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Wizard World - A look at FANTASTIC FOUR
Hey folks, Harry here... Let's hope Fox releases this Wizardworld / Showest footage from FANTASTIC FOUR online. If it's as convincing as this report makes it out to be... then it could only help the FF. I recently checked out the ELEKTRA dvd - and in Fox's usual, kinda cool INSIDE LOOK feature... all they had was the old FANTASTIC FOUR trailer and zero inside look at all. What the fuck is up with that? Eh? Here ya go...
Wizard World! A good day at the con and a FANTASTIC
time at the Fan 4 panel. Here's what happened:
First panel was Amityville Horror, but thanks to L.A.
traffic I missed most of it. The stars were there,
Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George (she is gorgeous -
much hotter than I remember from Alias.)
Next came what I considered the main event: Fantastic
4 panel with Chris Evans (Human Torch) and Avi Arad.
Both had a good time with the audience and came off
very passionate about the movie. But the best news
was the awesome footage they showed, from the reel
they prepared for the theater convention Showest. How
amazing was it? Let me put it this way: I wasn't
convinced by the first trailer, but this sold me 100
percent. It had what we're looking for: great
effects, humor, super-hot Jessica Alba (what a year
she's having!,all the stuff we love from the comics
Highlights: Reed's stretching down a huge building,
Johnny yelling "Flame On!" as he turns into a
fireball, The Thing vs. truck collision, Doom battling
Sue, and The Thing's signature line: "It's Clobbering
Time!" (which got the biggest cheers from the
audience). During the Q&A, someone asked to see the
footage again, and the reaction was just as strong the
2nd viewing. Great stuff. I hope you guys get to see
it in some form.
More on the Q&A: Chris didn't know the comics at
first, but did a lot of research when he got the role;
Avi said it took 11 years to get effects technology
where it needed to be for the film, plus that amount
of time to get the script right. Chris is signed for 2
sequels and he can't wait to do them. Avi got some
questions about other Marvel projects, most of which
he couldn't/wouldn't answer. What about the rumors of
a director signed for X-Men 3? Can't say yet. Etc.
Etc. But when Avi was asked if James Marsden, who's
filming Superman for Bryan Singer, would be returning
as Cyclops, Avi seemed to indicate he would be.
Next panel wasn't really a panel at all, but a bunch
of clips, filmmaker greetings, trailers. First off
was some special footage of Batman Begins, which the
moderator introduced as "the Batman we've been waiting
for." Know what? He might be right - it looks dark,
cool, serious as a heart attack, and dead on. I think
this footage was screened elsewhere, but it was the
first time I saw it. For War of the Worlds,
Spielberg and Cruise filmed a special greeting to the
con, later the new trailer was showed. A behind the
scenes piece on Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was
fun.
Tomorrow (Sunday): Joss Whedon and the
Firefly/Serenity gang. Who wants to bet he doesn't
get a shitload of Wonder Woman questions. Another
must see.
Cin
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+ Expand All
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I'm not, but I hope it's good
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is that Marvel's best writer, Dan Slott ("She-Hulk") is writing a new THing solo ongoing series, set to debut later this year.
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Plant! ;)
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...fantastic
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The whole concept is cheesy beyond belief. She has a lasso that makes people tell the truth. Good god that's dumb.
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A COMIC BOOK CONVENTION????
Did i miss something?
Is it just movies now? -
Well, jimmy_009, if an Amazonian wearing a star-spangled jumpsuit is dumb, if an invisible biplane is dumb, then I suppose Wonder Woman is dumb. But I, for one...oh wait.
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Mar 20, 2005 1:11:13 AM CST
What a year for Alba. Next up: The instant arthouse smash INTO T
by quantum_ken
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http://www.protocolbat.s19.net/
There are 4 different versions of a new commercial that you may be able to see by going through surveys here http://www.gozingsurveys.com/survey_site/index.asp?
if it asks you about how often you go to see movies, then you're set, otherwise close it and pick the next 'live' survey if it's offered. you can keep bsing email addresses (since you never have to confirm if you bs your demographic info) ... I was able to see all 4 ... you get to see some Oldman in action in one (only about 3 seconds) ... but there is some great stuff ... Batman in the hallway with bats ... in the cave with bats all around him ... lots of Scarecrow ... especially the one with him on the horse and the horse breathing fire. -
?is it?
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And Wonder Woman is the most boring super hero in history.
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?????. ...??? ? ?? ?? ? ??????, ?? ?????? ??? ??? ???? ???? ?? ??? ????, ?????? ?? ??? ????!
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Well unless Cthulhu destroys every theatre in the world I don't think we have a problem there.
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wow. no respect.
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Mar 20, 2005 8:01:22 AM CST
Check out Trina Robbins' take on Wonder Woman back in the '90s
by truthseekr1488
She did a short run of the comic book series and gave it a sort of retro-1930s, art deco look with a decidedly feminist slant (fwiw). I don't know how that might translate to film but it was the best WW ever and the only time I collected the comic. www.trinarobbins.com or www.wonderwomanmuseum.com (Yes, it's real!)
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If this doesn't make Daredevil look like Shakespeare, I'll eat my hat.
As far as Wonder Woman, here in Bloomington, IN there is a public access version of of Wonder Woman starring all drag queens that is pure camp joy. -
Mar 20, 2005 10:21:54 AM CST
Well, if it's bad, at least we have The Incredibles...
by supreme nothing
The Silver Age Fantastic Four are easily one of my absolute most beloved comic icons. It pains me to think this might be an awful movie.
But watching my DVD of The Incredibles affirms to me that somebody captured exactly what I wanted a Fantastic Four movie to be, so I'll be grateful for that...
Maybe Marvel should aproach PIXAR, hmmmmm.... -
WANK - all of it.
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My previous post was a little short and didnt explain a lot so... FF looks like its going to be bad. Bad in a kind of "thats the end of comic book movies" kinda way. Wonder Woman? Okay I used to watch it when I was a nipper but how can they make it A) Interesting B) Not camp as tits and C)... well, how CAN they make it??
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Mar 20, 2005 11:26:02 AM CST
Someone explain why you'd take a chick as hot as Jessica Alba...
by batutta
...AND MAKE HER INVISIBLE!!!
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...really more of a comics and pop culture convention. It's not 100% exclusive to comics. I went to WizardWorld Chicago in 2001. They had videogames, TV and movie stuff going on. Not to mention a signing with WWE's Al Snow, TV's Michael Rosenbaum and a bunch of other people. It's really fun. I can't wait for Boston's first one this year!
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Mar 20, 2005 1:45:09 PM CST
Superherohype.com is saying that Man-Wolf and Venom are the next
by screenplaywriter
Venom was expected due to the fan basis he has and also using the trend of having Spider-Man's greatest foes face him it'll be an awesome sequel. But why Man-Wolf? Is it because John Jameson played a role in the last movie and plays a role in this one because of his discovery of the symboite?
I personally would've loved to seen The Lizard and Venom, or Venom and Carnage onscreen and then leave the movie with a cliffhanger where as soon as Pete and M.J. are about to say "I Do" at their wedding, Harry comes gliding in, pumpkin bombs flying everywhere blowing up pews, frightening guests, just a mass panic, and he says like some line like, "I'm back!" or "She doesn't!" or "Hello Spider-Man..."
I think that would be cool. And the fourth movie should have The Vulture and Rhino, or a Sandman and Hydroman team-up, or just go back to a single villian and have Kraven the Hunter. -
If anyone was there, what did they say? It's awesome that they'd respect the fans like that.
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Mar 20, 2005 6:51:46 PM CST
Nice Marmot, "Are they going to make Wondar Woman a man?"
by immortal_fish
Why not? Worthington will be.
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Because when I think of all those Kirby, (and even Buscema), strips from the 60s and 70s they had an individual look and sense of framing that, from what I have seen of this film so far, will go nowhere near to invoking. I have yet to understand why Tim Story has been chosen for this. His track record maybe sound in a crowd-pleasing commercial sense but I see from him no sense of real vision or any attempt to impose a unique, individual sensibility on this. Which this film so dearly needs. The film will look, move, feel, designed, edited and will generally conform to what a 'superhero movie' is supposed to look like...rather than taking all those wonderful Kirby character perspectives, out-of-control machinery designs and so on and then making the Fantstic Four stand out from every other comic book adaption. That to me is a missed opportunity and confirms that really they should have just had the guts to set the thing in 1965 and really set the film apart. The fun you could have with 60s soundtrack choices, cultural in-jokes etc would also add to the look and feel of the piece...mind you...anyone else here really looking forward to a Sub-Mariner film? Really? Also Kraven and Lizard for Spiderman 3...Venom is too big a leap in terms of credibility at this stage.
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If the FF gets that far I'd like a Negative Zone/Annihilus sequel...save Galactus for later...but then this kind of sound decision making is probably why I'm not running a major studio.
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Mar 20, 2005 8:44:53 PM CST
Jasper, "I have yet to understand why Tim Story has been chosen
by immortal_fish
Great post. Love it when folks inspire dialog instead of hate on the TB. Too much of that. Anyhow, Story's record has been good fodder IMHO. Given Barbershop, he "gets" the family dynamic sorely needed in a FF flick -- opposing personas that all align to rise above a common conflict. I don't care that he's black and Barbershop was riddled with 'urban' roots. Synergy is still there. What bothers me the most are the apologists that claim the Thing is still spot on -- that he's lumpy is in-line with Kirby's original telling. Hnmh. Just like Doom's organic skin, i guess.
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Avi Arad said... "it took 11 years to get effects technology where it needed to be for the film, plus that amount of time to get the script right." Uh... excuse me, but everything I have seen and read about this film indicates to me that they certainly did NOT get the script right. This is a Fantastic Four film in name only. The script that was written for the Roger Cormnan version was MUCH more faithful in spirit to its source material. If this is the best that they can do after 11 years, I would be willing to wait another 11 to actually get it right.
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I was there.. it was pretty nice what they said. First of all Spielberg said they were glad that they had a chance to show this to comic fans, as they would appreciate what they were trying to do with this movie. Tome said that our type of people are the backbone of what they do. They were being very nice. Nothing big.
If I hadn't seen Spielberge act like such a geek on the doccumentraries on Raiders DVD, I would have thought he was thinking "I'm kissing geek ass." -
What they showed of the Batman reel was good. First of all, while we have seen some of the images before... they actually showed more of the "context" of what the scenes takes place. They showed HOW big of influence that Thomas Wayne was on his son. Thomas Wayne actually talks to Bruce about fear...and why people act the way they do with fear. It showed WHY Wayne left Gotham... it showed WHY he would wear the suit. It showed Ras as goul.. THEy showed the SUIT in action... and it lOOKS great! The batmobile trully rocks. And the Scarecrow... well the scarcrow was very nicely done. They showed some of his fear gas on Batman.
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Mar 20, 2005 10:25:29 PM CST
Too bad FF didn't have the balls to do something different
by gheorghe zamfir
I remember the first draft of the script, way back, before Peyton Reed even (who I thought would have been perfect to direct FF), the script was described as kind of a superhero Hard Days Night, that just sounds interesting, at least more so than the standard superhero entry this flick is looking like it will be.
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This film will suck because of Marvel more then anyone else. marvel is the ones who know how this film should be, marvel is the one who let FOX micromanage this film where it won't have any since of awe, marvel is the one who whored out their properties to make big bucks, Marvel is the one to blame above all else. I've said this time and time before that Story was a small director who the FOX broght in to direct a film under their orders and direction, and not his. It's FOX who wants a certain fomula, it's FOX who want this film to copy other comic films. Believe they have a checklist of do's and don't based off of previous comic films. it's FOX's micro maneging that will be the reason this film will more then likly not have any imagination, awesome visuals, and originality. Both FOX and Marvel know this, it's why they panicked over that lil Bridge sequence from WOTW that aired during the Superbowl that made them move the FF.
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It will be good, and there'll be more positive reaction/reviews than negative. It'll be X-Men -Lite and it'll bring in all its bank off of the merchandise. I wonder if it'll last into Christmas...
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Mar 20, 2005 11:42:46 PM CST
They're gonna do an edgy, hip-hop, urban take. "RuPaul is . . .
by hanfiredfirst
And it'll be set in the '70s to capitalize on that retro thing which is about five years old by now.
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Although I don't necessarily know what the fate of this movie will be, I do get the sense that Story has no specific visual sensibility. I accept that Marvel courted him for his knack for characterization within ensemble pieces, but his lack of technical proficiency, coupled with the confession that he delegated a lot of action scenes to the second unit directors (veterans of, surprise surprise, 'X2'), means he probably surrendered the general look of the FF Universe to Fox lackeys before, as is their wont, they shipped him off to Canada. Of course, Bryan Singer was probably hired for similiar reasons and he didn't really get much control over the direction of the X-Men franchise until the second film, but 'Fantastic Four' is on very shaky ground and might not even earn itself a sequel without crew members losing jobs and even if it were to succeed, I doubt (maybe fear) that Story would do anything differently than he has this go 'round. While he is very good at establishing characters and probaby directing actors in that regard, you could say it's his specialty: his role as a storyteller is probably limited to that particular capacity, and he could care less what the script is (this is, after all, the man who directed 'Taxi,' also for Fox), who the production designer, composer, or editors are; I'm also wondering whether or not Bryan Singer's remarks in the latest issue of "Wizard" aren't veiled criticisms of Fox's policy towards superhero moviemaking ("they just sort of shove a technician in there"). I'm beginning to think that the success of 'X-Men' and (to me anyway) 'From Hell' was a mistake; otherwise Fox's track record is pretty dismal. Even if a pleasant surprise, it's probably in the cards for 'Fantastic Four' to look, feel, and be dismissed as something assembled by commitee, and justifiably so. The best thing I can say, I suppose, is that if ever any one superhero property required a strong ensemble director to succeed, it's 'Fantastic Four.' Unfortunately, it could have used a lot more than that. Then again, this is all preemptive. I have no idea whether any of these shortcomings in Story's approach to filmmaking will even be a severe problem. Fingers crossed, but we'll see. If we're going to second guess a man, at least we're learning to do it for legitimate reasons and not because he directed "that black movie" or "he's popular with the kiddies" or some inane shit like that. By the way, who says he's popular with the kiddies? We're all a bunch of cantankerous coots, it seems. Anyway, I feel like I've been writing for days, so I'm gonna take off now and probably regret this in the morning. Peace.
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Mar 21, 2005 7:17:46 AM CST
"First was Amityville Horror, but thanks to L.A. traffic I mis
by salvatoregravano
You lucky man, you! Did you at least *thank* the Los Angeles traffic?
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How great is it that Spielberg and Cruise filmed a greeting for the Wizard World audience?
I remember how cool it was that some REAL HOLLYWOOD TYPES filmed a greeting a few years ago to promote their flick MYSTERYMEN. Remember that? Ben Stiller and Jeneane Garafolo, etc filmed something.
Now everyone in Hollywood is aware of how cool comics are. My younger self is in awe everytime I hear cool famous people talking about how great it is to be in a Frank Miller Sin City movie or something. I love it. -
Mar 21, 2005 9:48:21 AM CST
Avi Arad paraphrasing George Lucas in regards to the special fx
by monkey_king
how original. Next he'll be quotes as saying he wants to make multi-level films for Marvel fans and take credit for directing 'Howard the Duck.'
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Mar 21, 2005 9:59:39 AM CST
Setting the FF film in the 1960s would have been brilliant!
by voice o. reason
Or, at least, it would have made the film unique. As it stands, too many people will compare this movie to everyone's favorite FF rip-off, "the Incredibles".
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As for the FF, I too would love to see the Galactus/Silver Surfer story. However, that probably won't happen in an FF movie. I believe the Silver Surfer character is already contracted to some production company. We've all heard the rumours of Vin Diesel as the Surfer. Anyway, those with the FF characters probably don't have access to the Silver Surfer so if they use Galactus it will be without Norin Radd. Same reason why there will probably never be a live-action Justice League movie (with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman), or live-action Avengers (unless they don't use Cap & Iron Man). Too many different production companies with the film rights to only one or two characters. And why make one movie with 3 great characters when you can make 3 movies and make 3 times as much money?
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Yeah, agreed I have no personal beef with Story per se and wish him the best of luck (I just pray he gives us the FF film we've all been waiting for...) . In fact I recall all the Singer-bashing before (and after) X-Men becuase he didn't give us another rehash of the very-quickly-dated-Matrix-stlye aesthetic in terms of visuals etc. Keeping it direct and Classical in approach means we'll be talking about those films in positive terms in years to come. This peice does need strong character dynamics but also it has as a gift in having one of the strongest sets of visual ideas within the Marvel universe. Just seems such a shame to bypass all of that. But as regards the committee-style filmmaking, agreed also...a real hindrance to creative expression and individuality in mainstream cinema but I was pleased to see that Raimi managed to check Ditko, Romita etc in both Spiedrman films and create a 'feel' for those films becuase he's a strong enough visionary to implement them. And yes, the 'Hard Day's Night' idea sounded just about right for this as a first movie and I hope some of that will remain...hang on...I'm banging on a bit here...I need to see some daylight!
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I never understood the hate and venom aimed at Tim Story. I don't see how the films of Peyton Reed would make him a better choice (Bring It On?) for the FF movie. I have said before that it is very possible that Story made the best possible movie from the Taxi script and a studio that thought casting Jimmy Fallon as a cop was a good idea. My prediction is not that the movie will suck, just that it will probably be average. Another example of studios developing something to death.
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Mar 21, 2005 2:47:31 PM CST
So, when are the Marvel movie characters going to start crossing
by htown
As we all know, that's always been one of the best things about Marvel - the shared universe. How long until we get a movie that admits the Marvel characters exist in the same universe? Or has it already happened in a moment I missed? What would be a suitable worldwide threat from the comics to bring them all into the fight?
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Mar 21, 2005 3:23:18 PM CST
The cross-over universe will happen when pigs fly or when the Ki
by screenplaywriter
I mean I personally don't mind if Michael Clark Duncan is the Kingpin or not, but Raimi said he would've loved to have had the Kingpin in one of the Spider-Man movies, but because FOX owns the character rights it won't be possible until contract disputes are settled.
Gotta love the film business. -
The problem is that the rights are tied up in a dozen different places. Spidey is Sony, X-Men is FOX, etc. There's no legal room to do it.
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Mar 21, 2005 7:00:53 PM CST
One Marvel crossover WILL happen if they have anything to say ab
by ribbons
Silver Surfer and Fantastic Four. It's not a coincidence that both properties are docked at Fox.
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I can totally see that.
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Mar 22, 2005 2:57:43 AM CST
Well I saw the Footage of FF from ShoWest, and it looked pretty
by the founder
but i doubt it. Look This is a committee driven film period, and story was brought on board to just direct. The thought of sticking technical people in places they don't belong is asinine. The director's overall vision and stamp should be on a film and not a horde of creative people. What you get is a film that has no one sense of creativity or style. It's all over the place. Now that may not always be a bad thing, cause sometimesa think tank of different ideas can work well together, well just have to see if it works with the F4. I think F4 needs a director who will place his stamp on it. I'm not surprised to hear that a lot of people from x2 is working on this film, and some of the action sequences are being handed to others to tackle instead of a new director like Story. I also call it Hollywwod trying to squeeze out the big name directors in order to save money and stifle creative control, while some black suit execs put their input in on the creative side of film making where it has no business being. At anyrate the ShoWest footage looks damn good, and while Alba is still not Sue, she's appears to have the part down. I can't say if the F4 will be good, but I'm not going to lie, I'll be there to check it out.
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And I would have liked to have heard Brad Bird defend ripping off his characters from the Fantastic Four. I mean sure, you could say that stretching and super-strength are pretty generic, but creating force friends and turning invisble pretty much point to one specific character. And he gave the torch's powers to the baby. Brad, you're just a big fat thief.
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