4.5 Minutes of Intensity and Genius

I know, I know. Anyone who cares has probably already seen this. In fact, I'm not even sure where I foumd it - probably via Facebook on the 'I Love The Walking Dead' page. It doesn't matter, really, anymore.

What matters is how amped up Season 4 seems to be, at least from the ComicCon trailer embedded below. To this I say: "HELL YES!!"

If you know me at all, you know I love horror movies and especially zombie movies. And I cannot wait until AMC's "The Walking Dead" regains the top spot on my Top Ten TV Dramas list this year (if I end up doing one... who the heck knows, anymore?). TWD's astonishing 6-episode Season One was truly ground-breaking television and deserved every accolade afforded it. Season Two was... slow, I suppose (hey - even "Lost" had Nicki and Paolo), but built to a very intense second half. Season Three was better than Two, but not up to Season One's quality, which I ascribe to the firing of series creator (and the single best film interpreter of the works of Stephen King), Frank Darabont.

Now under the direction of chief make-up designer Greg Nicotero, the folks at AMC certainly seem to have listened to the fans and considerably  raised the stakes for Season Four. Why do I doubt the trailer's final message? See for yourselves (and watch Full Screen):

Damn! I don't know who is more upset about waiting until October: Uncle P; My Sister; My Mother; My Coworker; My Other Coworker; My College Friend or My College Friend's Daughter. It doesn't matter because even after 3 seasons, I am stupefied by the fact that TWD (along with several other Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi shows) is Mom's favorite TV drama. She may not always understand the supernatural/Sci-Fi elements in many of these shows, but she sure appreciates compelling characters and exciting story-telling. The apple doesn't fall far... though it seems I've actually turned her opinion about genre entertainment, even if I have to explain it to her at length.  But that's not a bad thing at all.

More, anon.

Prospero

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The End of the Best

I've seen my share of TV SciFi over the years, from the very  good ("The X-Files;" "The Twilight Zone;" "Lost;" "Battlestar Gallactica") to the very bad ("Land of the Giants;" "Manimal;") to the inexplicable ("Terra Nova"). And there are plenty of favs in between the extremes: "Lost in Space;" "The Time Tunnel;" "The Invaders;" one or two of the more recent "Star Trek" shows; "Farscape;" "Warehouse 13." So trust me when I tell you that J.J. Abrams'  "Fringe" is quite possibly the best Sci-Fi series, ever. Yes, I said 'ever.' And I meant it. And here are the two reasons why:

1. Brilliant writing. Smart, complicated and enigmatic; "Fringe" has managed to maintain the balance between its stand-alone episodes and its complex history, employing an alternate universe and strange visitors to tie everything together.

2. An effing amazing cast! Why no one from the cast of "Fringe" has been so much as nominated for an Emmy is beyond me. I think it's snobbery and jealousy. Not only did most of the cast have to play at least 3 (when you factor in the new timeline established last season) different versions of themselves, the astonishing Anna Torv also had to channel Leonard Nimoy (and did so, brilliantly). John Noble's Walter Bishops are a literal tour de force of acting, while Joshua Jackson as Peter and  Jasika Nicole as Agent Astrid Farnsworth (whose name the oft-addled Walter can never remember; hilariously calling her "Assturd" in one episode) provide the emotional balance to make us care about what happens to these people. Nicole's meetings between Astrid and her Asperger's-afflicted version from the other dimension were both heart-wrenching and fascinating. This cast is at the top of their games and believe in what they're doing and it shows in every single minute of their performances. All actors should be watching and learning from this truly exceptional ensemble.

After 4 tumultuous seasons, Fox is ending "Fringe" with a thirteen-week finale, in which Abrams and his team will hopefully wrap everything up. Set twenty-years in the future, the season was set up in last season's penultimate episode. The 'Observers,' having destroyed the planet in the 25th Century have come back in time and taken over 21st Century earth. The crowd attending the "Fringe" panel at Comic-Con were shown this today (via):

There's still time to catch the first four seasons on DVD before Season 5 starts. If you are looking for smart, funny, moving and most of all, human Science Fiction, you owe it to yourself to see this show, from the beginning.  If like me, you have been watching and loving "Fringe" since its 2008 pilot, you are very sad to see it go, but can't wait to see how it ends. I feel your pain.

More, anon
Prospero

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This Is Why...

AMC's daring and often brilliant The Walking Dead ranks as my number two show on TV. Season two was... interesting. And despite protests of the show taking too long to get going, you can't deny that the last three or so episodes were nothing less than spectacular. 

Somehow, a certain red-headed auto-enthusiast scooped me on the Season 3 trailer that was presented at the "Walking Dead" Comic-Con panel. But I've stolen it from him (I know he won't mind) and posted it, below.

The other day, while watching "Falling Skies" with my mother, I said "I can't believe that two of your favorite shows are Science Fiction and Horror."

"What Horror?" she asked, puzzled.

"'The Walking Dead,' silly."

"Oh, that's not Horror. That's drama."

And of course, she's right. If I were to say the word "sub-genre" to her, Mom would cock her head and be off thinking about something else entirely. For her to be able to lump in her beloved procedurals; hospital dramas; law firm dramadies and cooking shows alongside "The Walking Dead;" "Falling Skies" and "Fringe," is nothing less than amazing to me (though I often have to explain what's happening on "Fringe" - a show she likes, but isn't quite sure why, Of course, she even surprised herself by falling in love with "The Walking Dead" almost against her wishes. Yes, I sort of forced her to watch that first astonishing episode and she was, like millions of people, desperate to know what happened next. 

TV's most ambitious thriller, ever, returns this October.  Excuse me for drooling.

More, anon.
Prospero

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Wait... They STILL Have Comic-Con?

ComicCon 2012's TV Panel Line-up

Five; three; maybe even two years ago, San Diego Comic-Con International was the entertainment event for geeks, nerds, fanboys and assorted hopeful writers, illustrators and filmmakers in an orgy of pop-culture, film, comics, cosplay and of course, merchandising. Events like this always remind me of The Merchandisers in the underrated European version of Chess. Yes, there are lots of cool and fun things for sale there, but do you really need to pay $375 for a Darth Vader telephone or $460 for a bust of Freddy Kruger? If you do, please see a doctor immediately, as you obviously have "more money than brains," as my mother is wont to say.

Of course, the big fascination for me are the cosplayers who sometimes spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars building elaborate costumes to wear to such events. Given the time and money these people spend, I know I could build just about any costume you could want, but who the hell has the time and money? Who are these people and how do they afford to build this stuff?

Yeah, pal. It's not fair.

But it seems Comic-Con may be losing its luster. Oh, it will still be packed with thousands of geeks, nerds, fanboys, etc. this year. There will still be cosplayers, vendors and celebrities. And while I wouldn't turn down a free trip and all-access pass, I don't think I ever really need to attend. I've mentioned many times my one fan convention in NYC in the 80's. I can only imagine they've gotten intensely weirder since then. And while I would like to be able to sit in on the panels for "The Walking Dead;" Oz, the Great and Powerful; The Hobbit; Pacific Rim and a few others, the one thing I really would like to have done is The Walking Dead Escape at Petco Park, where one can opt to be either a Survivor or a Spectator in "A ballpark infested with zombies where you will climb, crawl, hide and slide your way to safety."

Damn! There are still 3 1/2 months to wait!

Comic-Con International 2012 officially opens tomorrow. San Diego is a beautiful city with nearly perfect weather, year-round. The few days I've spent there were all memorable, for one thing or another. My "stay-cation" from the Day Job starts at 4:45 this Friday, though I wouldn't complain if some rich hottie picked me up at 4:46 and whisked me off in his private jet (not-to-mention VIP access to all events) and we spent the weekend geeking out, among other things (wink-wink, nudge-nudge).

More, anon.
Prospero

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Nerdgasm: Superma'am, Batma'am, Elvira and The Hulk Walk Into a Bar

It's Fan Convention season and it kicks off with ComiCon's younger, gayer brother, the Bay Area's WonderCon. If you've ever spent time in the San Francisco area (or probably even if you haven't), you know it's the kind of place where folks let their their freak flags fly high and proud. Now imagine those folks are also comic book, anime and movie fans. I know I've talked about the one Fan-vention I attended in NYC with my sister in the 80's. Such events were still in their fledgling stages back then, basing their formats on the Star Trek conventions that really started the whole thing in the 1970's. This was specifically a Horror convention and while we both really enjoyed ourselves (honestly one of the best days I ever spent with my sister -- and believe me when I tell you that she and I have had many awesome days together), we made sure we stayed close to one another at all times, because there were some damned scary people in that crowd.

Such events have evolved into Events over the years and while there are always a few really scary folks, most fans are just there to have a good time. And there ain't nothin' wrong with that. Here (via) are some very amusing crowd shots from WonderCon 2011, which closed yesterday:

I think I like the gender-bending Supergals just slightly less than the half-naked Superguys (of which there weren't nearly enough for Uncle P's liking...). Still, it looked like everyone was having a good time and that's what really important when you spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to look like a fictional character for three days... I really want to go to one of these, again. I just hope I'd be able to leave my snark at home.

My review of Insidious, next.

More, anon.

Prospero

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Movies, Hotties and Violent Nerds

I may have been on vacation, but that doesn't mean I haven't been surfing the web for things to talk about.

First, Ross Peacock over at Obsessed with Film posted an interesting piece about "the next District 9," a short from Peruvian filmmaker Ricardo de Montreuil, The Raven, which has apparently been picked up by Universal for expansion into a feature, starring Mark Wahlberg. The Raven is about a young man who is wanted by a dystopian government in a future Los Angeles for reasons not made clear -- except maybe that he's a powerful telekinetic:

I'd see a feature based on that.

And Towleroad posted about the new documentary Bruce LaBruce: The Advocate for Fagdom. LaBruce's films include Otto; or, Up With Dead People and the upcoming LAZombie, starring gay porn star Francois Sagat as an alien zombie on the lookout for hot male flesh in Los Angeles. LaBruce's films have been labeled everything from "Brilliant" to "Utter Trash." LAZombie was recently rejected by the Venice Film Festival and will make its premiere later this year at the Toronto Film Festival. The following trailer for the documentary may be NSFW:

And speaking of gay icons, I can't believe I've never mentioned uber-hottie Paul Rudd in a "Hottest Thing" post. My friend and co-worker Mia (who made me both Teddy Z and Princess Unicorn as Christmas gifts), is equally -- if not more-so -- obsessed with the beautiful Mr. Rudd. His newest film, Dinner for Schmucks opens this Friday and it looks just hilarious:

I first noticed Rudd in Clueless, where he played Alicia Silverstone's hot step-brother, Josh. The next time I remember seeing him was in the unfortunate Jennifer Aniston film, The Object of My Affection, in which he played Jen's gay best friend with whom she fell in love. Complete garbage, redeemable only by his presence. I then saw him on stage in a production of Twelfth Night as Orsino, opposite the amazing Kyra Sedgewick ("The Closer"). The show featured a pool on stage and Rudd spent much of the play wet and half-naked. And we've all seen his comic genius in films like Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and The Forty Year-Old Virgin. Here is with Schmucks costar Steve Carrell in a parody of the recent Lebron James basketball controversy (probably the first and only time I will ever mention sports on this blog):

Finally tonight is the last night of the San Diego ComicCon, the annual fanboy Mecca for all things comics and genre movies. CNN (via) reports that ComicCon has apparently outgrown the San Diego Convention center, resulting in a stabbing over seating at the Resident Evil 4 panel. Really? I mean Paul W. Anderson's zombie movies (based on the video game of the same name) aren't really very good. Of course, only a nerd would stab another nerd with a pen, but what can you expect when tens-of-thousands of costumed geeks descend upon one city at the same time. And no, it wasn't even a knife used in the stabbing, but a pen! I can just imagine the guy whipping it out of his pocket protector and thrusting it in his opponent's face. So sad.

I hope everyone had as good a week as I did, last week. Tomorrow sees my return to the day job (not a really awful thing, despite the idiocy I deal with every day). I'll have more to talk about on ComicCon and upcoming movies, as well a "Gayest Thing" post, later this week.

More, anon.
Prospero

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Disney Dorks

This post was almost entitled "...an' she Black." And I will tell you why in a moment.

My sister, who lives just outside of Tampa, is a self-described "Disney Dork." She loves all things Disney; especially weird, behind-the-scenes stuff (to which I must admit a fondness of my own). I sent her a link to an NYT story about how Disney is displaying rare and long-unseen artifacts at what they hope will be their ComicCon, the D23 Expo, and she writes back how she's been reading about it for months on the official Disney Newsletter she gets. Then I found out that a Facebook friend (and one-time castmate) is attending said Expo and Facebooking about seeing Betty White and Robin Williams. Betty Effing White, ya'll! Who doesn't love Betty White? And you won't see BFW at ComicCon, I'll promise you that.



Anyway, it all seemed rather synchronicitous that just Saturday, a friend related an amusing story about Whoopi Goldberg on "The View"* from Disney World. She was introducing a clip from this movie:

Ms. Goldberg, whom I love and admire as both a performer and a human being, finished her intro with the words: "...an' she Black!" which just seemed so silly and superfluous and completely contrived. And please don't get me wrong, it's high time Disney had an African American Princess (though I have other issues with the whole Princess thing...), but it seems to me that the way to make it work is not to make a big deal out of it. Big deals shouldn't have to be made about social progress. Social progress should speak for itself and no one should have to say "Look at what a progressive inclusionist I am!" But I digress.



* In full disclosure and further Mouse-influenced programming, "The View" appears on the Disney-owned ABC television network.

To complete the cycle, this morning I was trolling my usual sites and I came upon a clip from an animator who was better and more creative than Walt would ever be, Max Fleischer. The clip (I believe it was here) was linked because it features a vocal performance from the late, great Cab Calloway. It caught my eye because of the subject matter. Four years before Disney made his masterpiece, Fleischer gave Betty Boop the lead in his version of "Snow White." Watch it here. You can see why Danny Elfman and the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo (link may be NSFW) loved Fleischer's work. Just in case you are some musical Philistine or under 30, and aren't sure who or what Oingo Boingo was all about, here is their biggest hit. Oh, Kelly LeBrock, where are you and your lips, now. And yes, Dharma is his sister-in-law.



Personally, I'm torn. I (as most Americans today did) grew up with Disney. The classics are forever ingrained into our psyches. The artistry, if often repetitive, was undeniable. And there's no villain like a Disney villain... And Beauty and the Beast is the only animated movie to ever be nominated for Best Picture. Still... "Beauty and the Beast" started the Disney-fication of Times Square...I suppose I have a love/hate relationship with the Mouse. As I do with many things. Chocolate, beer, fried foods... men... sigh...



I still prefer Universal Studios, anyway. So now my question to you is: If my sister is a Disney Dork, does that make me a Universal Unicorn? Unitarian? Unionist? U2? UB40? R2D2? Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi! You're my only hope!



Please respond with your own alliterative suggestion in the "Comments" section. I always want to hear what you have to say!



More nonsense, anon.

Prospero

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ComicCon Nonsense

As much as I think I would love to someday attend the San Diego ComicCon, I am brought back to Earth by clips like the one below, and am reminded of the one fan convention my sister and I attended in New York in the 80's. It was the Fangoria Horror Convention, and while we were certainly entertained and enthralled to meet some of our horror icons (make-up FX genius Tom Savini and actor Michael Berryman among them), we were truly dismayed by the number of real weirdos in attendance.

Sci-Fi blog i09 posted this clip of the ComicCon fan costume contest "Project Geek Runway." As much as I love Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror movies, I just don't see myself spending the time, energy and money that these folks spend for a few minutes of glory in front of their fellow geeks.

That's not to say that everyone in attendance is a geek or a whacko (though Johnny Depp did reportedly attend, dressed as a squirrel). And I would love the chance to sit in on some of the discussion panels, if only to get a sneak peek at the many upcoming movies and TV shows that get previewed there. But I am happy to sit at my desk and watch from afar, without having to put up with some nerd in a lame Batman costume shoving his way past me to get to the DC Comics booth. Instead, I get to watch the "Heroes" Season 4 trailer from the comfort of my home all while avoiding the expense of traveling to CA and putting up with a bunch of freaks.*

*No offence intended toward those attending ComicCon or any actual circus freaks.

More, anon.
Prospero

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