Tagged: fan

Review: ‘Speed Racer’ – Emile Hirsch Gets Behind the Wheel

So here we are, a mere two weeks into the Blockbuster Season and the veil of bedazzlement has already been lifted. If you are a fan of the original [[[Speed Racer]]] franchise, animated films, or even decent films in general, you will more than likely be disappointed with the film that should’ve been more accurately named [[[Speed Raver]]]. From start to finish, this film is very much like what an 8-year-old would do if he were given a crate of Pixie Stix and free run of a CGI studio, with no knowledge whatsoever about pesky details like story structure, character development or any shred of realism.

For those not in the loop, the story of Speed Racer surrounds not just the titular character (played by possibly one of the better actors of his generation, Emile Hirsch), but his über-supportive family. Pops and Mom Racer, played by John Goodman and Susan Sarandon, respectively. Balancing out the cast was Speed’s girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci), his obnoxious and extraneous little brother and pet chimp, and by far the MVP of the film, in Matthew Fox as Racer X.

The plot, or at least what one can gather about it after two hours in the theater, takes place in a world where car racing is king and the car-building Racer family takes aim at the allegedly fixed world of professional racing with their prodigal son, Speed. The plot is almost beaten into our heads for the first hour, with cartoonish performances and poorly rendered backdrops aiding along the way.

(more…)

Podcast Feud: iFanboy Vs CAGcast?

  • News
  • April 25, 2008

It’s happened to all of us at some point. As a comic book fan you attend a convention with hopes of making a personal connection with a creator or personality you admire. Then reality shatters your expectations when you find that he or she’s, well… sort of a jerk.

Wombat, the co-host of the popular Cheap Ass Gamer podcast (aka CAGcast), is a well-known comic book fan and has gone off-topic on his show many times to talk about comics. It’s no surprise that the New York CIty native was planning to attend the New York Comic Con. In past episodes of the show, he’s mentioned that he enjoyed the iFanboy video podcast. So what happens when he spotted them on the convention floor?

According to Wombat, after introducing himself to the iFanboy crew, they promptly gave him the cold shoulder. CheapyD, the other CAGcast co-host, made the segment into a wickedly funny Internet video.

 

 

At the end, Wombat reports that Josh from iFanboy apologized and no hard feelings are held on either side.

Wombat, ComicMix Radio promises to never slight you — because now we’ve seen what happens!

 

 

Happy Birthday: Keith R.A. DeCandido

  • News
  • April 18, 2008

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Born in New York’s the Bronx in 1969, Keith R.A. DeCandido was a science-fiction fan from the very start—his parents were fans of the original Star Trek, as well as classic SF/Fantasy novelists like Heinlein, Le Guin, and Tolkien.

DeCandido attended Fordham University and edited the college newspaper, and after graduating he worked for several New York publishing houses.

In 1990, he and John Drew created the public-access SF TV show The Chronic Rift, which DeCandido also co-hosted. In the late ’90s, DeCandido worked for Byron Preiss, editing anthologies and novels, and began writing stories for Preiss as well.

DeCandido’s first novel, Spider-Man: Venom’s Wrath (written with Jose R. Nieto) was published in 1998. In 1999 DeCandido got the opportunity to write for the Star Trek franchise, authoring the four-issue comic book miniseries Star Trek: The Next Generation: Perchance to Dream. Since then he has written over a dozen Star Trek novels and over a dozen novels for other licenses.

 

Onion News Network Spoofs ‘Iron Man’ Film

  • News
  • April 17, 2008

 Ever like the trailer more than the movie? Yeah, me too. If I wasn’t sneaking into half  of those movies, I’d be upset.

News parody site The Onion took that concept and added typical comic fan anti-buzz to the Iron Man movie trailer. Wouldn’t you have loved it if Superman Returns stayed a trailer?

 

Wildly Popular ‘Iron Man’ Trailer To Be Adapted Into Full-Length Film

Sci-Fi Summit Report: More on ‘Star Trek’ and a Tale of Two Spocks

  • News
  • April 16, 2008

[EDITOR’S NOTE: You’re about to read our special ComicMix report on the Star Trek panel and Q&A at this year’s Grand Slam: Sci-Fi Summit in Burbank, CA. If you’d like to know more about the convention, we also have a general roundup of the Sci-Fi Summit and a special report on the James Marsters panel and Q&A session with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer actor. -RM]

2-spocks-3-tm-6878406Last Sunday, Sci-Fi Summit attendees were treated to one half of the writing team behind the upcoming Star Trek film and the recent live-action Transformers movie, as writer Roberto Orci kicked off the grand finale of the show. After the writer apologized for the absence of Alex Kurtzman, his associate of 17 years, the fans were treated to a screening of the Star Trek trailer and some photos that Orci took on set.

The trailer didn’t feature any new footage, and included shots of the U.S.S. Enterprise’s construction, apparently on Earth. When a fan expressed his displeasure at this, Orci assured him, “Just because they start building it on Earth, doesn’t mean that it can’t be finished in space.”

Orci’s slideshow also failed to reveal any spoilers, with the possible exception of a photo of an inedible-looking craft service table marked “Romulan’s Only,” confirming the appearance of the alien race in the film

When the recent writer’s strike ended, Orci said he and Kurtzman spent nine weeks writing Transformers 2 and handed in their first draft this past Friday. When asked what new Transformers fans could look forward to in the film, the writer answered, “Maybe Soundwave.”

Orci also hinted that there are Star Trek references in both of his previous films, The Island and Transformers, and there will be more references in Transformers 2. He also confirmed that the writing team did a polish on the script for Watchmen.

According to Orci, famed director Steven Spielberg played a large role in J.J. Abrams’ decision to direct Star Trek. Abrams had agreed to produce the film, but was not sure if he wanted to direct. Spielberg read the script and convinced Abrams to helm the project. Orci also recalled a set visit where the Close Encounters of the Third Kind director sat on the bridge of the Enterprise and helped block out an action sequence. (more…)

More Viral Marketing For ‘The Dark Knight’

  • News
  • April 7, 2008

Face it, folks. You cannot stop the marketing team of The Dark Knight, you can only hope to contain them.

A website for the Gotham Police Department Major Crimes Unit has popped up on the ‘Net recently, featuring a shot of Gary Oldman’s returning character, Lieutenant James Gordon, and a quote that provides a nice wink-wink, nudge-nudge moment to fans of the comic:

Lieutenant James Gordon has been tapped to head this unit. Long recognized as an exemplary officer, Gordon has an unblemished reputation for fairness and honesty. Police Commissioner Loeb says, "With the establishment of the new Gotham Major Crimes Unit, we join the ranks of the major cities of this country and the world in modern police strategies and tactics."

"Commissioner Loeb," eh?

A video of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s character in the film, Rachel Dawes, speaking in support of future Two-Face, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), is also making the rounds.

For more on the massive viral marketing campaign currently in play for The Dark Knight, check out some of our recent coverage:

‘The Dark Knight’ Viral Marketing Prizes Revealed

‘The Dark Knight’ Viral Marketing Strikes Again!

Harvey Dent and the ‘Dark Knight’ Marketing Campaign

 

(via SHH)

 

Photo Gallery: Anime Boston 2008

  • News
  • March 28, 2008

ComicMix reader (and aspiring anime/manga artist) Heather recently sent me a gallery of photos from Anime Boston 2008, heralded as "The Northeast’s Largest Anime Convention." The three-day convention was held held last weekend at Hynes Convention Center.

As anyone who’s attended enough anime, comics or pop culture-related conventions over the last few years will no doubt agree, the anime/manga crowd rarely phones it in when it comes to costumes. Sure, there are always a few kids who slap on a metal-plated Naruto headband and call themselves cosplayers, but by and large, the average anime fan’s costume looks like the product of some serious time and effort.

So, with that in mind, I’ve posted some of the photos she sent me after the jump. Consider it a salute to the cosplayers at Anime Boston ’08 and anime fans everywhere. Heck, I have trouble buttoning my shirt correctly most days — I can’t even imagine crafting some of the outfits in these photos. (more…)

ComicMix Radio: Hey, We’re Makin’ Movies Here!

Movie cameras may be the most needed accessory at that comic convention you are attending — as we give you the story of one fan who turned San Diego into a feature film, plus:

— Marvel’s King Size Hulk has two covers and a big change for The Red Hulk!

— Read a chunk of Secret Invasion #31 online right now

— PaperCutz continues the classics

—  And there’s another chance to grab  an  exclusive Graham Crackers Comics variant — and you win by e-mailing us at: podcast [at] comicmix.com

The magic starts when you Press The Button!

 

 

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-7582835 or RSS!

 

Don Rosa Recovering From Emergency Surgery

  • News
  • March 26, 2008

It probably goes without saying that an artist’s most significant tools are his eyes. People have figured out alternate ways of drawing, but they’ve got to see what they’re doing. So it is with great trepidation that we note legendary Disney Duck artist Don Rosa, a regular at many a convention and fan event, underwent emergency surgery last week to cure a detached retina.

It will not be known if the procedure was successful for several more weeks, but Don is resting at home (in a prone position) and will have to undergo six months of recovery downtime. He hopes to return to the convention scene this fall.

Following in the websteps of Carl Barks is not easy, but Don has always made it look like a cakewalk by combining a variety of influences (notably Mad‘s Willy Elder) with his own unique gifts to bring Uncle Scrooge and the sundry Ducks to a whole new generation across the world. His work has been anthologized and is available at better comics shops across the planet.

ComicMix wishes Don a speedy, painless and successful recovery.

Dark Horse Offers ‘Making Of’ for ‘Serenity: Better Days’ #1

  • News
  • March 24, 2008

If you’re reading ComicMix, chances are you’re a fan of sci-fi, movies, TV and, of course, you probably read comic books on a regular basis. Being a fan and reader of comics, perhaps you’ve wondered how all the elements from script to art to color to lettering come together to form the finished comic you hold in your hands and read each week?

If you have wondered about this magical process, the folks at Dark Horse Comics have got something for you. At their website, they’ve put up a "How-To" guide which takes you through the steps from script to finished page of their brand-new Serenity: Better Days comic book.

Clicking through the guide you can see the original script pages written by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews, rough sketches of the panel placement, art and pencils by Will Conrad, colors by Michele Madsen and letters by Michael Heisler — all the elements that go into a finished comic book page.

It’s an interesting look at how things go from normal-looking words on a page to a colorful and exciting final product. Check it out.

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