July 23rd, 2016
Dear Flicker Fans,
I write this journal entry in between tears Fans. Not tears of sadness, but beautiful tears of joy. Joy that is going to be hard to put into words about the experience that I just had today, but I’m going to do my best. Here’s where we’ll start;
You hear the rumors about Hall H and all the excitement. You hear from friends and random strangers about all the teases, the treats, the excitement and the celebrities. You hear about all the joy that people leave the Hall with and you hear about all the crowds. You hear about the cheering and the laughter and all the noises in between. Noises of people mumbling, “excuse me”, while they scoot past you in the isles, over your knees to their seats, in the lines for overpriced concession stand food. You know what I’m talking about. The hot dogs, pizza, soda, and chips and dip that, if you bought one, you could have essentially bought a 6 pack of hot dogs and and buns (or close to it) from the grocery store. Your eyes strain from trying to walk in the dark and you finally make it to the bathroom with the companions you didn’t know you had who all share the same excitement and question the same thing you do, “will Hall H deliver and will this be worth it?”
It does, and it did.
Lord have MERCY did it deliver. Fenced off from the rest of the world and guided like mindless zombies, we were reborn with new found energy and excitement as we poured into the Hall. It was time. All the waiting, all the lines, all the sun and the heat–it was finally time. Finally time to reap our rewards, and as I said, our patience was worth it.
Warner Bros. opened showing us exciting footage from all of their movies, not skimping on a single “big picture” debut. The entire hall seemed to open up into one giant screen, looking as if they were planning a panoramic viewing of all they had to offer. It was more than what we could ask for, it was almost as if they planned inclusion into the world of Warner Bros. films. They didn’t want us to just watch what they brought, they wanted us to experience it on a cinematic, circular view. They wanted to surround us with Warner Bros. and DC. The footage from the DC universe (Justice League, Wonder Woman, and Suicide Squad) was amazing. Then they showed us teases for films that weren’t part of that universe, (The Lego Batman movie, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Kong: Skull Island and a little known movie that allows to revisit a world we all loved–Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them). The hall erupted with cheers and excitement. Everyone was pleased, everyone was excited, and everyone was pining for me.
Next was something that I have admittedly not watched in sometime, but I still enjoy the classics. Star Trek panel with special guest William Shatner, Scott Bakula, Michael Dorn, Jeri Ryan and Brent Spiner. To see such classic actors and talent that all share the same (albeit very different) world, was just exciting. Leonard Nimoy, you were missed.
Following this presentation is something that I had trouble even wrapping my head around that it was going to happen; Aliens:30th Anniversary. What the WHAT!?!?!?!? I couldn’t believe it. Gathering on the stage (my stage–cause it’s mine when I when I’m there watching what’s happening) was the cast from Aliens. A movie that had scared me as a child and I loved as an adult. With classic lines, amazing villains all led by a fantastic director. James Cameron, Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, and Paul Reiser–all on the same stage. I was beside myself with joy as I watched these amazing talents, casually explain their experience in making what some would consider one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time. Joy.
Arguably one of the panels that I should have watched, but did not. Was, “Entertainment Weekly Women who Kick Ass.” I did catch the end of this segment, but hey, I had to go to the bathroom at some time right? The stage was overrun by amazing actresses who indeed, “kick ass” and I actually didn’t stick around to watch the entire panel. Morena Baccarin (Gotham), Melissa Benoist (Supergirl), Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones), Lucy Lawless (Ash vs Evil Dead), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), Connie Nielsen (Wonder Woman) and Ming-Na Wen (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) From the parts that I did see, these women are the very embodiment of power and strength, on and off the camera. Bravo!!!!
And to close out my first Hall H experience, Kevin Feige. Thank you. That’s really all I can say. Marvel Studios…..holy shit. DC did good, Marvel did it better–in my opinion. I mean, we had Spider-Man show, we had Dr. Strange, we had Thor (in a manner of speaking) we had Guardians of the Galaxy, we had Black Panther, and we had Captain Marvel (no footage). I mean DAMN!!! All of it, and I mean ALL of it looked amazing. We weren’t really expecting anything–we got more than that. We got an amazing teaser for Spider-Man, we got a huge tease for Thor and what one could only hope would be Planet Hulk. Basically, if you’re a Marvel fan, you were satisfied when you left Hall H; and you were exhausted from cheering.
Kevin Smith was next on the list–I didn’t stay for his show. I know, I know….how can I call myself a fan if I don’t stick around for the ultimate fanboy lecture? I was whipped. I was done. I just needed out of that room. And honestly, I hate to say this FFs, but I can see Kevin Smith just about anytime I want. He frequently does shows in LA and Orange County (Hollywood Babble On with Ralph Garman). Not to mention I don’t need him to tell me about how everything was so cool. I know how cool it was….I was blown away, just like him.
So that’s it Flicker Fans. This journal entry is over and done with. I’m almost as spent as I was during the show. I am no longer a “virgin” to Hall H. My experience was amazing…..I feel like I should have a cigarette…..
Until tomorrow….no way it tops today….