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!

Con-Man: Long Beach Comic Con

After a late Friday night at Disneyland, Saturday morning we headed up to Long Beach for their Con. I've been attending LBCC since 2009 and watched it expand, contract and expand again. They've done Halloween themed shows, one day smaller cons, had lots of guests and panels, not many guests and panels, food trucks and Star Cars outside or nothing at all. This particular show seemed to be shaping up to be their biggest ever with the inclusion of several more celebrity guests available to charge for autographs, beefier programming and a reported 450 vendors. Their last show in March utilized the back side of the Long Beach Convention Center near the aquarium but the September edition would be holding court out front along Pike Street once again. Things seemed amiss near immediately when the two parking structures next door were closed off and drivers didn't know where else to go. Following the signs I realized that Lobster Fest was also going on nearby and they were herding everyone to park on the other side of Shoreline Drive. A huge queue was waiting to get in so they could pay $10 bucks then trek the half mile back to the convention center. That was not a very nice welcome, especially as LBCC has always been one of the easiest shows to attend.

Not accepting the grassy option, I found street parking five minutes away but would have to feed the meter every 2 hours. It's not that big a show so a couple of trips and 4 hours should be plenty, right? Well, the line to get into the convention center took up 3 huge queues and ended up taking 45 minutes! I asked some of the crew what the hold up was and they simply stated that the staff didn't expect such a large turnout. Wait, you're telling me in this day and age you can't tell how many tickets you've sold online to staff accordingly?! There's no excuse for poor crowd control in my opinion. People are paying to attend an event, not wait in line twice before getting to said event. The problem was that inside, there were only 4 booths open to scan tickets and distribute wrist bands. Horrible flashbacks to the shit show of Salt Lake City Con came back to me where they only had 5 people admitting those who actually paid extra to wait less but ended up waiting 2 hours. Like SLCC, it would have been faster to just buy a ticket onsite and go into the show. It seemed pretty crowded in the lobby but the actual show didn't seem any bigger than it's ever been so waiting so long was a doubly insulting.

 
It was great to catch up with William Stout and Mike over at the RAW Studios booth, Stout will be a guest at He-Man night this weekend while Mike is headed to New York. I introduced myself to future guest Alan Oppenheimer and chit chatted with a few vendors we see regularly on the con circuit. There were various new spaces on the floor highlighting NASA, Power Rangers, Cosplay and Star Signings along with your usual Artist Alley and Laser Tag.  There weren't a ton of big names at the show with John Barrowman, some actress from Agents of Shield, some guys from Daredevil and Sam Witwer holding down the paid meet and greet area. It's not the exhibitors fault that the organizers did such a poor job of getting people through the doors and I wanted to spend some dough on the floor but sadly came up short and bought...nothing. No comics caught my attention, the NECA Ripley still carries a stiff price tag and no random item looked like it should be on my shelf. Adam Kubert was making his LBCC debut and we saw awesome artists like Art Adams and Whilce Portacio on the floor. Mark Silvestri popped up at the Top Cow! booth while I never found Bryan Edward Hill to ask him about Dolph's The Russian Specialist. A group of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cosplayers had a booth complete with an April O'Neil but later I saw them hanging out with their prop helmets off, didn't you see Old School?! Put your head back on! We ran into G.I. Joe expert and Duke historian Diana Davis in line and caught the tail end of the Joe panel where cast members reminisced about their time working for Sunbow and the incredible legacy the cartoons and toys have created like they did back in March.

Outside your usual line up of cinematic and television famous vehicles were waiting to be checked out including the Back to the Future Deloreon, Jurassic Park jeeps, Bumblebee from Transformers, not one but two KITT's from Knight Rider and a new addition, the Firebird James Garner tooled around in for hit show The Rockford Files. Like the awesome discount book store before it, Geeky Mama's (moved to Anaheim) had also closed and we didn't hit the Auld Dubliner for any Dublin Donkeys since we were on the clock. It's interesting looking back on some LBCC posts as it's usually been one of my favorites to attend due to it's easy access, solid exhibitor floor and terrific surrounding area. Not long ago I thought they might be losing ground to Comikaze in terms of size, scope and social awareness but his weekend proved that LBCC's ready to grow. It was also a reminder that bigger isn't always better and quality still trumps quantity. Very disappointing.

Ask Me a Question: Conan the Barbarian w/ Sandahl Bergman & William Stout

Apparently it's been a year since Dolph Night happened, time flies huh? My quest to spread the gospel of 80's and 90's action movies continued Saturday night with a double feature of 1982's Conan the Barbarian and 84's Destroyer. The night's special guests included dancer turned actress Sandahl Bergman and production artist/concept designer William Stout for Q&A while producer of upcoming sequel The Legend of Conan Fredrik Malmberg stopped by to chat with the fans. We had several awesome guests set up in the lobby including Robert E. Howard inspired metal band Ben Morgh, The Arnold Fans with lots of great King of Kings magazines, posters and protein bars as well as comedy group Schwarzenator in costume. Also on display were several of William Stout's awesome production paintings.

Hype man and programmer extraordinaire Grant welcomed the crowd, last month saw an 80's themed Arcade program, Conan was the penultimate night in an 80's Fantasy line up and next month sees 80's Horror on display with special guests. The Conan the Barbarian print looked great and the audience was fantastic. Both Bergman and Stout watched the film and the crowd burst out into applause, cheering and laughter several times. I forgot how funny, violent and sexual the flick is. If you haven't seen it, basically young Conan's parents and village are wiped out by the powerful, hypnotic, snake loving diva Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), gets put into slavery, grows into Arnold, becomes a pit fighter, freed, finds a sword, teams up with thief and archer Subatai (Gerry Lopez), they meet leggy blonde thief Valeria (Bergman), steal some of Doom's snake jewels and are hired to return the runaway daughter of a local king (Max Von Sydow). Based on Robert E. Howard's novels, John Milius writes and directs a deliberate, sword, sand, sex and sorcery filled epic that is at times hyper violent and then reflective and philosophical.

In Arnold's first starring and iconic role, The Oak gets to play curious, strong, stoic, sensitive and vengeful in two, mostly dialog free hours. Lopez is great as sidekick Subatai who plays out like the voice of reason when necessary while Bergman's Valeria is a somewhat forgotten cinematic female ass kicker who fuels Conan's post vengeance life. Mako provides some laughs and weird wizard moments as narrator and supporting character Akiro (simply The Wizard in the first film). Watching it on the big screen you realize how grand the film is from the snow covered village to the wheel of pain to the fighting pit to scaling the snake adorned tower, the orgy scene throne room, Thusla Doom's huge temple and a terrific last stand set in a Stonehedge like rock formation in the desert. All set to Basil Poledouris' grand and fantastic score. There's exploding blood bags galore, camel punching, drunk celebrating, Arnold having sex with nearly every woman he meets, vulture killing, resurrection and the quest to find what is best in life.

After the film, Sandahl Bergman and William Stout sat down for Q&A:

- Bergman grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, ended up on Broadway then in films like Xanadu and All That Jazz before meeting with John Milius for Conan.
- William Stout had been working in comic books and advertising for years, contributing to over 120 movie posters before being brought on by Ron Cobb for Conan where he would make about 10% of the money he did in advertising.
- Both had a huge affinity for John Milius being such a character and creating a family atmosphere.
- Stout and Cobb worked on the film for a year before Arnold was cast.

- Arnold was a specimen with a great sense of humor and drive. Milius was unhappy with The Oak's bodybuilder physique and Arnold came back two weeks later looking more athletic.
- Bergman had never trained in swordplay or riding and nearly lost a finger when an extra missed his mark. Her sword was designed with no finger guard but after the accident, one was added.
- Akira Kurosawa and samurai films were required viewing before shooting started.
- Both have fond memories of producer Dino De Laurentiis, who also cultivated a family feel.
- Bergman and Arnold became buddies so their love scenes were extremely awkward to film with the duo constantly cracking up. It didn't help that Arnold squeeze Maria Shriver was on set and Bergman was dating Stunt Coordinator and 2nd Unit Director Terry Leonard.
- Terry Leonard is a badass, on Milius' The Wind and the Lion, charged down a hill on horseback, chops a dummy's head off that landed exactly where Leonard said it would.
- Sean Connery was first choice for Thulsa Doom but passed.

- Both recall James Earl Jones being a great human being with a booming voice, so strong that during a speech in front of a thousand extras, he didn't use a microphone.

- Max Von Sydow spent a lot of time looking in mirror, running lines and experimenting with make up to create his character.
- Both are not fond of either sequel Destroyer or spin-off Red Sonja. Bergman couldn't imagine a Conan film without John Milius' involvement.
- Bergman was asked to star as Red Sonja but thought it would be confusing after being in Conan and opted to be the evil queen instead.
- Stout hated the script for Destroyer, re-wrote it himself but vetoed by director Richard Fleischer and producer Raffaella De Laurentiis. Would later write a script based on Conan the Buccaneer that he wouldn't mind turning into a comic book someday.
- After seeing a cut of Sonja, Arnold and Bergman declared they would not promote the film.
- Bergman wasn't sure how to respond when asked about her portrayal of Valeria being an inspirational, badass film heroine in the wake of Princess Leia and before Sarah Connor/Ellen Ripley.
- Bergman met with Milius several times in the mid-2000's about Conan: Crown of Iron, she would have played an innkeeper that is kindred spirits with Conan. Neither Bergman or Stout were surprised when Arnold ran for Governor but neither voted for him either.
- Stout found the 2011 reboot to be pretty but not much else. Bergman hasn't seen it after being so involved with original, describing it as a family adventure with no egos involving the best of the best.

Of course much more was discussed but hey, you had to be there! Another great night in the books and thanks to everyone who attended for being such a fun crowd, The Egyptian Theatre for hosting, Randy and The Arnold Fans for co-hosting, all of the Dammaged Goods supporters, Jeremy for documenting and of course our special guests Fredrik Malmberg, Sandahl Bergman and William Stout. We'll see you in September for the next one!

Con-Man: Long Beach Comic Con 2014

It's been a busy week getting back to regular life with a late night screening of The Equalizer on Thursday, Nightcrawler at Beyond Fest Friday then Long Beach Comic Con Saturday.  Doing the Damme thing since 2009, LBCC has expanded into two shows annually, a smaller show in May and a bigger one in September/October.  While Long Beach was one of my favorite shows behind San Diego Comic Con, recent events seem to have peaked in terms of exhibition floor, guests and panels.  While Southern California doesn't have too many competing comic book focused conventions per se, the rise of Wonder Con Anaheim, Comikaze downtown and the like make me wonder if Long Beach isn't at risk of being passed by.

The good is still the good.  Long Beach is a quick jaunt down the 405 from Los Angeles, parking is ample and the surrounding Pike contains a glut of outside attractions in the forms of restaurants, bars, a $1 book store, movie theater and the Queen Mary village.  The convention center is beautiful and spacious but in past years where movie replica cars and food trucks lined up outside, nary an outdoor attraction was present this year.  Inside, there was a decent sized crowd of attendees and cosplayers and the floor in Exhibit Hall C was filled if not packed.  Vendor wise I ended up grabbing some random issues of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos and Captain America, trades of collected The Phantom newspaper strips and some Walt Simonson Thor.  Funko figures were everywhere and there was a decent amount of vendors selling comics new and old.  I even spotted a first, Miami Vice action figures!  So great to see Crockett and Tubbs in plastic form. 

Long Beach Comic Con staple RAW Studios had a sizable booth set up with artists Tim Bradstreet and William Stout as well as X-Files spinoff Lone Gunmen star Dean Haglund.  Bradstreet had some wicked The Shadow prints for sale and we chatted for a few minutes with Mr. Stout who had just returned from Austin's inaugural MondoCon.  As always, he's a cool guy but I wish he had some artwork from the Masters of the Universe film with him.  Last year we met Lance Henriksen at the booth who was awesome and in years past co-owner Thomas Jane would be hanging out.  Without either of their mainstream name and face recognition present, it was pretty quiet around the table.  Elsewhere on the floor you had comic dynamos like Mark Silvestri, Jimmy Palmiotti, Len Wein and James O'Barr meeting the fans but overall, guest wattage was a little low this year.

Panel wise there was plenty to choose from ranging from cosplay to drawing lessons to character and artist/writer spotlights but nothing really jumped out at us, sadly.  Instead we took to the Pike and hit up the $1 bookstore where I continued my The Phantom theme and grabbed the movie tie-in novelization for the 1996 swashbuckler starring Billy Zane and the WWII set The Monuments Men.  Next door at the Auld Dubliner a friend met up with us for a few Dublin Donkeys, Jameson and Ginger Beer with lime in a copper cup.  Sound familiar?  I just had a weekend theme of Moscow Mule's last week which just had vodka instead.  Two of those bad boys and I was feeling good.  The bacon and cheddar topped tator tots and Shepherd's Pie were delicious as well.  Saying our goodbyes to my former co-worker, we headed back to the show and did a final lap, flipping through some more comic boxes, checking out action figures and more of artist alley. 

On my way out I couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic for Long Beach Comic Cons past where RAW Studios held film screenings and Thomas Jane sat in front of my friends and I for The Mist.  Or the spectacle of the Zombie March that I believe set some kind of record with a few thousand participants.  Panels with William Stout, Iron Man 3's Shane Black and Seth Green for Robot Chicken were sorely missed for their insight, inspiration and laughs.  I know LBCC has been competing with Comikaze in the last couple of years for dates and then new kid on the block were in Long Beach advertising, now that they've established themselves as a force on the con circuit, I hope they haven't tied up all the guests and exhibiters because we need more cons, not less.  But I can appreciate Long Beach keeping the focus on comics, artists and writers instead of just hocking paid opportunities to interact with celebrities.

Con Man: Long Beach Comic & Horror Con '09

The Long Beach Comic & Horror Con celebrates it's fifth year this weekend at the Long Beach Convention Center at the Long Beach Pike... in Long Beach.  It's a great show made better by the fact I've attended every year.  I couldn't believe it had been five years until I consulted some photos, not realizing 2009 was their kick off year.  It's not the biggest show in the world and that's part of the charm.  There are plenty of vendors, guests and panels to keep you busy but it's not so packed that you feel like a sardine and get irritated.  LB was the first show I can recall that had replica vehicles on display outside.  The Ninja Turtle van, Knight Industries 2000, the time traveling Delorean from Back to the Future and more are lined up for photo ops and charity drives.

What's even nicer is the surrounding area, you're right next to an outdoor mall complete with movie theater, bars and eateries.  Hopefully the $1 bookstore is still open.  Nearby you can walk to the water for a serene time out where more shops and restaurants await, as does a view of the Queen Mary.

Year One was a lot of fun as Thomas Jane more or less took over, hosting a movie night Friday and Saturday.  His directorial effort, The Dark Country, screened in 3D on night one while a preview of his not yet released flick, Give'em Hell, Malone was supposed to follow on Saturday.  Some legal issues put the kibosh on that so the audience was treated to The Mist in Black and White.  The Jane was cool enough to take a break from setting up to take a photo and chit chat before joining the rest of us in watching the flick.  Mr. Jane and his creative partner, artist Tim Bradstreet, have been at every Long Beach Con since, talking about their latest projects, their careers and basically being the weirdcoolest guys around.  Seriously, half of last year's panel was done in the dark.

For whatever reason, you get some real honesty and heartfelt answers from guests at Long Beach.  In 2011, Shane Black made an appearance as he was prepping to direct Iron Man Three and shared great insights like "Marvel invented copper wire by stretching a penny" and "You know Mel Gibson isn't a bad guy right?  He's just a drunk".  Artist extraordinaire William Stout told some great stories of his time in Antarctica, working on Masters of the Universe, not being credited with designing the Universal Citywalk and what it's like being a portrait artist at Disneyland.  Maybe it's the lack of huge lines and crowds or San Diego Comic Con like hustle and bustle but Long Beach Con is just about the best kind of show you can ask for.  Not too big, not too small.   Not too busy, not too slow.  Parking and food are aplenty and one year they hosted a record breaking zombie parade.

Oh yeah and the Auld Dubliner across the street is one of two bars I've ever been to that has Magner's on tap.  Magner's is cider, like Strongbow but is Irish.  I want to say it was a touch drier than the Bow but it's been a long time, guess I'll have to reacquaint myself tomorrow.

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!