Con-Man: Spring Circuit

While it's cold and snowy across much of the country, Spring Time is nearly here and that means conventions! This weekend is The Long Beach Comic Expo, sister show to The Long Beach Comic Con. They're pulling out all the stops to make this their biggest Expo ever with lots of comic book and media guests as well as some back to back stacked programming.

Long Beach Comic Expo | Saturday & Sunday, February 28 - March 1 | Long Beach, California

Looking forward to the G.I. Joe animation panel as a nice primer to next week's Sunbow Celebration double feature. The Gargoyles panel is a nice touch as is the spotlight on legendary X-Men scribe Chris Claremont. Cool to see Magnet and Magnolia previewing new movies as well as the Eat. Geek. Play. Studio hanging out with Stan Sakai and Gerry Conway among others. Genre movie favorite Lance Henriksen is attending but I'm disappointed a panel wasn't scheduled. Lots of topics covered though with writing, diversity, cosplay, webcomics, marketing and more over the two days.

Emerald City Comicon | Thursday - Sunday, March 27-29 | Seattle, Washington

We're heading back to the great green north to check out Emerald City for a second time. This will be our only out of state show we're attending again as Calgary Expo and Salt Lake City were fun but just not as convenient or special enough to lure us back. Hoping to get out to Arizona or Nevada for a new show in 2015 though. ECCC is shaping up to be another great time with guests across the Artist, Writer, Cosplayer, Novelist and Celebrity spectrum. Comics guys like Kevin Eastman, Tim Sale, Humberto Ramos and Dan Jurgens will be on hand while celebs Hayley Atwell, Michael Bell, Levar Burton and John Wesley Shipp will be sure to provide some great spotlight panels. The Cinema Series is back with Karen Allen, Stan Lee and Brandon Routh attending screenings of Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Avengers and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Congratulations to Jennifer Blanc and Michael Biehn as they're expecting a child together meaning we won't be seeing them on the flight up again like last year. Biehn will be participating in an Aliens reunion panel at Monsterpalooza in Los Angeles the same weekend of ECCC.

WonderCon | Friday - Sunday, April 3 - 5 | Anaheim, Calilfornia

Coming back to Anaheim for it's 4th year is San Diego Comic-Con International's less crazy but nearly as awesome sister show WonderCon. First tip for attending, don't stay at the Clarion. Stay at the Hilton since it's connected or if you feel like walking a couple blocks, The Red Lion, cause they have mini-fridges in all their rooms. Anywho, WonderCon is great, it really is like Comic-Con junior. You've got the huge exhibition floor, tons of vendors, lots of guests and programming with literally half the madness. The show is still being put together but the likes of Darwyn Cooke, Jae Lee, Dustin Nguyen and Rick Remender caught my eye on the Special Guests list. Warner Brothers is bringing latest DC animated flick, Batman vs. Robin as it holds it's world premiere during WonderCon. Also announced is special event Superman: The Richard Donner Years Celebrity Super Reunion with producers, actors and writers.

Star Wars Celebration | Thursday - Sunday, April 16 - 19 | Anaheim, California

Two weeks after WonderCon it's back to Anaheim for the show I bought tickets for 20 months ahead of time, Star Wars Celebration! Originally scheduled to coincide with the release of the new films, Star Wars Celebration is now hitting early as the flicks won't be ready until the holidays. No matter, it's still looking like a fantastic show with Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, Kenny Baker, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and so many more guests scheduled to attend. On top of that, they're screening all 6 Star Wars movies! There's also an art show, cosplay contest, speed dating, podcasting and much much more lined up.

Con-Man: 2014 Wrap Up

It was a fun year of attending conventions this 2014 as we hit up no less than 9 shows in California, Utah, Washington and Calgary.  It will be pretty quiet around Southern California until February when the Long Beach Comic Expo returns for their one of two annual shows.  Let's take a look back at the year shall we?

March. Emerald City Comicon - This was our first year attending but I enjoy Seattle so it was nice to hit the town, see some friends and check out the show.  It's a big one, encapsulating nearly every floor and cranny of the giant downtown convention center on two sides of the street.  A huge exhibition floor along with a media area for panels and autographs, Lego display, Game of Thrones art gallery and much more kept us busy even if it was a little confusing to get around.  Off site theaters hosted podcasts and special screenings of fan favorites with cast in attendance.  People were very nice and our hotel rate was very swank with a nice con discount too boot.  A little sight seeing at the Pike, some sky high drinks at Rview (since closed) and lots and lots of rain.  We're going back in 2015 so that about sums it up.  Oh yeah, Michael Biehn and his wife Jennifer Blanc were on our flight up so that was cool.

April. Wonder Con - San Diego's sister show in Anaheim is always a blast, tickets are easy to come by and it's a large event stacked with programming.  We opted for a different hotel this year to ensure we had a refrigerator but boy was it not worth it as the place was kind of a dump. Better to stay at the connected Hilton and bring a cooler.  Unlike Emerald City, lots of great panels here about comics, writing, art, movie and television with guests like Bill Paxton and Jim Lee charming and educating the pants off us.  Really looking forward to this one again.

April. Calgary Expo - Another first for us and our inaugural trip outside the country for a convention.  Our plane was filled with guests for the show including Ricco Ross from Aliens.  Calgary was super weird in the sense that I had no idea it was so into oil and cowboy stuff so stetsons and big trucks were everywhere.  A beautiful city filled with polite folks, I was surprised at how bland the food was in Chinatown, at pubs and high end restaurants.  The show was held at a giant rodeo complex and was spread out over several structures of essentially a fairgrounds.  Access was not easy in and out so we stayed the entire day before going to a nighttime panel.  CE corralled cast and crew of The Hobbit films for a night of improv, story telling and demonstrations of fight choreography and make up.  The next night the entire main cast of Aliens was reunited on stage to discuss making a classic and reminding us that Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton should have a sitcom together.  A fun show but we don't have plans to return this year.  If you go, send me some dark chocolate Kit Kats because they are amazing and made from real chocolate.

June. BotCon - Held in gorgeous and idyllic downtown Pasadena, BotCon was one of the most interesting shows we attended this year as it wasn't about the all encompassing Popular/Nerd Culture but simply about The Transformers and their legacy of toys, comics, art and cartoons.  Just crowded enough with lots of exhibitors with all kinds of goodies for sale as well as voice actors from the shows and mother fucking rock and roller Stan Bush.  I actually kind of froze up when I saw him as his music has influenced my life for about 20 years.  Since BotCon changes locations every year, organizers set up tours of Los Angeles attendees could go on culminating in an awards show and concert.  The panel featuring voice actors was hilarious and inspirational.  I'd love to attend again if they come back to Southern California.

July. Anime Expo - Our first introduction to the wild and wooly world of Japanese animation was a doozy as the show packed in over 100,000 attendees in Downtown Los Angeles on a sweltering weekend.  Tickets sold out but there was free admission to the exhibit hall nightly.  It wasn't that different than a comic-con as anime is always a big factor at shows.  It was a nice warm up for San Diego as the place was so packed and B.O. was in the air.  A photographer friend took us around and showed us the cosplay backdrop area where costumed folks could pose in pre-made environments which was a unique touch.  Would definitely like to attend this year.  Better get back to Samurai Champloo and Attack on Titan...

July. San Diego Comic Con - The mother lode.  The mecca.  The place you lose yourself and find yourself, Patrick Swayze style.  From rooftop parties, reconnecting with old colleagues, walking the gigantic floor, hunting down exclusive swag (hello Expendables 3 poster and Batman Animated Series vinyl!), checking out six panels in a row, meeting Ernie Reyes, Jr., eating crappy convention center pizza and hot dogs, walking straight into Hall H and not camping out like a loon, volunteering at 6:00 AM, meeting a future moviebro, sky high dranking, it's just the best way to spend a few days.  Tickets and condo for next year already secured.

September. Salt Lake Comic Con.  Another first for a show and city.  Lines were out the door and just picking up badges was a fucking fiasco.  Really unimpressed with their organization after touting themselves as a challenger to San Diego, etc.  The actual show was fun, not a huge exhibition floor but big and varied enough to make for a nice half day of checking out.  Lots and lots of money gouging I mean autographs and photo opportunities for sale at this one so programming was pretty light.  Arcade set up was a nice touch and we met Danny Glover, who was awesome.  Salt Lake itself was quaint but weird, surprising amount of people living on the streets, built up and fancy one block, falling apart the next, bland food from a couple spots, we checked out a state liquor store and the surrounding area really seemed to be supporting the con which was cool.  They think they're as good a show as San Diego, they're not.  Would maybe come back in a few years once it builds up and gets organized.

September. Long Beach Comic Con -  Always a nice day out in Long Beach with easy access, a decent floor, okay programming and places to hang and check out across the street.  Feels like it used to be bigger with more going on but perhaps has plateaued and maybe on it's way down?  I hope I'm wrong and we'll be there for the next show.

November. Comikaze - Like Salt Lake, flaunts it's celebrity guests and show for fans by fans, grassroots sensibility.  Also like SL, feels the need to compare themselves to San Diego when they're not even in the same league.  Regressed from last year as entry took way longer than it should have considering it wasn't that crowded.  But as usual a nice sized floor, fun guests and light on programming. 

Sadly, we missed out on this year's inaugural Comics Arts Los Angeles show, hopefully it went well and a future event is in the works.  Also sad was He-Man and She-Ra centric attraction Power-Con attempted to move to New York from Torrance in an effort to expand it's audience but failed to sell enough tickets and had to cancel...This year sees Star Wars Celebration hitting Anaheim in April, a first for me and another notch on the ol' convention belt.  See ya at the show!

Con-Man: Anime Expo

Following this years Emerald City Comicon, Calgary Expo and BotCon, it was time to attend yet another new convention, Anime Expo.  AE has been around Northern and Southern California since 1991 and has recently taken residency in Anaheim and now Downtown Los Angeles.  With a childhood filled with comic books, Anime was around but never my forte.  Sure I've checked out Street Fighter: Victory, Vampire Hunter D, Gundam Wing, The Big O and Cowboy Bebop but that's about the extent of my anime consumption.  A friend is a staff photographer for AE and got me hip to the fact that they open the doors to the Exhibit Hall for free after 4:00PM.  Check out his bitching photography and Anime thoughts.  With nothing to lose and some awesome swag to gain and sights to see, we headed downtown for a movie and the show.

It was a very Comic-Con'esque experience as it was a hot day out, there were throngs of people about and the hall was CROWDED.  At least 20 food trucks were parked outside and across the street so there were plenty of attendees milling about waiting for ice cream and fries as well as the obligatory Bible thumpers who show up at every highly attended event.  We had just seen them in Anaheim at WonderCon where Con-goers fed the trolls and protested the protestors with funny signs and costumed antics.  I wonder if these guys show up to sporting events?  Lots of people go to those...The Los Angeles Convention Center is a huge space and the perfect location for a big show.  Ample parking, lots of neighboring restaurants and attractions with plenty of exhibit hall space laid out over several wings and buildings.  Surprisingly, Anime Expo only goes until 6:00PM so we walked the floor for 2 hours but it felt like 30 minutes.  Right away I was taken aback by the heat inside the hall, the sea of people and the whiffs of B.O.  Booths were selling toys and figurines, animated cels, statues, model kits, video games and clothes like any convention but AE vendors swap comics for manga and had a real penchant for stuffed stuff like cute animals and characters from page and screen.  Artist Alley was great and I picked up a pixel magnet of Chrono from Chrono Trigger!  I figured I'd see some recognizable video game swag and in my mind wondered if I'd find something from SNES classics from Japanese masters Square Co. Secret of Mana or Chrono Trigger.  90's memories yo.  Literally sitting in my room in Ohio, listening to Oasis' Be Here Now on my 3 disk CD changer and playing Chrono Trigger.  Those were the days, huh?  Anyways, this vendor had them in spades with awesome, straight from the game looking versions of Chrono, Frog, Robo, Ayla and more.  It was kind of a trip to be talking to a fellow fan at the booth who seemed to be a good 10 years younger than me about a video game that came out in 1995.  But hey, fans are fans no matter what age and he let me know that I grabbed the last Chrono.

With the show closing so early and my friend not being needed until 8:00PM for the Cosplay masquerade, we wandered around and grabbed some grub then he escorted us into another wing.  There, the organizers had set up half a dozen scenes from various anime for photo opportunities.  You had a bedroom, a classroom, Arabian Night motif, prison, woods and more.  It was a really cool thing to see and a clever traffic diversion.  In the same space were arcade games free to play, sit down console gaming and a huge area for table games like Magic: The Gathering.  That, plus programming and night time events?  Damme Anime Expo, I may have to up my intake just to be in the same book and attend next year as more than a simple casual fan.  My friend explained to me about this skinless, muscle guy walking around was from a show called Attack on Titan so I went ahead and added that to my Netflix queue.  At every show you notice certain things, at this one it was an abundance of cute and cuddly stuffed/plush animals and characters, colorful wigs, Sailor Moon outfits and men dressing as female characters which I was informed is not drag but CrossPlay, get it?  A very packed and exhausting evening and we were only there for a few hours!  A nice warm up for Comic-Con in 3 weeks.  See you in San Diego!

Live Goods: Aliens EXPOsed

The real reason that I wanted to go to Calgary Expo this year was because they were putting on a cast reunion of 1986's Aliens, one of my all time favorite films.  They've done these kinds of things before as Michael Biehn and Lance Henriksen are regulars on the convention circuit, someone from the cast will pop up to talk at a screening, etc but this time was even more special.  This would be the largest assembling of the movie's cast since production at Pinewood Studios in England 27 years ago.  Calgary Expo would mark Sigourney Weaver's first appearance at a show like this with a signing joining Con newbies Paul Reiser and Bill Paxton.  After seeing the previous night's Middle Earth EXPOsed, I really wondered how Aliens would play out.  Middle Earth was a two part chat with the casts from two different franchises in the same universe then ended with a three segment improve show.  With Aliens, I knew they wouldn't be doing any singing or dancing for us and figured it would roll out as a typical comic con panel only on a grander scale.  I thought it would be better if they brought out a few guests at a time so everyone got their spotlight and because bringing out 10 people at one time just gets messy.

Looks like organizer Emily Expo and company were on the same page as Star Trek: Voyager actor and Aliens fanatic Garrett Wang welcomed us to the Corral before Wang took over as host and showed a clip highlighting Drake, Vasquez and Frost; three of the Colonial Space Marines.  Actors Mark Rolston, Jenette Goldstein and Ricco Ross were trotted out to stage that was set up with alien eggs, a leaping xenomorph, pulse rifes and flamethrower courtesty of a local prop maker as they spoke about getting involved ,the training required, Rolston and Ross' competition in the gym and nightly pose offs which culminated in Ross showing the crowd he still had abs.  Rolston and Goldstein mentioned that the script had a short backstory for their characters; that they were conscripted for duty and would be serving for life, hence their strong bond in the film.

The second clip was all about Hicks and Hudson, the cool, reluctant hero thrown into command and the squawking comic relief.  I feel a disservice was done to Hicks' character though as they didn't show the APC wreckage/escape where he screams "Drake, we are leaving!" then blasts an alien in the mouth with a shotgun.  Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton came out to huge applause and it was just too much fun watching them with each other as they have worked together several times (this, NAVY SEALS, TOMBSTONE) and have some of the best parts in the film.  Wang was a pretty solid host but here I thought things got a little iffy as his inner fanboy took over and most of the spotlight went to Paxton.  We had already seen Paxton earlier and knew the guy had stories for days and he continued to tell them here.  One that was particularly great was that Mad Magazine did a feature spoof on Aliens and Paxton, being a huge fan, ran out to get the issue only to find that instead of making a caricature of his face, the artists just put a chicken head on his body.  Biehn was only asked a couple of direct questions, one about coming in late to replace James Remar thus playing the character softer and more vulnerable as well as being able to miss out on all the bullshit physical and military tactics training the rest of the cast had to endure.  The other was about his character in Cameron's follow up The Abyss and Biehn vigorously schooled Wang, with an assist from Paxton, that Navy SEAL Hiram Coffey was not a villain, just a misunderstood guy who was cut off from his chain of command, told aliens were going to attack and was suffering from deep pressure sickness.

In the third clip of the evening, we see company man Carter Burke and artificial person Bishop.  Paul Reiser was very funny and talked about not being a villain but a company man looking out for their best interests, not having any cool props like the Marines and being ostracized from the group which still happens to this day as Biehn lovingly gave him the middle finger.  Here again, Wang focused more on one guest than the other so the great Lance Henriksen was only asked one question and more or less looked uninterested in what was going on around him.  In the next clip, the audience was reintroduced to colony survivor Newt, played by 9 year old Carrie Henn who is now a school teacher.  Henn lamented that acting in the film was like her secret life as she never set out to be an actor and after the film's success was the victim of constant bullying from jealous classmates.  Henn went through high school and college without her closest friends knowing about her past until a story in People magazine hit newsstands.

Lastly, it was time for Ripley; Sigourney Weaver's signature role that lead her to being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.  Which was news she found out while in a room with producers of Gorillas in the Mist meeting about the role.  Weaver was stunning and gracious while reminiscing
about the natural bond she had with Henn, working with brilliant yet Mr. Intense James Cameron, getting over her fear/objection of guns for the role and the fact that it's a good and bad sign that Ripley is still such a trailblazing character for strong leading women nearly 3 decades later.  Paxton told the audience how great a leader and calming an influence Weaver was on set while Ross will never forget when she urged him to call long distance to his wife in England at their impromptu cast party in her hotel room following the premiere.  Weaver revealed that she gave each cast member a bouquet of flowers on the day of their death scenes during production.  Her Galaxy Quest co-star Tim Allen is a huge science fiction fan and somehow bought part of the Aliens set for his screening room.  When Weaver put a jokey message on it, Allen was enraged.

A few audience questions and one from special guest Danny Glover!  From Predator 2!  Co-starring Bill Paxton! made the rounds asking what the cast kept from the production.  Rolston kept the bust of his scarred face, parts of his armor and whatnot that a collector offered him $100,000 smackers for but everything was sadly thrown out by his ex-wife.  Ross held onto his dog tags which he gave to a fan who wrote to him saying she was dressing up as him for Halloween.  Biehn says he wasn't smart enough to keep anything while Lance Henriksen has his original script with his tons of notes scribbled throughout.  When asked about the best piece of advice they'd ever received, most of the cast mentioned their father and basic advice like being who you are, getting back up after being knocked down and the like.  It was a fantastic evening and event, I just wish the people in Calgary weren't so large and that the seats weren't so small and zip-tied together.  My aching back!

(Rough)Con-Man: Calgary Expo Friday

Coming at you live from beautiful, clean and crisp Calgary, Alberta Canada where cash doesn't tear, has holograms in it, the change is made from metal, the chocolate is real and delicious, people are super nice and don't honk in traffic and home to one heck of a show, the Calgary Expo.  Going on I believe it's 9th year, CE welcomes roughly 60,000 attendees over 4 days of programming.  It's held at the vast Stampede grounds next to the hockey rink for the Calgary Flames and site of a massive rodeo competition. When horses aren't in season it's host to huge events like the Expo.

It's a bit jarring as there's nothing super close to the Stampede besides a casino and train station.  The surrounding area is under heavy construction so you feel a bit remote upon entering.  Like Seattle's Emerald City Comicon, CE is spread out across its site so you have to make friends with the guide and map. There was badge pick up in the Grandstand then kids attractions in a tented pavilion, food trucks and giant balloons outside, the Boyce theater and stadium Corral for panels, Big Four building for vendors and food then the main hall BMO for a huge variety of exhibitors then yet another small section Palamino for autographs and more swag.  Phew!

I saw on Facebook that Michael and Jennifer Blanc Biehn flew out Thursday so we weren't going to be sharing a flight like Seattle, sadly.  Kim Coates and Mark Boone Junior from Sons of Anarchy, Barry Bostwick and Ricco Ross from Aliens were on board though.  Customs was a breeze and the officer told my lady that Lance Henriksen arrived the day before.  Our Con hotel this time is the lovely Sheraton eau Claire in downtown Calgary next to the river and starting point of CE's huge cosplay parade.  Anthony Daniels, the Sons of Anarchy and The Hobbit crews rode up front as hundreds of costumed con goers walked the streets up to the Stampede.

The show itself was a lot of fun but since we weren't staying nearby meant we were at the show for its duration as we were attending an event that evening.  8 hours of walking the floors, viewing panels and eating hot dogs gets a bit exhausting.  I underestimated the power of Adrian Paul and Highlander as the panel filled to capacity before we arrived.  A panel on Mark Rolston and Jeanette Goldstein was great as they reminisced on their time working on Aliens, with Jim Cameron and other roles in things like The Shawshank Redemption and Near Dark.  Co-star Henriksen came up for his deep method acting style and the only person Rolston ever saw give driven and genius writer/director Cameron shit on set, in a professional, for the good of the movie, sense.  I asked if they were surprised at being invited to conventions which Goldstein stated gave her anxiety at first but loves them and Rolston recently traveled to Australia and New Zealand so it wasn't a bad gig.

Next up was Bill Paxton who we saw last week at WonderCon.  Calgary marked his first professional signing and said his wife, accountant and children thanked us.  Rumor was God was charging $80 bucks to a pop to sign and hang out.  That's Richard Dean Anderson money!  His spotlight panel was hilarious and heartfelt as he talked about meeting James Cameron, his reaction to hearing the synopsis to The Terminator, Kevin Jarre's massive and detailed contribution to Tombstone, working on Apollo 13, viewing it at the White House and urinating in between Bill Clinton and Tom Hanx.  Great times.  They didn't announce where to go for questions so I missed out on asking what the making of Navy SEALs was like and if he made people call him by character nick name God during production.

To end the evening there was a separate event dubbed Middle Earth EXPOsed that was half tribute to WETA CEO Richard Taylor and half variety show featuring cast members from The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit.  It was laughs galore as the cast reminisced then partook in sword play lessons, sang for the audience and did some improv skits. Unannounced video tributes from Peter Jackson and Richard Armitage put the spotlight on Taylor who was on side stage making a radio contest winner up into an Orc through prosthetics, make up and costume.  The seats are small and cramped together in the Corral but it was a very fun event.

Tonight is Aliens EXPOsed with the biggest reunion of cast since they shot the film in 1986. Before that, some sight seeing and grubbing is on the agenda but I just looked outside and it's freaking snowing.  Oh Canada...

WonderCon Man: Arena

Today started in the WonderCon Arena aka Hall H Jr where studios trot out movie stars and directors along with exclusive clips to thousands of appreciative fans.  First up was Warner Brothers and genre favorite Bill Paxton, known to this room for his work on Weird Science, Aliens, Tombstone, Agents of SHIELD and much more.  Paxton was awesome; gracious, funny, insightful and game to discuss his career and memorable roles.  Oh, he was there promoting Edge of Tomorrow, the Tom Cruise sci-fi action flick that is Groundhog Day meets World War 2 but with alien oppressors instead of Nazis.  If you've seen the trailer you're either on board or not, I'll give it a go since I like Cruise, action, director Doug Liman and Paxton.  God from Navy Seals talked how his career is going back to his earlier work of smaller but memorable parts as he doesn't have to worry about being the face of a film as a movie star and can just give edgier and funnier performances as a supporting actor.  Paxton says Cruise is a great guy and ringleader of after hour activities while he's always been a fan of Liman and signed up on their names alone.  When asked about James Cameron, Paxton equates it to picking up the Bat phone and doing whatever Cameron asks of him whether it's setting himself on fire or telling the world he has a little sick like in True Lies.

Also in the WB panel was Godzilla.  Director Gareth Edwards came off as a young, funny and passionate guy who talked about the difficulties of designing the creature, honoring the original, going from a low budget to big studio fare and how he basically compiled a wish list of collaborators to help him with the transition.  A clip was shown with a great surprise so I'm now more excited for this film and not just thinking it'll be a lamer Pacific Rim.  Thomas Tull, the head of Legendary, is described as a movie geek who is interested in making good movies versus financial gain.  Edwards told us that he originally thought Godzilla star Bryan Cranston's character on Malcolm in the Middle was a closet homosexual which received a quick and assertive  correction from the man himself upon meeting.

Next was FOX who jammed looks at How to Train Your Dragon 2, The Maze Runner, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Secret Service and X-Men: Days of Future Past into two hours, phew!  The seats in the arena are too close together and hard on the bum for this kind of prolonged viewing.  Matthew Vaughn's teenage James Bond looking Secret Service was a treat and looks amazing.  Colin Firth plays the head of a secret society of bad ass spies to Samuel L Jackson's hip hop mogul looking villain.  A bar fight scene was brutal, inventive, exciting and funny with Firth being the latest older, distinguished actor going HALS, Hard As Liam NeesonS. Director Matt Reeves and actors Keri Russell, Gary Oldman and Andy Serkis segment played as a Serkis love fest with a few tidbits about Dawn being an unexplored bit of Apes mythos and making a tale of family and survival.   The crowd got a look at a scene from X-Men that showed the cinematic mutant posse doing what they do best, getting bitched!  The footage looked rich but I'm not sure why the X-Kids never seem to look that exciting on screen.

Last for us was a look at Luc Besson's Lucy, starring The Black Widow, Old boy and the lone black guy from Last Vegas.  Besson was very charming and his Frenchman demeanor was very endearing.  Asked about his recent penchant for writing and producing vs directing, Besson stated he only directs if he thinks no one else can do a better job and that producing is easy and more cushy.  Two clips played showing some very visually stimulating action and harrowing car chase, crashing and flipping mayhem.  During audience questions, Besson stated that he started writing at 13 and his first 5,000 pages were shit.  He doesn't pay attention to critics as he makes movies for the audience and that his early work like La Femme Nikita and The Big Blue might be regarded today but upon release were cast off.  

Lots more was shown and discussed but it's time to head back to the show!

(Pre)Con-Man: Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo 2014

This year marks my first venture in attending out of town conventions.  Town is a relative term as the 8 shows I went to last year were all in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego County, i.e. Southern California with the furthest being 130ish miles away (which I made door to door in 94 minutes, you do the math).  But this year I'm cranking it up a notch by hitting two out of town shows in less than a month.  One of them is actually out of the country and I need to get an updated passport to attend!  It all started with rumblings of this show in Calgary, Canada, a city in the province of Alberta about 600 miles (or 970 kilometers) east of Vancouver and north of western Montana.  The only thing I knew about the place was that it was the home of "the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be" professional wrestler Bret "The Hitman" Hart.  I randomly found them on Facebook and started keeping up with this show that seemed to be booking tons of great guests and providing endless amounts of fan centric events and opportunities. 

From loads of comic book artists and writers to a bevy of familiar faces from television and film, the Calgarians (that sounds like something out of fantasy literature) were putting on a fucking show.  Then to start things off, they held a Cosplay parade that wasn't just a few dozen folks in costume.  Oh no, we're talking hundreds of people in homemade outfits filling the streets and 60,000 attendees.  2014 looks to be another great show in the making and then shit got real as the organizers of Calgary Expo and Coolwaters Productions announced they would be putting on Aliens EXPOsed, a celebration of James Cameron's seminal sequel from 1986.  Sure there have been plenty of Aliens screenings and whatnot before this, heck, I just attended one last week.  The New Beverly hosted a The Terminator and Aliens double feature that saw Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Mark Rolston, Jenette Goldstein and Ricco Ross show up and shoot the shit.  I unfortunately could not because I was attending an out of state wedding...

But Calgary is coming on strong with the announcement that Ripley herself, Sigourney Weaver, would attend this little shindig along with Biehn, Henriksen, Rolston and Goldstein IN ADDITION to convention newbies Bill Paxton, Paul Reiser and Carrie Henn.  Now that's some fucking organizational skillz.  EXPOsed is being held outside the actual convention and requires a separate, not cheap ticket.  But hey, this is basically the entire main cast of one of my favorite movies we're talking about here and they're treating it right, using a local stadium to house the event.  So how did I spend my Saturday morning?  By getting tickets to EXPOsed, then moving right into securing passes to Calgary Expo (Friday and Sunday still available!), booking flights and checking out all of the beautifully swanky downtown hotels the Expo has teamed up with provide discounts for show goers.

Next up, finding Calgary's tastiest chow down spots via lots and lots of Food Network and Travel Channel programs.  See ya up north!

It was either a tourism pitch or a Bon Iver song...