Movies.com critic Grae Drake and Rotten Tomatoes Editor in Chief Matt Atchity sat down to discuss the modern, celebrity-infused San Diego Comic-Con, and how Hollywood probably won’t abandon the con any time soon (contrary to some of the recent rumors).
Grae: So Matt, as I understand it, we are both relatively new to the Con, yes?Matt: Yes, this will only be my 3rd trip there myself, but some good friends of mine have been going for ten years or so.
Grae: What do your friends say about the Con? Is it the same experience that it used to be?
Matt: They tell me that it's changed a lot. It used to be someplace you went if you were a comic book or sci-fi fan. There were lots of publishers and sellers hawking books, you could get some cool collectibles from toymakers, and sit in on panel discussions from creative types. Now, as everyone knows, it's become this huge movie and TV event, which is why journalists like you and I are going now.
Grae: Yes, this is what I expected you to say. Congratulations, you passed the test.
Matt: Thank you.
Grae: So Comic-Con has become a lame sea of hip, happening punks.
Matt: I actually see it as something a little weirder – it's like Hollywood has turned into a sort of ShoWest for the public. ShoWest is of course the big convention for theater owners and exhibitors, put together to get them excited about upcoming movies. And Comic-Con is beginning to lose its identity as a simple comic book convention, and it’s more of a chance for everyday movie and TV fans to get some great sneak peeks. What made you start going?
Grae: The reason I first wanted to go to the Con was that I am a HUGE movie fan and really wanted to be among my people. Admittedly, I am also the slightest bit competitive and want to see stuff before other people...and there was also my intense desire to break in my Xena costume. I knew that I could do all those things at the Con. What about you??
Matt: I started going to the Con because there was just too much movie news coming out of it to ignore. At this point, I think it's one of the four events every year that every movie journalist is obligated to cover (the others being Sundance, Cannes, and the Oscars race)
Grae: Good point. It's become ginormous.... the only problem is, like your friends say, it used to be so cool (Dave White over at Movies.com also believes this) but there is something happening this year that has kind of rocked the Con News Circuit. Movie studios say they’re not presenting at the Con!!! What are we gonna do?!
Matt: I don't buy it – I think this year is a little slow for movies, but I think that's just this year. Let’s take a look at what’s happening in the movie world – the next giant comic movies are "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Avengers". But I don’t think either of them need to be at the Con this year; Nolan’s "Batman" movie won’t need to a hype boost from Comic-Con; everyone’s already talking about it. And I think Marvel’s playing it cool about the Avengers movie, partially because "Captain America" opens the week of the convention, and I think they may not want to distract from that.
Grae: I hope you're right. I like having my movie news fix! Now that the schedule is actually out, there's something I am excited about: It appears as though this year's features in Hall H (where the movie news plays to crowds of about 5,000, for everyone who doesn't know) MIGHT be a return to how movie news used to go at the Con. Specifically, smaller, lesser known films that could use the buzz have a chance to get thrown into the social media pool, as opposed to overhyping blockbusters that everyone will see anyway.
Matt: Could be, but I think you've still got some heavy hitters in there, like the "Twilight" panel on Thursday morning.
Grae: Did you notice that they're first on the first day to get them out of the way? The year before last, they mucked up all of Friday because that panel was 2nd or 3rd I think. I couldn't see "Avatar" because of you, teenagers!
Matt: Maybe the organizers of the con are trying to retain some of their street cred.
Grae: Twilight is the next generation of nerds. Kevin Smith was right, we need to embrace them. But still, thanks organizers. Now I don't have to yell at tweens the equivalent of "get off my lawn" in Hall H.
Matt: Rest assured that we may be looking at a bit of a slow movie year in Hall H, but I don't think that means the end of Hollywood at Comic-Con. I mean, Steven Spielberg is making an appearance there.
Grae: NO KIDDING, in his first appearance there!
Matt: And Jon Favreau and Guillermo Del Toro are doing their “pop-culture” talk in Hall H – I see that as the "movies only" placeholder, to keep TV from getting its foot in the door there.
Grae: I love the idea of Comic-Con territorialism. It's like "Risk" but with a lateral lisp. Ultimately next year will tell us what the trend is or isn't....but this year, I am excited to fly my fan flag for films like "Tucker" and "Dale vs. Evil"! Some studios are making it hard to anticipate what they're doing at all during their time slot, like Fox, whose panel description is as specific as a "Twin Peaks" episode. I'm also surprised that Sony is discussing "Total Recall" (which is still filming).
Matt: I think people will go nuts over the Spidey footage that Sony will show at their panel, and I have a crazy prediction about Fox actually.
Grae: Do tell…
Matt: I think Fox is going to trot out George Lucas, who will have ridden down to San Diego with his friend Steven Spielberg. I think George is getting jealous that "Harry Potter" now holds so many box office records, and I think that Lucas will bring Mark Hamill on stage (who's going to be there at the Con anyway) and they're going to announce a "Star Wars" sequel trilogy.
Grae: WOW! I got nerd goosebumps!
Matt: I admit that I have absolutely no evidence for this prediction, just my own personal geek dream announcement. And not that you and I personally cover TV that much, but I think this is a big year for TV at SDCC.
Grae: I agree with that! What do you think will be huge and maybe make people forget about movie studio absence?
Matt: I think Sarah Michell Gellar's "Ringer" will get a lot of coverage, the "Game of Thrones" panel will be big (and I think Peter Dinklage will be the big star there). And even though WB isn’t going big on movies, they’re certainly going big on TV; they’re giving away a Tweety-themed car to promote the Looney Tunes show on Cartoon Network.
Grae: Interesting. Will the car terrorize cats named Sylvester, I wonder? Of course the "True Blood" panel will be as big as Alexander Skarsgard's biceps, just to state the obvious. Do you think TV news/previews are more well-received than movie stuff? Does Comic-Con translate into more TV viewers than movie box office revenue?
Matt: I think you’ve got the same audience for both. And you could argue that the con is better for TV than for movies anyway – Movie marketing is about an event, where as TV marketing is about a relationship, and some face time with your stars (both for fans and journos) is a good way to pump some life into a relationship.
Grae: This is true–and there is more room for growth over time with a series.
Matt: And there is some actual comics news this year, too. DC is rebooting their entire continuity, and Frank Miller will be there to talk about his long-awaited Holy Terror book. I think we’ll see some bigger coverage of comics than we have in years past, but I think the "good old days" of SDCC being solely about comics are long gone. With over 100,000 social media-savvy fans showing up now, I don't think Hollywood will be able to resist going, even if "Cowboys & Aliens" (which is premiering there) bombs.
Grae: I will be crossing my fingers that the less spectacular Hall H schedule won't cause another eye-stabbing.
0 comments:
Post a Comment