Comic Con-age: WOLF CHILDREN's Howl of Sophisticated Pleasure

Wolf Children (おおかみこどもの雨と雪/ookami kodomo no ame to yuki), the third feature length anime from director Mamoru Hosoda is a gripping and heartwarming tale of cross-generational appeal. Essentially, anything you could think of saying to distinguish a work of fiction as a classic of its genre could aptly apply. Going over my NY Comic Con itinerary, I became wary of the movie’s FUNIMATION and Hero Complex sponsored screening when I detected the strong family friendly vibe of the anime. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but after long days of navigating the crowded convention floors, one looks for the comfort of entertainment he is most naturally drawn to, and my tastes tend toward the darker, grittier assemblage of moving images. No matter. Wolf Children proved to transcend genre leanings. It revealed itself to be a multilayered work, supporting recent ripples of acknowledgment that Hosoda-san is well on his way to achieving status as a master of feature length animated films, putting his name in the same realm as one Hayao Miyazaki. Even the English dubbed version they decided to screen, which initially caught me off guard (though it really should not have been that much of a surprise considering the wide audience its releasing company must aspire to reach), did not end up hampering my enjoyment of the experience. That in itself is a huge testament to the power of the film.

WOLF CHILDREN begins wrapped in a mood of idealistic romance as high school student Hana, speaking wistfully and mature beyond her years, falls into a whirlwind courtship with a werewolf.  Their enchantment with one another supersedes the importance of fitting in with society around them (a theme that recurs tunefully throughout the film) and soon the pair are living the sort of life experienced by those who grow up too fast – raising two children in a cramped metropolitan apartment.

Despite the couple’s upbeat attitude, invigorated by a sense of freedom, the feral qualities of Hana’s mate make him not long for the world around them and soon Hana is left to care for the two were-children alone.  Her plight is easily relatable to the real life world around us, in which such supernatural creatures don’t necessarily exist: a single mother trying to take care of two very rambunctious children.  Add to this the particularly Japanese norm of valuing fitting in and not disturbing the carefully structured order of things around you, and Hana becomes a truly empathetic figure.

Here emerges another theme, that of going against the grain and forging an unfamiliar, potentially challenging path for the sake of one’s family, as Hana decides uproot her clan and move to a remote countryside. Here the children, Yuki and Ame (which mean ‘snow’ and ‘rain’ could indulge their wolf sides as they scramble about the wondrously depicted surrounding wilderness. Yet challenges of surviving this naturalistic setting abound: Primarily, yielding food from the earth and contending with savage bouts of weather. And although the rural community is portrayed as more compassionate than that of the city, it still presents a challenge for newcomers to fit in to its established ways.  In contending with these obstacles, Hana is shown to be a strong, determined female protagonist who handles her interactions with members of the new community gracefully.

Meanwhile, Yuki and Ame develop stronger individual characteristics. The older Yuki is brash, fearless and unashamedly comfortable with her wolf form. Ame, on the other hand, is a more timid, delicate younger brother. These traits follow them through to the start of their attendance at school. However, after the passing of some years, a thought provoking reversal occurs, one that speaks rather accurately to the gendered experiences of children. Yuki becomes self-conscious, determined to fit in, even if it means the suppression of her once joyously flaunted wolf form. This is especially when interactions with a boy in her grade begin to take place. At the same time, Ame, who has not grasped the same success at school as his sister, grows more and more detached from his classes. He finds himself drawn to the wilderness, much to the concern of his mother, where he pursues a connection to the animal side of his family’s history. Through these situations, school is viewed as another complex social structure with demands to fit in that are challenging, yet of critical importance.

By telling a story with simple, joyous images for children to enjoy, true-to-life situations that adolescents can relate to, and themes of fitting in and dealing with identity crises that are substantial enough for adults to wrap their minds around, WOLF CHILDREN is an assured classic. An impressive feat is the complex manner in which children grow and change, something I do not find to occur in Miyazaki films I am familiar with. This is not a point of disparagement toward Miyazaki, but rather is something I find truly fascinating about Hosoda’s latest work.

In terms of visuals, there is a unique color palette, which I also took note of in the director’s previous film Summer Wars, consisting of cool blue-ish grays and pastel colors. They are at once easy on the eye and suggestive of the more subtle shades of the films’ human subjects.

Then, there is the delightful style of animating the children’s transformation into their wolf forms. They morph quickly and with a sense of ease from human to creature forms, turning into large, roughly sketched circular shapes. Bouncing about frantically, they are immediately disarming.

WOLF CHILDREN is a film I would love for you to be able to experience on the big screen. Then again, owning the DVD and being able to show it to future generations in a warm, familiar atmosphere would also be ideal.

WOLF CHILDREN is now available on DVD and Blu-ray from FUNIMATION.

Me on twitter = @mondocurry.

NY Comic Con-age: GYO TOKYO FISH ATTACK

The purveyors of anime at Aniplex have decided to serve up a slice of misanthropic, festering imagery with GYO: TOKYO FISH ATTACK, and gave curious New York Comic Con 2013 attendees an early look at it. The story is based on the work of Manga artist Junji Ito, whose not at all subtle classic horror stories tend toward the classically gruesome and vividly surreal. More well known works, such as Uzumaki and Tomie, have originated from the flow of his inkwell.

GYO sets its sights on 3 young women (Kaori, Erika, and Aki) vacationing in tropical Okinawa. Things are fine, save for the heat and a bit of boredom, until a rancid smell permeates the air, perturbing the friends all the way back to their accommodations. Only once there, its presence is even stronger. The source reveals itself to be a grotesque creature with a spindly bug-like torso carrying an aquatic animal’s upper body. No sooner do they destroy and dispose of the disturbing pest than they are roughly greeted by an even larger, shark-like monstrosity. Cut to a vast horde of scaly oceanic monstrosities filling the once quiet streets of Okinawa, and you get a sense of GYO’s briskly paced nightmarish vision. 

Having wasted little time in setting up the unlikely doomsday premise, the film spends the majority of its time depicting futile attempts to run both to and from the chaos; since Kaori‘s boyfriend Tadashi is in Tokyo she finds herself on the next flight there where she finds an ally in a reporter covering the story. An equally sized portion of the suffering wrought unto those exposed to the epidemic is also doled out. Logic and pacing only rarely make their way into the equation.   

Despite the achievement of some surreal moments that set this anime apart from many of its peers, GYO still often indulges stereotypes that too often go are a part of the genre. The main characters are familiar archetypes: the traditionally beautiful, successful and selflessly devoted Kaori is the flawless leader. Her first companion is Erika, who is obsessed with her looks and getting laid, the latter being a pursuit she commits herself to with insanely reckless abandon. Then there is Aki, whose lack of concern for maintaining an attractive appearance is accompanied by neurotic insecurity and, as the horror around them increases, a legendary spitefulness. While most characters suffer a cruel fate, Aki seems to bear the worst of it, suggesting a somewhat juvenile contempt for those not yearning to achieve conventional feminine beauty.

While Erika and Aki self-destruct under the pressure of a marine marauder onslaught and their stereotyped flaws, Kaori races through an already besieged Tokyo, encountering some coincidences that very handily serve the narrative. For instance, her boyfriend is not only caught in the onslaught of mutated ocean dwellers, but a Frankenstein-like scientist uncle of his appears to play an integral role in the creatures’ presence, and by extension so does he.

Twists of convenience such as this don’t do much to increase appreciation of the story. It’s the anime’s eyebrow raising dedication to pushing its grim messages to surreal extremes that does. As Kaori and her reporter ally confront Dr. Koyanagi and uncover very hastily explained theories about the attack, the predatory visitors take on new robotic features and expel flatulent blasts of noxious fumes that themselves appear to be made up of some kind of otherworldly energy. In the midst of the carnage that has befallen the city, Kaori encounters a big tent circus of all things. Right in the middle of the street…Sure. Here, a showy carnival barker incorporates this energy into part of the show. I’ll leave the fate of Tadashi at the hands of his uncle’s unscrupulous tinkering up to your imagination for now, but it is not pretty to say the least.

While the anime rests largely on one consistent note of endemic doom, there are a few curious references to some Japanese film favorites that may or may not be intentional. Tadashi’s afflicton as well as the creatures’ own later stage metamorphoses, may remind one of wild physical transformations found in Akira, or even Tetsuo: Iron Man, as pipes and other tangles of metal running rampant. The conclusion, meanwhile, is strangely reminiscent of the melancholic yet hopeful boat seen of Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s Kairo (Pulse). When Kaori finally declares she has begun to get used to the stench of death and decay surrounding her (“もなれていました”), it’s not much of a leap to presume GYO is referring to our own present day invasion-less reality. In this context, the aforementioned disappointing stereotypes may serve a purpose of showing humanity mired in its worst attributes. While not always rising above the tropes of most commercial anime, when it does it achieves levels of derangement that seep down to the bone.

GYO: Tokyo Fish Attack is available on DVD from Aniplex. Visit the site for details.

Me on twitter = @mondocurry.

There Will Be Blood...And Umbrellas: The Oldboy Panel @ NYCC2013

It was with some trepidation and more than a little skepticism that I regarded news of the upcoming Old Boy remake, directed by Spike Lee and with a screenplay written by Mark Protosevich. It wasn’t concern over how faithful the American version would be to the original story . A panel on book-to-film adaptations at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2012 and other film-related events have shifted my thinking on any sort of adaptation to look for merit in what original twists they bring to the source material. It should also be kept in mind that the original Oldboy movie is itself an adaptation of a Japanese manga, and its radical departure from the multi-volume series is an exciting improvement on the printed story.

In fact what had recently troubled me most was the surfacing of a trailer for the American version, which featured an almost shot for shot reconstruction of the Korean movie’s classic opening sequence. The prospect of nothing new being brought to the table coupled with the strong suspicion that a US based production would not dare brooch the unsettling taboo territory of the original’s final punch, I feared we’d be left with nothing more than a copy and a copout.

The preview panel for the Spike Lee remake that went down at this year’s NEW YORK COMIC CON, which will be released in theaters November 27, turned my reluctance to curiosity, enough so that I am committed to venture, as spoiler-less as possible, into a large cinema to give it a proper theater viewing and see what’s in store, good, bad, or just different. Along with supporting cast members Michael Imperioli and Pom Klementieff, screenwriter Protosevich was on hand to discuss the adaptation of the original film enthusiastically, thoughtfully, and with a sense of appreciation for the original’s status. (Star Josh Brolin delivered a video message before a clip from the film was shown.)

The talk, accompanied by a newly unveiled clip from the film revealed some interesting aspects of the remake – along with plenty of details to speculate over (and being the huge fan of the original that I am, speculate I shall). There will certainly be some variations in action sequences, as the clip shown featured some very gruesome violence rendered with a hammer by Brolin as the protagonist. While that particular tool has come to be legendarily and controversially viewed as an iconic aspect of the original Oldboy, the Korean film featured nothing as graphically visceral as what was shown in these few seconds of the new one. We also get a glimpse of Brolin exerting physical and psychological terror on a character played by Samuel Jackson, presumably to attain information. A dashed line drawn around Jackson’s to emphasize what could come next recalls that famous imaginary line that appears in the original, suggesting the trajectory of Oh Dae-Su’s hammer toward the skull of a thug standing between him and his goal.  The scene is both talky and sweary – add that to the presence of Jackson and one can’t shake a bit of a Pulp Fiction vibe, plus perhaps wonder how much of the film is pervaded by this feel.

Other changes we can count on is the casting of a female in the role of the antagonist’s bodyguard (French actress Pom Klementieff), a significant changeup from the original film where the equivalent role was played by Kim Byeong-Ok, a natural at portraying seedy, smarmy characters. Klementieff is pictured here on the panel. She spoke of some of the physical duress and injuries suffered during the course of shooting, suggesting a good dose of fight choreography is on hand. Then there was the fashion show like parade of expressionless, yellow umbrella holding ladies, whose procession began the panel, after which they remained motionless through its duration. My guess is that these figures have something to do with triggering different stages of hypnosis undergone by the main character, something that was connected to cellphone ringtones in the Korean movie.

In terms of what of the original will stay and what will go, Protosevich described conversations with Spike Lee wherein they discussed a desire to keep in certain iconic imagery strongly associated with the original film, yet leave out aspects that may not translate culturally. Considering this, the decision to leave the opening imprisonment sequence mostly intact makes a bit more sense. And it is probably unlikely we’ll be seeing Josh Brolin go all cannibal on a live squid. Protosevich used a simple yet very effective analogy of bands doing cover versions to describe their approach to the adaptation: (You) want to maintain key elements of the original, the melody for instance, but at the same time change things up enough to give it its own identity while still being recognizable.  Following this logic may suggest that Protosevich and Lee did not look to impart any new themes through their rendering of a new version. We may very well be getting a remake that appreciates the original as a pop action affair, simply presenting it in a different way.

Then again, how they will deal with one of the original film’s most intriguing aspects – its unfathomably shocking conclusion – is still shrouded in mystery. Protosevich emphatically  promised a story that goes into far darker territory than the original; that’s quite a hefty claim considering its predecessor. Still, there is no telling if this means the new Olbdoy gets into the same discomforting subject matter or not; during the q & a, both he and a few fans of the original movie were respectful of maintaining the element of unknown for those unfamiliar with the first movie.

One last detail we can anticipate, as indicated by the clip shown and the q & a, is Josh Brolin on a bike peddling furiously through Chinatown. One savvy audience member thanked Protosevich for writing us a callback to Brolin on a bicycle; it previously occurred in the ‘80s movie Goonies. Thinking on some 2-wheeled activity that myself and another Unseen stalwart who goes by the initial C have been up to in Dumpling City of late, I hope these scenes are not too much of a bad influence.

Spike Lee’s remake of OLDBOY is due out in theaters on November 27^th.

Mondocurry on twitter = @mondocurry

Help finish Better Things: The Life and Choices of Jeffrey Catherine Jones

Jeffrey Catherine Jones and Director Maria Cabardo

I have just seen something wondrous and I need you all to get over to the website for the film BETTER THINGS: The Life and Choices of Jeffrey Catherine Jones and donate some money to help pay off the cost of finishing the film. The film is a look at the life and art of Jeffrey Catherine Jones, who most people know as a comic book artist, but who was actually something greater.

No seriously I need you to do this now. I need you to give as much as you can as soon as you can because this film is absolutely amazing. While nominally about artist Jeffrey Jones, the film also is about the creative process and how some people need to create. This is one of those great movies that is about more than just it's stated subject.

You have to help cover costs for this film because it's truly amazing. No, it is, really. It's so amazing that I am incapable of reviewing the film right now. I mean the film put me somewhere past words- well not really past words- the first words were watching it were "Oh Wow" and that was followed by "Oh F%$" as I started to get misty at the beauty of the art and the sentiment. Clearly director Maria Cabardo took the idiom of do what you love to heart and she knocked it out of the box.

But anyway this isn't a review, that will be coming. Instead this is a request that you open your wallets and help get the film paid off.

Over the weekend I got to meet director Maria Cabardo when she was part of a panel about making movies about making comics at New York Comic Con (a report on the panel is here), During the panel and again in our brief discussion she mentioned that she was still trying to get money to finish the film. To that end she has put some of the donated art up for sale at Comic Art Fans and it can be found here. She said that even though the pieces are marked at a certain price she is open to negotiating.

If you can't afford the art you can donate by going to the film website here which has a link so that you can donate to the cause (It also has art, videos and other stuff from the film). Ms Cabardo has informed me that she still has some of the goodies she was offering from an earlier funding attempt  and if you contact her (maria@macabfilms.com ) she'll send out something to you in exchange for the cash.
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To give you an idea of what she has available I've taken the info from the earlier funding attempt. You'll have to contact Ms Cabardo  about what she has and what she can send you. (A word about the DVD's:  Ms Cabardo informs me that the DVDs aren't really available since she has signed a deal with a distributor and they have control of the DVD release)


$20
LIMITED EDITION MOVIE POSTER
One specially designed movie poster.

$20
POSTCARDS
6-8 randomly selected artwork from the donated pieces from the Jones Artbook. Some of the featured artists are: Rick Berry, James Gurney, Rebecca Guay, Bill Sienkiewicz, Jeff Miracola, and others. The cover is a JCJ watercolor painting donated by Robert Wiener from Donald E. Grant Books.

$40
DVD
A DVD of the film TO BE SHIPPED ONCE IT HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY RELEASED BY A DISTRIBUTOR (Not currently available)

$50
CANVAS BAG + POSTCARDS
A real attention grabber, use it for your books or when shopping. It features one of your favorite JCJ artwork printed in color. Plus a collection of postcards featuring art from the Artbook.

$55
T-SHIRT and POSTCARDS
Your choice of T-shirt -- With or without the headline Fantastic Lesbian. It is a very limited edition that comes in 3 colors, White, Gray, or Pink. S, M, L, XL. Add 5.00 more for larger sizes.

$75
THE JONES ARTBOOK
An amazing collection of artwork from artists in the comics, publishing, role-playing, and entertainment field. This book is dedicated to help fund BETTER THINGS and was only made possible by their generosity and willingness to help get Jones' story and art to the world. It contains 48 pgs of color and black and white work. (I've seen the book it's amazing- if you want to see whats in it check the Comic Art Fans Page and the film website)

$100
ARTBOOK + Postcards + DVD
A limited edition artbook showcasing works from artists inspired by JCJ. (Most of these pieces were generously created by the artists for an auction to raise money for the film). A DVD of the film TO BE SHIPPED ONCE IT HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY RELEASED BY A DISTRIBUTOR along with a set of 6-8 postcards featuring artwork randomly selected from the Artbook. Updates on the DVD release date will be posted to the film’s website and Facebook page. This applies to all the DVD rewards.(DVD not available)

$150
SIGNED & NUMBERED JONES POSTER
Here's your chance to own a signed and numbered 4-color offset lithograph by Jeffrey Catherine Jones. Title: Carol, Size: 18 1/2 x 20 1/4 inches. Courtesy of Glimmer Graphics.

$300
ARTBOOK + CANVAS BAG + DVD
You get the Artbook, a canvas bag with JCJ artwork and a DVD of the film with EXTRA BONUS FOOTAGE. In addition to all that, your name will appear on a thank you credit in the BONUS DVD. (DVD not available)

As I said you'll have to speak with Ms Cabardo about what she has and what she will send you for what price.

Please do yourself a favor- get involved in making this film break even. Its a great film that deserves to turn a profit.

Chronicles of Contessa: The Mark of Devison (2013)

Short comic connected film from Pamela Paige is told in verse and possess a wonderful visual sense that blends variety styles to create something truly special...

The film tells the story of Devison who has stolen a reincarnation elixir from the planet Sayon and is using it to form his own evil army made up of souls from Earth. Fighting them is Contessa (played by director Paige) who is looking for payback for being beaten and raped.

Running a scant 16 minutes the film is not for all tastes, its violent, in verse and has nudity, three things that may rattle some audiences. For those who don't mind, the film is a really off the beaten track visual delight. A wonderful blending of genres (comic, scifi, horror, revenge) and visual styles (live action,animation, text) the film doesn't feel like most other films. I know I've seen other films that have tried to so something similar, taking the low budget and whipping it up with graphics and animation to make it look more, but in most of those cases they missed the mark, here it all comes together into something smart. I'm guessing that Paige was lucky enough to be working with Rodolfo Rolo Ledesma who is an Eisner nominated illustrator(They shared a booth at New York Comic Con this year) who provided some kick ass illustrations.

I really liked the film a great deal... so much so that I want to see what comes next. The film is clearly a set up for something more. There is a bigger story than the 16 minutes can contain and while I was saddened I wasn't at all surprised when the time ran out before the story did.  My one question is where is the rest of it?-*

If you want to see something really special and one of the gems I set up Unseen Films to find and showcase then track down  Chronicles of Contessa -The Mark of Devison.  And let's all hope that Pamela Paige can find someone crazy enough to give her the money to try to do something like this on a feature scale.

(*-Addendum: I got an email from the director who said this was to be three times the length but technical issues with the green screen wrecked all of the additional footage and it had to be rewritten. She needs an investor to finish shooting the film. )

Director /star Pamela Paige at NYCC '13

SIlver Circle (2013)

I am forever looking for small independent films needing to be helped along to find an audience. When I was at New York Comic Con this weekend I picked up a couple of small films that filmmakers were selling in the hopes of find some hidden gems.  One of which was the animated SILVER CIRCLE.

Pasha Roberts's film is set in a future a few years off. The worst economic crisis ever sparked an economic collapse that resulted in the rampant inflation and the Federal Reserve taking over the housing markets. Gold and silver has been outlawed and money is worth less each moment that passes. After the Fed clears out a track of homes, eleven of them are burned down. Investigator Jay Nelson is put on the cases which drops him down a rabbit hole as he discovers a rebel movement and finds out what is really going on, and who is really in control.

The first thing you have to do when you see this film is get past the animation style. Looking more like a retro video game than a feature animated film, the films style is going to lose viewers just on the face of it. You have to push past the low budget style. We have to celebrate that some one is telling a good crime story and not worry about the animation style. The fact that I'm saying go past the animation style says a great deal about the film.

If you get past the animation style you have to decide how you are going to look at the film. Will you take it as a straight on thriller, in which case you'll have a pretty good time; or are you going to see this as a political tract and polemic on the evils of the Federal Reserve, in which case the film collapses.

To be honest the films big problem is that the film was designed as a rant against the Fed and big finance. Through out the film the action stops dead as one character or another rambles on to our hero about what the Fed has done and is doing.  Not only do the long winded rants kill forward momentum they take place in a world that is part of some alternate reality. Yes there are problems with the Fed,but the big conspiracy that Roberts is claiming to exist is more dystopian fantasy than reality. It requires huge leaps of faith and logic that just aren't there and the likelihood of say the Fed getting a police force and control of housing just isn't likely to happen any time soon, even if there were an economic crisis.

If one wanted to keep it simple the reality of the film is pure fantasy- look at the way the world is set up and consider what the world shows of how people live and realize things would be vastly different considering the price of bread is 58 dollars a loaf. Look at post WW1 Germany- which I know is what Roberts was aiming at when he missed the mark. Things would be much more chaotic. Things wouldn't be as they are now, but vastly down graded. The background universe of the film is being set up to make a point not to actually work which is where the WTF moments come from. This is a world that comes a writers imagination and not reality.

If you can ignore the polemic the film is actually a pretty good thriller. Yes its the sort of thing we've seen before any number of times where one good man is sent on a quest that ends up revealing a grand conspiracy, but the film is well written (politics aside) and has some great action set pieces- I like Jay being rescued by Zoe early in the game, and it has some great slimy villains.

Is it a great film? No but assuming you can divorce yourself from the off the wall universe the film operates in it is a good one that I would watch again.

New York Comic Con Day 4- The calm and the reflection

Day 4 of the  New York Comic Con was rather low key. It was much like the previous day where things seemed to run right, and the insanity of the first two days that had me saying less than kind things about the convention was gone. It was the sort of experience that had me wanting to go next year after swearing I was forever done on Thursday and Friday.

Much of the day was spent wandering the sales floor talking to vendors, talking to people, taking pictures (lots of stuff at the Tumblr page) and chatting with friends like Chocko, Mondocurry and Alec. Alec was hanging out in the press lounge waiting for an MIA Hubert to arrive so they could shoot a video piece for Flixist.

I ran into my neighbors Mark and Denise and their kids in the lounge. They had been there for an hour and it was so overwhelming that the kids wanted to head home. The crowds and the many sights had simply overwhelmed them. They told me that normally their kids would have wanted to tear into all of the action figures but the choices were simply too much for them.

The feel this fourth and final day was mellow.

From a vendors point of view I know it was much too mellow, in most cases people weren't buying. I know in previous years Sunday was the big day to buy because of deals and because you wouldn't be saddled with things for the rest of the con, but this year no one bought. Many booths were radically slashing prices to get things to move, they hadn't been planning on taking anything home- or as much as they were. I bought things because of the deals that I hadn't planned on buying.(I thought I was getting out with only spending a round a hundred bucks-but I guess not)

Several vendors by the Block  section were going home damn near bankrupt because of poor sales. A large number of people, even those who made money said they were not coming back next year because the cost to profit margin is too high- it costs too much to be there so you have to make a huge amount of money to really break even. Its not worth the effort.  I think it was a lesson many learned last year since many vendors I used to deal with were no where to be found. A large number of people there this year will not be back next.

I see this as the answer to a piece I did last year asking if New York Comic Con had jumped the shark and changed into something else.- clearly it has. Comic Con is now about being there and being seen. Its an event. It's a happening. Its become something that isn't wholly about fans communing with each other. What you now have is a large number people people going not to be part of the convention and take part in it but to see what it's all about. Its about being at an event and seeing the "freaks" as several attendees called the cosplay people.

They, we are not freaks.

I'm not sure what I think of the now very real change from fan event to social happening. I know the change was what prompted my dislike of Thursday and Friday. These are not typical Comic Con people, these were not the same people who had been there every other year. There was a discussion in the press lounge about were we all getting too old for this? After much talk it seemed to come out, it wasn't that we were too old, everyone was talking about other conventions that they would gladly go to, rather it was this convention was now something else.

There was also lots of discussion about the panels this year. From my perspective and a few other film writers the number of film related panels was small. I tried to get into some and failed, I did make it to the Oldboy panel and the Making Movie About Making Comics panels but outside of that there wasn't much. There was a great deal of TV panels but I haven't seen many of the shows so I didn't attend.

A small problem, the result of my being a Luddite with an out dated phone, is that unless you had the mobile app anything updated from when they printed the convention book a month a go wasn't going to be placed before you- on the other hand the app frequently would tell you about additions moments before they happened and made say running to a Sleepy Hollow signing event a non-starter.

So how was it?

Cleave off Thursday (that was really unpleasant) and it was a good Con. It was probably too slick and too low key, but it was good. I'm not sure I think I like the change from a fan event to a social happening for a wider audience, but it was good. (If you want proof of social happening consider how little cosplay there was on Sunday and how many people were walking around armed with cameras looking for cosplay people)

Will I go again next year?

I'm not sure. I might. Right now I'm too tired, the result of too much over the last six weeks between this and the New York Film Festival. Right now I need sleep.

And before going I want to add- keep reading I'm going to be reviewing several films I picked up at the convention or which I learned about there including several from the Making Movies about Comics panel.

Wide eyed fans crash into each other 

NEW YORK COMIC CON DAY 3: Back from the edge of the Apoclypse

Jeremy Bastian draws in my copy of his Cursed Pirate Girl hardcover

There are a tone of photos over at the Tumblr page so be sure to jump over there and take a look.

Weirdly there is little to report. Actually there is good news, the expected crowd problems for today were no where to be found. Actually all of the things I had been complaining about during the previous two posts were gone. The crowds largely moved (except by the food court and the women's bathrooms) and were actually even lovelier than before.  These are the people who should be going to the show.

Finally Comic Con was the way it should be.

I spent much of the day wandering around with Randi. She had me pick up Jeremy Bastain's Cursed Pirate Girl hard cover (see above). I have no idea how it is but both she and Bastain insist I'll love it. I love the small drawing he did inside it.

We also spent time Elayne Riggs wife of comic artist Robin Riggs (who was off being wined and dined by his publisher). After a bit I stopped listening and spoke briefly with Peter David who was seated next to Elayne.  I inquired about an After Earth sequel which he was scheduled to write. He said the first film had failed and the sequel was dead.He did direct me to the novels he had written in the universe so I picked them up. )As you may or may not know I had seen David speak in June and he talked about what the film might have been and where he planned to take the sequel. It all sounded great and I was sad to learn there would be no more stories.

After lunch at the Skylight Diner (see the Tumblr account for pictures of Gandalf in the diner) we went back to the Javits Center. Randi's return time at the con was brief (her husband was coming back from a rescue mission involving Bully and band of rogue penguins) and I said good bye before heading up to the press lounge.

In the lounge I ran into Mondocurry who was charging his phone.We talked for a bit before Hubert and Alec came in with their editor at Flixist Matthew Razak. We all talked for a bit before heading off in our separate ways.

Ian Fischer, Maria Cabardo and Patrick Meaney talk movies and art

I headed down to the MAKING MOVIES ABOUT MAKING COMICS panel. Run by Heidi MacDonald The panel was Ian Fischer (director of RUDE DUDE about Steve Rude), Maria Cabardo (director of BETTER THINGS:THE LIFE AND CHOICES OF JEFFERY CATHERINE JONES) and Patrick Meaney (Director of WARREN ELLIS:CAPTURED GHOSTS and several others). I had gone there because I had been in contact with Maria about her film (expect more posts on how to help fund it, how to see it, reviews and perhaps an interview).

Beginning with Patrick, Heidi had each filmmaker talk about their films and showed clips. They began by showing a clip from the just completed film on Image Comics, which showed what happened when Todd MacFarland and his fellow writers quit Marvel to form the company. It was a funny story told by the men who lived it. Next they showed a clip from a short documentary on Chris Claremont and his time on the X-Men (it's being shown this Monday-tomorrow- at the Columbia Library at 7pm in room 523). After that they showed a clip of Patrick's work in progress on Neil Gaiman. The film was done by following Neil around on his book tour. It featured a bit with Neil welcoming us to his underground lair which he was going to use for world domination and promising to show us his octopus tank, world map and room with buttons. It was a charming piece and makes me want to see the film.

Maria was next and she talked about how she wanted to do something else, some thing other than the graphic design with which she earns her living, so she decided to make a film. She then decided that she wanted to make a film about art and someone she always wanted to meet, Jeffrey Jones. Talking artist Michael Kaluta into allowing her to interview him so she could cut it into a trailer to get Jones involved in the project, she filmed for an hour and then cut it into something which she showed to Jones who agreed to do it. She then went out to try and get the project going. Maria persevered and despite being told that art is irrelevant by an Oscar winning documentary producer and being told that a documentary on comics, art and transgender issues would have no audience by dis. Three clips were shown, the last of which being Jones talking about art and how history will decide what is good art floored me. Its a beautiful piece and captured what Maria said she was going for, namely a documentary about how artists work, feel and do. It was  then I knew she really nailed it and I can't wait to see the full film. (I suspect the clip means a great deal to her as well since I could see her in the dark reacting to Jones's words.) (http://www.macabfilms.com/) The film is coming out from Kino Lorber on DVD in 2014 and can be downloaded from their website.

Last up was Ian who talked about his long battle to make RUDE DUDE about artist Steve Rude. Rude was his hero and making the film was an eye opener as just as filming started Rude moved from comics to fine art. The film also dropped him into Rude's world which is a dark place since the artist is bipolar. He learned very clearly that one should never meet their heroes. Based on the trailer it looks to be one hell of a film. (www.rudedudedoc.com or www.ianfischer.com) The film is free for the next 24 hours (less ab little) and will be available at Amazon soon).  Ian also spoke of his upcoming SUPERHERO NATION which involved over 120 interviews.

The Q&A was brief  with some of the best answers coming from a question about interviewing. I don't remember what exactly was asked- I think it was something about difficult interviewees- but Patrick related how one person refused to talk since he could never be paid enough. Maria spoke of going to visit someone and having to drive in a blizzard to get there. Not wanting to go back into the cold to get the notes she left in the car she tried to fake it but messed up and had to be saved by her crew who started interviewing the subject. She also told the story of how she finished the interview with Moebius but he wanted to still talk so she and her cameraman went off and her sound guy continued the interview. Ian talked about how for SUPERHERO NATION he realized that asking everyone the same questions got the same answers and how pre-interviewing made things go much faster.

There was more (when asked if someone should go the independent route 2 of 3 said no and then softened saying that if you do go that way know what it entails, long hours, loneliness) but I'm beginning to fade after another long day.

Tomorrow is the final day so expect more pictures, more reports and a summing up.