Thoughts On The New Arrested Development

So by now if you don’t know about Netflix’s upcoming Arrested Development release you have probably been frozen in the banana stand. Arrested Development is hands down my favorite sitcom of all time. I decided that in preparation of their upcoming new episodes on Netflix that I would re-watch the original three seasons and I am glad I did. They are still fresh, original and funny and more importantly every time I watch them I catch something I didn’t the first time.

The release date is May 26^th and while I am excited about it I do have some questions. Namely, after so much time away, will the show still keep its fresh originality? It is hard to imagine they can just pick up where they left off but at the same time the show ended in full stride and we never had to watch it die the slow, painful death hit comedies usually suffer. The temptation for them will be to try and cram in as many of the old bits that they can so that it feels forced. I think the key here is to trust the cast, writers and director. They did a great job with the originals and I believe they will nail the new ones as well. They certainly have had more than enough time to come up with ideas.

The other question of course is how much has the cast aged?  The most obvious would be Alia Shawkat (Maeby) and Michael Cera (George-Michael) and possibly Jessica Walter (Lucille) and Jeffrey Tambor (George Sr.). So to answer that question here are the promo posters.

So Lucille and George still look pretty much the same. Here is Maeby and George-Michael.

George-Michael is a little older but he still keeps his baby face. Maeby has definitely aged the most, from cute rebellious kid to college student, but she still fits the role. Now for fun here is Lindsey.

She still looks amazing. Most of the rest of the cast haven’t changed to much either. I can’t wait. If you want to check them out here is the trailer.

Does Reading Game Of Thrones Ruin The Show?

I, along with millions of other people, am a huge Game of Thrones (GoT) fan on HBO. I can’t get enough of it, and I may even have an addiction to all things Westeros. So it was at the end of season two I found myself tempted to read the books.  I had been putting it off reading them since I didn’t want to ruin the TV show but I kept hearing about how good they were and I had to quench my thirst for more GoT.  So I broke down and read them, which leaves the question: does reading the books ruin the TV show?

The answer is both yes and no. First of all, let me just go ahead and be that guy that says the books are better. The TV show is brilliant but the books add so much more to the world and that is why it doesn’t ruin the show. There are so many minor characters explained, so much backstory being told and so much information about the world that it really enhances your overall understanding and appreciation of the show. Like the rug on the Dude’s floor in The Big Lebowski, the books really tie the show together.

It also ruins the show because I know more or less, what is going to happen. There are no more “WTF, I can’t believe they just did that,” moments because you already know what is going to happen.  That being said, that being said it is so well done that I still enjoy watching it transpire. The episode from a couple of weeks ago with Daenerys Targaryen leading her army out of Astapor still sends chills up my spine.

To read or not to read is you own decision but personally I am glad I did. Besides, do you really want to wait four more seasons to learn what happens? I think  not.

One Of My Favorite SDCC Panels

While I love the panels with all the famous celebrities, sometimes they can be a bit of a letdown.  Don’t get me wrong, some are epic, but for some reason it seems like the actors/actresses bring a lot to the table. The panels I have found the most interesting are the ones where you hear from the creative types behind it all such as the writers and directors. In my six years of Comic-Con one of the best panels I have ever been to was a Neil Gaiman panel.  So I was naturally thrilled to hear that he is returning to Comic-Con in 2013!

Neil could pack out Hall H or Ballroom 20 but it wasn’t one of those, it was the large room across the other half of the convention center.  Officially I think he was there for Beowolf, but he really didn’t talk that much about it. Instead he just spent an hour talking about writing, the industry, creativity and fielding all sorts of questions from the audience. It was a really fascinating panel.  Just listening to these guys experiences and how they think about things is pretty fascinating, especially if you are a creative type. Needless to say, I will be there as close to front and center as I can. He is one of those types that if you can invite any five people over to dinner he would be on that list. I am sure he will be talking about his new novel, The Ocean At the End of the Lane, but I can’t help but think he will mention the new Sandman he is working on as well.

A Female Expendables?

The Female Expendables- With the success of the Expendables 1 and 2, plans for a female version of this movie are in the works. Gina Carano has been dubbed the lead actress but there are plenty of others to fill in. Here is my list of possibilities.

Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriquez, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hamilton, Michelle Yeah and our favorite whipping girl, Summer Glau.

This has inspired us to come up with our own ideas for movie featuring different Hollywood stars.

The Dependables

Clint Eastwood, Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman, Robert Redford and Mr.T (he just turned 60.). Honorable mentions: Kevin Costner but he is 57.

The Expandables

John Goodman, Kevin James, Tom Arnold, Wayne Knight and Rosanne Bar and Kirstie Alley.

Honorable Mentions:  Philip Seymour Hoffman, Oprah Winfrey

The Exhumeables

John Wayne, Paul Newman, Rock Hudson, River Phoenix, Bruce Lee and Alec Guiness.

Honorable Mentions: Any other dead celebrity.

The Predictables

Katherine Heigl, Meg Ryan, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Bradley Cooper, Adam Sandler, Mathew McConaughey, Hugh Grant.

Honorable Mentions: Gerard Butler, Julia Roberts,

There you go gang. Anymore suggestions feel free to add them.

Darth Mickey?

Just when you thought the Star Wars title couldn’t get any more over marketed or dragged through the mud than it already is, leave it to George Lucas to find a way. George Lucas is selling Lucasfilm to Disney for 4 billion dollars. We repeat, Lucasfilm is being sold to Disney for 4 billion dollars. It gets worse.  Of course Disney will come out with a whole slew of TV shows, toys and theme park rides around the Star Wars name but what is worse is that they are hoping to release a new Star Wars feature film every two or three years. That’s right, one of the most highly esteemed and famous movies franchise of our youth is being turned into an endless series of films playing off its name. Is this going to be like the James Bond series? Just crank out a movie every two or three years? We hope not. It does leave us asking such questions like: Will Mickey join the dark side? Is Minnie secretly his sister? Will Jar Jar have his own ride at Disney? If you don’t believe me here is the link.

The Walking Dead, Running With Ratings

So Walking Dead premiered Sunday night to a record setting 10.9 million viewers for basic cable. I have been really hot and cold on this show. Season one was pretty good while the first part of season 2 bored me to tears. Season 2.5 was okay and saved itself in the end with Shane finally getting killed. So going into season three I didn’t know what to expect. I will say that the plot lines of the prison and the girl Michonne are two of my favorites so I had some hope in me. After watching it here is what I have to say.

It.Was.Awesome. I loved it. It was almost 60 minutes of action packed zombie slaying.  It was what I had been waiting for. Now I know not every episode can be this action packed but it did look the director just went and had fun with. If they follow anything close to the graphic novels there should be enough drama in the next few weeks to keep us glued. It gets a little crazy. It was nice to Rick finally grow a pair and Carl didn’t get on my nerves like he normally does. Regardless of what may come in the next weeks it is nice to know they are off to a solid start.

Is Looper, Super?

So by now you have probably heard a lot about the movie Looper. In short: Go.See.This. Movie. No spoilers here so I can’t say too much but here is the basic idea. Loopers are mob hitman who have people from the future sent back in time for them to execute them. In the future science and police technology is so good it almost impossible to hide bodies, so they send them back in time where there is no evidence of their existence.

Loopers get paid in silver bars. Loopers also know their days are numbered and eventually a future version of them will be sent back for them to kill. This is called closing the loop.  Don’t feel too bad for them though, they get a huge payday to live the rest of their lives as kings. It could be they have twenty, thirty or five year left, but they are going to enjoy it, until something goes wrong.

Suddenly loops are being closed at an alarming rate. Turns out a future mob boss is killing off all the loopers. So one day, the absurdly talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt is sent a hit to kill. It turns out it his future self, played by Bruce Willis. He hesitates a moment and Willis escapes and the rest of the game Gordon-Levitt is trying to find him and stop him.

That is the most I can tell you without spoilers. Willis is on a mission that turns out to be a lot darker then you would expect.  It is also a plot that you would never guess at either.  There were a few moments I thought the movie was about to become to slow but it never reaches that point. It always picks back up at just the right time.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is amazing imitating Bruce Willis. He has down that reserved, deliberate, smug, tough guy act that Willis is so well known for. There is one seen with Gordon-Levitt wearing an A-frame T-shirt that looks right out Die Hard. He was brilliant. There are a couple potentially violent and disturbing scenes. If you are squeamish you might want to look away.

One problem with time travel movies is that there are inevitably some crazy inconsistencies or probabilities that would pop up. Mind boggling possibilities that leave you thinking, “yes, but what about this or that alternate reality.” Looper does a good job of closing these loops. The time travel isn’t so out there that you lose track of the movie and for the most part the lines or reality make sense.

It is definitely one of the top movies of the year. I give it 4.5 Babbles.

Comikaze Comments

Deeps thoughts on Comikaze Expo

So another Comikaze Expo has come and gone, this one presented by the great Stan Lee himself. It was definitely a huge step up from last years. Here are few random thoughts:

- Comikaze has a lot of potential. In only its second year they did a much better job overall. Just having actual meeting rooms for the panels made a huge difference and having a convention floor instead of a parking garage was nice. They had a decent range of panels as well.

- I like the venders better than the ones at SDCC. Sometimes SDCC feels like a flea market. Comikaze had a lot of local companies plus a lot more unique and original products (as opposed to the myriad of junky action figure and T-shirt booths.)

- Seems like there was more people here this year. I don’t know final numbers but I would guess around 25,000 or so.

The Bad:

-Okay everyone has been ranting about this so it is a little repetitive but the ticket line was absurd. People were waiting two hours outside in the 90 degree weather! They absolutely have to speed this process up. That being said, after how bad it was this year I am sure they will.

While it will never be SDCC, Comikaze has potential and it was fun. I love cons. I love the creativity, the artist the costumes and panels. I think I might have a con  addiction, I am calling it Confluenza.

Comikaze Expo 2012

If you are into geeky stuff (who isn’t?) and going to be in the Los Angeles area this weekend (again who isn’t?) then you should come on out to the Comikaze Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center. It is being billed as the largest (i.e. only) pop culture convention in L.A. Now it’s second year Comikaze has grown. This year they are even adding a zombie run! So is the epicness of Comic-con has left you itching for more than this might just scratch it for a while. I enjoy the con environment. Even if it isn’t as huge as many others, I still enjoy the artist, the costumes and creativity. Anyway, come on out and support the movement, after all if Stan Lee is going to be there then you should to!

SDCC High’s and Low’s

Here are some of my thoughts on this year’s SDCC. High and Low’s.

High – While waiting in line for Hall H sucks the Saturday panel are always worth it. The Django Unchained panel was amazing and the place went nuts when Quentin Tarantino walked out and he was incredibly energetic and engaging.  Props for showing the fans an 8 minute Hollywood promo real normally saved for industry types.  The cast had good chemistry and were really interesting. I can’t wait for this movie.

Low- The Game of Thrones panel. I love Game of Thrones, it is hands down my favorite show but the panel was just lackluster. George R.R. Martin hosted the panel and I hate to say it but he just wasn’t very engaging. It was too much of the “cute old man” syndrome. The cast didn’t really have much chemistry either. Not sure if this is because they don’t get to act much together, like as Rob and Dany, or maybe it’s just the way it is. This was the same experience with the GoT panel last year as well.

The SDCC Creators Connect.

One of the things I love most about comic-con is the insane amount of creativity that can be found there.  Amidst all of the glam and sexiness of Hall H and Ballroom 20 it can be easy to forget some of the smaller panels yet some of those are the most fun. In particular I went to one called the creators connect and it was really cool.  Basically it works like speed dating but it matches writers with artist. You sit in front of an artist who has their portfolio out while you talk about your writing projects. Ever five minutes you rotate to another artist. If you like what you see then you get their contact info and hopefully you can collaborate on a project together.

I will say as a writer it was really fun just to connect with other creative types and share ideas and experiences. Weirdly enough, the writers way outnumbered the artist. While I have gone to Comic-con for the last 6 years, this is the first time I went to the connect. In fact, I didn’t even know about it until Wondercon. They had to connects, one on Thursday and one on Friday. I would highly recommend them and I was tempted to try and go to both.

SDCC Recap: Neil Gaiman Returns to The Sandman!

Out of all the exciting and surprising announcement to come out of 2012 Comic-Con was this major announcement from DC’s Vertigo. Neil Gaiman is returning to The Sandman series! We repeat, Neil Gaiman is returning to The Sandman series. Additionally, he is being paired with artist JH Williams III from Batwoman.

Easily one of my favorite series ever (maybe my all time favorite,) The Sandman is considered to have fundamentally changed the face of storytelling in the comic book industry. First released in 1988 it has sold more the 7 million copies and is one of the few graphic novels to make the New York Times Best Seller list (along with Watchmen and Dark Knight.) The release will be a mini-series in honor of the 25th anniversary of the series.

If you aren’t familiar with The Sandman go and get familiar with it. It will rock your world. For those who are familiar with it, the story will pick up from the very first issue of The Sandman. As you may recall, Dream starts in captivity, is weakened and dressed for battle. This story explains how we find him in such straits.

I missed out on the original series in 1988. Rest be assured I will not miss out on this one. It is slated for release in 2013.