be commenting on Dexter when it comes back this September, but don't be surprised if something gets in the way. All the same, this is an expertly put together trailer for the next season. There isn't a specific villain that ties everything together. This season looks like it will focus on Dexter, and his guilt after his wife's brutal murder. So take a look at the Comic Con trailer for Dexter.

Dexter Season 5 Trailer

Comic Con 2010: Day 2 Panels!

Sorry if today isn't as eventful as yesterday. Nobody can expect any other major studio to pull what Disney pulled yesterday with their TRON Legacy panel. Today's panels were pretty standard, and we haven't really gotten anything special out of it. My source for Comic Con panel details yesterday, Kris Tapley from In Contention, hasn't done many posts today, but I thank him for the detailed look into the panels he saw yesterday. If you want to follow his twitter feed, you'll get a few more by the minute bits from Comic Con as they happen.

For the dish on today's panels, we turn to ComingSoon.net, who have given detailed descriptions of the goings on at Comic Con today. Today's panels included the Guillermo Del Toro produced Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, James Gunn's Super, Skyline, Green Hornet, The Other Guys, and Battle: Los Angeles. So check out the link provided above to find out more about the anticipated films.

Comic Con 2010: "Machete" Red Band Trailer!

Last night offered people the once in a lifetime opportunity to eat a taco prepared by the cast of Robert Rodriguez's Machete. I don't like Mexican food, but I'd eat a taco if I had the knowledge that it had been touched by Michelle Rodriguez and Jessica Alba's hands. Either way, that was only one treat from the Machete section at Comic Con yesterday, another being this red band trailer for the film. It doesn't measure up to the initial fake trailer that premiered with Grindhouse, but it's worth it for that last line from Cheech Marin. You have to be 18 years or older to watch, but this being the internet, it's not very hard to fake that.

Machete Red Band Trailer

Comic Con 2010: "Megamind" Footage is now online!

I though that maybe the whole point of Comic Con was for it to be exclusive, but now it seems they're just releasing a bunch of the footage being released. So I was actually surprised by this footage from Megamind, Dreamworks' new animated action film coming out this November. If you were wondering why the theatrical trailers never showed much of the film's plot, it's because it's kind of dark. By kind of dark, I mean they kill someone within the first two minutes of the Comic Con footage. The protagonist is not only a villain, but a murderer as it turns out. So now I'm officially intrigued in this project, because it looks like something a bit edgier than Dreamworks usually goes for. So check it out. It may be one of the surprise successes of the year.

Megamind Comic Con Footage

Comic Con 2010: Thursday's Panels: Megamind, and TRON Legacy!

Today Hall H was host to two 3D projects, both being released in the last two months of this year. One is Dreamworks' Megamind, the animated comedy-action film about a supervillain turned good. The other is Disney's TRON Legacy, the sequel to the original 1980s film, TRON. As much as I'd love to tell you all about what went down there, I can't. I wasn't there, so it only makes sense to direct you to somebody who was. In this case, I mean the more than reliable Kristopher Tapley over at In Contention. So feel free to skip on over there to get his take on the Comic Con panels. Also, just a small bit of news, Joss Whedon has confirmed that he is directing The Avengers, so that's pretty great.

TRON Legacy panel
Megamind panel

Comic Con 2010: A special "Pirates of the Caribbean" teaser shows at Hall H!

It seems like Disney used their TRON Legacy panel in Hall H today to promote a few of their other upcoming films, not only Guillermo Del Toro's recently announced The Haunted Mansion (by recently, I mean about an hour ago), but also for one of their most lucrative franchises, Pirates of the Caribbean. A special teaser aired for the Comic Con audience, with Captain Jack Sparrow on a beach, directly addressing the people in Hall H, assuring people that it certainly wasn't the case that he would soon be embarking on a quest to find the fountain of youth but that, even if he were, he wouldn't be looking for a crew. But, if he did, would anyone in the audience be interested? Not really much of a teaser, as it showed no relavent footage. Still, it's a nice reminder that On Stranger Tides is still coming in May of 2011.

Comic Con 2010: Guillermo Del Toro's next film might be "The Haunted Mansion"!

So what film could Guillermo Del Toro possibly be doing next after dropping off The Hobbit? It seems that Guillermo Del Toro is writing, producing, and directing a 3D reboot of The Haunted Mansion. If you remember, the last time Disney tried to make an adaptation of their Haunted Mansion them park ride, it turned out as a comedy starring Eddie Murphy. Luckily, that is not the aim Guillermo Del Toro is going for. “The scary WILL be scary. If you bring children, they will scream. And I hope to steal as many props as possible,” said Del Toro during his surprise appearance at the end of the TRON Legacy panel.

So I am currently unsure of if this is the surprise project Del Toro was talking about when going into Comic Con, but it worked. We're all surprised! Anything from Guillermo Del Toro is a treat, just as long as it doesn't star Eddie Murphy. "We are not returning Eddie Murphy's calls." Consider me relieved. I can't wait to find out what Guillermo has planned. It's not what I expected, but the best things rarely are. A release date hasn't been announced yet, but if I were to guess, it'll probably come out sometime year.

Comic Con 2010: TRON Legacy Trailer Debuts!

It's nice to see that us who aren't attending are actually getting something from Comic Con. It's not as much as those attending are receiving, but it's something. At the moment the TRON Legacy panel at Comic Con ended, the trailer that aired there arrived online. The initial trailer left me somewhat cold and confused, and this trailer gives me a similar feeling of confusion. This is a bizarre world they've created, and as one who hasn't seen the original TRON, I don't know what is going on.

This trailer offers plenty of eye candy, and it feels as if this film may have an emotional core to it. I don't deny the possibility, as the filmmakers went to the geniuses at Pixar before going to reshoots. Still, I'd like to know what the hell is going on here. Where are they? Why does Jeff Bridges play two characters who seemingly want to kill each other? And where exactly is TRON? He seems like he should have a big part in the film, seeing as he's in the title. So there are my questions. Here's the trailer. Enjoy.

TRON Legacy trailer 2

Comic Con 2010: "Let Me In" Poster Debuts

From horror to horror, the second poster for Let Me In, the adaptation of the book Let the Right One In, has debuted at Comic Con. I'm liking this poster a hell of a lot more than the first one, as the first one was just words in the snow. If that's supposed to impact me in any way, then the marketing department isn't doing their job right. I wouldn't be surprised if a domestic trailer for the film came within the next day or so, but this poster could keep me content for a while. The look of this poster, the fact that Chloe Moretz is in the lead, and the idea that Michael Giacchino will be scoring the film have me contented for now.

Comic Con 2010: "Saw 3D" Trailer Debuts

While I usually save trailers for the Trailer Tuesday section I post each week, I'm going to post on the trailers from Comic Con as soon as they come, and this is worth talking about. The trailer for the seventh and final Saw film is now out. Last year I was surprised by how Saw 6 actually felt like a real film, instead of the fake films the Saw films usually turn out to be. I got the impression that this was a game that Jigsaw felt needed to be done, as opposed to the ones that the filmmakers just stick in to continue the franchise.

This film is being directed by the same man as Saw 6, Kevin Greutert, and judging by the trailer, it may actually be worth our time. The Saw 3D trailer is by far the best teaser for the franchise, which is kind of an easy job seeing as most of the films only ever have a teaser, and then no full trailer. Still, if this is all we get to decide on whether the film will be worth it, I may go out of my way to see it. What stuck out to me is that there's a trap being executed in front of a crowd of people. That's what I've been waiting for the series to do. So it may have some visual flair to it, and it may not be the mediocre crap the series is more accustomed to.

Saw 3D teaser

Comic Con 2010: Brad Pitt to star in "World War Z"

"We ain't in the prisoner taking bid'ness. We in the killin' zombie bid'ness, and cuzzin, bid'ness is boomin."

So the first news to spring from San Diego is that Brad Pitt has been attached to star in Marc Forster's adaptation of Max Brooks' novel, World War Z. As hinted in the title, the film follows a war between humans and zombies after an outbreak due to unknown causes. So yes, it's a zombie movie, so there lies my hesitation about the project. The only zombie movie I ever really enjoyed was Zombieland. I'm not sure what Marc Forster has planned for the project, or what role Brad Pitt is taking, but the film is aiming for a summer 2012 release.

2010 San Diego Comic Con Begins Today!

Always a huge topic of interest whenever it comes around, today marks the beginning of the 2010 San Diego Comic Convention. Each year, I tell myself I'm going to be there next year. I'm going to purchase a ticket, and go over there, and each year, I don't. My goal for the following year is to be able to be at next year's event, so I can give more in depth coverage to you. Until then, I'm stuck waiting here at home for the slightest scraps of news, and whatever footage leaks onto the interweb for a few seconds. So be ready for a flood of news dealing with several high profile projects within the next few days.