Thursday, July 20
10 a.m.: The doors open and before ticket sales even
begin, the line to purchase passes for Comic-Con stretches past the
entire length of the San Diego Convention Center. However, my
friends and I, seasoned veterans and loyal devotees of Comic-Con,
are already inside. It’s my third year in attendance, and I know
the trick to skipping the lines — buy your
tickets earlier online, and not only can you get your four-day
passes for half the price, you can pick up your passes earlier,
attend "Preview Night," and see all the booths before the rest of
the public. As soon as I enter, I begin to do one of the things I’m
best at: shopping. A penguin with a skeleton painted on it to
complete my Gwin army — check. More Sandman
graphic novels to complete my collection —
check. New art prints for my wall — check. It’s
all beginning to add up, and soon I�m carrying
more plastic bags than I can count.
2 p.m.: I quickly grab seats for the Warner Brothers
Animation presentation. They begin by showing a trailer for "The
Ant Bully," which seems like yet another CGI movie based on bugs.
Then, there is a preview for "Happy Feet." It’s another penguin
movie, yet the scenes shown from the upcoming film are so cute and
hilarious that I can’t wait until I can see the whole thing.
However, it is clear that everyone in the room is waiting for one
thing: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." The new Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles film (tentative release date March 30, 2007) is set to take
place sequentially right after the second movie. Director Kevin
Munroe debuted the trailer, as well as a few minutes of raw
footage, to the cheers of a full room of fans in need of their
heroes-in-a-half-shell. The new movie, done completely in CGI,
looks amazing.
3 p.m.: Independent distributor Lions Gate Films
previews three of its upcoming films. "Skinwalkers" seems like a
campy take on werewolves with feelings. On the other hand, the
preview for "Crank," starring Jason Statham, looks promising. The
movie revolves around a hit man who has been injected by a poison
that will kill him if his heart rate slows down. Overall, it is the
scene from "Saw 3" that shocks the most. Let’s just put it this
way: If you don’t like the idea of being blown up unless you rip
out seven chains that are attached to you by multiple piercings
through your body, including one through your jaw bone, then "Saw
3" is probably not the movie for you.
Friday, July 21
12:30 p.m.: After a hard decision between watching the
pilot for "Heroes" or going to the 20th Century Fox panel, I decide
to sit in on the latter. Fox is tight-lipped about what they are
going to preview at the Con; however, the surprise is well worth
the wait. "Eragon," based on the best-selling novel, and
"Pathfinder," a not-so-appealing movie based on Vikings and Native
Americans, are two of the action-packed movies that the company
previews. However, the two comedies that Fox has in store are
stellar. Clips from "Reno 911: Miami" were presented by the cast,
including a hilarious clip that involved a chicken breaking the
law. Borat, from "Da Ali G Show," showed a few minutes from "Borat:
Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of
Kazakhstan." A surprise screening of the entire movie was then
announced, causing many to jump out of their seats in order to grab
tickets.
3 p.m.: One of my favorite artists, Brian Ewing, is
signing art at his booth. Many bands, including the Lawrence Arms,
Less than Jake and the Bouncing Souls, have used Ewing’s style of
morbid, counterculture artwork. He is most famous for the Warped
Tour work he did last year, which included members of most of the
bands as comic book heroes. He’s down-to-earth and even takes the
time to sketch cute skeletons in suits on each of the posters I
bought.
5:45 p.m.: The number of people in line to get into the
panel for New Line Cinema far surpasses the 3,000-person capacity
of Hall H. I patiently sit through the DVD promotion for "Final
Destination 3," as well as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The
Beginning" promotional information. I even really enjoy the
hilarious clip from Tenacious D in "The Pick of Destiny." However,
it is clear that everyone is here to see some snakes … on a
plane. In case you haven’t heard, Samuel L. Jackson is starring in
a new movie called "Snakes on a Plane," which is about
— well, you can guess from the title. Ten
minutes from the film debut at the Con this year, and as cheesy as
the premise is, I must admit I jump at some parts. Jackson even
fields some questions, including "Is it easier to kill a snake or a
shark?" and "Do these snakes deserve to die?"