Fringe Festival Fun

New Yorkers! It's that time of year again--where you go watch cheap, independent theater (aka when your Facebook event page blows up with invites from your actor/director/writer friends' shows). It's time for The New York International Fringe Festival . There are so many shows happening in the course of the festival's two-week span and I'm here to help you sift through them with my recommendations. Based on plays that include talented artists (whom I've had the pleasure of watching in previous shows) and plays that just sound awesome, I've compiled a list of highly recommend shows for you to go watch. So go out and support these small theater companies!



ATFG First Ever Fringe Guide (after the jump):





No Fault: A Tale About the Big D in the Big Apple



Who:

A Carnival Girls production

Written by: Christie Perfetti

Directed by: Bryn Boice

Featuing: Charmaine Broad, Christopher Catalano, Stephanie Anne Ervin, Rich Fromm, Laura Killeen, Melanie Ryan, Galit Sperling, Matilda Szydagis



Where:

Kraine Theater

85 East 4th Street



When:

Saturday, 8/13 @ 3:30pm

Friday, 8/19 @ 7pm

Monday, 8/22 @ 7pm

Wednesday, 8/24 @ 7pm

Saturday, 8/27 @ 1:45pm





The More Loving One



Who:

Unincorporated Theater

Written by: Cory Conley

Directed by: Craig Baldwin

Featuring: David Beck, Jimmy Davis, Preston Martin, Adriana DeGirolami



Where:

The First Floor Theatre @ LA MAMA

74A East 4th St



When:

Wednesday, 8/17 @ 5:45pm

Saturday, 8/20 @ 7:30pm

Sunday, 8/21 @ 4:00pm

Monday, 8/22 @ 8:00pm

Sunday, 8/28 @ 12:00pm





This One Time In Last Chance!



Who:

Attic Theater Company

Directed by: Laura Braza

Written by: Sam Gooley

Featuring: Rob Bradford, Bill Griffin, Joshua Everett Johnson, Marcus Denard Johnson



Where:

Teatro LATEA at the CSV Cultural Center

107 Suffolk Street



When:

Saturday, 8/13 @ 7pm

Sunday, 8/14 @ 5:30pm

Sunday, 8/21 @ 12pm

Wednesday, 8/24 @ 6pm

Thursday, 8/25 @ 4:15pm





Hard Travelin' with Woody



Who:

Rooster Productions

Based on the Music and Lyrics of Woody Guthrie

Written and Performed by: Randy Noojin



Where:

The Flamboyan Theatre at the CSV Cultural Center

107 Suffolk Street



When:

Saturday, 8/13 @ 12pm

Wednesday, 8/17 @ 9:30pm

Saturday, 8/20 @ 5pm

Monday, 8/22 @ 3:45pm

Thursday, 8/25 @ 7pm





Romeo & Juliet: Choose Your Own Ending



Who:

Impressionable Players

Based on the play by Wililam Shakespeare

Directed by: Ann Fraistat

Written by: Ann Fraistat and Shawn Fraistat

Featuring: Kyra Corradin, James Waters, Katie Jeffries



Where:

Teatro SEA at the CSV Cultural and Educational Center

107 Suffolk Street



When:

Saturday, 8/13 @ 12pm

Thursday, 8/18 @ 7:30pm

Saturday, 8/20 @ 2:15pm

Sunday, 8/21 @ 2:30pm

Friday, 8/26 @ 4:15pm





Courtney and Kathleen: A Riot Act



Who:

In Extremis Theater Company

Written and Directed by: Liz Thaler



Where:

The First Floor Theatre @ La MaMa

74 A East 4th Street



When:

Saturday, 8/13 @ 10pm

Wednesday, 8/17 @ 2:00pm

Friday, 8/19 @ 6:15pm

Sunday, 8/21 @ 2:15pm

Monday, 8/22 @ 4:15pm

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HBO's Superheroes: A Look At The Real Thing

Airing tonight on HBO is the new documentary Superheroes, a look inside the real life superhero movement taking the US by storm. Or to be a little more accurate, with only 300 registered (Registered? Captain America would be so disappointed), taking the US by light drizzle. The doc most specifically profiles Mr Xtreme, a dumpy but dedicated San Diegan security officer, the New York Initiative, a group of legitimately badass crime fighters who attempt to keep Brooklyn safe one patrol at a time, Master Legend, based out of Orlando, a bridging on alcoholic local celebrity who may or may not have a few screws loose and to a lesser extent, Zetaman and Life (Chaim), who focus mostly on charity and good will, and Dark Guardian, who shows no fear in the face of the Washington Square drug dealers he tries to eliminate.

Apparently getting this film made was not easy for director Michael Barnett and producer Theodore James. Most media coverage of Real Life Superheros - RLSH - had been unflattering, ridiculing these folks whenever possible, so initially, none of them wanted to participate. As soon as Barnett and James made it clear that this was to be an accurate portrayal of their cause, more and more RLSH started to come around and eventually Superheroes, featuring a wide array of interviews and footage of the subjects in action, all topped off with some fun comic book graphics, was born.

When the doc began however, I felt rather uneasy, as I was laughing more than anything else. Laughing in particular at Mr Xtreme and his "Xtreme Cave", a tiny, disheveled apartment filled with comic books as well as texts on law and civil rights, where beside an Iron Man poster is a dummy intended for combat practice and on a small television lined with action figures play episodes of Power Rangers. I began to wonder if this film would be making fun of its subjects after all and started to get uncomfortable, especially when interviews with Stan Lee and a member of the San Diego Police Department put forth the idea that no one but the police should be putting themselves in danger's way or taking the law into their own hands. How is this helping the cause of RLSH?

But things quickly turn around when we meet the New York Initiative, a group of twentysomethings from Brooklyn who are as fit as they are committed, truly as professional as it gets. Led by the superhero Zimmer, an openly gay man who doesn't hide behind a mask because it feels too reminiscent of being in the closet, the New York Initiative regularly patrols the streets of Brooklyn, often using one of their own members as "bait." Don't worry - as much as the SDPD employee on hand would like us to believe - it's not entrapment to walk around a neighborhood, tailed by crime fighters in case someone mugs you. The New York Initiative trains, they patrol, they take this as seriously as anyone could take it. One of my favorite parts in the whole documentary involves this group stumbling upon a situation that needs handling and handling it.

Another RLSH who falls more into the crime fighting category is Dark Guardian, who regularly goes into Washington Square Park to discover who the drug dealers are and get them to leave the park. We get to see him too succeed, although perhaps not in the exciting way we may have initially hoped.

As the doc goes on, we see more and more types of superheroes. The most inspiring are the true crime fighters at first, while Master Legend and Mr Xtreme fall more on the side of sad jokes - men from unfortunate circumstances who now think they are making a difference, but are unfortunately nothing more than boys in costumes. And while the jury is still out on Master Legend for me, who seems worshipped by those in town, but who I never saw truly do anything wonderful, Mr Xtreme ended up winning me over completely. With a look into his family life, his dedication to the cause and ultimately, his small, but important success in catching his nemesis, his story becomes the most poignant, his dreams the ones you most want to see fulfilled.

Perhaps the most beautiful part of the documentary comes at the end, when we take a trip to Comic-Con. A chance for the RLSH to all be in the same city presents itself and although they are ostensibly there to enjoy the convention (because pretty much everyone featured in the doc IS a fan), instead of waiting in line for a panel or perusing the floor every hour of every day, they take some time to travel a mile away to a place in need. Their acts here got my tear ducts going, especially as those they were helping offered to the camera that while people may not think superheros exist, they clearly do, and here they are. "We need them more than they will ever know," one woman says. This final sequence which I don't wish to completely spoil points out that some of these RLSH are simply good people who choose to give back in more of a unique way than anyone else. Instead of volunteering at a soup kitchen or joining Habitat for Humanity, they dress up in costumes and go help the homeless on a one on one basis, whether it's by giving them a bottle of water or simply talking to them about their hardships. And they probably make more of an impact in the process.

But this doc engendered yet another unexpected emotion in me - frustration. The aforementioned police officer from San Diego who was interviewed seems to really have a distaste for the RLSH. All the cops in the film seem to simply tolerate them, some are nicer than others, sure, but each and every one carries a weight of pretension, of condescension, as if the constant subtext reads "This is cute and all, but obviously only I am the real thing. Only I can do anything about these problems." And to a certain extent, in this real world, the police are correct. In every situation where a RLSH does make a difference, at some point they do have to call the cops. And watching it, I'm not necessarily sure I'd want it any other way. When Dark Guardian confronts a drug dealer, we as the audience, are begging him not to physically engage. Because in the real world, Dark Guardian too would have to be arrested. He isn't Batman. He can't jump into his Batmobile and go hideaway in the Batcave. He doesn't have the police commissioner on his side, supporting his efforts. It really puts things into perspective and makes us understand to a deeper degree why superheros are considered vigilantes, why cops would distrust them, why people would be afraid of them. Because technically, they aren't the law, and when you aren't the law, you can't, by our rules, enforce the law. But because we end up believing in these folks so much, we can't help but feel a bit of disgust seeing the way they are treated by the police.

I was not expected to be moved by Superheroes. I was not expected to inspired. I was not expected to be frustrated. I was not expecting something so mentally stimulating. And I certainly wasn't expecting to find myself having a good cry. But Barnett and James pull off something pretty phenomenal here. Yes we learn the basics of around fifteen RLSH - their history (most have incredibly dark back grounds, as is the case with most of comics' best), their weapons of choice (the Zimmer's equipment is the most impressive), their day jobs, their motivations, but we also get truly inside these people and this movement. We debate with ourselves - are some of them mentally unstable or are they simply on a different level than the rest of us? You might look at the RLSH and think they are less evolved, that they don't have a basic understanding of how the world works, when in fact, they are further along in the evolutionary process, wholly and truly devoted to helping others in a large and impactful way, willing to go further to protect their fellow man than most anyone else.

I encourage you to check this film out tonight, airing at 9pm on HBO, and decide for yourselves. It's a fantastic peak into a world we rarely, if ever, get to see taken seriously and portrayed accurately, with respect. Frankly, it's what this noble, odd, persevering group deserves. So do yourself and them a favor and check it out.

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Comic Con 2011 Highlights

Another Comic-Con has past, and with it, another set of unforgettable highlights. 2011 was an interesting year for my home away from home. Hall H had more magic for the cinephiles of the Convention rather than the celebrity-obsessed or even us comic book geeks, trotting out multiple visionary directors to discuss their work over the course of the event, resulting in panels which were always fascinating, informative, and in the case of Spielberg and Jackson, simply a sight to behold. Ballroom 20 often felt like a rock concert, especially on Thursday when the deafening screams for Peter Dinklage at Game of Thrones easily trumped those for Breaking Dawn's Robert Pattinson. The Dealer's Room seemed decidedly less crowded every day except for Sunday, which normally has been regarded as the best day to hit the floor because of the mass attendee exodus. Guess word got out? And the city of San Diego was transformed to an bigger extent. Everywhere you looked was a lounge, cafe, oasis, recreation of South Park (seriously, it was nuts), outdoor party, indoor party, screenings, themed pedicabs, branded trucks or a separate off-site convention such as NERD HQ, Tr!ckster or Gam3rCon. With so much great programming both on site and off, it seemed like there was *always* something fantastic for someone to do. Even if all that something was, was taking shots of the weekend's exceptional cosplay.

But I'm not here for generalities and neither are you. While the Con was in fact a great time all around, there were particular highlights that definitely stood out above the rest, making for a memorable, hilarious, exhilarating and often moving experience once again.

Andrew Garfield Officially Wins
There is no way to talk about Comic-Con 2011 without addressing Andrew Garfield's heartfelt speech to the crowd in Hall H. Clad in a Spiderman costume and fanny pack, Garfield brought tears to our eyes as he read aloud two pages of hand written thoughts. And before you start calling shenanigans - I have it on good authority that this was 100% this idea and he was being completely and utterly genuine. Throw in the spectacular first clip package that showed off his chemistry with Emma Stone, the darker nature of this reboot, and just how Peter Parker Garfield truly is, and there's no denying this role was made for him.

Badassery: Khal Drogo
One of my favorite moments at the Game of Thrones panel was when George R. R. Martin asked Jason Momoa who would win in a fight, Khal Drogo or Conan the Barbarian. Momoa responded "Between you and me, George, Kahl would kick Conan's ass." The audience, already at a 10, slid on up to an 11 for that one.

Peewee Takes The Stage
A late addition to the Comic-Con roster, this ended up being one of those gems of a half hour we might not have gotten had some tent-poles that didn't show this year snatched up the spot earlier on. This was one of the most hilarious Q&As I have ever seen in Hall H. Peewee was on fire and the audience ate it up. I laughed so hard my face hurt and in the span of 20 minutes went from not caring about Peewee Herman to highly anticipating the movie he is making with Judd Apatow. He had the perfect punchline to every single question, and that kind of wit is difficult to come by. But perhaps the best part of the entire panel? When he took a moment at the end to explain how much the love from the crowd meant to him.

Improved WB Bags
Okay, so, whoever came up with the mechanics to turn the WB bags into backpacks is a GENIUS. Poster tube slot AND backpack capable?! All it's missing now is a way to get newly purchased items into the backpack bag without having to take it off. Come on, WB bag innovators, I know you can do it!

Hershel Farm Reveal
I'll be honest, I wasn't too thrilled by the mildly redundant Walking Dead Season 2 Trailer, until roughly the last 15 seconds. Something about seeing Maggie in the flesh immediately reinvigorated my interest in the show.

 

A New Tradition?
For the first time, Hall H hosted an evening panel focusing on films that would perhaps be a bit too dark, scary or blue for a daytime slot, but still deserved the chance to be discovered. The dedicated crowd that remained got treated to a "drive in" experience of sorts, at first watching a slew of trailers, some premieres, some not, followed by the feature presentation - writer/producer/director Robert Meyer Burnett moderating a lively and engrossing panel on two lesser known indies - the found footage horror film that got raves at Tribeca, Grave Encounters, and Tucker and Dale vs Evil starring Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk, a horror comedy that's been generating fantastic buzz. Here's hoping this concept continues to grow and becomes an even greater outlet for up and coming filmmakers to show off their goods.

Han Solo in Carbonite Cosplay
There are no words

Joss Whedon Dance Party Redux. And threedux. (Or as @davidehrlich called it, Joss Whedon Dance Party, Parts Two and Three, filmed back to back)
I can promise you something. With absolute certainly. If you ever go to a party and Joss Whedon is there, he will dance. Most likely, this will eventually turn in to a full on dance party. And yes, he does want you to join in. Saturday night, there have been multiple accounts of people leaving him dancing at one party, only to walk into the next to find him dancing there as well. Two Joss Whedons? Teleportation? MAGIC? However he did it, Comic-Con will now never be truly complete without dancing in a circle with the Whedon for at least one song.

Also, here's a fun fact for you Whedonites out there - I heard, and I really wish I remembered from whom, that Sookie Stackhouse herself, Anna Paquin, is a huge Joss fan and arranged for them to be introduced this Comic-Con. Adorbz.

Best. Last. Question. Ever.
In a move so brilliant, I'm surprised he was the first in 40 years to try it, a fan asked Steven Spielberg at the end of the Tintin Panel whether he still used film, but his shirt, huge on the Hall H screen, read "If possible, I would like to meet Steven Spielberg just to shake his hand and say thank you very much." Spielberg, Jackson, and the entire Hall H audience was so impressed with his originality that the legend pulled him on stage and in "the most directed photo ever taken", shook his hand as Peter Jackson snapped away. As if this wasn't fantastic enough as it was, as soon as there was a lull in the excitement, the guy said, sounding as sincere as can be, "I just wanted to know if you still use film!" (To which the answer was yes, but not for Tintin because no film is involved at all) Moments like this don't often happen in the big room anyway, so when they do, it's a pleasure to witness. Of course, by the next day, people asking questions were holding up signs as they asked other questions, petitioning for hugs or handshakes, but none were welcomed favorably as the first and original was.

Statue of Avatar Aang
During the best panel of Comic-Con 2011, the minds behind the new series, Legend of Korra, a sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender, took to the stage in 6BCF to premiere the trailer and take us though a slideshow of concept art. That was IT. And it was unfrakkingbelievable. The exact moment I suspected the panel would turn out as special as it did was when the trailer revealed the statue of an adult Avatar Aang. I immediately started crying and in a room packed to the brim with the most dedicated fanbase I had seen collected in one place during the entire convention, I was most certainly not the only one. What followed was a panel that was as basic and beautiful as it gets - which is why it was so amazing. Sometimes simplicity over spectacle is key.

Getting Everything I Wanted From The Dealer's Room
For whatever reason this year, the Dealer's Room was significantly easier to navigate than in cons past. Though I suspect some of that related to my prep, involving an ever-growing, detailed list of giveaways and exclusives and a map with every corresponding booth circled, but I swear, there was a larger sense of ease and accommodation in the air. So what did I score? Check out the article here wrapping up my finds on the floor.

If You Can't Get Annie....
Although a lack of Alison Brie at the Community panel was truly disappointing, Annie's Boobs (aka Cynthia) made her first Comic-Con appearance in her stead, presenting the Season 2 DVD to the Indigo Ballroom audience.

Joe Lynch's Enthusiasm
One of the most electric filmmakers appearing on stage, amidst one legend after another, was Joe Lynch, who is making his theatrical debut with the Metal/LARPer/Horror/Comedy Knights of Badassdom. Lynch was so excited to be in Hall H (one of many, including Andrew Garfield and Darren Criss who all dreamt of being there one day) that you couldn't help but hang on to his every joy soaked word. When he first got on stage and exclaimed "We're in Hall H.....THANK YOU!!!!",we all suspected we were in for a treat. Strongly backing up his passion for the project was a fantastic cast, stellar footage, and the announcements that the creature is practical, through Guillermo del Toro's Spectral Motion and that Bear McCreary is putting together a metal orchestra and composing the score.

These Photos (courtesy of Francis Ford Coppola's TWIXT)

The People
This year, more than ever, the place was crawling with amazing folks I know or had been dying to meet, from Twitter pals to pros to bloggers to friends who live across the country. Staying out til 4am had never been easier and to everyone I had the pleasure of spending time with this Comic-Con, I can't wait to do it again next year.

Of course, these are barely the tip of the iceberg, other highlights including Bryan Cranston stealing the Total Recall panel, the sheer beauty of Emilia Clarke and Kit Harrington at Game of Thrones, the intense Haywire footage, Joshua Jackson surprising the Fringe audience in Observer cosplay, Hall H singing happy birthday to Patrick Stewart, Ridley Scott getting us jazzed up for Prometheus, getting our makeup done for free at the Wired Cafe while sipping on cocktails thanks to True Blood, and more. All in all, another great year. Already counting down til the next one. More photos here.

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TRUE BLOOD Season Sneak Peak

 This video is ridiculous. And amazing. I am so excited for the rest of this season. Debbie Pelt, you gonna get it.

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True Blood Gets All tarte-ed Up

 Yes, even more than it already is. In keeping with their already inventive and particularly rewarding style of branding and merchandising, HBO has partnered with cosmetic company tarte to release three TrueBlood inspired products: An eyeshadow palette, a lip tint, and a cheek stain. I was lucky enough to get a hands-on demo (and cocktails!) at the Wired Cafe Oasis during Comic-Con, and was even luckier still when I got to take these products home. They're pretty stellar, and here's why:

Quality. HBO didn't try to overreach by releasing their own cosmetics. They turned to an edgy and reputable company with a popular line of bold colors and quality products and created something in tandem with tarte.

Presentation. A little bawdy but miles from gaudy (oh, we're rhyming now). The black and red leather case sporting eyelets and cord as if it were a corset being unlaced is racy and fun, much like the show itself, but doesn't stand out sorely in an otherwise innocuous bathroom. The drawer containing the primer, liner and mascara bears the words "Open After Dark" on it, a nice touch. The fact that the drawer is lined in red lends it a vaguely coffin-esque feel, which I'm not sure was intentional, but is still charming. The liptint and cheek stain come in sleek black and silver with red lettering, nothing stand out, but all the better. The packaging is clean and holds together in your purse while maintaining the color motif. Tra la.

Logic. It makes sense. The same way releasing a blood orange flavored soda made sense. HBO has gone out of its way with TrueBlood to generate merchandise that belongs in the world of the show and helps draw the consumer deeper into it. Bottle openers and mugs stamped with Merlotte's logo, handbags designed with the flare of Fangtasia in mind and the same shirts and hoodies branded with the vampire bar's name that can be purchased in the world of the show can all be purchased by its audience. Having a line of makeup now that feeds into the glamor of TrueBlood is a logical next step, and an inventive way to expand the brand. On their own, the products are highly purchasable- sexy colors and sleek packaging. That they are inspired by TrueBlood makes them... more special, a particularly intimate way to connect with the look and feel of the world of the show.

Admittedly, most of tarte's collections have something a bit more whimsical about them and aren't quite as dark as, say, a palette from Urban Decay, but the TrueBlood palette covers that gap in spades. The lip tint is a true red with the slightest bit of sheen, long lasting and not prone to bleeding past the lip line- a trait of all tarte's lipsurgence tints. If it's a bit too bold for your daytime look (which... I sort of hope its too bold for your daytime look, cuz damn) you can blot it and it leaves a very dark, rosy pink. Not as glam but still colorful. ($24)

The cheek stain is of the same ilk, a real red with not even the hint so much as the implication of sparkles. It can be used sparingly, spreads evenly and doesn't gravitate toward pores (I would know, mine are sizable).  It can be used for either a dark natural flush or a bright dramatic highlight. A little goes a long way, so this will last you for a long time.($30)







The palette is a thing of beauty. The centerpiece of the limited edition line, it looks and feels like a luxury item should, but it's not just a gimmick. In addition to the eye primer, aqua-gel liner, and lights camera lashes! mascara, it comes with 17 different shadows, each one named for a recognizable component of the show, whether a creature, cast member or location. They are, as described by Sephora (one of the two places the line may be purchased for $55, not counting ebay): 

• The Light (shimmering warm ivory) 
• Fairy (shimmering pink)
• Dusk (matte warm taupe)
• Dawn (shimmering gold dust)
• Werewolf (matte chocolate)
• Waitress (sparkling pink champagne),
• Nocturnal (sparkling deep indigo)
• Charmer (sparkling burnt copper)
• Glamour Me (sparkling deep plum)
• Stake (matte steel)
• Bayou (shimmering golden tan)
• Telepath (sparkling warm rose)
• The True Death (sparkling silver)
• Immortal (sparkling midnight black)
• Moss (shimmering forest green)
• Legend (deep matte black)
• "V" (sparkling crimson). 

The palette also includes in its packaging a quick how to illustration chart with four separate looks, including a fairy inspired look, a vampire inspired look, and my favorite, "Not Your Average Waitress". The how-to guides can also be found on tarte's website,  here.

When the fabulous Aline was done with me, I had a matte smokey eye that lasted me into the evening's festivities. Shazam! 

Note also: Fangtasia recreation complete w/deer head to my left (your right), and plastic cup of red liquid- TrueBlood inspired cocktails galore. None of the ones we created for the site, but a whole new batch of delicious, its-5-o'clock-somewhere justifying goodness. 

 Having now used the above products a few times and as a habitual and avid makeup user, I can happily recommend them all. As a big old Truebie nerd, I can say that the palette is now the centerpiece of my geek shelf and that I have never felt so stealthy in my geekitude as when someone complimented me on my eyes. Use this palette. It will be the closest you can come to glamouring someone without turning into a vampire.

I'm a vampire! I'm a vampire! I'm a vampire!

                                                        Bonus shot of liptint color: 

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Swag Bag: What I Brought Home From Comic-Con 2011

Thanks to having a grand total of four hours to explore over 5000 booths, I purchased nowhere near as much at Comic-Con as I did at its little sister, Wondercon, but thankfully, included in my small bounty was almost every item I coveted going in, and once you include the incredible freebies available this year, a whole lot more. Here’s the rundown of the best items I walked away with at Comic-Con 2011.

Purchased
 
Britney Lee Print
Ever since purchasing a large Britney Lee print at Wondercon a few months ago, I’ve been thinking about a wonderful smaller print I passed up that also, of course, featured a girl and a cat. So the second I had a free moment on Sunday, I sought out Britney’s booth and snatched up this adorable print.

Dollhouse Epitaphs #1 Comic-Con Exclusive Edition
Created by Jed Whedon, Andrew Chambliss, & Maurissa Tancharoen and taking place in the post Dollhouse world we got glimpses of at the end of Seasons 1 and 2, this comic was high on my list to pick up. Especially because one out of every five was signed by the creators. Unfortunately, I didn’t get one of those, but I’m excited to read it nonetheless.

Harley Quinn Mimobot
The moment the doors opened Wednesday evening for Preview Night, I made a mad dash to the Mimobot booth and was the first person to pick up one of eight hundred Comic-Con Exclusive Arkham City Harley Quinn Mimibots – 16g. Greatest purchase anyone has ever made ever.
 

Team Charles/Erik Shirts
And immediately after, I found myself 10th in line to be one of the first 1000 people to pre-order the Blu-Ray of X-Men First Class, which meant also picking either a Team Erik or Team Charles shirt. I pre-ordered two, one for me, one for my family, so I picked both. WIN.

Ron Lego Keychain
Every year, I treat myself to one Lego character keychain. Over the years I’ve amassed quite the collection, including Hermione, Hagrid, Snape, Luke Skywalker, Catwoman, Harley Quinn and Indiana Jones. This year, I added Ron Weasley to the collection.

Captain America Minimates
I LOVED Captain America and have been building up quite the minimates collection to go with my Lego collection, hence – the entire cast of Captain America in minimate form for me to stick on my geek shelf and never look at again.

Earl Grey Shirt Genius. Gift for my dad.

Walking Dead Board Game
My Comic-Con Everest. Every day I went to the Image booth, only to discover that the new comic based board game (described as a cross between D&D and Stratego) had sold out in under 20 minutes. One morning I carefully planned my time to be in the room the moment it opened, only to discover it opened a half hour earlier than I thought it did. Saturday afternoon, 10 minutes before the hall closed, I found myself once again wandering by the Image booth. Freaked out that I had truly missed my chance to own the Comic-Con Exclusive Edition of the game, months before the regular version came out, I decided to go up and make sure they still had copies for Sunday morning. But because the dude working had seen my flustered daily attempts consistently fail miserably, he took pity on me and made an exception, grabbing a game from the Sunday pile for me. It was a bit of Comic-Con magic that I won’t soon forget. More info on the game here.

Giveaways

Signed Captain America poster
Thanks to an awesome dude at the Marvel booth, I got my hands on a Captain America poster signed by Chris Evans.

Hunger Games Pin & Poster At the HitFix party Wednesday night, multiple bloggers were sporting Mockingjay pins. Upon seeing it for the first time, I think I actually screamed a little. So the next morning, my first stop before beginning my work day was the Lionsgate booth on the floor. The pins weren’t being handed out yet, but once again, an awesome dude helping at the booth threw us a bone and snuck us some. Another case of a kind soul coming through for a complete stranger at Comic-Con this year. Love it!

Admiral Ackbar Fan
Of all the giveaways one could have made for the Star Wars Blu-Ray release, this is either poorly thought out or incredibly thought out, depending on whether or not the marketing department is aware of the It’s A Trap meme. In any event, I know some hipster geeks who would die to get their hands on one of these.

Captain America Shield Fan
Given out at the Hasbro booth, I believe,  it’s a paper fan in the form of Captain America‘s shield. I want anything and everything Captain America. So I was a happy girl to pick this up.

Buffy Paper Doll
Secretly contained in a comic preview at Dark Horse was a Buffy (comic version, natch) paper doll!! A great giveaway I didn’t even know I had!

True Blood Bag
Continuing the tradition of True Blood having the best panel giveaways at the convention, this year the stash included book #4 in the Sookie Stackhouse series, a notebook with one of the three Season 4 True Blood posters gracing its cover, a coupon for 20% off at the HBO store, and one of True Blood‘s famously clever shirts, this one with a set of fangs and the phrase “Grow a Pair” on the front.

Game of Thrones Bag
And it looks like these bags of awesome are in fact an HBO staple! Oh man, I can never miss either of these panels ever. The first ever Game of Thrones Bag contained the first book in the series, a random house shirt, a Westeros mousepad/screen cleaner and another coupon for HBO. Disappointingly while I did nab myself a Stark shirt, everyone else I know got stuck with a Baratheon. Not even a Lannister? Really? The one I wanted most was Targaryn. Oh well. Stark is still badass. And this giveaway still ruled.

Legend of Korra Shirt & Poster
At one point during the Legend of Korra panel, the creators mentioned a poster and t shirt that some people in the audience had. People that weren’t me or my boyfriend. I was not okay with this. Determined to figure out how to get my hands on these items, I ran to the Nick booth as soon as I could on Sunday. Much to my surprise, the fella said to come back around 4pm for the final Legend of Korra giveaway. I did, and after waiting in line for about 20 minutes, the poster and t-shirt were mine. Thanks Giveaway Gods!

Fringe Poster & Luggage Tag
If you made it to the Fox booth during Comic-Con, you would have found a slew of fun posters for Fox television shows. I grabbed myself one for Fringe (hey, who knows, maybe one day I’ll have the balls to get it signed). The giveaway at the panel this year was a lenticular luggage tag, featuring a disappearing Peter. On the back it reads something along the lines of  “if found in the wrong universe, please contact ______” Cute idea, though nowhere near as awesome as the exclusive giveaway I didn’t get my hands one….(see bottom)

Pan Am Bag
While not as high quality as the one the website was suggesting they were giving away, it was still on my list to get and I still got it. The process involved waiting in line to sign up for a “flight”. Then you received a boarding pass and a flight time. You then came back to Pan Am at that time, watched a short featurette for the upcoming show in a recreation of an airplane (which was actually pretty effing cool to sit in) and then got a messenger bag. Supposedly they retail for $89, but this looked more like it’s $12 knock off cousin. Still, it’s a bag, and if I love the show, I’ll be thrilled to have one.

Chuck Shirt
The giveaway at the Chuck panel this year was a shirt in the style of a Fake Tuxedo shirt, but for the Buy More uniform. I didn’t get to the panel, so got the shirt from a friend, but once I realized the Chuck panel was actually its last, since the show is headed into its final season, I got quite upset. Especially after hearing that Jeffster performed and Zac Levi teared up. The giveaway is a nice consolation prize, but doesn’t make up for missing what was a lot of folks’ favorite panel at the whole con.

Captain America Shirt
While not quite as cool as the Mondo Cap poster that was also given out at the first showing (with Chris Evans in person) screening Thursday morning, this shirt still rules and is one of the only soft ones given out anywhere at the entire event.

The River Flashlight
The giveaway for ABC’s new show The River, rather than being yet another uncomfortable XL t shirt was a The River branded flashlight. Cool!

Avengers Shirt
At least shirts in XL, when paired with belts, make GREAT dresses….?

Lord of the Rings: War of the North Shirt
Given out at the “WB Key Party” and made the whole experience worth it. I’m sure whatever happened once it got dark outside was awesome as well, but unfortunately, my group has somewhere to be so when things started running a half hour behind schedule, we had to high tail it out of there. But the shirt is soft and in my size so, win anyway!

Didn’t Get

Captain America/SHIELD Pins
RARGH! Saw these online listed as Marvel Booth giveaways and wanted both but they vanished from the Marvel booth rather quickly. Can’t win em all.

Save Peter Fringe Shirt
For the second year in a row, the actors on the Fringe panel turned the question asking around and engaged in a trivia contest with the audience. Any audience member who got the answer won a black shirt that read “Save Peter.” Why this couldn’t have been the main giveaway, I don’t know. Sigh.

Community DVD Slip Case
At the Community panel, Dan Harmon showed off their Comic-Con Exclusive DVD slipcover – identical to the normal season 2 one, but with the characters in claymation form as opposed to human form. WANT.

Locke & Key Volume One
Since Wednesday is most often spent grabbing exclusives before having to leave, I always save Sunday as my comics, toys and art day. Unfortunately, I only ended up with about ninety minutes max on the floor and when that window became thirty minutes and I still didn’t have anything on my comics list, I began my high octane mission to acquire anything I still could.  After not being able to find a single vintage comics booth to grab my old school finds, I decided I’d at least make a point of nabbing the first volume of Locke and Key and that would be enough, since at least I knew where the graphic novel dealers were. Alas, five different dealers informed me that volume one was complete sold out. Great for the comic (and for the not picked up pilot I’ve heard amazing things about), but sucky for me.

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It All Ended [Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ]

 And so the saga ends, and ends relatively well. The final installment in the film series based off of JK Rowling's beloved books was fast paced, energetic, pretty, fun, full of rewarding moments and some great effects and set pieces. I enjoyed myself immensely. I only wish it hadn't thrown into such sharp relief how poor her overall plotting and the structure of our heroes' journies were. After a very long conversation with a smart movie-going friend who hasn't read the books, and doing my fair share of defending the events because of the things he didn't know about but agreeing with much of what he was saying, I sat on it all for a day and decided to swing by the ol' blog and put some of this out there for posterity's sake.

For the record, this post is going to be NOTHING BUT SPOILERS.  It's also going to be very critical of the last book/movie's plot and have a lot of wishful thinking in it.



It's fair that you know this about me: The only thing I hate more than the 6th and 7th HP books is the 3rd HP movie. And like, nazis. Focusing on the wizarding world of Harry Potter, though, it's books 6 and 7 and movie 3. Everything in Order of the Phoenix seems to be unraveling, messy and scattered and desperate. At the time of my first reading the 5th book, I thought this was an intentional stylistic choice: The style and structure of the book reflected the state of the world and the character's lives.

Now I... don't think that. Books 6 and 7 made me rethink that.

It is additionally only fair to say that I have only read those books once. I sat down and read each one, cover to cover, on the mornings of their release. I scowled furiously at the pages to will them into being interesting, into making sense, into not just introducing a continual stream of characters and items that I hadn't heard of and didn't know or care about, but all I did was give myself a headache and a worry mark that has yet to fade. I have not revisited them since.

The problems I have with the final film, however, are largely descended from problems in those books.

Nothing really changes. A lot of people die, which is sad (not that you can tell that from the actions of anyone on screen after a buffer of about 10 seconds post mortem), but because EVERYTHING is about Harry's life and Voldemort's defeat, once those are addressed.... we don't get to see any lasting changes in the characters (except who they had babies with and what their hair color is and what their names are God I hate the epilogue, and except Neville, kind of, more on that below).

Ron isn't there. Oh, he's in almost every scene, standing around, looking a bit glum and confused, but he doesn't do anything in the entire movie. He didn't really do anything in the last one but it was okay because of ring-bearer syndrome, and the fact that we still had one movie left to go. I don't remember if this is accurate to the book or not, but was he a total waste of space there, too? Here is a case of the film, being a film, needing something more than what the book gave us, if so. Not even that much. Yes, he should have been doing a lot in the final installment- and we'll talk about that in a sec and, again, also, NEVILLE- but all it really would have taken is a single scene.

Harry tells Ron and Hermione he has to go (commit suicide by Voldemort). Hermione starts crying and hugging him and begging him not to and saying good-bye. Ron stands stupidly in the background, watching them with a blank face and uncomfortable posture. What should have happened then: As Harry pulls away and starts down the stairs, Ron says aloud, "I don't understand. What does he mean?" Hermione, still crying, knowing Ron knows but just won't let himself see it says something to the effect of "Oh, Ron, he has to do this. He has to." Ron, still bewildered and half-numb from the shock of his brother's extremely recent death, frowns and pushes forward past her, after Harry, saying "No, no way in hell is he going off alone. He can't go alone. I won't let him." It falls to Hermione to stop him, trying to tell him there's nothing left for them to do, that they have to let him face it by himself (even though this is ridiculous and there is no way they would ever have let him go alone if it weren't for Nagini, which renders the snake little more than a device to accomplish separating the trio).

Ron then breaks down, with a protest to the effect of "We can't, we can't, we can't let him go, not him too. I won't let him go, not him, too," and then falls apart crying which means Hermione has to get steely and be their rock, the way she always is. This doesn't weaken Ron- it shows him to be a) devastated and wounded possibly beyond repair, b) a true friend who would never abandon Harry, and c) not a cardboard cutout stapled to a mannequin. Ron does NOTHING in this movie and it is a goddamn shame, because it cements the fact that the films and their message are no longer about friendship, they're just about Dealing With Harry's Shit.

Neville is a Bad Ass. Just like we always knew he would be. I loved getting to see it. I loved that he was funny, I loved that he was sweet, I loved that he was totally manning up and being a leader in Harry's absence. He gave good taunt, he gave good but misplaced speech, he gave good sword-wielding. The only problem is.... it should have been Ron.  In the books, we've known Neville was destined for great things. We knew the Dark Lord could have marked Neville as his equal, we knew Neville kept every gum wrapper his daft mum ever gave him, we knew Neville had secret depths, reserves of strength and will that would blossom into awesomeness when the occasion called. And it did, and he did, and it was great. In the movies, though, Neville isn't set up to take the spotlight. He's not the one constantly being overshadowed by Harry's celebrity and skill, but hanging in as a good friend, regardless- that's Ron. Yes, Neville is a Gryffindor, not the misplaced Hufflepuff everyone thought him to be, and he proves it through and through. However, the emotional impact of Neville standing up to Voldemort and saying Harry would live on in their hearts along with all the others they'd lost along the way is nowhere near as great as it would have been had Ron stepped forward, told everyone that Harry had never given up and neither would they, that even with Harry gone they would all keep fighting to the bitter end because it was the right thing to do, and lifted up the sword of Gryffindor and led the charge.

It just would have meant more.


The Malfoys Suck except Narcissa. Woman had one concern and one concern only and when she had achieved her goal, she bounced. Draco didn't redeem himself by Not Doing Anything Effectively.  Failure should not count as Redemption. He just sucked at everything and so skated by as Not Quite As Evil As Everyone Else Here. Lucius should have died. More importantly, Lucius should have died defending a defiant Draco. When they told him to cross the line in the sand, Draco should have been like "No," and Voldemort should have been like "Like I care, you're such a waste, avada kedavra," and Lucius should have apparated into the path of the death beam to save his son's life and incite both him and his mother to action. LOOK, SUDDENLY THE MALFOYS ARE HEROES. And maybe if this had happened, Tom Felton wouldn't have looked like a gross weirdo in the epilogue. Maybe he would have fake-aged better.

Dumbledore Family Feud is a thing, apparently, but that's all you'll ever know. ALBUS WAS A MANIPULATIVE USER WITH A DARK PAST. The.... end. If you had to use a flashback, Yates, that would have been the time. This movie could EASILY and very SUCCESSFULLY have been another 45 minutes long, and fifteen of that could have been a journey into Albus Dumbledore's past. For real. The cost of the decision he makes about Harry that we discover, the lengths he went through to get the Elder Wand, the reason he went after the Resurrection Stone- none of that is in the movies because all we get is Aberforth the goat lover being angry, the end.

Lupin's Imaginary Son or, more overwhelmingly, the complete inability of the last two movies to convey any sense of the passage of time. Christmas happened. I know, because Hermione told Harry 'Happy Christmas' in a graveyard. But how the hell did we go from a passing hint that Tonks was preggers in 1H7 to her and Lupin having a kid and her being on her feet in fighting form in 2H7. I mean, did I know about it? Yeah, I read the books. But I had no sense whatsoever that it had been more than 9 months from what I was being shown. Suddenly makes all those sweeping panoramic views of Hogwarts changing seasons in the earlier flicks seem like a brilliant use of screen time. That's another scene I desperately wanted rewritten, and it would have gone as follows:

Harry: But Lupin, your son-
Ghost Lupin: It's all right, Harry. Someday he'll-
Ghost Sirius: Just a bloody moment, your what?
Ghost Lupin: Oh. Ah, well, Sirius, Nymphadora and I-
Ghost Sirius: My cousin? You knocked up my cousin?!
Ghost James: Atta boy, Moony!
Ghost Lupin: James, please don't exacerbate things.
Ghost Sirius: You pervy bastard, she's half our age! And you're gay!
Ghost James: ....wait, what-
Ghost Lilly: :\
Harry: Wow, I'm running late here, gotta go guys, thanks for the pep talk.

Voldemort Is Stupid. Just in general. How he gets awesomely fucked up GREAT villains like Bellatrix Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr. to be his loyal pets is seriously beyond me. Starting in the 5th installment, all Voldemort literally does is get weaker.

Voldemort Should Have Possessed All Three Deathly Hallows because if he doesn't, what the fuck is the point? As it happens, between the two of them, Harry and Dumbledore had ALL THREE. AT THE SAME TIME. BY YOUR POWERS COMBINED, I AM not appearing in these books. Okay, so we have the Hallows assembled and.... nothing happens with them, really, at all. Fine. Voldemort gets his hands one one of them, and by the rules of wand lore and dueling, it's not even really his. So the Hallows are worth precisely................... nothing. They're totally pointless except to have sent Harry on a wild fucking goose chase through the woods and kept him camping, literally camping. In a tent. For the better part of a year. Wha-whu-WHY? If Voldemort had all three Hallows, wouldn't that be a little more intimidating?! Wouldn't that be something they really had to defeat, someone who was suddenly supposedly unkillable?  This ties directly into the additional fact that Nagini Dies Last and it's a terrible idea. The trio needed to go after every horcrux they knew about. Their entire quest is a quest for information on how to defeat the Dark Lord. So imagine this: The Dark Lord is searching for the Hallows while the trio's searching for the Horcruxes. The trio destroys all but one: Nagini, the snake who never leaves his side. They now know their only hope for defeating Voldemort, who wields the three most powerful magical artifacts in existence, is to confront him directly and kill that snake. So they do so.

And Voldemort doesn't die. Neither, however, does he manage to kill Harry. The trio and whoever's left in their army flee, crushed and desperate and confused. Voldemort, furious that the Elder Wand is not bowing to his will and augmenting his power as it should, has his confrontation with Snape. Kills Snape, feels invincible because now he truly possesses the Deathly Hallows, yay him. The trio, knowing they're missing something vital here, do much as they did in the book/movie and spy on Snape's death, get the tears, go to the pensive etc. This makes the final battle so much more epic. First off, as the troops are rallying and recovering, it gives Harry time to ruminate on who Snape was to him, who Snape was to his family, the magnitude of what Snape has done and given up not only out of his love for Lilly, but out of his love for Harry, the last piece of her to survive. It also gives him time to wrestle with the idea that Dumbledore betrayed him. It also means that when the Hogwarts crew takes the field of battle the last time, they know two things: First off, that Voldemort thinks he's invincible because he posses the Deathly Hallows, and secondly that Harry is the last horcrux, and Harry must die. It makes everyone complicit in his sacrifice and it makes the magnitude of his death much, much greater. When Voldemort kills Harry in front of both armies, has his moment of boasting, and then Harry comes back and finishes Voldemort off with everyone's favorite locked-magic-wand-beams-going-kablooey move, it's like.... holy crap, man. That's huge. It also proves the Deathly Hallows to be what they are, which is mere shadows of power, not true mastery of death. If any or all of them are destroyed in that final confrontation, so much the better.

As things stand, the shape of events are.... less than epic. They're an ending, surely, but people don't get their due or their chance to be better or rise above or come back.  It was okay in the books- all the characters got enough page time that I never noticed them sucking. Things were scattered and confused, and I had difficulty following what exactly was happening why, when- but compressed and put onto a movie screen, all that stuff just becomes glaring, like a sharp, thick blue line of lens flare.

Sorry, JJ, but seriously, enough now.

I clapped and cheered and enjoyed the hell out of a lot of what I saw. I thought a lot of scenes were extremely effective: Seeing Fred being cornered by that Death Eater, reaching for his wand, and knowing he won't make it. The most sympathetic blind dragon in the universe getting his freedom. Ron and Hermione's kiss. Perfection. But even with a movie as well executed as this, it just made me see how poorly executed the events of the books were, in the end.

 But they're all going to be bajillionaires, so who gives a crap what I think?

Next up: Comic-Con and CAPTAIN AMERICA (fuck yeah).

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