GRAVEYARD FILMWORKS
Graveyard Filmworks is a new studio formed by Dog Soldiers producer David
E. Allen. For those who haven't seen it, Dog Soldiers is a surprisingly
creative werewolf picture that incorporates a lot of the old school make-up
effects that we really don't see much of these days. After the underground
success of that picture, Allen created Graveyard Filmworks, a company used
as a platform for low-budget horror film makers. This presentation showcased
two movies;

BOO
This ghost story takes place in a hospital. The possibilities are endless,
as hospitals can be creepy and claustrophobic (see Halloween 2 or Visiting Hours),
but the movie looks to have a tongue in cheek vibe, and it is my fear that
the humor will drain the picture of tension. They showed us some footage,
but it was rather hard to gauge the overall tone. It looks to be more
humorous than scary.

CEMETERY GATES
This monster flick looks all too entertaining. It was shot in a speedy
eleven days and looks cheesy beyond belief, but it appears to have a spirit
about it that will be hard to resist. The film centers around a cemetery
that's inhabited by an enormous killer Tazmanian Devil. Upon a quick glance,
the creature looks like across between the "Crate" monster in Creepshow and
the part man/part wolf in An American Werewolf in London. This one also
looks to be played for laughs, but quite frankly, I'm looking forward to it.

David E. Allen also talked briefly about the in development Dog Soldiers 2.
He was vague on details but assured the audience that it would be bigger and
better than the first. It's supposed to start shooting soon, and should be
released sometime in 2005.

GODZILLA AT 50
Few things excited me when I was a kid than seeing a new Godzilla flick. I
couldn't get enough! I worshiped the legendary monster. I haven't watched a
Godzilla movie in quite some time, and when I heard about this panel, I knew
I had to attend.

The panel was headed by Godzilla enthusiasts Jeff Bond (Cinefantastique
magazine), Chris Gore (Film Threat.com), Steve Ryfle (author of Japan's
Favorite Mon-star), and moderator Ric Meyers (Great Martial Arts Movies:
From Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan and More).

Four an hour, attendees were treated to a pretty interesting inside track on
everything Godzilla accompanied by scenes from various films that featured
the iconic lizard. At one point, the panel discussed the worst of Godzilla's
movies, and high on everyone's list? Not surprisingly - was Roland Emmerich's
forgettable Americanized version. High amongst everyone's favorite, was the
original from the 50's. And when I say original, I mean original. I'm not
referring to the version that featured the Raymond Burr footage.

The hour was very entertaining, and I have to admit, watching the various
clips made me feel like a kid again. It was a lot of fun. And in case anyone
is wondering, my two favorite Godzilla pictures are Godzilla's Revenge and
Terror of Mechagodzilla. Classics (for Godzilla movies, anyway).

DONNIE DARKO: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT
I had an opportunity to see Donnie Darko at Sundance a few years ago along
with music guru Kyle England, and to be perfectly honest, we both had the
same reaction; the movie was merely okay. Some of it really irritated me,
particularly that whole "Frank the Bunny" thing. This part of the plot just
reminded me too much of a really shitty Gregg Araki movie. Still, the Donnie
Darko isn't without it's moments.

Since it's release, it has struck a major chord, particularly with the
teenage crowd who feel a strange connection to the movie.

In an unprecedented move, Newmarket Films called Richard Kelly and asked if
he would be interested in having the movie re-released. Kelly and many who
adore the film, never felt it really got the push it deserved back in 2000,
so naturally the film maker agreed, but only if Newmarket was opened to
allowing him to add additional footage. The studio agreed. Donnie Darko: The
Director's Cut was released in limited cities in late July, and will
continue to expand to other cities with a DVD release later this year. There
is in the neighborhood of fifteen additional minutes that Kelly suggests
will make the film a richer experience.

We didn't get to see any of the added footage, but the Q & A was extremely
interesting. I had a chance to meet Richard Kelly before, so I already knew
what he looked like. When he walked out on stage, I think many attendees
were quite surprised how young this guy looked. He looks like a teenager,
but is in fact around thirty years old. What I responded to was his low key
(and humble) attitude. There was nothing cocky about him, and in fact it
occurred to me that perhaps Donnie was based on him in his high school days.

Donnie Darko has garnered quite the cult following, and it was clear that
some of the fans asking questions knew a little too much about the film. In
one instance, a Donnie Darko worshiper questioned Mr. Kelly on the theory of
time travel as explained in the film. This guy had researched nearly
everything in the picture and it appeared that he had hoped to catch Kelly
off guard with some sort of piece of information. But then the film maker
revealed that the entire time travel theory as discussed in the picture was
in fact made up. The fan didn't take well to this. In humiliation, he
stormed out of the screening facility. I felt bad for Kelly because it
certainly wasn't his intention to hurt the kid's feelings, but ultimately,
that's what happened.

I'm curious to see this director's cut. As I said, I didn't love the movie,
but I'm really interested in seeing it again to see if perhaps I missed
things the first time out. One thing is certain, I like the way Kelly
carries himself. He's smart but humble, and he has a world of interesting
ideas. At present, he's working on a new project. While it's quite
secretive, he did hint that it was a fusion of several different genres
including the musical. Richard Kelly directing a musical? This I've got to
see.

WARNER BROTHERS PRESENTATION
This was one of the biggest most buzzed about presentations at the Con, most
notably because WB was supposed to unveil the Batman Begins trailer. Alas,
they dropped the ball. The only footage we got was a brief introduction by
Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale who were on location shooting the
movie. A Warner Brothers spokesman claimed that they just didn't have
anything ready to show us. This all would have been fine mind you, had the
trailer not appeared on line five days later. What a slap in the face. It
really pissed me off. But mostly, I felt bad for the hardcore fans. At any
rate, the teaser is decent but nothing to write home about. The glimpse of
Bale in the suit is incredibly brief. Still, I'm quite excited about the
movie.

Screenwriter David S. Goyer and actor Cillian Murphy (he's playing
Scarecrow) were on hand to talk about the film. Truth be told, Goyer did
most of the talking which was fine because I absolutely worship this guy. He
has an energy and enthusiasm about him that's incredibly infectious. What I
like most about him is he doesn't take anything for granted, and he treats
the material as a fan as opposed to a money machine. Currently, he's
finishing work on Blade: Trinity, but he was happy to spill what little
information on Batman Begins he could.

Cillian Murphy spoke a bit about the film, but he was very evasive (as
ordered by Nolan and the studio). Still, it's great to see this guy moving
up in the movie world. I loved him in 28 Days Later. I think he's the
perfect choice for Scarecrow.

Both talked about the origin of the story and admitted that much of the
concept came from Frank Miller's work on Batman: Year One. One thing is
certain; this will not be Joel Schumacher's Batman. This will
be a return to form and I can't wait to see it.

Following the Batman Begins panel, Warner Brothers treated the audience to
eighteen minutes of Keanu Reeve's new supernatural thriller Constantine.
Deemed in many circles as a cross between The Matrix and The Exorcist,
Constantine is based on the comic book of the same name. The first five
minutes or so of footage was extremely creepy and backed by some impressive
effects work, but unfortunately, I think Warner Brothers showed us too much.
I really hate it when studios do that. Just give us a taste and not half of
the damn meal. Miramax did the same thing with their Bridget Jone's Diary
sequel footage at ShoWest 2004.

After the footage, Keanu Reeves, Djimon Hounsou and director Francis
Lawrence hit the stage for a Q & A. Not surprisingly, most
questions were aimed at Keanu, and many of them were quite dumb. One wacky
individual even stood up and pleaded with Reeves to grant him a one on one
interview.

I don't know what to make of Constantine. Elements of it look interesting,
but some of it looked very mediocre. Still, I'll check it out when it opens
next year.

LIONS GATE PRESENTS A LOOK AT OPEN WATER AND SAW
I've been pushing the hell out of Open Water on the site since I saw it last
Jan. at Sundance. I absolutely love this film, and it's further proof that
you don't need a whopping budget to make an effective thriller. The power
of suggestion and strong performances propel this eerie, haunting tale of
a married couple who are left alone in the middle of the
ocean to survive while on a scuba diving trip. I was hoping that the movie would be
screened at Comic-Con so I could see it again. Unfortunately, it wasn't
screened but it opens nationwide in mid Aug.

The stars of the film were on hand. Blanchard Ryan is just gorgeous (she's
often compared to Charlize Theron) and talented to boot. She was kind enough
to take a picture with me (it's here on the site). I also had an
opportunity to speak to actor Daniel Travis and was ecstatic when he told
me he had already been on our site and read the review. Both performers
discussed the thrill and absolute terror of acting while in the ocean with
actual sharks.

I suspect Open Water (along with Napoleon Dynamite) will be one of those
unexpected sleepers. I personally hope it's a big hit. I can't wait to see
this flick again. It truly is a scary movie experience.

Lions Gate also did a piece on the upcoming Saw which I unfortunately missed
by just a couple of minutes. Lucky for me they screened the entire film
later on in the evening. You can read the review in the next report.

DISNEY AND PIXAR'S LOOK AT THE INCREDIBLES
I can't wait to see The Incredibles. I'd rank it in the top five
movies I'm most looking forward to between now and Christmas. Back in March
at ShoWest, I got to see around five minutes from the film, and in fact, I
got to see the same sequence again during this presentation. It features
central movie superhero Mr. Incredible taking his ripped super suit to a
sort of tailor for superheroes. Hilarious sequence.

Of course what was most exciting about this particular day was getting to
see director Brad Bird in person. This terrific talent worked on The
Simpsons before branching out and bringing us the outstanding Iron
Giant.

Bird is a great big kid at heart, but he doesn't dumb his films down. Iron
Giant was perfect for all ages and that's what made it so appealing. The
Incredibles looks absolutely -well?.incredible!!! It tells the story of a
retired, middle aged superhero called back into action.

Along with the special footage we got to see a sequence in which Mr.
Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) heads out on his first mission and
comes face to face with a deadly robot. Not only is the scene funny, it's
also packed with genuine action.

Bird then engaged in a Q & A with an extremely enthusiastic audience. This
was followed by a surprise screening of the teaser trailer for the long in
development Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. That one really got the crowd
going.

If The Incredibles presentation wasn't already grand enough, audience
members were also treated to limited edition Incredibles poster that was
made exclusively for the event.

The Incredibles opens this November.

FRIDAY THE 13TH: JASON UNMASKED
This was a panel I was really looking forward to because, I admit it, Friday
the 13th is a guilty pleasure of mine. I've seen them all multiple times,
and even wrote a screenplay for one back in the 80's. Nothing ever came of
it of course. At the time, Paramount was done with the franchise, and it
wouldn't be until 1993 when New Line would pick up the rights and deliver
that lame Jason Goes to Hell. Maybe I'll raise funds and shoot my script
just for the hell of it. It would be the ultimate fanboy Friday film.

Anyway, history was made at Comic-Con 2004 as five of the actors to play
Jason (Kane Hodder, C.J. Graham, Richard Brooker, Warrington Gillette, and
Ari Lehman) were on the panel and on stage at the same time. Also in
attendance were John Carl Buechler (director of The New Blood) and Tom
McLoughlin (director of Jason Lives). All reminisced about the franchise in
celebration of the Friday the 13th DVD box set (due this October).

In an added surprise bonus, in attendance were Adrienne King (looking as
beautiful as she did back in 1980) who played Alice in the original (she
lops off Pamela's head at the end of the movie), and Larry Zerner - who played
Shelly in Part three (he's credited with giving Jason the infamous hockey
mask - actually, Jason takes it from him).

The highlight of the presentation was listening to each actor discuss their
favorite kill in the series. High on the list were the infamous sleeping bag
kill (committed by Hodder in Part 7) and the liquid nitrogen kill (committed
by Hodder in Part 10). Those just so happen to be my two favorites - go
figure!

Kane Hodder (the only actor to play the famed killer more than once) was
very candid about his displeasure with the Freddy Vs. Jason situation (he
was replaced by a different actor). I can't say that I blame him. Contrary
to popular belief, Jason is not an easy character to play, and Hodder brings
something extra menacing to the role through a wicked stance and that
ominous breathing thing he does.

Unfortunately, there was no footage shown, and word is the extras on the DVD
aren't going to be that extraordinary. There have been massive requests to
release part three in 3-D on DVD, but because of the way the movie was shot,
it can't be done. Oh well. Who the hell am I kidding. I'll buy the set
anyway.

HELLBOY DVD PRESENTATION
Hellboy is one of the most strangely entertaining movies of the year, and
that's a credit to the enormous talent of film maker (and ultimate movie
fan) Guillermo del Toro. This guy is an absolute bundle of energy, and he
brings that energy to nearly every film he makes. Hellboy enjoyed a healthy
box office run. It wasn't a blockbuster, but it still made enough to
generate interest in a follow-up, and it certainly pulled in enough dough to
allow del Toro the opportunity to to do a deluxe DVD collection.

He and Hellboy star Ron Perlman were on hand to discuss the making of the
film, and to take questions from the audience. They even unveiled behind the
scene footage from the upcoming DVD.

Del Toro is an amazing talent, and more importantly, he's just a really cool
guy all around. Listening to him talk about film put a big smile on my face.
He sort of reminds me of a Spanish Peter Jackson.

NEW LINE CINEMA PRESENTATION
New Line Cinema basically focused on four films;

HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE
This new stoner comedy features John Cho (that Asian guy from American Pie)
and Kal Penn (that Indian guy from Van Wilder) as a couple of pot-heads who
make the long journey to legendary burger joint White Castle to satisfy
their munchie cravings. Cho and Penn were on hand to do a Q & A and to show
the trailer. Sadly, I didn't care too much for the movie (you can read the
review here on the site). It wasn't nearly funny enough.

CELLULAR
Written by Larry Cohen, this flick looks like it might play as Mobile Phone
Booth (interestingly enough, Cohen wrote Phone Booth as well. It features
Chris Evans as a young man who intercepts a frantic phone call from a
kidnapped Kim Basinger via a cell phone. Everyone is raving about the film's
big car chase, but as far as I could tell, it doesn't look to have anything
on the one in The Bourne Surpremecy.

BLADE: TRINITY
Once again, the affable David S. Goyer was on hand to talk about Blade:
Trinity. It's his directorial debut and to be perfectly honest, I had no
interest in it until I saw this presentation. I thought the first Blade was
decent. I loved Blade 2. When I heard about this one, I just didn't care
about it all that much. I have to say, however, the footage we saw was
impressive, including a sequence in which a hot and buffed up Jessica Biel
kicks some major ass! The movie looks dark but wickedly funny. If Blade:
Trinity is anywhere near as entertaining as Goyer himself, it's going to be
a good movie.

LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING-THE EXTENDED CUT (DVD)
This was the reason I really wanted to attend the New Line Cinema
presentation, and it was well worth it. The Return of the King Extended Cut
is due this Christmas, and while Peter Jackson couldn't attend the con (he's
busy working on King Kong), Producer Rick Porras and cast members Billy Boyd
and David Wenham were in attendance. In addition to a Q & A, we got an
exclusive first peak at deleted scenes and boy were they outstanding. For
those wondering, the film will feature fifty extra minutes. December can't
come too soon.

Comic-Con 2004 Report #3 will be up very soon.