Taking Care of Business: SDCC '14 and other Things

I received some good advice at San Diego Comic Con 2014 for this blog.   A re-design has been in order for a long time.  As you can see, there is still much I'm still working on as to it's "look" and organization.

From now on, on the Left, of the blog you will  see regularly updated  links to my most recent articles done for on-line publications such as the Comics Beat, CBR and Comics Attack.  Obviously, mostly about Comics, report on Cons and Comic panels, the Comics Industry and Entertainment, TV, Film in general.   There maybe some way to embed those articles so one could just point, scroll and read them if you're curious. I have not yet learned the trick of it, if exists.  Let me know if you do.

Also, somehow I need to work in some depiction of the Hollywood sign and links to any of my own comic, and hopefully, eventual web-comic, artwork, film reels and animation.  I'm working on trying to accrue all that as well.

So many projects, so little time.

Still working on finishing all my coverage of SDCC '14 for the Comics Beat. Look for an important article on the great Denis Kitchen and "One of the Best Things Stan Lee Ever Did"

This was the first time I attended #SDCC as someone disabled.  Nothing to worry about.  But a still healing broken toe that some how caused great agony in my leg as well.

God Bless, my roomie Lindsay Robinson who came to my rescue for two days and helped me cover the Con until my husband arrived.

I was so grateful for the Disabled Services and all they did for those of us who have to make use of their services.  They deserve an article on them and their Volunteers and everyone who Volunteers at #SDCC who make it the success for all those who are fully able bodied and those who are less so.  We all end up that way in time.  How wonderful that there are people who will help you have a good time despite it!


So.. back to work and I hope to have much more for you all to see and read very soon.

Thank You For Your Time and Kind Indulgence.

@theReal_Rebel

Brea Grant Stars in "Homecoming"

Brea Grant stars in "Homecoming"
by theReal_Rebel

Often laugh out loud funny and deeply moving "Homecoming" is a flawed gem of an indie movie about the effects of a soldier coming home then going off again to do her job.

After a 2 year stint in the Army, Medic Estelle Szymanski returns from Afghanistan to her home of Celebration, Florida on an 18 day furlough.

Yes, Celebration, is that town. The one the Disney corps. built in Orlando and much of the underlying visual humor derives from this setting.

While Estelle's mother, Cathy, (Colleen Camp), a cook at her old High School, busies herself with making a holiday out of each day her daughter is home, Estelle and her slacker pals Austin (Tom Fox Davies) and Owen (Sean Hackett) fight, make up then willingly playing along with Cathy. That is, until Cathy, eager to get someone other than Estelle's longtime pals into her daughter's life, introduces her to Derrick (John Robinson), a Biology teacher, as a potential beau.

The film moves along naturally enough, managing to subvert expectations, and averting cliches, however by not making clear what is truly burdening Estelle, the films structure and emotional impact is undermined. Additionally, certain scenes are not allowed to play out to their natural conclusion and, with the exception of one scene, the stresses of a war upon Grant's character are not made visible.

Thankfully the emotional core of the film, the relationship between the three friends, their hi-jinks and clashes are what makes this film worth seeing. The film's flaws only keep a surprisingly fun, funny, and emotionally involving film from being a truly great one.

Brea Grant's, mostly known for genre films ("Halloween 2") and television ("Heroes) is charming and natural in the film despite missing the underlying gravity of a soldier. Also superb are her cast mates Writer/Director/Producer Sean Hackett as annoying yet adorable nerd Owen and Tom Fox Davies as future crooner and boy-band-escapee, Austin, make a credible and believably unbreakable threesome.

While I used the term film in the above review the movie is actually shot in Digital Video using a Canon 7d-DSLR by Cinematographer Anthony Kuhnz and his crew. Had a nice muted, understated quality.

And Editor Kate Hacket did a magnificent job of pulling all the pieces together into a mostly seamless continuity.

Music Composed by Gingger Shankar was emotionally reflective yet subtle and unobtrusive.

If you want to see Homecoming in your hometown. You have to go to Eventful.com and Demand it. By which I mean, you have to actually hit the "Demand it" button after going to "Search" and typing in "film, homecoming"

http://eventful.com/losangeles/events?q=film%2C%20homecoming&ga_search=film%2C%20homecoming&ga_type=events

Heroes Panel Hollywood Expo pt 1

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Heroes Panel Hollywood Expo2

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Alley Gray