Gushing About The Guardians

From the moment Peter (aka "Star-Lord") Quill breaks the cliche careful Indiana Jones approach to collect an artifact within an ancient temple, kicking on his Sony Walkman and sauntering and dancing in time to Redbone's "Come and Get Your Love", I knew I was hooked.

Guardians has been crushing it at the box-office this weekend, and rightly so... the film is infused with a lot of fun, a lot of nostalgia and reverence for the films that it have inspired it, and all-in-all is an incredibly fulfilling experience.

After several promising trailers, my anticipation (and my expectations) of Marvel's latest Guardians of the Galaxy were higher that normal for blockbuster films. I've adopted a new policy as of late with films that I'm eagerly anticipating that I'll watch the proper release trailers and then nothing else in order to keep as much surprise as possible to the experience of seeing the film. Especially in this spoiler-frenzy based internet world, it's pretty difficult. I'd often have to quickly close web browser pages or excuse myself from conversations in order to avoid any details. In fact, just before heading to the theater on Sunday, I was in conversation with the webmaster of SHIELDtv.net and she almost divulged a surprise literally an hour or two before viewing. But sticking my head in the sand and knowing very little about a film has worked out pretty well with movies like Snowpiercer, The Winter Soldier and others and actually heightened the experience.

Truth be told, if I were still an eight-year old kid, I'd be going bonkers right now for Guardians. Wanting every toy, wanting to be Star-Lord on the playground during recess, it's that type of film that I can only hope the younger set will latch onto the way that I think I would have. I plan on seeing the film on the big screen (and suggest that you do the same) at least once or twice more - there's so many things in the background of The Collector's vault like Dark Elves, and artifacts and others that I couldn't take in completely in one viewing. So caught up in the fun and excitement of the main story, my eyes didn't wander much around the frame to glimpse any of the amazing detail that was put into the film.

And so shocked at who appears in the tag at the end of the credits was I, that I didn't get to enjoy the whole moment because I was too busy exclaiming out loud, "What!? WHAT??!" I won't spoil this moment here in hopes that the experience for those of you who haven't seen it won't be ruined for you either - we can discuss in the comments section for those that wish to remain spoiler-free - but it was another one of those moments where you have to admire Marvel for giving their audience the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure other executives would have taken that moment and said, "You know, I don't think a lot of people are going to understand this. Can't we do something with more mass appeal?" But Marvel sticks to its guns and delivers once again.

Thanks Guardians of the Galaxy for reminding me how much damn fun summer movies can be again. Eight-year old me and thirty-something year old me are both incredibly appreciative.

WB and Zack Snyder Reveal First Look at Wonder Woman

San Diego Comic-Con Saturdays are usually reserved for the heavy-hitters, and the day started not with a bang but with a thunderous explosion that overwhelmed both those in the infamous Hall H and those on social networks.

Zack Snyder, director of the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice took the stage and showed a brief but impactful teaser which gave the audience their first glimpse at an armor-clad Batman facing off with Superman. 

Not only that, but Snyder was briefly joined by Henry Cavill (Superman), Ben Affleck (Batman) and Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) and the all-new Wonder Woman costume was revealed. No pants, no leather jackets, the purists should be pretty happy. What do you guys think? 

The On-Going Saga of Ghostbusters III

Every other month or so, Dan Aykroyd will be out pitching his delicious Crystal Head Vodka or a new film in which he's making an appearance. And inevitably, someone will always ask him about Ghostbusters. "Tell us a story about making those films," or "What's going on with the third movie? Is it going to happen?" It's understandable, you have Dan Aykroyd the self-proclaimed heart of the Ghostbusters and a man responsible for so many memories from many of our childhoods sitting next to you. How could you resist?

Interestingly, each and every single time that he gives an answer, it spreads like wildfire. From the innocuous answer, "Well we're working on a script, maybe it'll happen" to more pessimistic views that, "it just doesn't look like it's in the cards anymore," his answers make headlines across the internet no matter what he says.

But the underlying message always unspoken, is that the on-going development hell of this film has been a story all its own.

In 1997, around the time that Sony and Bohbot Entertainment were launching a new string of syndicated animated programming dubbed "The BKN," Ghostbusters III chatter reached a fever pitch. It seemed that a new film starring Chris Farley, Chris Rock and possibly Adam Sandler (or Ben Stiller, depending on which rumors were believed) was just around the corner. Unfortunately, Farley passed away in December of 1997 and the film was put into a bit of a holding pattern.

Talks continued into the later days of the 1990s that the film would still be happening, items were just being retooled and rethought to change the direction of the Farley-centric film. But eventually around 2001, Aykroyd resigned himself to proclaim the development of the project dead. In Cinescape (thanks to the always amazing and meticulous Paul Rudoff for this archive) Aykroyd said, "it was tremendously liberating for me to go to the set of Bedazzled and say to Harold, 'Harold, we're not going to do this. I'm letting it go. I'm not going to persevere anymore. When I come to you next time it will be a whole new project.' And I went to each one of them and I said that, 'I'm never going to call you about this movie again.' So now we talk about other things."

And so that became the story for several years, it was the project that would always be looked back upon as having failed to launch for one reason or another.

Or was it?

As pre-production on Ghostbusters: The Video Game began at Terminal Reality around 2006, Aykroyd's enthusiasm for the third film was reinvigorated. Chatter began once again that the film was a possibility. And that chatter turned into a deafening roar when Bill Murray finished his voice recording on the game and seemingly enjoyed the process once again, having told David Letterman that he found himself on the streets of New York humming the Ghostbusters theme song.

View fullsize

Bill Murray appears to accept an award at the Spike Scream Awards in 2010... proving he's still got it.

And so it began again, hints and teases - even new screenwriters in veterans of The Office, Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg being hired to explore an all-new draft of the screenplay to usher in a new generation of Ghostbusters.

So confident at that point was Akyroyd that he hit the talk show circuit and started proclaiming that production would be starting that Fall... sound familiar? If so because that was 2009 and the same thing was said no more than a few months ago in the Spring of 2014.

In the past five years, so much has also happened - of course the unfortunate and still incredibly sad passing of Harold Ramis, a new writer coming in to refresh the script in Etan Cohen, directors apparently having been offered the job in Chris Miller and Phil Lord (which came after Ivan Reitman announced he had removed himself as the attached director of the project). 

Just this week, while out on his press tour for the James Brown bio-pic "Get On Up", Aykroyd has been asked several times from several journalists what the status of the third Ghostbusters installment is looking like and now he's claiming that production may ramp up in the Spring. This is in contrast to an interview with Ivan Reitman shortly after Harold Ramis' unfortunate passing that the film would be starting production Fall of this year. Here's Aykroyd appearing with Carson Daly just this week:

Such is the tale of film development. It's about as easy to predict as the weather (which makes it so funny that studios are making announcements for film release dates in 2018 and beyond already). Since those first whispers of another Ghostbusters film in 1995 all the way to sitting here in July of 2014, there have been highs and lows of promise and of resignation. 

For the past twenty years or so, I've followed that journey closely like a horse race seemingly with no end and with no victor. At moments, you're on your feet cheering and exhilarated and at other times you are burying your head in your hat unable to watch because the situation is so grim.

And predictably, once every month or two when a news article hits saying "Ghostbusters III to Start Production This (Insert Time Frame)," a friend will enthusiastically come up to me and say, "TROY! OMG! HAVE YOU SEEN THIS!?!?" I'll usually respond with a very tempered, "That's awesome! Wouldn't that be cool?" Even though I know that there's far more to it than the pleasant exchange that I just had with my friend.

And then I realize that I've essentially just said what Dan Aykroyd always politely says in all of these interviews since 1996, just with different verbiage...

Carson Daly: "Hey Dan, have you heard they're making a new Ghostbusters movie?"

Dan Aykroyd: "Wow! Wouldn't that be cool?"

San Diego Comic-Con 2014... From Afar This Year

Today marks the first "preview" day of the annual San Diego Comic-Con, which runs through this weekend. And it also marks the first time in a long while that I won't be down in the midst of it all. Over the past few years, the convention has exploded to ridiculous proportions. Wall-to-wall people jockey for position on roads and sidewalks, stand in lines that make Disneyland look like a fast food drive-thru, and literally scratch and claw each other for in-demand exclusives that are near impossible to get because of the sheer amount of people.

On top of all that, SDCC has become the go-to venue for film, television, and other mainstream media to flaunt their latest wares. It's not entirely clear what a movie like Let's Be Cops has to do with comic books or any of the genres that are indigenous to conventions, but someone somewhere decided, "Hey - 13-year old and college-aged boys like comics and stuff. We've gotta get them aware of this movie!"

Which is what a lot of SDCC boils down to now: that screaming and shouting in a crowd of thousands to be noticed, to be heard, to get someone's attention just long enough to sell them a ticket and hope that they'll tell twenty or thirty of their friends. But that doesn't explain why Variety is touting Fifty Shades of Grey as a potential surprise for Comic-Con. The audience down there isn't exactly your target demographic, but hey -- hordes of people! Quick, scream and try to get everyone's attention!

The San Diego Comic-Con is about as much about comics, sci-fi and pop culture as Sundance is about independent films being screened for a niche audience. It's all become this giant-sized circus that amounts to a lot of chaos rather than the personal individualized feel that it used to have. Nothing makes introverted, socially awkward nerds more comfortable than being surrounded by masses of people that are all demanding your attention and putting you on the spot every five seconds. It's the equivalent of walking through the school halls in junior high on an inflated scale now. Surely the bubble will burst soon?

At any rate, I'm actually looking forward to observing this SDCC from a distance. In terms of the Con experience, it seems like all of the big reveals and breaks are immediately (if not before-hand) on the internet. I'm able to interact with my favorite artists and writers on Twitter and purchase prints from them online now, which gives me the same experience as meeting them at their booth in Artist's Alley and gives me the time to admire their work in detail without being jostled by those damn giant WB bags every fifteen seconds. I'm also not really one for parties unless it involves getting to go into a replica of Flynn's Arcade and getting to play classic arcade games (again... see earlier comments about social anxieties). Though I enjoyed the couple that I've been to over the years, it's not high up on the priority list.

Despite the cynicism and grimness of the above (sorry about that), I'll be covering the things that excite me coming out of San Diego this year here on SPT. All you have to do is check back here frequently or hit up the tag SDCC on SPT down at the bottom of this page to travel through the rabbit hole of SDCC goodness as it progresses.