Total Film, December 2013

Total Film, December 2013 (Issue #213)

I purchased the December issue (#213) of Total Film this past week because of a short article on the upcoming series, Fleming, starring Dominic Cooper. The four part Bio-drama places Ian Fleming in World War II London at the time of his recruiting into Naval Intelligence. The series will broadcast next month on Sky Atlantic (UK) and BBC America (US).

  

As I perused the rest of the magazine, I came across two additional articles of Spyfi & Superspies interest. The first one reported on a "first look" at the rebooted 1960s American television series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. currently filming in Rome under the directorial vision of Guy Ritchie (Snatch and Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels). Henry Cavill (Man of Steel) and Arnie Hammer (The Lone Ranger) star as agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin originally made famous by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum respectively. The film is set in the 1960s and does not have a release date as yet.

Villain regular Javier Bardem was featured in a lengthy interview to discuss his role in The Counsellor directed by Ridley Scott. Naturally, Bardem's role of the villainous Silva in Skyfall came up when he was asked about how he balances his characters so they don't come off to the viewer as over the top. Of course the suggestive dialogue and touch Silva engages in with Bond at their first meeting was brought up. Here is an excerpt from page 114:

Film Interview: Talking of Silva, was it your idea that he should flirt with Bond and rub his thigh?

Bardem: It was there on the page but it was not really there. Sam and I got together. He said, "Did you read that thing, that possibility?" and I said, "I fucking love that possibility." He said, "I agree, so let's work in that direction and see what comes."

FI: It was brave of Daniel Craig to go along with it....

Bardem: The brave part of that scene was James Bond saying, "Who told you it was my first time?" That's a brave line, and a fucking great line. Whether it's true or not, who cares? Bond is Bond because he knows how to fight the enemy, and the only way to fight Silva is with that line. It dismantles him.

Photo from Google Images

Bardem was then asked if it was true he had been offered the role of Renard in The World Is Not Enough that would be portrayed by Robert Carlyle. Bardem could not recall if that was the role or not but he did express that it was not the right time for him, not until he he was offered Silva. Personally, I think that Silva was the better choice for Bardem because it was a more complex character to get inside of -- it was the role to showcase Bardem's acting skills and innate ability to physically embody a character as well.

And, what was the first Bond film that Bardem saw? It was Roger Moore's Moonraker (1979), which just so happened to feature his favorite Bond villain: Richard Kiel's Jaws.

After The Dust Has Settled...Post Comikaze

I believe the dust has finally settled after attending Comikaze in Los Angeles November 1-3, 2013. Commute time and longer show hours than typical of comic cons made for three long days and then with writing up articles into the wee hours of the morning, I'll be honest, I couldn't wait for the opportunity to recoup lost sleep! 

Shot of the floor (sorry for window glare)

In its third year and anticipating 70,000 attendees, the organizers extended the event into three days this year and pushed it back from its earlier date last year of mid September. In addition, it seemed like the show hours were longer, usually opening at 9 AM and closing at 8 PM (6PM on Sunday). While it provided more time to browse, and hopefully buy, a number of regular exhibitors that I talked with, were none too happy with the long hours. Although it was nice to walk around Friday amongst a smaller crowd, I personally didn't feel the numbers warranted tacking on Friday, because Sunday morning was just as quiet, if one was trying to avoid the Saturday crowds. And the extended hours would have been nicer if there was still some early evening light to enjoy as the show closed for the evening. 

Although Comikaze is trying to become the next San Diego International Comic Con, it's not there yet. Parking was a common complaint, especially for exhibitors trying to transport their wares to the show floor. One remedy would be to only allow exhibitors to park at the convention center parking lot. There's quite a bit of parking around the center. I parked probably five blocks away and paid $5 for the day. One of the other bigger problems was the layout and associated program map. The floor, as you can see in the above shot has zero banners for orienting oneself to familiar floor landmarks. Yes, there are the aisle banners, but those are often lost when trying to see past the crowds (I'm short, I cannot see over all the taller people!). And, the map in the program was squeezed onto one page. I was forever squinting to try to make out the booth numbers on the page. Seriously? Spread that map over two pages! 

One of the exhibitors, Paul Roman Martinez, creator of The Adventures of the 19XX series, wrote his experience as a vendor at the event. Please don't be daunted by the length: it's thought provoking and well-written. 

That said, there is potential with Comikaze and I hope that the organizers will listen thoughtfully, learn from their mistakes, and keep making improvements.

As promised, here's a recap of the articles I wrote for Bleeding Cool covering several aspects of the con: 

Stan Lee's Comikaze Take On High Fashion

Yep, I attended my first ever Geek Fashion Show at a comic con! And you know what? It was a lot of fun. If you like Star Trek inspired cocktail dresses, printed full skirts with various pop culture references  and/or pop culture-themed corsets, this would have been the show for you! 

Comikaze's Special Exhibits Geek Out on Classic Video Games, Elvira, Marvel History

Count 'em - four special exhibits populated the show floor! I especially enjoyed the walk down video game memory lane, complete with an old yellow variegated sofa and console television! And of course, several arcade cabinets! 

"You Have To Have Endurance" - A Guide to Self-Publishing at Comikaze

A wealth of knowledge is to be had by attending the various panels presented over the three day event. Self-publishing has become a viable option for individuals in the recent past and this panel helped reveal the pitfalls and provide some pearls of wisdom along the way. 

Goggles, Pocket Watches, Gears and Corsets - Steampunk Dominates at Comikaze

This was a really fun article because I have a fascination with the clothing and the Victorian era it embodies. I attended one of the many panels on Steampunk and then checked out Steampunk Alley out on the show floor afterwards. 

Who Is Your Ultimate Wonder Woman? Grappling to Define A 21st Century Heroine At Comikaze

A fascinating, intellectual panel discussion about just about every facet of this enigmatic comic book heroine, from how to define her, what her background is, to who should play her in upcoming movies. An hour was just not long enough! 

Cosplayers Converge at Comikaze and Create the Con Experience

No con is complete without the cosplayers. I know that they have a tendency to attract the attention of potential purchases from exhibitors (but hopefully not often), but their creativity boosts the morals at these events. They are having a fun time and it boosts their confidence -- like the song says "Strike a Pose!" 

My "loot" from Comikaze - there's some spy gold in there! 

Whew! I did manage to find some time to prowl the various exhibitors for some spy oriented comics and graphic novels. Top Cow's Think Tank was a recommendation while standing in line for the con to open up Sunday morning and a stop at the Boom! Studios booth provided me 2 Guns and Imagine. And waiting in line for the floor to open each day did afford me some down time to finally start into Danger Girl from IDW. Created by J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell, the deluxe trade paperback housed the original  series in all its colourful glory. Probably one of the closest stories to capture the excitement, danger, gadgets, and exotic locales that are the epitome of the James Bond movies, this is some fun (and good) stuff! And, it's a great place to start if you like spy and comics! 

Happy Halloween

It's late in the evening and no little secret agents with their play guns, martini glasses, and silk pillowcases came knocking at my door for "Trick or Treat" as I prepare for the next three days when I'll be off to Los Angeles to attend Stan Lee's 3rd annual Comikaze. I'll be there looking for spy genre oriented comic books, writers/artists, and anything else that might be of interest here -- maybe even some nods to Bond?? In addition, I'll be working as a freelance writer for a comic books/transmedia news blogsite. I'll be sharing those article links along with my own blog coverage in the coming days.

Reflecting back, October has been a rather busy month for me. The month started out by attending the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and Cthulhu Con in San Pedro, California in which I wrote an article for Fanboy Comics. The rest of the month has been taken up by my daytime job (got to pay the bills!), writing a couple of blogs (wish I had gotten a couple of more out - sorry about the lack of reading material this month), and managing submissions for my upcoming anthology focusing on the influence of James Bond on popular culture. Those essays are due tomorrow and I have quite a few of the essays already. Of course, I'm still working on my chapter -- expanding on my Spectra*Paris review of License to Kill. Anyway, I'll be in editing mode, along with two other assistants, for the rest of the year. 

And, I have a conference to prepare for and thankfully, the call for presentation proposals has been extended to November 15^th for the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association’s annual conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico next February. I cannot emphasis enough what an excellent opportunity this is to present to like minded pop culture scholars. For more details, have a look at my CFP and to see what the conference is all about, take a look the SWPCA website. 

October has also been a good month for all things spy related. Back on the 8th, for us Yanks, the new James Bond novel Solo penned by William Boyd was released (I still need to order it!). Both Pierce Brosnan and Jason Statham (maybe) will star in spy movies. Some great Archer humor punctuated the month with a youtube video that was in the danger zone. And in comic books, Ed Brubaker (Fatale) has a new series out titled Velvet that is awesome and I'll be reviewing shortly. Codename Action, Brain Boy, and Zero all have second issues out in your local comic book shop. There is much reading and reviewing in the weeks ahead, so please stop back by. Thanks!