10 Signs of the Geek Apocalypse

The rapture may not have happened on May 21st, but that doesn’t mean we’re safe. Be on the lookout, for these are the ten signs of the geek apocalypse:

1. Craftsman releases their first line of Sonic Screwdrivers.

2. Oscar Winner: Nathan Fillion.

3. Alan Moore supports the film adaptation of one of his graphic novels.

4. A Gotham Central television series launches with Andre Braugher as Crispus Allen.

5. Joss Whedon writes and directs The Avengers.

6. Comic scribe Kieron Gillen meets Doctor Who actress Karen Gillan.

7. Bruce Campbell reprises the role of Ash in Evil Dead 4.

8. George Lucas disowns the Star Wars prequels.

9. New episodes of Firefly begin filming.

10. One word: Hoverboards.

Previously… In Comics (Special THOR Edition)

I’m going to change it up this week and share my thoughts on the first big comic book movie release of the year, THOR.

THOR (starring Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman): THOR follows virtually the same formula as the first IRON MAN film: title character starts as a jerk, is humbled, becomes a hero, and then there’s a battle tacked on the end. I don’t mean that as a criticism because IRON MAN was an excellent super hero film, so using the same structure was certainly not a bad idea.

The casting is spot-on.  This film will make Hemsworth a star. Natalie Portman, unlike Jessica Alba in the FANTASTIC FOUR films, can successfully remain smoking hot while being believable as a scientist. Kat Dennings provides a bunch of comic relief. Tom Hiddleston is the perfect Loki. The worst thing I can say, in relation to casting, is I wish Ray Stevenson’s Volstagg had been fatter.

While all the fish-out-of-water stuff on Earth is brilliant, there are a few issues with the Asgard/Jotunheim scenes that bookend Thor’s story on Midgard. All the bits in Jotunheim, the land of the frost giants, are so dark, you can barely see what’s going on. I saw THOR in 2D, so I can only imagine how difficult it would be to follow the action while wearing 3D glasses that further dim the picture. The other issue I have with the film is the final battle. I’ll do my best to avoid spoilers here, but there are two battles scenes towards the end of the film. The first makes total sense and redefines Thor as a hero. The second feels totally unnecessary.

Overall though, THOR kicks ass. The film moves at a brisk pace, it’s funny, and pretty much delivers everything you want from a summer action flick. Grade: A-

Blog-A-Day Challenge: Day 30!

Previous Previouslies:
4/27/2011 Releases
4/20/2011 Releases
4/13/2011 Releases
4/6/2011 Releases
1/21/2009 Releases

Whedon Wednesday: Marvel meets the Whedonverse

Joss Whedon started filming THE AVENGERS this week and because of that, on their Twitter feed and on Facebook, Whedonesque asked what Marvel/Whedonverse crossovers would everyone like to see. Well, I thought of one… and then two… and then ten. Rather than just posting them in reply on Twitter or Facebook, I decided to post all my crossover ideas here. Some are definitely better than others.

1. ILLYRIA VS. DARK PHOENIX (Writer: Matt Fraction, Artist: Stuart Immonen): In a giant crossover event, two ancient deities battle it out while inhabiting the bodies of two skinny white women.

2. SERENITY/STARJAMMERS (Writer: Jonathan Hickman, Artist: Steve Epting): The crew of Serenity runs into Corsair and company in the middle of space. No bullets are exchanged, just tales of space pirating and smuggling.

3. SPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP featuring BUFFY: THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (Writer: Dan Slott, Artist: Marcos Martin): The quippiest heroine in television history meets the quippiest hero in all of comicdom. At some point, Buffy asks Spidey, “is that you under that mask, Xander?”

4. JAYNE VS. THE PUNISHER: FOR THE LOVE OF VERA (Writer: Garth Ennis, Artist: Steve Dillon): Two men. One very special gun. Frank Castle wants Jayne’s beloved Vera and he’ll do anything to get his hands on it.

5. GUNN and IRON FIST: HEROES FOR HIRE (Writer: Ed Brubaker, Artist: Michael Lark): The new Power Man is super lame, so Iron Fist kicks his protege to the curb and recruits a new crime fighter to patrol the streets with. With a fist like unto a thing of iron and stakes carved from wood, Danny Rand and Charles Gunn are the new HEROES FOR HIRE.

6. JONATHAN & PUCK in TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE (Writer: Jeff Parker, Artist: Skottie Young): A giant battle ensues as two universes hang in the balance. When Buffy, the X-Men, Echo, the Avengers, Angel, the Fantastic Four, and Spike are all captured, the shortest heroes of both worlds, Jonathan and Alpha Flight’s Puck, come together to save the day.

7. ECHO & MOON KNIGHT in MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISASTER featuring guest-villainess TYPHOID MARY (Writer Brian Michael Bendis, Artist: Alex Maleev): It’s utter bedlam when three individuals with multiple personalities meet up.  And with super-scribe Brian Bendis at the helm, how many of their personalities will talk like an old Jewish woman? Answer: ALL OF THEM!

8. X-FACTOR guest-starring ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS (Writer: Peter David, Artist: Mike Deodato): When X-Factor is hired to investigate a series of vampire attacks even Layla Miller doesn’t know how to stop it. So Jamie Madrox asks for a consultation from everyone’s favorite vampire with a soul, Angel.

9. WORLD TOUR with LORNE & DAZZLER (Writer: Kathryn Immonen, Artist: Greg Land): The talented team of demon and mutant tour the world, perform in front of millions, and solve crimes on the side.

10. WESLEY WYNDAM-PRYCE & BLADE: ROGUE DEMON HUNTERS (Writer: Mark Waid, Artist: Mark Bagley): What’s better than one Rogue Demon Hunter? Why, two of course!

Blog-A-Day Challenge: Day 17

Fantasy Casting Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

The biggest downside of Disney buying Marvel is that all the studios that currently have the film rights to Marvel properties are going to continue to crank out comic book movies just so the rights don’t revert back to Marvel/Disney. One of these properties being forced into production is DAREDEVIL: THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR. Fox already brought Daredevil to the screen once in 2003 with Ben Affleck as the title character. Personally, I think that film has been unfairly lumped in with some of Affleck’s other atrocious films released around the same time. DAREDEVIL was a good adaptation in the early days of comic books movies, though choosing screenwriter Mark Steven Johnson as director was a mistake. He was clearly in over his head making a film of that scale.

David Slade (HARD CANDY, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE) is already attached to direct the rebooted Daredevil, but little else is know about the direction the film will take or who might be cast. Here’s my opinion on who should play the Man Without Fear and the supporting players.

GUY PEARCE as MATT MURDOCK/DAREDEVIL

Yeah, he's 43, so what?

When Daredevil was being made into a film the first time, the two actors I thought would be perfect for this part would be Edward Norton or Guy Pearce. Now it’s eight years later, Edward Norton has already played a Marvel hero and I still maintain Guy Pearce is right for the role of Matt Murdock. Sure, he’s 43, and the studio is going to want to go with a younger actor, but Daredevil isn’t Spider-man, if you’re going to tell Daredevil’s origin story again, you don’t need a young actor. Matt Murdock wasn’t Daredevil in high school. He was blinded as a child and became Daredevil much later on. And, frankly, I don’t see Daredevil as a long term franchise anyway. Make one great movie with the right actor and take it from there. Plus, Robert Downey Jr. is two years older than Pearce and Iron Man certainly turned out alright.

MORENA BACCARIN as ELEKTRA

Morena shouldn't play the Wasp, she should play Elektra

There’s been plenty of fantasy casting for the Wasp in THE AVENGERS or ANT-MAN where Morena’s been picked for the role. I don’t see that at all. Sure, she has short hair now, but a role is more than just a hairstyle.  The olive skin, the drop dead gorgeous looks, the way she carries herself, she’s Elektra. That’s the Marvel role she should be playing. (If you haven’t seen my painting of Morena as Elektra you can see it in this post from Wednesday.)

MARTIN FREEMAN as FOGGY NELSON

Martin Freeman is the perfect best friend

For the last ten or eleven days, I knew I was going to do a Daredevil fantasy casting post, and for about the first 9 of those days, I had no clue who I was going to cast as Foggy Nelson, Matt Murdock’s best friend. In the comic, Foggy’s at least a little pudgy, and every overweight actor I could think of would be an utter disaster as Foggy. Then I got to thinking about the BBC’s new SHERLOCK series, and everything fell into place. Martin Freeman’s doesn’t exactly fit the physical description, but he’s the ideal best friend. He’s the actor you want to play the guy you can always trust, the guy who will always be there for the hero, he’s the perfect everyman. He’s also good comic relief.

WALTON GOGGINS as BULLSEYE

Hawkeye? Bullseye? What's the difference?

I’m doing my best to avoid repeatedly offering the same actors’ names in these fantasy casting posts, but I’m doubling up on Walton Goggins here because he’s too damn good an actor not to. In my AVENGERS fantasy casting, I picked Goggins to play Hawkeye. Bullseye and Hawkeye are two sides of the same coin. They’re both expert marksmen. They both crack jokes while doing their jobs. The only difference is Bullseye is a psychopath. And if you’ve seen Goggins on THE SHIELD or JUSTIFIED, you know having him play a psychopath would be total genius.

Blog-A-Day Challenge: Day 12

Whedon Wednesday: Whedonverse Artwork

No one’s every questioned my Joss Whedon obsession before, but if they did, I’d just show them the pile of Whedonverse artwork I’ve done over the years. Only one of these was even done for a school project. The rest I did in my free time for fun. I’m going to post these in the chronological order of when I drew/painted them. Also, I’m posting everything I can find, so I will fully admit some of it isn’t all that hot. But I suppose the bad stuff will make the good stuff look even better by comparison.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER/ANGEL

I drew this one as an independent study in my junior year of high school. The school actually gave out Buffy book covers to all the students that year, it was awesome. This piece is less awesome than the book covers were. I was playing a lot with distortion that year. Griding up a person’s face and then playing with the size and shape of the grid’s squares on the paper to distort the person’s features. Here I did it with Sarah Michelle Gellar circa Buffy Season 2:

Buffy Distortion -- graphite

I didn’t work with acrylic paint at all in high school and on only a few occasions in college, so I would mostly play around with it in my free time. This next Spike piece, I believe I painted while I was still in college. I love working on cardboard. It gives you a great middle value to start with and, if you plan ahead, you don’t even need to buy it. Just save the cardboard sheets from your latest Amazon or Overstock order.

Spike -- acrylic paint and India ink on cardboard

I can’t remember how I came up with this next idea, but at some point I tied Indiana Jones fear of snakes to Anya’s fear of rabbits and this happened. I still love this piece.

Anya from Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Raider of the Lost Ark (white colored pencil and graphite on gray canson paper)

As an art major, going to college in Connecticut meant constant field trips into New York City to visit museums and galleries. On one such trip, I saw the work of an artist who’s name I’ll never remember, who quite unintentionally created some of the most beautiful artwork I had ever seen up to that point. The gallery had decided to display some of the artist’s unfinished art, work he had given up on. As a result, these pieces were a mix of oil painting and under-drawing, graphite sketches intertwined with vivid oil paints. I loved them so much, I decided I would try to do something similar. These next few are from that series, I liked them a lot more when I first painted them.

Spike -- acrylic paint and graphite on canvas

This next one is a disaster. The Spike one above came out pretty well (his hair is terrible though), so I got cocky and over ambitious. I think this piece has a very cool concept. Using the light exploding from Spike’s medallion to decided what would be left in graphite was a great idea, but my execution is an utter mess. The canvas was WAY too small to do this much detail work and I didn’t have nearly enough experience with acrylic paint at this point to come close to saving it.

Buffy Season 7 -- acrylic paint and graphite on canvas

The next one is an Illyria piece and I was getting better working with acrylic paint at this point. I just wish I had used the graphite/paint separation to tell more of a story rather than just blocking out random sections.

Illyria -- acrylic and white colored pencil on canvas

FIREFLY/SERENITY

This first one technically isn’t a FIREFLY or SERENITY piece. It’s Elektra from Marvel Comics, but I used a screen-capture of Morena Baccarin from an episode of FIREFLY for reference, so I’ll pretend it counts. I really like this one because there is a story element to it. Elektra is an assassin, so the image of her in all darkness minus the one box of light makes sense. She’s always hiding in shadows.

Elektra -- acrylic paint and white colored pencil

This next one is another favorite of mine. I used a very specific shot from the FIREFLY episode OBJECTS IN SPACE for reference here. I like this one so much I sent a copy to Summer Glau for her to sign. She was lovely enough to sign it and wrote a very nice note. Conte crayon is one of my favorite mediums to work in. It’s a form of charcoal, but it’s much easier to control and not nearly as messy.

River from the Firefly episode "Objects in Space" -- charcoal pencil and conte crayon

Before SERENITY’s release, there was an official SERENITY website where you could take part in challenges to earn points towards SERENITY merchandise. These next two were some of my entries to that website for those challenges. The first is a bumper-sticker, the second is a movie poster. I couldn’t find the original file for the second one, so I photographed the copy I framed (which is also signed by Summer Glau).

Browncoats Bumper-sticker (illustrations in conte crayon and charcoal pencil)

Serenity Poster (illustrations in conte crayon and charcoal)

That’s all I could find for now, but I know there’s more stuff somewhere. I may update this at a later date.

Blog-A-Day Challenge: Day 10

Fantasy Casting: Nextwave: Agents of HATE

Please love them! Make this movie Marvel and Disney!

With Disney purchasing Marvel, it’s only a matter of time before secondary and tertiary Marvel franchise are adapted into films. Well, if there’s one potential Marvel film I’d definitely shell out cash to see, it’s the Warren Ellis/Stuart Immonen title NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF H.A.T.E., and I’ve been casting this imaginary flick in my head for a while.

NEXTWAVE: Healing America by Beating People Up

THE STORY: The Nextwave team, a group of C and D-list Marvel heroes, signed up with H.A.T.E. (Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort). Nextwave learned H.A.T.E. was actually owned by the evil BEYOND Corporation and chose to go rogue. They stole the BEYOND Corporation marketing plan and decided to systematically destroy the company. This is where our story starts. Nextwave fights dragons in purple underwear, evil koala bears, robocops (not THAT one), vegetable men, baby MODOKs,  Forbush Man, and many other freaky deaky bad things that want to ground the team into a sticky paste. It’s action-packed, hilarious, and will make your eyeballs bleed from awesomeness.

CASTING:

COLIN FARRELL as THE CAPTAIN

Colin Farrell as a drunken idiot who curses a lot? Yes, please!

WHY?: The Captain is a rude, drunken moron who curses a lot. So, yeah, Colin Farrell would basically be playing an exaggerated version of himself. In the comic, the character’s from Brooklyn, but I think you could make the character from Ireland and it would still work (not that Farrell can’t do an American accent).

KRISTEN BELL as “BOOM BOOM” TABITHA SMITH

Tick. Tick. Tick. BOOM BOOM.

WHY?: Out of all my choices, I think she most looks like the character. Tabitha Smith is total, uneducated, white trash. In Nextwave, she’s largely portrayed as being dumb as a post, but she can blow things up and that’s a useful skill. I’ve never seen Kristen Bell play dumb before. I’ve seen her play Veronica Mars pretending she’s dumb in pursuit of solving a case, but I’ve never seen her in the role of a complete idiot. I think she would knock it out of the (trailer) park.

 TRACIE THOMS as MONICA RAMBEAU

Did you know Monica was leader of the Avengers once? Seriously, she was.

WHY?: I guess Tracie Thoms is most known for her role in RENT, but I was first introduced to her work through the brilliant and short-lived Bryan Fuller/Tim Minear/Todd Holland series WONDERFALLS. On WONDERFALLS, she played Mahandra, the sarcastic, occasionally vindictive, best friend of the lead character. Monica Rambeau is basically Mahandra with super powers. Go watch WONDERFALLS, you’ll see what I mean.

ALAN TUDYK as “MACHINE MAN” AARON STACK

"I am a leaf on the wind, fleshy ones."

WHY?: Does anyone have a more robot-looking head than Alan Tudyk? Machine Man has almost all the best one-liners in the comic book, and if anyone can deliver a great one-liner (and, again, has a very robot-like head) it’s Alan Tudyk. While every character had his or her comedic moments on FIREFLY, Tudyk’s character, Wash, was definitely the main source of comic relief.

KAREN GILLAN as ELSA BLOODSTONE

Amy Pond: Monster Hunter?

WHY?: This was the hardest role to cast. At first I was leaning toward Sarah Michelle Gellar. I thought Buffy playing a monster hunter again would be kind of cool, but I question whether she could pull off a British accent. Karen Gillan, on the other hand, is from Scotland, so I’m pretty sure the accent won’t be a problem. I love Karen as Amy Pond on DOCTOR WHO, she’s my favorite DOCTOR WHO companion ever. But while Amy Pond and Elsa Bloodstone are both strong female characters, they’re on opposite sides of the bad-ass chick spectrum. I haven’t seen Gillan in anything outside of DOCTOR WHO, so I don’t know how much range she has, but I’m optimistic she could pull it off.

NATHAN FILLION as H.A.T.E. DIRECTOR: DIRK ANGER

Only one man can play the way over-the-top Dirk Anger.

WHY?: Dirk Anger is the Director of the villainous H.A.T.E. and is, quite possibly, the most over-the-top character in the history of comic books. There is only one man on the planet who can reach that level of scenery-chewing madness and still be believable, and that man is Nathan Fillion. He can not only say the most ridiculous lines with a straight face, he can sing them if necessary.

So those are my picks. Ideally, Warren Ellis would write the script. I really don’t have a director in mind. Please make this movie Marvel. I want to see a dragon with purple underpants on the big screen.

Marvel and Disney make this movie or they will @#$% you up.

Blog-A-Day Challenge: Day 5

Assembling Whedon’s Avengers

With Joss Whedon rumored, and then all but officially confirmed, to be director of the gigantic Marvel team-up flick, the Avengers, many sites have taken to providing their fantasy cast list. Most of these lists seem to involve casting former Whedonverse actors in every role because apparently Nathan Fillion has to be in every single Joss project from now on or something. So rather than just giving one pick for each role, I’ve chosen one Whedonverse actor and one non-Whedonverse actor for each role. Here are my picks:

ANT-MAN/GIANT-MAN/HANK PYM

DAVID TENNANT: After finishing his four-year run on Doctor Who, Tennant said he would love to work on an Avengers movie. And shockingly, he was actually referring to the Marvel Comics property and not the classic British TV series. On Doctor Who, he basically played the smartest man in the universe and playing Hank Pym is not all that different. Pym may not be the smartest man in the Marvel Universe but he’s certainly in the top five (feel free to provide your rankings for Reed Richards, Tony Stark, Pym, Bruce Banner, etc. in the comments section below). So Tennant has that genius-speak down. He had some super speed ramblings on Doctor Who that would even impress the Gilmore Girls, so delivering Whedon-speak shouldn’t be a problem. He can also do that blend of comedy and drama that Joss loves. And, frankly, not only do I want to see him work with Joss, I’d love to see him work with Edgar Wright on the Ant-man movie. 

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS (Whedon Alum: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog): NPH has already played two evil geniuses (first Doogie Howser and then Dr. Horrible), so now might be a good time to play a genius who doesn’t laugh maniacally. I think at this point in his career, it’s pretty clear Neil Patrick Harris can do just about anything.

THE WASP/JANET VAN DYNE

AMY ACKER (Whedon Alum: Angel, Dollhouse): For my money, Amy Acker is the most talented actor, male or female, to appear in a Whedon project. While I loved Fred (Acker’s character on Angel), it became clear Amy was being wasted in that role after Fred transformed into Illyria. Acker’s performance as Illyria was mind-blowing. Then she started the second season of Dollhouse delivering another brilliant performance as Dr. Claire Saunders after Claire’s discovered she’s not a “real” person. I’ll admit visually Amy might not exactly fit the part. She’s probably a little too tall. But acting-wise, the girl is a powerhouse and you need an actress who can share the screen with Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, and (probably) Edward Norton. I think Amy Acker can do that.

BREA GRANT: Now, where Amy Acker may not exactly look the part, Brea Grant, on the other hand, IS the Wasp. She’s 5′ 2″, she has the pixie-ish face, and she even has the short brown hair.  She’s already believably played someone with superpowers on Heroes and I think she’ll be able to handle Whedon’s trademark dialogue with ease.

HAWKEYE/CLINT BARTON

WALTON GOGGINS: I will admit this is definitely my wild card pick. Casting Walton Goggins as Hawkeye would come way out of left field, but hear me out. It’s been widely speculated that these Avengers will be largely based on Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch’s run on The Ultimates, and Hawkeye’s storyline in that book gets really dark. And Goggins can do dark, just look at his impressive work on The Shield. The guy is one of the most interesting actors out there. He can easily do the wise-cracking one-liners that Hawkeye is known for, but he can also deliver a really intense dramatic performance. Now if you’re looking at Clint Barton from the Marvel Universe proper, Goggins doesn’t remotely look the part. But if you use The Ultimates as reference, he shaves his head, he’ll be just fine.

JAMES MARSTERS (Whedon Alum: Buffy, Angel): I think it’s fair to say Hawkeye would be classified as a snarky bad-ass. And if you’re searching the Whedon catalogue for a snarky bad-ass, the first character to come to mind is going to be Spike (played by James Marsters). When I picture my favorite scene in the second volume of The Ultimates in which Hawkeye takes out a roomful of guards using his fingernails as projectiles, I can just see James Marsters tied down in that chair telling the one man he hasn’t killed, “Shouldn’t have left my fingernails in, dummy.”

So that’s my list. I can’t see Marvel including any more characters than that, but if you’re interested in hearing which Whedonverse vets I think should play Wonder Man, Scarlet Witch, and a human Jarvis, I’d go with Enver Gjokaj, Summer Glau, and Anthony Stewart Head.

Top Twenty Films of the Decade

Before I get to my list, let me say I hate historical epics and biopics, I think no movie should really be over two and a half hours (learn how to edit people!), and while there are some literary adaptations on my list, for the most part I value originality. Oh, and I despise the Lord of the Rings films… So with that here’s my list of the Top Twenty Films of the 2000s:

1. Almost Famous (2000): How often have I seen a movie and thought, “man, why isn’t this movie longer?” No more than a handful of times. How often have I wished a film was longer after seeing it a second time? Just once. And that film was Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous. Just to clarify, I don’t think the film NEEDED to be longer, but watching this film is such a fun ride, I didn’t want it end. It may be the only film on my list that I would recommend to anyone and be almost certain they’ll like it. While all the films on this list have impressive casts, the list of talented actors in Almost Famous is ridiculous: Jason Lee, Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson, Zooey Deschanel, Patrick Fugit, Frances McDormand, Anna Paquin and many others I’m forgetting.

2. Memento (2000): I love puzzle movies, those flicks where the filmmakers give the audience a few pieces at a time and it’s their job to put it all together. Memento’s “start at the end, end at the start” format could have felt gimmicky, but it never does because it makes perfect sense to tell this story. Oh, and then there’s the ending, a twist so brilliantly executed, I’d put it on par with The Sixth Sense and The Empire Strikes Back on the “Oh. My. GOD!” scale.

3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004): If there’s one screenwriter who spent the decade trying to disprove the adage “there’s nothing new under the sun,” it’s Charlie Kaufman. I give Eternal Sunshine the nod over Adaptation and Synecdoche, New York because it has much more heart than those other films written by Kaufman. Jim Carrey gives one of his best performances here in a very non-Jim Carrey role, and Kate Winslet is her usual amazing self.

4. Serenity (2005): As a Joss Whedon addict, I had a hard time deciding where to put Serenity on my list. On the one hand, a legitimate case can be made for its place as the top sci-fi film of the decade. On the other hand, my judgment may be clouded by rampant fanboyism. So, Serenity lands at #4 for serving as a brilliant conclusion to a brilliant television series, introducing me to Chiwetel Ejiofor, and making me laugh my ass off right before ripping my heart out and jumping up and down on it.

5. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005): One of the reasons I’m a huge fan of Joss Whedon is his ability to take genre clichés and turn them on their head, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang follows that part of the Joss Whedon playbook with great success. In KKBB, you’ll recognize one scene after the next from other buddy cop films, but each one ends in a manner you’d rarely expect. Plus, it’s Robert Downey Jr. teaming with Val Kilmer, so the performances elevate the great script to another level.

6. The Incredibles (2004): I suppose it’s a bit odd that in this age of comic book superhero films, the best super hero film of the decade wasn’t one adapted from a comic book. Brad Bird’s The Incredibles does, however, borrow from a long list of comic book classics, most heavily from the Fantastic Four and Watchmen. As a comic book fan, moments like Elastic Girl going all Plastic Man and turning into a boat had me routinely geeking out throughout the film. And Dash’s chase scene towards the end of the movie is one of the greatest chase scenes in the history of cinema.

7. The Fountain (2006): I give director Darren Aronofsky a ton of credit for assuming an audience would have the intelligence and patience to last through the first twenty or so minutes of this film when they’d have no clue what was going on. The Fountain’s another one of those puzzle films, like Memento, that gives the you a little information at a time and trusts you’ll be able to figure it out. Visually, The Fountain is one of the more interesting films on this list, as Arnofsky decided to film the first scenes of the film with a palette so dark and drab you can barely make anything out and then increasing the brightness of the film throughout until he ends with an explosion of light.

8. Thank You For Smoking (2005): Before directing Juno, Jason Reitman wrote and directed an underappreciated dark comedy titled Thank You For Smoking (based on the novel by Christopher Buckley). And as perfectly cast as Ellen Page was in Juno, Aaron Eckhart was equally perfect as tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor here.  The rest of the cast is sensational too. Talents like Maria Bello, Rob Lowe, JK Simmons, Adam Brody, Katie Holmes and William H. Macy all bring their A-game in small supporting roles.

9. Shaun of the Dead (2004): Shaun of the Dead is the only film on my list that I didn’t love the first time I saw it. On first viewing, I was enjoying the comedic elements and then all these characters I liked starting dying. It was quite unexpected. On second viewing, I realized that’s the brillance of Shaun of the Dead, it bounces from comedy to straight horror with ease. And unlike most horror movies, SotD makes you care about its characters before killing them off.

10. Young @ Heart (2007): While there were a ton of great documentaries released in the 2000s (off the top of my head: Religulous, Michael Moore’s films, Who Killed the Electric Car, Man on Wire, and An Inconvenient Truth), Young @ Heart makes my list because it’s an emotional rollercoaster without feeling manipulative. Following this elderly choir, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry and, most of all, you’ll be inspired. And the Young @ Heart choir’s performance of Fix You by Coldplay may be my favorite movie moment of the decade.

And the next 10:
11. Hard Candy (2005): 2 characters in a house for 104 minutes, that’s it. It’s ballsy as hell (pun intended), and totally works. Also, anyone who questions Ellen Page’s range as an actress, her character here is definitely not the same as Juno, needs to see this film. 

12. Big Fish (2003): I saw this movie with my dad. Towards the end, I looked over at him and he looked over at me, we were both weeping. I find Tim Burton films are usually visually feasts with very little at the heart of them, but Big Fish is definitely an exception.

13. Wall-E (2008): Wall-E makes my list for two reasons. First, the opening thirty minutes or so that features no dialogue. Second, PIXAR’s vision of the future of the human race if we don’t change our ways.

14. Garden State (2004): I have a feeling if you’re not a guy in your 20s, this movie might not be quite as enjoyable. Nonetheless, I’m a guy in his 20s, so I love it. Also, it easily has the best soundtrack of the decade.

15. The Lookout (2007): If you’re looking for a film that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is it. Definitely the most intense film on my list, The Lookout is much more than your standard crime drama.

16. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006): Visually stunning, Pan’s Labyrinth features a crazily inventive new world crafted by director Guillermo del Toro. And I love that the ending is wide open for interpretation.

17. Juno (2007): The second appearance on my list for both Ellen Page and Jason Reitman, Juno is packed with tight dialogue and great performances.

18. Stardust (2007): After seeing Stardust and Coraline, I now fully understand the obsession some geeks (especially female ones) have with Neil Gaiman. Stardust is just an incredibly fun fairy tale fantasy with a series of really clever scenes with really clever dialogue.

19. The Descent (2005): The Descent is a horror film that features an all-female cast and yet it’s more about female empowerment than exploitation. Weird. Also, the movie is scary as hell.

20. Iron Man (2008): I had to put at least one comic book adaptation on my list. Spider-man 2, X-Men 2, and The Dark Knight were the other contenders. I went with Iron Man almost entirely because of Robert Downey Jr’s gleeful performance as Tony Stark. “Yeah, I can fly.”

Sunday at New York Comic Con

Before I dive into my Sunday coverage there are a few things I forgot to mention about Saturday. During the Torchwood panel, when asked what her favorite American sci-fi/fantasy show was, Eve Myles answered “BUFFY” almost before the questioner completed the question. This received resounding applause from the audience. And it’s another reason I now love Eve Myles.

I also wanted to tell everyone I have officially mastered the art of line cutting. For years people have said to me, “Oh I didn’t see you there, Erik” or “Erik, why’d you sneak up on me like that?” As far as I can tell I just fade into the background well (like a thinner, less-muscly Batman). These powers served me greatly during Comic Con, as I was able to jump ahead in line for multiple panels. I wouldn’t have gotten into the Watchmen panel if I didn’t and I wouldn’t have had such a good seat at the Torchwood panel if I hadn’t. If you want to attempt to cut in line, here are some rules to follow: 

1. Look for a group of people chatting that aren’t paying attention to who’s ahead of them in line. Work your way in front of them. This is especially easy if the line hasn’t become anything resembling single file yet.

2. Look for tables covered with stickers or fliers next to the line into the panel. Walk over to the table, pretend you’re looking at the fliers. Soon enough you’ve magically become part of the line.

Not once did anyone call me on my line-cutting. Granted I’m 5’8″, weigh 135 lbs, and was dressed like a normal person. If you’re 6’4″, tip the scales at 3 bills, and are dressed like Optimus Prime, my line-cutting strategy probably won’t work as well for you.

Onto Sunday at Comic Con! I walked the show floor a bit when we got there. I picked up some posters (a Buffy one from Dark Horse included) and some free comics. Still no bookmarks (my inner librarian was frowning). I was very impressed by SEGA’s presence at event, they were showcasing all of their upcoming mature-rated Wii games. The Conduit, House of the Dead Overkill, and MadWorld we’re all there and playable. Sadly, I never got a chance to play any of them. Graphically, the Conduit looked AMAZING for a Wii game.  You can tell the guys who made Viewtiful Joe crafted MadWorld as the cel-shaded look is very similar (just devoid of color). Deadly Creatures was playable at the event too, but I really didn’t get a look at it. Overall, it gave you a great impression on how 3rd parties are ready to step up this year on Wii (finally!!!).

Dollhouse
The first panel I attended for the day was for Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse. I was not going to put my line cutting ability to the ultimate test, so I got in line fairly early this time. The panel was just Joss and Tahmoh Penikett. The moderator was Matt Roush from TV Guide. I have to say it was a weird panel. It was a theater full of people who love Joss Whedon but none of them had seen a full episode yet. Ten minutes of footage from the first episode was shown. It didn’t blow me away. I’m still not sold on Eliza Dushku as a strong lead character the way Joss is. Rewatching Buffy recently, I found Eliza’s performance to be brilliant, but I’m not seeing the same thing in the few Dollhouse clips scattered around the internet or in the 10 minutes I saw on Sunday. You can tell Tahmoh’s definitely going to fit in in the Whedonverse, he has that ability to jump from drama to humor. It was fairly evident at the panel. The program of events said we’d all get Dollhouse posters. That did not occur, but perhaps they gave them out at the door upon exiting. I, however, stuck around for the next panel in that theater.

FRINGE
Basically, the entire cast of Fringe was there. I think the observer was the only one not present. The moderator for this panel was AWFUL. He asked questions that were moronic compared to the normal audience queries. And he let the audience start asking questions way too late in the panel. I learned the guy who plays Walter Bishop is just about as crazy as his character. Joshua Jackson is great with the one-liners. Lance Reddick is apparently much more laid back than any of the characters he’s played on television recently.  At one point Josh Jackson recounted his trip to an NFC playoff game where he was in nosebleed seats, freezing his butt off, and he looked at the jumbo-tron and saw the observer (from Fringe) down on the sidelines. And asked himself, “What the hell, Fox!?” Jackson was visually dismayed (hanging his head) when the producer at the panel mentioned they had actually tried to work a deal to get the observer a seat close to the President during the Inauguration.

That was the last panel of the convention for me. I took one final trip around the convention floor and then headed home. I had a good time this year. It’s going to be a long wait until 2010′s NYCC, given it’s been moved to October.

Saturday at New York Comic Con

I’m back from my first day at NYCC and here’s what I saw. I started by walking the (always crowded) show floor, picked up a bunch of free swag (mostly pins, comics and posters, no bookmarks this year, sorry library!), and then I headed to the IGN theater for my first panel of the day:

WATCHMEN/FRIDAY THE 13TH/TERMINATOR SALVATION
So they started with Watchmen, thankfully, and artist Dave Gibbons came out to introduce some footage. It turned out we were going to get to see the first 18 minutes of the movie!!! Followed by an exclusive clip not yet seen anywhere. If you’ve read Watchmen, none of this will be spoilery, if not, you may want to scroll past all of this.

The film opens with yellow and black logos for the production companies and then we head into the Comedian’s apartment. While he smokes a cigar, a fairly old, broken-down Comedian watches television. The TV programs offer exposition as to what’s going on in the world of Watchmen. Dr. Manhattan is mentioned on what looks like a Sunday morning round table show. There’s a clip of Nixon as President in his 3rd term. A shadowy figure busts into the Comedian’s apartment. A smackdown commences. The fight’s much more involved that what’s on the page in the comic book, and you can tell both these guys can throw down. Eventually, the Comedian loses the battle, gets tossed out the window and we’re headed into the title sequence. There’s some slo-mo used here but it’s not on the level of 300, and I didn’t find it distracting. The title sequence is used as another opportunity to offer details about the Watchmen world.  We see clips of super heroics throughout the years (good and bad).  After the opening credits, we head back to the Comedian’s apartment where detectives are investigating his death. When they leave, Rorschach uses his grappling gun to enter through the window. (If you can’t tell from my descriptions, a lot of the cinematography is panel for panel from the comic book.) Rorschach offers some narration while he searches the apartment then he discovers the Comedian’s costume and that’s basically where the clip ended.  

The previously unseen clip they showed next is where it gets extra-spoilery! It opens in a prison cafeteria. Jackie Earle Haley sporting Rorschach’s red hair is in line. One prisoner comes after the unmasked Rorschach attempting to attack him. Rorschach grabs a thing of boiling fry oil and dumps it on the prisoner’s face. The guards grab Rorschach and he starts yelling, “I’m not locked up in here with you! You’re locked up in here with me!”

The audience goes nuts. A Q & A follows. Nothing really revelatory comes out of it. The Friday the 13th section of the panel begins, I watched the trailer (which showed just about everything in the movie) and then I left for other panels.

MARVEL’S CUP O’ JOE
No major announcements made here. I think Joe Quesada casually mentioned Jonathan Hickman would take over Fantastic Four after Mark Millar finished his run. That makes me happy. The Ultimate line will end after Ultimatum and be replaced with “Ultimate Comics.” Have no clue what that means. The good news is Stuart Immonen is leaving Ultimate Spidey when it switches to Ultimate Comics, so I can finally drop that book. Sorry Bendis! The panel was boring me, so I left.

I walked the show floor again. Mark Sheppard from Battlestar Galactica (as Romo Lampkin) and Firefly (as Badger) was just sitting around near the SEGA booth. Sadly, I could not remember his name or either of his characters names at the time. Yes, deduct some of my fanboy points. I just totally blanked. So, ultimately, I didn’t say hello or anything. I guess I could’ve said, “That was a great episode of BSG last night.” As he was actually in last night’s episode….  Enough about my brain fart and onto the next panel:

MARVEL ANIMATION
Panel started by showing off ratings numbers for WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN on Nicktoons. Apparently, it’s that network’s biggest hit ever. Yay! The show is great if you haven’t seen it. Then a clip of the HULK VS. dvd was shown. That looked quite bad ass. Then we got to see some concept art for the new SUPER HERO SQUAD show. (I don’t know if that’s the exact title.) It looks very kiddie, but it could be a fun show. It’s the first cartoon to feature the entire Marvel Universe. Nerf Herder, who did the Buffy theme song, did the theme for this show too. It sounded quite catchy. They showed a short clip, it was cute but forgettable. Then we got to see a full-episode of the new IRON MAN cartoon the premieres in April. It looks like a mix of computer animation and anime. It’s definitely not my thing. It’s follows a teenage Tony Stark, Rhodey, and Pepper. Next panel:

DEAD LIKE ME
So there’s going to be a Dead Like Me direct to DVD film. I had no idea. Basically, the whole cast was there. Honestly, it wasn’t the greatest panel. It was cool to see the actors from the show but they didn’t have a ton to offer.

TORCHWOOD
This may have been panel of the day. Or as I will to refer to it the EVE MYLES IS THE NICEST, FUNNIEST, MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN ON THE PLANETpanel. Eve stole the show here. She was so charming and so nice and cordial to everyone who asked a question. She seemed genuinely disappointed when the panel had to end. Her little giggle is hilarious. And she said the word “cheeky” more times than I could count. A friend came to the panel with me and after it was over I said to him, “I am now in love with Eve Myles.” And he said, “Yeah. So am I. And I’ve never even watched Torchwood.”

Sadly, we couldn’t go to her signing because our parking ran out before that. So we left. And that was my Saturday at Comic Con. Also, I saw the hottest Asian Wonder Woman ever.