MCM Comic Con

 

Today (28th May 2016) I am not myself, I am not even human…but a demon in the magic of Comic Con!

This is my second convention and my first attempt at cosplay. I asked the Comic Con Facebook group for some advice and got some lovely replies.Facebook Comments.png

I decided on Ruby from Supernatural as it is my favourite TV show. I don’t think I did too badly do you?

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I love going to conventions as there is no judgment. You can see anyone dresses as anyone and its ok.  I mean let’s be honest there are not many people with the Superhero physique.

Even as I got on the train I could see 2 Jokers, Harley Quinn, and Scarecrow just to name a few. I would love to do a group cosplay like that unfortunately I don’t have many friends who feel the same. One day though, one day.

It is held at ExCel Centre so it is all on one level which is a nice experience as you don’t need to keep switching floors or in my case getting confused as to which floor I am on…..

Today it is a sold out event so the atmosphere is at its peak. You can feel the excitement as soon as you reach the entrance. Once I entered I headed straight to the Gold Theatre for the Being Human talk. Normally I would like to absorb the atmosphere and get my bearings but I could not miss this talk! I love Being Human and been a fan of Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow and Aidan Turner ever since.

Unfortunately the talk started at 11, as soon as the event opens. So I had to take the opportunity to wonder. But I have found the Lord! ….well I have discovered Preacher! It is a new TV show and the stall is set up as a church so technically I’m not lying, it counts.

Preacher is about a preacher (go figure) with a dark past and a very bloody past. It stars Dominic Cooper in the lead role and Joe Gilgun.

As I am having lunch I have noticed all the amazing costumes.

Popular choices include:

  • Kylo Ren
  • Lara Croft
  • Deadpool
  • Harley Quinn

Some of the funniest I have seen are:

  • Ainsley Harriet
  • Penguin
  • Cast of Cats

My favourite though has to be the fully working Iron Man suit. This has moving parts and must have costs thousands of pounds.

Not only are there a lot of characters there are a lot of nationalities. I have seen Canadians, Americans and a lot of Japanese.

Now it is Talk time! I am finally in the Platinum theatre and I’m about to see the Agents of SHIELD cast – Elizabeth Henstridge (Jemma Simmons), Luke Mitchell (Lincoln Campbell), and Nick Blood (Lance Hunter).  I like hearing the stories from behind the scenes.

Apparently Elizabeth Henstridge was told that Ward was evil on her own – terrified, as she thought she might die – always bad news when you are called in alone to the office. The other cast members were told together but Henstridge wasn’t on set that day. Clarke Gregg is apparently very good at giving advice to others and Ming-Na Wen is a big goofball on set.

My next talk is Outcast. I have seen it advertised on Fox and I have it set up on series record but I wanted to hear a bit more about it as I don’t know the premise that well. On the panel was

Patrick Fugit as Kyle Barnes, Philip Glenister as Reverend Anderson, Wrenn Schmidt as Megan Holter, Kate Lyn Sheil as Allison Barnes and Reg E. Cathey as Chief Giles.

It’s a Robert Kirkman production who created the Walking Dead so I have high hopes especially as it stars Philip Glenister!

This talk includes a sneak peek at Episode one which is exciting! So instead of Zombies this show is about Demons and possessions. The cast line up is Reverend Anderson (Philip Glennister) broken and lonely soul is a mentor to Kyle are lead. Anderson did an exorcism on Kyle’s mum and uses him to help other people through their possessions. Megan is Kyle’s adoptive sister. She is very protective about her brother as due to his past the rest of the town have turned him into an Outcast. (Ta-da! It comes full circle!)

Apparently this is nothing like the Walking Dead. I haven’t heard much else but the actors said that they joined the cast because of the script and storytelling. The team behind it really developed the characters and appealed to the actors. Apparently Robert Kirkman is an “Intellectual Bear” according to RK.

Apparently in rehearsals Philip Glenister and Patrick Fugit rehearse their lines as Michael Caine and Tom Cruise. Yes this is as funny as it sounds and I hope there is a video of it somewhere.

After watching the first episode I am already hooked and you guys need to tune in! Plus we got free cake and comics!

I had a great time at Comic Con and definitely suggest for people to go to them. You get sneak peeks, freebies and get to meet a lot of people. The only down side is that my camera let me down half way through but here are some of the ones I managed to get!

Gallery

 

 

 

Money Monster

 

Magical, Meaningful, Majestic

I am in love. This is my kind of film hands down! From when I first heard about the premise of this film I knew it was going to be on my To Watch List. The first thing I noticed was the cast. Clooney (Lee Gates) and Roberts (Patty Fenn) have a great on screen chemistry anyway but add to that Jack O’Connell (Kyle Budwell), Lenny Venito (Lenny), and Caitriona Balfe (Diane Lester) performances I was so drawn into the characters. I mean Brit Jack O’Connell’s American accent was on point. If it hadn’t it would have drawn me out of the story.

The cinematography was really well constructed. I noticed that at the beginning whenever you saw Kyle it was a low shot and even cut his head out of the shot. Once he took over the studio suddenly the shots were higher and more focused. This gave a great sense of the illusion of status.

Money Monster

 Kyle is comparing himself to Lee and Lee even sets up a scoreboard.

Money Monster Scoreboard

It makes a point that everyone values different things in life. Lee has the money but not the family and Kyle has the opposite. I also like the contrast between the light and dark reflecting the truth being sought and discovered.

*SPOILER ALERT*

The ending shocked me, I did not expect Kyle to get shot because of the story development I guess I was thinking there was a way out for him but then reality set in. Even Kyle himself says “I came in here knowing I wasn’t walking out”.  I felt a real connection to O’Connell’s character as he is my age (24) struggling to keep his head above water and trying to save money for his child. This reminded me of many a talk I have had with my Dad. He has always said his generation are the “lucky generation” because they were able to leave school and walk straight into a job. I mean my Dad has been working for the same company since he was 18. Today it doesn’t work like that.

When my parents were my age they were married, both had jobs, and had bought their own house. How many 24 year olds could say that nowadays? I work as hard as I can to save money to get my own place but it is a struggle as the house prices are so much higher.

I think that is why this film and the character of Kyle resonates with me so much.

As well have having tense moments there is also a lot of comedic moments like between Patty and Lee right at the beginning of the film.

“Patty Fenn: Do you have the revisions for the opening?
Lee Gates: We’re still making changes.
Patty Fenn: Am I going to get the changes before the show or after the show?
Lee Gates: You know the drill. You just point the camera in my direction and we’ll figure it out together.
Patty Fenn: It always sounds so simple and yet so moronic.”

My favourite quote though was when someone says “Did he just say fucking on the air”, as if that is the main problem going on right now.

Ultimately this is a tense thriller with real life issues that makes you think and reflect on your own situation and relationship with money, a real thought provoker.

4 stars from me.

film-reelfilm-reelfilm-reelfilm-reelfilm-reel Outline

Director:  Jodie Foster

Cast: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O’Connell, Lenny Venito, Caitriona Balfe

Crew: Alan Di Fiore (Writer), Matthew Libatique (Cinematographer)

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 15