Piranha 3D 2 Hot 4 C-Con

Elizabeth Shue emerges for Piranha 3D. Read Adam's (r) report about all of the glorious "teeth n' A"

PIRANHA 3-D: TOO HOT FOR COMIC-CON (2010 Comic-Con)

About a week before Comic-Con, word surfaced that the "Piranha 3-D" presentation had been cancelled. Why? The powers that be deemed the reel submitted by the studio was "Too Hot For Comic-Con"! What? How could this be? The con had no problem screening the infamous nude wrestling sequence from "Borat" back in 2006. Then it occurred to me. That was probably part of the issue. Allegedly, the con took some heat for the "Borat" footage, so organizers decided better to be safe than sorry. You see, Comic-Con is incredibly crowded and even if a content warning is issued to the fans, there isn't anything to stop a family from entering the hall half way through the reel. So, regretfully, the "Piranha 3-D" reel was vetoed. Thankfully though, Dimension Films decided "Screw it! We'll just host the panel off site" (my words, not theirs). And that's exactly what they did. Oh and how happy we at Zboneman.com were that they opted to throw this late night get together, because it was certainly one of the most entertaining panels of the weekend. Upon arriving in line at the theater in the Horton Plaza, we were greeted by "Piranha 3-D" co-star and Hostel director Eli Roth. We shot the shit with him for a few minutes about his future projects (for the record, the faux movie trailer collection "Trailer Trash" and his adaptation of Stephen King's "Cell" are on hold) and awful sequels to his own popular properties (no, he isn't a fan of "Cabin Fever 2", but he did suggest that director Ti West got royally screwed by the upper brass during the making of that film). I told him I enjoyed his energy in front of the camera as much as I enjoyed it behind the scenes to which he shrugged a bit. He then went on to tell us we were in for a big treat at the "Piranha" panel.

Shortly thereafter, co-star Jerry O'Connell made his way through the line handing out 3-D glasses. I explained to a couple of folks standing next to me that the slim, in shape actor made a big splash as the little fat kid Vern in "Stand By Me" nearly twenty five years ago. No one believed me. Its true though. Eventually, we get into the theater and are witness to the panel. Many of the cast members were there including Roth, O'Connell, and the gorgeous Elizabeth Shue. It would have been nice to see the likes of Ving Rhames, Richard Dreyfuss, and Christopher Lloyd, but they were unable to attend. Also in the house; director Alexandre Aja, the genre maniac behind "Haute Tension", "The Hills Have Eyes", and "Mirrors". With "Piranha 3-D", its clear that Aja is in the mood for a more playful vibe. This isn't to say that "Piranha 3-D" isn't going to be extreme. If the reel we were witness to suggested anything its that you wont see a gorier film all year. Or for the next several years for that matter. Still, the tone of the film is decidedly gleeful. Even when the proceedings get graphic, there's a playful spirit behind all the carnage.

We were shown several minutes from the film and it was all in glorious 3-D. I use the word glorious because this is the perfect kind of film to see in this format. "Piranha" was actually shot in 3-D. No post production conversion here. The gory images and hot naked bodies on display evoked massive cheers from the enthusiastic crowd. The piranhas themselves are CG but the majority of the gore shots looked practical. And holy shit were there a barrage of gore shots. There's a scene in which a spring break bimbo gets her hair caught in a motor boat blade, and once the blade starts spinning, the girls face is ripped from her skull. In another shocker, we see a victim split in half--exposing her innards- as two men carry her to shore immediately following a piranha attack. In another, we see a close up of a piranha regurgitating an undigested penis! (Obviously not a "blowfish") Gross stuff and certainly not everyone's idea of entertainment, but I'm completely sold.

I loved the energy and creativity on display in this reel. Aja went on to say that while Joe Dante's hilariously entertaining Roger Corman produced homage to Jaws in the 70's was his inspiration, that this movie is its own thing. He also said that thus far, the MPAA wasn't giving him a hard time and that the film should get the R rating without any cuts. Of course he also suggested that they hadn't seen it in 3D yet and that he hoped the third dimension wouldn't change their opinion. Following the reel and a brief Q & A, the cast and crew mingled amongst the fans. The gorgeous Elizabeth Shue (who looks as amazing as she did in "Adventures in Babysitting" back in the 80's) was kind enough to take a photo with yours truly. She's simply a class act. I talked to Aja a bit and told him how much I was looking forward to seeing the film. Then, Shaun nudges me and points to the side of the theater. I look over, and JJ Abrams is standing there.

What? JJ Abrams at the "Piranha" panel? How cool is that? As fate would have it, most of the crowd had moved out of the theater at this point. There were only around fifteen people left. We went over to talk to Abrams and he was extremely accessible. Incredibly humble too. I figured I wouldn't get to talk to him for that long so immediately I told him how much I loved Star Trek. He was grateful and told us Part 2 should be happening soon, although he wouldn't say wether or not he'd be directing it. I can't imagine he wouldn't. Someone behind me asked him about a possible Cloverfield 2 and Abrams said they definitely planned on doing it but that it was on the backburner. I then asked Abrams what he thought of the "Piranha 3-D" reel. He said he showed up a little late, so he missed it. So, Aja suggested they roll the reel again. We got to see the gloriously perverse "Piranha 3-D" footage twice, only the second time, we got to hear JJ Abrams cheering and gasping with the rest of us. The "Piranha 3-D" panel was a great way to end the night. I can't wait to see the whole bloody film. It opens on Aug. 20th.

Here's a look at Piranha 3-D;

http://piranha-3d.com/