Movies galore, epic studio presentations, hordes of adoring fans, unforgettable cosplay, massive lines, and a painful sunburn: It’s all a part of the glorious fan gathering that was San Diego Comic-Con 2016. With fifteen years under my belt, I like to think that I’ve learned all the tricks of the trade that come with navigating through this chaotic, exhausting, and altogether exhilarating yearly event. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that San Diego Comic-Con is always an unpredictable affair.
There were a few noteworthy events that our crew got shut out of this year, but choices had to be made so that we could get into the higher-profile presentations. In the end, there isn’t a whole lot of room for complaining, because we saw some pretty great stuff. Here’s a look at some highlights.
“Aliens” 30th anniversary panel
With “Avatar” and “Titanic,” James Cameron fashioned two of the highest-grossing films in the history of the box office. But for my money, it’s “Aliens” that has truly stood the test of time. Cameron’s follow-up to Ridley Scott’s ’70s masterwork is one of the all-time great sequels (I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s better than Scott’s picture, but it’s every bit as good), and for all its many worthy attributes, it’s Cameron’s screenplay that is most worth noting. “Aliens” benefits from what is easily the strongest script of Cameron’s career. Among the brilliant set pieces and relentless action is an emotionally moving mother/daughter story, a subtle romance between Sigourney Weaver’s nightmare-plagued Ripley and Michael Biehn’s sensitive grunt, Hicks, and wonderful bursts of humor, most of which is supplied energetically by memorable supporting player Bill Paxton.
Having an opportunity to listen to the “Aliens” cast and crew reminisce about the making of the film after all these years was certainly a nostalgic rush to the system. The panel consisted of writer/director Cameron, producer Gale Anne Hurd, Weaver (Ripley), Biehn (Hicks), Paxton (Hudson), Lance Henrickson (Bishop), Paul Reiser (Burke), and Carrie Henn (Newt).
Save for a couple of playful potshots taken at David Fincher’s underrated “Alien 3,” there was noting but love and affection in the air throughout the panel. In fact, a lot of that love and affection was aimed squarely at Weaver. The entire cast was quick to point out that Weaver completely galvanized the crew throughout the shoot. Henn in particular said that she and Weaver bonded famously and that they’re still friends to this day. Speaking of Henn, it’s interesting to point out that she never did another movie after “Aliens.” Instead, she became a school teacher, and a beautiful one at that. I suspect there are plenty of fourth graders out there with big time crushes on her.
Perhaps my favorite portion of the “Aliens” panel came at the very beginning when Bill Paxton was introduced. The jovial actor entered the stage uttering his signature “Aliens” catchphrase; “Game over, man! Game over!” The entire convention hall went nuts, and all was good in the world.
This panel probably wouldn’t have meant that much to someone who didn’t grow up loving “Aliens,” but for this rabid fan, this 30th anniversary get-together was one of the highlights
Movie screenings
Comic-Con 2015 was disappointingly light in terms of advance movie screenings but Comic-Con 2016 more than made up for it! In fact, there were so many screenings this year (“Snowden, “Nerve,” “The Final Girls,” and a special 30th anniversary screening of “Aliens”) that we simply couldn’t fit them all in to our chaotic schedule. Thankfully, we did manage to get a few movies in.
“Sausage Party”
There are irreverent movies, and then there is Sony’s “Sausage Party!” This animated raunchfest from Seth Rogen and crew looks to do for Pixar what “Deadpool” did for the superhero genre. “Sausage Party” tells the tale of a handful of grocery store items that spend their days dreaming of being purchased by the consumer and taken beyond the walls of their habitat. Of course, a few of these grocery items have a rude awakening when they make a shocking discovery. Said items quickly discover that “consumer” has more than one meaning.
“Sausage Party” is shocking in the same way that “Team America: World Police” is shocking, and while the extreme sexual nature of the humor (this is foodie porn in every sense of the term) and a plethora of filthy jokes might be too much for some viewers to handle, I have to admit; I laughed a lot during this movie! We’re talking huge belly laughs. “Sausage Party” is as audaciously hilarious as it is foul. Don’t take the kids!
“Don’t Breathe”
“Don’t Breathe” has been garnering a steady stream of positive buzz since it debuted at South By Southwest earlier this year, so my expectations were fairly high. Upon entering the theater to see the movie, I was thrilled to see both writer/director Fede Alvarez and producer Sam Raimi mingling in the lobby. Both filmmakers were even kind enough to take a photo with me.
I’m happy to report that “Don’t Breathe” delivers in a big way. Alvarez is also responsible for the the ultra-gory “Evil Dead” reboot from a few years back, but this film is a completely different animal. “Don’t Breathe” is a home invasion thriller with a twist. It follows a trio of burglars who break into a residence owned by a blind man, and let’s just say that this trio quickly discover that you should never judge a book by its cover. The blind man in question is played by Stephen Lang, and he positively kills in this movie!
“Don’t Breathe” trades in the gleeful, in-your-face gore of Alvarez’s last film for the kind of sweat-inducing suspense that would make the likes of Alfred Hitchcock proud. If it’s shocks you want, though, this film offers them up; it just does so a little more sparingly. One shock in particular is sure to have audiences talking long after they’ve left the theater.
Sony’s “Don’t Breathe” is lean, mean, and extremely well crafted. We’ll have a full review up the closer we get to its Aug. 26 release date.
“The Woods”
This latest horror endeavor from “You’re Next” and “The Guest” creators Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett benefits from quite an insanely cool bit of marketing from Lionsgate. “The Woods” comes with a big surprise twist that was revealed to an unsuspecting packed house during Comic-Con. The thing is that this twist doesn’t pertain to the plot of the film itself but rather the identity of the film.
You see, “The Woods” is not really “The Woods.” “The Woods” is actually a sequel to “The Blair Witch Project.” The movie was shot last year under the false title “The Woods,” and upon much consideration, the marketing team decided why not continue marketing the movie as “The Woods” right up until the final big marketing push? So that’s what they did. And wouldn’t you know it? Our screening was the first public showing to unveil the truth behind this film’s actual identity.
Just outside the theater, before the screening, all the marquees were lined with “The Woods” movie posters. The center of the lobby was taken up by a massive standee for the film as well. After the movie ended, that standee and all those marquee posters were switched out with “Blair Witch” advertisements. That’s right! Lionsgate had pulled the old bait and switch.
Given that we live in a cinematic climate ruled by spoiler culture, I have to say that this whole marketing scheme was quite extraordinary. As the film began and I realized what “The Woods” actually was (this isn’t a late film reveal either, it’s established in the first frame that this is is “Blair Witch” follow-up), I was simply exhilarated by the notion that I had been fooled. And quite frankly, I liked that feeling, because it’s incredibly rare these days.
Wingard and Barrett are huge “Blair Witch” fans, and with this film, they wanted to pay homage to the original all while attempting to get to the bottom of some of that picture’s unanswered questions. When Lionsgate approached Wingard and Barrett with the bait-and-switch concept, the filmmakers loved the idea. Given that a large portion of the original film’s success relied heavily on a brilliant online marketing scheme, this seemed like the perfect next evolutionary step for the follow-up.
At the end of the day, though, the question remains: Is this new “Blair Witch” any good? With the movie not due to hit theaters until September, I’m going to hold off sharing my thoughts until then. While you wait, feel free to have a look at the trailer.
Warner Brothers presentation
When it comes to Comic-Con, Warner Brothers always does it up good in the showmanship department, and this year was no different. The massive Hall H Ballroom walls were lined with massive movie screens, thereby immersing the crowd of 7,000 fans in all the cinematic goodness the studio has to offer.
WB began the panel by unloading the big guns in the form of DC. On hand were the directors of the the DC shared universe: Zack Snyder (“Justice League”), Patty Jenkins (“Wonder Woman”), James Wan (“Aquaman”), Rick Famuyiwa (“The Flash”), and Ben Affleck (“Batman”). Each talked a bit about the excitement that comes with directing an iconic superhero property. “Aquaman,” “The Flash,” and “Batman” are still in the pre-production and development stages, therefore, DC chose to focus on films that are either deep in production or completed.
“Justice League”
“Justice League” has only been shooting for a short time, but Zack Snyder never comes to Comic-Con short-handed. He brought along the cast, including Henry Cavill who — spoiler alert — apparently died at the end of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Of course, any fan knows it would be foolish to think that Snyder would make a “Justice League” movie without Superman. There was no sign of the Man of Steel in the footage we were treated to, but I’m pretty confident that Superman is going to be in the movie. As for the footage, it was middle-of-the-road for me. I don’t know that I’m entirely keen on what Snyder is bringing to the table, but perhaps the addition of all these other characters will add a bit of a different vibe to the proceedings. Have a look at the footage for yourself here.
“Wonder Woman”
The “Wonder Woman” footage trumped the “Justice League” footage as far as I was concerned. Director Patty Jenkins is lively and likable, and she really appears to have a grasp on the source material. What’s more, she’s clearly capable of delivering badass action as was evident by the footage she shared with an enthusiastic crowd. Gal Gadot looks phenomenal in the lead, and she gets great assistance from a charming and likable Chris Pine. In terms of tone, it’s hard to shake shades of “Captain America” and “Thor,” but no matter. This one looks like a lot of fun, and I’m really looking forward to it.
“Suicide Squad”
“Suicide Squad” hits theaters in two weeks, so Warner Brothers decided to make one last marketing push at Comic-Con this year. Not that this movie needs it. Due mostly in part to strong word of mouth that surfaced at last year’s Comic-Con, this all-star DC villain-on-a-mission movie has bee building up steam ever since. This film is already poised to have a $100 million plus opening! Despite the fact that no more “Suicide Squad” buzz is really needed, Warner Brothers still went out of its way to impress fans! They brought director David Ayer and the entire “Suicide Squad” cast out to San Diego … again! What’s more, we were graced with yet another buzz-worthy promo reel! At this point, I just want to see the whole damn movie! It looks positively stellar!
Warner Brothers has quite a slate beyond DC superhero properties so the studio also took the opportunity to showcase a few other titles they have on the horizon.
“King Arthur: Legend of the Sword”
Guy Richie tries his hand at King Arthur with this stylized period piece starring Charlie Hunnam. This one could go either way for me, but the crowd reaction certainly seemed to indicate that there were plenty in attendance who are clearly on board. Here’s a peek.
“Kong: Skull Island”
Colin Trevorrow only had the independent gem “Safety Not Guaranteed” under his belt when Spielberg plucked him from virtual obscurity to direct a little movie called “Jurassic World.” Now, “The Kings of Summer” director Jordan Voght-Roberts gets a similar opportunity in the form of “Kong: Skull Island.” Warner Brothers brought a lot of cool stuff to share with attendees during their epic panel, but I think the “Skull Island” portion of the presentation was my favorite! “Skull Island” certainly looks like a big movie, but it also has an intimacy about it, and that is no doubt in large part to Vogt-Roberts’ involvement. This is a gorilla film … literally! Vogt-Roberts looks to be doing for “Kong” what Gareth Edwards did with “Godzilla,” and I for one can’t wait to see how it all comes together. This take on “Kong” takes place in the 1970s and features a terrific cast headed by the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Corey Hawkins, Toby Kebbell, and the great John Goodman. Larson, Hiddleston, Hawkins, and Goodman were all on hand to talk about the movie and all were in good spirits, particularly a hilarious Goodman who talked at length about the trials and tribulations that come with working with an actor as large and spoiled as Kong. A great panel for what looks to be one hell of a film!
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
Confession: I’m not a big “Harry Potter” fan. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not anti-Harry Potter or anything. I haven’t read the books, but the movies are enjoyable enough. Having said that, this series doesn’t mean as much to me as something like “Lord of the Rings,” but I still get the appeal, and I certainly understand why Rowling’s magical universe has endured. With “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” Rowling has collaborated once more with director David Yates in what looks to be an Americanized take on the world of wizardry. A handful of the cast were on hand, including star Eddie Redmayne. We were treated to the new trailer, and WB was even kind enough to give each attendee a magic wand as a gift. It was the perfect way for this iconic studio to close out quite an impressive presentation.
