I have looked into the belly of the Beast...maw of the Beast...some part of some Beast. And it is full of dealers hawking overpriced knick-knacks, the effluvia of a culture gone pop.
Feelings are mixed here at the gooey center of geek capitalism. Soviet style lines - "why are standing here...because everyone else is." things for sale that no human being could ever use. A thousand dollars for a Halo costume. Why?
But, then again, people pay 10 times that amount for a watch and it is seen as a sign of success, not consumer derangement.
And the costume was kind of neat.
True confession: if I hadn't planned ahead and not had any excess space in my luggage, a couple of graphic novels would probably be coming home with me (but see, they're novels, not comic books...so, it's literature, right?).
On a side note, if you are cosplaying a character wearing a skintight or reveling costume, please, have the body for it. Some of the people here do...some really do not.
Well, off to a panel. More later.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
ComicCon Day One - Cult
Meta, thy name is Cult. Cult is a TV show about a TV show that has spawned a cult of killers. Some clunky writing...inorganic info dumps are never welcome. And there is way too much "story" packed into one episode.
Still...
This kind of multi-layered, hidden world, paranoia story appeals to me. There's an interesting theme of how reality and fantasy are blurring in the 21st century. And it doesn't hurt that the lead actress is stupid hot.
The idea is intriguing enough to watch a few more episodes. Hopefully, as the series progresses the clumsily handled presentation of the back-story will improve. If not...well, then this is one cult I'll be easily deprogrammed from. Sorry, best I can do after being up for lots of hours.
Tomorrow...more ComicCon fun!
Worth following for a while. It may get all 'Losty' in which shit is just dropped into the story just to have something "
Still...
This kind of multi-layered, hidden world, paranoia story appeals to me. There's an interesting theme of how reality and fantasy are blurring in the 21st century. And it doesn't hurt that the lead actress is stupid hot.
The idea is intriguing enough to watch a few more episodes. Hopefully, as the series progresses the clumsily handled presentation of the back-story will improve. If not...well, then this is one cult I'll be easily deprogrammed from. Sorry, best I can do after being up for lots of hours.
Tomorrow...more ComicCon fun!
Worth following for a while. It may get all 'Losty' in which shit is just dropped into the story just to have something "
ComicCon Day One - Revolution
One day, all electricity fails...everywhere. Civilization collapses and the survivors eek out an existence in the ruins.
How come all the chicks in the post-apocalyptic world look like supermodels? Where do they get haircare products?
Whatever.
So, will the plucky young warrior babe avenge her father's death at the hands of a local warlord right out of The Postman? Will she rescue her brother? Will I watch long enough to care? Where does the strapping young archer stud get his hair cut in a world where everyone has been reduced to subsistence farming or banditry?
There are some nice effects - scenes of a ruined O'Hare and downtown Chicago. But...God...terrible acting. A stupid story. A deus ex machina every five minutes. Blah.
I know what this is: someone really liked the show Life After People...and added some people. So, life after most people. Take a story that consists of every staple of post-apocalyptic fiction. Add in a heroine who seems patterned after Katniss from The Hunger Games. Shake well. Pour into a glass. And there you have it...a Suck Shake. Really.
There are good post-apoc series out there: The Survivors (original), Jericho, Jeremiah. This isn't one of them.
Pass.
How come all the chicks in the post-apocalyptic world look like supermodels? Where do they get haircare products?
Whatever.
So, will the plucky young warrior babe avenge her father's death at the hands of a local warlord right out of The Postman? Will she rescue her brother? Will I watch long enough to care? Where does the strapping young archer stud get his hair cut in a world where everyone has been reduced to subsistence farming or banditry?
There are some nice effects - scenes of a ruined O'Hare and downtown Chicago. But...God...terrible acting. A stupid story. A deus ex machina every five minutes. Blah.
I know what this is: someone really liked the show Life After People...and added some people. So, life after most people. Take a story that consists of every staple of post-apocalyptic fiction. Add in a heroine who seems patterned after Katniss from The Hunger Games. Shake well. Pour into a glass. And there you have it...a Suck Shake. Really.
There are good post-apoc series out there: The Survivors (original), Jericho, Jeremiah. This isn't one of them.
Pass.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
ComicCon Day One - The Following update
Ok, it's still Bacon vs Purefoy...but at the end of the first episode, Purefoy is back in prison...but has an army of serial killer minions doing his bidding...which is to spread murder and mayhem.
So, the premise is both more interesting and more outlandish...and still a pass.
So, the premise is both more interesting and more outlandish...and still a pass.
ComicCon Day One - The Following
Clarice Starling (sorry, Kevin Bacon as former FBI guy Ryan Hardy) tracks Hannibal Lector (sorry, James Purefoy as poetry obsessed serial killer Joe Carroll) after he escapes from prison.
That's pretty much the series. If that appeals to you, enjoy. For my part...pass.
That's pretty much the series. If that appeals to you, enjoy. For my part...pass.
ComicCon Day One - Preview Night, Arrow
'Arrow' is the new Green Arrow series. There's a nice Deathstroke nod tight off the bat, so I'm immediately geeked.
Okay, a dig at Lost "they were all dead...I think."
They are definitely going the Dark Knight route with Oliver Queen and it works. This Green Arrow has no problem killing bad guys, is driven by a mix of remorse, duty, justice and revenge.
While it takes place in the fictional Starling City, there don't appear to be any other superheroes or villains. So, this is basically about a normal man with extraordinary fighting skills and a lot of money (Queen's family is rich). In many ways, the Bruce Wayne/Batman/Dark Knight is being dressed up in green.
Based on the strength of the acting and the writing...which isn't spectacular, but works well given the genre and shows a nice level of intelligence and wit. The action sequences are well shot and choreograph.
Maybe not a an automatic "must watch" but I'll at least give it a few episodes and see if the quality of the pilot is maintained. Check it out.
Okay, a dig at Lost "they were all dead...I think."
They are definitely going the Dark Knight route with Oliver Queen and it works. This Green Arrow has no problem killing bad guys, is driven by a mix of remorse, duty, justice and revenge.
While it takes place in the fictional Starling City, there don't appear to be any other superheroes or villains. So, this is basically about a normal man with extraordinary fighting skills and a lot of money (Queen's family is rich). In many ways, the Bruce Wayne/Batman/Dark Knight is being dressed up in green.
Based on the strength of the acting and the writing...which isn't spectacular, but works well given the genre and shows a nice level of intelligence and wit. The action sequences are well shot and choreograph.
Maybe not a an automatic "must watch" but I'll at least give it a few episodes and see if the quality of the pilot is maintained. Check it out.
ComicCon Day One - Preview night
At the WB Tv preview night. I'll provide some commentary on what were seeing. First up 666 Park Avenue.
So, Terry O'Quinn is Satan...or something. And he owns an apartment building of the damned. The protagonists are an ambitious couple that are hired to be resident managers.
The plot establishes that most of the residents are various types of either those who sold their souls or the morally suspect (like one guy who our plucky heroine meets with hands covered in blood...he has twitchy killer written all over him). Oh, and there are ghosts in the laundry room...which explains where all those missing sock go.
Kinda of a yuppie version of the apartment building in Rosemary's Baby. Lots of stereotypes, cliched dialogue, cheap jump shots...but, there are also naught cults, hot blondes, killer elevators, some monkey paw shit...
Ultimately, it just has a been there, done that feel to it. There's really nothing about it that stands out. Terry O'Quinn does seem to be having fun as Satan or whatever, but that's about it.
Oh, and there's one moment I wanted to yell "I am Gozer the Gozerian.". I refrained. Inside though, I know, this bitch is toast.
Pass.
So, Terry O'Quinn is Satan...or something. And he owns an apartment building of the damned. The protagonists are an ambitious couple that are hired to be resident managers.
The plot establishes that most of the residents are various types of either those who sold their souls or the morally suspect (like one guy who our plucky heroine meets with hands covered in blood...he has twitchy killer written all over him). Oh, and there are ghosts in the laundry room...which explains where all those missing sock go.
Kinda of a yuppie version of the apartment building in Rosemary's Baby. Lots of stereotypes, cliched dialogue, cheap jump shots...but, there are also naught cults, hot blondes, killer elevators, some monkey paw shit...
Ultimately, it just has a been there, done that feel to it. There's really nothing about it that stands out. Terry O'Quinn does seem to be having fun as Satan or whatever, but that's about it.
Oh, and there's one moment I wanted to yell "I am Gozer the Gozerian.". I refrained. Inside though, I know, this bitch is toast.
Pass.
ComicCon Day One - Update
Well, it looks like I've been sucked into the maw of the very line beast I had hoped to avoid. But, it was so enticing. An actual end of the line with hopeful people joining it. How could I say no? Will my innate hatred of being squished in with thousands of sweaty fellow humans overtake my desire to watch TV programs that I probably won't ever see again? Stay tuned...
Day One ComicCon - Lines...So Many Lines
So, it's my first time at ComicCon. And...there are lines...lots of lines. Some, like he registration line move rapidly and efficiently. Others - the line to get into the TV premiere night - are dauntingly long. Perhaps if I hadn't stopped off for lunch - at a nice Mexican barsteraunt called La Puerta in Gastown - I'd have found it worth waiting in. However, there appear to be about fifty thousand people already camped out...to watch a few TV premieres that I should be able to catch later this week. Pass.
Next stop: I'll try the Marriott and see if I can get into the anime fest going on. Nothing beats cyborg ninja school girls.
Next stop: I'll try the Marriott and see if I can get into the anime fest going on. Nothing beats cyborg ninja school girls.
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