Only a few days left until "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" hits theaters at midnight Wednesday (one minute after 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, people!). Many may be dusting off their Ravenclaw scarves and watching movie marathons to get hyped up, but the specter of the swine flu could have made the film's launch a much more somber event. Emma Watson and Rupert Grint had filmed their kissing scene for "Deathly Hallows" prior to the announcement, but neither seems particularly shaken up by the incident when discussing it in this video. Yeah, they say that now ...
-- Keeping the spirit alive until the last moments, Hero Complex'sGeoff Boucher will be having a chat with "Potter" producer David Heyman at the Apple Store (1248 Third Street Promenade) in Santa Monica on Monday night at 7. If you stop by, say "Hi!"
-- A few weeks later, more Potter fun can be had even after the film's release -- in the magical realm of San Diego at Comic-Con International. There are a couple of panels of note to spotlight, and both seem to basically ask: What's next for Harry Potter fans?
Thursday (July 23) at 3:30 p.m. is the Evolution of Fantasy panel in Room 3. The group will talk about the next "big thing" since Harry Potter and Twilight, etc., are over in book form. Panelists Jacqueline Carey (Naamah's Kiss), Lynn Flewelling (Shadows Return), Patrick Rothfuss (The Name Of The Wind), Thomas Sniegoski (The Fallen), Greg Van Eekhout (Norse Code), and Cindy Pon (Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia) answer questions posed by moderator Lev Grossman (The Magicians).
Then Sunday (July 26) at 2 p.m. is the Muggles, Wizards, Tentpoles, and Fans in the World of "Harry Potter" panel in Room 32AB. Panel members Leslie Combemale (ArtInsights Gallery, official/exclusive HP art supplier), Henry Jenkins (USC, author of Convergence Culture), Melissa Anelli (webmaster, The Leaky Cauldron, author of Harry: A History), Gwendolyn Grace (president emeritus, HP Educational Fanon), Lev Grossman (Time magazine book reviewer, author of The Magicians), and Heidi Tandy (webmaster, Fiction Alley) will get into the latest Harry Potter issues. The session will be moderated by Potter Headmaster (their words, not mine!) Eric Bowling.
The highlight of the MTV Movie Awards this summer (in my opinion) was this great mini-movie with Andy Samberg. It wasn't on You Tube right away and now that it is, I'm posting it today as a theme song for this summer of hero films.
Scott Timberg has an intriguing piece in the Sunday Calendar section today that raises the exciting prospect of a Travis McGee film. The signature character of the late, great John D. MacDonald has made it to the silver screen only once (Rod Taylor had the lead role in the blink-and-you-missed-it 1970 film "Darker than Amber," which also featured Jane Russell's last movie appearance). That lack of Hollywood attention is a bit puzzling, as Timberg explains...
Back in the 1960s, two hugely popular literary characters ruled the pages of more than 10 novels each. Though it was a famously transformative decade, both were old-school men's men who loved risk, adventure, liquor and attractive women. Both protagonists became touchstones of their eras.
They differed in significant ways -- one was English, suave, favored bone-dry martinis, and worked for a large government organization. The other was Floridian, raw-boned, drank gin, and remained fiercely independent, avoiding entanglements of all kinds.
But perhaps the biggest difference between James Bond and Travis McGee is cinematic: The Bond films that began with "Dr. No" in 1962 became so popular that they're vastly better known than Ian Fleming's slim, taut books. McGee, by contrast, exists almost entirely on the pages of John D. MacDonald's 21-novel series, which has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.
That a nonseries MacDonald novel originally titled "The Executioners" became not one but two successful films -- J. Lee Thompson's "Cape Fear" (1962) starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, and Martin Scorsese's 1991 remake with Nick Nolte and Robert De Niro -- suggest that the author's work can move smoothly to the screen.
Why such a naturally cinematic character -- a tough former Marine who operates under his own code of relative morality and knows how to use both his wits and his fists to help others in need -- has not made a successful transition to film has caused head-scratching for decades now.
But it looks as if McGee may finally get his place in the sun: New York-based producer Amy Robinson is in the late stages of developing the first McGee novel, "The Deep Blue Good-By," for production by Fox. Robinson calls McGee "the man every woman wants to be with and every man wants to be."
Though the project, which puts McGee on the trail of a seductive and dangerous ex-con who's left a trail of broken women in his wake, is not greenlighted and there is no director or talent attached, supporters are hopeful for the first time in decades. Sources close to the project say the studio is bullish on McGee.
"There have been a lot of twists and turns," said Robinson, who produced Scorsese's 1985 paranoid comedy "After Hours." "But I still have a lot of optimism that the movie will be made, and I hope it will be several movies...."
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is due in theaters July 15, but do you remember anything from the story? We're only four years, two films and one book since the fantasy thrill-ride hit stores shelves the summer of 2005. Not sure? Then take our quiz and find out whether you're ready for the theater or need to hit the crib notes.
Totaling 100 issues, the noir-style "100 Bullets" has the distinction of being the longest-running comic book series to be produced, without interruption, by the same writer (Brian Azzarello), artist (Eduardo Risso) and cover artist (Dave Johnson). Azzarello and Johnson will both be on hand tonight.
During its run of nine years and eight months, the murder and mayhem saga revolved around the mysterious Agent Graves, who gives select people a handgun, 100 bullets, a photograph of a person who supposedly caused pain in that person's life and the promise that, no matter how brutal the crime, the bullets would never be traced back to the shooter. What appeared at first to be an exercise in vigilante fantasy turned into something far more complex, however, as greater conspiracies were revealed.
All the proceeds will benefit the Hero Initiative. The event will feature food, cocktails and an auction of artwork from the two artists from the series. "Wilt" will also be available for purchase with a limited edition tip-in plate signed by both Azzarello and Johnson. A Q-and-A session with the creators will round out the festivities.
The event tonight is the talk of the town, at least among comics fans. There will ba torch singer performing and plenty of the industry elite on hand. Consider the ticket, which includes food, an open bar, guaranteed seating, valet parking, a "100 Bullets" shot glass, a T-shirt and more, are available for $150 each from the Meltdown website.
If that's too much for the budget, there are tickets available for $50, which will include admission to the night's events, food and drink.
Tonight's fundraiser at Meltdown Comics is just one of the heroic efforts of the good cause, as John Horn reports...
Comic book artists invented some of pop culture's most indestructible heroes. But when it comes to protecting themselves, these writers and illustrators turned out to be as vulnerable to personal setbacks -- health crises, foreclosures, insolvent retirements -- as Superman is to Kryptonite.
Even though comic books and the movies and television shows they inspire represent a multibillion-dollar business, the majority of their creators were freelance employees with modest (if any) insurance, pension and retirement benefits. Now that many of the artists who came to prominence during the silver age for comics have become too elderly or infirm to work, more than a few are battling to stay afloat.
"What we hear all the time is, 'I'm three months behind on the rent, and I'm going to be evicted tomorrow,' " said Jim McLauchlin, president of the Hero Initiative, an 8-year-old Los Angeles nonprofit dedicated to bailing out struggling comic book illustrators and writers. "And when you take a look at how the economy's been for the last couple of years, that's really going to magnify the need."
In addition to hosting a $150-a-head fundraising auction and party tonight at Los Angeles' Meltdown Comics & Collectibles (7522 Sunset Blvd., 323-851-7223), Hero Initiative will auction off lunches with distinguished artists during July 23-26's massive Comic-Con International in San Diego. The organization also will invite top illustrators (including "The Death of Superman's" Dan Jurgens and "Wolverine's" Daniel Way) to sign autographs and make
quick sketches for convention visitors, with the fees charged going to Hero Initiative.
Gene Colan is one beneficiary of the program, which handed out more than $230,000 in services in the 2007-2008 fiscal year, the most recent for which tax filings are available.
Colan, a renowned artist best known for his work on "Batman," "Daredevil" and "The Tomb of Dracula," said that like many freelancers in comics he usually worked without insurance and retirement coverage.
"There was very little support -- there was nothing in terms of benefits," Colan said from Brooklyn. "Artists have always been oblivious to this kind of stuff -- all we needed was enough to support our families."
That changed, however, when Colan's health began failing 10 years ago. In addition to suffering a heart attack, the 83-year-old artist had glaucoma and then liver disease.
"I looked like a prisoner of war," he said of losing 40 pounds to his illnesses. He had some insurance, he said, "but it couldn't possibly cover what I needed."
Gifts of several thousand dollars from Hero Initiative to Colan and his wife, Colan said, "helped pull the two of us out of a big mess."
Bill Messner-Loebs was in an even deeper hole. A writer and illustrator whose credits include "The Flash" and "Wonder Woman," Messner-Loebs and his wife lost their home to foreclosure in 2001, and after another housing setback were moving from cheap motel room to cheap motel room. Soon thereafter, essentially homeless, the couple was living in various Michigan church shelters for weeks at a time.
Looking back in horror, writer Glenn Whipp has delved into the legacy (both real and imagined) of "The Blair Witch Project," which surged out of the Maryland woods 10 years ago this summer.
Ten summers ago, a group of independent filmmakers came up with a Web-based, viral marketing campaign that proved so effective -- and influential -- in creating buzz and audience anticipation that it overshadowed the very movie it was designed to promote.
These guys were never heard from again -- but their promotional savvy lives on.
That's the conventional wisdom about the no-budget, exercise-in-imagination horror flick "The Blair Witch Project." But like most things surrounding a movie that trafficked heavily in mythology, the truth is a bit more complicated, not to mention happier (at least for some of the principals involved).
When it opened on 27 screens in mid-July 1999, "Blair" found an eager audience that had been primed for months through the film's innovative website and the free publicity it garnered at overflow screenings at Sundance and Cannes. Many at the early screenings believed that the film's novel premise -- three student filmmakers disappear in the woods while shooting a documentary about the legend of a local witch and their footage is found a year later -- contained some grain of truth.
"The blurb on the poster said this was 'found footage,' and there was nothing in the marketing to lead you to believe it was anything but that," says "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" director Scott Derrickson, who saw "Blair" on its opening day at the Nuart.
That perception was reinforced by the movie's clever website, launched before Sundance, which expanded the "Blair" lore with bogus news reports, historical timelines and video interviews. At a time when the Internet was still but a toddler, the website catered to a small, but very influential group of fans.
"Did the marketing overshadow the movie? Yeah, in some respects," "Blair" co-director Eduardo Sánchez says. "But since we created 90% of the marketing, I never had a problem with that."
"Blair" holds up as a nifty exercise in terror but its relevance extends far beyond its artistic merit, even as its "Cops"-inspired, hand-held aesthetic has become ingrained in the film fabric, integral in such outings as last year's "Cloverfield" and even in big-budget, whiplash-inducing movies such as J.J. Abrams' recent "Star Trek."
The movie's "reality" may have been manufactured, but it set the template for such television shows as "Survivor" and "Fear Factor" that arrived in its wake, programs in which producers put their "characters" through deprivation and punishment in the name of entertainment. And, really, in terms of authenticity, what Sanchez and co-director Daniel Myrick inflicted upon their actors in the Maryland woods wasn't much more staged than the maneuverings of a Mark Burnett reality production.
Another "Blair" reality had an even greater reach. Made for $35,000 and taking in nearly $250 million worldwide, "Blair" inspired a gold rush of do-it-yourself filmmakers to run to the local electronics store, pick up a Hi8 camera and make their own movies.
Think back over the last 10 years and consider this question: "What was the best decision made by anyone, anywhere in show biz?" You won't need a Sorting Hat to divine the answer, in my opinion, if you consider the risks and eventual rewards of one colossal decision: picking the star wizards of Hollywood's Hogwarts.
Go back a decade and consider the final casting decision on the three youngsters who would star in the "Harry Potter" franchise. If you consider how many options the producers had -- thousands, literally -- and the profound possibilities of failure that came with a misstep. Then consider the staggering box-office success that followed and the grace exhibited by these actors who have grown up in front of us all.
They are the faces of the most intense single-decade franchise in Hollywood history. Not only have they grown as actors, they have been steady as young adults, proving themselves to be centered, charming and smart in the face of glaring fame and blaring success.
In other words, there wasn't a Britney in the bunch.
This Monday night, that's going to be the first topic I bring up with David Heyman, the "Harry Potter" producer who will join me at the Apple Store (1248 Third Street Promenade) in Santa Monica for an event that promises to be fun and revealing. We'll have a conversation and then take questions from the audience. I did a very similar event at the same site with McG before the release of "Terminator Salvation" and it was a great success and, I'm told, very satisfying for the people who joined us. It's completely free and the Apple Store staff sets up chairs and a microphone and do the thing up right.
I met Heyman during my visit to the "Half-Blood Prince" set in England and he is as engaging as he is successful, and if you join us you can expect to hear some memorable behind-the-scenes tales from the Hogwarts set.
Apple has some fun stuff for "Potter" fans far and wide, as well. On iTunes, you can find never-before-seen footage from the new film, available as a free download, and a new "Half-Blood Prince" app with videos, posters, character information and other goodies. Here's the description from Warner Bros and Apple:
"Fans can interact with an authentic recreation of Dumbledore’s Pensieve – a device that allows them to view memories by unlocking Memory Vials to explore the vast assortment of official film content that appears in the Pensieve including: videos, posters, character information; and much more. They can insert themselves and their friends into a Wanted Poster or the Daily Prophet by using the iPhone camera or uploading a photo from their album on to an iPod touch."
Fans will also be looking for hints about the film in the exclusive podcast titled “Being Me Has Its Privileges,” from the upcoming theatrical release, hosted by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger).
See you Monday and, please, do come up and introduce yourself afterward. I love meeting the Hero Complex faithful.
D23 is the "official community for Disney fans" and if you haven't heard much about it, well, that's going to change in the weeks and months to come. The venture with the somewhat cryptic name (it's a reference to 1923, the momentous year that Walt Disney left Kansas City, headed west and founded the business that would become Disney Studios) was launched officially in March but Comic-Con International in San Diego has been circled as a key moment to ramp-up awareness.
Essentially, D23 is a top-shelf fan community that reminds everyone how good Disney is at celebrating -- and monetizing -- its history and creative culture. You pay $75 and you get a subscription to a slick quarterly magazine, "twenty-three," that approaches Disney history and collecting with a stately, archival sensibility. You also get a fancy membership certificate, a membership card, discounts, special access to events, a surprise gift, etc. (For details, go to the sign-up page for D23.)
D23 will make its Comic-Con debut this year at Booth 3917 with costumes and props from Disney films that veer into the sci-fi and adventure textures that speak to genre fans, such as "Tron," "The Rocketeer," "Sky High" and "The Black Hole." (If you bring your D23 membership card or sign up on-site for the club, you can pick up a free, exclusive litho depicting famous Disney robots, the work of artist Dave Pacheco).
Also at Comic-Con: The 4-foot model of the Nautilus that you see below:
It's going to be on-sale to collectors next year as part of the prestige line of items for serious collectors, but it makes its debut at Comic-Con. Here's a bit of the product description for this lavish rendering of the famed vessel from the 1954 film classic "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." This model was produced by eFX Inc, and can be seen as part of their showcase at Booth 2913-E:
The approximately 1/45th scale Nautilus from eFX will offer extraordinary details, including internal and external lighting and re-creations of both the lush salon and the all-important wheelhouse, providing collectors with the opportunity to peer into the inner sanctum of this enormous underwater vessel.
Inspired by the remarkable, unforgettable designs of legendary Disney designer Harper Goff, the Nautilus from eFX combines the graceful elegance of the submarine’s riveted exterior with incredibly accurate interior details never before offered by eFX in a high-end collectible of this type...The Nautilus from eFX is being hand-crafted from resin with machined and die-cast metal, and injection-molded ABS details. The edition size will be limited to no more than 500 pieces, and each Nautilus replica will come with a specially designed display base, numbered plaque and Certificate of Authenticity.
No word yet on the price of Nemo's submersible wonder, but it ain't gonna be cheap. That's the whole point with the high-end collectibles that Disney is rolling out; they are intended to entice the elite collectors who are looking for heirloom-quality objects and D23-level insider access. Anything less doesn't live up to their own Disney obsession.
Comic-Con is a toe in the water for the D23 venture; the big splash is Sept. 10-13 when the D23 Expo takes over Anaheim Convention Center. There will be panels, mountains of collectibles, movie screenings and just about everything else you can imagine that relates to mouse ears and master animators. The expo will also a sneak peek at upcoming Disney feature films including Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," the "TRON" sequel, "Toy Story 3," "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." So, really, Disney is creating its own personal Comic-Con. It's going to be interesting to watch as this moves forward.
Credit: Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, image from the Los Angeles Times archives. Johnny Depp and Tim Burton in a November 2007 photograph by Liz O. Baylen/Los Angeles Times. Walt Disney and the Natilus courtesy of Walt Disney Co.
Over at the Company Town blog, Claudia Eller talks about another ruling by a judge in the long-running feud between the family of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel and the corporate relatives Warner Bros. and DC Comics. This phase of the trial, though, was not between the family and the companies, but rather was a decision about business practices and the value of the Man of Steel. Here's an excerpt:
A U.S. district court ruled today that Warner Bros. had paid "fair-market value" license fees to its corporate sibling DC Comics for the rights to "Superman."
Last year, the heirs of Superman co-creator Jerome Siegel claimed that Warner Bros. and DC Comics, both owned by Time Warner Inc., had struck a "sweetheart deal" that deprived them of their fair share of royalties. A federal judge last year awarded the Siegel heirs -- his widow and daughter -- half of the copyright to the Superman material published in the comic book "Action Comics" No. 1. What hadn't been decided was whether the license agreements between the Burbank studio and DC Comics from 1999 to 2002 represented "fair-market value."
The judge's decision was a plus for Warner Bros., which has been in a long-running legal battle with the heirs of the comic's co-creator who last year won a stake in the U.S. copyright to the character.
Just six more days -- or five if you plan to catch a Tuesday-at-midnight screening -- until the premiere of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." What better way to gear up for the big day than by watching the first five films.
Above is an exclusive teaser clip for ABC Family's three-day "Harry Potter" marathon, which begins Friday at 7:30 p.m. with "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and continuing through Sunday night. Between the films, stars Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe will talk up the new film's romantic antics and more. Here's the official schedule:
Friday, July 10 7:30 p.m. -- "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"
Saturday, July 11: 12:30 p.m. -- "Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone" 4 p.m. -- "Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets" 8 p.m. -- "Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban"
Sunday, July 12: 12:30 p.m. -- "Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets" 4:30 p.m. -- "Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban" 7:30 p.m. -- "Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire"
If you prefer the big-screen theatrical experience, Sherman Oaks' Arclight Theaters is hosting a marathon of its own Sunday through Tuesday. Average ticket price is $13.50. Pre-order your tickets online. The times are as follows:
Sunday, July 12 1:30 p.m. -- "Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone" 4:45 p.m. -- "Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets"
Monday, July 13 7 p.m. -- "Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban" 10:15 p.m. -- "Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire"
Tuesday, July 14 8:15 p.m. -- "Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix"
And coming in the next few days, look for our interviews with Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) and Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore) and David Heyman, producer of all the Harry Potter films.
So Thursday's Comic-Con schedule, that's July 23rd, has been released. In our effort to provide services for fanboy nation here at Hero Complex, we'll spotlight some of the (likely) most popular panel activities to attend while down in sunny San Diego.
When you wake up after having slept at the convention center overnight Wednesday, may as well line up for Hall H and prepare for a long day. Why, you ask? Because that's where the Summit Entertainment panel, featuring cast and crew from the newest "Twilight" installment "New Moon," will be held at 2:15 p.m. Before that, Disney will have a cool 3D panel at 11, and the man himself, James Cameron, will present "Avatar" at 12:45.
That's not all you need to know, of course. There are some interesting panels featuring "Astro-Boy," Richard Hatch, Kristen Bell, Michael C. Hall and more. You'll do your own planning, but here's some of our highlights for the day (using the descriptions available from Comic-Con's online listing):
10:15-11:15 a.m., Summit Entertainment: "Astro Boy" -- A superhero origin story set in a futuristic world, "Astro Boy" is an all-new CG-animated feature film based on the classic manga about a young robot with incredible powers and his adventure-filled journey in search of his identity and destiny. Director David Bowers, producer Maryanne Grager, and stars Freddie Highmore (Astro) and Kristen Bell (Cora) debut footage exclusive to Comic-Con 2009 and answer your questions about bringing this beloved hero to the big screen. Room 6BC
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Disney: 3D Panel -- Walt Disney Pictures presents key filmmakers, select cast members and previously unseen footage from its upcoming slate, including "A Christmas Carol," "Alice In Wonderland" and "Tron." Special guests include Robert Zemeckis, Tim Burton, Sean Bailey, Steve Lisberger, and moderator Patton Oswalt. Hall H
12:45-2 p.m., 20th Century Fox and James Cameron present "Avatar" -- In this first public screening of footage in 3D from his much-anticipated action/adventure/fantasy, James Cameron, producer Jon Landau and cast members take you to a spectacular new world beyond imagination. Conceived 14 years ago and more than four years in the making, "Avatar" breaks new ground in delivering a fully immersive, emotional story and reinvents the movie-going experience. Hall H
12:30-1:30 p.m. Richard Hatch: "Battlestar" Retrospective -- Moderated by actor/author Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek, Capt Apollo, author of So Say We All), with Bear McCreary ("Battlestar," "Eureka," "Caprica" composer), Michael Tayler ("Battlestar," "Caprica," "Star Trek" writer/producer), Kevin Grazier ("Battlestar," "Eureka," science consultant) and special guests, this panel provides a review, discussion and Q&A of "Battlestar's" past four seasons and dramatic ending. Includes the new BG 30th trailer. Room 6A
1-2 p.m., Mondo Marvel -- From the Marvel U. to the Ultimate U. and everything in between, the top talent is on hand to talk about all of your favorite heroes and villains, as well as make a few surprise announcements! Panelists include Jason Aaron (Wolverine: Weapon X), Dennis Calero (X Men Noir), Matt Fraction (Invincible Iron Man), Paul Tobin (Models, INC), Frank Tieri (Dark Reign: Lethal Legion), Steve Wacker (Spider-Man editor), and Jim McCann (New Avengers: The Reunion). Room 6DE
2:15-3:15 p.m., Summit Entertainment -- Summit Entertainment presents a sneak peek of exclusive footage of some of its upcoming major film releases! "Astro Boy," "Sorority Row," and "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." Hall H
3:45-4:45 p.m., Entertainment Weekly: Wonder Women: Female Power Icons in Pop Culture -- EW will moderate a conversation with Sigourney Weaver ("Avatar"), Elizabeth Mitchell ("Lost"), Kristen Bell ("Veronica Mars"), and other stars about the actresses who have redefined the rules and the female characters that have shattered the glass ceiling for all women. Basically: a discussion with women who kick ass. Ballroom 20
4:30-5:30 p.m., The Best and Worst Manga of 2008–2009 -- What was the best, worst and weirdest manga published in the last year? Sparks will fly as manga critics Deb Aoki (manga.about.com), Kai-Ming Cha (Publishers Weekly), Ed Chavez (marketing director, Vertical Inc.), Gia Manry (Anime Vice), Tom Spurgeon (The Comics Reporter), Jason Thompson (Manga: The Complete Guide), and Eva Volin (chair, Great Graphic Novels for Teens) give the thumbs up and thumbs down in this "Manga State of the Union Address." It's Siskel & Ebert, Overlooked Manga Festival, and a manga celebrity roast all in one! Room 3
5-6 p.m., Showtime: "Dexter" -- Calling all "Dexter" fans! If you're a "Dexter" fanatic and can't wait for the new season, you don't want to miss this killer panel! Moderator Ralph Garman (KROQ Entertainment Reporter) presides over a revealing interview and Q&A session with the stars and executive producers of "Dexter." Plus, get an exclusive first look at clips from the new season! Featured panelists include series star/executive producer Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Julie Benz (Rita), Jennifer Carpenter (Deb), and executive producers John Goldwyn, Sara Colleton, Clyde Phillips, and Melissa Rosenberg. The new season premieres September 27 at 9:00 p.m. EST/PST only on Showtime! Ballroom 20
5:45-6:45 p.m., "Kick-Ass" — World premiere footage from "Kick-Ass," based on Mark Millar's bestselling comic, is presented by director Matthew Vaughn ("Stardust," "Layercake"). Joining him on the panel are Nicolas Cage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse ("Superbad"), and comic co-creator John Romita Jr., among others, including a surprise guest. You don't want to miss the chance to be the first to experience this gritty, brash, and funny actioner. Hall H
8-10 p.m., Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog -- The California Browncoats host a screening of the original three acts, followed immediately by Commentary! The Musical. See why Joss Whedon's ("Dollhouse," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") first foray into webisodic "television" was the talk of the town with critics and fans alike in 2008. Be prepared for a night of singing and surprises hosted by the fans who know what you like best. "Dr. Horrible" stars Neil Patrick Harris ("How I Met Your Mother"), Nathan Fillion ("Castle," "Firefly"), and Felicia Day ("The Guild") and is written by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon ("Dollhouse"), Zack Whedon ("Fringe"), and Maurissa Tancharoen ("Dollhouse"). Room 6A
8-9:30 p.m., "Green Lantern: First Flight" World Premiere -- Warner Home Video, Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation proudly present the World Premiere of "Green Lantern: First Flight," the fifth DC Universe animated original PG-13 movie. "Green Lantern: First Flight" finds Hal Jordan recruited to join the Green Lantern Corps and placed under the supervision of respected senior Lantern Sinestro. The earthling soon discovers his mentor is actually the central figure in a secret conspiracy that threatens the philosophies, traditions and hierarchy of the entire Green Lantern Corps. Hal must quickly hone his newfound powers and combat the treasonous Lanterns within the ranks to maintain order in the universe. Christopher Meloni ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit") leads the cast as the voice of Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern. The cast includes Emmy Award nominee Victor Garber ("Milk," "Titanic"), Tricia Helfer ("Battlestar Galactica"), Michael Madsen ("Reservoir Dogs"), Juliet Landau ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), and John Larroquette ("Night Court"). Produced by animation legend Bruce Timm, Green Lantern: First Flight is directed by Lauren Montgomery ("Wonder Woman") and scripted by four-time Emmy Award–winning writer Alan Burnett ("The Batman"). Warner Home Video will release "Green Lantern: First Flight" on Blu-ray Hi-Def and DVD on July 28, 2009. Ballroom 20
9:30-noon,Halloween Comes Early: Trick 'r Treat Screening — Be among the first to see writer/director Michael Dougherty's ("Superman Returns," "X2") creepy, darkly comic celebration of the scariest night of the year. Trick 'r Treat takes the "Creepshow"/"Tales from the Crypt" approach to nefarious new depths with four interwoven tales set on Halloween night: a high school principal who moonlights as a vicious serial killer; a young virgin whose quest for that special someone takes a gruesome turn; a group of teens who carry out a cruel prank with disastrous consequences; and a cantankerous old man who battles a mischievous trick-or-treating demon. Prior to the screening, Ain't It Cool News mogul Harry Knowles will moderate a panel featuring Michael Dougherty and members of the cast, including Anna Paquin ("True Blood," "X-Men)", Tahmoh Penikett ("Battlestar Galactica," "Dollhouse"), and Brian Cox ("The Bourne Identity," "X2"). A collection of creepy stories that mixes fun with fear, candy with poison, and laughter with screams, the critically acclaimed Trick 'r Treat will be released on Blu-ray Hi-Def and DVD and On Demand by Warner Home Video in October. Ballroom 20
They have no superpowers, but they are heroic: They are the store employees across America who sell comics and, like the guys in "High Fidelity," bicker with one another all day long about the true treasures of the discount bin. They are the Comic Book Store Clerks of America, and we salute them.
The best little comics shop in Texas?
It's Bedrock City Comics, at least according to Chuck Schiel, 28, who mans the counter at the original location [6517 Westheimer in Houston; (713) 780-0675]. Between shifts, he says, he's been working on his "Insta-Grill" superpower, which is "the ability to turn teeth gold on a whim." No, we're not sure exactly what he's talking about either. Let's get on to the questions...
If Batman could get one superpower, what would be the most appropriate?
I’ll go with resurrection, because he’s dead. You'd probably want resurrection at this point.
What is the best ending of a comic book series that you've read?
The ending of Grant Morrison's "Animal Man" when he meets the writer. It was a great way to end the run with breaking the fourth wall there.
In your opinion, which of the Harry Potter books was best suited for a great film adaptation?
The first one. It got everything started. I enjoyed it, but I never read the books. I'm more of a Tolkien man.
"Star Wars" and "Star Trek" fans like to agree to disagree. Do you think it's the same divide for "Lord of the Rings" and"Potter" fans?
Not necessarily. It might just be me. I know a lot of people like to read both.
What is the next toy that needs to be made into a movie franchise?
John Horn is one of the savviest reporters covering the film industry, and in a few weeks he will be getting his first immersion into the insanity of Comic-Con International. He's going to be writing much more for the Hero Complex in the weeks to come (and beyond, we hope), which is great news for me and all of you readers. In today's Los Angeles Times, John has an especially insightful look at the movie marketplace of the moment. Here's an excerpt...
It may be an honest admission that Hollywood finally has run out of ideas, but this week's announcement that DreamWorks is developing a movie based on the View-Master couldn't come at a more fitting moment: Brand names people have heard of -- even those associated with a simple toy -- now mean more to a film's success than $20-million stars.
The summer movie season is more than halfway over and a vacation season that started off hot -- "Star Trek," "The Hangover," "Up" -- has now cooled considerably. Despite the fast start to the year's ticket sales, seasonal returns are now up only 5% since May 1, compared with a year ago.
Given how spectacularly several expensive star vehicles crashed (the smoldering wreckage is topped by Will Ferrell's "Land of the Lost" and Eddie Murphy's "Imagine That") and how even some heavily touted franchises are doing worse than their predecessors ("Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," "Angels & Demons" and "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian"), a movie based on the old 3-D slide viewer might be as good a bet as anything else.
The next wave of upcoming movies may improve the summer's overall performance. Friday's Sacha Baron Cohen comedy “Brüno” will likely open in first place, July 15's boy wizard sequel “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” will certainly sell a ton of tickets, July 24's guinea pig spy story “G-Force” should appeal to families and Aug. 7's militaristic action fest “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” could attract a flood of young men. There also might be a sleeper hit or two around the corner: Aug. 7's cooking and writing comedy “Julie & Julia” and the Aug. 14 genre thriller “District 9” among the likeliest break-outs.
But even at this point, the summer is telling a number of lessons.
The first: Audiences are voting with their e-mail, texts and cellphones. According to figures collected by the tracking firm Box Office Mojo, the box office gross of the average summer movie this year fell nearly 52% from its opening weekend to its second weekend--the sharpest drop-off in summer history. Those fall-offs provide the clearest evidence yet that playability -- the test of how much an audience actually likes a movie and will recommend it to their friends -- has eclipsed marketability, or how easily a movie's concept can be sold. The summer's most profitable release yet, Warner Bros. $35-million comedy "The Hangover," benefited most from fervent word of mouth. In its second weekend, the R-rated comedy fell just 27%, and a mere 18.5% the following week. The studio's "Terminator Salvation" opened well enough but promptly fell off a cliff, collapsing more than 61% in its second weekend, while Fox's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" nose-dived even worse than General Motors stock, plunging 69% in its second weekend....
When she isn’t playing her band Molotov Jukebox, Natalia Tena is gearing up to reprise, for the final time, her role as the hot-headed wizard Tonks in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”
But before she begins filming in August, Tena took some time to tell Hero Complex about having wizard war dreams, why Tonks' hair looks rather, well, strange in “Half-Blood Prince,” and why she thinks the script for the final film is bloody brilliant.
DM: What was the best part of working on “Half-Blood Prince”?
NT: Well, I just had one scene, and we shot it in the middle of the night. I was doing stunts, which is what I love most. They wanted to get stunt doubles and I was like, “No, I want to jump through fire!” Sometimes you do feel a bit stupid. I remember standing with David Thewlis [who plays Lupin], and it’s 3 in the morning, and going, “Yeah, David, fight invisible fire snakes.” It’s like basically dancing to nothing. You do feel a bit stupid at times, but it’s funny.
DM: Tonks is in just one scene -- which I won't spoil -- but in fact, it’s a scene that doesn’t exist in the book, right? Any idea how its creation came about? [Very minor spoilers in her answer.]
NT: I don’t know. I think they wanted to keep Tonks in it somehow. In the book, she’s very depressed all the way through until she finally she gets with Lupin, that’s when she gets her normal hair color back. In the film, they just had me looking very strange with Lupin and that’s why her hair is a bit dark [instead of her favorite pink] and short, though they don’t explain it. In “Half-Blood Prince,” a lot was edited, and actually I thought a lot of stuff was added in unnecessarily. But I haven’t seen the film yet, so for all I know it works out well in the end.
DM: Tonks’ hair is very, um, distinct this time.
NT: I had a mullet, mate! For ages, I had this mullet until someone on the street stopped me and said, “Darling, can I cut your hair for free? Because you look a bit weird.”
DM: You start shooting “Deathly Hallows” next month. What can you tell us about the script?
NT: I’ve read Part One and it’s brilliant, I wasn’t so sure about the last movie but this one I was like, “Yeah, they got it spot on.” I’m re-reading the book right now. I started having insane dreams again. Whenever I start a Potter film, I get these dreams. The last dream I had I was in a war and the sky was blotted with broomsticks and I couldn’t find my wand. It was so intense. I always have mental, intense, war wizard dreams when I’m doing the films.
DM: Had you read the books before you were cast?
NT: No, I hadn’t read any of them. My friends were obsessed but I never got into it, probably because my friends were so obsessed. They came with me to my audition to try and translate the language for me, like explain what muggles and Gryffindor was. I had no idea what was going on. By the third audition -- I had done two and I wasn’t getting it right -- director himself reamed me. He said, “I’m going to give you one more go at this” – this never happens, by the way – “I’m going to give you one more go because I feel like you’re it.” By that point I had done my homework and read the books and I walked in and did it once and he screamed, “That’s it!” And they filmed it and I got the part.
DM: What do you think you did differently?
NT: I feel like I was just in it. Before I had no idea what was going on. Before my third audition I sat in a trailer and I watched all of the movies and I loved them.
DM: Do you remember how you felt when you read the last book?
NT: Very intense. Suddenly you see my parents in the book and my mom is supposed to look exactly like Bellatrix. It was intense. And I love the fact that Tonks is pregnant. That she got married in the middle of all this chaos. It’s like she thought it would be a really good idea to get married and get pregnant and keep fighting.
I just reread the bit where Lupin tries to join Harry, Ron and Hermione on their journey and Harry gets really angry at him because Harry’s lost his parents and he says the one thing you should never do is run away from your wife and your kid. That was quite a cool thing for Harry to do. Tonks is over the moon and Lupin is freaking out. I ask you: What’s wrong with a sterile wolf cub that changes color? It’d be lovely. He’d be the coolest kid at school.
DM: Right, but it doesn’t end so well for Tonks.
NT: Like a lot of people, I love a bit of blood and gore. I was a bit sad that Tonks didn’t get a death scene in the book! I was really hoping that Bellatrix would kill me in midair while I’m stabbing her with a wand. But apparently you just see me dead. But I love that you get to see my son when he’s older.
DM: Back to the "Deathly Hallows" script. What specifically made it so good for you?
NT: I like the last because it’s trial times. You really get a sense of what everyone is worth. There’s a point where Ron leaves and I was like, “Wow, Ron actually isn’t up for it for a bit.” Also, I really got a sense in the script that while Harry is important, it’s his mates that do a lot. Actually, if he didn’t have these two mates he really wouldn’t be winning. He needs everyone to believe. It’s quite an interesting concept because then you ask, well, is it interchangeable? Could it be anyone else that could have been the Chosen One?
Fifteen years ago, a young-gun filmmaker named Robert Rodriguez was hired to write a new "Predator" film and now, looking back, he can chuckle at the final product he delivered. "It was this crazy, intense off-world story and there was just no way it could be made. The technology wasn't there yet."
That was then, but this is now. "Predators," as it will be called, is happening and Rodriguez is producing. I sat down with him for a pleasant lunch at the Four Seasons Hotel and, as our sons sat together munching French fries and drawing pictures, he explained his plans for the summer 2010 sci-fi release.
"It's the story from that script I had written way back then," Rodriguez said. "They had hired me to write a ‘Predator’ story while I was waiting to do ‘Desperado’ back in 1994. It was crazy, this thing I came up with. So then fast-forward to now and, like, six months ago, they found the script and called me up. ‘Hey, we want to redo this franchise and we found your old script. This is where we should have gone with the series! We want to move forward.' And that's what we're doing.”
"And, like I said, back when I wrote it, the technology wasn’t there yet. I didn’t have to worry about who would direct it or anything because it was a script that just couldn’t be used."
Rodriguez has proven himself not only as a distinct voice in genre films ("Sin City," "From Dusk Till Dawn," "Planet Terror") but as a master of making big-looking hit films on relatively small budgets. Consider the three "Spy Kids" films, which are loaded with dazzle, action and gizmos; they pulled in a collective $465 million in worldwide gross but not one of them had a budget of more than $38 million.
Rodriguez, a writer/producer/director, is the modern prototype of the nimble, maverick filmmaker. Like his upcoming bizarro family movie "Shorts" (which, by the way, I've seen, and it's great -- more on that to come here at Hero Complex), "Predators" will be shot in his home state of Texas on a lean budget and so far removed from Hollywood that it is doesn't get run through the often bruising machinery of the studio. "Predators" is for 20th Century Fox and "Shorts" is being distributed by Warner Bros., but "Predators" will be clearly defined by Rodriguez and his personal style.
“They actually like that," the 41-year-old San Antonio native said. "You’re making it less expensive then they could ever make it here. Its so much leaner. and they get a movie that they can sell as a big movie, they make money off of it, especially since it didn't cost much at all. I get to keep it locked down creatively and, really, the studio is happy with that. It's almost like they get protected from themselves. They know that when some things get taken through the machine they end up overspending and making the movie worse. The movie's not allowed to breathe. That was the case with the ‘Predator’ movie. Just go make it down there in your system. We don’t know how you do it down there but somehow you make these movies very creatively and at a budget.”
The 1987 film "Predator" was directed by John McTiernan and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers and Jesse Ventura as an elite commando team on a rescue mission in the jungles of Guatemala, where they find themselves hunted by an alien. That alien, designed by the effects team led by the late, great Stan Winston, became one of the most memorable creatures in sci-fi film history and the movie became an enduring fan-favorite that ages quite well. There was a 1990 sequel and two-crossovers with the "Alien" franchise (2004 and 2007) with varied ambitions and mixed results, but Rodriguez said the success of the first movie is still a powerful draw.
“No matter how many ‘Jaws’ movies they make, people never forget how great the first one is. You can always come back to it, people love it and they want to love it. ‘Predator’ is like that too. It’s a great premise, a great character and fans get excited when they think of what can be done with it.”
What's the plot of this new revival? "The story is on the Predator planet and, well, it’s just crazy.
It takes place off-world which is great, and there’s a lot of them out there." And what about the prey? "Let's just say if there were no predators, the humans in this story would probably kill each other."
He said he won't have to stray far from his ranch outside Austin to create the settings he needs.
"It’ll be a mix. A lot of location sets and some green scene. There’s a lot of different places in Texas I have in mind, and we have a great rebate thing there now, only 60% has to be shot in Texas. We’re scouting for locations now. You can find some alien landscapes in Texas for sure. And with the right augmentation, you can make anywhere look like anywhere now."
Rodriguez will be at International Comic-Con in San Diego this month to promote "Shorts" (his panel is July 24 at 1:45 p.m.), and if you're there, you'll want to check it out for sure. I talked to him quite a bit about his other upcoming work ("Machete," "Sin City 2," a fourth "Spy Kids" film, etc.) and you''ll find all that in the weeks to come by checking back here at Hero Complex.
The Hero Complex countdown to "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" -- a story every day until the July 15 opening -- continues today with our Denise Martin lending an ear to Nicholas Hooper, the man behind the music for the wizard film.
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is the second Potter collaboration for composer Nicholas Hooper and director David Yates (after “Order of the Phoenix"). But Yates has long been calling on Hooper to score his projects, from Yates' student films to TV’s “State of Play” and “The Young Visitors.”
For “Half-Blood Prince,” Hooper phoned in from England to tell Hero Complex about why he looked back to the original John Williams score for inspiration, what you won’t hear in the film, and how Draco Malfoy’s theme music is both sinister and sad.
DM: You’ve known and worked with David Yates for the last 19 years. How did you feel about taking on a project as big and well-known as the "Harry Potter" movies?
NH: I was already a fan of Harry Potter from the books. When the first films came out I had to go watch them, of course, and I thought I’d love to do one. Then David told me he was going to do one and I nearly fell over backwards because I didn’t expect it at all. David had done political thrillers and those kinds of things, so this was something quite different.
DM: How were you able to put your own stamp on the score when four movies had already been done with a more or less established sound?
NH: I started by listening to a lot of the John Williams score, particularly from the third movie, “Prisoner of Azkaban,” which I loved and I suppose is closest to what I was trying to do. I used some of his themes, particularly his Hedwig theme. After that, we all decided that it was best if I moved into my own way of composing rather than trying to emulate John Williams, which is impossible. I did a different kind of score for “Half-Blood Prince,” really. It was simpler, the way I write music is simpler.
DM: Definitely a change from “Order of the Phoenix,” which was a thriller, really. It had a lot of action.
NH: Yes, “Phoenix” was quite a new thing for me in that sense. I had scored action in films before, but to do it on that scale was really something.
DM: “Half-Blood Prince” is arguably the darkest of the books. How’d you get into the right frame of mind? [His answer has spoilers if you have not read the book!]
NH: We started working on a piece that was going to come towards the end of the film, right before Dumbledore is killed. It was a somber piece for a choir and drums. Of course, the sequence was dropped from the film, but it had in it the seeds of the germ of the idea that actually follows Dumbledore’s progress throughout the film and comes to quite a musical height at the point where Harry and Dumbledore travel to find Voldemort’s secret Horcrux in the cave. It’s a big moment.
The other major piece of inspiration came from “Order of the Phoenix,” the possession theme that plays at the end of the film when Voldemort possesses Harry and Harry manages to reject and repel him through love. That piece of music also works its way through “Half-Blood Prince” coming to quite a height at the point right before Dumbledore dies. Those two themes play quite a big part in this film, which is all around a much more emotional film, I think, than any of the others. It’s much more about relationships. The relationship between Harry and Dumbledore, the boy-girl stuff going on. I think everyone is given a bit more depth in that sense. The music reflects that.
DM: Can you elaborate on what the idea was behind the original choir-and-drums piece you first wrote? [Again, spoilers if you haven't read the book.]
NH: David wanted to film this school choir, the Hogwarts school choir, having a choir practice when all this evil stuff at the end of the film was going on in the background. It would have played during an interim moment -- after the events in the cave and before the Death Eaters' arrival at Hogwarts. Originally, there was this gap and the idea was that it should be this build-up for Draco to Dumbledore’s death. It had almost a Garden of Gethsemane feel to it. But eventually, the thinking became that injecting scenes with a choir would have held up the climax. Now, the film glides straightaway from the cave to the end, which I think was the right decision. The music itself, however, can still be heard during the credits of the film, and it’s also on the soundtrack.
DM: Draco plays a major part in this film – does he have his own theme as well?
NH: He does. It follows him throughout all his visits to the room of requirements. Definitely a Malfoy theme, yeah. It’s an odd mixture of dark and sad. Well, not sad exactly. It’s moving though. Here’s this poor boy who has been kind of pulled into this. You don’t just feel he’s really evil. So the music couldn’t be about his being evil. It’s not about that. It’s about this kid being pulled out of his depth, really.
DM: Do you have any favorite pieces from this film?
NH: I think my favorite moment was Harry and Dumbledore in the cave because it’s just so big and tough. A couple of people came to listen to it when I was finished and they were in tears after they heard the recording and I thought, “Oh, that’s nice.” I feel like I moved people. I have to say the Harry and Ginny moment is another favorite.
DM: It’s different than in the book, though, isn’t it? [More spoilers!]
NH: It’s all kind of strange. They’re in the room of requirements and they’re trying to hide something and they even come across Malfoy’s secret and they don’t know it. Then they kiss. It’s a lovely, beautiful moment in the film. It comes out of an earlier moment when Harry sees Ginny at the beginning of the film. It’s not music that reoccurs throughout the film. It’s just one special melody in the middle.
Los Angeles Times TV critic Mary McNamara found a lot to like in the sunny distractions of "Warehouse 13," which premieres tonight on the now-renamed Syfy ....
Syfy may not quite understand the concept of re-branding (So you actually went with the y's. Really.) but they definitely understand the concept of summer, offering us for our viewing pleasure “Warehouse 13,” a fantasy-action serial as lightly thrilling as the sound of the Good Humor man's bell on a drowsy afternoon.
"The X-Files" meets "Fringe" by way of "The Librarian" with a little "Indiana Jones" and maybe even "Bones" thrown in for good measure, "Warehouse 13" is unapologetically and delightfully derivative, happily plucking the best stuff from our favorite shows and leaving all the heaviness behind. In this loud and angry world of post-mythology and damaged heroes, how nice to see a television show satisfied with being simply entertaining.
Here's the pitch: Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) are a pair of good-lookin' "He Said, She Said" FBI agents -- he's intuitive, she's a stickler -- heading up security during a presidential visit to the Museum of Natural History. After they manage to save the president's life from a mysterious blood-leaking idol that causes a lab technician to become a murderous zombie (don't you love it already?), they are approached by the mysterious Mrs. Frederic ("The Shield's" CCH Pounder, always a pleasure). She sends them on a mission to the Badlands of South Dakota where they find the adorable but equally mysterious Artie (Saul Rubinek providing teddy-bear crush-fodder for geek girls everywhere), who introduces them to Warehouse 13.
Here is where that bloodthirsty idol head is being stored, along with acres and acres of every haunted, magical, mystical, inexplicable artifact you've ever heard of -- Pandora's box, for instance -- and many you have not...
Credits: Top photo, courtesy of Syfy, shows Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly in "Warehouse 13." "Battlestar Galactica" panel photo courtesy of the Envelope
The Hero Complex countdown to the July 15 release of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" continues today with Denise Martin's interview:
Bonnie Wright was just 9 years old when she was cast as the Ginny Weasley, the youngest of the ginger-haired Weasley siblings with a curious and admiring eye for Harry. It’s been 10 years since then, and while Wright is about to embark on filming the final two-parter, “Deathly Hallows,” her on-screen counterpart Ginny has taken some bold steps of her own into the worlds of dating and Quidditch.
In “The Half-Blood Prince,” Ginny is being romanced by Dean Thomas (among others) while keeping a candle lit for Harry. She is also impressing her peers as Gryffindor’s newly minted Chaser, and later star Seeker. When Hero Complex caught up with Wright, she was on the verge of some major transformations of her own, finishing the last of her pre-university exams and beginning to ponder her post-Potter life.
DM: Do you remember how you felt when you read “The Half-Blood Prince”?
BW: I wasn’t fully expecting what happened. Ginny had grown up so much in the sixth book, and what happens between her and Harry? I just couldn’t have imagined that would happen. She started out so shy and young, and in this book she’s gotten so much more confident and noticed. She finds herself and it’s the first time you realize why she becomes the person who ends up with Harry.
DM: The book came out in 2005. You were just 15 – did you feel apprehensive, knowing that you’d soon be playing Harry’s love interest?
BW: It was weird. Just reading what happens to her, but then after I’d really thought about everything I thought, ‘Oh God, we’re going to have to film all of those things.’ That was quite nerve-wracking. But you always know the way they write the script very much captures the mood of what’s happening in a good way. In a comfortable way.
DM: In the book, Harry and Ginny spontaneously kiss while celebrating a Quidditch match. Does that match how it plays out in the movie?
BW: It’s actually different in the film. Their relationship sort of slowly builds and there’s this tension between them. Just when you think the kiss is going to happen, it doesn’t. It’s really a sweet tale of how they’re slowly getting drawn to one another. Obviously, it’s very difficult for Harry with Ginny being his best friend’s younger sister. But the kiss itself happens in a much more intimate environment. It’s just the two of them rather than in the midst of the Gryffindor common room celebrating Quidditch. It’s a bit quieter in the film.
DM: Why the change?
BW: I think David really wanted a different kind of moment in the film. There’s lots of humor and dark moments this time, and I think he wanted the story of Ginny and Harry to weave between all of that to break it up a bit. He wanted their story and its atmosphere to stand out. He wanted it to be much quieter. People are eager for it too, when it finally comes.
DM: [Spoiler alert!] Can you set up the scene?
BW: At this point in the film, Harry has become really taken over by this Half Blood Prince book and obviously Ginny can relate to that, having that happen to her in the second film [with Tom Riddle’s diary.] So she really notices what’s happening with him and how powerful and seductive this book can become. So they decide to hide it together, and the kiss happens when they’re going to hide the book.
DM: How was working with Daniel Radcliffe leading up to the scene?
BW: We talked about it a lot -- me, Dan and David Yates -- and we had a few rehearsals about how we wanted each of these moments leading up to the kiss between Ginny and Harry to work. Harry’s got a very different relationship with her in this film than he’s had with her in the past. Then she was like a younger sister. So it was important that Dan and I could work out what the relationship meant together. He was great about it.
DM: How does Ron work himself into their relationship?
BW: There are a few awkward moments. He and Ginny don’t really have the courage to get it in words. There’s a really funny scene during Christmas at the Weasley house and there’s this part where I’m talking to Harry and Ron interrupts, and quite purposely separates us physically. It’s a really funny moment in the film.
DM: Tell me about the Quidditch.
BW: There’s a lot of Quidditch in this film and I think you see a lot of Ginny’s confidence come through, that as well as an undercurrent of her competitive, even overconfident self.
DM: What about the filming? Fun or painful?
BW: I’d heard a lot of stories. Some had said, ‘Oh, it’s the most horrible thing,’ and others said it was really fun. I thought it was quite scary. I’m not afraid of heights but they manage to get you quite high on these complex hydraulic broomstick systems. It’s mad! You actually have to do quite a lot of the action yourself, being jerked around and spun around. It’s not all done by computer. It was also quite difficult when you’re pretending to play a complex game which you’re meant to be flying at so many hundred speeds an hour and really you’re on a studio set on a broomstick with blue screen around you. It can be hard to sort of connect.
DM: How did the finished product look?
BW: The way they put it together looks amazing. It moves so quickly, it looks almost impossible. I mean, it almost seems like it wasn’t us doing it because I know I wasn’t doing it that slickly.
DM: Has it hit you yet that the films are coming to an end?
BW: Yeah, you really cherish being on set even more. I’ve got a while yet. It probably won’t really hit me until the last few months of filming. It’s been so long for us all but I think it will be sad when we finish. I had a similar experience reading the last book. I was quite sad. I’ll miss being on set with all the people, and that energy. It’s such a big crew and big cast, so many characters. The energy is just amazing on set. And we’ve all gotten to work with so many of the greats. In terms of British film, you’ve probably got half of the great actors and cameramen and crew. Everyone is the top of their field on the film. “Sorcerer’s Stone” was the first film I ever did, so I definitely jumped in on the deep end.
DM: Have you made post-Potter plans?
BW: I still want to continue acting. I start going to university in September and I’m studying film and television and acting. So, not just acting, but also directing and producing and how it all complements each other in the industry. I want to study the big picture.
Our Jevon Phillips braved the Anime Expo this weekend and here's his report...
Fans are fans. Fanatical about ... whatever they're fanatical about (click above photo to see more). The subject of choice this past weekend in Los Angeles was the Anime Expo, a celebration of anime, manga, music and cosplay. The Japanese-style of art and characterizations dominated the exhibition floor space of the convention center. Vendors sold clothing, toys, accessories like swords and blue wigs, and even things for those friends of yours who are bastards. Video games, like the new Tentsuko vs. Capcom (more on that below) and others also enticed conventioneers. But, for many of those attending, the most colorful and attractive part of the convention was the parade of sometimes familiar, mostly imaginative costumed characters -- and theskill that comes along with creating their masterpieces. they even boasted other talents like playing the theme song to their favorite Final Fantasy game on a violin!
Comic-Con is great, and Hero Complex plans to be there this year, but this is/was a different animal.
With movies of all genres, television shows ranging from "Mythbusters" to "Heroes," fan films, a masquerade, and more, San Diego's gathering can be overwhelming and sprawling in terms of people, themes and events for attendees.
The Anime Expo seemed more ... focused. Anime Expo also had a masquerade, a huge artists' alley (which included Potatobuns!) and other displays in common with Comic-Con, but whether you dress up or not, there's a recognition of work or a recognition of character that it seems most people acknowledge. Not just a point and giggle, but an admiration. Simply put, the mostly no-frills event is more fan-friendly and accessible than Comic-Con. Of course, 44,000 people as opposed to 125,000 obviously has a little to do with that. But those 44,000 at AX get into it.
Here's a quick clip I got of the Tentsuko vs. Capcom game. I like the way the characters enlarge when they're about to do super moves.
Growing up, Geoff Boucher always wanted to be a mild-mannered reporter working for a major metropolitan newspaper....or maybe a wookiee. He came to the Los Angeles Times in 1991 and, after years covering crime and local politics, he switched to the Hollywood beat covering film and music. Now he's the paper's go-to geek.
Also contributing:
The Legion of Super-Bloggers here at the Hero Complex includes Yvonne Villarreal, a Times staffer whose earliest memory of wanting to be a journalist stems from watching broadcast reporter April O'Neil on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series; Jevon Phillips, a Times staffer who specializes in our favorite television shows, especially "Heroes" and the frakking brilliant "Battlestar Galactica;" Denise Martin, another Times staffer, who has an undying passion for "Twilight" and anyone ever enrolled at Hogwarts; and Gina McIntyre, a Times editor who learned her craft by watching too many slasher films.
The lowdown: 13 upcoming remakes of Hollywood sci-fi classics
