In this morning’s roundup of movie news ‘n’ notes from around the web, Comic-Con comes to a (bloody) end, and tonier gatherings await.
“Scott Pilgrim” wowed ‘em, a fan got stabbed in the face, and hundreds of tweeters and bloggers were there to write about it all. TheWrap’s exhaustive Comic-Con coverage is here, while among the others paying attention was Kris Tapley, who sums up the event by calling it “a symbiosis that plays right into the hands of studio marketing chiefs.” Despite the fact that he says the event seems to be run by “oblivious fools,” he kind of likes it. The two films that took advantage of the opportunities provided by Comic-Con, he says, were “Cowboys & Aliens” and “Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World” (below). (In Contention)
At Videogum, meanwhile, “Gabe” sums up the event differently, with words like “total failure.” His main complaint: it’s too crowded, and too commercialized, and too uncomfortable, and did he mention too crowded? For similar complaints, read the coverage of every Comic-Con for the last decade or so. Says Gabe: “To clarify: long, insufferable lines are so commonplace at Comic-Con, that were you to simply stand in the wrong place, people might LINE UP BEHIND YOU FOR NO DISCERNIBLE REASON.” (Videogum)
Marvel’s production president Kevin Feige got a lot of heat for his unusually candid announcement of why Edward Norton was not going to be reprising his role as the Incredible Hulk in the “Avengers” movie (the gist is that he thinks Norton isn’t a team player). But he’s not feeling any regrets, despite a public scolding from Norton’s agent at WME, among others who felt the exec violated all kinds of Hollywood protocol. “It’s something that I think needed to be very clear,” an unrepentant Feige tells Kyle Buchanan. (Movieline)
Erik Davis trots out an annual feature: "the Hottest of Comic-Con." In the past, it’s been heavy on scantily-clad women on the convention center floor; this time around, in the interests of equality, he throws in guys as well. This year’s installment features lots of movie characters, spandex galore, only two Princess Leia slave-girl metal bikinis, plus an array of Disney characters (though I don’t remember Belle with tan lines, and I know Tinkerbelle didn't used to have this much cleavage). Near the end, the fan shots give way to some ringers – because, let’s face it, how many guys at Comic-Con can hold a candle to a publicity photo of Daniel Craig in “Cowboys & Aliens?” None, that’s how many. (Cinematical)
Moving to big events that take a slightly higher-brow approach, indieWIRE compiles a list of 40 “films to look for” at September’s Venice and Toronto film festivals. “[I]t’s possible a good portion of Oscar’s 2010 top 10 could very well come from … Venice and Toronto premieres,” they say, and their “tip of the iceberg” list includes new films from Danny Boyle, the Coen Brothers, Julian Schnabel, Clint Eastwood, David O Russell, Julie Taymor, Peter Weir, Gus Van Sant and Sofia Coppola, among many others. (indieWIRE)
More lists: Matt Zoller Seitz approaches 15 writers and filmmakers and asks them to share “the movie experience I can’t forget.” The subsequent slide show starts with “The Thing” in a seedy Times Square theater (critic Andrew O’Hehir’s choice) and ends with “Striptease” at a discount house (director Daniel McKleinfeld's pick); in between, it covers everything from “Leprechaun” to “The Empire Strikes Back,” from “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” to Peter Greenaway’s “The Falls.” (Salon)
Okay, this is just getting too dense. A.O. Scott wades into the deep waters of “Inception,” crafting a think piece about the movie … the anticipation for the movie … the initial reaction to the movie … the second round of reaction to the movie … the reaction to the second round of reaction … the reaction to the reaction to the reaction … the new reaction when the movie actually came out … the reaction to that reaction … the debate about the meaning of the movie … and how it’s all sort of backwards. I’d say it’s all gotten way more confusing than the movie itself. (The New York Times)
Producer Dean Zanuck – yes, he’s one of those Zanucks – talks to Irene Lacher about getting his acclaimed indie film “Get Low” off the ground. The bottom line: it wasn’t easy. Even with a (relatively) paltry $7 million budget, Zanuck says he couldn’t persuade most financiers to take a chance on a original movie about an old man who decides to throw a funeral for himself while he’s still alive. “We needed to find rich people who believed in us and believed in the story,” he says. And he swears he didn’t use that last name to help round up the rich people. (Los Angeles Times)
