Geeking Out: My Salt Lake Comic Con Experience

If you've never been to a Comic Con, you need to.

They are an amazing spectacle to behold.

I had my first experience at the Salt Lake Comic Con a few Saturdays ago.

And since it was my sister's birthday, we both dressed up for the event.

She went as Princess Bubblegum, and I went as a soldier.

I knew it'd be an action-packed, fun day, but it was even better than I'd expected.

Hoards of people, most of them wearing costumes.

Tons of booths for comic books, animators, and companies.

A whole lot of short films, celebrity panels, and movie star meet-and-greets. 

There was so much to see that we actually had to make the conscious decision to eat lunch.

And we didn't eat until mid-afternoon (because we forgot until then).

I could write quite a long post, but I think I'll let my pictures and quick captions do most of the talking.

Had to get a pic with Star Wars peeps

We totally thought this was the real actress from DS9

Hey, look! It's the Fonz!

An expert photo-bomb by the Doctor

The 501st Legion had some pretty impressive costumes and a great booth

Ah, good ol' Evil Dead the Musical

Dean Cain is such a good guy
He even gave my sis two birthday hugs!

Fun finding my friend Deena Marie in the main hall

And my talented artist friend Brandon Dayton was there, too

I'm so glad Megan's friend Carrie (dressed as Apple Jack from My Little Pony) joined up with us

It really was an incredible day, and I am already looking forward to next year.
Maybe I'll even put in more than a week's thought/work on my costume next time.

Did you go? What was your experience?
If you've been to multiple Comic Cons, I'd love to hear how they differed and which you liked most.

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A January Meeting in August

You know how there are people that run in similar friend circles as you, and you've heard all sorts of stories about how awesome they are, but you've never actually met them, and so you start to wonder if they're made up and photoshopped into pics on Facebook?

Or maybe that just happens to me.

Anyway, this was the case for me with a girl named January.

And I finally got to meet her now that both of us have moved back to the Salt Lake area, and she hosted a BBQ and movie night a few weekends back.

Popcorn of various flavors is a must for movie night

The food was delicious, the movie was entertaining, and the company was superb.

Thanks for hosting, January, and I'm glad to know that you're not a figment of my friends' imaginations!

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My Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

Kevin Bacon's birthday was just a couple days ago.
Not sure how it hasn't been declared a national holiday yet, but Congress is probably working on it as we speak. I can't wait for next year's Kevin Bacon Day parade.
Sorry, getting off topic. I'll bring it back.

Yep, the prolific and well-traveled actor turned 55 years old.

Crazy to think that Tremors was 23 years ago and Footloose was 29 years ago!
I guess he's aged a little, but in my mind he's still the same.

Anyway, have you ever played the game 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon'?
I used to play it with a mission buddy while we walked from door-to-door in Guatemala.
You just link actors/actresses through their work until you get to Kevin Bacon, because pretty much everyone can connect back to him in less than 6 moves.

Considering I've never been in a movie, here is mine with stage productions being fair game:

1. I was in the Murray Arts Council production of Oklahoma! with Megan Smyth
2. She performed in Cottonwood High School's My Fair Lady* with Charlie Halford
3. Charlie played a role in The World's Fastest Indian with Anthony Hopkins
4. Sir Hopkins worked with Elliott Gould on the film A Bridge Too Far
5. Elliott had the honor of being in The Big Picture with none other than Kevin Bacon

Got to Kevin Bacon, and with a degree of connection to spare.

Neato, huh? 

I found a great quote from Kevin while prepping for this post. Speaking of his show biz start:

"I wanted life, man, the real thing", he later recalled to Nancy Mills of Cosmopolitan. "The message I got was 'The arts are it. Business is the devil's work. Art and creative expression are next to godliness.' Combine that with an immense ego and you wind up with an actor." [source]

I'm with you on business being the devil's work, Kevin. If only I had the talent for performing.

Oops, getting off track again.

If you know someone who has been credited in a TV show or movie, you can find their 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon by going to the Oracle of Bacon website.

So what's your Bacon line of separation? Put it in the comments if you'd like.

*Correction: I had previously listed this CHS show as Oliver! Thanks for the heads up, Megan.

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We are Surrounded by Beautiful Women All the Time

It's true.

We might not notice it, or be able to see it right off, but it's 100% true.

Because every woman we see is absolutely beautiful.
Gorgeous women, exactly as they were created or evolved or however you believe humans came to be.
Old, young. Tall, short. Skinny, not skinny. Whatever trait you want to evaluate.

My friend Katie shared this AFI interview of Dustin Hoffman, speaking about his 1982 role in Tootsie.

Makes you think, doesn't it?

It took Dustin changing his appearance for a movie to learn this, and it's a powerful point.

Women, you are interesting. You're funny. You're amazing.
You have too many wonderful qualities to list here, actually.
And each and every one of you also happens to be beautiful.

You are just as you should be, and I hope all of us can start seeing that more plainly.

Note: I didn't share this to get brownie points with my female reader's or the female population at large. I fully believe the same is true for men, though to a lesser extent, as beauty isn't as important of a societal status symbol for us.

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Behind the Scenes: Making "Raiders of the Lost Ark"

The movie Raiders of the Lost Ark hit the big screen 32 years ago today.

Nine Academy Awards nominations and four wins followed, as well as plenty of fans over the years.

Including, of course, my family and me.

So to celebrate the birth of the Indiana Jones series, here's a Robot Chicken video:

Spot on.

Let's just hope any future Indiana Jones movies follow after Raiders and not after Crystal Skull...

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Django Unchained Was Djust Jdandy

I maybe saw the new movie Django Unchained three times last week.

Don't judge.

Especially if you haven't seen it yet.

It took me a while to warm up to Quentin Tarantino films, but after Inglorious Basterds I was hooked.

So why did I like this movie enough to spend almost 9 hours of my life watching it?
I'm glad you asked.

1. Clever writing, especially for Christoph Waltz
     His calm demeanor and straight-forward explanation of what is happening come across great.
     Seeing him as a hero in this one is a nice contrast to his villain role in Basterds.

2. Absurdly bloody gun violence
     Yes, Tarantino makes sure to include plenty of fake blood explosions, as expected.

3. Humorous moments
     You wouldn't think a raid by white supremacists could be a funny thing, but this one is.
     Django's choice of costume for being a valet is hilarious.

4. Tender moments
     Primarily between Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx, as their bounty-hunting friendship develops.

5. Great variety of music choices, including:
     - the 50's-TV-sounding theme song (Django, by Luis Bacalov)
     - an original song, that I can't understand but I still really like (Ancora Qui, by Elisa Toffoli)
     - classic oldies song (I Got a Name, by Jim Croce)
     - some sweet rap action by Rick Ross

     -etc, etc

6. On a serious note, I cringed at the brutally honest portrayal of slavery and how people could be treated as animals and property. But I appreciated that it was honest and didn't sugar coat such a terrible thing.
     Apparently Tarantino's taken some flak for being a white director and making this story about slavery.
     Well, Spike Lee, maybe you should have done it first. Quit complaining if you didn't have the balls.

7. Fantastic acting
     I'm particularly referring to Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leo Decaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson.
     Each plays their part spectacularly, and I'm very glad Will Smith turned down the Django role.

Now, I must put a disclaimer on my review.

This movie is not for everyone.
It's not for people who can't handle violence.
It's not for people who are squeamish about how slaves were treated.
It's not for people who abhor swearing and can't stomach use of the n-word (which is used often, as would be historically accurate [right?]).
It's certainly not for children.

That being said, if you aren't in those groups, I'd recommend seeing Django Unchained.

And remember, "the D is silent, hillbilly."

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We Need Your Help to End the VVS Epidemic

What's that? You don't know what VVS is?

It's an acronym for the very serious issue of Vertical Video Syndrome.

This PSA can explain it better than I can:

I've seen the horrible effects of this disease, and I've felt first-hand the pain of being exposed to it.
We must eradicate it as soon as possible.

Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me?*

*Yes, I just quoted Les Mis. So sue me.**

**Please don't actually sue me.

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Monday Get-Movin' Music: Good Mornin' from Singin' in the Rain

We're due for a classic movies resurgence.

My friend Adrienne discovered the movie Good News this weekend.

And this morning I showed my twin nieces a few dance clips from old movies.

The girls were enthralled by all of them.

Emily and I tried to watch Singin' in the Rain once, but we started it too late and fell asleep.
But watching the song "Good Mornin'" from that show really captured the girls' attention.

Here's them during the first viewing:

And here's them for viewings 2 through 5:

There was a whole lotta wiggling and dancing, plus they've been humming and singing the tune all day.

Want to get in on the fun? Well here's the clip for ya!

Now THAT is a good way to start off the week.

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Shaken, Not Stirred: Happy International Bond Day

Bond. James Bond.

I've loved the British secret agent since I was a kid.
Crazy to think the series began 18 years before I was even born... and is still going.

Yep, Ian Fleming's character first came to life on the big screen 1962's Dr No.

Fifty years later, we've seen 6 actors play 007 in 22 films, with Skyfall (the 23rd) being released later this month in the UK and early November in the USA.

Countless villains and henchmen have died at the MI6 agent's hand.

I can't wait to see him take out a whole lot more.

Happy International Bond Day!

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The Legend of Beaver Dam

Last night Megan shared a remarkable short film with me. She'd seen it at the Sundance Film Festival last year, and I enjoyed it so much I figured it's worth sharing with my readers.

Warning: while the short has an awesome blending of horror and music, it also has some pretty gory violence. Just FYI, so those that can't stand violence can leave the room for a minute.

It took me about 4 viewings to fully absorb. Oh, and that song is stuck in my head now.

What do you think of it?

PS Stumpy Sam, Stumpy Sam, Stumpy...

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How My Mom Inadvertently Converted Me into a Ryan Gosling Fan

I know a lot of moviegoers are crazy about RyGos.

For a long time, I wasn't.

I loved Remember the Titans, but more because it's a Disney sports movie and I just can't resist those (for example: Miracle, Glory Road, Ice Princess, Cool Runnings, Air Bud, and The Mighty Ducks). Honestly I didn't even remember Gosling was in it until he got famous years later.

Sure, I respected his work in The Notebook. Typical performance by a young hunk in a romantic drama. Nothing special, but he played the role exactly as he was asked to. And the on-screen chemistry between Gosling and Rachel McAdams was undeniable.

A few of his films were decent, but didn't really wow me. I think Ben Affleck or Brad Pitt or a couple other Hollywood fellas could have taken his spot and not much would have changed. For me, these include The Ides of March; Crazy, Stupid, Love; and Blue Valentine.

After I saw Drive (which I enjoyed for its chill soundtrack and testosterone-filled chases), I had a discussion with my mom about RyGos. She had previously been pretty much of the same opinion as me, but she said that he'd won her over with his performance in a somewhat less-known film. She recommended I watch it before setting my position in stone.

So I did.

Lars and the Real Girl was excellent. The story was interesting, the acting was superb, and I loved the small feel of it all. His portrayal of the title character, a man struggling with social interaction (to put it mildly), drew me in from the start and kept me going throughout. I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Alright, I'll admit that thanks to Lars and my mother, I'm on board.

Keep the hits coming, Mr. Gosling.

And let's hope he makes a cameo in an upcoming Step Up iteration with these sweet dance moves.

PS: Due solely to its subject (RyGos), I predict this will be one of my most-read blogposts of the year. You know it's true.

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Kevin Spacey's "Jameson First Shot" Short Films

I spend more time on YouTube than I probably should. But can you blame me? There are all kinds of gems to find and watch on that site.

For example, I recently came across a series of short films called Jameson First Shot, which were written by (to my knowledge) unknown writer-directors, and which star Kevin Spacey.

Note: I have to admit that I'm a huge Kevin Spacey fan. The guy just knows how to pick good movies, and then he nails the performance. So anything that he's in, I know I'm likely going to like it (that sentence sounds strange with "like" being used in multiple ways, but I'm going with it anyway).

The goal of Jameson First Shot was to find new, talented writer-directors in America, Russia, and South Africa. Not sure why they picked those locations, but I think they got some pretty good submissions (or at least the winning short films are interesting/fun/clever). Oh yeah, and I believe the submitters actually got to direct their films, starring Kevin Spacey. Very cool.

"Envelope"

He also starred in their shorter "The Ventriloquist" and light-hearted "Spirit of a Denture" videos.

I'd love it if more actors teamed up with companies (whether alcohol-based or otherwise) to create these kinds of short films and give young and/or undiscovered talent the opportunity to shine.

So what do you think of the program, and of these films in particular?

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How Had I Never Heard the Story Behind Ben Affleck's New "Argo" Movie?

Have you seen the trailer for "Argo"?

I especially love that Ben Affleck's newest film is based on a true story.

Yes, the CIA used a cover story, Hollywood razzle dazzle, and the Canadian government's help in order to sneak 6 Americans out of revolutionary Tehran under the guise of being a sci-fi flick's crew.

Awesome, isn't it?

If you want to read about the heroics, you can click [here for a brief synopsis] or [here for a more comprehensive write-up].

This is one of the reasons I love movies. If not for this film being green-lighted, I'd probably never have heard of this story and the creative, extremely-gutsy efforts to save these expats.

Bonus fun fact for those still reading: Using Aerosmith's song "Dream On" in a trailer always makes me want to see a movie even more. I think it's due to my fond memories of the movie "Miracle".

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Happy Cinco de Mayo, Mis Amigos!

Happy Cinco de Mayo, everybody!

My history is a little fuzzy, but this is the day the Three Amigos defeated El Guapo, right?

It's well-deserved, because that was truly a glorious day for Mexican freedom and independence.

Also, did you know the tagline for Three Amigos was "They're down on their luck and up to their necks in senoritas, margaritas, banditos and bullets!"? Love it.

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Fan-Made Hunger Games Back-Story Videos

The Hunger Games movie came out just over a month ago and, not surprisingly, made a ton of money.

I know fans of the books had some gripes (as did I), but we won't get into that here.
Generally it was well received and got people even more excited about the remaining books.

As expected, fans are making YouTube videos from and about Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

Some of these fan-made videos are pretty good... and some are abysmal.

Here are some depicting back-stories related in the 2nd and 3rd Hunger Games books.

Warning! Spoilers in these videos! I recommend you read the books first, then watch.

The Second Quarter Quell (Haymitch's year in the arena)

Finnick and Annie (mostly fiction, but I think it does a great job explaining some things)

What did you think of them? Pretty cool stuff, eh?

Both of these were made by MainstayPro, which has lots of great videos. Check them out [here].

Makes me excited for the official movies to come out!

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Get Up and Finish the Race - Inspirational Runner Videos

I was/am in need of a major pick-me-up today, and sometimes YouTube fits that bill.
Especially when it involves running and overcoming the odds and obstacles.

Here are a couple that gave me a boost, just in case you need one, too.

Eric Liddell, Chariots of Fire

Heather Dorniden, 2008 Big Ten Indoor Track Championships

Derek Redmond, 1992 Summer Olympics

I feel a little better already.

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The Hunger Games: May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor

The much-anticipated movie for The Hunger Games opens nationwide in the USA today.

Many of my friends and family have read the book and are eager to see this film (some of you even went last night at midnight, you go-getters!).

I sure am excited, and I'll be watching in IMAX-gigantic size tomorrow night at 10:25 pm.

After searching for a few days early in the week, I found a copy of the book to borrow and then read the whole thing between Wed & Thurs nights, so I'm ready and pumped to see the screen version.

From the previews, it looks excellent.

Let me know what you thought!

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Fight the Bullying Problem with Lady Gaga and Me

After reading this story about a rock group intimidating and using scare tactics on high school students in Iowa, I decided to put this post together. It's time for us all to speak up.

Bullying and discriminating are unacceptable. Always have been, always will be.

It doesn't matter why the bully is bullying, be it race or religion or sexuality or a speech impediment or above-average IQ or socio-economic status or that the kid just looks funny or any other reason.

Bullying is wrong.

Props to Lady Gaga for speaking up and denouncing bullying. I may not consider myself one of her "monsters", but I fully support her message of tolerance and acceptance and self-worth.

Celebrities shouldn't and can't be the only ones fighting social issues.

Especially since it's the day-to-day people around us that are the victims of bullying.
And often those being bullied can't stand up for themselves.

When bullying isn't stopped, the consequences can be tragic.

The documentary film Bully comes out at the end of this month (March 30, 2012) and offers a glimpse into the heartbreak of those being bullied, as well as just how terribly things can turn out when bullying goes unchecked for too long.

Speaking of Bully, my friend Damian said, "I believe this will be a movie worth watching. Sometimes it's important to watch something even if it has an R rating." I completely agree.

This film needs to be seen and talked about. I especially hope schools show it to their students, because they are often the ones who need it the most.

But I hope that everyone sees Bully, even if we're out of school and past our awkward teen years and college. Whether we already have kids or maybe someday will, this viewpoint is important to be mindful of in their lives, so that hopefully they are never on either the bullied or bullying side of the equation.

Let's all think about how our actions can affect others for better or for worse.

And let's fight the bullying problem by educating and speaking up.

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Metallica Monday: Iron Man (Black Sabbath cover)

I'm a sucker for superhero movies, which is why I'm stoked for this movie to come out May 4th.

Click [here] to watch the trailer  

Ironman, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Captain America, and the Hulk face off against Loki (Thor's adoptive brother and archenemy). This is gonna be good.

In honor of The Avengers, a Black Sabbath cover by Metallica gets this week's nod:

Iron Man

John Carter and The Hunger Games are also on my must-see list in the next little while.

What other movies are you excited for?

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The Epic "Guy on a Buffalo" Saga

To make up for my lack of blogging this week, I'm sharing a set of real gems from YouTube.

I hope you can handle the awesomeness of the "Guy on a Buffalo" saga.

Is that song stuck in your head yet? You're welcome.

Semi-regularly, I've been narrating my life using the song since I saw these clips.
But not out loud. Only in my head, because I'm weird enough already.

Also, I want to go ride a buffalo.
So, friends, what's the strangest animal you've ever ridden?

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