Dallas Comic Con 2014 - ALL THE PICTURES! - Part Six

The Doctor vs. Galactus - it's a license to print money, Marvel!
That's Reese of Reese's Pieces as Galactus.


This cosplayer tops himself every year with his balloon animal costumes.
This year: My Neighbor Totoro!


The Dread Pirate Wilson a.k.a. Pirate Deadpool



A rather sizable group of X-Men cosplayers.  Can you name them all?


Jubilee, Storm and Dazzler from the previous group.


Lara Croft - Tomb Raider. 


Hawkman


Gandalf The Grey


I'm not sure how I feel about this more-mature Sailor Moon reboot...


Derek The Red Dalek  - quite harmless after a visit from The Doctor.


The Crushinator from Futurama.


Ramona Flowers and Godzilla.

Thoughts on The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

A year ago, I said that the biggest problem with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was that it was too much of a good thing.  Having just seen The Desolation of Smaug, I think the same may be said of this middle chapter of The Hobbit trilogy.  Minus the phrase "of a good thing."

Much has been made of how Peter Jackson had originally planed to split The Hobbit into two films and was asked by his studio to expand it into three parts.  This necessitated scouring the Tolkien oeuvre for more material to adapt, writing new scenes, and bringing the actors back to film said scenes.  Even had the actors and Jackson himself not been vocal about which material had been added into the film as envisioned, it would be obvious to most of the audience.  The sad fact is that the added material sticks out like a sore thumb and it distracts away from the brunt of the film.

Understand this - The Desolation of Smaug is enjoyable to watch.  That does not mean that it is a good movie.  A good story has a definitive beginning, middle and an end.  Even if it is part of a larger story, that should hold true.  In Smaug's case, it doesn't.  The opening flashback scene in Bree feels tacked on and unnecessary.  The ending comes in the middle of what should be the climax.  The love triangle seems particularly pointless.  And Legolas the parkouring ninja is just annoying.

Yet all of these scenes are worth suffering through for the great moments.  The dwarves' escape from Mirkwood.  Gandalf confronting The Necromancer.  And every damn scene between Bilbo and Smaug.  If you enjoyed the first movie, you'll probably enjoy this one as well, though there will be points where you'll be shaking your head and wondering if certain things were really needed.

Austin Comic Con 2013 - Part One

Originally I hadn't been planning to attend Austin Comic Con.  I dislike most corporate-sponsored comic conventions (i.e. overpriced autograph fairs that have little to do with comics or conventions) and this one had the added bonus of seemingly being aimed at the lowest common denominator (i.e. half-naked booth babes whose costumes have nothing to do with what they're selling).  And given this particular corporation's pitiful record of trying to market themselves as family-friendly while at the same time partnering with strip-clubs and horror conventions...  well, I'm content not to give them any money or time. 

Only two things got me in the door.  First, the fact that I was attending for free.  Second, the fact that Dennis O'Neil - the man who modernized Green Arrow for the modern age - was one of the guests.  It's the first time I've heard of him doing a convention appearance in Texas and I didn't want to take the chance that it would be his last.

It's been five years since I've attended one of these cons and time has not improved them.  The dealer's booths were so closely packed together there was barely room for one person to move down the aisles if there were people standing in front of the booths on either side of them.  Forget about having two lanes!  Thankfully, the Artist's Alley was much more spacious.

Once I had my chance to shake hands with my hero and get an autograph, I wandered around to take in the sights of what cosplayers were in attendance on an cold and rainy Sunday morning.   

  ASSASSINS!   
Robin and Raven from Teen Titans.   
Mother and Son as Princess Zelda and Link.   
Poison Ivy.   
Wolverine and Cyclops.   
A trio of Asgardians - Loki, The Enchantress and Thor. Apparently at peace... for now.   
Thankfully, Thor later had some back-up in the form of Sif and Fandral the Dashing.
Actually, all these cosplayers are part of a marvelous group called Heroes Alliance, who do charity work in costume for various events. Take a look at their website and see what you can do to help.   
Zatanna.   
A Hobbit.   
Shockingly, this one stumped me as it's a character - Kevin "Corky" Corcoran
- from one of the few British dramas I haven't seen - Copper.
Daenerys Targaryen from A Game Of Thrones.   
Jay and Silent Bob.   
Winter Is Coming...   
This Poison Ivy works at the excellent Austin comic books & games store The Dragon's Lair, which I've written about before.  She's teaching cosplay make-up at the store and judging by her Deviant Art page as well as the picture above, she knows her stuff.  So if you're in Austin, you might stop by and ask for Amber.

Dallas Sci-Fi Expo 2013 - Day Two

I definitely wound up posing for more pictures today than I wound up taking.  Here's everything I did manage to take today.



Starbuck  
Tron  
Harley Quinn  
CAJ Cosplay as Madelyne Pryor.

Rogue and CAJ Cosplay as Madelyne Pryor.  
Kate Bishop Hawkeye.  She was kind enough to pose as I was catching her heading to lunch.  I insisted she pose with the nachos because... well, if you've read Hawkeye, it makes about as much sense as anything else that happens in that book.  
Arwen  
Jedi
Me as The Doctor vs some form of Human/Dalek Hybrid.  
Kimmie Britt of IHOGeek.com as Katniss Everdeen 

Yvonna Lynn of Charisma +2 as Crossplay Han Solo.   
Two models from Gothic Vogue.  
X-23.

Thoughts on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

   

There's no small irony that the one thing that makes The Hobbit less than the sum of it's parts are the portions added on to tie it more closely to The Lord of The Rings.  Taken as an adventure on its' own merits, it would make a wonderful film to while away the evening.  But the sad truth is that the first hour drags a bit.

That being said, is The Hobbit a bad film?  Not at all!  While it is slow to start, it's quite the treat once the quest gets started and things get moving.  And while the flashback/flash forward of the elder Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) thinking back on his adventures as he starts to write his book and the conversation with his nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood) do delay the opening, they are well-shot, well-written and well-acted. 

There's a middle portion that drags as well, where Gandalf (Ian McKellen) seeks the counsel of Lord Elrond (Hugo Weaving) and suddenly finds himself being questioned by both the Lady Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and Saurman (Christopher Lee) about his participation in his current quest.  These scenes feel like what they are - filler to justify the cameos of all the big-name actors that were part of the original trilogy's cast.  Again, they are well-shot, well-written and well-played... but one wonders how necessary they were.

Perhaps it's silly of me to complain that the only flaw of a good movie is that there is too much of it.  But I can't grouse too much as that is my only complaint.  The ensemble cast is amazing, though you'll never be able to tell the dwarves apart without a score-card.  Martin Freeman - who seems to have been eternally typecast as the everyman whose life is upended by the extraordinary- is a perfect Bilbo Baggins.  And Sylvester McCoy steals every scene he's in as Radagast The Brown.  Though The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey may go down as proof that there can be too much of a good thing, it is still a wonder to behold.  Just don't have a big meal before hand and make sure you use the bathroom first.   
 

Because Someone Had To Make It...

New Hobbit Trailer!

The Hobbit Trailer!