Last week I was lucky enough to have been invited to attend the Otakon Anime Convention in Baltimore, Maryland. Now having gone to Otakon as my first convention back in 1997, before I seriously began to delve in the bowels of fandom; it was interesting returning to the scene of the crime over 10 years later to see how the con and fandom had changed over the last decade.

For an industry in the death throes thanks to illegal downloading and file sharing, the convention circuit associated with anime and manga keeps  turning in record numbers year after year. This is probably due to the camaraderie the attendees gain from being in such a niche group of fandom.

This con continues to grow year after year, and for good reason too. Otakon is a well-oiled machine of a convention. Even before I stepped into the convention hall, their press department was already making sure I would have all the resources available to me as I saw fit to cover the con for Geekadelphia.

More after the Jump!

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Last week I got the chance to sit down and talk with both Edgar Wright and Michael Cera of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World at our very own Ritz Carlton in Center City, Philadelphia. It was a big day for me both as a writer and a fan, getting to meet and chat with both of these guys face-to-face about the film.

I hope you enjoy reading this interview as much as I enjoyed conducting it. You’ll learn quite a bit about the film and which great Canadian invented basketball. I really hope you support these guys, and check out Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World at your local theater!

So how familiar were you with the source material before you started production on the film?

Edgar: I was given the first book.

I was asked this the other day “Were you a big fan of the book already?” and I said I was given the book the week it was published, so I sort of read it with everyone else when it first came out back in 2004.

So for me the process of making this film has been, for the last six years, a very organic one. Because I got to be in contact with the author as he was writing the books the entire time.

When we started filming in March of 2009, the fifth book had just been published and the sixth book only existed as a rough draft. So, I was working on the adaptation for about five years altogether.

How involved was Brian O’Malley with the process of making the script?

Edgar: He was very involved in the sense he read every single draft of the script.

In some cases, me and Michael Bacall would send the script to Brian and he would do little polishes on scenes.  So he touched up a couple of scenes he had an idea about.

But weirdly, some of his stuff in the film that he did work on in the script, is not in his books either. So it really is like a real collaboration, because there are a couple of lines in the film that are Brian’s but the aren’t in the books, and then there are a couple of lines from our script that were in the books; because we wrote the first draft of the script back in 2006.

There are like one or two lines, in book four and five that are lines from our script.  Brian O’Malley was very polite to email me and say, “Can I use one of your lines from the Roxxy Scene for the book?”

Michael: Art imitating art.

Dan: That’s very meta.

Edgar: Yeah, it was very good that way, and it was an easier thing in terms of like a fanbase of a comic like this where everyone has very specific thoughts on things.  I would just kind of try not to read any of that and just kind of go straight to the source and talk to Brian about stuff.

More Epicness after the jump!

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Walking into Scott Pilgrim vs. The World 2 weeks ago fresh off the buzz of San Diego Comic-Con, I was just a bit apprehensive. I had yet to hear a negative word about the film, and for all the hundreds treated to free advance screenings the weekend before, it had only piqued my curiosity; because I know geeks simply love to trash things they adore once it gets popular.

See, for a film based on a comic like this where any changes would be considered heresy, fans could easily start boycotting and trashing the film, which would also guarantee a quick death at the box office. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World has done something very rare, and something most directors talk about but never really take to heart. While the film is quite different than the 6 volume series on which it is based, and takes quite a few liberties telling its story, Edgar Wright has captured the heart and spirit of Scott Pilgrim in his film beautifully.

More after the Jump!

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I was almost starting to get worried that the game was over, and another piece lands in my mailbox. This week I got a postcard, once again from New Mexico but handwritten in Morse Code, in pencil no less.

Do we have any Boy Scouts out there who wanna take a stab at this? Check after the jump for artwork that has been retouched so it is easier to see the code and comment if you translate it!

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It’s only August, and the horror films are already starting to trickle out.

First up is The Last Exorcism a film produced by Eli Roth of Hostel and Cabin Fever fame. While the actual film is written by Huck Botko, Andrew Gurlandand and directed by Daniel Stamm – all relative newcomers – the film looks extremely promising and has been getting favorable buzz online so far.

The The Last Exorcism, which opens August 27, looks to be a mixture of Paranormal Activity and the Exorcist with a plot that goes something like this:

When he arrives on the rural Louisiana farm of Louis Sweetzer, the Reverend Cotton Marcus expects to perform just another routine “exorcism” on a disturbed religious fanatic. An earnest fundamentalist, Sweetzer has contacted the charismatic preacher as a last resort, certain his teenage daughter Nell is possessed by a demon who must be exorcized before their terrifying ordeal ends in unimaginable tragedy.

Buckling under the weight of his conscience after years of parting desperate believers with their money, Cotton and his crew plan to film a confessionary documentary of this, his last exorcism. But upon arriving at the already blood drenched family farm, it is soon clear that nothing could have prepared him for the true evil he encounters there. Now, too late to turn back, Reverend Marcus’ own beliefs are shaken to the core when he and his crew must find a way to save Nell – and themselves – before it is too late.

The screening is Thursday, August 12th at the Ritz East at 7:30pm, and we have 25 Gofobo passes to give away. Want to come? Simply comment with your favorite paranormal horror film and why, and the first twenty-five will get a pass for two to see the film.

See ya there! Till then check out the trailer below!

By Chris O.

Well I asked for epic Scott Pilgrim fanart and I got EPIC Scott Pilgrim fanart! I was really floored by all the great entries we received for this contest, and I wanted to share them. I was really surprised at how much effort you put into these creations. Thanks again for entering and I hope you enjoyed the film last night!

By Kristy G.

Check out more great entries after the jump!

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The folks over at Disney were nice enough to send me a copy of their dual disc (DVD and Blu-ray) special edition of James and the Giant Peach which streets today August 3. I am a huge fan of stop motion, Henry Selick’s (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline) films in particular, so I was really excited to check this film out in HD.

The film tells the story of a young boy, crossing the Atlantic Ocean on his way to New York in a giant magical peach with a group of giant anthropomorphic insects. The story is well known for it’s macabre tone and would seem like a perfect fit for Henry Selick; but the film fell short of expectations in it’s original theatrical run only making 28 of its estimated 35 million dollar budget.

James and the Giant Peach is a lucid acid trip for children, with its mixture of no less than 2 different types of animation, book-ended by equally strange live-action segments. The story is fun, the songs are catchy and the animation in the film is amazing. Even with my strong adversity to Randy Neuman I still love this film. But I do think the film’s over-all lack of a strong focus is why James and the Giant Peach seems to lack the cult following that The Nightmare Before Christmas enjoys, even to this day.

Check out the review of the disc after the jump!

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If you’re any kind of film geek you’ve certainly heard of the Mecca to Cinephiles across the nation… the Texas treasure known as The Alamo Drafthouse.

The Drafthouse is well known for its great programming, diverse genre nights, and is a destination for some of the great film geeks (Quentin Tarantino, Harry Knowles) of our generation.

I bring this up because the Alamo Draft Rolling Roadshow will be in Philadelphia doing a Rocky-thon on Thursday, August 19th, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They will be showing the first three Rocky films back-to-back on those historic steps he ran up so many years ago.

You can find more about the event here. If only they would have capped the night off with Over the Top… that would have been truly epic!

Watching Salt proved quite a few things in my mind about Angelina Jolie; this film has transcended her into the path anon of action heroes with the likes of Daniel Craig and Bruce Willis in my book. A very exclusive club in Hollywood where entrance can only be attained by having one scene in your film where you dispose of more than 10 men with a submachine-gun, and have the audience not only buy it, but totally cheer you on as well.

Angelina Jolie once again proves that she can walk a tight rope of vulnerability, sensuality, kick-ass determination and still not fall into the same trap of being the femme fatale that many actresses have fallen into and never escaped.

More after the Jump!

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I am a die-hard Halo fan, and being such I am also by default a die-hard Red vs. Blue fan. I still remember stumbling upon the first season DVD at my local Electronics Boutique (remember those?) while picking up my official Halo 2 Logitech Headset; I have had a special place in my heart for Blood Gulch ever since.

New Video was kind enough to send me a copy of Red vs. Blue Season 6: Reconstruction, to review for the site; it had been a while since I had seen the series and I was curious as to what had happened since the ending of season 5. Popping the disc in my player the video quality definitely looked on par with the newly re-mastered discs that were recently released.

Red vs. Blue Season 6: Reconstruction is presented more or less as a 120 minute movie, and while that sounds great content wise, I found it honestly works better broken up in to 3 or more sittings. Where in other seasons there was no real over-arching plot where you really had to seriously pay attention, this season tries and barely passes with setting up several storylines that shambles through it’s more than ample running time.

While I wont say I didn’t enjoy the story, Red vs. Blue really isn’t about story… its about 2 teams trying to wipe each other out while making wise ass remarks throughout. While some of that is here as well, I found myself looking at my watch at several points waiting to get back to Sarge threatening to kill Church or Caboose to show up again.

More after the jump!

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Alright Geeks, I have 25 passes to what is looking to be one of the most epic comic book films of the summer… Scott Pilgrim VS. The World. The film doesn’t hit theaters until Friday, August 13th, but thanks to the kind folks at Universal Pictures you will have a chance to see the film an entire week before it opens, giving you serious bragging rights and some legit geek-cred as well.

If you’re not familiar with Scott Pilgrim and you’re reading this blog, Google is the only one who can save you from the lifetime of shame you would have to live with if you admitted this in front of others. Just sayin’.

But, for the rest of you… here are the deets. The screening will take place August 4th at the United Artist King of Prussia Theater at 7:30.

Want a pass for 2 to check out Scott Pilgrim? I am going to do this two ways.  You can either submit a piece of epic Scott Pilgrim fan-art to dan@geekadelphia.com or submit a comment explaining a.)  why you’re too lazy to draw a picture and b.) what your favorite Scott Pilgrim book is and why.

The contest will end Friday July 30th, and I will be contacting the winners on Monday the 2nd.

If you can’t draw don’t worry, I wont be judging fan-art on likeness but for effort. Open up Illustrator, break-out MS Paint, reinstall KidPix, draw something by hand and scan it… whatever! If we get some good ones we might just post ‘em here. Wink wink, nudge nudge.

Fanart submissions are guaranteed tickets till I run out, enough said!

Good luck and check out the trailer below!

Writers of Geekadelphia and their families are not eligible for prizes.Limit one entry per person. No cameras, camera phones, or other recording devices permitted in screening. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis. Theatre capacity is limited and passes won do not guarantee seating.(So show up early!) Theater is not responsible for overbooking. Ticket holder and guest must enter theater together.

Otakon, one of the biggest and longest running anime conventions on the East Coast, descends upon our neighbors in Baltimore this weekend, visiting the Baltimore Convention Center Friday through Sunday, July 30th through August 1st.

Otakon was my first convention back in 1997 and I’ve attended it semi-regularly ever since! If you have never been Otakon, it’s comparable to the DragonCon of anime, convention-size wise. The convention is very well attended, to the point they often cap attendees during the con at some point during the weekend; so I would show up early Friday or Saturday morning if you haven’t pre-reg’ed. Registration for the con is about $75 for a weekend pass per person, which isn’t cheap… but I think with this con, you definitely get your money’s worth.

Otakon is also well know for being one of the few cons in America to regularly get Japanese anime industry guests and musical acts, which is no small feat. This year’s guest roster includes Masashi Ishihama (Animation Director The Girl Who Lept Through Time), Hiroshi Koujina (Director of Rainbow), Koji Masunari (Director of Read or Die), Masao Maruyama (founder of Studio Madhouse) and English voice acting favorite Vic Minogna (Eric in Fullmetal Alchemist and many, many others). I think though I am probably most excited to see Amy Howard Wilson, whom you old-timers out there might recognize from her voice acting role as Nova in Star Blazers.

I will be covering the con for Geekadelphia so expect a big Flickr pool, and possibly a few videos as well. If you plan on attending and want to meet up, feel free to drop me an @ on twitter to @danthefan I will be there Saturday and Sunday. See ya there!

Otakon
www.otakon.com