The
2015 WonderCon was TV-heavy, and while it's great for certain members of the
audience, one would typically have to be fans of the shows to enjoy the
panels. There's barely any movie presence - studios, exhibits or panels alike (with
minor exceptions, see below). Panels were
dominated by TV or industry professionals and exhibits ruled by comics.
***
The
feature films segment, presented by Warner Bros, was initially planned for an
hour, but cut down in half at the last minute.
As
lackluster as it was, here are the highlights:
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
The
opening scene, with a lone figure standing in a wasteland, is the calm before
the storm. A man with a partial steel mask rising from the sands trying to free
himself from the chain that ties him to another man. And this other man, presumably dead, is trapped
in a vehicle buried in the sandstorm. He
tries to shoot off the chain and bite the other man's hand to no avail, so he
carries that man with him. He encounters
several scantily-clad beauties in white, washing themselves off with water, and
also a one-arm woman, appearing to be the leader, first eying him warily and
then ferociously charging at him. It
turns into a frenzied fight; hard-hitting beating, kicking, punching, rolling, bashing
and dragging. Then a desert battle shown
in rapid-fire scenes; firefights, explosions and chases (although not clear
who's chasing who or for what) with road-bikes, tankers and war rigs.
Wildly
kinetic and viscerally brutal, that was one heck of a footage!
"San Andreas" - in attendance: director Brad
Peyton, stars Carla Gugino and Alexandra
Daddario
It's
been said that California is due for "The Big One." Here viewers got a devastating taste of what
possibly could happen if the massive earthquake struck. It's special effects-galore with lands
cracking and splitting, skyscrapers crumbling and slamming down, ships blown
up, tidal waves rolling and swallowing up everything in its destructive path. It reminded me of "2012," but
the footage also zoomed in on one family and its struggle to survive.
The
director would like to build a ride and put the actors on it, presenting the
worst-case scenario (although it's unlikely that every chain of event would happen
at the same time), but also ground it in the realm of possibilities. It's a
story about honest reactions of a family under attack and what these people are
going through - not from aliens, dinosaurs or monsters - but from something
that could possibly be real. The
actresses mentioned about tons of stunt work, such as getting dropped several
floors down and being immersed in the biggest water tank possible for the
underwater scenes.
It
looks like the movie goes for big, both on the action and emotion.
***
Highlight
of TV pilots:
"The Messengers" (CW; April 17, 2015) - in attendance: executive
producer Trey Callaway and co-executive producer/creator Eoghan O'Donnell, stars
Shantel VanSanten, Jon Fletcher, J. D. Pardo, Joel Courtney, Diogo Morgado,
Anna Diop and Craig Frank
After
an extraterrestrial object crashes into earth and explodes, five ordinary strangers
fall dead and come back to life. They
will soon realize that they're connected and destined for a greater cause. They're now bestowed with supernatural gifts
and are known "Angels of Apocalypse."
Each character has a dire moment on the show where illuminated wings can
be seen sprouted from his or her shoulder.
Their paths will cross and choices must be made. They must unite and prevent the impending
apocalypse.
This
is a story about the hope we hold in the end and the people we love the
most. It's also a story about faith;
finding faith in ourselves, and sometimes putting our faith in strangers, and in
things greater than ourselves. Lucifer,
"Prince of Death," makes an appearance and plays a role in tempting
and testing humanity. And finally, it is
a story about good and evil, right and wrong, and how our choices affect
everything and everybody around us.
I'm
not a fan of angsty teenage supernatural shows on CW in general and the
execution wasn't the best. But the
premise appeals to me, so I will give this a try.
"American Odyssey" (NBC; April 5, 2015)
- in attendance: executive producers/writers Peter Horton, Adam Armus and Kay
Foster, and star Peter Facinelli
A
U.S. Special Forces team, which successfully killed an Al-Qaeda leader, is
ambushed and murdered in Mali. These
heroes are not massacred by Islamic extremists, rather, an American private military
group, purportedly sent by corrupt entities to cover up some criminal,
for-profit dealings. The sole survivor,
coincidentally saved by the virtue of timing, is the only female soldier, also
a wife and a mother. She happens to be
the one retaining suspicious evidence in a flash drive, a large money transfer document
between a local bank there and a U.S. corporation. She must use everything in her power to
remain alive, find the right allies, and make the long, arduous journey home.
Back
in the States, a corporate litigator (formerly a U.S. attorney) gets wind of
the shady conspiracy and starts digging.
But before he could go deep, the investigation claims its first casualty. There's also a political activist, in
communication with a computer hacker and reporter, trying to prove that the soldier
is indeed alive and to uncover the truth behind the story fronted by the U.S.
government.
The
panel discussed the shooting of the show, initially set to be in Toronto, but
moved to Morocco for authenticity. The
studio found a Morrocan boy, who had no acting experience, a block from their
office. He plays a character who is
imperative for the soldier's early survival. The lead actress (who wasn't
present at the panel) was said to be drawn to the show because of the physical,
mental and emotional challenges. And for
Facinelli, he would like to do dramatic and enjoys conspiracy thrillers. The show is about a soldier, lawyer and
protester trying to set the truth free at all costs and make a difference.
I
found the pilot to be dramatic and bleak, but engaging. I hope the show will connect the dots soon
and don't drag them out so that it won't be one too many players or extends its
welcome. At the same time, the show has
a tough task balancing out the layers so that it will last as a series. For now, the show has promise and I will make
it into my initial viewing schedules.
***
I
also attended a writers panel of some of the most popular TV shows. Discussions include writers creating a blue
print for their series, and story break, where a writer pitches an idea and breaks
things down beat by beat, either show how each character would act and move
forward or go for the big moments and merge them into one story. Writers pay attention to chemistry among
actors and how they grow, and they do adjust scenes based on what they see on
set. A TV pilot, said to be the captain
of the series, could be changed. For
example, a pilot might be shot in New York and when the series gets picked up,
the shooting might be moved to Los Angeles due to tax credit. As a result, the audience might not see the
exact same sets in subsequent episodes as they appeared in the pilot.
***
WonderCon
is getting more popular every year, as proven this year by sold-out tickets and
growing attendance (now topping at 60,000).
Even with minimal programming this year, it's enjoyable as ever (just check out some of the
cosplays!). While nothing comparable to
Comic-Con, it is an
entertaining alternative for pop-culture fans.
A word of advice, buy your ticket early next year!
