Zoolander 2

For F*** Magazine

ZOOLANDER 2

Director : Ben Stiller
Cast : Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Penélope Cruz, Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen, Cyrus Arnold, Sting, Christine Taylor, Olivia Munn, Benedict Cumberbatch, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Billy Zane
Genre : Comedy
Run Time : 102 mins
Opens : 3 March 2016
Rating : NC16 (Sexual References)

It’s been 15 years since we last saw Derek Zoolander (Stiller) strut his male supermodel stuff. Does that Blue Steel still offer the same structural support? Personal tragedy has driven Zoolander into hiding. A terrible accident that claimed the life of Zoolander’s wife Matilda (Taylor) also damaged the face of Zoolander’s friend and fellow model Hansel McDonald (Wilson), additionally damaging the pair’s friendship. Interpol Fashion agent Valencia Valentina (Cruz) is investigating a string of assassinations in which the pop star victims snap pre-death selfies that match Zoolander’s trademark “Blue Steel” expression. In Rome, she ropes in Derek and Hansel to assist her. The duo is in Italy as the guests of avant garde designer Alexanya Atoz (Wiig) and are hoping to make a comeback on the runway. Zoolander discovers that his estranged son Derek Jr. (Arnold), residing at an orphanage in Rome, is the target of an ancient conspiracy and that Zoolander’s long-time nemesis Jacobim Mugatu (Ferrell), now locked away in maximum security fashion prison, has a hand in this evil plot.

            2001’s Zoolander has attained semi-cult status in that it’s too widely known among mainstream filmgoers to be an actual cult movie, but is still sufficiently oddball in its sensibilities. People still quote the catchphrases and attempt the Blue Steel pout. There has been demand for a sequel, but not “tear down the studio gates” levels of demand. As unlikely a comparison it may be, Zoolander 2 reminds this reviewer of 300: Rise of an Empire and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. To put things in perspective, the DVD of Zoolander has Stiller in character narrating how an interactive DVD menu works. With Zoolander 2, it’s more of the same, but ends up being too little too late. Most involved seem to be committed to the silliness, but the vibe that Stiller has switched on “autopilot” mode is hard to shake. It turns out that the flashy production values and a veritable conga line of celebrities making guest appearances serve to distract from the lack of any real invention or comic energy, which is a little sad to realise.

            We have nothing against stupidity in general and if a comedy wants to go all-out, full-tilt dumb in the name of entertainment, we’re all for it. However, it’s been repeatedly proven that one gets more mileage with wit, rather than witlessness, as fuel in the comedy gas tank. Zoolander 2 is not completely unfunny and there are attempts, however half-hearted, at satire – a “completely biodegradable” boutique hotel boasting “farm to table wi-fi” pokes fun at hipster sensibilities. Benedict Cumberbatch’s cameo as the androgynous, unclassifiable modelling sensation known as “All” dares to step on a few toes and laugh in the face of political correctness, but it lacks the same impact that Robert Downey Jr. in blackface had in Stiller’s Tropic Thunder. Tropic Thunder had something to say about Hollywood’s excesses while being outrageous and funny. With Zoolander 2, it seems like “when unable to write joke, default to cameo” was the mandate carved on the production office wall.

            Director/star/co-writer/co-producer Stiller has repeatedly made us wonder “is it still a vanity project if the person whose vanity it serves repeatedly makes a fool of himself?” Short answer: yes. Those who were charmed by Zoolander’s profound lack of intelligence the first go-round will likely be fine with Stiller’s reprisal of the role, seeing how he snaps back into it with such ease. Wilson’s performance lacks energy, but perhaps that can be explained away as Hansel’s more laid-back demeanour. The Oscar-winning Cruz is not exactly known for her slapstick comedy chops, but she gamely tackles the part of the eye candy cop on a mission, displaying sexy confidence in spades as she embraces the silliness. Ferrell has to share scenery-chewing duties with Wiig, who devises an unintelligible, non-specifically European accent for her character.

            If you’re up for a game of “name the cameo” with a group of pals, Zoolander 2 will be a rewarding experience. Otherwise, it’s close enough to the original but too engineered and lacking in spontaneity to reach any heights of humour. When the jokes (zoo)land, they land, but when they don’t, they flop out of the screen with a deafening, awkward thud. This time, the Magnum’s chamber is half empty, and a couple of the remaining rounds are blanks. Still, when it comes to comedies running on unadulterated stupidity, we’ll take this over those painful Friedberg and Seltzer ‘parody’ movies (Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, Disaster Movie et al) any day of the week.

Summary: If it’s wanton shenanigans and famous faces you’re after, Zoolander 2 has got you covered. But when it comes to actually inspired humour, this sequel comes up disappointingly short.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5 Stars

Jedd Jong

           

Black Mass

For F*** Magazine

BLACK MASS

Director : Scott Cooper

Cast : Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, Corey Stoll, Peter Saarsgard, David Harbour, Rory Cochrane, Julianne Nicholson

Genre : Crime/Drama

Run Time : 122 mins

Opens : 17 September 2015

Rating : M18 (Coarse Language And Violence)

A “Black Mass” is a type of Satanic ritual, a dark inversion of the Catholic Mass. This true crime drama recounts the profane partnership between the FBI and one of the most notorious gangsters in United States history. James “Whitey” Bulger (Depp) is the head of the Irish-American Winter Hill gang in South Boston. His brother Billy (Cumberbatch) is a United States senator. Their childhood friend John Connolly (Edgerton), now an FBI agent, approaches Whitey with the offer of becoming an informant in order to take down the rival Angiulo crime family. As Whitey’s clout increases, he begins to be more brazen in his criminal activities, with his fingers in everything from drug trafficking to a Jai alai betting racket to funding the Irish Republican Army, almost casually killing anyone who crosses him. Whitey and his partners Stephen Flemmi (Cochrane), Kevin Weeks (Plemons) and Johnny Matorano (W. Earl Brown) continue their criminal reign of South Boston unchecked, benefitting from a deal with the Feds that seems too good to be true. 

Black Mass is based on the book Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI and a Devil’s Deal by Boston Globe reporters Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill. The “unholy alliance” between two childhood friends which would end up having untold ramifications is one of the most morbidly intriguing organized crime stories in recent memory. “Southie kids, we went straight from playing cops and robbers on the playground to doing it for real in the streets,” Kevin Weeks says in the police interview framing device. Working from a screenplay by Jez Butterworth and Mark Mallouk, director Scott Cooper has crafted a crime drama in the mould of Scorsese’s genre-defining mob movies. Black Mass is bleak but never boring to look at, thanks to Masanobu Takayanagi’s cinematography which is slick but not flashy. Cooper stages several moments that are bubbling over with almost unbearable intensity. It is often downright terrifying and it boggles the mind to think how long Whitey’s criminal activities were allowed to go on for. 

Post-Jack Sparrow, it has been difficult to take Johnny Depp very seriously, even with his three Oscar nods. You know it, we know it and Depp himself knows it too. Suffice it to say that this is a far cry from Mortdecai and is the best Depp has been in years. Great acting is about disappearing into the part, and with the help of special effects makeup designed by Depp’s oft-collaborator Joel Harlow, he does indeed. Cooper hired some of Whitey’s former associates as consultants and they looked at footage of Depp as Whitey, simply commenting “that’s Whitey.” Much of Depp’s later work has been characterized by traipsing about with wild abandon, so the subtle, understated quality he brings to bear with this performance is welcome. He convincingly essays a master manipulator, a savvy criminal with an unpredictable streak and delivers searing, disturbing turn as Whitey in what is definitely a high point in his career. 

While the film is primarily Depp’s to carry, there is a vast number of supporting players. Edgerton balances out Connolly’s self-confident air with his inner conflict between loyalty to a boyhood pal and duty to upholding the law, as his turning a blind eye to Whitey’s criminal exploits eventually snowballs. Edgerton does have a tendency to play the role a little broad, but he does bring a good deal of heart to the role. Replacing the initially-cast Guy Pearce, Benedict Cumberbatch gets precious little to do as Whitey’s brother Billy, and how Whitey could get away with so much when his brother was a senator is a plot point that is never explored to a satisfying extent. He makes a valiant attempt at a Boston accent but struggles to nail it. Kevin Bacon kind of floats in and out of the film as Connolly’s boss, spending most of his screentime haranguing the agent under his charge. As is the case with many mob movies, we don’t spend a lot of time with the female characters, but perhaps that’s just a reflection of the true story. Both Dakota Johnson and Julianne Nicholson get to share excellent scenes with Depp though, one of which is skin crawlingly creepy. 

With its framing device of Whitey’s associates being interviewed by the police years after the fact, the film can come off as episodic rather than sweeping and involving, but it is riveting nonetheless. Director Cooper is clearly a student of the mob movie subgenre and while Black Mass owes a great deal to the work of Scorsese and his ilk, it doesn’t come off as mere mimicry, the violent consequences of his “unholy alliance” laid bare. 

Summary: A true crime biopic that gets under one’s skin, Black Mass may not reach the loftiest heights of the mob movie subgenre but it boasts a stellar, terrifying turn from Johnny Depp. 

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

Jedd Jong 

The Imitation Game

For F*** Magazine

THE IMITATION GAME

Director : Morten Tyldum

Cast : Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Mark Strong, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, Allen Leech, Vanessa Kirby, Rory Kinnear, Matthew Beard

Genre : Thriller/Drama

Run Time : 114 mins

Opens : 22 January 2015

Rating : NC16 

Alan Turing: mathematician, cryptanalyst, often considered the father of modern computing and a unique war hero who was persecuted later in his life. The man is as fascinating and compelling a biopic subject as they come. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Turing, the story shifting between three pivotal periods of Turing’s life: his school days, his secret wartime code-breaking work at Bletchley Park and his post-war conviction of gross indecency. Much more at home with puzzles and ciphers than in social settings, Turing’s co-workers at Bletchley Park’s Hut 8, particularly chess champion Hugh Alexander (Goode), find him insufferable. As the Second World War rages on, Commander Alastair Denniston (Dance) breathes down Turing’s neck for results. Turing goes about developing a machine with the goal of deciphering German messages encoded with the Enigma Machine – a task deemed impossible.

            The Imitation Game is based on Alan Hodges’ biography Alan Turing: The Enigma. Graham Moore’s screenplay landed at the top of the Black List, an annual survey of the most-liked unproduced scripts in Hollywood, in 2011. The title The Imitation Game refers to the Turing test, which determines how well a machine can imitate the thought processes of a human being. At face value, this looks entirely like an Oscar-bait biopic carefully engineered for maximum Academy voter appeal. Despite its Norwegian director Morten Tyldum and American screenwriter Moore, it does seem very British indeed, and if there’s anything the Academy loves, it’s British-y biopics built around an attention-grabbing tour de force performance – see The King’s Speech’s triumph over The Social Network at the 83^rd Academy Awards. We reckon it is possible to go into the film harbouring all these cynical pre-conceived notions and to walk out of the theatre afterwards unmoved, but one would have to be a special brand of jaded to do so.

            The standard biopic tropes we’ve come to expect of awards-contender “based on a true story” prestige pictures are all there, but The Imitation Game handily transcends them, never letting up in just how absorbing it is. Naturally, this is due in no small part to Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal of Turing. Cumberbatch has captured the world’s imagination and is that rare combination of a superstar, a “serious actor”, a geek icon and, as he is probably tired of being described as, an unlikely sex symbol. We’ve become accustomed to “eccentric geniuses” in various media, the smartest people in the room who don’t suffer fools and have unorthodox but highly effective methods of solving problems – Cumberbatch’s take on Sherlock Holmes could definitely be classified as such. There have also been various explorations of the “dark side” of genius, the inner demons that misunderstood prodigies grapple with. As Alan Turing, Cumberbatch is able to paint a highly sympathetic portrait of a man who, if he were “normal”, would not have accomplished what he had. When audiences question the veracity of a biopic, it is often brought about as much by the shortcomings of the actor as by the script’s fictionalisation of real events. This reviewer did not detect that here. To dismiss Cumberbatch’s Turing as “just another troubled wunderkind who can’t make personal connections” would be a great disservice.

            While the film was in production, there was the worry that Turing’s homosexuality would not be mentioned. Thankfully, it is addressed, and as such Keira Knightley’s Joan Clarke is far from the superfluous love interest she could have been depicted as if such liberties were taken with the source material. Joan has to battle the deep-seated misogyny of the time, never mind that she has repeatedly proven herself as an expert code-breaker. The character’s introductory scene when she is almost turned away from an entrance test because it is automatically assumed she is up for a clerical position is dynamite. Knightley and Cumberbatch play off each other in a manner that steers clear of being cloying or saccharine and the relationship between Turing and Joan is a well-developed one.

            A surprising element of The Imitation Game, given its often heavy subject matter and wartime setting, is its humour. There are plenty of well-judged moments of levity, most derived from Turing’s interactions with others without feeling like they are at the man’s expense. As Hugh Alexander, Turing’s fellow code-breaker whose frustration is often justifiable, Matthew Goode is appealing and comes off more likeably caddish than smarmy. Charles Dance is also funny as the irascible Commander Denniston and Mark Strong is believable and coolly charming as spymaster Maj. Gen. Stewart Menzies.

            If there’s any particular weakness, it would be the quality of the computer-generated imagery used to depict the WWII battles in brief cutaways. However, this deficiency barely registers because of how expertly the film is put together on the whole, the story flowing naturally through those three time periods in Alan Turing’s life. It seems there’s the danger of the film being written off by some, ironically enough, for its pedigree and awards potential. Ignore those voices; see this, tell everyone you know to see it. It’s a cliché, but this is a story that needs to be told and to be heard.

Summary: Moving, entertaining, thrilling, thought-provoking, even funny, The Imitation Game is a powerful, well-made biopic anchored by a brilliant leading performance from Benedict Cumberbatch.

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Jedd Jong

72nd Golden Globe Awards

For F*** Magazine

THE 72^ND GOLDEN GLOBES

By Jedd Jong

The 72nd Golden Globe Awards took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in L.A. on 11th January, with Boyhood taking three wins and The Theory of Everything and Birdman bagging two. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the proceedings for the third and final time, delivering a gut-busting opening monologue that established a tone of not taking things too seriously and taking as many jabs as possible while stopping a safe distance from being confrontational or offensive – saving their sharpest barbs for scandal-plagued comedian Bill Cosby.

Putting things into perspective, Fey let fly with this zinger regarding Cecil B. Demille Award recipient George Clooney and his better half: "George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin this year. Amal is a human rights lawyer who worked on the Enron case, was an advisor to Kofi Annan regarding Syria and was selected for a three-person UN commission investigating rules of war violations in the Gaza strip. So tonight, her husband is getting a lifetime achievement award."

While naturally not nominated at all, The Interview and the attendant controversy certainly made its presence felt. Fey greeted the A-list crowd with “Welcome you bunch of despicable, spoiled, minimally talented brats,” referencing producer Scott Rudin’s labelling of Angelina Jolie in that infamous leaked Sony Pictures email.

"The biggest story in Hollywood this year was when North Korea threatened an attack if Sony released The Interview, forcing us all to pretend we wanted to see it,” Poehler added. The entire show was almost stolen by comedienne Margaret Cho, in character as a North Korean general and the editor-in-chief of “Movies Wow” magazine. Unsmiling and clad in full military uniform, this “member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association” demanded to have her photo taken with Meryl Streep, a request Michael Keaton obliged. Benedict Cumberbatch performed his signatured photo-bomb, leaping up into frame. In the hours since the ceremony aired, the jokes have attracted their share of controversy, seeing as the human rights crisis in North Korea is a very real one.

We watch live TV for the gaffes and hiccups, and while there were no major ones for this telecast, those that happened were still amusing. Lily Tomlin mistakenly said “House of Cards” when she meant “House of Lies” and Kevin Spacey dropped a precision F-Bomb when accepting his award for House of Cards. A visibly tipsy Ricky Gervais, glass of red wine in hand, sheepishly tried to avoid offending anyone, bringing his scathing Golden Globes hosting stints to mind. It was also pretty endearing to see Benedict Cumberbatch star struck as he presented the Best Supporting Actor award alongside Jennifer Aniston. The Purple One himself, Prince, made a surprise appearance to present the Best Original Song award, toting a cane.

On a more serious note, the tragic terrorist attack on the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo loomed large over the ceremony. Helen Mirren walked the red carpet in a Dolce & Gabbana gown embellished with a blue fountain pen as a brooch. The attendees rose to their feet for Dutch journalist and HFPA President Theo Kingma, who saluted the slain journalists and cartoonists during his speech. Both Jared Leto and George Clooney uttered the phrase “Je Suis Charlie”, French for “I Am Charlie”. The phrase has become a rallying cry in the wake of the attack.

Another emotional moment came during Michael Keaton’s acceptance speech after he was named Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for Birdman. After expressing his profuse gratitude to director Alejandro González Iñárritu, he recounted his upbringing in Pennsylvania as one of seven children and fought back tears as he acknowledged his son Sean, whom he described as his “closest friend”. Also overcome with emotion was Gina Rodriguez, who beat out seasoned TV actresses such as Julia-Louis Dreyfus and Edie Falco to take home the Best Actress in a Comedy Series award for Jane The Virgin.

The full list of winners and nominees follows:

FILM:

Best Motion Picture – Drama
Boyhood – WINNER
Foxcatcher
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
The Grand Budapest Hotel – WINNER
Birdman
Into the Woods
Pride
St Vincent

Best Director
Richard Linklater (Boyhood) – WINNER
Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Ava DuVernay (Selma)
David Fincher (Gone Girl)
Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman)

Best Actress – Drama
Julianne Moore (Still Alice) - WINNER
Jennifer Aniston (Cake)
Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything)
Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)
Reese Witherspoon (Wild)

Best Actor – Drama
Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) – WINNER
Steve Carrell (Foxcatcher)
Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)
David Oyelowo (Selma)

Best Actress - Musical or Comedy
Amy Adams (Big Eyes) – WINNER
Emily Blunt (Into The Woods)
Helen Mirren (The Hundred-Foot Journey)
Julianne Moore (Maps to the Stars)
Quvenzhané Wallis (Annie)

Best Actor - Musical or Comedy
Michael Keaton (Birdman) – WINNER
Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Bill Murray (St. Vincent)
Joaquin Phoenix (Inherent Vice)
Christoph Waltz (Big Eyes)

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette (Boyhood) – WINNER
Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year)
Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)
Emma Stone (Birdman)
Meryl Streep (Into The Woods)

Best Supporting Actor
JK Simmons (Whiplash) – WINNER
Robert Duvall (The Judge)
Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)
Edward Norton (Birdman)
Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)

Best Screenplay
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo (Birdman) – WINNER
Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl)
Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
Graham Moore (The Imitation Game)

Best Foreign Language Film

Leviathan (Russia) – WINNER
Force Majeure (Sweden)
Gett: The Trial of Vivian Amsalem (Israel)
Ida (Poland/Denmark)
Tangerines (Estonia)

Best Animated Feature
How to Train Your Dragon 2 – WINNER
Big Hero Six
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
The LEGO Movie

Best Original Score
Jóhann Jóhannsson (Theory of Everything) – WINNER
Alexandre Desplat (The Imitation Game)
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (Gone Girl)
Antonio Sanchez (Birdman)
Hans Zimmer (Interstellar)

Best Original Song
Glory (Selma) – WINNER
Big Eyes (Big Eyes)
Mercy Is (Noah)
Opportunity (Annie)
Yellow Flicker Beat (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1)

TV:

Best Drama Series
The Affair – WINNER
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
House of Cards

Best Comedy Series
Transparent - WINNER
Girls
Jane the Virgin
Orange is the New Black
Silicon Valley

Best Miniseries or TV Movie
Fargo – WINNER
True Detective
The Normal Heart
Olive Kitteridge
The Missing

Best Actress in a Drama Series
Ruth Wilson (The Affair) – WINNER
Claire Danes (Homeland)
Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder)
Julianna Marguiles (The Good Wife)
Robin Wright (House Of Cards)

Best Actor in a Drama Series
Kevin Spacey (House of Cards) - WINNER            
Clive Owen (The Knick)
Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan)
James Spader (The Blacklist)
Dominic West (The Affair)

Best Actress in a Comedy Series
Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin) – WINNER
Lena Dunham (Girls)
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)
Taylor Schilling (Orange is the New Black)

Best Actor in a Comedy Series
Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent) – WINNER
Louis CK (Louie)
Don Cheadle (House of Lies)
Ricky Gervais (Derek)
William H. Macy (Shameless)

Best Actor in a Limited Series
Billy Bob Thornton (Fargo) – WINNER
Martin Freeman (Fargo)
Woody Harrelson (True Detective)
Matthew McConaughey (True Detective)
Mark Ruffalo (The Normal Heart)

Best Actress in a Limited Series
Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Honorable Woman) – WINNER
Jessica Lange (American Horror Story: Freak Show)
Frances McDormand (Olive Kitteridge)
Frances O'Connor (The Missing)
Allison Tolman (Fargo)

Best Supporting Actress
Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey) – WINNER
Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black)
Kathy Bates (American Horror Story: Freak Show)
Allison Janney (Mom)
Michelle Monaghan (True Detective)

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Bomer (The Normal Heart) – WINNER
Alan Cumming (The Good Wife)
Colin Hanks (Fargo)
Bill Murray (Oliver Kitteridge)
Jon Voight (Ray Donovan)

Photo Credit: HFPA

San Diego Comic-Con International 2014: The Celebrities

One of the key elements of Comic-Con is that it's where fans get to meet creators, where those who enjoy and consume pop culture have a chance to rub shoulders with those who produce it. Hollywood has seized upon Comic-Con as an opportunity to market directly to the most passionate of target audiences and while that means the formerly comics-centric gathering has gotten commercialized and, some might say, bloated, it also means we get lots and lots of big stars descending on San Diego. This year, I was able to go in with a press pass and was granted access to the hallowed Hall H on Saturday (look out for my article on the experience coming soon). Besides Zack Snyder and his Trinity of Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot showing up, there were lots more famous faces gracing the Hall H stage - and, as is customary, incognito on the convention floor, disguised in a mask or something of that sort.

A dose of the Cumber-chins for Penguins of Madagascar

Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich!

Unfortunately, Cumberbatch did not stick around for the press conference and we were all really disappointed. My theory is they needed to whisk him away to Hall H through some secret tunnels so he wouldn't get utterly mobbed.

Author Lois Lowry and star Brenton Thwaites for The Giver

Jeff Bridges and leading lady Odeya Rush

The Paramount panel kicks off with an appearance by the voice of Spongebob Squarepants himself, Tom Kenny.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman throws his full support behind the new movie.

Director Jonathan Liebesman

Our April O'Neil and Vern, Megan Fox and Will Arnett respectively

Dwayne Johnson makes a surprise appearance to tell everyone that he's booked out three theatres to treat us all to a screening of Hercules. First come, first served! 

The Rock demonstrating his "pimp lean", as per his throwback Thursday Twitter post. Look that one up, fanny packs are involved.

Clark Duke exhorts, "if you see only one Hot Tub Time Machine sequel this year, make it this one."

The star of Interstellar himself, Matthew McConaughey. Alright x 3. 

For an even bigger treat, his director Christopher Nolan makes his Comic-Con debut.

Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, showrunners of Sleepy Hollow and screenwriters of Star Trek, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Transformers.

Greg Berlanti (Arrow/Flash), Julie Plec (Vampire Diaries) and Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) complete the Showrunners panel.

Ralph Garman moderates the Batman '66 panel. This November, the entire series is finally being released on Blu-ray, completely remastered in HD! 

Julie Newmar is helped on stage by her minions.

The eternal Boy Wonder.

Lee Meriwether, who was Catwoman for the '66 film.

Our dynamic duo!

Thank you Burt and Julian for this opportunity! 

And who should we serendipitously run into but Guillermo del Toro himself! 

I told him I wanted to hug him because of how much I enjoy his films. This was a moment. Thanks Tedd for taking the photo.

Kurtwood Smith, Frances Fisher and Devin Kelley from the TV show Resurrection.

Kurtwood Smith and Frances Fisher sharing an affectionate moment.

Devin Kelley looking lovely.

Omar Epps

Batman comic book writer Scott Snyder

Managed to grab a selfie with Willa Holland, Arrow's one and only Thea Queen! 

Press conference for The Maze Runner

Will Poulter and Kaya Scodelario

Director Wes Ball

James Dashner, author of the book series

Kaya Scodelario

Kaya Scodelario and Dylan O'Brien

Guillermo del Toro, producer of Book of Life.

Christina Applegate and director Jorge Guttierez 

Channing Tatum

Ron Perlman

Giggles.

Hannah Ware from Hitman: Agent 47.

Zachary Quinto, main antagonist of Hitman: Agent 47

Artist Dave Gibbons and writer Mark Millar, creators of The Secret Service.

Colin Firth and Samuel L. Jackson

Taron Egerton and Sophie Cookson 

Sofia Boutella and Dave Gibbons

I can tell you that Samuel L. Jackson was not very pleasant at all. The journalists had placed all their phones and other recording devices on the table. When one of the phones rang, he picked it up, yelled down the line and then asked the journalist to "claim your f**king phone." 

Keagen Michael Key and Nina Dobrev of Let's Be Cops.

Damon Wayans, Jr. and Rob Riggle

Willa Holland, Stephen Amell and Colton Haynes, stars of Arrow.

John Barrowman and Willa Holland share a cute daddy-daughter moment.

Willa Holland proves she can tough it out with the guys of the cast.

Producer James Tucker, John DiMaggio (King Shark), Troy Baker (Joker), Matthew Gray Gubler (Riddler) and Kevin Conroy (Batman) from Batman: Assault on Arkham.

Director Jay Oliva, James Tucker, John DiMaggio, Troy Baker and Matthew Gray Gubler.

We kick off Saturday in Hall H with moderator Chris Hardwick as Marty McFly.

It wasn't on the schedule, but we were all hoping to see something from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Zack Snyder presents 30 seconds of teaser footage.

And his World's Finest

Make that the Trinity, plus Hardwick unable to resist snapping a selfie.

Channing Tatum has something of a tough act to follow, talking Jupiter Ascending.

Hardwick with George Miller, director of all the Mad Max films - including the upcoming Mad Max: Fury Road.

Time to head to Middle Earth with Stephen Colbert, dressed as his cameo character "The Laketown Spy" and seen here with his son.

Director Peter Jackson, co-writer/producer Philippa Boyens, Benedict Cumberbatch (Smaug, Sauron), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Evangeline Lilly (Tauriel), Luke Evans (Bard the Bowman), Lee Pace (Thranduil), Graham McTavish (Dwalin), Elijah Wood (Frodo), Andy Serkis (Gollum)

Jessica Chobot and Legendary Studios chief Thomas Tull open the Legendary Studios panel.

John and Drew Dowdle, the brothers behind As Above, So Below.

Michael Mann, director of Heat, Thief, The Last of the Mohicans, Collateral and now Blackhat. 

All swoon for Chris Hemsworth 

Warcraft director Duncan Jones, wearing a shirt from his earlier film Moon.

Guillermo del Toro talks Crimson Peak.

The voice stars of The Boxtrolls, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Elle Fanning and Ben Kingsley.

Direcotr/animated Travis Knight 

The Sin City: A Dame to Kill For panel begins. Director Robert Rodriguez, comics creator Frank Miller, Rosario Dawson (Gail), Josh Brolin (Dwight) and Jessica Alba (Nancy)

Gotta love Miller's face here.

The Women Who Kick Ass: Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy), Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), Nicole Beharie (Sleepy Hollow), Maisie Williams and Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones).

Comic-Con gets antsy: Producer Kevin Feige, director Peyton Reed, actors Paul Rudd (Scott Lang), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne) and Corey Stoll (Darren Cross)

A rose by any other name...

Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye/Clint Barton), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/the Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Chris Evans (Captain America/Steve Rogers), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff), Paul Bettany (Jarvis/Vision), James Spader (Ultron), Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff)

Where are your Avengers now? Here they are! 

Josh Brolin and his toy Infinity Gauntlet crash the party! 

Hey Jensen Ackles. Lookin' handsome as always.

The Supernatural panel: Jeremy Carver, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins and Mark Sheppard. 

Special appearance from Osric Chau! 

Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman of the Young Justice animated series

DC Animation producer James Tucker 

Producer Michael E. Uslan, co-owner of the Batman media rights 

Selfie with James Tucker! 

As with last year, my Comic-Con adventure concludes with watching Jim Lee, the master, at work. 

"Alfred, never sext me again."

Tasteful note to go out on! See you guys in San Diego next year.