One of my favorite up-and-coming studios in the business, Rogue/Focus is directly responsible for importing “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz” to American theaters, and as such, I’m willing to listen to anything they have to say about projects in the works. And over the course of the next year, they’ve got some pretty cool stuff coming out, including the often-rescheduled “Balls of Fury” (more on why later), the new Liv Tyler thriller “The Strangers,” and Neil Marshall’s latest.
“Coraline” (guests: Neil Gaiman and Henry Selick)
I can’t remember if anything related to this movie was originally scheduled for presentation during the panel, but Neil Gaiman made a quick visit to announce that his graphic novel is indeed receiving the big screen treatment, it’s going to all be done in stop-motion (and by the guy who did “Nightmare Before Christmas,” no less), and that the soundtrack will feature They Might Be Giants. Sounds pretty cool to me, and I’ll be sure to add this to my radar. No release date was announce, but I’m thinking it will be ready no later than Christmas 2008.
“Balls of Fury” (guests: Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon, Dan Fogler and James Hong)
“Iron Man” may have had the most exciting presentation, and “Midnight Meat Train” the most fucked up on, but it was the guys from “Balls of Fury” who provided the most entertaining panel of the weekend. Here to show off some footage from their new film were “Reno 911” and “The State” alum Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon (in full costume and makeup), and star Dan Fogler. But before I get to any specifics on the panel, it’s probably important to address the film’s constant rescheduling issues. Apparently, the CGI effects for the film took longer than anticipated (seven months), but now that they’ve finally finished, the movie is coming out… for real.
The Comic-Con attendees were treated to a clip from the film, and I have to say, this could surprise a lot of people when it’s released in theaters. The clip in question featured Dan Fogler’s character’s first competition in the tournament (against Freddy Fingers, played by Terry Crews), and between the taunting before the match, the over-the-top “Matrix”-style effects during the match and, well, Christopher Walken as the “Enter the Dragon”-esque villain of the film, I couldn’t stop laughing. Regrettably, I’ve been disappointed by both Garant and Lennon in the past, and so I don’t want to get my expectations too high until I see the completed project. Here are some other highlights from the panel:
* Lennon was the only of three panelists to appear on stage in costume, and later attacked Garant for tricking him into wearing it all day long on the showroom floor: “Dude, I was getting made fun of by a guy dressed like Daredevil. Some asswipe dressed like Daredevil – and I mean new Affleck Daredevil – was pointing at me like I was a douche. I’m sorry, this might be gay (pointing to costume), but it’s not new Affleck Daredevil.”
* After a kid dressed like Superman asked Dan Fogler how it felt working with Christopher Walken (in a horrible Walken impression, by the way), Fogler fired back with a spot-on impersonation. It’s too bad so many people were laughing when it happened, because my audio recording of the moment is completely ruined.
* Cedric Yarbrough (of “Reno 911”) sneaked into the Q&A line to ask Ben and Thomas why he wasn’t cast in the Freddy Fingers role, while Comic-Con staple Bob Stencil (“That’s Stencil with a dollar sign”) came to the mic to ask why Ben and Thomas weren’t rocking their mustaches. “They’re owned by 20th Century Fox,” Garant said, while Lennon claimed they were taken to the Smithsonian.
* Late into the presentation, “Big Trouble in Little China” baddie James Hong appeared on stage to fool around with the other panelists. It was a bit weird at moments – as he was literally stroking Dan Fogler’s hair – but there’s nothing cooler than seeing the dude flash the Lo Pan sign. I’m kinda mad about not thinking about it later in the day when I sat down to talk with “Iron Man” director Jon Favreau, but if a second film is ever greenlit, Hong would make the perfect Mandarin.
* Lennon and the rest of the guys shared a hilarious anecdote about Christopher Walken that you have to hear to believe. Apparently, the guy likes to pretend it’s his birthday. So much so that he did it three times just during the production of “Balls of Fury,” and this isn’t the only film it’s happened on. Some people know about it and others don’t, but what he does is buy himself a birthday cake, sets it down by him in the makeup trailer, and looks really sad. He waits for someone to ask him what’s wrong, and he tells them that it’s his birthday, and so everyone gathers around him to sing… while he just sits there smiling and enjoying every minute of it.
“The Strangers” (guests: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman and Brian Bertino)
As I’ve mentioned here several times before, I’m not a really big fan of horror movies. Nevertheless, I’d like to say that I’m really looking forward to Brian Bertino’s “The Strangers.” Of course, the movie isn’t really horror in the conventional sense, but is rather more of a suspense movie about a newlywed couple who are stalked and terrorized by a trio of would-be killers. These are real people facing off against a very real threat. Stars Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler joined first-time writer/director Bertino on stage to show a few clips from the film (including a slick teaser trailer) and answer questions from the audience. The panel wasn’t quite as revealing as others – they just showed a few clips, answered a few questions (including the mandatory “Can you say something in Elvish, Liv?”) and left the stage – but it’s nice to see that every horror/suspense movie that comes out these days isn’t rooted in torture porn.
“Doomsday” (guests: Neil Marshall)
Director Neil Marshall has made some pretty unique movies over the last few years. “Dog Soldiers” is the ultimate in B-movie camp, while “The Descent” reinvented the horror/suspense genre from the days of “Alien.” His newest film, “Doomsday,” will be released sometime in the first half of 2008, and for fans of films like “Mad Max” and “The Warriors,” well, they’re in for one helluva treat. Marshall didn’t bring any footage with him other than a short teaser trailer (narrated by Malcom McDowell, no less), and though it certainly reeks of been-there-done-that material, the last time it was done was 20 years ago, and so, it’s just as good of time as any to bring it back.
