Comic-Con At Home: Reviewing Rock Jocks aka Armageddon't

Usually, during this time of the year, I would be battling two-mile-long lines and grabbing a ton of swag as part of my annual pilgrimage to Comic-Con for Whedonopolis. However, I am have to stay home because of my job limbo.

So, I'll review a movie that Geek and Sundry fans will likely see this week: Rock Jocks! I saw a postcard about it at Comic-Con a couple of years ago, and wondered if it would be a web series. Well, the movie is available at various sources, including iTunes. I checked it out, postponing the ESPYs for a while last night.

The movie's about a secret section of the Defense Department called the Asteroid Management Initiative (AMI)  that repels big meteors that threaten the Earth. It's a big job, but not well-respected. It has technology that uses satellites to fire lasers at the meteors, but it's barely above Windows XP.

The crew includes John ( Andrew Bowen, Magic City), the leader of the group who's a bit of a burnout. He's upset he has to cancel his comet-watching trip with his son and work on his day off. His second in command, Alison (Felicia Day of The Guild and lots of other things) really wants to get promoted. She's good at her job, but missing some interpersonal skills. Ken (Kevin Wu) is the son of a "Rock Jock", and has problems trying to live up to the family name. He also may have a crush on Alison. Seth (Justin Chon, Twilight)  is a smart aleck who likes to prank Kevin. He got into the group because of his video game skills. Tom (Gary Bednob) has been there the longest, and takes a nip or nine to get through the shift.

They get a visit from Austin Pratt (Mark Woolley), a bean-counter from the DOD who wants to interview the crew, and decide if they can be replaced with an automated system with a very sinister name. Seeing them in action, mostly sniping at each other and getting bored in between meteors, may make the decision easy for him.

Observing all of this is a mysterious alien called "Smoking Jesus" (Doug Jones, Buffy, The Neighbors, Pan's Labyrinth, Falling Skies). He apparently helped set up AMI, and observed how its budget's been cut to the marrow. He also sets up Rube Goldberg-type setups that actually comment on what happens next in the story.

During their shift, John wonders how he can leave to meet with his son, Alison worries she'll never get promoted, Seth exploits Ken's insecurities, and Tom rants about unpleasant things. Meanwhile, there may be a meteor shower that no one can stop. It's a more realistic, and funny, version of Armageddon, only without Bruce Willis or a soundtrack including Aerosmith.

The cast also includes Robert Picardo (Star Trek: Voyager, Stargate: Atlantis) and Jason Mewes (yep, Silent Bob's pal) as two security guards who discuss what kind of princess each would be, and the versatility of a well-known obscenity. There's also two cameos, if you look and hear closely.

Rock Jocks will be featured twice at Comic-Con as part of Geek and Sundry's programming. A meet and greet is scheduled at Jolt N' Joe's with Felicia and Jason at 4 PM. It'll be shown at 5 PM at the same place Saturday, with Felicia introducing the movie.

If you can't make it to Comic-Con, head to iTunes or Amazon. You can rent or buy the download. It will be available in DVD form next month. It's also available at rockjocksthemovie.com, with a special package which includes the poster, HD download and two pins featuring Alison and Smoking Jesus.

Picked The Wrong Year To Skip Comic-Con

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.--Lloyd Bridges, Airplane!

I've been going to Comic-Con since 2004, when Sarah Michelle Gellar finally decided to go to plug her new movie, The Grudge. I discovered some new shows that we still remember, including Bones and Lost. It was big, but not and airy, and getting into any panel you want was a reality, not a pipe dream/deep delusion that it is today.

This year would have been my tenth straight Comic-Con, except I am still in between jobs. I send resumes to hundreds of prospective employees, and about nine out of ten of them automatically throw them away. So, I have to stay home.

This year looked like slim pickings to me compared to previous years, mainly because the Harry Potter and Twilight franchises, which really packed the con in years past, are over. Not to worry, because other franchises have taken over, including Marvel, Hunger Games, and the Hobbit. TV has also taken over, with its wealth of genre shows from Arrow and Walking Dead to True Blood and Game of Thrones to take over for past classics including Buffy the Vampire Slayer (natch), Battlestar Galactica, X-Files, and Smallville.

For those who think comics aren't that important at Comic-Con anymore, think again. Some titles pull in the fans, including the perennials such as Batman, Superman and Spider-Man, but comics connected with TV shows (even Adventure Time and many Dark Horse titles) keep them as a major part of the con. Toys are also getting bigger, thanks to Mattel, when they roll out models exclusive to the con.

What I'll miss most of all if that I can't cover stories for Whedonopolis. I am at my happiest when I write a story that, for the most part, wind up as exclusives that no other internet news site has. Did any other website interview Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker just before Much Ado About Nothing premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival..and came back for the movie's first officials weekend? Did anyone else talk to the original Slayer, Kristy Swanson, when she was in Sacramento for a small con in Sacramento? I did that, and I am sure I would have found a story at Comic-Con no one else could find.

So, what will I miss?

the panel for Intelligence, featuring Sawyer from Lost as the first internet-connected secret agent,
an EW panel that includes both Matt Smith and David Guintoli (and the Grimm and Doctor Who panels, too),
the 5th anniversary of Dr. Horrible,
a panel for Agents of SHIELD which should include lots from the pilot,
Joss of course,
maybe a preview of The World's End (Pegg and Frost's version of This Is The End),
what's next for Geek and Sundry,
the Veronica Mars movie,
how Amy Acker will try to break up Husbands (think scorned ex-fiancé who won't accept being the wrong gender for one of them),
the Eric Andre Show (mostly because of how he greeted Tea Party supporters with hoods...on TV),  How I Met Your Mother,
Matt Smith with Chris Hardwick at the Balboa (will burritos be included again?),
and the annual showing of Once More With Feeling.

Granted, I'd be lucky to see half this stuff, or even a third, if I was able to go this year. I was lucky to be at the Firefly panel thanks to lining up many, many hours ahead of time. Comic-Con has gotten so big, you have to stand in line at 6 AM to see anything...even if it's for something at 6 PM. That's why if I did get a ticket to the Nerdist podcast taping at the Balboa, I really wouldn't have to go to the Doctor Who panel the next day. Of course, I would have wished I could get him to autograph a burrito but that's unlikely. Who can autograph a burrito?

Fortunately, thanks to YouTube and similar sites, someone will be smart enough to record as many of these panels as possible, and I can still see them. Sadly, I wouldn't be able to find a story no one else finds, but I can still see what happened eventually.

Missing Wondercon and Comic-Con this year has been a real bummer this year, but I am glad I am still useful to Whedonopolis. I still wrote stuff about the SHIELD show, and two articles about Much Ado in San Francisco. I just wish I had some idea about whether people are reading my stuff, or even like it. The old Whedonopolis site measured how many hits my articles got, and I knew people actually read my articles.

Then again, there's one big reason why I'm mad I can't go....the swag!
I could always use another big tote bag that's really a portable billboard to the next big TV show, movie, comic book or whatever. It's still cool.
Sure, I found really rare swag that was never offered for sale, like a t-shirt from an early Butt Numb-A-Thon Harry Knowles hosted, or a Moonite t-shirt that recalled the day they accidentally put Boston on Red Alert six years ago. Still, it would be nice to have a foam TARDIS, a Kick-Ass 2 hat, or a plastic Captain American shield or Thor hammer...or a Mockingjay pin.

I will say I have done pretty good overall. Who else has way too many Joss autographs, but still has one framed...and even a picture? Last year, I got Tarantino's autograph on a Django Unchained poster, which is more valuable since he won an Oscar for Original Screenplay. I still have the dog tags from the Inglorious Basterds premiere, and a few other posters that can't be found anywhere else.

So, I have to stay home, but someday, I'll be back. Maybe I can return in time for Avengers 2.

Buying A Piece of KFBK's History

This is another of those "Thrift Shop" stories:

I was at the Salvation Army stores on 16th Street in Sacramento when I found this t-shirt:

If anyone from KFBK remembers what this was all about, I'd like to know. All I know is what is on this t-shirt:  in may 1993, then-financial news chief, and now daily talk show host for Fox News Radio, Tom Sullivan went to something called "Dan's Bake Sale" in Fort Collins, Colorado. You notice that Tom autographed the shirt. Here's a closer look:

There's also "pending government approval", too. Who was Dan, and how big was the bake sale, and what was the money from the sale used for? If there's anyone who knows, please write your comments on this blog. Thank you

Joss Whedon Joins Twitter: What Does That Really Mean?

Like many fans of Joss Whedon, I woke up this morning, still excited about the first promo for the ABC show Marvel's Agents of SHIELD. Mostly, we were really stoked about what could be the catch phrase of the summer: "Don't touch Lola," uttered by the literally indestructible Agent Philip Coulson. How he's indestructible...well, that will be explained sometime, but let's enjoy it.

Then I find out on Facebook that Joss has finally made the plunge into Twitter, the 21st century equivalent of sending telegrams to friends, family or people who you think are just wrong.

According to his page @JossActual, he started his account sometime after 11 PM Pacific Time. His first words:

It's me! Joss! My own account! No more hiding under studio skirts! I'm FREE! @MuchAdoFilm @AgentsofSHIELD @Marvel @roadsidetweets #free

Then, his next tweet:

MY account! I got strong opinions! I'm gettin' POLITICAL! (Heads up, LEMURS.) And making wry observations about mundane stuff!

That sounded good to me. So, I followed his account and, just because I can't help it, I try to write something that's as quirky as he is...

@JossActual Welcome! We Tweeters will follow you to the ends of the Earth, but not that tacky boutique over there, or that boring disco

OK, it isn't as quirky...or maybe it is. You decide. I follow that with something more intelligent:

@JossActual Of course, congratulations on @AgentsofSHIELD (is Luke Cage included?) and enjoy Seattle this week in #MuchAdoRulestheWorld

That's less quirky, but I had to say something about Much Ado About Nothing about to kick off the Seattle International Film Festival. Maybe it will get an award there, or it will rule the world (at least the indie film part).

He sent some tweets before when he used the @MuchAdoMovie Twitter feed just before the movie's premiere during South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. He also wrote a few after that. This may be why he decided to get his own account.

This does not mean I'll be tweeting Joss 7200 times a day. I can be quirky elsewhere, and often. I do think that Joss will get a mountain of thank-you tweets when Much Ado finally gets a regular run next month, and then Comic-Con, and then the TV show. Maybe he'll get comments from readers of his Dark Horse comics. They can do that now.

Joss finally joining Twitter is the nerdy equivalent of Miley Cyrus coming back to Twitter, but over-active Whedon fans should keep the tweeting at a minimum, and make those tweets count. After all, it's all about quality, not quantity. That goes for how many followers you have. He has 67 thousand followers as of Monday afternoon. That will get much bigger, but not in the Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber territory. It'll still be impressive though.

Meanwhile, much of the Whedonverse is already on Twitter, from David Boreanaz and Alyson Hannigan, to Seth Green, Nick Brendon, Tom Lenk, Fran Kranz, Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite, Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Seam Maher, Alan Tudyk, Camden Toy, Doug Jones, Eliza Dushku, Felicia Day, David Fury, Jane Espenson, Charisma Carpenter, Kristy Swanson, Amber Benson, James Marsters, Tim Minear....nearly everyone.
Sarah Michelle Gellar isn't on Twitter, but that can always change.

As far as connecting with Joss through Twitter, we shouldn't go too far. One big Twitter-lanche, and he might be scared off. Just welcome him, and think of an impressive tweet you can use when the time is right. That's the best way.
When he has a thought that is longer than 140 characters, we head to Whedonesque, like we always do..

First Look At Saturn Award Nominations

While the Oscars will be remembered for the Best Director that didn't get nominated, the Saturn Awards may get some attention between April and June over who will be up for awards.

Unlike the Oscars, the Saturn Awards, run by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films gives genre films their due. In fact, they even let some unexpected movies into the mix. That's due to giving out four different "Best Pictures" for Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action/Adventure and Horror/Thriller. While some films that the Oscars usually ignore get their due in these awards, other nominees may puzzle some people. A musical? Anne Hathway gets two nominations? What's Robot and Frank or Compliance? (Netflix will answer that question). This is my take on the major movie nominations...

SCIENCE FICTION

The Avengers is nominated along with Cloud Atlas, Chronicle, Hunger Games, Looper and Prometheus. While The Avengers may have the edge because it earned a lot of cash, there may be support for Looper, the first Time Travel Noir film. I'll pick Avengers.

FANTASY

The Hobbit will compete with The Amazing Spider-Man, Life of Pi, Snow White and the Huntsman, Ted and Ruby Sparks. The big support for Hobbit will lead to a big win.

ACTION-ADVENTURE

People are wondering why Les Miserables is nominated. Musicals are not action-packed, although there was some here. However, it'll be a battle between The Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall and Django Unchained, while 007 just coming out on top. Taken 2 and The Bourne Legacy fills out the list

HORROR/THRILLER

The Cabin in the Woods was the ultimate sleeper film because it was on the shelf for years while MGM tried to get its financial house in order. Lionsgate wound up releasing the film and did well. It looks like the favorite here,  but the other nominees are surprises: Argo, Zero Dark 30 and The Impossible. Also on the list are Seven Psychopaths and The Woman in Black.

There's also a category for independent films. That is going to be tough, because Compliance (which could be called a thriller and horror film) is up against Killer Joe, Hitchcock, Seeking a Friend at the End of the World, Robot and Frank (which puts new meaning to the term "computer crime"). The Paperboy and Safety Not Guaranteed. Netflix should help me catch up, but Compliance may have an edge because of the subject matter.

Now to acting:

BEST ACTOR

Daniel Craig has the edge for Skyfall, the most successful Bond movie ever, and one that marks a big change in the franchise, too. He'll be challenged by Joseph Gordon-Levitt for Looper and Matthew McConaughey for Killer Joe. The other nominees are Christian Bale (The Dark Knight Rises), Martin Freeman (The Hobbit) and Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables).

BEST ACTRESS

It'll be Katniss vs. Maya this time, but they'll face some interesting competition. Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain are the front runners, with Lawrence in the race for Hunger Games. However, look out for Ann Dowd in Compliance. She may win this award. Also on the list are Zoe Kazan (Ruby Sparks), Helen Mirren (Hitchcock) and Naomi Watts (The Impossible).

SUPPORTING ACTOR

This could be very interesting: Christoph Waltz will still have Oscar momentum thanks to Django Unchained, but Javier Bardem may have a better chance for his role in Skyfall. There's also Gordon-Levitt in Dark Knight Rises, Clark Gregg in The Avengers, Ian McKellen for The Hobbit, and Michael Fassbinder in Prometheus. It'll be Bardem by a handful of voters over Waltz.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Anne Hathaway has a good claim here, but not as Fantine. She stole The Dark Knight Rises, but the fact she's also nominated for Les Miserables may hurt her chances. A sleeper choice may be Judi Dench in Skyfall or Gina Gershon for Killer Joe. Also nominated are Charlize Theron for Snow White and the Huntsman and Nicole Kidman for The Paperboy.

Best screenplay will be interesting. Joss Whedon has two nominations, The Avengers and Cabin in the Woods (with Drew Goddard). Quentin Tarantino is also in there for Django Unchained, Tracy Letts for Killer Joe, Martin McDonagh for Seven Psychopaths and David Magee for Life of Pi. Whedon may be able to survive the vote split and win with Drew for Cabin.

Then there's Best Director. Some may wonder why Tarantino isn't in the race, but the choices make sense: Joss for Avengers, Christopher Nolan for Dark Knight Rises, Ang Lee for Life of Pi, Rian Johnson for Looper, Peter Jackson for The Hobbit and William Friedkin for Killer Joe. My preferences are Whedon, Lee and Johnson, but I am not sure. Good thing I have some time before the ballot arrives.

You can look at the entire list of nominees here, and join the Academy to have a say on who should win. Just visit saturnawards.org. Voting starts in April, and the winners will be announced in June.

Joss Whedon Dominates the Oscars...Sort Of

Since I am at a loss of how to pass the time this afternoon while I am waiting for The Walking Dead, BAFTA Awards and the Grammys, I will write a really cheesy column about how the inventor of Slaying, Vampires with Soul and Big Damn Heroes actually has a big connection with the Academy Awards in two weeks.

Joss Whedon won't be at the Academy Awards next weekend. He'll will be busy in Glasgow and Dublin showing Much Ado About Nothing to the film festivals there.  He would belong at the Oscars though, aside from his nomination for a screenplay award for Toy Story in 1995. It's actually because of his connection with what could be the favorite for Best Picture

Joss' biggest connection is Argo, the movie with the Best Director of 2012 (sorry, whoever wins the Oscar). The most obvious one Clea DuVall, who played Cora Lijek, one of the workers from the US Embassy who hid in the Canadian Embassy in Iran in 1979. She also played Marcie Ross, the invisible girl who was gunning for Cordelia  in  Buffy's first season ("Invisible Girl" or "Out of Sight, Out of Mind"). It would have been great to see what happened to Marcie after the FBI grabbed her. My guess is her invisibility wore off after being away from Sunnydale, but she figured out how to work undercover in other ways. DuVall was an FBI agent in Heroes, so it's plausible.

It doesn't stop there. Keith Szarabajka, who was Angel's nemesis Daniel Holtz, played Adam Engell one of the CIA officials discussing how to get the six Americans out of Iran.

Oh, and Ben Affleck was one of the basketball players in the original Buffy movie. It was when one the players suddenly became a vampire.

Oops, I almost forgot Tom Lenk, who plays a reporter for Variety when they have the table read for the fake movie.  He'll be more prominent when Much Ado About Nothing reaches American theaters this summer (aside from SXSW in March).

Yes, Browncoats, Alan Tydyk should be included, too. He is the voice of the Candy King in Wreck-It Ralph, a likely favorite for Best Animated Film

AHHH! I know, Tara fans. Amy Adams was also in the Buffy episode "Family", five years before she earned her first of four Oscar nominations for Junebug. She's in the Supprorting Actress race for The Master (no, not the one who was clobbered a formerly dead Slayer). Sorry about that.

Of course, the Oscars announced the cast of The Avengers will be presenting, while the film is up for the award for Best Visual Effects. You can't ignore a comic book movie that earns as much as the gross national product of a couple of small island nations.

I just wonder if Much Ado About Nothing, which was made at Joss' house in 12 days for the cost of a really long limousine, could get some awards, too. Maybe Joss may find himself in the Independent Spirit Awards in 2014. Wouldn't that be interesting?

My Role In Dr. Horrible Screening

I always wanted to know what it was like to help out in a charity screening of something I have on DVD.
Well, since I had a free one-way Southwest trip and lots of points to burn, I decided to do just that. I was security (sort-of) and part of the clean-up crew at the Dr. Horrible screening last weekend at the Barnsdall Gallery Theater. Actually, being a go-fer and spotter for celebrity cars wasn't too bad. I also escorted Shawna Trpcic (designer of clothes for Firefly, Dollhouse and Dr. H) to her seat, and spoke briefly with Greg Aronowitz (propmaster genius), Doug Jones, and Georges Jeanty of Dark Horse Comics. Whedonopolis' video review can be found here. I'd present the whole video, but it's PG-13 in one certain moment. This is the PG version:



Fran Kranz as Walter White, the early years. If Breaking Bad wants a prequel, I think we've found your man. The Whedonopolis link has the complete Fran, you might say. I saw him three times in the lobby and never figured it was him.

These two, though were easy to spot...



Jane Espenson and Cheeks (Brad Bell), the couple who made Husbands the best sitcom TV doesn't air. They showed season 2 on the big screen, and it was a big hit. You don't see Joss Whedon as an actor every day, but after seeing him as a snarky agent that would be a good idea. Jon Cryer, though, is the real star towards the end as the Anderson Cooper-ish talk show host who actually surprises us. To see that show click this Husbands link, plus my review of it.

There was also season five of The Guild, which I enjoyed more with a bigger screen. It included Doug Jones, namely this guy...



Remember, he's part of a classic foreign horror movie that almost won Best Foreign Film at the Oscars (but still picked up a couple). Also, gotta say, they should cast Amy Okuda as a super-heroine somewhere. Someone like Tink could fit into Arrow, for example.

The big event, of course, was Dr. Horrible. A lot of people took pictures of this couple...



That's the look of a girl who is happy an evil doctor game her the keys to a shiny new Australia, although this is also shiny: Australias you can eat!



Looking at it on a big screen for the first time in four years, I actually noticed something I hadn't before. In the tragic but inevitable scene where Penny's about to die after being impaled by collateral damage from the latest Hammer-Horrible tussle, Dr. H tries to help her, but then she says "Captain Hammer will save us". Even in death, Penny has betrayed our poor evil Doctor. THAT is why he embraces evil, folks. He couldn't get the girl no matter what.

Of course, a sequel is still in the works. I wonder if this time Dr. H is so horrible, the Evil League of Evil decides he should be, how you say, expelled quietly but also in a million pieces? Maybe he'll find salvation in an Angelic Penny. Maybe Captain Hammer will have to ask H for (ugh) help. It would be a bit too Megamind-ish, but what the heck? Most likely I'll be surprised if he get an angelic Penny at least. We'll just keep waiting.

Some other sights of the screening:



Greg Aronowitz with the Underwater castle that may or may not be the future of The Game this season on The Guild



An autographed poster that will be sold for charity.
I hear next year Dr. H will be part of a web film fest. No doubt more Guild episodes will be part of it.