OC Screenwriters Association

So what has Luke Perry of "Beverly Hills 90210" fame been doing lately?  Apparently running around an island off the coast of Sweden with some occasionally naked  men and women who have gathered to help one of their long-time friends propose to his  much younger girlfriend during the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.  The soltice is also when the Swedes apparently used to and still celebrate a right of fertility so that particular time makes a nearly perfect premise for sexual hijinks.

ASMSC is currently making the rounds at film festivals all over the U.S.  And although I can't say I loved the film, I did like a lot of the parts of it -especially the naughty ones.

I was a little disappointed in the delivery of the promising premise.  Imagine "Big Chill" updated with attractive, naked people running around and saunaing (is that a word?)  The execution unfortunately fell flat even though it had a good forward-working narrative in the idea that each couple and individual was there with their own agenda.  

One couple is trying to get pregnant although the husband has     hidden the fact that he is shooting blanks.  Another is already (very) pregnant and the husband is crushing his wife with his over-bearing care.  A non-coupled friend is running away from her loveless relationship with her fiance who may or may not be gay.   Perry plays the a former college roommate of the central character who is going to surprise his GF with a ring and a fully-planned wedding with all their friends present.  Perry is charged with buying said ring.  Why is never fully explained but there's a small surprise about that that I wished was better developed.

Perry is always compelling in almost any role he undertakes but in this he's so wasted.  But that goes along with the rest of the characters who, as stated, had compelling stories but were under-delivered.

All of the actors work hard to make these stories work.  Actress Lisa Werlinder is the after-mentioned girlfriend; and although she seems initially light-weight she delivers a solid performance.  Her smoldering good looks make watching her worthwhile.  In fact, all of the   actors and actresses were varying degrees of solid performances and good eye candy.  I could have lived without seeing the men's occasional junk shot but the womens' scenes compensated for it.

This isn't Woody Allen redoing Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" but then few movies can deliver at the Woodman's early career level.  The movie has compelling actors, a semi-articulate script, and some really funny moments.  It's worth a rental if you want to see how the rest of the world does screwball comedy.

 It's been a good run kid... Famous words, if ever spoken, have never been so true to describe the latest venture of Jack Sparrow (sorry, Captain) and his merry crew of cut throats a thieves.

I came to discover the whole Pirate franchise in one glorious summer day in 2006. I went to the movies and wanted to see what all the hoopla of a new pirate movie that stared Johnny Depp was all about. Based on the Disneyland ride, and having heard the worst from the previous Disney ride movie - The Haunted Mansion - with the hauntingly unfunny Eddie Murphy I was in no way expecting anything out of it. Besides, I thought,  it's a  Wednesday at 5 PM I'll have the whole theater to myself... and oh my God... Once I entered it was packed. Something was going on. Well to make a 2 hour plus movie short - it was a success. Me and the theater laughed at the right cues, the story was fun and with every character working very well through out the film. It was well produced,  fun, big and loud. In short Pirate movies were back!

The success of the pirate movies when analyzing it comes down to two main things a very rich script, with a good plot engine,  characters that had real believable motivations and actors who played their parts to perfection. Maybe the only weakest link was Kiera Knightly but her beauty kinda evened things out.

Disney wasn't ignorant to this so Pirates 1, 2 and 3 came out. With of course 3 being the lesser of them, but in all entertaining. So we come to 2011 and mama (Disney) needs a brand new bag... so we got Pirates 4.

And here's where the trouble comes in. For some reason they spend a good amount of money (200 million, 100 million less than Pirates 3) but it didn't seem as grandiose or funny or inventive as the other three. Many said Pirates 3 had it's holes and some didn't like it at all. But it had great popcorn moments, like the pirates fortress and the maelstrom at the end sequence. But POC on Stranger Tides just didn't do it for me. Yes they had jungles, they had blue oceans, dark looking pirate ships but no real threat. They had mermaids... yeah large fishy girls with spiky teeth and Zombies that were just brutes with large swords, hardly both of them a big menace.

Johnny Depp is now almost comical in his Jack Sparrow rant and not as amusing as other times but the problem was not Depps girly pirate manerisms, it's that the movie wasn't as intriguing or at larger scope of ambition as the others. Big sea monsters, a Ocean goddess and evil curses are great for fantasy but a race movie to the fountain of youth??? - Yawn. And once you get there the end fizzles like stale cola - double yawn.

So we know what the pirates do and what they're about but as fans we want a great adventure not Jack sparrow running errands at the mall. We want monsters, crazy stuff that can snatch you from the trees and things that will eat your heart out while you're still alive. This movie compared to the others is just plain silly. I do really think they just made it so 10 years olds can see Jack Sparrow scream and fall in different ways. I know it's hard to make a great script but if you were able to squeeze out three semi decent action movies why didn't you do it on a fourth... Also of all the hot, fun and good actresses out there Penelope Cruz is probably in my top 10 - starting from the bottom of me list of 100. No real acting on her part (latinas in real life always get mad so acting furious is not a stretch for her) and not that she's a bad actress, she's just not cut out for popcorn movies. In spanish dramas she shines, in American comedies she doesn't. Also I was very surprised that a great talent like Ian Mcshane had such a small part in this movie. Small you say ? He was the main villian! I say small in the reference of his threat - He was supposed to be the meanest pirate of them all but the toughest intro we got was that his beard was smoking and his only real threat was a magical sword that can make the ships ropes choke people... ho -hum.

So I don't know if it was laziness, Bruckheimer's and Disney's greed to get this into production or other unseen reason but it just seemed rushed. I would have placed the writers in a room with all the starbucks they wanted and don't let them out until they got something really fascinating. Maybe even pulled a Steve Jobs ala iPhone and throw to the wall  the On Stranger Tides script with a proclamation "It's not ready yet". What ever it is it's not enough. We have been so bombarded with high marks in entertainment that sometimes we're trapped by our own success. The Pirates franchise is the same case.

If I was Bruckheimer I would take a breather, let the franchise rest a couple of years and work on a nice script for say 2015 and wow everyone back before people get bored of Jack Sparrow and loose the franchise for ever... or they could do a reboot with a teen Jack Sparrow... oh wait - bad idea!!!

Summer equals heat (although less and less these days), fun lazy weekend afternoons and movies... Yes folks, summer movies. This is the time us writers see the plethora of super - mega - spectacular movies Hollywood throws at us to sustain their bloated budgets for the year. And every year we earnestly wait to see what our, sometimes envied and more successful brothers of the trade, have typed in their Macs for us to see, enjoy, pick apart or just gasp at the gall they have.

Studios, ever hungrier to get more and more cash from the dwindling movie audience, are pushing summer blockbusters earlier and earlier. "Thor" was the first salvo and the memorial weekend is the initiating battle.

Our subject for today is the well-used trend of the "reboot". For those a bit new to the term it means they're re-starting a series or franchise with a frensh new story. Why? Because Hollywood being a bit of a scary-Mary, when it comes to losing money, has been for the last year on a "sure bet" auto pilot when it comes to productions. Also not helping the matter is that the 78% of the movie going public are teens and young adults therefore comic book stories and action movies with loud colors, lots of action and few words are what these young beings digest the most. But anything that has shown previous success will get it's fair shot. But when the public says enought of ROCKY 16, PIRATES 13,  FAST and FURIOUS 9 and many others what is a lowly studio exec to do? The answer :  " Lets feed them the same story but with a new spoon! "   "Brilliant, J.D.!"  (mutters the side kick accountant.)

And hence the new trend of "rebooting" a franchise. So how do you re-boot a franchise? First you want the story to be relatable to your audience (in this case teens). So do you want a story with a bunch of 40 year olds (acting like they are in their 30's) or do you bring the characters age down a bit? Of course you bring down the age! Then you create a new story with a similar vibe but to fit the new characters wants, anxieties and problems.  It's like making a "diet" hot dog, it looks like the old hot dog but with less fat.

So we come to our first example,  X MEN : First class. For all those familiar with the X-Men franchise it started nice with Brian Singers version, then X2 did a decent job the it completely dropped the bomb with Bret "partyboy" Ratner's version called X3 and it then was completely humiliated with WOLVERINE. So they needed to rebirth this money maker and thus choosing an "origins" style movie.

Now I don't envy any writer the job of doing one of these (well maybe the paycheck) since it's very hard to come with something completely original. The writers for X-Men First Class did benefit with two major talents that made this movie swim : James McAvoy and Michael Fastbender, two very good english actors that know how to turn bad cheese into sensible cocktail bites.

The story starts very much like Singers first version with the origins of Magneto  (they even use a similar scene ) and we see a week conflicted child with strange powers he doesn't know how to use and who is at the mercy of a Nazi doctor who wishes to control it. We also see a young Professor Xavier who meets a very young Raven Darkholme (Mystique) and they become close.

Now jump 20 years later and both men are using their powers (unknown to those around them) for their own purposes. Xavier to further his studies and Magneto to further his revenge on his and his families captors. Here is a very interesting principal of the opposing forces at work in the story. While these men will soon come together they embody  the powers of good, through Xavier and that of evil in Magneto (although we can say Magneto's purpose is more hate than evil). We see the tendencies of these two major characters take their own paths, come together, disagree and separate in a fashion that will create a balance of sense to future stories.

The story is well crafted in the sense that these characters can come to meet and work in a believable fashion, which sometimes in superhero movies, the writers make viewers take a leap of faith for some of the characters actions since they think we'll believe it because they're "super" . In X-Men First Class the writers have more respect for us and ease us with some minor exposition but so well crafted that one believes it... and one does because the characters themselves believe it. Again much credit to McAvoy and Fastbender for their very good deliveries of lines that in lesser actors would have been a cheese fest. But I'm also amazed that with the amount of writers this project had, how could they let the story breakdown to a halt when the newly X-members (teens recruited by Xavier, when mutants are still in hiding) have small frat style party?... Again I would expect a little bit more from 7 writers and Singer (who has a "story by" credit ), but again  this is Hollywood and everyone puts their hands in the story pie.

Now the main counter force you always need is a great villain, in this case a "super villain" whom they weakly cast in Kevin Bacon, yes footloose guy isn't the most menacing guy in the planet but he plays his role well (kudos to Bacon's language training - unless they dubbed it which probably was the case) but again I think that the trick of movie surviving a so-so villain is that the main villain was hiding in plain sight and looking straight at us... and it was brilliant! Like most of these super hero movies many of the opposing band of baddies are just cardboard henchmen for the main bad guy to order and scheme around only that these can do cool stuff. Sadly they are all wasted. January Jones as Frost was a big disappointment. For some reason she showed up to work but if they would have placed a mannequin it would have done the same job.

As far as an origin story it is nicely done with some very solid action and FX scenes worthy of the other X-Men movies. Being set in the 1960's also gave a certain edge of coolness that helped with these things. One regret is the make up use on a certain blue character that looks out of place on such a big budgeted movie. These are the times CGI can help an actor emote without looking like he has 2 pounds of cake on his face.

In all I give X-Men First class a solid review. Not excellent but not mediocre either. A good fun at the movies and certainly worthy of this summers praise.

But beware people, the trend of making every known character young is no where is sight of stopping. We are going to have a young Lone Ranger next year, also a very young Tarzan and maybe a teen Charlie Chan... so what will they think of next?... A young George Washington action movie????

On June 6, 2012, Ray Bradbury, the Universe's writer, was called back to his galaxy.  I had written this a year earlier to almost the day.  I'm pushing it back to the front page in his honor.

One of the first purchases I made that was on my own impetus and that didn’t involve an adult was to sign up for the Science Fiction Book Club. This was no casual thing since it meant I had to buy four books in two years - a burden that seemed overwhelming to a serious-minded youth but it meant I also got four books for free for signing up which made it worth the stress investment.  The first free book I chose was Ray Bradbury’s “Twice 22" a short story collection that had been in publication for a while but I had never read.  All I knew was it sounded cool.

Prior to this, I hadn’t really read any adult scifi. I started with comic books, then got deeply into the adventures of the young scientist Tom Swift, then matriculated to some Ace Doubles (novellas two to a book) from the Army-Navy store across the street from my Dad’s grocery.  Bradbury's was the first time I understood that science fiction had other, deeper meanings that I could sense but perhaps not fully comprehend yet.

Bradbury is often included in some school reading curriculums but there was a time when he was considered "only" a science fiction writer and they were just about the lowest, most common form of writer, barely above slug on the food chain of those who delivered prose. Bradbury was widely recognized as being one of the top story-tellers of the time but he was still considered less a writer than say Truman Capote or other men and women of his generation.

How times have changed for the better.

If there was a Heart and Soul Award to be given to science fiction writers Bradbury should get it. His stories are less about rockets and aliens and more about our hidden mindscapes. His worlds weren’t necessary these carefully crafted societies like Asimov's "Foundation" series, or David Niven’s “RingWorld” or the shoot ‘em up of early Heinlein spcae adventures but rather of familiar places in strange times with all-too-human emotions and unexpected results. He was more the “Twilight Zone” than say the “Outer Limits”  and he was so effective at what he did with those pieces that people began to notice and give him awards for illuminating those dank places despite that they were set against a science fiction backdrop.

In my opinion, Bradbury was always a better short story writer than novelist but how could anyone dismiss such genius as “Farenheit 451?”  I cannot, of course, but he didn’t write many of those. Instead, he turned his prodigious talents more to short form so that's what I tended to focus on. 

Reading a Bradbury story is like sipping ice tea on a summer dusk when it’s warm and friendly - and then slowly beginning to notice that as it grows darker, it gets colder and those nice tree shapes are starting to look vaguely threatening in the pale light of the rising moon. You start to edge closer to the front door where you can eventually flee because dark thoughts have begun to infect your mind. As they fester you suddenly realize that you’ve been duped into treading into boggy, sickening places where no person has any business going.

Bradbury’s stories, his elegant prose, romances you like the endless blue of the ocean. You don’t realize how far out you are from shore until suddenly your feet no longer touch sand and there’s an undertow snatching at you, trying to drag you away to black waters. Before you fully understand what’s happening you’ve been pulled under and you can no longer breathe.

At his pinnacle, Bradbury was both brevity and languorous prose somehow skillfully combined for best effect - like an Egg McMuffin where you get a complete, albeit abbreviated breakfast stacked onto one biscuit - to go.  I still don't see anyone with that unique combination anywhere out there.  Resonant, complex brevity.

Such simple concepts and such profound results. “The Illustrated Man” where every picture tells a story; “The Martian Chronicles” a collection of stories where mankind’s worst and best are replicated on a far away place in contrast to the previously always-sunny stories about mankind making its way nobly to other planets.

Bradbury has steadfastedly refused to be pigeonholed as a writer.  Early in  his career he was hired by legendary dirrector John Huston to work on the   script for a  "Moby Dick" adaptation. And his novel "Farehheit 451" was directed by no less than François Truffaut.  He's done television as a writer and had his work adapted to the small screen and re-adapted in movies and remakes.  His non-fiction essays in "Zen in the Art of Writing" remains high on the list of must-reads for any serious writer looking to become a professional.   His semi-autibiographical "Dandelion Wine" has nothing to do with science fiction but rather thematically presents a metaphor of packing the deliciious delight of those long summer days of schoolboy freedom into a single bottle of home-brewed wine to be drunk later in memory of that youth lost.

 As good a writer as Mr. Bradbury is, he is an even better public speaker. At 91 (92 in August,) confined to a wheelchair and somewhat ravaged by age and minor strokes, he unfortunately no longer shows up in person to many venues. Those who have heard him speak, however, can never forget him. He is like a parish priest of the best stripe - he supports, inspires cajoles and indicts you for your writing sins. He challenges you to write as if your hands were on fire never worrying about your skill level because that will come with experience - a fact he understands in his very DNA.

He was and is a fearless writer and man who knows that to say “I wish...” is to lose immediately.   As Yoda was probably inspired to say by him "Do or do not.  There is no try."

  A quote of his that I have carried in my wallet for decades best sums up this man’s indomitable spirit:  

If we listened to our intellect, we'd never have a love affair. We'd never have a friendship. We'd never go into business, because we'd be cynical. Well, that's nonsense. You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down.

Ray Bradbury has written eleven novels, 297 short stories, has done sixty-five “Ray Bradbury Theater” episodes and countless other prose works with hundreds, perhaps thousands of awards of every kind and manner.  He is imitated but will never be duplicated. He is as unique an American voice as Mark Twain and he will continue to impact the world long after he’s gone.

Would that there was some way to save his head in a glass jar like the dead presidents in “Futurerama” or to be given a new body so his mind could continue onward to even more flights of fancy. Or even perhaps synthesize his writerly essence into an android like his wonderful and still-heart rending “I Sing The Body Electric” which was adapted into one of my favorite “Twilight Zone” episodes.

So how exactly do you measure what this genius of a writer has brought to the world? I think it’s by the people he inspired to continue doing what he has loved and preached for over eight decades.

Bradbury was one of the reasons I became a writer and remains one of the reasons I am true to that ideal no matter how difficult the role of a professional writer, as I've experienced it, can become.   Though I may never come close to his achievements I’m thrilled to be counted in the pantheon.

I'm sure thousands of men and women would agree  with me that we are still jumping off cliffs and building our wings on the way down because he did it first and perhaps...best.

This is part of my series of writers who inspired me to become a writer.

If I tell you that "Call Me Fitz" is a Canadian television series starring Jason Priestley as Richard "Fitz" Fitzpatrick who is an opportunistic used-car salesman - who then seems to gain a conscience in the form of a morally upstanding new salesman named Larry (Ernie Grunwald) - and whose normally consequence-free life is constantly thwarted by said conscience - you may get a sense of what this wacky comedy is about.  

But not really...

I was hooked almost immediately by this strange combination of comedy, moral  lessons, and  just plain-ass wacky moments.  Why is Fitz a modern-day refuge from the Rat Pack (he says "Ring-A-Ding" a lot and never is without his shiny suit.)  Don't know, don't care.  It just really fits him and this character somehow.  How did he get the way he is?  See above.  How does this whole conscience thing work?  Ditto.  I'm not questioning too much here - I am along for the ride - at least for the first few eps.  That's how much fun it is.

Fitz is horrible.  He's totally unlikable - they don't even try much to make him likable.  As an example, after crashing a car with a woman inside that he's trying to sell the car to, he then drags her to the driver's side so she'll be blamed for the crash.  When she slips into a coma, still unsigned, he goes to the hospital, lies in bed with her and attempts to administer oral sex to wake her up so she can sign the sales contract. 

Priestly, a talented comedic actor, is perfect.  His rhythms, his demeanor, his look - perfect.  He inhabits the body and soul of this character like he was born to it.  This type of show really gives him a chance to show off his prodigious acting skills honed by years of doing "Beverly Hills, 90210."

The writing is sharp, funny and odd enough to keep you constantly off-balance and wanting more.  Sheri Elwood is the writer and she's very good.  I intend to continue to watch this until it inevitably get canceled - and it will - it's just too bizarre and profane to last.

You're either going to like it or hate it.  And in case you weren't clear, I like it.  A lot.

Currently, it's on DirecTV's "The 101" but it was also listed as showing on The Movie Network and Movie Central.

The Anaheim ComicCon, now in its 2nd year, has grown nicely.  Last year there was a bit of rawness about the event - a touch of desperation and panic - completely gone this year.  For fans of these events (moi) something like this in your backyard is wonderful.

ACC is like San Diego in perfect miniature.   This year I went on Saturday (last year Friday and Sunday) and I felt like the energy, the scope and the crowd was just right.  It was dicey moving through the aisles (like all Cons) but there were also places where you could breathe unlike the Big Daddy con in San Diego.

There was a respectable artists' alley, plenty of booths of comics and memorabilia, lots of people in costume and lots of enthusiastic fans.  The celeb alley was filled with stars of today and yesterday like Julie Newmar (Catwoman) and Adam West (Batman.)  Among these Golden Age gems were fanboy favs Tricia Helfer, Kevin Sorbo and Miracle Laurie.  

Kevin is always smiling and personable - he's a friend.  It was good to see him and share a few laughs.  And talking to Tricia Helfer in the Green Room/Press Room was a highlight for me.  She is every bit as gorgeous and sexy (and sweet) as she is on screen but looks about ten years younger in person - she said it might have been the HD makeup that they have to cake on everyone these days.  

I apologize for bugging her while she was taking a break (and her male companion glared at me the entire time) but I didn't see her on the floor and talking to her was beyond my ability to resist.  I would love to interview her for the website someday - hopefully she won't remember the idiot from the Green Room if I ever get that chance.

I went to the Con with OCSWA board member Victor Phan who is a "Phanboy" of epic proportions.  He had his backpack filled with comics and graphic novels he wanted signed by artists (don't ask how he had them catalogued and ready to go - if I told you he'd come off as too much of a geek.)  Victor is also a talented artist (and screenwriter, producer, teacher and martial artist) and he was able to grab some good deals on artist supplies from Blick which supplied the gift bags and had a nice-sized booth on the floor.

You can tell an event is expanding when the Green Room gets larger and better supplied.  Although coffee was in short supply as usual, this year the Green Room was three times larger and the food considerably better.  Last year it was on the floor of the convention center; this year in a suite.  This speaks not only to the fact that they couldn't spare the floor space this year because of more exhibitors, but that the quality and level of stars in attendance has been ratcheted up.

Most people I talked to in the morning, both attendees and exhibitors, felt the attendance was a bit light.  But by afternoon they had all changed their tune as people poured in to the Con to geek out for a few hours.  Honestly, I almost these days prefer this show to the San Diego one because it is soooo crowded in S.D. - this show, as mentioned, had the right weight to it and I'm almost afraid to wish them luck going forward because of the potential for this venue becoming like the big one.  

There's a Facebook page for this show put on by WizardWorld and they keep you up-to-date on everything Con all year 'round.  

Many thanks again to Jerry Milani of WizardWorld for providing excellent press interfaces for us.  He is the hardest working man in ComicCons.

The Con runs one more day - today.  I highly recommend the trip to Anaheim to attend.  LINK

Of course the 1st thing you know about the Newport Beach Film Festival 2011 is that it's moved from its usual place at the Island Cinemas and over to Triangle Square.   They are remodeling the theaters at the Fashion Island location so for the bulk of the festival it's at the Newport Blvd. location.  Some venues remain the same: opening night was at Big Newport, The Regency Lido in Balboa remains the closing night and other venues will be used like The Regency Lido Theater and The Sage Hill Theater at Newport Coast.

The facade doesn't matter, really.  It's still the same well-run show inside.  I actually like Triangle Square for the festival because on the upper floor of the buidling is a large, open "square" where people can hang and talk.  If the venue itself was more populated with shops it would be perfect.  Unfortunately, since Nike Town left and other companies couldn't sustain their businesses there, there is a sort of ghost town feel to it when you're walking between the theater and anywhere else like the media room (the old Nike Town.)  Otherwise, it's actually quite nice since on that top floor you can grab a bite and a beer at Yardhouse and there's still a candy store open.  There are also shops and restaurants at street level.

What always amazes me about the NBFF is the volunteers.  I ask almost all of them the same question - why?  They all express some interest in film - some more than others - but I never get the sense that they're burning the blue flame for this business.  More like "it seemed like fun."  One young girl I talked to had been volunteering for four years - and she was just turning 21.  And, when asked, expressed only a marginal interest in making film a career choice.  I think she said something about journalism but I couldn't be sure.

There's also the "tea ladies and lords" as I call them.  The older volunteers who stand for hours on their SAS shoes, smiling and calmly telling the movers and shakers of SoCal that they can't enter the venue until the alloted time.  They are always friendly and fun, though - not a grump in the bunch.  They form the spine of the volunteer corp and I think the festival would be lost without them.  Perhaps if I get a chance I'll do a more in-depth interview with one of them. 

Last night I only attended the movie "Conception," a funny film by writer/director Josh Stolberg (see OCSWA intereview here.)  Despite a few technical gliches the film played to an enthusiastic audience of friends of Josh or his wife Leila Charles Leigh, and people who were attracted to the concept and star cast including David Arquette, Jonathan Silverman, Julie Bowen, and Sarah Hyland.

"Conception" keeps  you interested and laughing.  Josh has a terrific light touch and a sly vision of relationships.  Some of this was evident in the film "Good Luck Chuck" (which he wrote) but Stolberg really gets to stretch his legs here with these nine stories of love and sex.  You can see some autobiographical information in the nine couples who grace the stage.  These were perhaps the strongest moments.  

I had the sense that the Jonathan Silverman/Jennifer Finnegan and Jennifer Jostyn/Alan Tudyk scenarios were the ones with which Josh felt most comfortable.  The further he got from those couples, the weaker the material became.  

The  very talented and funny Sarah Hyland is almost wasted - her story of "first-time" sex being perhaps the weakest and most deriative with no true insight in that scenario and no real surprises.  The "condom in the wallet since sixth grade" was a real shock since I felt like Josh was channeling  the 1980's film "Diner" - that's how old that particular piece of film Americana is.  

The Leah Pipes/Aaron Ashmore scenario started off well but ended weakly almost as if Josh had run out of material or insight by that point.  Perhaps if he had limited the amount of stories, he would have been in better shape in his narrative threads.

But, having said that and most importantly, I was never not amused by the deft and interesting moments that formed the stories about relationships and sexual congress between these couples.  To judge by the constant laughter in the theater, other people quite enjoyed themselves also.  Two girls who sat in front of me were particularly vocal about the "lost condom" moment.

This laughter and enjoyment is as much because of the terrific writing and acting as to the post production.  The editor, Naomi Sunrise Filaramo, deserves an Oscar for keeping all those stories congruent and moving.

Afterwards, Josh and some of the producers and cast held court for a Q&A that was nearly as funny and fun as the film itself.  I had the feeling that had they given Josh all the time he wanted, he'd still be talking.  His pure love of film and "nice-guy" energy shines strongly in this film but more so in person.  

I had a great time at "Conception" - it was a wonderful start to the Triangle Square venue.  My hope is that I can spend a lot more time there this coming week.   "Conception" screens again on May 5th (7:30pm.)  I highly recommend it.

The Newport Beach Film Festival runs from April 28th to May 5th (info here) and features films from all over the world and includes local, young filmmakers and their shorts.  Colleges like OCC, CalState Fullerton and others are represented.  It's always great to go out and support these promising filmmakers and their programs so make a point of it. 

Hope to see you all at this great event. 

When I was a kid comic books were for nerds.  I remember a friend and I dressing as our favorite characters (to the best of our ability) and creating super weapons out of whatever we could find  to have a superhero war.  Of course, we were made fun of and probably still would be today - but just like the computer geeks who have taken over the world, with comic books driving billions of dollars of sales in all markets, including video games and mega-movies, that laughter isn't quite as loud or raucous.   In fact, it's probably all but disappeared.

Having been a steady attendee of the San Diego Comic Con for years, watching it grow to the juggernaut it has become along with this once-laughed at industry, I was more than thrilled when last year we got our very own Orange County Con in Anaheim compliments of Wizard World.

The little Con-that-could made quite an impression on me last year.  It was by many degrees smaller than the San Diego Con but that was actually to its advantage.  It was a like a throw-back to the early San Diego days.  I found it easy to navigate the aisles and a lot more fun to attend since you could actually (most of the time) talk to the stars there who were making appearances and signing autographs.

OCSWA did coverage last year (here) and (here) and I can't wait to go back and see how they've changed, grown and improved the experience.  I actually ran into a lot of Hollywood buddies there, although I missed OCSWA friend Kevin Sorbo on Saturday because of a previous commitment.   
 

Students and faculty members as well as members of the armed forces, fire and police may purchase specially priced tickets for just $5 with valid identification.

Tickets are free for children age 10 and under when accompanied by a paid adult (limit two children per adult). VIP packages that include special entry and exclusive merchandise are also available.

Here's some info on the Con happening in just a week in Anaheim.

Anaheim, CA – April 2011 – Wizard World, producers of North America’s largest pop-culture tour,  brings its annual Comic Con expo to Anaheim Convention Center Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1, 2011.

Tickets are on sale now for the event that brings together fans of all ages along with fun-loving celebrities and top industry professionals, all celebrating the best in pop culture, movies, comics, toys, television, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Among the show’s celebrity guests include: 

CELEBRITY GUESTS:
Adam West (Batman; Family Guy)
Harry Hamlin (Clash of the Titans)
Burt Ward (Batman [Robin])
Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica)
Ray Park (Star Wars, X-Men)
Stephen Tobolowsky (Glee)
Michael McMillian (True Blood; What I Like About  You)
Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters)
Richard Roundtree (Shaft; Heroes)
Sally Kellerman (M*A*S*H; Back to School)

ARTISTS, COMIC CREATORS:
Phil Ortiz (The Simpsons; He-Man; Masters of the Universe)
Dustin Nguyen (Batman)
Judd Winick (Power Girl; Justice League)
William Stout (The Dinosaurs)
Mike Grell (Green Arrow; Green Lantern)
Bill Sienkiewicz (Elektra; Assassin)
Arthur Suydam (Marvel Zombies; Army of  Darkness)
Nathan Edmonson (Who is Jake Ellis?; The Light)

DOZENS more listed on their website

GENERAL INFO:
Attendees of all ages are greatly encouraged to come dressed as their favorite villain, superhero or pop culture personality for the chance to win special prizes in costume contests for adults and children. 

Event-goers may also try their hand at interactive product exhibits and shop for collectible comics, movie and television memorabilia, toys and games at more than 100 dealer booths.

In addition, Wizard World will host a special fundraiser for Best Friends Animal Society, where event-goers may adopt a deserving dog or cat from Best Friends’ network of local animal rescue organizations.  

TICKETS:
Comic Con tickets are available online (here).

Adult single-day tickets are $25 in advance; a 15% savings over tickets purchased at the door. Three-day weekend tickets are $45 when purchased in advance; $55 at the door. 

Students and faculty members as well as members of the armed forces, fire and police may purchase specially priced tickets for just $5 with valid identification.

Tickets are free for children age 10 and under when accompanied by a paid adult (limit two children per adult). VIP packages that include special entry and exclusive merchandise are also available.

For information about the show, including the advance purchase of professional photo opps with celebrity guests; participation in the “Magic: The Gathering” card game tournament; and other on-site activities, visit www.wizardworld.com. Join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/anaheimcomiccon and on Twitter @WizardWorld.

See you all there!

I didn’t think I’d like “Happy Endings.” I’ve sworn off sitcoms for the most part except for “Modern Family” and the occasional ep of “The Middle.” One hour dramas have dominated the market for years after most sitcoms became lame and un-funny.

There appears to have been a resurgence. And a lot of truly funny material is now being offered. “Happy Endings” is part of that resurgence.

Let’s call it the 2k “Friends.” Six individuals (dumb-ish, gay, girl hound, married, controlling, etc.) rotate in and out of each others’ world. The writing and the non-typical character types really elevates this though. In the pilot, we see two of these characters about to be married but the bride (Elisha Cuthbert) decides she can’t go through with it. She bails leaving her groom (Zachary Knighton) and their friends confused and shattered. But, being that it’s a sitcom, by the end of the episode they are again all friends. Okay, unbelievable but how believable does it have to be?  I mean we bought into all the Rachel/Ross drama, right?

I liked the 2nd ep better than the pilot and that’s a good sign actually. It means the characters are being explored more and finding their voices. If you watch any sitcom you’ll notice a huge difference in the later eps and most of the time in a good way. The evolution is a healthy part of any show. Check out the oft-brilliant “Scrubs” and how those characters changed and got stronger as the show progressed.

Zachary Knighton plays Dave, Elisha Cuthbert is Alex, along with Eliza Coupe (Jane,) Adam Pally (Max,) Casey Wilson (Penny,) and Damon Wayans Jr. as Brad make up the ensemble cast and they are all pretty good in their roles. I really liked the non-typical Adam Pally who plays a gay man who isn’t a “gay husband” to his female friend, the very talented Casey Wilson. In fact, the funny sub-plot of episode two involves Pally finding a “gay husband” for his female friend who yearns to go shopping instead of watch football.

Some of the humor by creator and writer David Caspe is too obvious but a lot had me laughing aloud. Like the odd-ball and also very funny  "Mr. Sunshine" I’m going to continue to watch until it doesn’t make me laugh anymore. Hopefully, that will be a long time beyond the thirteen episodes that ABC has ordered up for this show.

 “Happy Endings” is currently on ABC’s strong mid-evening Wednesday night lineup of sitcoms.  It will move to a 10:00pm time slot in the near future which is a good idea given the sometimes challenging and adult-themed material.

Will this show and these six become as beloved and successful as "Friends?"  Perhaps not - but if they can continue to evolve as characters then I'm not willing to bet against them.