I just attended my first Comic-Con and lived to tell about it. I have to say that I really regret never having gone before. If past years have been anywhere near as exciting, then I've really been missing out. This convention is truly a movie-geek's paradise. For my first Comic-Con outing, Zboneman.com staff member Andy Weaver and I met up with John Pugh and P.J. Barwick of Westates Theaters (the fine folks that are helping us throw our Halloween Festival this year), as well as Don Woods of Imagine Productions (a wizard of a camera operator). Not only are they a great bunch of guys, but hanging out afforded us the opportunity to cut back on the astronomical hotel rates.

For those not familiar, Comic-Con is one of the biggest (if not, the biggest) comic book conventions in the world. In addition to the world of comics, Comic-Con also prides itself on incredible movie presentations, film screenings and film maker panels. The Con lasted four days, and they were a FULL four days. As soon as one presentation was over, it was on to the next. And the screenings!!!! Good Lord, the screenings!!! We got to see some pretty amazing stuff.

This is only the first report, and there will be several to follow. In this first report, I'll focus on two of the amazing screenings we were fortunate enough to attend.

SHAUN OF THE DEAD
Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Billy Nighy and a SHITLOAD OF KICKASS ZOMBIES!!!!
Released by Rogue Pictures

Shaun of the Dead is a glorious fusion of horror and comedy that pays respect to the zombie film genre in a way that the lackluster Dawn of the Dead remake (or re-imagining - whatever the hell you want to call it) could only dream to. Everything that should have been included in that "zombie picture for people with no attention span" Shaun of the Dead has in spades.

This zany zombie-fest tells the hilarious story of the hapless Shaun. Like those around him, his daily life consists of dull, repetitive routines. In affect, he's living life like a "zombie." What's more, he can't seem to get things right with his girlfriend (Kate Ashfield). While he clearly loves her, he constantly seems to be making mistakes that could permanently injure their already fragile relationship. So, along with his smart-ass of a best friend Ed (Nick Frost ), Shaun goes about his boring existence until one day, a plague starts bringing the dead back to life - pressing Shaun into duty as a reluctant hero. He and Ed must somehow manage to protect and defend his girlfriend as well as his loved ones.

Now, most of you out there are probably all well aware of the zombie drill. These ghoulish, lifeless individuals (who were once human) walk around eating the flesh of the living and turning others into zombies. Ultimately, they become the majority which turns the non-zombies into paranoids.

Writer/director Edgar Winter and co-writer and star Simon Pegg, have much love for this particular brand of film. It's perfectly clear that Edgar and Simon have seen every zombie film ever made (as well as other movies of the horror genre - watch for a couple of nifty winks at the Evil Dead series). But while Shaun of the Dead works as a creatively brilliant ode to zombie films of the past, it also succeeds as a wicked, laugh-out-loud comedy - laced with dark humor, romance, true horror and moments of unexpected drama.

Winter and Pegg are also responsible for the British sensation Spaced which, I must confess, I've never seen (I have no excuse). But after watching Shaun of the Dead, one thing is certain. I will seek out Spaced. If that show has even an ounce of Shaun of the Dead's creativity, it has to be worth a look.

As is the case with many British comedies, Shaun of the Dead has an impeccable sense of comic timing and a grand sense of humor (as well as subtle yet witty references to other zombie pictures). Stars Pegg and Frost generate real chemistry (Pegg also has moments of real drama in this picture), and the way they play off of each other (and the living dead) is picture perfect. Just as an example there is a scene where Shawn and Ed are being stalked by a pair of zombies in their backyard. While the flesh-eating creatures are approaching our fearless heroes are clearly aware that they have all the time in the world to outwit the slow, methodical fiends, so they take their time in locating the ultimate zombie defeating weapon (which is hilarious in itself).

And the gore!!! God bless the gore!!!! As I watched Zack Snyder's boring (although I was impressed by the first ten minutes) take on George Romero's brilliant Dawn of the Dead, I kept thinking to myself; "Where the hell is the big chomping scene! Why haven't I seen anyone getting eaten?" That movie was more interested in routine action than the social commentary and the grand sense of horror that make Romero's films so beloved. Shaun of the Dead delivers the goods in a blood-soaked ball of gory fury, and I loved every second of it. My hat is off to make-up effects wizards Brian Best, Stuart Conran, and Dan Fraye. I'm sure these guys have made Tom Savini (and other such effects make-up icons) proud. And happily, it has been reported that the film will not be cut when it makes it's U.S. bow in September. This is good news, because as I watched the glorious gore on display in SOTD, I feared that it would be a picture that the MPAA might eat alive.

Shaun of the Dead evoked the kind of participation from an audience that I haven't experienced in a long time. I recently spoke of an Asian picture called Gozu in which the more audacious the picture got, the more the crowd erupted. This was also the case with Shawn of the Dead, but here, the cheering was far more constant. With overrated films that claim to be a return to form (i.e. the mildly amusing but not at all scary Cabin Fever), this one actually lives up to the hype. Back is that diabolical blend of horror and comedy that meshes perfectly and took me back to the 80's when this sort of film was far more common (think Evil Dead 2, American Werewolf in London, Return of the Living Dead, Re-Animator, The Howling and Creepshow).

I absolutely adore this movie. I'm so jealous of the U.K. They've had it since last April which means our good buddies over at the outstanding thehollywoodnews.com have probably seen it multiple times. Lucky bastards!!!! Here in the states, we have another couple of months to wait, but that will give ample time to spread the word about this immensely entertaining love letter to the zombie genre (as aint-it-cool-news.com and other film sites have been doing for the last several months)

Shaun of the Dead drips with a pure love of horror. It succeeds because in addition to being one of the funniest movies of the year - it respects the zombie mythology (as presented by master George Romero), rather than bastardizing it. True, much of the proceedings are comical, but the zombie mythos is in tact and Winter and Pegg opt to remain quite faithful to Romero's rules of the undead. And again, SOTD is further proof that for my money, the slow moving zombie is far more terrifying than the speedy one. Simply put, this is one of those terrific experiences that validates my love for movies. There's nothing quite like seeing a gem of a film, then having the opportunity to turn around and share it with other people. That's really what it's all about.

Winter and Pegg were on hand to do a Q & A (in a master stroke, Edgar entered the screening room bearing a cross - actually it was a cardboard standee of Renny Harlin's upcoming Exorcist prequel) and while I'm generally pretty reserved at these screenings, I was so giddy and absolutely drunk with excitement, that I had to blurt out my love for this terrifically entertaining picture. In fact, I enjoyed Shaun so much, I attended another screening of it the next night. Congrats to the lively and humble Winter and Pegg and their entire film crew. They have a winner on their hands. To those out there who think this movie doesn't work, I have only these simple words; EAT ME!!!!

Grade: A-

SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW (PG)
Starring Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, and Giovanni Ribisi
Released by Paramount Pictures

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow would have been one of the best films of the summer had it come out on it's original release date. As it stands, it will still emerge as one of the very best movies of the year when it's released on Sept. 17th. So for those of you who may suspect that the movie was held back because Paramount lost faith in it, guess again. Clearly, the studio wanted to allow time to make this picture the best it could be and they have more than succeeded.

After attending the brilliance that was Shaun of the Dead, some colleagues of mine and I noticed a rather large line making it's way into another screening room at the Gaslamp 15 in Downtown San Diego. Personnel were passing it off as another Shaun screening, but we knew better. We decided to get in the line and see what the scoop was. While waiting, I bumped into Quint of Aint-it-cool-news fame. We talked for a few moments, when suddenly it came to my attention that the movie that was about to screen was Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. WHAT!!!! There was no way I was going to miss this one. I had to get in! Happily, we got into the screening room without any problems at all. The security people (God bless them) were surprisingly lax.

Now, I know Paramount and other studios don't like reviews posted this far before release date, and given that I sort of busted into this particular screening, I'm well aware that this film company might not invite me to other screenings in the future. The truth is, I was so enamored by the absolute beauty and passion on display in Sky Captain, that I'm going to take a chance and post a review anyway.

With this breathtaking piece of visual splendor, director Kerry Conran and his enormous crew of effects wizards have created a film experience that pretty much had me watching with my jaw dropped to the floor for the majority of the picture. I truly believe this will be a trend-setting film, and while it could be argued that this is yet another example of style over substance, I hold Sky Captain at a different standard. As I watched it, I never felt assaulted (the way I did during that big screen video game Van Helsing). I love this movie. I admire it's purity and innocence and marveled at it's beauty from beginning to end.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow takes place in the 30's (it looks like the 30's anyway) and features Gwyneth Paltrow as feisty and independent reporter Polly Perkins. An enormous robot attack unleashed upon the city plunges Perkins into a wondrous adventure with ex-flame Joe "Sky Captain" Sullivan (an entertaining Jude Law), a cocksure plane pilot who makes a habit out of saving the day. Soon, Joe and Polly, are hot on the trail of the evil-doers responsible for the attack.

What can I say? This movie just blew me away with it's striking visual style. Most of the picture was shot against green screen, meaning that most of what you will see is a digital effect. Robert Rodriguez is doing something similar with his take on Frank Miller's Sin City (which looks amazing by the way - watch for a piece in one of the next reports).

Sure, much of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is extremely familiar with it's ode to old school serials (most notably Flash Gordon and Max Fleischer's Superman cartoons), and true it bears resemblances to Star Wars, Indiana Jones and, of course, The Wizard of Oz, but ultimately, it succeeds in delivering a look that we've never really seen before. It reminded me of watching Tron for the first time (I was also reminded - to some extent - of Nick Castle's entertaining Last Starfighter from 1984).

Director Kerry Conran loves the movies and it shows in nearly every frame of this gorgeous picture. In addition to the more obvious, previously mentioned influences, I could detect hints of Rocketeer, Iron Giant and countless other films, but it never felt like a rip-off.

The effects left me breathless. Not only the production design (which is stunning), but everything else. The sequences in which Joe glides his plane through the city while being chased by massive, bird-like robots are truly spectacular. They don't appear organic, but that hardly matters. Sky Captain has a unique look, and I was totally sucked into this world.

There will, no doubt, be some who criticize Sky Captain for it's cornball dialogue, and in fact, I've already read such gripes, but for me, the dialogue meshed perfectly with the spirit of the times and overall tenor of the movie.

The performances are near perfect. Paltrow plays Polly Perkins as a stubborn busy-body who's used to getting her own way. Law hits all the right notes as the adventurous Joe Sullivan. He brings a sort of suave James Bond vibe to the role, but all the while, he remains a human hero (think Indiana Jones). Angelina Jolie lives it up as the playful Captain Franky Cook (looking smashing in that eye patch). In particular, I loved her flirty moments with Joe. They're priceless. Giovanni Ribisi is also fun as Joe's scientific side-kick Dex Dearborn. And finally, through the miracle of technology, there is another interesting performance by a legendary actor whose name I refuse to reveal in this review. In fact, I'm quite irritated that other writers have given up the name (but then, I guess no one has really gone out of their way to keep it a secret - the actor's name is listed on the credit sheet over at imdb.com). When this icon appeared on screen at our showing, people applauded.

What I liked most about all of the performances were their overall feel. The attention paid to character detail is extraordinary. Not just in terms of how these characters dress and look, but how they talk (even the character names are perfect). Director Conran and his actors really immerse themselves into the time period. There was nothing contemporary about it, and this more than anything creates cinematic magic that will be admired fro years to come.

Producer Jon Avnet and director Kerry Conran were on hand to introduce the movie. They spoke very briefly, but really didn't need to because this film speaks for itself. It really is a stunning achievement, and I hope Sky Captain is a big hit. It is odd at times and overflowing with excess, but it is beautiful excess and I found the entire experience unforgettable. I'm marking Sept.17th on my calendar right now, because I can't wait to see this flick again.

Grade: A-

That's it for report number one. Quite frankly, I couldn't believe what a perfect first day it was. I saw two of the best movies of 2004 back to back. Report 2 should be up soon.