 Last Friday, Comic-Con attendees got the first exclusive look at the crazy, violent and hysterical superhero comedy »Super«. Director James Gunn and the cast entered the stage in Hall H at the San Diego Convention Center to show off a specially cut trailer and a a scene from the movie. Also on the panel were producers Ted Hope and Miranda Bailey as well as moderator Ted Stryker. Kevin Bacon wanted to make it, but couldn’t attend because »The Bacon Brothers« had a concert scheduled in Philadelphia.
The footage wasn't color corrected and the sound wasn't locked or even edited. Gunn apologized for its unfinished nature, explaining that it just been finished on a home computer for Comic-Con. Nevertheless the collection of scenes wasn't any less outrageous and hilarious. When everyone sees the first bit of footage from »Super«, it will undoubtedly draw comparisons to »Kick-Ass«. Though that's not necessarily a bad thing, it should be pointed out that Gunn wrote the script several years ago. Ultimately, his film is different in many ways and feels like its own thing. It's gritty, dark, very violent (Libby blows up a bad guy with a stick of dynamite and pieces go everywhere) and funny at the same time. Furthermore, it's about a superhero that doesn't have noble intentions, but wants to impress his wife in order to win her back.
The trailer has Rainn Wilson as Frank D'Arbo and Liv Tyler as Sarah Helgeland, both working in a diner and falling in love. They kiss and we flash forward to a wedding which we learn fell apart because of Sarah's drug use, leaving Frank distraught. In the next scene, Frank arrives home to find his wife hanging out with some questionable company while getting high. Kevin Bacon plays the drug dealer at the root of the conflict. “She doesn’t want to be with you,” he says. This is the point where Frank decides to turn into the »Crimson Bolt«, a cheap-ass superhero persona who dresses up in a gold-starred red spandex suit which covers his entire body and most of his face. He tests out his weapon – a hefty wrench – against a melon. Next, Bacon's character is at home, being protected by his gang of baddies, when the Crimson Bolt smashes a window with the wrench. They pull out their guns and aim at him. He pauses awkwardly, and bolts away from the house; he clearly didn’t think this through. They dart after him and try to chase him down. Thereupon Ellen makes an appearance as Libby who becomes Frank's sidekick. She shows off her moves in his apartment, bouncing pathetically around the room while attempting to punch and kick and flip onto her feet while lying on the ground. Nathan Fillion, who plays another superhero called »The Holy Avenger«, also briefly shows up wearing an old school yellow mask. The video ends with Boltie (aka Libby, who wears a green and yellow variation of Frank's costume) throwing a stick of dynamite at a bad guy. He explodes into a million pieces in a goofy, full-frontal way.
The short clip follows Frank as he waits in line outside a movie theater. When an asshole cuts in front and starts hitting on an attractive woman, he perks up while others quietly express their irritation. “Hey,” he stammers. “No butts.” The bully ignores him. “No butting in line!” Frustrated, Frank leaves his spot and heads for his car. He opens the trunk, pulls out his superhero costume, and awkwardly gets changed in the backseat while a little girl outside points him out to her mom. Then he returns to the line, and stands beside the asshole. “No butts,” he repeats himself. Without skipping a beat, the »Crimson Bolt« blasts the guy in the forehead with the wrench. Blood starts to pour profusely down his brow. The girl, shocked, starts to berate and swing at him. But he whips the wrench across her face, and she collapses...
» Super Comic-Con Panel - 23rd July 2010 «
 
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During the Q&A with the audience, Gunn and his team also revealed the following:- James Gunn wrote the script eight years ago
- He felt lucky that such an impressive and in-demand cast agreed to do the flick for a fee that was apparently as low as the Screen Actors Guild would allow.
- Gunn desperately wanted Ellen to be in his movie, but he never thought he would get her due to her Oscar nomination for "Juno".
- Producer Ted Hope got on board after finding out about the film on Twitter.
- Hope described the entire film as "an f-ed up, low-rent Watchmen," which was the major reason he wanted to make it.
- James Gunn’s ex-wife Jenna Fischer commended the script to Rainn Wilson’s attention on the set of “The Office.”
- When Rainn saw the script he decided he absolutely had to play the character and the movie must be made.
- He admitted that Ellen really makes him laugh in this movie.
- Rainn wilson has an intimate scene with Ellen, which he described as “kind of awesome and kind of icky.”
- Rainn said there are religious elements in the film, especially in regards to his character Frank, and how he sees his life fall apart and then he's forced to rebuild it.
- They shot half of Liv Tyler's entire film appearance in one day
- Liv Tyler's character is drug addicted. She got into the mind of a drug addict by spinning in circles in her trailer while taking the occasional shot of whiskey.
- The film is Liv Tyler's first since finishing "The Incredible Hulk"
- Kevin Bacon is the drug dealing antagonist using his six degrees of charm and douchebaggery to keep Crimson Bolt on is toes
- Ellen has never met Bacon because they had no scenes together.
- Ellen said she's really proud and lucky to be part of the film
- She described her character, Libby, as a "lunatic" who "is ready to kill someone if they key (scratch) her car."
- Ellen's work in the film is almost exclusively with Rainn, but she has nothing but nice things to say about the rest of the cast.
- They were literally doing 50 setups a day, while most big-budget films do 15 setups at the most, during a shooting day.
- Nathan Fillion's character's name is "The Holy Avenger". He's ambiguously gay, long haired and has the power of charisma (pronounced "CHU-risma" because he has the power of the church. He is also a hero on TV that Rainn Wilson's character is obsessed with and appears in visions.
- He recently saw a screening of the film and was surprised by how strong and dramatic the material was.
- Steve Agee has a one line cameo inside a comic book store. It's a four-letter word and it starts with 'C'.
- Rob Zombie has a cameo in the film, too. He plays the voice of God.
- Miranda Bailey said the reaction from potential buyers was good and they’ve gotten a lot of e-mails.
Thanks to the guys over at screencrave.com, we have a recording of the panel discussion and the staged fight between Rainn Wilson’s Dwight Schrute (»The Office«) and Nathan Fillion’s Malcolm Reynolds (»Firefly«).
» Super Comic-Con Panel - 23rd July 2010 «
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Most Hall H panels focus on big-budget studio spectacles with million-dollar stars, but the presentation for »Super« was a study in the opposite extreme. The independently financed film arrived in San Diego looking to land a distribution deal and to get the first feedback from the audience. A year ago, Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass came to the Comic-Con in similar circumstances and eventually turned out to be a huge hit at the Box Office. Keep your fingers crossed that »Super« can step in its footsteps to some extent. However, don't expect it to be a mainstream box office hit. Stylistically, the film has the appearance of a typical quirky indie comedy/romance, but all of it is mixed with the disturbing weirdness, hard core violence and unadulterated vulgarity of James Gunn’s Troma-esque approach. Just like anything else... some will like it, some will love it, and some won't like it at all.
Admittedly, I haven't seen the footage yet, but I read the script a while ago. In my opinion »Super« combines the psychological element of »Hard Candy«, the dark tone of »The Tracey Fragments«, the humor of »Snatch« and the violence of »Sin City«. Although I'm looking forward to see Ellen playing an enthusiastic and ambitious sociopath, I'm sure the whole movie won't be easy to watch, especially for us fans of Ellen. SPOILER (you have to mark the text (click and drag) to read it)
[ I don't want too give to much away, but Libby/Boltie is more like Kick-Ass' »Big Daddy« than »Hit Girl«. If you have seen Matthew Vaughn's superhero movie, then you know what happened with Nicolas Cage's character at the end of the movie :-( ].
At the end of the panel they additionally announced the official website: TheCrimsonBolt.com. However, it's only a place to sign up for future updates for the moment. The film itself opens sometime next year, but I can also imagine we will see it at this year's TIFF if they don't find a distributor in the next few weeks.
On the same day, Box Office Mojo reported that Thursday’s estimate in the box office was enough to push »Inception« beyond the $100 million mark. For a film that is neither a sequel nor a remake, it is certainly a great achievement to break this barrier in only seven days. At the time of writing, Christopher Nolan‘s latest film still remains the #1 movie in the United States for its ninth consecutive day since July 16. Finally I recommend that you check out the new featurette below focusing on the film's sound. Also take a look at HBO's »First Look« and Star Movies' VIP Access special, which feature some never seen before scenes and give new insights into the production of the movie.
» Inception - Sound Featurette «
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» HBO First Look - Inception - 6th July 2010 «
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» Star Movies VIP Access - Inception Special - 18th July 2010 «
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