Comic Con Adam's 4th & Final Report

A cop's gotta keep his shit together.

Hello everyone. Sorry it took me so long to get this final report up. I've been a busy son of a bitch the last week or so. Anyway, I took another look at The Boneman's stuff. He covered nearly everything save for a couple of presentations I went to that he missed. So in this final report, I'll go over that stuff as well as a few other things that really blew me away.

July 21st

Too Much Fun In The Motel Room (No thumbs were licked)

Upon arriving back to the hotel room at around midnight (late Wed., early Thurs – which-ever you prefer), a funny thing happened. - at least it seemed funny at the time I was steadfast in my decision to go straight to sleep the moment I got back in the room. It was late, and I only had about four hours to catch some z's before I had to take Kyle to the airport. So I hopped in bed, covered up my head - to drown out the low volume of the TV set and tried my damned hardest to go to sleep. The Boneman likes to unwind with a little tubeski before bed, but he kept the volume at it's lowest out of consideration for my situation, but try as they might it was still enough noise to keep me from dropping off. I need total silence to fall asleep. Tyler and The Boneman weren't being particularly noisy, but I just could not find that window of dropportunity. Finally, I sat up in bed and more or less joined in the conversation, as did Kyle. About ten minutes in, we started telling jokes. And being the sort of person who can memorize hundreds upon hundreds of jokes - let's just say I was the master of ceremonies. I soon dipped into my bottomlsess bag and started hurling them left and right. Dick and fart jokes, Helen Keller stuff - nothing was sacred, dirty limericks, You name it, I told it.

We enjoyed it more and more until we eventually became completely slap-happy around 1:30. (Much to the dismay of the people in the room next to us,I'm sure. They probably would have paid handsomely for a "Comic- off" rigged to a clapper. "1,2,3,4 Comic-Off." We were all so tired, that by the time 2:00 A.M. rolled around, we were slap happy as fuck. A funny thing about folks who're slap happy. They'll laugh at any god damn thing. I swear we were giggling like little school girls over the dumbest shit. It was like being in summer camp. Before I knew it, it was time to take Kyle to the airport. We didn't get an ounce of sleep. FUCK!!! We were going to pay for this the next day at the con. So I take Kyle to the airport, and on the way, I pitch him my idea for a movie premise I've been working on. The ultimate fan film, particularly for those who are fans of the horror genre. Kyle's one of my best friends, so I really wanted to get his input on it. I'd already pitched it to the Boneman (a seasoned veteran – if you've read his Comic-Con reports and keep up on the site, you know he's been shopping his screenplay Fan Club around for quite some time), and he's helping me flesh out the plot a bit. Anyway, Kyle dug it. At the very least, he laughed at all the parts he was supposed to laugh at. Again, some of that might have been residual side effects from the laugh-fest we'd undergone less than an hour earlier. So I got Kyle to the airport. Immediately following, I headed back to the hotel where I did manage to get about three hours of sleep. Hooray! On a little side note, you remember how in the first report, I mentioned Kyle was going to England the moment he got back from San Diego? Didn't happen. I'm hoping he'll throw a little story up about the nightmare day he had. It wasn't funny the day it was happening, but looking back, he can laugh at it now. He maintains it's one of the worst days he's ever had in his life, and as soon as I'm done with this little horror movie of mine, maybe I'll pen a screenplay about that. On a final note, I'd like to say on Kyle's behalf; "Fuck Air France!" Rude, smelly sons of bitches. But back to Comic - Con.

WARNER BROTHERS PRESENTATION

The WB did a little piece on The Reaping. You can read about that in The Boneman's report. I was there primarily for the Superman Returns panel. Now, I wasn't blown away by Superman Returns. I liked it, but it wasn't the masterpiece this fan of the Donner's film was hoping for. Still, I was excited to see what Bryan Singer had to say. Maybe he would spill the beans on ideas he had for the next movie. If there's one thing Bryan Singer excels at, it's at making a decent sequel. Look at X-Men 2 for instance - an outstanding follow up. There was speculation as to whether or not Singer would even do the next film. Superman Returns is nearing the $200 million mark, but it's still been deemed a disappointment because of the size of the budget. Anyway, Singer hit the stage and put those rumors to bed. He said that he will most likely be doing another Superman film, and that it would probably be ready for summer of 2009. He also revealed that it would be more action oriented. This met with the resounding approval of around 6,500 fans. No tid-bits on which villain(s) might appear in the next one but Singer did playfully bat around names like General Zod and Bizarro as potential baddies. The highlight of the panel came about when Singer introduced original Superman director Richard Donner to the stage. Singer and Donner on stage together! Awesome. It really was an amazing sight. They sort of had a father/son dynamic going. As for the questions from the audience, they were all pretty obvious. Actually, I was quite shocked that no one had anything negative to say about the movie. The fans who stepped up to ask questions all seemed to have respect for the film. I wish I had the balls to get up there and ask about some of the movie's irritating flaws (for example, if Clark's/Superman's powerful kiss wipes Lois Lane's memory clean at the end of Superman II, then how come Lois has knowledge of their relationship in Superman Returns). Alas, I wasn't interested in being pummeled by 6,500 screaming fans, so I kept my mouth shut. Singer discussed the much talked about deleted sequence from Superman Returns, in which we see Supes' return to his graveyard home world. Surprisingly, Singer said this sequence probably won't be included on the DVD release later this year. He's more interested in doing a special theatrical edition at a later date. Singer went on to say he believes that this is a sequence that should be experienced on the big screen. Hmm.

Singer brought along a hilarious bloopers/outtake reel from Superman Returns. It included flubbed lines, and a shot of Brandon Routh tripping on a green screen set. Perhaps the funniest bit occurs during the filming of that scene in which James Marsden's Richard White probes Kate Bosworth's Lois Lane in the kitchen hoping to find out what her true feelings are for Superman. If you've seen Superman Returns, you know the scene I'm referring to. In this alternate cut of the scene, Richard asks Lois; "I was wondering about that story you wrote about Superman." Lois: "Which story? I wrote dozens of them. Are you talking about..." Richard: "The night I 69'd Superman". The look on Kate Bosworth's face is a scream. She tries not to smile, but she can't help it. A tiny little grin appears on her face. Marsden then goes on to spew a bunch of other sexual terms. Finally, Bosworth turns and slugs him. Hilarious. Who knew Cyclops had such a great sense of humor. Singer promises more bloopers and outtakes on the DVD release.

Finally, the big highlight of the presentation came from the hands of Richard Donner. Donner brought along a never before seen (at least not by the public) sequence from Superman II. We're not talking Richard Lester's Superman II, but rather footage that Donner shot during the making of the first Superman. For those not in the know, Donner was shooting Superman I and II at the same time, but in fear that he wouldn't be able to finish the first film in time for release date, he put Part II on the back burner. Ultimately, Superman went on to become a smash hit, but for whatever reason (Donner sights CREATIVE differences), Donner was not asked back to do Part II. All the stuff he shot is gathering dust in the Warner Brothers vaults. So as a special treat, Donner brought a sequence he shot. It involves the moment Lois finally realizes that Clark is Superman. As this scene played in Lester's film, Lois puts it together at Niagra Falls. In Donner's take, it happens at the Daily Planet. I don't want to ruin the logistics of the scene for the fans, especially because you'll get to see it. Later on this year, Warner Brothers will be releasing a special Donner cut of Superman II. It will include this scene and much, much more. Since Donner didn't finish filming, the cut will be a composite of his scenes and stuff Lester shot. It should be out by the end of the year.

This was an ultra-cool presentation if for no other reason than getting to see Donner and Singer praise each other.

PARAMOUNT PRESENTS A PEEK AT STARDUST

I was extremely excited to see footage from Stardust. I was really curious to see how Matthew Vaughn would follow up his brilliant Layer Cake – particularly since the film maker baled on X-Men III shortly before that movie was set to start filming. Why Vaughn left the project remains a mystery. Some say there were CREATIVE differences while others site a sickness in the family. Whatever the case may be, Vaughn remains an exciting film maker and Stardust looks absolutely terrific.

This fantasy tells the story of a young man who ventures across a magical realm to catch a fallen star for his dearly beloved. The movie features an impressive cast including Robert DeNiro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, and Sienna Miller.

Vaughn was still deep in filming so he wasn't able to attend Comic-Con. Neil Gaiman (who created the tale on which this film is based) was on hand to discuss the making of Stardust. He also showed some pretty cool footage. In terms of tone, the movie has a terrific (if a tad warped) sense of humor. The timing and line delivery sort of reminded me of the works of Terry Gilliam – most notably Time Bandits. Vaughn has suggested the film is sort of a fusion of The Princess Bride and Midnight Run. I hope that's an accurate assessment because I'm a big fan of both of those films. There's plenty of chickens for DeNiro to take another shot at.

The look of the film is simply extraordinary, and showcases a side of Vaughn that wasn't really on display in the amazing crime thriller Layer Cake. If anyone is interested in more insight on the film, Moriarty has a terrific set visit piece over at Aint-it-cool-news.com.

BLOOD-O-WEEN

I have a buddy who made a short film. It got accepted by Comic-Con's international film festival, so we decided to check it out. I enjoyed the hell out of this flick, and it goes way beyond the fact that I know the guy who made it. Blood-O-Ween has a lively energy and it sort of reminded me of This is Spinal Tap and American Movie. It features these two guys who collect creepy sounds for a Halloween sound effects tape. There's one moment in the flick when our two stars record a guy screaming in a studio. I swear to God. The shriek that comes out of this dude's mouth has to be heard to be believed. It reminded me of that scene in Home Alone when Culkin sticks that spider on Daniel Stern's face. Remember that moment when Stern screams like a bitch? This is like that only the screaming lasts longer. Blood-O-Ween is goofy, light, and damn funny. The stars of this short are like the Ed Wood of sound effects engineers. Hopefully, this little film will get some kind of a DVD release. Congrats to Nathan Fackrell on this terrific achievement. Blood-O-Ween didn't win any awards, but that hardly matters. It's an honor just to be nominated (I always wanted to say that.)

THE JIM HENSON COMPANY PRESENTS

Now I love the Muppets. I simply adore them. But I was at this presentation for one reason and one reason only; THE POWER OF THE DARK CRYSTAL! I worship The Dark Crystal. Can't get enough of it. Chamberlin, Jen, Kira, Aughra, Fizzgig! I love these characters. The Dark Crystal is one of those films from my childhood that is forever embedded in my brain. When I heard that the Henson company was commissioning a sequel, I couldn't believe it. It only took twenty damn years. Sadly, the film hasn't started shooting yet, but director Genndy Tartakofsky (Clone Wars, Samurai Jack) was on hand to show some awesome sketch work and story boards. The entire vocal cast is expected to return and while the film will incorporate some CGI into the proceedings, it will be mostly puppetry. Tartaskofsky also revealed he's hoping Frank Oz will be a part of the project.

Lisa Henson and crew went on to reveal that more Fraggle Rock will be coming to DVD. They also unveiled some footage from some in the works puppet shows that will feature humor for a more adult crowd. No puppets having sex or anything like that. This isn't Meet the Feebles. Still, much edgier stuff than you might expect from the Henson group. There's this one show that features improvisational puppetry. It kind of looks like Whose line is it anyway with Muppets. Pretty cool stuff.

BORAT SCREENING

Early on in the day, we caught the 20th Century Fox Presentation. Certainly, the highlight was a nauseating, but absolutely hilarious scene from their upcoming comedy Borat featuring SachaBaron Cohen (Da Ali G Show). Sacha showed up in character and made his entrance from the women's bathroom. He came up and introduced a couple of clips from the movie. Immediately following, the head of Fox distribution revealed that there would be a special advanced screening of the film later that night. All fans had to do to get tickets, was make a mad sprint for an ice cream truck parked across the street on Fifth avenue. So that's exactly what I did. By the time I got over there, there were already hoards of people. Thankfully, I did get tickets. We went to the film later that evening, and simply put; Borat is the funniest fucking movie of the year! An absolute riot! Here's my review.

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Actually the full title of the film is Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (say that five times fast) and it's quite simply the funniest film of the year. In fact, I don't think there will be a funnier movie in 2006 (perhaps Talladega Nights, but I doubt it). There have been other flicks in the past few months that made me laugh (Thank You For Smoking is a top fiver if ever there was one) but in terms of sheer hilarity, nothing touches Borat. I laughed so hard during the first half of this insane road trip movie, that I nearly fainted from exhaustion.

Firstly, I'd like to comment on the title of the movie. The film is being referred to as simply Borat, but the entire title–Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan-- is more appropriate because it speaks 1000 words.

Borat Sagdiyev (Sasha Baron Cohen) is the title character, a sort of dimwitted representative of Kazakhstan with the libido of a rabbit. Faster than you can say Crocodile Dundee, Borat, along with fellow countryman Azamat Bagatov (Ken Davitian), makes the long journey to the United States where he hopes to document average Americans in their vast habitat. With this useful information, he hopes to return to his native land with many helpful pointers that will better the lifestyle of his countrymen. Hence the long version of the title.

Those who think this picture is simply making fun of foreigners are missing the point
altogether. The movie is really making fun of us. No, that's not even an accurate assessment. Actually, Borat pushes our buttons in a way that brings out our true colors. He's like human litmus paper capable of revealing our underlying nature. Very seldom do we get side splitting comedies that are so laced with social commentary, and that's one of the things I love about this movie. Mostly though, I loved it because it made me laugh my fucking ass off! The Boneman claims that he pissed blood for two days afterward. He thinks he might have ruptured something.

Sasha Baron Cohen (known to many as the zany Ali G) is a comedic force to be reckoned with in this film. He's simply fearless. He'll do absolutely anything to get the laugh. This includes rolling around naked with the rather large Ken Davitian in what is perhaps the most nauseating, audacious, hilarious sequences in comedy history. What's more, a funny thing happens in Borat. By the end of the picture, I found this clueless man-child kind of endearing – something I never thought would happen upon viewing the first reel.

Larry Charles, who has worked in many capacities on Seinfeld, Entourage, and also penned the puzzling and inscrutable "Masked and Anonymous," directs with the same sort of kinetic energy that Cohen acts with. Much of the picture is shot in documentary style, and Charles himself claims that most of Borat's encounters with Americans generate actual responses. This is to say that most of the folks Borat comes into contact with, have no idea they're being filmed and that very few of the scenes were staged. This lends a surprisingly edgy quality to the film. Take for instance, the scene where Borat tries to purchase a gun. While chatting with the owner of the shop, Borat asks if he could shoot a Jew with the weapon and the merchant's response is . . . rather revealing. Many will no doubt find such banter offensive, but it's also incredibly eye opening. Borat can certainly be considered a scathing indictment of soul of the average American. Then again the film is obviously edited toward this bias, mainly because it's simply hysterical. Whether or not these really are actual responses or just merely scripted, the film gets it's point across loud and clear. It's a cynical, in-your-face experience laced with laugh out loud comedy.

Borat has a slew of comic talent behind the scenes; including Larry Charles, Jay Roach (Austin Powers), Todd Phillips (Old School), and Anthony Hines (Da Ali G Show), and while some might argue that too many chefs spoil the soup, I say the more the merrier. Particularly if the end result is going to be something this damn funny. Like the works of Trey Parker and Matt Stone (South Park, Team America), Borat refuses to be PC. It's edgy, go for broke, irreverent, improvisational comedy at it's very finest. And what Borat lacks in plot it more than makes up for in side splitting hilarity. Clearly, this movie isn't for everyone. It will, no doubt, offend a shit load of people, but if you're able to sit back and not take things so seriously, you'll laugh your ass completely off -just like I did.

JULY 22ND

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

Disney threw a presentation in which they discussed the special edition of The Chronicles of Narnia on DVD. They showed a couple of deleted scenes and talked a bit about the next chapter in the franchise–Prince Caspian (it's due out in 2008). Then, a visual consultant who worked on Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest, hit the stage and gave a little insight into the effects process on that terrifically entertaining film. Included, a look at how the masterful Davy Jones was brought to life. At one point, we got to see some really funny outtake effects shots, including a replay of the climax of Dead Man's Chest, only the effects crew super imposed light sabers into the hands of the cast. This got a nice little round of applause from the crowd. To end the presentation, we were treated to a three minute reel of footage from the new Pirates film which is currently filming. Yes, Johnny Depp is back. Much of what we saw was raw. Lots of green screen in the background. A pretty impressive shot of pirates dueling atop the sails of a ship. Pirates III (the subtitle still isn't official–it's rumored to be At World's End) opens next summer.

SPIDER-MAN 3

Sony threw one of the bigger presentations of the entire convention. While Ghost Rider took up a big portion of the presentation (you can read The Boneman's Report), the big draw was Spider-Man III. I'm not going to lie. I'm pumped for this movie. I wasn't a huge fan of the first film. I thought director Sam Raimi did a decent enough job with it but I wasn't blown away. Spider-Man II, on the other hand, is not only one of the best super-hero adaptations I've ever seen–it's also that rare sequel that is vastly superior to it's predecessor.

Sam Raimi was in attendance and we were certain he'd bring along a little taste of the film. After all, he did show that entire sequence in which Doc Ock escapes from the hospital in Spider-Man II, nearly a full year before that film's release. Well, we didn't get a full scene, but Raimi did throw together an extended trailer and it kicked ass. Included at long last, a shot of Venom in his alien like state. The crowd ate that shit up like there was no tomorrow – myself included. The movie looks positively stunning.

Following the reel, Raimi introduced the bulk of the Spider-Man III cast to the stage including Toby Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Thomas Hayden Church, Topher Grace, and the beautiful Bryce Dallas Howard. All were in good spirits, but no one would ask Church a question, so The Boneman and I, who were still perfectly situated in the front row, blurted; "Sideways rocks!" We got a devilish grin from the actor. Shortly thereafter, someone finally asked Church a question. It wasn't that interesting of a question, but at least Church got to interject. From that point on, it was Church and the engagingly dry Grace who stole the show.

Raimi was fired all kinds of interesting questions. Someone asked about The Evil Dead remake, to which the film maker revealed he will most likely seek a director for that project after Spider-Man III is finished. Someone also asked Raimi how many villains we might expect to see in Spider-Man III. Not surprisingly, he was evasive, but he did imply that Harry will not transform into a villain. I don't believe him for a second. Maguire was asked about future installments. This seemed to be one of the big questions of the convention as there had been reports that this would be the last Spider-Man film. Maguire revealed that many loose ends are tied up in this third outing. He also said that the movie feels complete, but he would be open to doing more if there were still interesting stories to tell. Once again, the crowd erupted into applause.

Perhaps the most interesting question, for me anyway, came from a fan who wanted to no if Danny Elfman would be involved in the scoring of the film. For those who don't know, there has been wide speculation that Elfman and Raimi had a bit of a falling out on Spider-Man II. Raimi wouldn't go into detail, but he did say that Christopher Young would be doing a lot of the score, but that he'd like to have Elfman involved. I don't know what that means exactly. I hope it doesn't mean Elfman's involvement will stop with the title theme. Hopefully, he'd be back in more substantial capacity.

Following the Q & A, the crowd begged to see the footage reel again. Unfortunately, they didn't comply. Oh well. It was still a kick ass presentation, and now I want to see Spider-Man III more than ever. It opens next summer.

KEVIN SMITH AND JASON MEWES

Kevin Smith was actually set to appear earlier on in the day, but he was stuck in traffic so the con rescheduled him for the end of the day. The Boneman has a sizable report on the funny man. I saw Smith speak at last year's convention, and to be honest, 2005 was a more inspired appearance. This year, Smith looked a little tired (rightfully so). Still, it was a fun time. The big topic was Clerks II. At this point, I hadn't seen it yet. The Boneman was lucky enough to catch it the night before. Every time someone would ask about Clerks II I'd plug my ears. I didn't want to have anything spoiled for me. The most interesting part of the panel was Smith going on about what a dick critic Joel Siegel is. Apparently, earlier on in the day, Siegel walked out of a screening of Clerks II. It wasn't the walking out part that pissed Smith of though. Allegedly, Siegel made a scene as he stormed out of the movie. This bothered Smith because he thought it was rude. He also went on to say that he grew up watching Siegel, so having the guy bash his film was sort of like being yelled at by his father.

Smith brought along Jason Mewes who has been clean and sober for quite some time now. He didn't do much talking but it was cool to see him by Smith's side in a live setting. In the end, I had a good time listening to Smith speak, and I can't wait to see Evening Harder: An Evening with Kevin Smith. It'll be released on DVD later this year.

Coincidentally, I did finally see Clerks II. I wouldn't say it's Smith's best work (Chasing Amy still ranks number one for me), but I really enjoyed it. Well acted (particularly by Rosario Dawson) and chalk full of Smith's trademark dialogue (the Lord of the Rings/Star Wars trilogy argument is brilliant). I'll have my review up shortly.

JULY 23RD

ROGUE PICTURES PRESENTS A PEAK AT BALLS OF FURY AND HOT FUZZ

THE HITCHER

The first thing we saw at the Rogue Pictures presentation was a shitty teaser for the remake of The Hitcher starring Sean Bean. When I say teaser, I mean teaser. During the short trailer, we get a bunch of missing people newspaper headlines. We also get stats indicating the number of folks who disappear off the nation's highways. Then we get Sean Bean's off screen voice thanking some dude for picking him up. That was about it. I liked the original Hitcher. It's one of those underappreciated 80's slasher gems. Rutger Hauer was just great in that movie. I'm pretty indifferent about a remake. It's not like I hold the original at legendary status. Based on this dull teaser, I really can't say how the movie looks, because they didn't show us anything.

BALLS OF FURY

There was quite a bit of talk at the con about the new Broken Lizard film Beerfest. For my money though, Balls of Fury looks a hell of lot funnier. What's the connection between the two films? Well, Beerfest is from comedy troop Broken Lizard, while Balls of Fury is from the Reno: 911 guys. Beerfest is about a secret underground beer chugging competition in Germany, while Balls of Fury is about secret underground Ping Pong matches in China. Having said that, Balls of Fury just looks funnier to me. As stated by the film makers, it's sort of a rift on Bloodsport, and those who know me, know I have a big fucking soft spot for Bloodsport. We got to see a little bit of footage from the movie, and from the moment co-star Christopher Walken says; "Ping Pong", I was hooked. Quite obviously, it isn't the line but rather how Walken says it. He puts his own eccentric spin on it. Director/writer Ben Garant and co-writer Thomas Lennon are simply hilarious. They were kind enough to tell little stories about Walken too. They revealed that Walken agreed to do the movie, but only if they promised to not change any of the script. A near impossible feat when dealing with what is essentially a spontaneous, improvisational comedy. Anyway, Walken did the film and he looks hilarious in it. Aside from that, Garnat and Lennon talked about how impressed they were with their lead actor. This is, I believe, his first major film and he looks like a riot. During the Q & A, a little madness ensued as an angry audience member suggested that Balls of Fury was nothing more than a bastardization of the sport of Ping Pong. After spewing more hateful words, Garant and Lennon jumped from the stage and chased the crazed audience member around the ball room. Was this guy a shill? Most likely, but the guys played it to the hilt - they were so winded when it wa over that they had to take a knee. I am sure of this, however, Balls of Fury looks like hilarity at it's finest, certainly funnier than Beerfest.

HOT FUZZ

This was one of the presentations I was most excited about at Comic-Con 2006. Hell, I'm more excited about Hot Fuzz than Spider-Man III. Why? Well, two years ago, Hot Fuzz creators Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg showed up at Comic-Con with a little film called Shaun of the Dead. What can I say. I love that movie. And in fact, it was one of my favorite films of that year. Not only was "Shaun" great (we caught two screenings on back to back days), but so were it's makers. During the course of the convention, we kept bumping in Wright and Pegg and they were incredibly gracious. They were even good enough to check out are site. For those not familiar with Wright and Pegg, they got their big break with a hilarious British show called Spaced. I've seen a few episodes. What can I say. These guys are true geeks in every sense of the word. Their new film Hot Fuzz will most likely do for the crime thriller what Shaun of the Dead did for the zombie film.

Simon Pegg was unable to make the trip this year but Wright and comedic force Nick Frost were on hand to talk about the film. They even showed us some outstanding footage. Before they unveiled the clips, they informed us what we were about to see was extremely raw and just in from the lab. With that, they lowered the lights and presented–the funniest footage reel I've ever seen. It was quite simply a collection of random shots of nothingness. A close-up of a toilet bowl flushing, a car driving down a street, a soda can, a chicken etc. As the lights went up the crowd was in hysterics. Obviously, this was a silly gag reel. Thankfully, Wright and Frost did have real footage to show us. The footage was in the form of five teaser trailers. They should be hitting the internet soon. My favorite of the bunch is a quick clip in which policeman Simon Pegg is demonstrating his crook chasing abilities to a rather large Nick Frost. The setting is a stationary camera set up revealing a group of backyard fences going back as far as the eye can see. Like a lightening bolt, Pegg begins to hop the fences. As he hops each individual fence, he disappears behind the next one, until finally doing a double flip over the final wall in a move that would make Mary Lou Retton proud. Frost stands there dumbfounded for a moment and quickly tells himself that if his partner can do it, so can he. Without missing a beat, Frost runs toward the fence, but his momentum carries his rather large body structure right through the fence, completely demolishing it. He falls to the ground in a scene right out of a Three Stooges short. An absolute riot. A sequence you have to see. Words don't really do it justice.

With obvious nods to the likes of Die Hard and Lethal Weapon, Hot Fuzz looks like another winner from Edgar Wright group, and I for one can't wait to see it.

During the Q& A, Edgar was asked if he'd ever do a Shaun of the Dead sequel. Wright said he didn't want to taint the legacy of the original, but he did admit to having a cool title should a follow-up ever come to fruition; "From Dusk Till Shaun". Awesome. Nick shot the title down with one of his own; "Dawn of the Ed". Equally hilarious. I don't suppose we'll ever see a sequel happen though. That suits me just fine. Shaun of the Dead is perfect the way it is.

As for Hot Fuzz, it will open in the U.S. approximately three weeks after it's March 2007 U.K. release.

A QUICK GLIMPSE AT THE SHOW ROOM AND A SPECIAL NOTE TO THE GORGEOUS ROSARIO DAWSON!

We had been so busy hitting presentations throughout the weekend of the convention, that we really didn't even get to check out the exhibition hall. We went in a couple of times to get movie passes and such, but we really didn't have ample time to check the entire floor out. Before taking our leave of Comic-Con 2006, we decided to have a look around the massive show room floor. It really is overwhelming. If you're a comic book or movie geek, you're going to find just about whatever you're looking for.

While making the rounds, The Boneman decided he wanted to get his screenplay Fan Club into the proper hands. Through the duration of the con we were talking about how perfect Rosario Dawson would be for a part in the movie. As fate would have it, Dawson was involved in a new comic book called Occult Crimes Taskforce, and they just so happened to have a booth on the showroom floor. The chances that Dawson would get the screenplay were slim, but The Boneman knew he needed to try. So, he put on his best bullshit cap and hit the booth. While the gentleman working the counter wouldn't take the screenplay, he did point out another guy who might be willing to take it. It was Rosario's uncle. What luck. The Boneman approached him and told him that he was supposed to get the script to Rosario earlier on in the weekend, but he was unable to meet up with her. Thankfully, Rosario's uncle took the script. Sadly, The Boneman has yet to receive a phone call from this wonderful, enchanting actress (it doesn't hurt to kiss a little ass). Rosario honey–if you're reading this, we want you to know that we're fully aware we didn't go through the proper channels to get that screenplay to you, but read it anyway. You're absolutely perfect for the role of Beth. By the way, I adored you in Clerk II (again, nothing wrong with a little ass to mouth...er...I mean ass kissing.)

SIGHTS UNSEEN

CHILDREN OF MEN

I just caught a trailer for this new Alfonso Caron film (Y Tu Mama Tambin, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). It looks positively beautiful. It takes place in the near future and presents a society that's unable to reproduce. Clive Owen plays a man who must escort a woman with a secret to a safe haven. What's the woman's secret? Take a wild guess. The film also stars Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. I'm really bummed I missed this presentation. I can't wait to see the movie.

TENACIOUS D: THE PICK OF DESTINY

I was unable to hit the New Line Cinema Presentation because of the Borat screening. Snakes On A Plane was New Line's big push, but the next day I found out I missed some Pick of Destiny footage. What a bummer. I'm a huge Tenacious D fan. I saw them perform at Comic-Con last year. I can't believe I missed the footage. Oh well. In my defense, I did get to see the funniest film of the year (I'm referring to Borat).

SUPERMAN THROUGH THE AGES

Again, another panel I was forced to miss due to a scheduling conflict. This panel was to cover the history of Superman. I heard they showed some footage from the Richard Donner cut of Superman II. I also heard that Jack O'Halloran (Non from Superman II) was in the house. I'm bummed I had to miss it, especially after seeing all that cool stuff during the Superman Returns presentation.

JOE'S CRAP SHACK

Before leaving San Diego, we thought we'd grab some lunch. We planned on hitting the Gaslamp District, but upon hanging out in the back of the convention center, we noticed there was a Joe's Crab Shack right on the ocean–literally. There were even boats docked at the back of the restaurant. We decided to walk over. We figured at the very least, the atmosphere would be good. Ultimately, that was all that was good about the experience. It took nearly an hour for them to seat us, and when we got to our table, we noticed there were plenty of empty spots all over the place. For some reason, they were only seating folks in certain sections. They must have been understaffed. Lame. The food was extremely mediocre. And in fact, mine was cold. I don't even know why I'm bringing this up. I suppose it's to let you know that if you do go to Comic-Con next year, don't go to Joe's Crab Shack. It's not worth it. Hit The Tin Fish instead. It doesn't sit on the ocean, but the food is outstanding.

ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER COMIC-CON!

Well, we hope this has been a somewhat informative read for you. Long winded, I know. But as you can plainly see, a lot of stuff went down. As I previously stated, Comic-Con has quickly become my favorite event of the year. If you're a fan of movies or comic books, you really need to experience it at least once in your life. It's thousands of geeks living in perfect harmony for four glorious days. I can't wait for next year.