Gotta Go! Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure Orlando

After spending a mad dash time at Disney World, we ventured to Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure the next day. There's two separate parks so again we opted for a Hopper that would get us into both. Like Los Angeles, there's a vibrant scene of restaurants and shops before the park. Unlike Disney World, these two parks were more or less connected so you didn't need to hop on a 15 minute shuttle bus ride. Right away you walk into a section of Beverly Hills streets and there's the Terminator 2 3D show Battle Across Time. This has closed in LA but was still packing them in at Orlando. It's been a couple years since I saw the show and I was impressed by how much pageantry and set up there is between the Cyberdyne waiting room with host, warm up video and pre-show in the theater with actors, pyrotechnics, giant props and the like. The finale fills the theater with fog and then your seats drop, it was truly shocking. Masters of the Universe director and theme park attraction specialist Gary Goddard worked closely with James Cameron to produce the immersive show that transports you to the Future War to take on a T-1 Million. Arnold, Edward Furlong and Linda Hamilton all reprise their roles from the 1991 summer blockbuster for a 12 minute short film that cost an alleged $24 million!

Walking around there were plenty of other movie and TV tie-ins like The Simpsons Land, a Men In Black ride along with the flying train and Delorean from Back to the Future III! The big noise however was for the recently opened Harry Potter land. There's a London looking facade but walk through the doors and you're transported to Diagon Alley, an intricate reproduction of one of the films' major settings. You had sweet shops, gift shops, wand shops and stands selling Butter Beer which was surprisingly tasty and not too sweet. There's a couple rides, a fire breathing dragon perched atop a building and you can take the Hogwart's Express to the other park but it was a long wait.

Between the parks was a Hard Rock Cafe which offered double Jameson's for just $3 bucks more next to a giant steampunk chocolate factory and restaurant. Straight out of Willy Wonka, it was a truly unique establishment even if I couldn't figure out the theme of the food. I'd long heard about Island of Adventure from Wizard Magazine as in the 90's they had a Marvel restaurant with props and suits way before any studio backed film had come out. Right away we hit Marvel land which had a Hulk roller coaster, a Spider-Man 3D ride, gift shops and a Captain America diner! Cyclops, Cap and Wolverine were strolling the streets and buildings had giant images of Captain America fighting MODAK! These were truly my people. Walking further and further in there were more lands with old school comics and cartoons like Flash Gordon, the Phantom and Blondie then there was Jurassic Park and a new attraction based on Kong: Skull Island. In the back was another Harry Potter land with snow capped buildings, more gifts and several more rides. The one we went on was kind of crazy, it's a car on a track but you're in a seat hoisted by hydraulics with giant video screens taking you through various locales in the HP canon. While we didn't spring for it, Universal offers a Front of the Line pass, it's not cheap but you can also basically walk onto any ride so it would be worth it if you wanted to save half a day.

Masters of the Universe Lives!

Ah Masters of the Universe, the first flick I ever saw in a theater and one of my favorites of all time. I've now seen the Dolph Lundgren and Frank Langella starring film three times on the big screen, once in 1987 in small town Ohio, again at a midnight screening in 2009 in Los Angeles at the now defunct Fairfax Regent and this past September when I hosted a He-Man and She-Ra Celebration at The Egyptian Theatre where we welcomed cast and crew. Director Gary Goddard was on hand and mentioned that in the last few years, sentiment towards MOTU has gone from cheesy and negative to ahead of it's time and positive. No part thanks to the abundance of CGI heavy fantasy thrillers of late like Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and Marvel's Thor films. Playing out as a mini-epic of LOTR and Star Wars laced action, fantasy, design and nostalgia with a production so harrowing you appreciate the end result even more. You can catch the entire film on YouTube under Paramount's Vault as well as on Netflix. Just last week, He-Man World hosted a screening at Toronto's Rainbow Cinema where He-Man maker Mattel donated 200 items for a charity toy drive. Then a fan made trailer using the template of Star Wars: The Force Awakens hit the data waves making the film look even more classy and epic. This week also heralded a Kickstarter campaign for in production documentary Power of Grayskull.

Power should pair nicely with completed and readying for release documentary Toy Masters: How He-Man & Mattel Conquered the Universe, an entertaining and informative look at the origins and impact of the boy toy giant. I was lucky enough to tour The Goddard Group's offices this week, birthplace of theme park attractions, live tours, stage productions and much more. Sitting in the corner is an original video store stand for Masters that was sent in by a fan who had an extra. I also flipped through several drafts of the script, one of which featured bookend appearances by The Princess of Power, She-Ra! Goddard's Group has regained rights to properties Skeleton Warriors along with Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future so be on the look out for new interpretations. Even though I've seen the film a million times, all of this week's cues and reminders might equal a weekend viewing with a bucket of fried chicken.

Con-Man: Cosplay Expo & Designer Con

I'm a week late on these bad boys but the year of Cons keeps on trucking! It was a double event weekend as we attended the inaugural Cosplay Expo in Van Nuys at the Japanese Garden last Saturday then trekked to Pasadena for Designer Con on Sunday. Friend and photographer extraordinaire Jeremy Rafanan was holding a workshop on photography for the Cosplay set and I moderated for him. I had no clue the Japanese Garden existed right off the 405 north of Los Angeles but it was beautiful. The organizers are to be commended for setting up such a well run show in such a memorable location. There was free parking, food trucks and shuttles at the bottom of the hill, a few vendors out front of the gates and episodes of anime playing inside the administration building. We caught a few minutes of Free! a random yet surprisingly interesting show about a high school swim club where chicks dig muscular forearms. We did a lap around the Garden with it's beautiful ponds filled with fish and graveled paths next to well manicured trees and shrubs. Jeremy's workshop was located in the tea house where he talked all things photography like how he got into snapping pics, equipment he uses, navigating shows big and small, the differences between say a convention and a movie premiere and working with cosplayers. It was a fantastic show and great to a friend sharing his knowledge and experience. Down at the food trucks I opted for a burger and loaded fries from a truck I can't recall the name of...good stuff but the fries could have been a little crispier since they were covered with so much.

On Sunday we made it to Pasadena in seemingly record time for Designer Con, a decent sized show I've never heard of that's been going strong for several years. Like an expanded Artist Alley, DCon was basically set up to showcase custom art, sculptures, toys and clothing. A lot of it was based on existing brands like Disney, Marvel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or He-Man but there was an abundance of original characters and very unique offerings. In the lobby was a Back to the Future themed art show along with a stage for panels. There were 300+ exhibitors on site and I was amazed at the range of items on display and for sale from prints to custom action figures. One of my favorites was comic book covers recreated using Legos and another that was TMNT-centric from the film and original comic strip by Eastman and Laird. I rounded a corner and noticed a giant Captain Power display before realizing it was a booth from Gary Goddard's company! Of course I had just worked with Gary and Roger during the Masters of the Universe celebration so it was a terrific surprise to catch up with filmmaker Roger Lay, Jr. The Goddard Group is known for their theater and theme park attractions but they're now boosting their original content with new takes on Captain Power and Skeleton Warriors in the works.With two more shows, I think my tally is 21 for the year, phew!

Ask Me a Question: Masters of the Universe

My two part experiment to mash a convention with repertory screenings kicked off Friday night at the historic and beautiful Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood with 1987's Masters of the Universe. Mattel had really come through, providing display cases full of figures from the 1980's through today, Castle Grayskull, Snake Mountain, 6 foot character displays and a 15 foot tall He-Man statue that barely fit inside the lobby! Pretty In Plastic kicked in with an awesome mounted bust of Battlecat, one of less than a dozen in existence and valued at a cool 8 grand. We had a solid turnout for the evening and one by one our guests arrived. Myself, programmer and voice actor extraordinaire Grant along with editor at large Jim Branscombe spliced together a pre-movie clip show of beautiful randomness that included the credits to Dolph Lundgren's awe-inspiring workout video Maximum Potential, He-Man toy commercials and a fan edited version of 4 Non Blondes What's Up featuring Prince Adam and Cringer.

Mattel had provided a dozen rare figures from their Matty Collector line to give out as prizes and we got right into the film. The 35mm print looked solid for being nearly 30 years old and the audience was enthusiastic, cheering, clapping and laughing at all the appropriate moments. Starting on war-torn Eternia, the evil warlord/wizard Skeletor (Frank Langella) has taken Castle Grayskull, where mystical forces are housed and give the power to become the Master of the Universe. With keeper of the house The Sorceress (Christina Pickles) captured, it's up to a small band of Eternian heroes to save her including the ultra heroic He-Man (Dolph Lundgren), troop commander Man-At-Arms (Jon Cypher), his daughter Teela (Chelsea Field) and locksmith/inventor Gwildor (Billy Barty). You see, Gwildor has invented a music based Cosmic Key that can open a doorway to anywhere, which Skeletor used to infiltrate Castle Grayskull and take over. During a botched rescue attempt, Gwildor frantically opens a doorway our heroes escape into, landing on...Earth! There, with the help of two local teens (Courtney Cox and Robert Duncan McNeil), He-Man and his crew battle Skeletor's pursuing mercenaries (including Robert Towers as Karg and Anthony De Longis' Blade) while dealing with earthly customs like eating fried chicken and ribs and trying to get back home, free The Sorceress and save Eternia.

This was the first film I ever saw in a movie theater and I've loved it ever since. The last time I saw it was in 2009 or so at the now defunct Regency Fairfax down the street from the New Beverly which played the film a couple of years ago, both times screening at midnight. It's become my staple to not only spread the gospel of the 80's and 90's but also take midnight back to prime time. For me, much of MOTU still works. The Castle Grayskull set is huge, impressive and immaculate, the costumes ornate and unique, the action crackles with a kinetic swashbuckling energy while the cast is terrific and most of the matte painting, laser blast, pyrotechnics and space door special f/x look great. Bill Conti's epic score gives the flick a Star Wars meets Superman scope, Dolph is picture perfect as a living action hero while Frank gets to dig his teeth deep into the fiery yet sorrowful Skeletor. Plus the message of there being only one of you in the universe is still a great message.

After the film, I called down our panelists of director Gary Goddard, production designer William Stout, Teela Chelsea Field, Karg Robert Towers, Blade Anthony De Longis and armor suit makers Robert Short and Max Cervantes:

- Goddard has a background in large scale theme park attractions as well as theater. Always wanted to be a filmmaker, made films in high school, never gave up and his mother always encouraged him.
 - Chelsea Field was a dancer before auditioning seemingly twenty-five times for MOTU and it was her first acting role. Auditions had no scenes per se, acting out action, fighting with swords and laser guns. Had met Goddard to discuss Conan stage show previously and he remembered her.
- William Stout originally hired as storyboard artist but hit it off with Goddard, both loved Jack Kirby while hired production designer didn't see eye to eye with director or have faith in film.
- Anthony De Longis worked on Conan the Barbarian stage show, worked with William Stout on a Roger Corman flick after Masters. Played Blade and doubled Frank Langella for final battle where Skeletor is in a huge helmet the size of the New York skyline.
- Robert Towers knew Goddard from Conan as well. Went through lots of auditions as Goddard was adamant performance had to come through prosthetics. Had a great time with Billy Barty who always brought great energy and told dirty stories. Went through 3.5 hours of make up and could barely eat.
- Robert Short's shop produced 300 some suits of armor in 30 days.
- Grayskull was biggest set Hollywood had seen in 40 years, two stages with wall knocked down.
- Goddard described the difficulties of the film that included costumes, contact lenses that almost made wearers blind, make up, pyrotechnics, fights, stunts...everything but rain. Cannon Films also going out of business, was told three times that there was no money. Would tell cast and crew that they were already there, go ahead and shoot day and figure it out. Producer went to Mattel for money.
- Field hasn't seen film since opening, only 2nd time, lots of 30ish guys walk up and freak out about Masters. Best summer of her life, most fun she ever had on a shoot. Night shoots felt like they went on forever, was only 6 weeks, only getting about 4 hours a night on Whittier streets. Fond memories of working with James Tolkan, Jon Cypher, Cox, McNeil, etc.
- Frank Langella was in town and wanted to come but had to head back to New York early, drat!
- Great to work with, 2-3 hours of make up and anchors the film. Goddard spread story to more characters versus giving all to He-Man and somewhat telling story through villain's eyes.
- Big film for Cannon but still a skeleton crew, department assistant Josh Olson would go on to write Oscar nominated A History of Violence.
- Strapped Dolph to a truck for the Air Centurion sequence, had him 30-50 feet up a ladder.
- Towers kept some costume pieces and wig, Goddard has Skeletor's sword, Field kept memories, Stout has 200 paintings, Max has some armored suits and revamped for Alien Halloween costume, Short has a garage full of molds and suits, De Longis has a sword, donated one to charity.
- It was William Stout's birthday, we wished him a hearty "Good journey!" and I passed out cupcakes after.
- Field warned her son that it would be very cheesy but was surprised how well it held up. Everyone gave massive props to Goddard for making for such a great experience, keeping things rolling even though Cannon was falling apart behind the scenes.

 It was a beautiful night paying tribute to one of my favorite films and a warm up for the next day which would include 12 hours of setting up, hosting and running a mini-convention, 4 screenings and 4 panels, phew! Until then, don't say goodbye, say "Good journey!".

(Almost)Ask Me a Question: Masters of the Universe

It's finally He-Man week! The blonde barbarian celebrated his birthday on September 5th and this Friday the 18th, we kick off a two day celebration of the pop culture powerhouse. Join us at The Egyptian Theatre for a 35mm presentation of the 1987 mini-classic Masters of the Universe, a film that blends Star Wars, Conan the Barbarian and Steven Spielberg style 80's Americana. A bevy of guests are slated to join us:

Director Gary Goddard, former Disney Imagineer who struck out on his own and created large scale attractions like Terminator 2 3D, Jurassic Park: The Ride and Conan: A Sword and Sorcery Spectacular. Goddard has also worked extensively in theater on and off Broadway and recently helmed the first ever 3D play. Masters of the Universe would be Goddard's only foray into film but audiences will also remember his work on shows Captain Power and Skeleton Warriors.

Production Designer William Stout joins us once again to tell tales from his varied and awesome career. Known for his work in comic books, fantasy and paleontological art, Stout also drew album covers for the likes of The Rolling Stones and The Who. His film and TV career includes stints as Production Designer, artist and illustrator on the likes of Conan the Barbarian, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Living Dead and MOTU. He's also a photographer and explorer, being one of the few selected to travel to Antarctica to dive, hike and detail the landscapes and wildlife. Like Goddard, Stout spent time at Walt Disney Imagineering working on projects for Disneyland and World before designing for Lucasfilm, Universal Studios and GameWorks.

Actress Chelsea Field began her Hollywood career as a dancer on hit show Solid Gold before popping up in Arnold Schwarzenegger's Commando and landing the role of warrior Teela in MOTU. Her 80's and 90's credentials would be solidified with appearances in genre classics Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man and The Last Boy Scout. Field has also keep busy on television with roles on Time Trax, Tales from the Crypt, Cold Case, Without a Trace and NCIS.

Actor and weapons master Anthony De Longis has been swinging swords, cracking whips and kicking ass since the 70's. A Jack of all Trades when it comes to stunt work and acting, De Longis has appeared in the likes of Circle of Iron, MOTU and Road House while training Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise, Michelle Pfeiffer and many more. He's recently appeared opposite Jason Patric in western short The Weight of Blood and Bones. On MOTU, De Longis trained Dolph Lundgren to use a sword while appearing as the dual blade wielding, eye patched and spiky shoulder pad wearing...Blade.

Robert Towers played Skeletor's mercenary leader, Karg, the pimp, alien looking guy with white hair and a short white cape. Towers has been seen and heard for decades in Doctor Dolittle,Star Trek: The Next Generation, Angel, Frasier, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and played Albert Einstein on an episode of Hanna Montana!




We also have SFX lead Max Cervantes joining us to introduce the film. Max worked on the armored suits Skeletor's crack troops wore and still has his crew jacket! We're working on more guests but get ready for an amazing evening that could only be brought to you by the magical 1980's!

Dolph Week: Masters of the Universe

Do you remember your first movie in theaters?  I do, it was Masters of the Universe.  In the year nineteen hundred and eighty seven I was 5 years old, making this inaugural trip to the theater one of my earliest memories.  Earlier than that?  Mom and dad letting me watch He-Man and She-Ra:  A Christmas Special on Christmas Day in 1983. Whoda thunk my two earliest memories would involve the cartoon and live action versions of He-Man?

Cut to nearly 26 years later and I just watched MOTU while working out this past Friday.  Has it aged well?  Or has it soured into childish cheese only the kid in me remembers fondly?  It's still very much a reflection of the time it was produced but I don't hold that against it.  The 80's were a magical time when Star Wars and Spielberg tinged every family adventure while the blades of Conan the Barbarian and The Sword and the Sorcerer gave fantasy a raw edge.  So no, I have not outgrown MOTU, in fact, I like it more now than I probably ever have.  It's still a fun, sci-fi and sword romp of near epic proportions with a simple message:  There's only one of you in the universe.

He-Man has waned and spiked in relevance and popularity ever since the earth shattering cartoon series took to the air in 1983.  Reinvented cartoons, comic books and toy lines have come and gone while an updated live action cinematic adventure has floundered for the last decade.  Through all of this, the 1987 version has stayed with me through various means.  Whether it was the constant showings on local cable, the VHS copy on my shelf or the DVD I inherited from a roommate, Masters was never long out of my sight.

Once, while wandering around the city of Whittier, California I stumbled into a store run by a gentleman who was present during the shooting of the film!  He had a stash of fold out posters from the film and regaled my friend and I with stories of the production.  Nothing too revelatory; they took over the town and destroyed it at night, Courtney Cox was a minor so her mom was around, etc.

Thanks to the prominent rise of Pop/Nerd Culture, nostalgia and midnight movies, MOTU has been making a bit of a come back for the last few years.  Screenings have popped up in California, New York, Texas, Ohio, Canada and the United Kingdom.  In 2009, the now defunct Fairfax Regency played it during their Insomniac Cinema program.  There was a solid turn out which surprised the organizers who said attendance for the last several movies had been lackluster.  Just this past December the famous New Beverly Cinema played it at midnight with director Gary Goddard and production designer William Stout in attendance.

Goddard and Stout have also been on the convention circuit talking up their experiences on Masters of the Universe; showing up at San Diego Comic-Con and Power-Con, the He-Man/ThunderCats convention in Torrance, CA.  Along with the fine commentary by Goddard on the DVD, these appearances help flesh out the behind the scenes turmoil this picture went through.

- Cannon Films and Mattel were to each pay for half the film's budget.  Mattel put up their half first.
- Mattel didn't want He-Man to kill anyone, curse or have a love interest.
- Cannon had over extended itself with costly flops like Over The Top so Mattel had to step in.
- Goddard surrounded newcomer Lundgren with veterans like Frank Langella, Billy Barty and Jon Cypher to ground the performances.
- Worked extensively with Langella to enhance Skeletor's role and dialogue, pulling from Shakespeare, classic poetry and Jack Kirby's work on Fantastic Four.
- Goddard wanted to dub Lundgren's voice but was contractually unable to.
- Sword master and Blade himself, Anthony DeLongis trained Dolph in swordplay and lamented that he was a natural athlete who caught on quickly and swung hard.
- Goddard offered Warner Brothers a new documentary and a commentary moderated by X-Men director Bryan Singer for a 25th Anniversary Blu-Ray, WB said no. 
- Goddard's biggest regret is changing the ending from individual goodbyes to a group scene.
- There have been 3 serious attempts to make the movie at WB but all have failed.

All things Masters of the Universe and Dolph Lundgren:
http://www.dolph-ultimate.com/films/masters.html

Check out the trailer:
Good journey!