Weeks, upon weeks passed as I waited for the con to come. I checked the website every day to see what talent was coming. I squeed like a teenage fan when I would see faces that I recognized, of people I knew, and people I HAD to meet! I didn’t realize that there would be so much going on at the con that I wouldn’t be able to fit everything in that I wanted to. Plus I didn’t realize how much money is involved in these conferences.

So, due to poor planning on my part, I was unable to attend day 1, which would have gotten me on the floor to see what it all looked like as the exhibitors put it together, but that was okay. Day two was full of fun for me, because I’d actually get to take part in an interview panel for a couple of animated television show writers and artists.  I was able to talk with them one on one very briefly as I got into the signing room with my press pass. Apparently, that small badge gets you anywhere you want to go with these panels, if I’d only known!

The interview panel was probably the most fun I had at the convention, aside from day three, but that’s another story. The artists were funny, and gave some decent information about what they would, could, would never do with their show. I got so into the conversation that I nearly forgot to take notes. Thank goodness I remembered, and was able to get some good information. More on this later. Stay tuned!

Photo by Fraser McFarlane

As for the rest of the convention, I participated in my first cosplay event, as the first Doctor from Doctor Who for our Femme Doctors group – women dressed as each of the eleven Doctors as if the Doctors had been women, not cross-dressing. We walked all over the event getting our photo taken, taking our own photos, and getting interviewed by The Nerdist crew. It was so much fun for me.

Would I have enjoyed the convention had I purchased a three-day pass only? I suppose. I could have simply walked around on Friday, taken photos of all the great costumes, gone to a couple of panels, but would I have met the artists I met? No. Would I have been able to go to more panels? Yes, but I was happy with what I accomplished on Friday! Saturday was well worth not using my press pass and to be part of the Femme Doctors. There was so much stimulation, and so many people, I could have just stood there and watched all weekend long.

All I know, is next year, I’ll take the three or four-day pass. I’ll cosplay if I have the chance, and I’ll take a better camera this time around. Oh and money, lots of money! Some places did take credit cards, but mostly took cash. And if you want a photo opportunity and/or autograph, prepare to pay for it. Herb Jefferson Jr. was kind enough to let me get a photo with him because I didn’t have any money with me the day I saw him, but he talked with me for a long time, and that was good enough for this old school Battlestar Galactica fan. Meanwhile, it would have cost a cool $100 for the pleasure of getting Mark Hamill’s autograph.

Do I recommend Comic Cons for someone who’s never read a comic? Yes! Why? Because there’s just so much there that you will find something that you like. Science fiction, fantasy, new movies, television shows, books, graphic novels, but most importantly the costumes!  I wouldn’t trade that weekend for anything, because it was full of fun and new adventures. I will definitely be on the schedule for a good ticket next year – maybe even a VIP pass!Similar Posts:

• Coachella To Go Two Weekends
• San Diego Comic Con: A Look Back (Part 3)
• [Event] The 4am Project
• San Diego Comic Con: A Look Back (Part 1)
• San Diego Comic Con: A Look Back (Part 4)
• [Interviews] The American Country Awards Red Carpet Experience
• DARK HORSE UNVEILS SIGNING SCHEDULE FOR NEW YORK COMIC CON 2011!

As usual, I made my Emmy Predictions (here, if you haven’t seen them yet).

Now that the hardware has been distributed, let’s see how I did.

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Lead Actress In A Comedy Series:

• Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”
• Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
• Laura Linney, “The Big C”
• Melissa McCarthy, “Mike & Molly”
• Martha Plimpton, “Raising Hope”
• Amy Poehler, “Parks and Recreation”

Elwood Called It For: Amy Poehler
The Emmy Went To: Melissa McCarthy
ELWOOD WAS: WRONG!

Um….Emmy voters? Bridesmaids was a feature film. NOT A TV SHOW.

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Lead Actor In A Comedy Series:

• Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
• Louis C.K., “Louie”
• Steve Carell, “The Office”
• Johnny Galecki, “The Big Bang Theory”
• Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes”
• Jim Parsons, “Big Bang Theory”

Elwood Called It For: Steve Carell
The Emmy Went To: Jim Parsons
ELWOOD WAS: WRONG!

Seriously? Wow. Didn’t see that coming. Poor Steve Carell. Susan Lucci still has more Emmys than Steve Carell. That’s sad.

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Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series:

• Julie Bowen, “Modern Family”
• Jane Krakowski, “30 Rock”
• Jane Lynch, “Glee”
• Sofia Vergara, “Modern Family”
• Betty White, “Hot In Cleveland”
• Kristen Wiig, “Saturday Night Live”

Elwood Called It For: Julie Bowen
The Emmy Went To: Julie Bowen
ELWOOD WAS: RIGHT!

So happy about this one, because I was getting afraid that the Year of Betty White had been extended.

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Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series:

• Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”
• Chris Colfer, “Glee”
• Jon Cryer, “Two and a Half Men”
• Jesse Tyler Ferguson, “Modern Family”
• Ed O’Neill, “Modern Family”
• Eric Stonestreet, “Modern Family”

Elwood Called It For: Jon Cryer
The Emmy Went To: Ty Burrell
ELWOOD WAS: WRONG!

Well deserved, and I’m sure having both Claire and Phil Dunphy win will find its way into a script this season on “Modern Family.”

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Comedy Series:

• “30 Rock”
• “The Big Bang Theory”
• “Glee”
• “Modern Family”
• “The Office”
• “Parks and Recreation”

Elwood Called It For: Parks and Recreation
The Emmy Went To: Modern Family
ELWOOD WAS: WRONG!

I knew I was sunk on this one when “Modern Family” won EVERYTHING. ELSE. it was nominated for. Maybe next year, “Parks and Recreation.”

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Lead Actress In A Drama Series:

• Kathy Bates, “Harry’s Law”
• Connie Britton, “Friday Night Lights”
• Mireille Enos, “The Killing”
• Mariska Hargitay, “Law and Order SVU”
• Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
• Elisabeth Moss, “Mad Men”

Elwood Called It For: Elisabeth Moss
The Emmy Went To: Julianna Margulies
ELWOOD WAS: WRONG!

Not who I’d have chosen, but I’ll take it. At least Kathy Bates didn’t win. I might have gone all Elvis on my television if that had happened.

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Lead Actor In A Drama Series:

• Steve Buscemi, “Boardwalk Empire”
• Kyle Chandler, “Friday Night Lights”
• Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
• Jon Hamm, Mad Men
• Hugh Laurie, “House”
• Timothy Olyphant, “Justified”

Elwood Called It For: Jon Hamm
The Emmy Went To: Kyle Chandler
ELWOOD WAS: WRONG!

This was so out of nowhere, but I’m happy that “Friday Night Lights” is getting recognized for its final season. The Series Finale won the writing award over “Mad Men” as well.

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Supporting Actress In A Drama Series:

• Christine Baranski, “The Good Wife”
• Michelle Forbes, “The Killing”
• Christina Hendricks, “Mad Men”
• Kelly Macdonald, “Boardwalk Empire”
• Margo Martindale, “Justifed”
• Archie Panjabi, “The Good Wife”

Elwood Called It For: Margo Martindale
The Emmy Went To: Margo Martindale
ELWOOD WAS: RIGHT!

YES! HELL YES! Best role of the last season, and such a deserved win. Apple Pie for everyone! (Real pie. Not the moonshine. That would be bad.)

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Supporting Actor In A Drama Series:

• Andre Braugher, “Men of a Certain Age”
• Josh Charles, “The Good Wife”
• Alan Cumming, “The Good Wife”
• Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”
• Walton Goggins, “Justified”
• John Slattery, “Mad Men”

Elwood Called It For: Peter Dinklage
The Emmy Went To: Peter Dinklage
ELWOOD WAS: RIGHT!

This is THE award of the night. Tyrion Lanister is the best character on HBO right now, and Dinklage’s performance is note perfect.

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Drama Series:

• “Boardwalk Empire”
• “Dexter”
• “Friday Night Lights”
• “Game of Thrones”
• “The Good Wife”
• “Mad Men”

Elwood Called It For: Mad Men
The Emmy Went To: Mad Men
ELWOOD WAS: RIGHT!

Told ya. *flick* *inhales* *exhales* -~

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Tale of the Tape: I finished 4 for 10. Same as last year. At least I’m consistent.

Congratulations to all of tonight’s winners!

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• 62nd Primetime Emmy Nominations: Elwood Says…
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• [Preview] Parks & Recreation: Still Funniest Thing On TV
• [Recap] Parenthood – Date Night (Minor Spoilers)
• [Preview] NBC’s Parks and Recreation Third Season

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The nominees for the 2011 Emmy Awards were announced today. I watch a lot of television, but I’m no expert. Here are my picks to win the Big Awards (Acting & Show awards for Comedy and Drama). We’ll see how right – or wrong – I am when the Emmys are handed out on September 18th.

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Lead Actress In A Comedy Series:

• Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”
• Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
• Laura Linney, “The Big C”
• Melissa McCarthy, “Mike & Molly”
• Martha Plimpton, “Raising Hope”
• Amy Poehler, “Parks and Recreation”

Elwood’s Winner Is:
Amy Poehler – Poehler is coming off a very strong year of support for “Parks and Recreation” and in this field I’d like to think that the Academy will recognize that. However, if the Academy stays true to form, this award will go to Falco or Linney. The Emmy sure does like to award actresses in Showtime “comedies.” Fey’s a perpetual nominee, McCarthy is riding a decent buzz from her work in Bridesmaids (but that’s not a TV show), and Plimpton just won’t have the votes.

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Lead Actor In A Comedy Series:

• Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
• Louis C.K., “Louie”
• Steve Carell, “The Office”
• Johnny Galecki, “The Big Bang Theory”
• Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes”
• Jim Parsons, “Big Bang Theory”

Elwood’s Winner Is:
Steve Carell – Always a nominee, never a winner. I said last year that Carell will get his this year after he’s left “The Office” and I’m not backing down from that. Parsons got his last year, Galecki is kind of a sympathy nomination, LeBlanc was good as “himself” but it’s not an acting stretch by any means, and Baldwin just winds up on the ballot every year out of Voter Habit. That said, how AWESOME would it be to see Louis C.K. win this award? He would hate that, and we would be better for it.

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Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series:

• Julie Bowen, “Modern Family”
• Jane Krakowski, “30 Rock”
• Jane Lynch, “Glee”
• Sofia Vergara, “Modern Family”
• Betty White, “Hot In Cleveland”
• Kristen Wiig, “Saturday Night Live”

Elwood’s Winner Is:
Julie Bowen – These nominations are identical to last year, only with Betty White playing the part of Holland Taylor. Jane Lynch won last year, but will not repeat this year because she’s hosting the ceremony and there has been a lot of “Glee” backlash this year, especially with regards to Sue Sylvester. Betty White’s renaissance is over, Wiig will never win for “SNL,” and between the two “Modern Family” ladies I find Julie Bowen to be a better comedic actress than her costar Vergara.

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Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series:

• Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”
• Chris Colfer, “Glee”
• Jon Cryer, “Two and a Half Men”
• Jesse Tyler Ferguson, “Modern Family”
• Ed O’Neill, “Modern Family”
• Eric Stonestreet, “Modern Family”

Elwood’s Winner Is:
Toughest category ever. Last year I said, “I just don’t see Jon Cryer repeating his win from last year at all. They should give him a special achievement trophy for dealing with Charlie Sheen, though.” Who knew how that would all turn out, huh? I also thought that Burrell, Ferguson, and Stonestreet would cancel each other out. Stonestreet won this award anyway. Now Ed O’Neill joins this Neil Patrick Harris-less repeat field from last year and I don’t know what to do. I’m just going to spin the wheel…and call this one for Jon Cryer. Duckie For Life.

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Comedy Series:

• “30 Rock”
• “The Big Bang Theory”
• “Glee”
• “Modern Family”
• “The Office”
• “Parks and Recreation”

Elwood’s Winner Is:
“Parks and Recreation” – It is about damn time this series got the nod, and it deserves this award. One of the funniest shows on TV, and the fact that NBC treats it as an afterthought sometimes would make winning this award that much sweeter. Maybe “The Office” sneaks in there on the Carell Farewell, but I hope not.

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Lead Actress In A Drama Series:

• Kathy Bates, “Harry’s Law”
• Connie Britton, “Friday Night Lights”
• Mireille Enos, “The Killing”
• Mariska Hargitay, “Law and Order SVU”
• Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
• Elisabeth Moss, “Mad Men”

Elwood’s Winner Is:
Elisabeth Moss – Don’t believe me? Go watch “The Suitcase” again. This is Moss’ third nomination, so she’s due anyway. Britton is a win just being nominated, Enos is a first-time nominee from a show that was critically panned, and I think Kathy Bates was nominated on a dare. Hargitay’s continued nomination in this category is beyond understanding, but I’m beginning to wonder if her name being on this list is the one thing that keeps our civilization from disintegrating.

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Lead Actor In A Drama Series:

• Steve Buscemi, “Boardwalk Empire”
• Kyle Chandler, “Friday Night Lights”
• Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
• Jon Hamm, Mad Men
• Hugh Laurie, “House”
• Timothy Olyphant, “Justified”

Elwood’s Winner Is:
Jon Hamm – With Bryan Cranston out for this cycle, it’s Hamm’s award to lose. This last season of “Mad Men” has been a clinic of amazing. Buscemi might be a favorite, but “Boardwalk Empire” isn’t the gem in HBO’s crown right now. Hall, Chandler, and Laurie are courtesy nominations. The dark horse here might be Timothy Olyphant, and if I were a betting man I’d have some side money on Raylan for sure.

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Supporting Actress In A Drama Series:

• Christine Baranski, “The Good Wife”
• Michelle Forbes, “The Killing”
• Christina Hendricks, “Mad Men”
• Kelly Macdonald, “Boardwalk Empire”
• Margo Martindale, “Justifed”
• Archie Panjabi, “The Good Wife”

Elwood’s Winner Is:
Margo Martindale – Martindale’s chilling portrayal of Mags Bennett on “Justified” was one of the break-out characters of the year, and brought the long-time character actress into the spotlight she deserves. I can just as easily see Archie Panjabi repeat her win from last year, and see Hendricks winning on the Hamm/Moss wave, but Margo Martindale EARNED this. The voters would be foolish to deny that.

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Supporting Actor In A Drama Series:

• Andre Braugher, “Men of a Certain Age”
• Josh Charles, “The Good Wife”
• Alan Cumming, “The Good Wife”
• Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”
• Walton Goggins, “Justified”
• John Slattery, “Mad Men”

Elwood’s Winner Is:
Peter Dinklage – How can he not win? Dinklage is the only acting nomination for “Game of Thrones” (and out of that cast, this is both surprising and incredible). I could pontificate about the other nominees, but the fact of the matter is that Tyrion Lannister slaps them all in the face.

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Drama Series:

• “Boardwalk Empire”
• “Dexter”
• “Friday Night Lights”
• “Game of Thrones”
• “The Good Wife”
• “Mad Men”

Elwood’s Winner Is:
“Mad Men” – If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We’ll see “Mad Men” go 4-for-4 in September. Smoke?

Agree? Disagree? Sound off in the comments!

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Yesterday it was announced that Friday Night Lights, the TV show, would be continued as a movie (spoilers in that article if you haven’t finished the series).

Friday Night Lights exec producer Peter Berg is confirming what TVLine told you last month: He wants to bring the franchise back to the big screen, with Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton reprising their roles as Coach and Tami Taylor.

“We’re writing a script,” he told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour following a panel for his NBC reboot of Prime Suspect. “We’ve been meeting with [fellow FNL EP] Jason Katims for the last couple of weeks. We have a real good script idea. We want to do it. We’re very serious about doing it. We intend to do it.”

Should the movie come to be, the net result would be a movie based on a TV series about a fictional football team; in a fictional Texas town. The TV series was, of course, based on a movie about a real football team in a real Texas town. Then that movie was based on a book written about a real football team in a real Texas town. That book was based on interviews and experiences of an author observing a real football team in a real Texas town. Quite a few degrees of separation between the original team and a movie version.

The announcement made me think about the nature of franchising in the current entertainment world. TV shows based on movies and movies based on TV shows are nothing new, but these days popularity isn’t even a requirement. As I write this, I’m watching the Serenity movie based on the Fox series Firefly that didn’t last eleven episodes. The gap between the TV series and movie has been picked up in licensed Comic Books, some written by the creator himself.

Arrested Development, another cancelled Fox series, has long been rumored to be heading to the big screen. Recently it was confirmed that things are indeed going forward.

In the case of both Friday Night Lights and Arrested Development, any movie would take place after a series finale had been written and aired. Just consider what the scriptwriters have to consider:

In the series Friday Night Lights, at least three different football teams have been represented. The series began with the Dillon Panthers, who were a take on the movie’s Permian Panthers. It seems logical to make the movie a prequel, before coach Taylor took over the Panthers. However, that’s just one of a million ways the movie can go, I’ll save “extending the series” for another column since not everyone has seen the series finale, but there’s also coach Taylor’s stint at the college level, and his work with the East Dillon Lions. TV shows have to continually reinvent themselves, and one of the consequences of a post-mortem movie is which storyline to reopen.

With Arrested Devlopment, enough time has passed that the cast has all gotten older, which takes out the prequel option. However, knowing they were cancelled, AD wrote a series finale that would lend itself directly to making a movie.

I also have to mention the proposed Buffy the Vampire Slayer remake. In that case, it’d be like Friday Night Lights: a movie based on a TV series based on a movie. However, the remake is being proposed by Frank Kuzi, the director of the original film. Buffy has been played by two different actresses, and currently the story is being continued in a series of comic books. After the show ceased production, a few licensed novels went about continuing the story. If the Kuzis are successful in getting a movie made, which version comes out as the true continuation?

It took many years for Marvel to recognize the earning power of their characters, forming their own movie studio. Now they don’t have the option of putting Spiderman or Wolverine in the Avengers movie, because those characters are owned by other studios. With the original Buffy producers threatening to make a movie sequel without Joss Whedon: who really owns a character?

These are just cases of remakes and relaunches. The question can be made even more theoretical when considering fan fiction. However, I turn it over to the commenters. Everything has an authorial source, but does that author still control those characters once they’re created? Outside of the legal system, how do you, as the fan of a franchise, deal with the multiple versions of every character’s story? How do you deal with the conundrum known as cannon?Similar Posts:

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There isn’t a lot coming out this week. Next week will be a little more than this week but here are the ‘big’ releases for the week. There are certainly some interesting titles coming later in the month but this is what you have right now.

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon – A third person shooter for the Xbox360 and PS3, this game is a sequel to Earth Defense Force 2017. The player takes on the person of Lightning Alpha and fights off wave after wave of giant insects and robots, which are focused on attacking New Detroit. (Man, doesn’t Detroit get a break even in video games?) Over 300 weapons will be available to use to fight these evil foes in your color customizable armor. The game can be played single player, three player splitscreen, online co-op or six player Survival Mode.

Mystery Quest: Curse of the Ancient Spirits – This game is a historical adventure with a gripping ghost story for the Nintendo DS. The main character is a girl named Virginia who, along with her father, discovers an ancient galleon shipwrecked on a Caribbean island. Exploring the wreck, the duo soon realizes that the ship has been untouched by the several centuries over which it has been abandoned. Designed for primarily for young teen gamers the game includes over 50 levels with more than 1,000 hidden objects and clues to find.Similar Posts:

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After May and June, you’d think July would be filled to the brim with fantastic movie offerings. You’d be completely correct, though most of the thigns worth seeing are mostly at the end of the month. The 4th of July weekend is mostly being left to the latest installment of Bayspolsions: featuring Transformers, which came out in June.

July 1
Larry Crowne – Tom Hanks. Julia Roberts. Really, that should be about everything you need to know if this is your sort of movie. The thing is, the plot sounds a little too clean, a little too much like someone wrote it by using a Hollywood romcom by using the Mad Libs approach. Until he was downsized, affable, amiable Larry Crowne was a superstar team leader at the big-box company where he’s worked since his time in the Navy. Underwater on his mortgage and unclear on what to do with his suddenly free days, Larry heads to his local college to start over. In his public-speaking class, Larry develops an unexpected crush on his teacher Mercedes Tainot , who has lost as much passion for teaching as she has for her husband. Maybe there should be a drinking game?

July 8
Horrible Bosses – The trailers and ads for this on television have convinced me that this is most certainly not my sort of comedy. The fact that the only female boss, some sort of awful sex addict, abusing her power in a gender switch of the standard harassment is supposed to be funny, tells me this isn’t the comedy me. The premise is these three guys (Jason Batemen, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day) have the worst bosses ever (Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston) and they can’t quit their jobs. So, after a few too many drinks and some horrible advice, they decide that killing them is, of course, the best option open to them.

Zookeeper – Another comedy coming out the same weekend, fighting for much the same demographic. This is the official Sony press release: “In Zookeeper, the animals at the Franklin Park Zoo love their kindhearted caretaker, Griffin Keyes (Kevin James). Finding himself more comfortable with a lion than a lady, Griffin decides the only way to get a girl in his life is to leave the zoo and find a more glamorous job. The animals, in a panic, decide to break their time-honored code of silence and reveal their biggest secret: they can talk! To keep Griffin from leaving, they decide to teach him the rules of courtship – animal style.” There is a nice voice cast for the animals, however, which could be entertaining – Adam Sandler, Sylvester Stallone, Maya Rudolph, Don Rickles, Jon Favreau, Nick Nolte and Judd Apatow.

July 15
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – Here it is. It needs no real introduction. The final installment in the Harry Potter film series. After this Warner Brothers needs to have some other tentpole series to step up and continue to bring in the big bucks. (Even if, by Hollywood accounting, Order of the Phoenix lost money.) In this final installment, Harry and Voldemort face down in a final showdown. Will good triumph over evil or will Voldemort take over the world with his dark magic?

Winnie the Pooh – Inspired by three stories from A.A. Milne’s books in Disney’s classic, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the characters from The Hundred Acre Wood. Narrated by John Cleese, this is Disney’s attempt to kick off the Pooh movies again in the hopes that they’ll be a new series of classics. Two stories are from the book Winnie-the-Pooh: “In Which Eeyore Loses a Tail and Pooh Finds One,” and “In Which Piglet Meets a Heffalump.” The other story the movie is based on is found in The House at Pooh Corner: “In Which Rabbit Has a Busy Day and We Learn What Christopher Robin Does in the Mornings.” The movie will feature six new songs in addition to Zooey Deschanel recording a new version of the Winne the Pooh theme song.

July 22
Captain America: The First Avenger – If you don’t know Captain America, this will be your introduction to him. The television ads have already give away some interesting things about Cap, including how he gets to the present day. I’m not entirely sure how much of the movie will be in the present day but most if it will focus on Steve Rogers and his beginnings as Captain America (Chris Evans). I would recommend seeing this one in 2D since it was converted to 3D in post-production and even the best of those films is usually not worth the extra money. Also starring Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci and a whole host of other actors you may not be as familiar with. This is the last piece in the three heroes (arguably four, if you count The Hulk) you need before The Avengers comes out next summer.

Friends With Benefits – On the opposite side of the spectrum, the premise of this movie reminds me a little bit of No Strings Attached. Ironically, it looks like the two movies started out with the same title and Screen Gems was given clearance to use the title after Ivan Reitman retitled the other film. Instead of Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, this film has Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. Two friends think it will be a simple thing to add sex to their relationship but then find out, like many before them, that doing so adds complications.

July 29
Cowboys & Aliens – This is the movie coming this summer that people don’t realize is based on a comic book. Featuring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde, this is the third attempt to make this concept into a film. The premise of the movie is out in plain sight, it is in the title. Cowboys & Aliens is scheduled to have its world premiere at San Digeo Comic Con on the 23rd of July. I’m hoping to get a chance to be in that audience. The aliens are being kept hidden in all of the the marketing, so as to keep is a surprise for the audience.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. – The official summary of this movie from Warner Brothers is: “At fortysomething, straight-laced Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) is living the dream-good job, nice house, great kids and marriage to his high school sweetheart. But when Cal learns that his wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), has cheated on him and wants a divorce, his “perfect” life quickly unravels. Worse, in today’s single world, Cal, who hasn’t dated in decades, stands out as the epitome of un-smooth. Now spending his free evenings sulking alone at a local bar, the hapless Cal is taken on as wingman and protégé to handsome, thirtysomething player Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling).” Steve Carell seems perfect for this role, as he’s perfected the down on his luck but loveable loser.

The Smurfs – The movie is based on the cartoon from the early 80s, which was based on the comic strips created by a the Belgian cartoonist Peyo. Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Hank Azaria and Sofía Vergara, the movie will mix CGI with live action actors. The Smurfs, trying to escape from Gargamel, are magically transported to present day New York City. Being only three apples high, they face all sorts of difficulties trying to get home before they’re captured by the evil wizard.Similar Posts:

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I’ve been trying to figure out what, exactly, to cover this week. There isn’t a lot of new stuff worth mentioning coming out this week worth mentioning but here’s my best pass.

Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition – This is Street Fighter, though updated. I’m not sure how many version of IV there are out there so far but each of them has added something a little more. There are four new playable characters in this edition: Yun, Yang, Oni and Evil Ryu. They claim to have further refined the character balancing, which would be a good thing. Having played a fair number of hours on the first edition of SFIV, I can tell you that there were some really unbalanced fights – especially the closer to the end of the game you got. This is out for PS3 and Xbox 360.

Nancy Drew: The Captive Curse – For Windows Vista / 7 / XP, Mac OS X Intel, Mac OS X, this is the 24th installment of the point-and-click Nancy Drew adventure game series by Her Interactive. Young detective Nancy Drew travels to Germany, Castle Finster, in order to track down the truth about a local legend. The legendary monster has been causing problems for the residents of the castle and Nancy is determined to solve the case.

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries – This game is for the Nintendo 3DS. You get to choose from legendary past and present Resident Evil characters, including for the first time in this game, Claire Redfield. This is mostly revamped mini-games featured in Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5 with some new features. The game includes Wi-Fi connectivity for cooperative play with other players, which often seems to be the most appealing feature of the Nintendo handheld consoles. There are a lot of bad reviews out there on this game due to Capcom’s decision to only allow one save, which cannot be reset.
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If you want to know my most anticipated movie of 2012, here is your first glimpse:

Pixar’s first featured heroine – Merida.  That alone would have gotten me into the theater but this is beautiful and everything I’ve seen about it is pitch perfect.  The word is this story is going to be a little more mature then the previous Pixar outings, looking for more of a Brothers Grimm sort of feel. The voice cast includes Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly and Kelly Macdonald.Similar Posts:

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If you had asked me, while I shuffled through my pile of movies, which of the following three I thought I would enjoy the most…I would have been wrong. SO wrong. I’m usually pretty close to the mark when I pre-judge movies, because I’ve seen way too many.

This week, however, my powers failed me. Two outright stinkers, and a diamond in the rough.

On with the show!

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STREET KINGS 2: MOTOR CITY (2011)
Written by Ed Gonzalez and Jeremy Haft
Directed by Chris Fisher
20th Century Fox

”Standard issue suits me just fine.”

This direct-to-video sequel (in name only) to 2008’s STREET KINGS doesn’t waste a whole lot of time establishing itself. It’s a color-by-numbers story about bad cops and good cops and who is which and you’ve seen it all before.

Ray Liotta (who is seriously in need of an A-List comeback) plays Detroit cop Marty Kingston, injured in the line during an undercover narcotics sting. Flash-forward three years, and suddenly cops are dying. Cops that used to work with Marty.

Marty is partnered with rookie homicide detective Dan Sullivan (Shawn Hatosy, playing essentially the same character he plays on TNT’s “SOUTHLAND“) to go find the killer. And we all know who the killer is because we’ve all watched movies before, so it’s just a matter of Sullivan catching up with us.

Every character in this movie is straight out of central casting, and the whole thing is a waste of time. A death in the third act should have come much sooner, and the (in my opinion, unfinished) ending tries for an emotional resonance that is very un-earned. I can think of at least four different ways to re-write this script, and each of them would have been 100 times better, and each of them still would have made a bad movie. I’m embarrassed for everyone involved.

Seriously: Skip this, and go watch the original STREET KINGS, or TRAINING DAY, or even POLICE ACADEMY for a better cop movie than this one.

Elwood Says: 1 Farm that Smells Like Garlic out of 5

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NO STRINGS ATTACHED (2011)
Written by Elizabeth Meriwether and Michael Samonek
Directed by Ivan Reitman
Paramount Pictures

”It was exciting. It was like…you were cheering while you were doing it. You were like, ‘Look at my dick!’”

15 Years Ago at summer camp, Adam and Emma shared a moment. Not a great moment, but a moment. 10 years later at college, Adam and Emma meet again and attend the funeral of Emma’s father. 5 years later, another chance encounter.

Today…Adam (Ashton Kutcher) is an production assistant for a “GLEE”-like television show. Emma (Natalie Portman) is doing her medical residency. Through a series of drunken events, Adam finds himself in Emma’s apartment, and bedroom, and…well. You know.

This movie pulls from a lot of sources. It leans heavily on WHEN HARRY MET SALLY… (one of my all-time favorite movies), falls on a lot of RomCom cliché grenades, and has its share of crass humor. It manages to blend all of this very well, and creates a well-told story with characters I really liked.

Kutcher is mature and layered in his portrayal of Adam – something that shocked me a bit, frankly. He may finally be outgrowing Michael Kelso. Adam is very game, and very genuine, and I truly enjoyed watching him interact not only with Emma but everyone else in the cast. Portman is beyond charming, playing Emma as smart and driven, but not in a stick-in-the-mud way. Emma is able to laugh at herself, is well aware of the world around her, and is extremely self-aware as well. Hence the titular arrangement in this movie: No time for love. Just sex.

I have no idea if I would have been as impressed with this movie if I had watched it before I watched STREET KINGS 2, but I laughed a lot. The supporting cast almost steals this movie in some scenes, but none of it goes so far over the top that you feel like it was trying too hard.

This was simply a very straight-forward adult comedy, and a good one.

Elwood Says: 4 Period Mixes out of 5

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THE NEXT THREE DAYS (2010)
Based on “Pour elle” by Fred Cavayé and Guillaume Lemans
Screenplay by Paul Haggis
Directed by Paul Haggis
Lionsgate

”You want this too much. You’re gonna fuck it up.”

John (Russell Crowe) and Lara Brennan (Elizabeth Banks) are a happy couple in Pittsburgh – young son, healthy careers, supportive families. Until one morning, the police break in and arrest Lara for the murder of a co-worker. Flash forward 3 years. Trial and conviction have come and gone, as has Lara’s last chance for appeal. When a resigned Lara attempts to take her own life, John begins to plan to break her out of prison before she’s transferred to a more permanent facility.

This could have been THE FUGITIVE. It wasn’t. This could have been PRESUMED INNOCENT. It wasn’t. This could have been…um…what’s another Harrison Ford movie I could reference here? It doesn’t matter, because it wasn’t that one either.

This movie had everything going for it. It had a rock solid cast behind Crowe and Banks, including Liam Neeson, Oliva Wilde, Aisha Hinds, Lennie James, and Brian Dennehy. It had an Emmy- and Oscar-Winning writer and director in Paul Haggis. It was marketed as a taut character drama and was a fairly low budget production.

Still, THE NEXT THREE DAYS is slow, poorly scripted, and above all else, ridiculously plotted. There is not a single point in this film at which any average viewer wouldn’t be able to list off several reasons why or how ‘XYZ’ couldn’t have happened that way. There is no way in the world that John should have been able to attempt what he did. I appreciated that the cops aren’t idiots. All that planning, and because of a busted tail light the detectives catch up to John mid-escape in, like, 3 seconds. One exception to this is at the end of the film, when we see the original detectives going over the crime scene again – and then we veer right back into “there’s no way this happens right now.”

The only scene that carried any worthy emotion was where John’s Dad (Dennehy, who still has more acting presence in his left eyebrow than a lot of headliners have in total these days) discovers the plane tickets, and then later says goodbye to his son. That was very touching, but immediately after you’re wondering why John is carrying those documents around in him jacket days before he plans to make his move, as if he’s asking to get caught.

All in all, this movie is frustrating, logically. It makes no sense at all.

Elwood Says: 2 Bump Keys out of 5Similar Posts:

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The big games are sequels this week.  That’s becoming less and less of a surprise – as there are more and more video games people love, of course they want to see more.  The challenge is to make sure that you have enough original content coming out at the same time, so the entirety of what is being produced doesn’t feel derivative.  It is a challenging problem.

F.E.A.R 3  – A first person shooter available on PS3, Xbox 360 and for Windows PCs.  The game was originally scheduled for March of 2011  and then was pushed back twice, bringing it to this June release date.  This edition has online and offline co-op in addition to the standard single player mode.  The co-op comes with 4 different modes bringing different challenges with them, for example one is a survival build your barricade style and another is a mad dash run and gun.  The plot is set four months after the end of the last game, showing that your victory was not quite as decisive as you might have liked it to be – you’ve still got work to do to save the city of Farpoint.

Dungeon Siege III - Also available for PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows PCs, Dungeon Siege IIIis an ‘action’ role-playing game.  I’m not sure what the clarification on adding action there means, as I think most RPGs involve some level of action.  Then again, I guess there are likely RPGs that are all about personal interactions.  This one, however, is the first Dungeon Siege game to be published by Square Enix since they acquired the brand.  There are hack and slash as well as dungeon crawl elements in addition to online support for up to four players at a time.  The plot fo the game returns to the Kingdom of Ehb and the 10th Legion.  The Legion has fallen and the kingdom has broken into smaller pieces under the control of Jeyne Kassynder.

Shadows of the Damned- Available for Xbox 360 and PS3, this is a third person shooter survival horror game.  An Orphean story, the main character Garcia Hotspur must go to hell and battle demons and all sorts of other evils in order to save his love.  Here’s hoping he doesn’t look back if it comes to that.  Garcia is accompanied by Johnson who is a skull headed demon who can transform into several different weapons, a motorcycle and even a torch. 

Cars 2: The Video Game-  Playable on the PS3, the PSP, the Xbox 360, the Wii, the DS, PCs and Mac, is the video game tie in to your likely box office champ this weekend.  2 players can race and can choose from more than 20 different characters.  Players can train their characters to become world class spies.  As part of their international espionage training, players can participate in simulated hazardous missions using high-tech gadgets to evade and slow down adversaries.  All in all it sounds like a leveling up sort of Mario Kart using Pixar characters.Similar Posts:

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